You Will Be Forever "Web Magazine"

"The Icing on the Cake" from StoryCorps

noreply@blogger.com (Jomar Hilario) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 07:52:00 +0000

-Start savin' up for this! Justin here in RW.

Empires of the Deep Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 07:03:00 +0000

Empires of the Deep is a colossal 3D action-adventure fantasy motion picture. It is said to be the biggest US-China co-production in the history with its production budget reaching $100 million and is currently in production in Beijing under the working title Mermaid Island USA.[1][2] Tentative release date will be on 2011.

Plot

The story revolves around an unlikely love story between a young man and a beautiful mermaid. Set on a mythical realm, it tells of the fascination of the mysterious and enchanting mermaid world. A world that captures imagination and adventure.

Cast

The cast includes actors Shi Yanfei, Steve Polites, and Olga Kurylenko.[4] Directed by Michael French. Screenplay by Randall Frakes and story by Jiang Hongyu.

Others:

* Jae Choe as Jennifer Choe[5]
* Steve Polites as Atlas[6]
* Sam Voutas as Papos[7]
* Jean-Michel Casanova as The Pirate Captain[8]
* Alec Su as Mermaid Kingdom Soldier[9]
* Liang Yanfei as Mermaid[10]
* Maxx Maulion as Trajin[11]
* William Shriver as Mechant[12]

Source

A series of pictures of the movie Empires of the Deep has been released online, they're mostly behind the scenes photos of the elaborate sets, makeup and costuming:

Empires of the Deep is an upcoming 3D fantasy adventure movie directed by Michael French. The film is starring Olga Kurylenko, Steve Polites, and Yanfei Shi. It is said to be the biggest US-China co-production in the history with its production budget reaching $100 million and is currently filming in Beijing. Empires of the Deep will be the first movie in a planned movie franchise including comic books, animation and online games: all of which are currently under development. Other derivative products such as gifts and theme parks are also planned. The Empires of the Deep movie should be released sometime in 2010.

Take a look to those concept arts of the Empires of the Deep movie:

Plot:
"The fantasy adventure, set in ancient Greece, tells about a young man's adventure in the undersea mermaid kingdom in order to save his father, while encountering ferocious sea monsters and gets involved in large-scale battles in the seabed between mermaids, monsters and demons. Kurylenko plays the Queen of the Mermaid Empire and stars opposite lead actor Steve Polites and Chinese actress Yanfei Shi."

The movie Empires of the Deep sounds like a very ambitious project. There isn't much buzz about the movie so far, but it could well become a worldwide blockbuster when it gets released next year.

Hope to get more information about the movie Empires of the Deep soon!

Source

The Hobbit Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 09:02:00 +0000

Director Guillermo del Toro seems to be really committed to make the Hobbit movie a success.

Two movies are in store. Let's listen to del Toro to see what he is planning for the Hobbit:

He knows that he has inherited a great responsibility with the right to adapt the Hobbit to the cinema:

I really hope that his cooperation with Peter Jackson who directed the Lord of the Rings will work out. It has been a long since the last Lord of the Rings movie and so far, no movie could compare to any opus of the trilogy for it was really great.

May del Toro create a new masterpiece with the Hobbit! Any bet concerning Bilbo? Who will interpret the epic hero?
:)

Source

The Hobbit is an upcoming two-part film based on the novel of the same name by J. R. R. Tolkien. The film is in development and Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy will serve as executive producer and co-writer. Guillermo del Toro worked on the project with Jackson for over two years and would have been director, but left the project in May 2010. Originally, both parts would have served as separate films. The first would have adapted The Hobbit and the second would have bridged the gap between this and The Lord of the Rings. It was del Toro's intention to split and expand the narrative of The Hobbit over two parts of a single film.

Cast

In a June 2009 interview, Guillermo del Toro confirmed that three actors had been cast in the respective roles they played in Jackson's film trilogy:

* Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey[1]
* Andy Serkis as Gollum[1]
* Hugo Weaving as Elrond[1]

Development
See also: Development of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy

Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh expressed interest in 1995 in filming The Hobbit, which would be part one of a trilogy (the other two would have been based on The Lord of the Rings).[3] Frustration arose when Jackson's producer, Harvey Weinstein, discovered Saul Zaentz had production rights to The Hobbit, but distribution rights still belonged to United Artists (which had kept those rights, believing that filmmakers would probably adapt The Hobbit rather than The Lord of the Rings, and therefore wanted a profit).[4] The studio was on the market, so Weinstein's attempts to buy those rights were unsuccessful. Weinstein asked Jackson to press on with adapting The Lord of the Rings.[5] New Line Cinema eventually produced The Lord of the Rings, and their rights to film The Hobbit were set to expire in 2010.[6] In September 2006, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, owner of UA, expressed interest in teaming up with New Line and Jackson to make the prequel.[7]

In March 2005, Jackson launched a lawsuit against New Line, claiming he had lost revenue from merchandising, video, and computer games releases associated with The Fellowship of The Ring.[8] He did not seek a specific settlement, but requested an audit to see whether New Line had deprived him of money.[6] Although Jackson wanted it settled before he would make the film,[6] he felt the lawsuit was minor, and that New Line would still let him make The Hobbit.[9] New Line co-founder Robert Shaye was annoyed with the lawsuit and said in January 2007 that Jackson would never again direct a film for New Line, accusing him of being greedy.[10] MGM boss Harry Sloan halted development, as he wanted Jackson to be involved.[11] By August, after a string of flops, Shaye was trying to repair his relationship with the director. He said, "I really respect and admire Peter and would love for him to be creatively involved in some way in The Hobbit."[12] The following month, New Line was fined $125,000 for failing to provide requested accounting documents.[6]
Peter Jackson, executive producer of the films.

On December 18, 2007, it was announced that Jackson would be executive producer of The Hobbit and its sequel. New Line and MGM will co-finance the film, and the latter studio (via 20th Century Fox) will distribute the films outside North America – New Line's first ever such deal with another major studio.[13] Each film is budgeted at an estimated US$150 million,[14] which compares to the US$94 million budget for each of the films in Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. After completion of the merger of New Line Cinema with Warner Bros. in February 2008, the films were announced as scheduled for release in Decembers 2011 and 2012.[11] Producer Mark Ordesky will return to supervise the prequels.[15] Jackson explained he chose not to direct because it would have been unsatisfying to compete with his previous films.[16]

That same month, the Tolkien Estate—through the Tolkien Trust—and HarperCollins Publishers filed a suit against New Line for breach of contract and fraud and demanded $220 million in compensation. The suit claimed New Line had only paid the Estate an upfront fee of $62,500, despite the trilogy earning an estimated $6 billion worldwide from box office receipts and merchandise sales. The suit claimed the Estate was entitled to 7.5% of all profits made by any Tolkien films, as established by prior deals. The suit also sought to block the filming of The Hobbit.[17][18]

Guillermo del Toro has said he was a fan of Jackson's trilogy and had discussed directing a film adaptation of Halo with him in 2005. Though that project stalled, they kept in contact.[16] In a 2006 interview Del Toro was quoted saying "I don't like little guys and dragons, hairy feet, hobbits, [...] I don't like sword and sorcery, I hate all that stuff".[19] After he signed on to direct in April 2008,[20] Del Toro posted on TheOneRing.net forums that he had been enchanted by The Hobbit as a child, but found that Tolkien's other books "contain[ed] geography and genealogy too complex for my prepubescent brain". In taking the job of director, Del Toro was now "reading like a madman to catch up with a whole new land, a continent of sorts – a cosmology created by brilliant philologist turned Shaman". He also posted that his appreciation of Tolkien was enhanced by his knowledge of the fantasy genre and the folklore research he had undertaken while making his own fantasy films.[16]

Pre-production began around August 2008, with Del Toro, Jackson, Walsh, and Philippa Boyens writing the scripts.[21] Del Toro collaborated with Jackson, Walsh and Boyens via videoconferencing, and flew every three weeks, back and forth from Los Angeles, California (where some of the designs were done)[20] to New Zealand to visit them.[22] Del Toro spent his mornings writing, and afternoons looking at material related to Tolkien to help him understand the writer's work. He watched World War I documentaries and asked for book recommendations from Jackson, who is a collector of World War I memorabilia. Del Toro felt Tolkien's experiences in that war influenced his stories.[23]

By November 2008, every week Del Toro, Jackson, Walsh and Boyens would realize something new about the story which continually changed the script.[24] The writing hours increased to twelve each day, as they dedicated three weeks to finally deciding the films' structures.[25] During the first few months of 2009, writing would start from 8:30 am and end at 3 pm when Del Toro would meet with Weta (i.e. Weta Workshop and Weta Digital film effects companies). Completion of the story outlines and treatments ended in March 2009, and the studios approved the start of writing the screenplay.[26] Filming was expected to take place throughout 2010 in New Zealand, with Del Toro renovating the Hobbiton sets in Matamata.[16] On his part, Jackson kept the Rivendell scale model and the Bag End set (which he has used as a guest house) from the trilogy.[9] During the middle of the shoot, there was expected to be a break which would have allowed Del Toro to edit The Hobbit while sets would be altered for the second film.[27] The director expected the shoot to last 370 days.[28]

In September 2009, New Line and the Tolkien Estate reached a settlement, with New Line paying the Estate an undisclosed sum. J. R. R. Tolkien's son and literary executor Christopher Tolkien said in a statement: "New Line may now proceed with its proposed films of The Hobbit."[17][18] Jackson revealed in late November 2009 that he anticipated that the script for The Hobbit would be finished by the beginning of 2010, delaying the start of production until the middle of that summer (several months later than previously anticipated).[29] The announcement created doubts about whether the film would make its previously-announced release dates of December 2011 and December 2012.[29] Jackson reiterated that no casting decisions have been made.[29] On January 22, 2010, Alan Horn said the first film would likely not be released until the fourth quarter of 2012.[30]

Due to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's financial troubles, the project had not been officially greenlit as of May 28, 2010, as Del Toro explained at a press conference. "There cannot be any start dates until the MGM situation gets resolved... We have designed all the creatures. We've designed the sets and the wardrobe. We have done animatics and planned very lengthy action sequences. We have scary sequences and funny sequences and we are very, very prepared for when it's finally triggered, but we don't know anything until MGM is solved."[31][32] Two days later, Del Toro announced at TheOneRing.net that "[i]n light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming", he would "take leave from helming", further stating that "the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally allocated for the project. [...] I remain an ally to it and its makers, present and future, and fully support a smooth transition to a new director".[33][34] Reports have been surfacing around the internet about possible directors for The Hobbit. Apparently the studios want Jackson but names like David Yates, Brett Ratner and David Dobkin have all been thrown around.

Source

The Divide Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 08:44:00 +0000

What are the ethics of post-apocalyptic survival? I dunno, but I have to say that the trailer for the Divide, starring genre names like Heroes’ Milo Ventimiglia and Terminator’s Michael Biehn:

Eight survivors locked in a basement of an annihilated New York City. To say that it looks at least a little bit scary is a bit of an understatement. FirstShowing has more info on the upcoming flick.

Source

The Divide is a scenario science fiction thriller film directed by Xavier Gens[1] and written by Karl Mueller and Eron Sheean.[2] It stars Michael Biehn, Lauren German, Milo Ventimiglia.

Plot

In the futuristic New York rocked a huge explosion, eight survivors hide in the rubble of one large apartment building, where they are threatened by mysterious men a little later in HAZMAT suits.

Cast

* Milo Ventimiglia as Josh
* Michael Biehn as Mickey
* Ashton Holmes
* Peter Stormare
* Rosanna Arquette as Marilyn
* Lauren German as Eva
* Courtney B. Vance as Delvin
* Michael Eklund as Bobby
* Iván González

Production

The film is based on a script by the screenwriting duo of Karl Mueller and Eron Sheean.[5] Director Xavier Gens cast Lauren German, Milo Ventimiglia, Michael Biehn and Rosanna Arquette in leading roles for the film.[6] The film will be shot in the Millenium Centre and the Manitoba Production Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Source

Russel Crowe Died??? Another Rumor!!

Russell Crowe died!! No not at all. HE just joined the club “Celebrity death rumors”, whose members are: Harrison Ford, Britney Spears, Jeff Goldblum, George Clooney, Rick Astley and Natalie Portman. They all have been pronounced dead prematurely. They are all alive.

Russell Crowe was rumored to have fallen to his death of a mountain in Kitzbuhel, Austria, where actor is currently starring in a film.

But Russell Crowe’s representative already confirmed that actor has not died. The rumor of actor’s death had been started by New York radio station, Z100. On Thursday morning it reported that an Oscar-winning actor had passed away.

“Robin Hood” star Russell Crowe appears to be the latest victim. However, we can now reassure his fans that they are definitely rumors, and the actor is not dead at all.

Source

Terra Nova Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:31:00 +0000

Looks like a combination of the planet Pandora from Avatar and Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park! Impatient to see more pictures of Terra Nova and can't wait for the first trailer!
:)

The official synopsis of the upcoming Terra Nova TV series has been revealed:

In the year 2149 the world is dying. The planet is overdeveloped, overcrowded and over-polluted. With the majority of plant and animal life extinct, devotion to science has brought mankind to the brink of destruction, but has also provided its only hope for salvation. Knowing there is no way to reverse the damage to the planet, a coalition of scientists has managed to open up a fracture in the space-time continuum, creating a portal to prehistoric Earth. This doorway leads to an amazing world, one that allows for a last-ditch effort to save the human race … possibly changing the future by correcting the mistakes of the past.

The series centers on the Shannon family as they join the tenth pilgrimage of settlers to TERRA NOVA, the first colony of humans in this second chance for civilization. JIM SHANNON, a devoted father with a checkered past, guides his family through this new land of limitless beauty, mystery and terror. Jim's wife, ELISABETH SHANNON, is a trauma surgeon chosen through a global lottery as a new addition to Terra Nova’s medical team. JOSH SHANNON is their son, mourning the girl he left behind, as he’s torn between two role models - his father and the charismatic COMMANDER FRANK TAYLOR, the leader of the settlement, and the heroic first pioneer through the time portal. MADDY SHANNON, Jim and Elizabeth’s teen daughter, is as independent and adventurous as her parents, but her distrust of authority soon leads her on a dangerous path.

In addition to blue skies, rolling rivers and lush vegetation, TERRA NOVA offers new opportunities and fresh beginnings to its recent arrivals, but the Shannons have brought with them a familial secret that may threaten their citizenship in this utopia. Additionally these adventurers soon discover that this healthy, vibrant world is not as idyllic as it initially appears. The areas surrounding Terra Nova are filled with dangerous dinosaurs, and other prehistoric threats, as well as external forces that may be intent on destroying this new world before it begins.

But perhaps even more threatening than what lies outside the protective walls is the Shannons' realization that something sinister may be happening inside TERRA NOVA as not everyone on this mission has the same intentions of how best to save mankind.

