Only God Forgives - red band trailer

I was a big fan of Drive in 2011, so this is a movie I've been keeping my ear to the ground for since it was announced.  Looks like a lot of fun.  Have fun, kids.

Super Powers

 I've been wanting to expand to other writers, and a buddy of mine wanted to contribute this write up on super powers.  We've all been thinking in, they lay it out for us.

Superpowers That Would Be Awesome In Real Life

Let's face it: A lot of superpowers wouldn't be very useful in real life. Shooting lightning from your fingertips and lasers from your toes would work in the fight against supervillains, but how often would you use them in day-to-day activities? X-ray eyes are only fun until someone gets cancer.

Telekinesis

It doesn't get much more convenient than this. Ever just not feel like walking? Why not levitate? Leave the remote across the room? Don't use your legs, use the Force. This handy little ability is like the Swiss Army knife of superpowers, allowing you to complete a day's work without lifting a finger. Don't even get me started on the gas you'll save by flying everywhere. Handier than a Benchmade knife.

Seeing the Future

Who hasn't thought about this one? Beyond the obvious lottery numbers, you'd be able to look into the future to see which stocks to buy, which route will have the least traffic, and whether or not it would be a good idea to hit on that cute co-worker. Try not to let anyone else find out, though, or you'll find yourself having to answer constant questions about which sandwich they should order and who they'll marry. Perhaps monetizing these powers wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Teleportation

Talk about a useful superpower. This would be a harder one to hide, but why would you want to? Not only could you pop anywhere in the world in an instant, you could open up your own travel agency. "How much are plane tickets to Hawaii, again? How about you pay that to me instead, and I'll teleport you there without all the grief from the TSA." Why, you could see the Egyptian Pyramids, the Eiffel Tower, and the Empire State Building, and still be home by dinner.

Time Traveling

What if you could rewind time and redo anything that didn't work out exactly as planned? Replaying the slot machine using the same coin until you hit the jackpot, undoing conversations if you say the wrong thing, and reversing any mistakes would mean that your life could go exactly the way you wanted it to go. Fed up with your boss? Just give him a piece of your mind--or fist--and undo the damage. Best of all, in a way, this one gives you a sort of backdoor see-the-future ability. Watch the lottery drawing, then rewind and buy the right ticket.

by Annabelle Smyth

Star Wars VII has a writer

It's been officially announced that Michael Arndt, the pen behind "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Toy Story 3," has been attached as the screenwriter for the upcoming Episode VII of Star Wars.

This is probably a good sign that Disney is putting talented people in charge.

The rumor mill for who may direct the next chapter in the Star Wars saga is going wild, and I don't feel like participating in that until we have something more official.  Keep your eyes to the skies on that one.

Review: Skyfall

The latest chapter in the Bond series marks the 50 year anniversary of the franchise.  "Skyfall" has been one of my most anticipated movies in the last little while, and is probably my second most anticipated film of the year, after "The Master."  I have been stoked for this movie for a while.
It did not disappoint.
"Skyfall" is a perfectly executed action film.  I think it is one of the best action films ever.  It kicks off with an incredible chase featuring one of the best train sequences in film (someone should make that list sometime).  The movie progresses with a perfectly paced balance of concise, emotion driven story and big, heart-pumping set piece action.  Every action scene is well choreographed, well executed and well filmed for maximum impact.  High speed chases, tense stealth, fisticuffs, and a variety of shoot outs all impress.  And it's all beautifully filmed by DP Roger Deakins, who is well known for his work with Mendes in the past and as a frequent collaborator with the Coen brothers.
Javier Bardem can add this to his growing list of brilliant performances as he produces what is probably the best James Bond villain ever.  A drastically different character than "No country's" Anton Chigurh, and no less compelling and no less terrifying.  Really stellar performance.

The film explores the conflict between the modern and the traditional as a running theme.  One of the plots main tensions is the gap between relevance and the old fashioned.  The movie is well aware of it's 50 year heritage and uses that history as part of the theme with interesting references to past Bonds while still forging forward in all the contemporary themes and gritty presentation of this chapter in the Bond saga.  That duality frames nearly every aspect of the film and sets it apart from all other James Bond films.  There is an acknowledgement of the history of the franchise and at times a willing suspension of it, which often subverts our expectations.  So somehow it is both a quintessential James Bond film - with beautiful Bond girls, exotic locations, dazzling spectacle, a casino, a classic Aston Martin complete with ejection seat - and at the same time an anti-Bond film in some ways, for example the plot that starts grand and grows more intimate as it progresses.  The films conclusion deliberately sheds the usual world-threatening scheme and ends with what is probably the most personal and emotional stand-off of any film in the series.
There is more that can be said, and more will be said elsewhere, but this is all that needs to be said now for the sake of this review.  "Skyfall" is terrific. 

World War Z trailer released

I don't really want to advertise this as much as spend some time criticizing it. I have two main criticisms.

criticism the first: when did trailers become mini-versions of the film, rather than an advertisement aimed at making me want to watch the movie? It's a compelling trailer, but doesn't convince me the movie will be compelling. The trailer itself has a narrative arc, and it shouldn't (in my opinion, feel free to argue). After watching the trailer I don't think there will be a whole lot else in the movie interesting enough to make me feel like I need to see it.

criticism the second: who cares anymore? Aren't we bored of zombies yet? When the book was written there wasn't much in the terms of zombie fiction (not to mention it uses an interesting format that doesn't translate to film). Even when the movie was first announced, six years ago or so, it would have been an interesting thing. I feel like the market is flooded with exhaustingly unoriginal zombie stuff right now. That hurts me to say because I love zombie stuff, and have my whole life. Honestly though the last thing I care about right now is some new zombie thing.

Thoughts on that? Am I the only one who thinks that?   If you haven't seen it, here is /film's coverage.

Best Horror Lines

Now that we're reflecting on Halloween with it just behind us, let's think about horror films.  How many of these have you seen/did you watch this spooky movie season?

News: Disney buys the Lucasfilm

Disney has purchased Lucasfilm for just over $4 billion, and with it the rights to produce new Star Wars films.  So far their plans are to release episode 7 in 2015 as the start of a new trilogy, and from there they intend to release a new Star Wars film every few years until we destroy the planet with an excess of pollution.

Fox's breaking of the story here

Now obviously this story is going to spark a lot of hyperbole and rage across the internet among Star Wars fans, but I'm going to try and avoid that here.  The original films were a part of my childhood and now as an (adult) I understand the context of the films, and the genre fiction the films use as reference points and I appreciate them all that much more.  I am a vocal opponent to the changes Lucas has made so far, including the additional films that I choose to ignore.  As tiring as it is to listen to the nerds whine, for me Han shot first, and Darth Vader silently hurls the Emperor down that random pit in one of the most poignant moments in film history.

Star Wars as a universe has always had the potential to be an enormous franchise, and that hasn't always been a bad thing.  While I don't at this point trust Disney to do it, I could see the Star Wars franchise returning to its pulpy, sci-fi adventure roots.  And that would be great.  For now all we can do is hold our breath, and watch this video: