A Terminator looking for Salvation...

RATING -> HANDSHAKE

Well if Salvation was something you can obtain from just watching then this year's Terminator Salvation/T4 was in desperate need of some good old preaching and laying on of hands. Ha I took it there! Anyway, T4 was in my opinion a over hyped and underwhelming piece of... well lets just move on with the review.

T1 and T2 were some of my favorite movies growing up they shaped my view on things and if I ever met my future self with my past self I would probably say to myself "come with me if you want to live."

Its not that T4 was all that bad in and of it self, its just that I really had a issue with the shallowness of the characters and whats up with those huge robots that rattle and shake the ground when they move. I mean like do you really think they were effective at being "gatherers" it takes them "7 years in Tibet" to move. Its like if it can't grab you in time it gets frustrated and blast you with these ridiculously large guns. Oh wait and if you really piss it off by running away, it launches these motor bike looking TCRs (Terminator Crotch Rockets) to try and run you over instead. Which reminds me that just because it looks cool is not a good enough reason if it makes no sense story wise. Like a lot of things in this movie. At least the T-1000 made sense from a certain point of view...right?

The things about the movie that kept my interest the most were those pirate looking, Gatlin gun tooting T-600s with their drunken walk and of course Marcus, who I believe is the ONLY redeemable quality of the whole film. It was easier believing Marcus than Connor.

So in retrospect, Terminator Salvation struggles with the the question of whether or not a murderer can find true redemption and forgiveness. That's the major driving force that propels the action forward. Can we be redeemed from a mortal sin? Can a lost soul find meaning again? As in the case of Marcus who in the end...well I guess you gonna have to judge for yourself.


Out of respect for T1 and T2 who have come before with the exception of the Sacrilege that was T3 (who would've received a FINGER rating), I have to give Terminator Salvation a HANDSHAKE rating. They could of made the same movie for a whole lot less and made a whole lot more money.

As always thanks for stopping by

Carloozian

The Return of Trek...Star Trek that is!

For my readers I sincerely apologize for my absence been busy working away trying to make ends meet.

RATING :> HIGH FIVE

As you all know the new Star Trek movie came out in May with a new younger cast and an edgy look and most predominately headlined by producer/writer/director JJ Abrams. JJ Abrams for those who don't know is the mastermind behind TVs Alias and Lost. But this is not a review on how well to stroke JJ Abrams, it’s actually on whether or not the new Star Trek lives up to its legacy and beyond.

For those who have not seen the movie I would try to keep some major plot points in the wraps but still deliver a proper filmTrace review. What is a proper filmTrace review well I don’t base my rating on little stars I simplify it to three ratings: High Five, Hand Shake, and The Finger. HighFive, as in you just got so into it that you want to hit someone. The HandShake, is when you were into it but really didn’t feel as if I need to HighFive it. That leaves the Finger. This is when you are left with either a WTF stare or were seriously disappointed as in the way you felt after Indy 4. With that out of the way let’s proceed with this brief overlook of Star Trek.

For starters let me say that the opening of the movie is gripping especially when you realize that Kirk is not James but his dad! You'll see what I mean when you take a look at it. So, we have this huge pointy ship come through a supposedly worm hole or black hole or time portal thing-y (I gave away too much, sorry disregard that last one) that makes the Enterprise look like a bee trying to sting a porcupine. The scale of it is very impressive and I really enjoyed the fact that one little bee's sting can hurt for a long time (you'll find out later when you watch the movie).

The cast for me was a bit young but then again it’s Hollywood and you have to put in pretty young faces or else NOONE will go see your movie. I bet the oldest guys on the set were the Cap Peck guy and the forgotten Bruce Banner now playing a Romulan. I'm so glad his life was not ruined by Mr. Electro again...Anyway my favorite characters were Elmor playing McCoy and Syler playing Spock. Simply remarkable. Well Shawn of the Dead was not bad as Scotty either but they waited too long to bring him in if you ask me. Oh one more thing, can anybody tell me what’s the deal with Future Spock’s teeth (oh dear I really slipped now, damn I hope you still want to see the movie)?

Furthermore let me say that apart from some of the Huh??? moments, I really think Mr. Abrams and the writers captured the essence of the characters we grew up loving and that my friends is why we return to watch again and again. We want to see what Kirk and the gang get into and how they working together get out of it. In fact to quote a very good friend of mine "Going back and watching the Original Series now has made me appreciate the new movie even more." Bravo Mr Abrams and crew.