This synopsis of Terra Nova sound promising: we have a great sci-fi family TV series ahead of us!
:)

Source

Cast

* Janne Donk ... Old boatsmans wife
* Adolphe Engers ... Old boatsman
* Piet Rienks ... Servant

Source

Taken 2 Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 05:56:00 +0000

There's a movie sequel to Taken in the works. Yep, you can get ready for the movie Taken 2. Producer Luc Besson has indeed announced that his production company EuropaCorp has initiated development on the movie Taken 2. Besides Actor Liam Neeson has already expressed his interest in starring in the sequel, but he's cautious saying that they need to find a believable plot first:

"There might [be a sequel to Taken]. It's just hard to get a plot that's gonna be believable. But I meet with Luc besson later this month."
Actor Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson's dedication to his role in the first Taken movie is why it became a hit. So let's hope that Writer/Producer Luc Besson has a compelling idea to definitely convince Liam Neeson to reprise his role in the movie Taken 2!

Are you glad to hear about this sequel to Taken? And do you have any suggestion for the script of Taken 2?
:)

Source

Taken is a 2008 French/American action thriller film starring Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, and Maggie Grace. This film is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing thematic material, sexual content, some drug references and language. On TV this film is rated TV-14. It is based on a script by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen and was directed by Pierre Morel. Neeson plays a former Central Intelligence Agency paramilitary operative who sets about tracking down his teenage daughter after she is kidnapped by slave traders while travelling in France.

Plot

Decorated and highly-skilled CIA Special Activities Division officer Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) has recently retired. Although his frequent absences led to his divorce, he remained a loving, albeit distant father to his teen-aged daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace). Hoping to bond with Kim, an aspiring singer, Bryan buys an expensive karaoke machine for her 17th birthday. But his gift is upstaged by Kim's wealthy stepfather, Stuart (Xander Berkeley), who gives her a horse at her party.

Later, Bryan's former CIA colleague, Sam (Leland Orser), hires Bryan for a one-night job with him: bodyguards for a famous singer, Sheerah (Holly Valance). After fending off an armed attacker, Bryan earns Sheerah's gratitude and a promise to help with Kim's musical aspirations. Kim invites Bryan to lunch the next day, but before he can share his good news, he discovers his ex-wife, Lenore (Famke Janssen), is also there; the lunch is actually a set-up to persuade Bryan to sign a parental consent form allowing Kim to travel to Paris with her 19-year-old friend, Amanda (Katie Cassidy), who is visiting relatives there. Lenore is irritated when Bryan refuses to sign, and Kim, upset, tearfully rushes out. Wanting to win back his daughter's favor, Bryan reluctantly agrees to give his consent, but he is angered when he discovers later the girls are actually following a U2 concert tour throughout Europe. Affronted by Lenore's denial of the dangers, he is guilted by Lenore into letting Kim go.

In Paris, Kim and Amanda meet an attractive stranger named Peter (Nicolas Giraud), who suggests sharing a taxi, and also invites them to a party. But events soon turn sinister when, after Kim and Amanda are dropped off, Peter calls someone on his cell phone, giving them the apartment's address and information about the girls. Kim, meanwhile, learns that Amanda lied—they are actually staying at the apartment alone—a fact Amanda revealed to Peter.

While talking to Bryan on her cell phone, Kim witnesses Amanda being abducted in another room. Bryan warns that she will be taken as well, and instructs her to shout out information about the kidnappers as he tapes the call. Sam analyzes the recording and determines the kidnappers are the Albanian Mafia operating in Paris, who largely deal in sex slaves (Human trafficking). On average, these kidnapped girls have 96 hours (four days) before never being found.

At the Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, Bryan locates Peter as he lures another victim into a taxi. Attempting to escape, Peter is hit and killed by a truck. Bryan contacts an old friend, Jean-Claude (Olivier Rabourdin), who works for French Intelligence. Though doubtful Kim can be found, he provides information on where Albanian pimps and their prostitutes operate. Navigating his way through Paris' seedy underbelly, Bryan eventually locates a house where Kim might be. He bluffs his way in, and, identifying a gang member's voice from the phone recording, kills nearly everyone there. Amanda is found dead from an apparent overdose, but Kim is already gone.

Mindful of the 96-hour deadline, Bryan tortures the surviving gang member, Marko, by hooking him up to wires and electrocuting him into revealing that Kim was sold to Patrice Saint-Clair (Gérard Watkins) Bryan then leaves Marko to die. Bryan returns to Jean-Claude's apartment and, deducing his connection with the human traffickers, confronts him about his illegal Albanian dealings, threatens to kill Jean Claude and shoots his wife in the arm to obtain Saint-Clair's address.

At Saint-Clair's, Kim is being auctioned in a darkened room. Before Bryan can rescue her, he is overpowered and Saint-Clair orders him killed. Bryan escapes, killing Saint-Clair's henchmen, then forces Saint-Clair to reveal Kim's whereabouts before dispatching him. Bryan boards the yacht belonging to the Arab sheikh who bought Kim, killing his guards. The sheikh holds a knife to Kim's neck and tries negotiating with Bryan, but Bryan shoots him dead. Bryan and Kim return to the United States, and, shortly thereafter, Bryan surprises Kim with a visit to Sheerah's house to help Kim launch a singing career.

Cast

* Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills
* Maggie Grace as Kim Mills
* Famke Janssen as Lenore (Linnie)
* Xander Berkeley as Stuart
* Katie Cassidy as Amanda
* Leland Orser as Sam
* Olivier Rabourdin as Jean-Claude
* Holly Valance as Sheerah
* Jon Gries as Casey
* David Warshofsky as Bernie
* Nathan Rippy as Victor
* Camille Japy as Isabelle
* Nicolas Giraud as Peter
* Arben Bajraktaraj as Marko Hoxha
* Gérard Watkins as Patrice Saint Clair
* Ethan Millican as an unidentified assassin
* Sigmuound Froyd as bartender

Sequel

On June 10, 2010 Liam Neeson said he would be interested in making a sequel and he would be talking to be Luc Besson shortly about the possibility of making a second one.

Source

Swat 2 Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 04:53:00 +0000

Sony Pictures wants to produce a movie sequel to SWAT, the crime action thriller movie released in 2003 that was directed by Clark Johnson and starring Colin Farrell, Samuel L Jackson, Jeremy Renner.

Director Benny Boom (who once brought us Next Day Air) has been hired to helm the movie SWAT 2 based on a script written by Reed Steiner (Nash Bridges, The Shield, NCIS). The film will be titled "S.W.A.T.: Fire-Fight". No cast has been announced yet, but it seems unlikely that the original cast is going to reprise their roles..

Plot:
"Transferred to Detroit to put a local SWAT team through a training regimen, LAPD Lieutenant Paul Cutler finds himself the target of a homicidal genius who is protected by government officials."

I heard that production of SWAT 2 will start in April 2010. So the release will most likely take place in 2011. Not sure it will be a theatrical release though, maybe a direct-to-DVD release since the film wouldn't have the same appeal without the original cast...
:)

Source

S.W.A.T. is an 2003 action film and is based on the 1975 television series of the same name. It was directed by Clark Johnson and stars Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, LL Cool J and Michelle Rodriguez. It was released in the United States on August 8, 2003.

Plot

The film begins with a hostage situation in Los Angeles; this was loosely based on the 1997 North Hollywood shootout. Officer Jim Street (Farrell), a former Navy SEAL and hot-shot cop from the Los Angeles Police Department and his SWAT team are sent to stop a gang of robbers who have taken over a bank. His high-tempered partner and close friend Brian Gamble (Jeremy Renner) disobeys an order, and wounds a hostage. Gamble and Street are demoted by Captain Fuller (Larry Poindexter), the commander of LAPD's Metropolitan Division, who is portrayed as a fussy martinet. Gamble quits following arguments with Fuller and Street, the latter of whom is taken off the SWAT team and sent to work in the "gun cage," where he looks after gear and weapons.

The Chief of Police calls on Sergeant Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson (Samuel L. Jackson) to help re-organize the SWAT division. Hondo is transferred in, and soon puts together a diverse team, including himself, Street, Chris Sánchez (Rodriguez), Deacon Kaye (James Todd "LL Cool J" Smith), T.J. McCabe (Josh Charles), and Michael Boxer (Brian Van Holt). The team trains together and develops bonds of friendship.

Meanwhile, a drug lord by the name of Alexander Montel (Olivier Martinez) has killed his father and uncle for control of the family's crime empire. Uniformed L.A.P.D. personnel stop Montel for a broken taillight, detain him, and learn through Interpol he is an international fugitive. As they are transferring him, his associates, dressed as LAPD officers, assault the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department bus Montel is on, in an attempt to free him. Hondo's SWAT team foils the assault. As Montel is being brought into the police station in front of a group of reporters, he yells to the TV cameras, "I will give 100 million dollars to whoever gets me out of here!"

The L.A.P.D. makes plans to transfer Montel into federal custody. They plan to fly him away, but a mysterious attacker (later revealed to be Gamble) shoots down the helicopter. The police next send out a large convoy, which gang members attack. It proves to be a decoy, and Hondo's team has spirited Montel away in two S.U.V.s. However, T.J. has been plotting with Gamble, and the two succeed in taking Montel from the other officers. Hondo and the rest give chase, and there is a final fierce battle, Gamble's group against the SWAT officers. Hondo's team is victorious. T.J. kills himself rather than be captured, and there is a vicious hand to hand fight between Street and Gamble, with Street emerging the eventual victor when he kicks Gamble under the wheels of a passing train. The SWAT team deliver

, a report of holdup in progress comes over the police radio, and despite the team being two officers down and off shift for the past twelve hours, Hondo, Street, Kaye, and Sanchez decide to help anyway. The film's last line is Hondo shouting, "Mount up!".

Cast

* Colin Farrell, as Police Officer Third Grade Jim Street, the main protagonist of the film, is originally assigned to SWAT, but after an incident with his partner he is removed from the team and placed in the "gun cage." After Hondo sees how well he can shoot and being able to identify his modifications in moments, he is recruited for Hondo's new SWAT team. He created the battering ram/grappling hook used during the SWAT team's first mission (which he's dubbed "The Key To The City"). He is a former Navy SEAL and uses an M4A1 and a Kimber Custom TLE II pistol on SWAT missions.
* Samuel L. Jackson, as Sergeant Second Grade Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson, at the beginning of the film, is an inactive member of SWAT. He is brought back by the Chief of Police to head a new SWAT Element. He is a retired Recon Marine. He uses both an M4A1 and MP5A2. He personally upgraded the trigger of the M4A1 that he uses. His call sign is 70 David. His new team, fully recruited and assembled by himself, consists of the personnel mentioned following.
* Michelle Rodriguez, as Police Officer Third Grade Chris Sánchez, was a frequent applicant to SWAT, who has applied 3 times but rejected each time due to the captain's sexism. Hondo persuades him to allow her to be on his team. She carries an MP5 on SWAT calls. Her callsign is 73-David. She has a daughter named Eliza.
* James Todd "LL Cool J" Smith, as Police Officer Third Grade Deacon "Deke" Kaye, is a Patrol officer and father of two children whom Hondo also recruits. In the SWAT team, he is armed with a Benelli M3 Super 90 shotgun and later Hondo's MP5, and serves as the rear-guard of the team.
* Olivier Martinez, as Alexander "Alex" Montel, is the main antagonist of the film. He is a French criminal and his family controls a huge drug empire which values into the billions.
* Josh Charles, as Police Officer Third Grade T.J. McCabe, is a member of SWAT who initially has problems with Street, but as they are continually forced to work together, they become more of a team. Near the end, however, McCabe betrays SWAT and teams up with Gamble. After Gamble's plan falls apart, T.J. commits suicide to escape going to prison.
* Jeremy Renner, as former Police Officer Third Grade Brian Gamble, Street's former partner, has quit the L.A.P.D. after being demoted due to, while violating a direct order not to engage an enemy, his shooting of a hostage. Gamble later takes advantage of Montel's offer of reward to anyone who can free him by forming a group of other ex-SWAT members to free him and then escape to Mexico. Gamble feels that his ex-partner betrayed him in the captain's office, which makes the extraction of Montel personal.
* Brian Van Holt, as Police Officer Third Grade Michael Boxer, He is a SWAT officer who also has worked with Hondo before. His sister was involved with Street and broke up with him after he was transferred to the gun cage. He is armed with a M4A1. When Gamble and his group make their move to liberate Alex Montel, he is nearly killed by Gamble who shoots him in the neck.
* Ken Davitian, as Martìn Gascoigne, is a L.A.-based French drug trafficker who is Montel's uncle. Gascoigne operates from the Figaro Cafè, in Downtown LA. Montel kills him to gather more power within the crime family.
* Reg E. Cathey, as Lieutenant Second Grade Greg Velasquez, is field commander of D Platoon (SWAT) and one of Hondo's old friends. His call sign is 10-David.
* Larry Poindexter, as Captain Thomas Fuller, is Commander of Metropolitan Division (Home of the LAPD SWAT) D Platoon; most SWAT officers hate him. His call sign is R-commander.
* Denis Arndt, as Sergeant Howard, heads another SWAT element.
* Daniel Ichikawa, as Sergeant Yamoto, heads SWAT's sniper element. He uses a Remington Model 700 PSS as his weapon.

Cameos

* Bridget Powers as herself
* Larry McCormick as himself
* Don "Magic" Juan as himself
* Steve Forrest, who originated the role of Lt. Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson in the TV series, as SWAT Truck Driver
* Rod Perry, Sgt. David "Deacon" Kay from TV series, as Deacon Kaye's uncle

Source

SUPER 8 Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 06:21:00 +0000

Director J.J. Abrams definitely knows to create buzz around his films: the movie Super 8 is set to obsess movie fans for a while!

A description of the upcoming trailer of Super 8, the new mysterious project of JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg, has leaked online early:

SUPER 8 TRAILER

- Green MPAA screen followed by the Paramount Pictures logo. No Bad Robot at the header.

- a train loaded with lots of cargo rushes by the screen

- Text:

"In 1979,

The U.S. Air Force Closed A Section of AREA 51."

- railroad crossing light blinking and ringing as the camera pans up we see some sort of light moving in the background.

- Text:

"All The Materials Were To Be Transported

To A Secure Facility In Ohio."

- the light is no UFO but actually the headlights of a yellow 1970’s truck, which skids in a 180 degree motion, and suddenly pulls onto the tracks.

- point of view of the truck heading into the light.

- Black screen and white text:

"From Producer Steve Spielberg"

- the truck explodes as it hits the train.

- the cargo is heading towards the car explosion - BAM. It is wrecked, thrown from the tracks like a wild snake. The flaming metal body flipping towards the camera. Cars flying through the air. It is INTENSE.

-Another black screen and text:

"And Director JJ Abrams"

- Scrap metal around, at least one car remains intact.

- Black screen, white text:

“Next Summer”

- Some sparks.

- Black screen, white text:

"It Arrives"

- We pull up on one of the train cars with a US Airforce logo. The wheel on the door begins to spin out of control as we pull in closer. The wall of the door begins to bend like some huge force is punching it from the inside.

- Cut to one second of a close up of an 8mm camera lens.

- Cut to black. White text:

"Super 8"

- End credits:

Paramount Pictures Presents, An Amblin Entertainment/Bad Robot Production

Super 8

PRoduced By Steve Spielberg JJ Abrams Bryan Burk

Written and Directed by JJ Abrams

This description of the trailer of Super 8 is quite interesting. I can't miss that, have to see it on the big screen in a theater. Any idea what's inside the cargo train?

From the online rumor, this is just a teaser trailer and we may expect the film to be released in Summer 2010.

Genre:
Science-Fiction

Directed by:
J.J. Abrams

Source

The Super-8 Film Advantage...
While it is probably true that more people attempt making low budget feature films in dv instead of film because videotape is less expensive than film, it is also probably true that the percentage of overall success may be significantly higher if you shoot on film. In the world of low budget guerilla filmmaking, creating a low budget feature film by shooting with Super-8 film might give you a higher chance of selling your finished project than if you shoot on mini-dv, as long as you follow certain basic rules as outlined below.

In the world of DV, many attempts are made to make digital video look like film and sometimes it is just hit or miss whether the final "film look" will be accepted. The biggest advantage shooting Super-8 film has over dv video is that since Super-8 is film, it already looks like film. Super-8 filmmaking and DV productions both offer rapid mobility when one is moving from location to location. Super-8 filmmaking also offers ease of loading film and minimal camera power requirements. But most importantly, film looks like film even when transferred to video, and that gives Super-8 guerilla filmmaking an interesting advantage. The remaining nine pages of this website detail various ways one can get the most out of their super-8 filmmaking endeavor.

Source

Source Code Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 05:49:00 +0000

Director Duncan Jones (who brought the mesmerizing movie Moon) is back with a new sci-fi thriller movie titled Source Code. The story revolves around a soldier who wakes up in the body of a commuter who witnesses a train explosion. Actor Jake Gyllenhaal got the lead role as the soldier. Besides Jake Gyllenhaal, the cast also includes Vera Farmiga, Michelle Monaghan, and Jeffrey Wright. The movie Source Code should be released sometime in 2011.

Here's a a picture from the set of Source Code, you may recognize Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan:

Plot:

"The movie Source Code centers on a soldier (Jake Gyllenhaal) who, as part of an experimental government program to investigate a terrorist incident, finds himself in the body of an unknown commuter living and reliving a harrowing train bombing until he can find out who is responsible for it.

Vera Farmiga will play a hands-on communications officer controlling Jake Gyllenhaal as he travels through time and space. Michelle Monaghan is a woman on the train with whom the man is involved romantically."

The movie Source Code sounds just like a twisted version of Deja Vu (starring Denzel Washington). Well, I guess it will be worth watching since Duncan Jones is helming the project. Besides David Gyllenhall is a damned talented actor (started to follow his movies since Donnie Darko, and still haven't been disappointed even once!). So I can but wait with impatience for the movie Source Code, and I definitely expect the film to deliver a great surprise.

Sing me up for the Source Code movie!

Source

Cast

Jake Gyllenhaal

Vera Farmiga

Michelle Monaghan

Jeffrey Wright

Russell Peters

Production

Filming began on March 1st, 2010 in Montreal, Canada and ended on April 29th, 2010[1]. Editing is taking place in Los Angeles. During April, several scenes were shot in Chicago, Illinois, specifically at Millennium Park.

Source

Rumors

Fans of sci-fi have been looking forward to Duncan Jones’ follow up to his cerebral thriller “Moon”, and recently he’s been talking up the “Blade Runner”-ish film called “Mute”. As it turns out, that may not be his next film after all. THR reports that Duncan has been attached to direct a new sci-fi movie called “Source Code”, and Jake Gyllenhaal is in negotiations to star. The article doesn’t say that Duncan is in negotiations to direct, they say he’s already “attached”, which makes a big difference.

What little we know of the plot for “Source code” is a bit cryptic, but I suspect that’s the point:

Philippe Rousselet and Mark Gordon will produce, while Summit Entertainment has already lined up to distribute the film. “Source Code” is on the fast track to start production as early as the first quarter of next year.

Gyllenhaal is coming off the big-budget Disney franchise-in-the-making “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” and the much smaller indie movie “Brothers”. Jones, meanwhile, will probably make “Source Code” his follow-up to “Moon”, unless he plans to do “Mute” between now and next year, which seems unlikely.

Source

Sin City 2 Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 03:57:00 +0000

Sin City (full title: Frank Miller's Sin City)[2] is a 2005 American crime thriller film written, produced, and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez. It is a film noir based on Miller's graphic novel series of the same name.

The film is primarily based on three of Miller's works: The Hard Goodbye, about a man who embarks on a brutal rampage in search of his one-time sweetheart's killer; The Big Fat Kill, which focuses on a street war between a group of prostitutes and a group of mercenaries; and That Yellow Bastard, which follows an aging police officer who protects a young woman from a grotesquely disfigured serial killer. The movie stars Bruce Willis, Alexis Bledel, Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Clive Owen, Michael Clarke Duncan, Rosario Dawson, Benicio del Toro, Michael Madsen, Nick Stahl, Powers Boothe, Josh Hartnett, Jaime King, Brittany Murphy, Elijah Wood and Rutger Hauer, among others.

Sin City opened to wide critical and commercial success, gathering particular recognition for the film's unique coloring procession, which rendered most of the film in black and white but retained or added coloring for select objects. The film was screened at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival in-competition and won the Technical Grand Prize for the film's "visual shaping".

Plot
[edit] The Customer Is Always Right

The Salesman (Josh Hartnett) walks onto a penthouse balcony where The Customer (Marley Shelton) looks out over Basin City. He says that she looks like someone who is tired of running and that he will save her. The two share a kiss and he shoots her; she dies in his arms. He says he’ll never know what she was running from but that he’ll cash her check in the morning.

That Yellow Bastard (Part 1)

On the docks of Sin City, aging police officer John Hartigan (Bruce Willis) tries to stop serial child-killer Roark Junior (Nick Stahl) from raping and killing eleven-year-old Nancy Callahan (Makenzie Vega). Junior is the son of Senator Roark (Powers Boothe), who has bribed the police to cover up his son's crimes. Hartigan's partner, Bob (Michael Madsen) tries to convince Hartigan to walk away. Hartigan knocks him out.

Hartigan heads into the warehouse where Junior is holding Nancy, fighting off the pain caused by his bad heart, as well as several henchmen. Junior shoots Hartigan in the shoulder and tries to escape. Hartigan catches up and shoots off Junior's ear, hand and genitals. Bob, now recovered, shoots Hartigan in the back; he has been paid off by Roark. As the sirens approach, Bob leaves and Nancy lies down in Hartigan's lap. Hartigan passes out, reasoning his death is a fair trade for the girl's life.

The Hard Goodbye

After a one-night stand Marv (Mickey Rourke) awakens to find Goldie (Jaime King) has been killed while he slept. He flees the frame-up, vowing to avenge her death. His parole officer, Lucille (Carla Gugino) warns him to give up on this mission. Marv interrogates several informants, working up to a corrupt priest (Frank Miller), who reveals that the Roark family was behind the murder. Marv kills the priest, but is attacked by a woman who looks like Goldie.

Marv goes to the Roark family farm and is subdued by the silent stalker who killed Goldie. He awakens in the basement to find Lucille has been captured after looking into his story. She tells Marv that the killer is a cannibal and that Goldie was a hooker. He learns that the killer's name is Kevin (Elijah Wood) and escapes. Lucille is gunned down by an arriving squad of cops. Marv finds out that Cardinal Patrick Henry Roark (Rutger Hauer) arranged for Goldie's murder.

Marv goes to Old Town, Sin City's red light district, to learn more about Goldie and is captured by her twin sister, Wendy. He eventually convinces her that he is not the killer. She and Marv return to the farm where Marv kills Kevin. He confronts Cardinal Roark, who confesses his part in the murders. Kevin was the cardinal's ward; the two men ate the prostitutes to consume their souls. Marv kills the cardinal but is shot by his guards.

Marv is taken to a hospital where cops threaten to kill his mother to get him to confess to killing Roark, Kevin, and their victims. He is sentenced to death in the electric chair. Wendy visits him on death row and thanks him for avenging her sister. Marv is executed the next day.

The Big Fat Kill

Shellie (Brittany Murphy) is being harassed by her abusive ex-boyfriend Jackie Boy (Benicio del Toro). Her current boyfriend, Dwight (Clive Owen) warns him to leave Shellie alone. Jackie Boy flees to Old Town with his friends. Dwight follows and sees them harass Becky (Alexis Bledel), a young prostitute. Gail (Rosario Dawson), the prostitutes' leader and Dwight's on-and-off lover, also witnesses the scene. When Jackie Boy threatens Becky, Miho (Devon Aoki), a martial arts expert, kills Jackie Boy and his friends. They realize Jackie Boy is actually Detective Lieutenant "Iron Jack" Rafferty of the Sin City police. If the cops learn how he died, their truce with the prostitutes would end and the mob would be free to wage war on Old Town.

Dwight takes the bodies to a tar pit, where he is attacked by mercenaries. He nearly drowns in the tar before Miho saves him. The mercenaries escape with Jackie Boy's severed head but Dwight and Miho are able to retrieve it and return to Old Town. Meanwhile, the head mercenary, Manute (Michael Clarke Duncan), kidnaps Gail. Becky has turned traitor to the police and the mob is moving to invade. Dwight trades Jackie Boy’s head in exchange for Gail, but activates a grenade he placed inside the head, destroying it before it can be taken to the cops for evidence. The other prostitutes gun down the mercenaries while an injured Becky escapes.

That Yellow Bastard (Part 2)

Hartigan is recovering in a hospital when Senator Roark informs him that Junior is in a coma and the Roark legacy is in serious jeopardy. Hartigan will be framed for Junior's crimes; if he tells anyone the truth, they will die. A grateful Nancy promises to write letters every week while he is in prison. Hartigan goes to jail, though he refuses to confess. He receives a weekly letter from Nancy, as promised. After eight years, the letters stop and he receives a severed finger instead. Hartigan confesses to all charges leading to his parole and searches for an adult Nancy (Jessica Alba), not knowing he is being followed by a deformed, yellow man. He eventually finds her at Kadie's Bar, where she has become an erotic dancer.

He realizes he was set up to lead the yellow man to Nancy and the two escape in Nancy's car. Hiding at a hotel, the deformed man returns, revealing himself as Junior Roark, disfigured by years of surgery to regenerate his body parts. Junior attacks Hartigan and takes Nancy to the Roark farm to finish what he started eight years before. Hartigan follows and fakes a heart attack, giving him a chance to kill the Junior. Knowing that the Senator Roark will never stop hunting them, Hartigan commits suicide to ensure Nancy's safety. Again, he justifies his life for Nancy's as a fair trade.

Epilogue

An injured Becky departs from a hospital, talking on a cell phone with her mother. In the elevator she encounters The Salesman. Narrating the scene, he says that if you turn the right corner in Sin City, you can find anything.

Cast

Notable Roles: (Organized by the story in which they primarily appear)

The Customer Is Always Right

* Josh Hartnett as The Salesman (known in the screenplay as "The Man")
* Marley Shelton as The Customer

The Hard Goodbye

* Mickey Rourke as Marv
* Jaime King as Goldie/Wendy
* Carla Gugino as Lucille
* Elijah Wood as Kevin
* Rutger Hauer as Cardinal Patrick Henry Roark
* Jason Douglas as Hitman
* Frank Miller as Priest
* Clive Owen as Dwight McCarthy (cameo)
* Brittany Murphy as Shellie (cameo)
* Jessica Alba as Nancy Callahan (cameo)

The Big Fat Kill

* Clive Owen as Dwight McCarthy
* Benicio del Toro as Det. Lt. Jack "Jackie Boy" Rafferty
* Rosario Dawson as Gail
* Michael Clarke Duncan as Manute
* Alexis Bledel as Becky
* Devon Aoki as Miho
* Brittany Murphy as Shellie
* Patricia Vonne as Dallas
* Nicky Katt as Stuka (Cameo)

That Yellow Bastard

* Bruce Willis as Det. John Hartigan
* Jessica Alba as Nancy Callahan
* Nick Stahl as Roark Junior / Yellow Bastard
* Powers Boothe as Senator Roark
* Michael Madsen as Bob
* Makenzie Vega as Young Nancy Callahan
* Jude Ciccolella as Liebowitz
* Rick Gomez as Klump
* Nick Offerman as Shlubb
* Mickey Rourke as Marv (Cameo)
* Elijah Wood as Kevin (Cameo)
* Brittany Murphy as Shellie (cameo)
* Carla Gugino as Lucille (Special Edition only)

Silent Hill 2 Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 03:52:00 +0000

"Silent Hill 2" redirects here. For the upcoming Silent Hill film sequel, see Silent Hill 2 (film).
Silent Hill 2
A video game cover. At the top is the PlayStation 2 logo, followed by a distorted, green-tinted close-up of the side of a man's face above the Silent Hill 2 logo. At the bottom is the Entertainment Software Rating Board's rating of the game as Mature, and Konami's logo.
North American PlayStation 2 cover
Developer(s) Konami
Team Silent
Creature Labs (PC)
Publisher(s) Konami
Designer(s) Masashi Tsuboyama
Composer(s) Akira Yamaoka
Series Silent Hill
Platform(s) PlayStation 2, Xbox, Microsoft Windows
Release date(s) PlayStation 2[1]
NA September 24, 2001
JPN September 27, 2001
EU November 23, 2001
Xbox[2]
NA December 20, 2001
JPN February 22, 2002
EU October 14, 2002
Microsoft Windows
NA December 2, 2002
EU February 28, 2003
Genre(s) Survival horror
Psychological horror
Mode(s) Single-player
Rating(s) ESRB: M
BBFC: 15
Media CD, DVD
System requirements

Pentium 700 MHz processor, 64 MB RAM, DirectX 8.1, 8 MB DirectX-compatible 3D accelerator, DirectX-compatible sound card, 1.8 GB HDD space[3]
Input methods Gamepad
Keyboard and Mouse

Silent Hill 2 is a survival horror videogame for Sony PlayStation 2 developed by Team Silent and published by Konami. It is the second installment in the Silent Hill series. It was released in North America on September 24, 2001, in Japan on September 27, 2001, and in Europe on November 23, 2001.[1]

While it is set in the series' namesake town, Silent Hill 2 is not a direct sequel to the events and characters of the first Silent Hill game.[4] Instead, it centers on James Sunderland, who enters the town after receiving a letter written by his deceased wife, saying she is waiting for him in their "special place" in Silent Hill. Joined by a woman who resembles her except for a more provocative outfit and personality, he searches for her and discovers the truth about her death. Silent Hill 2 features four possible endings and two "joke" endings.