Enjoy

Carlos

PS. Oh and was it me or did the camera guy/person keep forgetting not to point the camera into the light. I mean come on how many times can the guy/person do that before the DP hangs him with a focus puller cord. Maybe he did it so many times that they decided to make it part of the film. Its like "damn, Charlie did it again what now?"

SlimDoggie Millionaire (Slumdog Millionaire)

I happened to catch Slumdog Millionaire finally the other day. As always I wanted to give my two cents on whether or not it was worth all the attention it got.

For those who have been living under a rock and have never heard of Slumdog Millionaire then you did miss something grand.

Who's in it? no one you would know unless you're from India.
What's it about? I'll try to give a brief synopsis without spoilers.
Where can I see it? Blockbuster or your fav movie spot.

The story follows a young man who wins India's version of "Who Wants to a Millionaire" and gets accused of cheating in the process. While being interrogated by the police he is ordered to confess and explain how he did it. The intriguing premise of the film is summed up with the investigator's question, "how can a Slumdog go farther than our countries brightest minds?" To which the young man responds "it is my destiny".

Did he cheat? How did he make it on the show? The answers to these questions and other surprises await us as we share this amazing journey.

So for the record I would have to say that this is one of the most ambitious films of the year. it really shows in the production value. From the music to the acting they really proved they have the goods to make it in an American market and beyond. As you know this is a Bollywood produced film tailored for the western film market and I for one agree it was worth all the attention it got.

for more info go to www.imdb.com and punch in Slumdog Millionaire.
for the music go to your fav music spot and punch in Slumdog Millionaire.

Way to go, Jai Ho!!!!

MARK YOUR CALENDER 2009 is HERE!!!!

Well it has arrived, Mark Your Calendar 2009, can you believe its been 5 years already...wow. Anyway as promised every year I do my duty for the Guys Who Love Movies, here are this year's hand outs. Oh and if any of you have seen any of these please feel free to comment up a review.

Honorable Mention (Jan-Mar)

* 12 Rounds
* Watchmen – if you like thick story and minimal action then its cool. Other wise it’s the biggest sausage fest I have ever been at. It even beats Boogie Night’s “I’m a star” scene.
* Defiance – Danial Craig takes on the Nazis
* Taken – There is some serious butt kicking in this one I’ve been told
* Gran Torino (make sure to stop by our In The Spotlight segment coming soon.)

this wonderful release schedule is brought to you by boxofficemojo.com

April

* Fast & Furious 4 – Yes the Buster is back with the whole gang and even Vin Diesel too
* Fighting – haven’t heard much about this one
* The Soloist – If you like Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx play some music
* Mutant Chronicles – I show the trailer for this and I really like it looks cool.

May

* Battle for Terra – ?
* Wolverine!!! – Hugh kicks some serious AAAAAARRRRRRSSSSSSSS!
* Star Trek – well what is space without Kirk? well empty.
* Terminator Salvation – FINALLY WE ARE GOING TO SEE JOHN CONNER OPEN UP A CAN!!!!!
* UP – Pixar’s next

June

* Land of the Lost – Will Farrow gets lost….
* Taking of Pelham 123 – Denzel and Travolta take Pelham in 1, 2, 3 to rental store.
* Year One – Jack black --> RENTAL.
* Transformers 2 – Guys I have to say that I’m not really looking forward to this one. I was kind of let down by the first one. I wanted it to be more about the robots than Shia the Buff. Oh and don’t let me get started on the house scene Prime saying “oops the flowers” WTF, Mr. Bay WTF!!! Its Ok, I’ll be alright, I’m better now, thanks.

July

* Public Enemy – Johnny Depp and Michael Mann rob some banks.
* Funny People – Adam Sandler

August

GI JOE – Well we will see. At least Snake Eyes looks cool.
On The Horizon (Sept-Dec)

* Surrogates - Bruce Willis
* AstroBoy - If you don't know Astroboy and what he means to Anime then you don't deserve to be here. Google it and be enlightened. Loser.
* 2012 - End of world pipi-caca.
* AVATAR - James Cameron returns to Sci-Fi like never before.
* Lovely Bones - Peter Jackson next

MARK YOUR CALENDER 2009 Coming Sooo!

The most anticipated summer film release schedule for "Guys Who Love Movies. " This year we will include due to popular demand a section for the "Girls" too. There I said it.