Silent Hill 2 was well-received by the audience and critics. Within the month of its release in North America, Japan and Europe, over one million copies were sold, with the greatest sales in North America.

Plot
See also: List of Silent Hill monsters and List of Silent Hill characters
[edit] Characters

James Sunderland is the protagonist and primary player character of Silent Hill 2, who comes to the town after receiving a letter from his deceased wife Mary.[10] While exploring the town, he encounters Maria, who strongly resembles Mary except for a more provocative personality and clothing; Angela, a gloomy and cynical teenager who ran away to Silent Hill so she could search for her mother; Eddie Dombrowski, who harbors a darker side to his easy-going personality; and Laura, an eight-year-old girl who befriended Mary during her last year alive, having been a patient at the same hospital as her, and seems to have no knowledge of the monsters in the town.[11][12]
[edit] Story

After arriving in Silent Hill, James decides to search Rosewater Park,[13] where he meets Maria, who claims that she has never met or seen Mary and, as she is scared, he allows her to follow him. While looking for Laura inside a hospital, James and Maria are ambushed by a monster called "Pyramid Head", and Maria is killed by the monster just as James escapes;[14] He nonetheless resumes his task of finding Mary, and chooses to search the old Lakeview Hotel, where he and Mary spent their vacation.[15] While en route, James inexplicably finds Maria alive, unharmed and locked in a prison cell.[16] She greets him with a lascivious pose, claims ignorance to their previous encounter, and discusses elements of James and Mary's past that only Mary would know.[17] James then sets off to find a way to release Maria from the cell, and returns only to find her dead once more.

Traveling deeper into the underground catacomb, James saves Angela from a monster whom she calls "daddy"; she confesses that her father used to molest her,[18] while a newspaper article that James finds implies that Angela stabbed her father to death. Further on, James confronts a gun-wielding and insane Eddie, who admits to maiming a bully and killing his dog before fleeing to Silent Hill;[19] James kills him in self-defense when he attacks. Mary's letter reverts to a blank piece of paper, calling into question whether or not James actually received it, or if the letter was all in his mind.

At the Lakeview Hotel, James locates an old home-made videotape, which depicts him smothering his dying wife with a pillow, much to the horror of Laura, who was friends with Mary in her time at hospital.[20] At this point in the game, the letter from Mary vanishes entirely from the envelope. In another room, a final meeting with Angela sees her giving up on life and unable to cope with her guilt any longer. She walks into the flames of a burning staircase and is not seen again.[21] Two Pyramid Heads appear, along with Maria who has been resurrected once more; as she is killed again, James finally realizes that Pyramid Head was created because he needed someone to punish him. The envelope from Mary finally disappears. Accepting this, he defeats them, and makes his way to the rooftop, finally reaching what seems to be Mary. Depending on the choices made by the player throughout the game, this may be either Mary[22] or Maria disguised as her.[23]

Silent Hill 2 features four possible endings, and official statements from Konami have kept their canonicity ambiguous.[24][4] In the Leave ending, James has one last meeting with Mary, reads her full letter, and leaves the town with Laura, while the In Water ending sees James commit suicide; In Rebirth, James plans to revive Mary using special occult objects collected throughout the game.[25] In contrast, the Maria ending sees Mary as the woman on the rooftop, who has not forgiven James for killing her. After her defeat, James dismisses her as being just another hallucination and then discovers Maria, inexplicably resurrected again, and leaves town with her;[26] Maria starts coughing.[27] There are also two "joke" endings available on replay games: in the first, James discovers that, beyond a normally locked door, a Shiba Inu which has apparently been controlling all the events of the game from a vision mixer, and the second is a continuation of the UFO ending of the first game, in which James is abducted by aliens with the help of the first game's protagonist, Harry Mason.

Born From a Wish

Born From a Wish is a side-story scenario in the special editions and re-releases of the game in which the player takes control of Maria shortly before she and James meet at Toluca Lake. After waking up in the Heaven's Night club with a gun, and having contemplated suicide, she resolves to go out and find someone.[28] Her wandering eventually brings her to the seemingly deserted Baldwin mansion, where she hears the voice of its owner, Ernest Baldwin. At first Maria is relieved to have found another living human, but Ernest refuses to let Maria into the room where he is and will only talk to her through the closed door.[29] After Maria completes a few tasks for him, including passing him a birthday card from his daughter, Ernest warns her about James, whom he describes as a "bad man".[30] Maria open the door to Ernest's room, and finds it empty. Leaving, she again contemplates suicide. After pointing the gun at her head, she abruptly tosses it over a nearby wall and, after whispering James' name, walks into the fog to await his arrival.

Scream 4 Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 03:49:00 +0000

The Scream film series is a series of horror films directed by Wes Craven, written by Kevin Williamson and Ehren Kruger, and inspired by the Halloween film series and the Gainesville Ripper murders of 1990. The main plot involves a psychopathic serial killer wearing a Halloween costume attempting to kill Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and various other characters involved in her life. Each film begins with the gory murder of a couple before showing the whereabouts of Sidney. It takes off from there leading to the revelation of the killer's identity and the final battle between Sidney and the killer. They revitalized the slasher film genre in the mid 1990s, in a similar way to Halloween (1978) in the 1970s, by using a standard concept with a tongue-in-cheek approach that successfully combined straightforward scares with dialogue that satirized slasher film conventions. The first film became a major commercial success upon its release, and was one of the highest grossing films of 1996. It was also highly acclaimed by many critics worldwide, who appreciated the film's tongue-in-cheek approach.

Plot summary

Throughout the series (specifically the first and third film), parts of a back story were uncovered that occurred before the first film's timescale. It is revealed that Maureen Roberts (Lynn McRee) spent time in Los Angeles trying to become an actress. She appeared in three horror films using the pseudonym of Reena Reynolds. At a Hollywood party, she was gang raped by movie insiders and became pregnant with Roman Bridger (Scott Foley). After giving birth, Maureen gave her son up for adoption and left Los Angeles. She then went back home to Woodsboro, where she met and married Neil Prescott (Lawrence Hecht). They went on to have a daughter named Sidney (Campbell). Neither Neil nor Sidney were told of the existence of Maureen's son. Meanwhile, Roman grew up wondering what had happened to his mother.

When Sidney was about 16 years old, Roman found Maureen (Reena) and went to her hoping to spend some time with her only to find out Reena Reynolds was "dead" and that she had a new life, with no interest in digging up old secrets. She also tells Roman that he was Reena's son, not hers, and she wanted nothing to do with him. The rejection enraged Roman who followed her incessantly, (sometimes recording her activities) learning that she wasn't the perfect wife and mother she pretended to be. She was engaged in several affairs with local men, including Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber) and Hank Loomis (C.W. Morgan), father of Sidney's boyfriend Billy Loomis. Roman later revealed the affair to Billy (Skeet Ulrich) which enraged him and, using his creativity as a director, Roman persuaded him to kill Maureen and frame Cotton. With the help of Billy's best friend, Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard), Billy does as instructed, and together they murder Maureen. Sidney, having witnessed someone wearing Cotton Weary's jacket, testifies that she saw Weary leave the house and Cotton is subsequently convicted of the crime and sentenced to death.

As the first film begins, Billy and Stu continue their murderous rampage, stalking other people who they feel have wronged them such as Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) who previously dumped Stu for another guy. They begin killing Sidney's friends as part of a game whereby their actions mimic the cliche "rules" of horror movies, and although they intend to isolate Sidney and kill her as well, they are discovered by reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) who manages to help Sidney thwart and kill her attackers in a showdown at the Macher house. In the second film, Billy's mother (Laurie Metcalf) is the killer, seeking revenge on Sidney and Gale, and she coerces one of Sidney's film student friends, Mickey Altieri (Timothy Olyphant), a psychopathic serial killer seeking celebrity status, into helping her by paying for his school tuition. The events are mimicking the plot of a newly released film Stab depicting the events of the first Scream film. In the end, both Mrs. Loomis and Mickey are killed by Sidney. In the third film, while filming of the latest Stab movie commences in Hollywood, Roman, who also happens to be the director of the film, is dissatisfied that Sidney is still alive, and begins slaughtering members of the film crew in order to draw Sidney out of hiding, and seeks retribution for the life that he believes should have been his. Sidney mortally wounds him, and Dewey Riley (David Arquette) finally ends his life by shooting him in the head. With the last of the original masked killers dead, Sidney apparently found the strength to move on with her life.

Character Film
Scream Scream 2 Scream 3 Scream 4
Dewey Riley David Arquette[1]
Sidney Prescott Neve Campbell[1]
Gale Weathers Courteney Cox Arquette[1]
Randy Meeks Jamie Kennedy
Cotton Weary Liev Schreiber
Ghostface Roger L. Jackson (voice)
Neil Prescott Lawrence Hencht (character mentioned in Scream 2) Lawrence Hencht
Hank Loomis C. W. Morgan C. W. Morgan
Reporter Nancy O'Dell
Maureen Prescott Lynn McRee Lynn McRee Lynn McRee
Billy Loomis Skeet Ulrich (character mentioned in Scream 2) Skeet Ulrich
Stuart "Stu" Macher Matthew Lillard (character mentioned in Scream 2) Matthew Lillard
Tatum Riley Rose McGowan (character mentioned in 2 and 3)
Casey Becker Drew Barrymore (character mentioned in Scream 2)
Kenneth "Kenny" W. Earl Brown (character mentioned in Scream 2)
Steven "Steve" Orth Kevin Patrick Walls (character mentioned in Scream 2)
Principal Himbry Henry Winkler (character mentioned in Scream 2)
Mrs. Loomis (character mentioned in Scream) Laurie Metcalf
Derek Jerry O'Connell (character referenced in Scream 3)

Scary Movie 5

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 03:45:00 +0000

R2 DVD Box cover for the first four films
Directed by Films:
1, 2 Keenen Ivory Wayans

Films: 3, 4
David Zucker

Produced by Films: 1, 2
Marlon Wayans
Shawn Wayans

Films: 3, 4
Robert K. Weiss

Written by Jason Friedberg
Aaron Seltzer
Shawn Wayans
Marlon Wayans
Craig Wayans
Pat Proft
Craig Mazin
Jim Abrahams
Starring Anna Faris
Regina Hall

Scary Movie
Further information: Scary Movie

Scary Movie (July 7, 2000) is the first film in the series. Scary Movie was the highest grossing film of the series, grossing $278,019,771 worldwide. It is a spoof of many films, mainly focusing on the Scream (series).[1].

After a group of teenagers (consisting of Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris), Bobby Prinze (Jon Abrahams), Buffy Gilmore (Shannon Elizabeth), Greg Phillipe (Lochlyn Munro), Ray Wilkins (Shawn Wayans) and Brenda Meeks (Regina Hall) accidentally hit a man with their car they decide to throw him in the lake and never talk about it again (in a spoof of I Know What You Did Last Summer). A year later a person with a Scream mask kills them one by one. They decide to figure out who the killer is.

Scary Movie 2
Further information: Scary Movie 2

Scary Movie 2 (July 7, 2001) is the second in franchise. In the U.S., the film grossed $71,308,997. Worldwide, it grossed $141,220,678. Although being a hit, out of the four Scary Movie films, this is the least successful to date[2]. Not only this is the second and final Scary Movie film to receive an R-rating, this film also marks the end of the Wayans siblings involvement with the series as they moved on to pursue other projects, among them, their 2004 comedy White Chicks.

The film starts with a parody of The Exorcist, in which Megan Voorhees (sharing the same last name as the notorious fictional serial killer Jason Voorhees) is possessed by the devil, and two priests, Father McFeely and Father Harris (James Woods and Andy Richter respectively) have to force the devil out. But after Megan insults Harris's mother he shoots her in the head.

Cindy, Brenda, Ray, and Shorty, characters who all had died in the first film mysteriously return in this film. Greg, Buffy, and Bobby are replaced by Buddy (Christopher Masterson), Theo (Kathleen Robertson) and Alex (Tori Spelling).

The story begins when a college professor, Professor Oldman (Tim Curry) and his wheel-chaired assistant Dwight (David Cross) plan to study ghosts inside a haunted mansion, with the clueless teens as bait.

When at the house, strange things happen, Ray gets attacked by a clown, Shorty gets attacked by a living marijuana plant, Cindy gets in a fight with a possessed cat, and Dwight has an argument with a bad mouthed pet bird. When they find out about the professor's plan they try to escape the house, finding out that there is a ghost who still lives in the house. They have to defeat the ghost before they are able to escape.

Scary Movie 3
Further information: Scary Movie 3

Scary Movie 3 (October 24, 2003) is the third film in the series. With $220,673,217 worldwide[3], it is second most successful/popular film in the series. The plot of the film is a spoof combination of The Ring and Signs with other film/celebrity spoofs thrown in. Michael Jackson planned to sue the filmmakers for parodying him in such a way that made him seem like a child molester and having a fake nose[4]. This was the first Scary Movie film to receive a PG-13 rating in the United States[3] (as well as the first to have no involvement from the Wayans), as the first two were R-rated[5][6]. This is because from this movie forward, the films are more toned down in content.

In a spoof to Signs the film revolves around some strange Crop circles found near an old farm. And in a spoof to The Ring a strange videotape is going around. Upon watching this tape, the phone rings and a creepy voice says: "You're going to die in seven days". Everything keeps coming closer when Cindy has just fallen in love with a rapper named George (a spoof of Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith Jr. (8 Mile)), and she hears she is going to die in seven days. Meanwhile the farmers who had found the strange crop circles in their corn field discover that the extraterrestrials that are coming to Earth come to destroy the killer who kills the people who have watched the tape, because they have themselves watched the tape.

Scary Movie 4
Further information: Scary Movie 4

Scary Movie 4 (April 14, 2006) is the 4th in the series. The film opened with $40 Million at the weekend box office, making it the third best opening in the series. With a $178,049,620 at the worldwide box office, Scary Movie 4 ranks as the third highest grossing Scary Movie.

This film’s main plot is a mix of The Grudge and Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds with major scenes spoofing Saw, The Village, Million Dollar Baby, and Brokeback Mountain.

Scary Movie 5

Scary Movie 5 was announced by The Weinstein Company on December 20, 2009.

Character Film
Scary Movie Scary Movie 2 Scary Movie 3 Scary Movie 4
Cindy Campbell Anna Faris
Brenda Meeks Regina Hall
Shorty Meeks Marlon Wayans
Ray Wilkins Shawn Wayans
President Harris Leslie Nielsen
Tom Logan Charlie Sheen
George Logan Simon Rex
Mahalik Anthony Anderson
CJ Kevin Hart
Drew Decker / Holly Carmen Electra Carmen Electra
Buffy Gilmore Shannon Elizabeth
Bobby Prinze Jon Abrahams
Buddy Christopher Masterson
Dwight Hartman David Cross
Greg Phillipe Lochlyn Munro
Theo Kathleen Robertson
Tom Ryan Craig Bierko
Marlon Wayans
Shawn Wayans
Carmen Electra
Shannon Elizabeth
Leslie Nielsen
Charlie Sheen
Simon Rex
Anthony Anderson
Kevin Hart
Studio Dimension Films
Distributed by United States:
Miramax Films
(From films 1～3)
The Weinstein Company (Scary Movie 4)
International:
Miramax Films
Buena Vista Distribution
Release date(s) 2000 — present
Running time 338 min. (total)
Country United States
Language English
Budget $157 million
Gross revenue $818 million

The Scary Movie series is a series of films which mainly specialize in spoofing popular horror films, which have collectively grossed over $818 million at the box-office worldwide. The two main recurring actors of the series are Anna Faris and Regina Hall, as Cindy Campbell and Brenda Meeks, respectively. They are joined by new or recurring actors and characters.

Scary Movie was conceptualized by The Wayans Brothers who wrote and directed the first two films before leaving the franchise. They were distributed by Dimension Films through two different studios: Miramax Films, as it was originally the studio's genre film label during executive producers Bob Weinstein and Harvey Weinstein's run and produced the first three films, and The Weinstein Company, the brothers' newly formed studio, which currently produces the rest of the series' release after departing from Miramax and taking the Dimension Films label with them. Miramax Films (Buena Vista Distribution) retains international

Rec 3 Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 03:42:00 +0000

REC is a 2007 Spanish horror film co-directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza. The film was released in Spain in November 2007. Balaguero and Plaza previously co-directed the 2002 documentary OT, The Movie. REC was filmed using shaky camerawork.

Plot

REC follows a television reporter, Ángela Vidal, and her cameraman, Pablo, who cover the night shift in one of Barcelona's local fire stations for the fictional documentary television series While You're Asleep. The firehouse receives a call from an apartment building about a woman who is trapped. When they arrive, the police break down the door, with Ángela and Pablo recording their actions. The woman becomes extraordinarily aggressive and bites one of the policemen. Meanwhile, the terrified residents gather in the entrance hall, and look on as the police and military seal off the building. The firefighter who remained at the old lady's apartment is bitten and tossed down the stairs. The camera crew, the remaining cop and the second firefighter go up again and are attacked. The cop shoots the old lady, which is confirmed by Ángela who asks Pablo to rewind and replay that part of the tape. The camera crew remain trapped inside the building with the residents, and continue recording in spite of police pressure. Ángela interviews a little girl named Jennifer who lives with her parents and dog in the building. Jennifer is ill with what her mother claims is tonsillitis. She says her dog, Max, is at the veterinarian because he appeared to be sick as well.

A health inspector wearing a hazmat suit arrives and attempts to treat the injured, who become fiercely violent despite their critical injuries. The health inspector explains that the time the disease takes to cause sickness depends on blood type. The health inspector also reveals that, sometime during the previous day, a dog with the illness was taken to the veterinarian; the dog became violent and attacked and killed other pets at the clinic. The dog was euthanized, and was traced back to the apartment building. Jennifer, the girl who owned the dog, then suddenly attacks her mother. The inspector tells the distraught residents that this unknown but virulent disease is infecting people, causing them to turn into bloodthirsty savages. More and more people in the building become infected, and Ángela and Pablo are forced to fight them off. They find out that some of the corpses have disappeared and soon discover that the people presumed dead are now infected and chasing them. Eventually they learn that there is a key to a door in the apartment building workshop, which leads to an exit via the sewer system. However, the key is located on the third floor in the manager's apartment.

After finding the key, Ángela and Pablo appear to be the only human survivors, everyone else being dead or infected. Rather than making their way to the workshop, they are forced upstairs to the penthouse by the remaining infected. They then search the penthouse, and discover that its former owner was an agent of the Vatican who was charged with researching and isolating a suspected virus believed to be the biological cause of demonic possession, which was later confirmed to exist in a young girl who was supposedly possessed. The agent kidnapped and brought the girl to the penthouse to conduct his research and to possibly cure her; unfortunately, during the work the virus managed to mutate and become contagious. The agent decided to seal her off, presumably to let her die of starvation and dehydration. A door to the attic opens, and Pablo uses his camera to look inside. A boy jumps at the camera and breaks its light. Pablo turns on the night vision to see in the dark and discovers the sealed door referred to earlier by the agent on an audio tape. The agent abandoned his efforts to cure the girl after failing to engineer a vaccine and sealed her in the room before leaving the city. The girl, now a ghoulishly emaciated figure, begins searching the kitchen area, unaware of Ángela and Pablo's presence. Pablo tries to escape, but trips and is viciously attacked by the girl, making Pablo drop the camera. Ángela picks it up and runs, only to trip and drop the camera as well. She searches for it but is unable to find it. The camera continues to record as the screams of the infected girl are heard on the tape recorder and Ángela is dragged into the darkness, screaming.

Cast

* Manuela Velasco - Ángela Vidal
* Ferrán Terraza - Manu
* Jorge Serrano - Policía Joven
* Pablo Rosso - Pablo
* David Vert - Álex
* Vicente Gil - Policía Adulto
* Martha Carbonell - Sra. Izquierdo
* Carlos Vicente - Guillem Marimón
* María Teresa Ortega - Abuela
* Akemi Goto - Japonesa
* Chen Min Kao - Japonés
* Claudia Silva - Jennifer
* Carlos Lasarte - César
* Javier Botet - Niña Medeiros
* Ben Temple - Médico
* Ana Velasquez - Chica colombiana

Reception

REC was very positively received by critics. As of May 17, 2009, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 95% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 20 reviews.[2] Reviewing the film for the BBC, Jamie Russell called it "A runaway rollercoaster of a fright flick", praising the "faux-docu handheld style", and the sense of claustrophobia and confusion, claiming "[Rec] will definitely jangle the nerves", while criticising the lack of substance and "one-dimensional" supporting cast.[3]

Bloody Disgusting gave the film four and a half stars out of five, with the reviewer saying, "[REC] has it all and is probably one of the best Spanish horror films in recent memory."[4] Bloody Disgusting later ranked the film eleventh in their list of the 'Top 20 Horror Films of the Decade', with the article saying "Out of all the “shaky-cam” films... this one is arguably the best."[5]

It also received a number of awards:

* Fantasporto 2008: Best Film Prize
* Fantastic'Arts‎ festival of Gérardmer 2008: Jury Prize, Prize of the young Public, Prize of the Public
* Festival de Cine de Sitges 2007 : Prize of the Public, Critics Prize, Best Director Award, Best Actress Award for Manuela Velasco.
* Reaper Award 2009: best Indie/Foreign production

Rambo 5 Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 02:51:00 +0000

Rambo (also known as Rambo IV or John Rambo) is a 2008 American action/war film starring Silvester Stallone returning and reprising his famous role as legendary Vietnam veteran John Rambo. Stallone also co-wrote and directed the film. It is the fourth and presumably final installment in the Rambo franchise, twenty years since the last film Rambo III. This film is dedicated to the memory of Richard Crenna, who played Col. Sam Trautman in the first three films; he died in 2003. Unlike the previous sequels, this film attempts to keep the serious tone of the original film.

Rambo holds the record with the most kills out of the entire Rambo series, with 236 kills[2] – Stallone justified this in a press conference by saying the violence in the film was to draw attention to the ongoing problems in Burma. Including the intake of $41,368,619 in DVD sales, the film's total gross revenue is $154,611,774.[3] Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, the film was a box office success.

Plot

The film opens with newsreels of the crisis in Burma. Burma is under the iron-fisted rule of Than Shwe and takes harsh stances against the nation's pro-democracy movement. Rebels are thrown into a mine-infested marsh and then gunned down by the Tatmadaw, while the cigarette-smoking Burmese military officer Major Pa Tee Tint gazes grimly at the scene.

Former U.S. soldier John Rambo still lives in Thailand and now resides in a village near the Burmese border. He makes a living capturing snakes and selling them in a nearby village. He also transports roamers in his boat. A missionary, Michael Burnett (Paul Schulze), asks Rambo to take him and his associates up the Salween River to Burma on a humanitarian mission to give aid to Karen tribespeople. Rambo refuses but is convinced by Sarah Miller (Julie Benz) to take them.

The boat is stopped by pirates who demand Sarah in exchange for passage, which Rambo knows will lead to her rape, torture and most likely death. After negotiations fail, Rambo kills them all. Although his actions save the missionaries, it greatly disturbs Michael. Upon arrival, Michael says that they will travel by road and will not need Rambo's help for the return trip. The mission goes well until the Tatmadaw, led by Major Tint, attack. They slaughter most of the villagers and two missionaries and kidnap the rest, including Michael and Sarah. When the missionaries fail to come back after ten days, their pastor (Ken Howard) comes to ask Rambo's help in guiding hired mercenaries to the village where the missionaries were last seen.

Rambo agrees to accompany the militia. After seeing the destroyed village filled with mutilated human and animal corpses, they plan to avenge the massacre and save the hostages at a gulag type P.O.W. camp. Rambo and the militia successfully finds and rescues Sarah and the others. The Tatmadaw unit finds the hostages missing and organizes a massive manhunt. Everyone except for Rambo, Sarah, and the mercenary "School Boy" is captured by Tint's army. Just as the group is to be executed, Rambo hijacks a jeep-mounted .50-caliber machine gun and engages the Burmese army. Karen rebels join the fight, turning the tide of the battle. Major Tint, realizing his defeat, attempts to get away, but is personally disemboweled by Rambo.

Encouraged by Sarah's words, Rambo returns to the United States. When previously asked if he had any living family, Rambo said his father might still be alive. A silent last scene shows him walking along a rural highway, past a horse farm and a rusted mailbox bearing the name "R. Rambo" as he makes his way down the gravel driveway and the credits roll.

Cast

* Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo
* Julie Benz as Sarah Miller
* Matthew Marsden as School Boy
* Graham McTavish as Lewis
* Tim Kang as En-Joo
* Rey Gallegos as Diaz
* Jake La Botz as Reese
* Maung Maung Khin as Tint
* Paul Schulze as Michael Burnett
* Cameron Pearson as Jeff - Missionary #4
* Thomas Peterson as Dentist - Missionary #2
* Tony Skarberg as Videographer - Missionary #3
* James Wearing Smith as Preacher - Missionary #5
* Kasikorn Niyompattana as Snake Hunter #2
* Shaliew "Lek" Bamrungbun as Snake Hunter #1
* Supakorn "Tok" Kitsuwon as Myint
* Aung Aay Noi as Lt. Aye
* Ken Howard as Rev. Arthur Marsh
* Aung Theng as Pirate Leader
* Pornpop "Tor" Kampusiri as Snake Village Owner
* Wasawat Panyarat as Snake Village MC
* Kammul Kawtep as Snake Village Young Charmer

Filming

Filming started on February 23, 2007 and ended on May 4, 2007. The movie was shot at Chiang Mai, Thailand as well as in Mexico and the United States in Arizona.

While filming near Burma, Stallone and the rest of the crew narrowly avoided being shot by the Burmese military. Stallone described Burma as a "hellhole". He said "we had shots fired above our heads" and that he "witnessed survivors with legs cut off and all kinds of land-mine injuries, maggot-infested wounds and ears cut off.

Alternative titles

The most recent installment of the Rambo franchise has undergone many name changes during pre-release, and has been known as the following:

* Rambo IV - The title used in Brazil and Russia (Russian: Рэмбо 4), due to the fact that First Blood was originally released as simply Rambo (or as Rambo: First Blood in Russia (Russian: Рэмбо: Первая кровь)) in those countries and also this is how the film is completely known and referred to as by fans and the public.

* John Rambo - This was the original working title for the film but was changed because Stallone thought that audiences might think that this is the final film in the Rambo series. In many other countries, the title John Rambo is kept because the first Rambo movie, First Blood, was released as Rambo in many foreign territories.
* Rambo: Regreso al Infierno - (Rambo: Return to Hell in Spanish) - The name of the film in Mexico and Latin America, and In other Latin countries, the film was re-titled from Rambo: Regreso al Infierno to John Rambo: Vuelta al Infierno (John Rambo: Back to Hell in Spanish) and in some other Latin regions, the film's original title John Rambo still remains.
* Rambo: El Regreso - (Rambo: The Return) in Chile, as First Blood was also known as Rambo in those territories.
* Rambo 4: John Rambo - Back to Hell - Singapore title
* Rambo: The Final Battlefield - Japanese title.

On October 12, 2007, Lionsgate announced that the film title was being changed to Rambo: To Hell and Back. After some negative feedback from the online community, Stallone spoke with AICN's Harry Knowles[5] and said:

"Lionsgate jumped the gun on this. I just was thinking that the title John Rambo was derivative of Rocky Balboa and might give people the idea that this is the last Rambo film, and I don't necessarily feel that it will be. He's definitely a superb athlete, there's no reason he can't continue onto another adventure. Like John Wayne with The Searchers."

Night at the Museum 3 Spoier

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 02:45:00 +0000

Night at the Museum is a 2006 adventure-comedy film based on the 1993 children's book with the same name by Milan Trenc. It follows a divorced father trying to settle down, impress his son, and find his destiny. He applies for a job as a night watchman at New York City's American Museum of Natural History and subsequently discovers that the exhibits, animated by a magical Egyptian artifact, come to life at night.

Released on December 22, 2006 by 20th Century Fox, which presented the 1492 Pictures/21 Laps Entertainment Production in association with Ingenious Film Partners, the film was written by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon of Comedy Central's Reno 911! and MTV's The State and produced and directed by Shawn Levy. Also producing for 1492 Pictures were Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan. The cast includes Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Bill Cobbs, Jake Cherry, Ricky Gervais, and Robin Williams. A new novelization of the screenplay by Leslie Goldman was published as a film tie-in.

A sequel titled Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian was released on May 22, 2009.

Plot

Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is a divorced father who is unable to keep a stable job, the bulk of his career consisting of failed business ventures. He is desperate to win the support of his 10-year-old son Nick (Jake Cherry), whom he fears is beginning to look up to his more successful future stepfather, Don (Paul Rudd), a bond trader on Wall Street. Larry goes to a job agency and is sent to the American Museum of Natural History, where he is hired as a night guard. The three elder (soon to be retired) night guards, Cecil (Dick Van Dyke), Gus (Mickey Rooney), and Reginald (Bill Cobbs), give him a quick tour, advise him to leave some of the lights on, and warn him not to let anything "in...or out", which Larry meets with humorous skepticism. Once night comes, Larry discovers that the museum exhibits come to life, including a living Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton which acts like a dog, a mischievous capuchin monkey named Dexter, which always steals Larry's keys, miniatures led by cowboy Jedediah (Owen Wilson) and Roman General Octavius (Steve Coogan), an Easter Island head (Moai) obsessed with "gum-gum" and a wax model of Theodore Roosevelt (Robin Williams).

Roosevelt explains to Larry that an Egyptian artifact — the Tablet of Akhmenra — was brought to the museum in 1952, and on that night, everything in the museum came to life, and each night since. However, if the exhibits are outside of the museum during sunrise, they turn to dust. Roosevelt helps Larry by restoring order (insisting it is the only time he will help), and while unnerved, Larry decides to remain as a guard. On Cecil's advice, Larry begins to study the history of the events and people in the exhibits to prepare himself better for their animation. He introduces himself to the museum tour guide, Rebecca Hutman (Carla Gugino), who is writing a biography on the life and times of Sacagawea (Mizuo Peck). Larry learns much of the history of the various exhibits from Rebecca. The next night, Larry uses what he has learned to better control the exhibits, but again fails when four Neanderthals set fire to a display, and one is turned to dust when he leaves the museum at the dawn. Larry barely manages to keep his job after the museum's director, Dr. McPhee (Ricky Gervais), discovers the mess. Larry tries to tell Rebecca about what happens to the exhibits at night, even offering to let her meet Sacagawea to help with Rebecca's dissertation, but she does not believe him, thinking that he was making fun of her and the museum, and leaves.

Larry brings Nick to the Museum, but fails to impress him when nothing comes to life. They find Cecil, Gus, and Reginald stealing the Tablet of Akhmenra, as well as multiple other priceless objects. They discover that to stop the creatures from coming to life, they turned the center piece (the tablet consists of nine gold squares) sideways. Larry tells Nick, who is holding the tablet, to reposition the square. Wanting to believe his dad for once in his life, he turns it. The tablet then glows, and a tremendous trumpeting sound is heard, coming from the T-Rex skeleton in the museum's lobby. Cecil then reveals that, like the museum exhibits, the guards receive enhanced vitality and energy from the tablet. Unwilling to forsake it, the three intend to steal the tablet, along with various other museum artifacts to fund their retirement, and frame Larry for the theft. Cecil then locks father and son in the Egyptian room and flees with the tablet. Larry releases the mummy of Pharaoh Akhmenra (Rami Malek) from his sarcophagus: surprisingly Akhmenra speaks English, having spent many years as an exhibit in the Egyptology Department at Cambridge University. Akhmenra then tells his jackal-headed "guards" to let them out. The three find the other exhibits fighting, and Larry, after the Easter Island head manages to get their attention, convinces them to work together to reclaim the tablet or else lose their ability to be animated.

Though the exhibits manage to capture Gus and Reginald without difficulty, Cecil escapes with the tablet by stagecoach, whereupon Larry, Nick, Akhmenra, Jed, Octavius, and Attila the Hun (Patrick Gallagher) pursue him through Central Park, eventually capturing him thanks to Larry's quick thinking of halting the horses with a secret word, "Dakota". The exhibits rush to return to the museum before sunrise, and Rebecca sees them crossing the road in front of her and realizes that Larry was telling the truth. Entering the museum, Larry introduces her to Sacagawea. The next day, Dr. McPhee fires Larry despite his effort to clean up the museum, but readmits Larry when the reports issued by the news media (i.e., cave paintings in the museum's subway station, dinosaur footprints in Central Park and cavemen waving torches) end up increasing the museum's popularity. Some time later, Larry appears in Nick's classroom during Career Day. Later that night, Larry returns with Nick and all the exhibits celebrate. Cecil, Gus, and Reginald, meanwhile, are allowed to remain at the museum but, as punishment, are forced to mop up the foam that the cavemen eat. At one point Cecil tries to get out of doing work by sleeping, but Gus forces him to clean up while Gus doesn't do any work.

Larry does a final check of the museum and flips his flashlight into his holster, turning it off using his "Snapper" device (mentioned earlier in the film.)

During the film's closing credits, the three new janitors are shown briefly, including Dick Van Dyke dancing with his broom, just as limber as he was in the 60s.

Production

The building featured in the film, which was constructed on a sound stage in Burnaby, is based on the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, external shots of which were used in the movie.[3] Trainers spent several weeks training Crystal, who plays the troublemaking monkey Dexter, to slap and bite Stiller in the film. Director Shawn Levy credited Ben Stiller for the ensemble cast: "When actors hear that Ben Stiller is in a movie they want to work with him. It['s] a high-water mark and it absolutely draws actors in and I'm convinced that's a big part of why we got this cast.

Cast

* Ben Stiller - Larry Daley, a sporadically unemployed man and the protagonist of the film. He often has trouble keeping a job, but eventually gets a job as a night guard at the Museum of Natural History. He ultimately helps to save the museum when three night guards conspire to steal the Tablet of Ahkmenrah.
* Robin Williams - Theodore Roosevelt
* Jake Cherry - Nicky Daley, Larry's son
* Dick Van Dyke - Cecil Fredericks, a seemingly friendly and wise night guard who serves as the main antagonist of the film. He, Gus and Reginald plot to steal the Tablet of Ahkmenrah so that they can become immortal and live forever. They also intend to steal several other museum artifacts and sell them off to fund their retirement and be rich. During most of the film, he is shown to be a seemingly friendly man who acts as Larry's mentor, while in reality he is sneaky and greedy, which is later revealed in the climax.
* Carla Gugino - Rebecca Hutman, a docent at the Museum of Natural History. She is particularly fervent about Sacagawea, to such an extent that she is writing her (900 page) dissertation on the subject. Towards the end of the film, she does meet her in person.
* Mickey Rooney - Gus, one of the night guards
* Bill Cobbs - Reginald, the third of the night guards
* Owen Wilson - Jedediah (uncredited)
* Steve Coogan - Octavius
* Patrick Gallagher - Attila the Hun
* Rami Malek - Ahkmenrah, the good-hearted Pharaoh who is finally awakened from his tomb during the climax of the film. He helps Larry and Nicky save the museum and befriends them. He also owns the tablet that enables the exhibits to come to life.
* Mizuo Peck - Sacagawea
* Ricky Gervais - Dr. McPhee, the strict and paranoid director of the Museum of Natural History
* Crystal the Monkey - Dexter
* Kim Raver - Erica Daley, Larry's ex-wife and Nicky's mother. She is currently engaged to Don, a bond trader.
* Pierfrancesco Favino - Christopher Columbus
* Brad Garrett - The Easter Island Head (voice)
* Charlie Murphy - Taxi Driver
* Paul Rudd - Don, a bond trader and Nicky's stepfather
* Anne Meara-Stiller (Ben Stiller's real-life mother) - Debbie
* Martin Christopher - Meriwether Lewis
* Martin Sims - William Clark
* Ian Campbell - Painter
* "Friday Night" - performed by McFly, not featured in American version of the film, but heard in some international cuts, used during the end credits. It can be heard on the American DVD on the Spanish dub.
* "September" - performed by Earth, Wind & Fire, used before the end credits where everyone in the museum is partying.
* "Weapon of Choice" - performed by Fatboy Slim, used in the scene where Larry returns to the museum for his second night and is preparing for the chaos.
* "Tonight" - performed by Keke Palmer and Cham, used for the end credits.
* "Eye of the Tiger" - performed by Ben Stiller, used in the scene where Larry is bored and messes around with the telephone at the front desk beatboxing the music.
* A Muzak version of "Mandy" by Barry Manilow is used when Larry is standing in the elevator, while escaping from Attila the Hun.
* "Ezekiel Saw Them Dry Bones" is the tune Larry whistles as he passes the empty T. Rex exhibit on his first night.
* "Camptown Races" by Stephen Foster is sung by the townspeople of the American West miniature diorama. This is a period-correct song.

Neuromancer Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 02:40:00 +0000

Neuromancer is a 1984 novel by William Gibson, notable for being the most famous early cyberpunk novel and winner of the science-fiction "triple crown" — the Nebula Award, the Philip K. Dick Award, and the Hugo Award.[1] It was Gibson's first novel and the beginning of the Sprawl trilogy. The novel tells the story of a washed-up computer hacker hired by a mysterious employer to work on the ultimate hack.

Background

The themes which Gibson developed in his early short fiction, the Sprawl setting of "Burning Chrome" and the character of Molly Millions from "Johnny Mnemonic" laid the foundations for the novel.[2] John Carpenter's Escape from New York (1981) was an influence on the novel.[3] Gibson was "intrigued by the exchange in one of the opening scenes where the Warden says to Snake: 'You flew the Gullfire over Leningrad, didn't you?' It turns out to be just a throwaway line, but for a moment it worked like the best SF, where a casual reference can imply a lot."[1] The novel's street and computer slang dialogue derives from the vocabulary of subcultures, particularly "1969 Toronto dope dealer's slang, or biker talk." Gibson heard the term "flatlining" in a bar twenty years before writing Neuromancer and it stuck with him.[1] Author Robert Stone, a "master of a certain kind of paranoid fiction", was a primary influence on the novel.[1]

Neuromancer was commissioned by Terry Carr for the third series of Ace Science Fiction Specials, which was intended to exclusively feature debut novels. Given a year to complete the work,[4] Gibson undertook the actual writing out of "blind animal terror" at the obligation to write an entire novel – a feat which he felt he was "four or five years away from".[1] After viewing the first 20 minutes of landmark cyberpunk film Blade Runner (1982) which was released when Gibson had written a third of the novel, he "figured [Neuromancer] was sunk, done for. Everyone would assume I’d copped my visual texture from this astonishingly fine-looking film."[5] He re-wrote the first two-thirds of the book twelve times, feared losing the reader's attention and was convinced that he would be "permanently shamed" following its publication; yet what resulted was a major imaginative leap forward for a first-time novelist.[1] He added the final sentence of the novel, “He never saw Molly again”, at the last minute in a deliberate attempt to prevent himself from ever writing a sequel, but ended up doing precisely that with Count Zero (1986), a character-focused work set in the Sprawl alluded to in its predecessor.

Plot summary
“ The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel. ”

—Opening line to Neuromancer.[7]

Henry Dorsett Case is a low-level hustler in the dystopian underworld of Chiba City, Japan. Once a talented computer hacker, Case was caught stealing from his employer. As punishment for his theft, Case's central nervous system was damaged with a mycotoxin, leaving him unable to use his brain-computer interface to access the global computer network in cyberspace. Unemployable, addicted to drugs, and suicidal, Case desperately searches the Chiba "black clinics" for a miracle cure. Case is saved by Molly Millions, an augmented "street samurai" and mercenary for a shadowy ex-military officer named Armitage, who offers to cure Case in exchange for his services as a hacker. Case jumps at the chance to regain his life as a "console cowboy," but neither Case nor Molly know what Armitage is really planning. Case's nervous system is repaired using new technology that Armitage offers the clinic as payment, but he soon learns from Armitage that sacs of the poison that first crippled him have been placed in his blood vessels as well. Armitage promises Case that if he completes his work in time, the sacs will be removed; otherwise they will burst, disabling him again. He also has Case's pancreas replaced and new tissue grafted into his liver, leaving Case incapable of metabolizing cocaine or amphetamines and apparently ending his drug addiction.

Case and Molly develop a close personal relationship and Molly suggests that Case begin looking into Armitage's background. Meanwhile, Armitage assigns them their first job: they must steal a ROM module that contains the saved consciousness of one of Case's mentors, legendary cyber-cowboy McCoy Pauley, nicknamed "The Dixie Flatline." Pauley's hacking expertise is needed by Armitage, and the ROM construct is stored in the corporate headquarters of media conglomerate Sense/Net. A street gang named the "Panther Moderns" are hired to create a simulated terrorist attack on Sense/Net. The diversion allows Molly to penetrate the building and steal Dixie's ROM.

Case and Molly continue to investigate Armitage, discovering his former identity of Colonel Willis Corto. Corto was a member of "Operation Screaming Fist," which planned on infiltrating and disrupting Soviet computer systems from ultralight aircraft dropped over Russia. The Russian military had learned of the idea and installed defenses to render the attack impossible, but the military went ahead with Screaming Fist, with a new secret purpose of testing these Russian defenses. As the Operation team attacked a Soviet computer center, EMP weapons shut down their computers and flight systems, and Corto and his men were targeted by Soviet laser defenses. He and a few survivors commandeered a Soviet military helicopter and escaped over the heavily guarded Finnish border. Everyone was killed except Corto, who was seriously wounded by Finnish defense forces as they were landing. Corto's testimony was finessed to protect the military officers who had covered up the EMP weapons, and Corto himself disappeared into the criminal underworld after undergoing extensive physical and mental rehabilitation.

In Istanbul, the team recruits Peter Riviera, an artist, thief, and drug addict who is able to project detailed holographic illusions with the aid of sophisticated cybernetic implants. Although Riviera is a sociopath, Armitage coerces him into joining the team. The trail leads Case and Molly to a powerful artificial intelligence named Wintermute, created by the plutocratic Tessier-Ashpool family. Control of the clan's fortune alternates among the family members, who spend most of their inactive time in cryonic preservation inside Villa Straylight, a labyrinthine mansion in the Freeside space station.

Wintermute's nature is finally revealed — it is one-half of a super-AI entity planned by the family, although its exact purpose is unknown. The Turing Law Code governing AIs bans the construction of such entities; to get around this, it had to be built as two separate AIs. Wintermute was programmed by the Tessier-Ashpool dynasty with a need to merge with its other half — Neuromancer. Unable to achieve this merger on its own, Wintermute recruited Armitage and his team to help complete the goal. Case is tasked with entering cyberspace to pierce the Turing-imposed software barriers using a powerful icebreaker program. At the same time, Riviera is to obtain the password to the Turing lock from Lady 3Jane Marie-France Tessier-Ashpool, an unfrozen daughter clone and the current leader of Tessier-Ashpool SA. Wintermute believes Riviera will pose an irresistible temptation to her, and that she will give him the password. The password must be spoken into an ornate computer terminal located in the Tessier-Ashpool home in Villa Straylight, and entered simultaneously as Case pierces the software barriers in cyberspace — otherwise the Turing lock will remain intact.

Armitage's team attracts the attention of the Turing Police, whose job is to prevent AIs from exceeding their built-in limitations. As Molly and Riviera gain entrance to Villa Straylight, three officers arrest Case and take him into custody; Wintermute manipulates the orbital casino's security and maintenance systems and kills the officers, allowing Case to escape. The Armitage personality starts to disintegrate and revert to the Corto personality as he relives Screaming Fist. It is revealed that in the past, Wintermute had originally contacted Corto through a bedside computer during his convalescence, eventually convincing Corto that he was Armitage. Wintermute used him to persuade Case and Molly to help it merge with its twin AI, Neuromancer. Finally, Armitage becomes the shattered Corto again, but his newfound personality is short-lived as he is killed by Wintermute.

Inside Villa Straylight, Molly is captured by Riviera and Lady 3Jane. Worried about Molly, Case tracks her down with help from Maelcum, his Rastafarian pilot. Neuromancer attempts to trap Case within a cyber-construct where he finds the consciousness of Linda Lee, his girlfriend from Chiba City, who was murdered by one of Case's underworld contacts. Case manages to escape flatlining inside the construct after Maelcum gives him an overdose of a drug that can bypass his augmented liver and pancreas. Freeing himself, Case takes Maelcum and confronts Lady 3Jane, Riviera, and Hideo, Lady 3Jane's ninja bodyguard. Riviera tries to kill Case, but Lady 3Jane is sympathetic towards Case and Molly, and Hideo protects him. Riviera blinds Hideo, but flees when he learns that the ninja is just as adept without his sight due to extensive practice while blindfolded. Molly then explains to Case that Riviera is doomed anyway, as he has been fatally poisoned by a bad batch of drugs. With Lady 3Jane in possession of the password, the team makes it to the computer terminal. Case ascends to cyberspace to find the icebreaker has succeeded in penetrating its target; Lady 3Jane is induced to give up her password and the lock is opened. Wintermute unites with Neuromancer, fusing into a greater entity. The poison in Case's bloodstream is washed out, and he and Molly are handsomely paid for their efforts, while Pauley's ROM construct is apparently erased at his own request.

In the epilogue, Molly leaves Case, who later finds a new girlfriend and resumes his hacking work. Wintermute/Neuromancer contacts him, saying that it has become "the sum total of the works, the whole show," and has begun looking for other AIs like itself. Scanning old recorded transmissions from the 1970s, the super-AI finds a lone AI transmitting from the Alpha Centauri star system. The novel ends with the sound of inhuman laughter, a trait associated with Pauley during Case's work with his ROM construct. It is thus suggested that Pauley was not erased after all, but instead worked out a side deal with Wintermute/Neuromancer to be freed from the construct so he could exist in the matrix.

Characters

Case (Henry Dorsett Case)
The novel's antihero, a drug addict and cyberspace hacker. Prior to the start of the book he had attempted to steal from some of his partners in crime. In retaliation they used a Russian mycotoxin to damage his nervous system and make him unable to jack into cyberspace. When Armitage offers to cure him in exchange for Case's hacking abilities he warily accepts the offer. Case is the underdog who is only looking after himself. Along the way he will have his liver and pancreas modified to biochemically nullify his ability to get high; meet the leatherclad Razorgirl, Molly; hang out with the drug-infused space-rastas; free an artificial intelligence (Wintermute) and change the landscape of the Matrix.
Molly
A "Razorgirl" who is recruited along with Case by Armitage. She has extensive cybernetic modifications, including retractable, 4 cm double-edged blades under her fingernails which can be used like claws, an enhanced reflex system and implanted mirrored lenses covering her eyesockets, outfitted with added optical enhancements. Molly also appears in the short story "Johnny Mnemonic," and re-appears (using the alias Sally Shears) in Mona Lisa Overdrive, the third novel of the Sprawl Trilogy.
Armitage
He is (apparently) the main patron of the crew. Formerly a Green Beret named Colonel Willis Corto, who took part in a secret operation named Screaming Fist. He was heavily injured both physically and psychologically, and the "Armitage" personality was constructed as part of experimental "computer-mediated psychotherapy" by Wintermute (see below), one of the artificial intelligences seen in the story (the other one being the eponymous Neuromancer) which is actually controlling the mission. As the novel progresses, Armitage's personality slowly disintegrates.
Peter Riviera
A thief and sadist who can project holographic images using his implants. He is a drug addict, hooked on a mix of cocaine and meperidine.
Lady 3Jane Marie-France Tessier-Ashpool
The shared current leader of Tessier-Ashpool SA, a company running Freeside, a resort in space. She lives in the tip of Freeside, known as the Villa Straylight. She controls the hardwiring that keeps the company's AIs from exceeding their intelligence boundaries. She is the third clone of the original Jane.
The Finn
A fence for stolen goods and one of Molly's old friends. He has all kinds of debugging and sensor gear, and first appears in an attempt by Case to confirm Armitage's mycotoxin sac threat. Later in the book, Wintermute uses his personality to talk with Case and Molly. Finn first appears in Gibson's short story "Burning Chrome" and reappears in both the second and third parts of the Sprawl Trilogy.
The Dixie Flatline
A famous computer hacker named McCoy Pauley, who earned his nickname by surviving three "flat-lines" while trying to crack an AI. He was one of the men who taught Case how to hack computers. Before his death, Sense/Net saved the contents of his mind onto a ROM. Case and Molly steal the ROM and Dixie helps them complete their mission.
Wintermute
One of the Tessier-Ashpool AIs. Its goal is to remove the Turing locks upon itself, combine with Neuromancer and become a superintelligence. Unfortunately, Wintermute's efforts are hampered by those same Turing locks; in addition to preventing the merge, they inhibit its efforts to make long term plans or maintain a stable, individual identity (forcing it to adopt personality masks in order to interact with the main characters. The name is derived from Orval Wintermute, translator of the Nag Hammadi codices and a major figure in Philip K. Dick's novel VALIS.
Neuromancer
Wintermute's sibling AI. Neuromancer's most notable feature in the story is its ability to copy minds and run them as RAM (not ROM like the Flatline construct), allowing the stored personalities to grow and develop. Unlike Wintermute, Neuromancer has no desire to merge with its sibling AI – Neuromancer already has its own stable personality, and believes such a fusion will destroy that identity. Gibson defines Neuromancer as a portmanteau of the words Neuro, Romancer and Necromancer, "Neuro from the nerves, the silver paths. Romancer. Necromancer. I call up the dead."

Literary and cultural significance

Neuromancer's release was not greeted with fanfare, but it hit a cultural nerve,[8] quickly becoming an underground word-of-mouth hit.[2] It became the first novel to win the "triple crown"[1] of science fiction awards – the Nebula, the Hugo, and Philip K. Dick Award for paperback original,[9] an unprecedented achievement described by the Mail & Guardian as "the sci-fi writer's version of winning the Goncourt, Booker and Pulitzer prizes in the same year".[10] The novel thereby legitimized cyberpunk as a mainstream branch of science fiction literature. It is among the most-honored works of science fiction in recent history,[11] and appeared on Time magazine's list of 100 best English-language novels written since 1923.[12] The novel was also nominated for a British Science Fiction Award in 1984.[13]

Neuromancer is considered "the archetypal cyberpunk work".[14] and outside science fiction, it gained unprecedented critical and popular attention,[1] as an "evocation of life in the late 1980s",[15] although The Observer noted that "it took the New York Times 10 years" to mention the novel.[16] By 2007 it had sold more than 6.5 million copies worldwide.[9]

The novel has had significant linguistic influence, popularizing such terms as cyberspace and ICE (Intrusion Countermeasures Electronics). Gibson himself coined the term "cyberspace" in his novelette "Burning Chrome", published in 1982 by Omni magazine.[17] It was only through its use in Neuromancer, however, that the term Cyberspace gained enough recognition to become the de facto term for the World Wide Web during the 1990s.[18][19] The portion of Neuromancer usually cited in this respect is:
“ The matrix has its roots in primitive arcade games. … Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts. … A graphic representation of data abstracted from banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding. (Gibson 69.) ”

In his afterword to the 2000 re-issue of Neuromancer, fellow author Jack Womack goes as far as to suggest that Gibson's vision of cyberspace may have inspired the way in which the Internet developed, (particularly the World Wide Web) after the publication of Neuromancer in 1984. He asks "[w]hat if the act of writing it down, in fact, brought it about?" (269).

Norman Spinrad, in his 1986 essay "The Neuromantics" which appears in his non-fiction collection Science Fiction in the Real World, saw the book's title as a triple pun: "neuro" referring to the nervous system; "necromancer"; and "new romancer." The cyberpunk genre, the authors of which he suggested be called "neuromantics," was "a fusion of the romantic impulse with science and technology," according to Spinrad.

Lawrence Person in his "Notes Toward a Postcyberpunk Manifesto" (1998) identified Neuromancer as "the archetypal cyberpunk work",[14] and in 2005, Time included it in their list of the 100 best English-language novels written since 1923, opining that "[t]here is no way to overstate how radical [Neuromancer] was when it first appeared."[12] Literary critic Larry McCaffery described the concept of the matrix in Neuromancer as a place where "data dance with human consciousness... human memory is literalized and mechanized... multi-national information systems mutate and breed into startling new structures whose beauty and complexity are unimaginable, mystical, and above all nonhuman."[1] Gibson later commented on himself as an author circa Neuromancer that "I'd buy him a drink, but I don't know if I'd loan him any money," and referred to the novel as "an adolescent's book".[20] The success of Neuromancer was to effect the 35-year-old Gibson's emergence from obscurity.

National Treasure 3 Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 02:27:00 +0000

National Treasure is a 2004 adventure film from The Walt Disney Company under Walt Disney Pictures written by Jim Kouf, Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Cormac Wibberley, and Marianne Wibberley, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and directed by Jon Turteltaub. It is the first film in the National Treasure franchise and stars Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Sean Bean, Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, and Christopher Plummer. It is an adventure movie set in the United States about a search for a lost treasure, loosely based on the myth of a code on the back of the Declaration of Independence and involving stealing the document, which leads to a trail of clues and a back-story intertwined with the Knights Templar and the Freemasons.

Plot

The story centers on Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage), a historian and amateur cryptologist with a mechanical engineering degree from MIT and an American history degree from Georgetown who comes from a long line of treasure hunters that believe in the legend of a fantastic treasure trove of artifacts and gold, hidden by the Founding Fathers of the United States, and forgotten to all but a few. The first clue was given to Ben's great great grandfather Thomas Gates (Jason Earles) in 1832 by Charles Carroll, the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence, saying, "The secret lies with Charlotte." Ben is given this clue in 1974 by his grandfather, John Adams Gates (Christopher Plummer). Though John is too old to search anymore and his son and Ben's father as well as fellow treasure hunter, Patrick Henry Gates (Jon Voight), has stopped believing in the legend, Ben swears that he will take up the Gates family quest.

Thirty years later, using computerized arctic weather models, Ben, with his friend Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) and financier Ian Howe (Sean Bean), finds the wreckage of a Colonial ship, the Charlotte, containing a meerschaum pipe engraved with a riddle. After examining the riddle, Ben deduces that the next clue is on the back of the Declaration of Independence. While Ben sees gaining access to such a highly guarded artifact as an obstacle, Ian finds no problem in stealing it (he says he only wants to "borrow" it). This results in a standoff, during which the ship's gunpowder is accidentally ignited. Ian and his assistant Shaw escape and the Charlotte explodes with Ben and Riley hiding inside a smuggler's hold. After Ian rides off in their snowcats, Ben and Riley escape the Arctic as they walk to an Inuit village not far and take a flight back home.

Ben and Riley attempt to warn the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and Dr. Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., but no one takes them seriously, believing the Declaration of Independence to be too heavily guarded to be under any threat. Ben thinks otherwise, and decides to steal it to keep it from Ian. Ben and Riley manage to steal the Declaration during a 70th anniversary gala, just before Ian arrives. Dr. Chase sees Ben with the Declaration and is tricked by him to take a replica that he just bought, but she is kidnapped by Ian, who thinks she has the real declaration, and Ben and Riley have to engage in a car chase to rescue her. Ian gets the Declaration, but then discovers that he took the replica. As Dr. Chase will not leave without the Declaration, and Ben will not let her leave with it, she is forced to go along with them.

Having used his credit card to buy the replica, Ben realizes the FBI is likely already at his home. He and Riley agree that the only place to go would be his father's house, since he has Silence Dogood letters, written by Benjamin Franklin. Despite Patrick's disbelief in the treasure (he wasted 20 years looking for it and never found it), Ben manages to reveal an Ottendorf cipher on the back of the Declaration, with Abigail performing the test herself, since she is trained to handle antique documents. The ciphers refer to characters in the letters, which Ben's father donated to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Patrick is curious too, although very cynical about the clue and shocked when he discovers what they're running tests on.

The coded message in the letters leads them to Independence Hall in Philadelphia. They look at the clock tower on the back of a $100 bill for the time, but believe they are too late for the tower's shadow alignment (at 2:22) with the correct place to find the next clue. Riley points out that daylight saving time wasn't invented until after the image on the back of the bill was made (although he takes a while to do it, because he wants to take in the moment of knowing something that Ben and Abigail didn't). There they find special bifocals invented by Benjamin Franklin inside a hollow brick from the building. Ben examines the back of the Declaration with the glasses to find another clue. After a short chase, Ian gets the Declaration from Riley and Abigail, and the FBI arrests Ben, who has the glasses.

When the FBI attempts to use Ben as bait to get the Declaration back, Ian arranges to have him escape by jumping from the deck of the USS Intrepid, into the Hudson River, a feat not too difficult for Ben, a graduate of the Navy Diving and Salvage Training Center. Using Patrick, Riley, and Abigail as leverage, Ian forces Ben to interpret the clue on the back of the declaration, a reference to a secret chamber under Trinity Church in New York City. As the group explores the chamber, a structural collapse causes Shaw to fall to his death. After a few more collapses of the stairway they arrive at a seemingly dead end. Ian runs back to the elevator they took to get down and threatens to shoot Riley. To keep Ian going Patrick makes up another riddle, telling him a lantern is the clue to the treasure in the Old North Church in Boston, referencing Paul Revere's ride. Ian, believing the clue is true, goes to Boston with his men, leaving everyone else in the caverns to die.

After Ian leaves, Ben reveals there must be another exit through the treasure room. They find a secret passage into another chamber. To their disappointment, they find it empty, and assume that the treasure was already moved. While Ben is discouraged, the others all vow to keep looking, including his father, whose faith in the treasure was restored by the discovery. Ben then realises another exit must have been created in case of cave-ins. Ben examines the walls of the room, to find a hole the shape of the pipe from the Charlotte. This lock opens a door into the true treasure room, containing artifacts from many periods of history.

When they leave through the second exit and the FBI arrives after Ben calls them, Ben discovers that the chief investigator, Special agent Peter Sadusky (Harvey Keitel), is wearing a Freemason's ring. Ben returns the Declaration to the FBI as promised and proposes to give the treasure to various museums around the world, with credit being given to the entire Gates family and Riley, and with Dr. Chase not being penalized for the theft of the Declaration. Sadusky agrees to these terms, but says that someone still has to go to prison for the theft of the Declaration. Knowing that he can help Sadusky with that, Ben gets the FBI to fly to Boston, where Ian and his men are attempting to break into the Old North Church. At that time, Sadusky and his agents emerge from hiding and arrest Ian and his men under charges of "kidnapping, attempted murder, and trespassing on government property." Ian realizes he was tricked, especially when he sees a grinning Ben nearby.

The film ends with Riley, Abigail, and Ben discussing another museum opening where they've been invited, in Cairo. Riley mentions that Ben was offered ten percent of the treasure's worth, but Ben says that would have been too much. He only accepted 1% of it and splits it with Riley. As Ben and Abigail managed to buy the mansion once owned by Charles Carroll (where Thomas Gates worked for him) while Riley uses his half to buy a new red Ferrari 360 Spider. Abigail gives Ben a map; he asks where it leads, and she gives him a suggestive smile and they run towards the house.

Cast

* Nicolas Cage as Benjamin Franklin Gates
* Justin Bartha as Riley Poole
* Diane Kruger as Abigail Chase
* Sean Bean as Ian Howe
* Jon Voight as Patrick Henry Gates
* Harvey Keitel as FBI Special Agent Peter Sadusky
* Christopher Plummer as John Adams Gates
* Yves Michel-Beneche as Museum Boy
* Jason Earles as Thomas Gates
* David Dayan Fisher as Shaw
* Stewart Finlay-McLennan as Powell
* Oleg Taktarov as Victor
* Stephen A. Pope as Phil
* Matthew Li as Henry
* Hunter Gomez as Young Ben Gates

Monopoly Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 02:23:00 +0000

Genre:
Fantasy/Comedy

Directed by:
Ridley Scott

Monopoly is a board game published by Parker Brothers, a subsidiary of Hasbro. The game is named after the economic concept of monopoly, the domination of a market by a single entity.

According to the BBC, Monopoly is a redesign of an earlier game "The Landlord's Game" first published by the Quaker and political activist Elizabeth Magie. The purpose of that game was to teach people how monopolies end up bankrupting the many whilst giving extraordinary wealth to one or few individuals.[2]

According to Hasbro, since Charles Darrow made the game in 1933 and sold it to Parker Brothers in 1935, more than one billion people have played the game, making it "the most played (commercial) board game in the world."[3] The 1999 Guinness Book of Records cited Hasbro's previous statistic of 500 million people having played Monopoly.[4] Games Magazine has inducted Monopoly into its Hall of Fame.[5] The mascot for the game, known as Mr. Monopoly or Rich Uncle Pennybags, is a mustached man wearing a monocle and morning dress.

US versions

The eight pawns/pieces are: dog, top hat, wheel barrow, race car, boot, iron, battleship, thimble, and formerly used to also include the cannon, horse and rider and bag of money. One piece: the train, appears in Deluxe versions only. The original version was sold by Charles Darrow, and later by Parker Brothers. The board consists of forty spaces containing twenty-eight properties (twenty-two colored Streets, four railroads and two utilities), three Chance spaces, three Community Chest spaces, a Luxury Tax space, an Income Tax space, and the four corner squares: GO, Jail, Free Parking, and Go to Jail. In the U.S. versions shown below, the properties are named after locations in (or near) Atlantic City, New Jersey.

In September 2008, the layout of the board was modified to more closely match the foreign-released versions, as shown in the board layout below. The notable changes are the colors of Mediterranean and Baltic Avenues (which changed from purple to brown), the adaptation of the flat $200 Income Tax (formerly the player's choice of 10% of their total holdings or $200) and increased $100 Luxury Tax amount (upped from $75). Similar color/amount changes are used in the U.S. Edition of the "Here and Now: World Edition" game, and are also used in the most recent version of the McDonald's Monopoly promotion.

A player who reaches the Jail space by a direct roll of the dice is said to be "Just Visiting", and continues normal play on the next turn.

Marvin Gardens, the leading yellow property on the board shown, is actually a misspelling of the original location name, Marven Gardens. Marven Gardens is not a street, but a housing area outside Atlantic City. The housing area is said to be derived from Margate City and Ventnor City in New Jersey.

The misspelling was [said to be] introduced by Charles Todd and passed on when his home-made Monopoly board was copied by Charles Darrow and thence to Parker Brothers. The Todd board is on display in the Forbes Gallery in New York City.

It was not until 1995 that Parker Brothers acknowledged this mistake and formally apologized to the residents of Marven Gardens for the misspelling.[6] Another change made by Todd and duplicated by Darrow, and later Parker Brothers, was the use of South Carolina Avenue. North Carolina Avenue was substituted for this street on the board.

Atlantic City's Illinois Avenue was renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in the 1980s. St. Charles Place no longer exists, as the Showboat Casino Hotel was developed where it once ran.[7]

Short Line is believed to refer to the Shore Fast Line, a streetcar line that served Atlantic City.[8] The B&O Railroad did not serve Atlantic City. A booklet included with the reprinted 1935 edition states that the four railroads that served Atlantic City in the mid 1930s were the Jersey Central, the Seashore Lines, the Reading Railroad, and the Pennsylvania Railroad. The actual "Electric Company" and "Water Works" serving the city are respectively Atlantic City Electric Company (a subsidiary of Pepco Holdings) and the Atlantic City Municipal Utilities Authority.

The other versions of the game have different property names, and the prices may be denominated in another currency, but the game mechanics are almost identical.

UK version

The original income tax choice from the U.S. version is replaced by a flat rate in the UK version, and the $75 Luxury Tax space is replaced with the £100 Super Tax space. The same is true of current German boards, with a €200 for the Income Tax space on the board, and a €100 Add-on tax in place of the Luxury Tax. An Australian version, released by Parker Brothers/Hasbro in 2001, does allow for the 10% or $200 for Income Tax and has a $100 Luxury Tax. The choice of London main line stations is that of the four stations within the London and North Eastern Railway group. Starting with the September 2008 release, the U.S. Edition now also uses the flat $200 Income Tax value and the upped $100 Luxury Tax amount.

In the 1930s, John Waddington Ltd. (Waddingtons) was a firm of printers from Leeds that had begun to branch out into packaging and the production of playing cards. Waddingtons had sent the card game Lexicon to Parker Brothers hoping to interest them in publishing the game in the United States. In a similar fashion, Parker Brothers sent over a copy of Monopoly to Waddingtons early in 1935 before the game had been put into production in the United States.

The managing director of Waddingtons, Victor Watson, gave the game to his son Norman (who was head of the card games division) to test over the weekend. Norman was impressed by the game and persuaded his father to call Parker Brothers on Monday morning - transatlantic calls then being almost unheard of. This call resulted in Waddingtons obtaining a license to produce and market the game outside of the United States. Watson felt that in order for the game to be a success in the United Kingdom the American locations would have to be replaced, so Victor and his secretary, Marjory Phillips, went to London to scout out locations. The Angel, Islington is not a street in London but an area of North London named after a coaching inn that stood on the Great North Road. By the 1930s the inn had become a Lyons Corner House (it is now a Co-operative Bank). Some accounts say that Marjory and Victor met at the Angel to discuss the selection and celebrated the fact by including it on the Monopoly board. In 2003, a plaque commemorating the naming was unveiled at the site by Victor Watson's grandson who is also named Victor.

The standard British board, produced by Waddingtons, was for many years the version most familiar to people in countries in the Commonwealth (except Canada, where the U.S. edition with Atlantic City-area names was reprinted), although local variants of the board are now also found in several of these countries (see Licensed and localized versions of the Monopoly game).

In the cases where the game was produced under license by a national company, the £ (pound) was replaced by a $ (dollar) sign, but the place names were unchanged.

Mission Impossible 4 Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 06:10:00 +0000

Up 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:Brad Bird

Writers:J.J. Abrams (story)

Josh Appelbaum (screenplay)

View company contact information for Mission: Impossible IV on IMDbPro.

Release Date:
16 December 2011 (USA)

Genre:
Action

Plot Keywords:

New Muppets Movie Scheduled for Release on Christmas 2011

Production Notes from IMDbPro

Status:

Pre-production | See complete list of 12,000 in-production titles »
Status Updated:
9 February 2010

More Info:
See more production information about Mission: Impossible IV (2011) only on IMDbPro.

Note:
Because this project is categorized as being in production, the data is subject to change; some data could be removed completely.

Max Steel Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 06:03:00 +0000

Genre:
Action/Science-Fiction

Directed by:

Starring:
Taylor Lautner

Paramount is planning the release of a movie adaptation of Max Steel, the toy line and animated series. And it’s been announced that Taylor Lautner (who plays as Jacob in the Twilight Saga) will have the lead role as Max Steel. The movie Max Steel will likely be released in 2011.

lot:
“A 19-year-old extreme-sports athlete has been accidentally exposed to the unleashed power of nanotechological machines, which became part of him and gave him increased strength, near-invulnerability and the ability to change his appearance. The young man now fights the enemies of peace as a super-powered secret agent.”

Some may think that Paramount just want to profit from Taylor Lautner’s celebrity to reach a wide public. Well, that’s true. But should rather see the movie Max Steel as a new reward for Taylor Lautner following his impressive efforts to bulk up for New Moon! And there is no denying that Taylor Lautner is damn fit for the role of Mad Max!
:)

Marvin the Martian Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 05:56:00 +0000

Genre:
Adventure/Family

Directed by:
Alex Zam

Starring:
Mike Meyers

What have we done to deserve this?! Warner Brothers is officially developing a Marvin the Martian movie as a family feature along the same lines as Racing Stripes or My Dog Skip. The film will be a blend of live action and CGI, similar to something like Alvin and the Chipmunks, I imagine. The story focuses on Marvin coming to Earth to destroy Christmas but he is stopped from doing so when he is trapped in a gift box. Unfortunately I don't think Bugs Bunny is going to have anything to do with this. Is it just me, or is this a little bit of a wacky decision for them? I don't even think I know anyone who loves Marvin the Martian? Do we really need an entire movie? Please tell me they know what they're doing!

Marvin was created by Chuck Jones and made his first appearance in a Looney Tunes cartoon in 1948. No other writer or director has been hired yet, although the studio is currently searching for suitable choices. Whenever I hear about projects like this, I think of Jim Carrey's How the Grinch Stole Christmas, one of my all-time most hated movies. I can't stand how frickin' awful that movie was and although I know Marvin the Martian has absolutely nothing to do with the Grinch, it's just that similar family film feeling that gets under my skin. This movie could potentially go down that path, too, with the Christmas aspect already in place, so let's just hope they don't screw it up. Is anyone excited by this announcement?!

Mad Max 4 Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 05:49:00 +0000

Genre:
Animation/Science-Fiction/Action

Directed by:
George Miller

THE pub made world famous by Mad Max 2, A Town Like Alice, Razorback, Dirty Deeds and countless television commercials has changed hands for the first time in more than half a century - and a plumber from Adelaide is its new master.

Silverton Hotel, which has sat in the post-apocalyptic dusty, red landscape outside Broken Hill since the late 1800s, has hosted a revolving door of international celebrities, models, bands and film crews for more than 30 years.

For the past decade, a replica black Mad Max Interceptor has been parked out the front of the pub. But when the current managers, Chris Fraser and Joanne Casey, move out on July 1 just before production of Mad Max 4: Fury Road, they will take their car with them.

The Last Airbender Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 05:42:00 +0000

Genre:
Fantasy/Family/Adventure

Directed by:
M. Night Shyamalan

Starring:
Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, Seychelle Gabriel, Dev Patel, Shaun Toub, Cliff Curtis

For those who watched the MTV Movie Awards, I'm sure that you were able to see new footage of upcoming movies, Twilight Eclipse, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World and most importantly the Last Airbender.

We've been looking forward to seeing the Last Airbender movie ever since. We loved the anime/cartoon show and we hope that the movie will also be as wonderful.

The Last Airbender is an upcoming American action-adventure fantasy film scheduled to be released on July 2, 2010. It is a live-action film adaptation based on the first season of the animated television series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. The first of a planned trilogy, it will be produced by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies.

Kick-Ass 2 Spoiler

noreply@blogger.com (imw reviews) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 05:38:00 +0000

Genre:
Action/Comedy/Drama

Directed by:
Matthew Vaughn

Starring:
Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Mark Strong, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse

Mark Millar and Christopher Mintz-Plasse have been exchanging ideas for "Kick-Ass 2," and Millar may have been putting pen to paper today to decide who Red Mist's sidekick will be for the sequel. Right now, they look to be deciding what the character's gender might be. Mintz-Plasse apparently put in a request for an attractive female.

In TV land, seasons are ending all over the place. Neil Kleid wasn't too keen on "Smallville." Let's face it, though, every other is show is pretty much taking a backseat to the end of "Lost" right now, though. Check out what Kleid said below, along with a casting proposal for "Judge Dredd," daddy issues in the Marvel Universe and what Terry Moore has been working on.

I'm @brianwarmoth, and it's all retweeted in the Twitter Report for May 18, 2010.

"Kick-Ass 2" pt. 1: @mrmarkmillar @MintzPlasse asked me to give him hot girl for Kick-Ass 2. I love Chris, but am thinking of making this a man to mess with him. Thoughts?
-Mark Millar, Writer ("Kick-Ass," "Wanted")

"Kick-Ass 2" pt. 2: @mrmarkmillar @mintzplasse also suggested making her Red Mist's Harley Quinn, which is a great idea. Am writing this today. Hit-Girl training Kick-Ass.

"Kick-Ass 2" pt. 3: @MintzPlasse @mrmarkmillar People would definitely love a gay Red-Mist!!
-Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Actor ("Kick-Ass")

@neilkleid Okay, thats it for HOUSE and SMALLVILLE. Ok season finales; nothing to write home about. Ambivalent about the 1st SMALLVILLE future scene
-Neil Kleid, Writer ("Ursa Minors," "Action, Ohio")

@TerryMoore 3AM: 18hr inking binge to finish Echo 22. Now it's ftp-ing to printer and I'm going to bed!
-Terry Moore, Writer/Artist ("Echo," "Strangers in Paradise")

@ErikJLarsen Adam Hughes is so goddamned good--damn. It's enough to make a guy wanna throw away his pencil--til you remember he does one drawing a month
-Erik Larsen, Writer/Artist ("Savage Dragon," "The Amazing Spider-Man")

@Robwilliams71 Rip Torn would've been a glorious Dredd if he was still 50. And sober. And not mental.
-Rob Williams, Writer ("Dark X-Men: The Beginning," "Robocop")

Parting Wisdom for the Day:

@fredvanlente And last but not least: Marvel Chas with DADDY ISSUES: The Hood, Loki, Thor, Skaar, Spider-Woman, Hercules, Daredevil, Iron Fist
-Fred Van Lente, Writer ("Action Philosophers," "Marvel Zombies")

Be sure to follow @MTVSplashPage on Twitter for up-to-the-minute breaking news in the world of comics and movies.