December 6 Watch live video from GeekWeek on Justin.tv

December 13 Watch live video from GeekWeek on Justin.tv

December 20, with Julia Boyd and “Emily XXX” Watch live video from GeekWeek on Justin.tv

Next post: catching up on a shit-ton of E! Online reviews. Sorry, readers, it has [...]]]> November 29, with Amy Nicholson and Melissa Molina:

Watch live video from GeekWeek on Justin.tv

December 6

Watch live video from GeekWeek on Justin.tv

December 13

Watch live video from GeekWeek on Justin.tv

December 20, with Julia Boyd and “Emily XXX”

Watch live video from GeekWeek on Justin.tv

Next post: catching up on a shit-ton of E! Online reviews. Sorry, readers, it has been a busy coupla months.

Your character in Red has a unique perspective on the world, because they say he’s been fed a lot of LSD in the past. How method did you get in your research?

JM: [Laughs] I was never an LSD person, I’m not a drug person. Although pretty much most of my friends [...]]]> First, Malkovich:

Your character in Red has a unique perspective on the world, because they say he’s been fed a lot of LSD in the past. How method did you get in your research?

JM: [Laughs] I was never an LSD person, I’m not a drug person. Although pretty much most of my friends were in college in the early ‘70s. But I never was all that curious about it, really, and the last thing I need is to expand my consciousness. That could end badly.

And Corey:

The theme of The Lost Boys is eternal youth. You never seem to age. What’s the deal?

Corey Feldman: The truth of the matter is that I have a portrait in my closet. We call it “The Portrait of Corey in Gray.” Very strange. I’m joking. I’m very lucky. I’m fortunate. Good clean living is what I chalk it up to. I don’t drink, I don’t eat red meat, or any meat for that matter. I’ve been a vegetarian for 25 years, and I have a youthful perspective. I believe that age is a state of mind, and I don’t believe that we have to physically age because a number says that we’re this old. You can be youthful at heart. The more that you believe in that notion, the more it comes across physically.

BURIED It takes both a solid actor and a visually savvy director to make a guy in a box interesting for an hour and a half, and both Reynolds, unproven in dramatic roles, and Cortes, with one other feature to his credit (the Spanish film The [...]]]> E! reviews and a bonus…Click red headlines for the full article.

BURIED
It takes both a solid actor and a visually savvy director to make a guy in a box interesting for an hour and a half, and both Reynolds, unproven in dramatic roles, and Cortes, with one other feature to his credit (the Spanish film The Contestant) could have easily misstepped. But with a variety of angles and tactics up the director’s sleeve and relatable frustration and fear conveyed by the star, the result delivers a what-would-you-do? horror scenario on par with the original Saw.

HOWL
Franco-as-Ginsberg, using a mixture of real and extrapolated quotes, does have some interesting things to say about the writing process, which would be great if he were teaching a literature class. But directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, perhaps too used to making documentaries, don’t seem to have the aptitude for filming creatively when given total control over all the elements.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK
What will be difficult for some viewers, and likely Academy voters as well, is that The Social Network doesn’t really offer anybody to root for. Though there’s a forced attempt at a grace note near the movie’s end, Zuckerberg as depicted here is not a guy you’d ever want to be friends with, and most of the folks he has run-ins with are even worse; his lack of pretension relative to them is refreshing, but doesn’t necessarily make him more likable.

CASE 39
True, the script may have plot holes that could trip up M. Night Shyamalan, but Lilith is one of the most chilling creations to hit the horror screen in a long time, and the frights she elicits elevate the movie around her.

And from GeekChicDaily, which occasionally offers bonus web extras, my interview with LET ME IN’s Elias Koteas:

“The funny thing as actors is that the little things that open doors might not have anything to do with the story. I was reading a lot of Abraham Lincoln, and fell in love with Abraham Lincoln, and the fact of malice toward none, and compassion. There was just something about that life that somehow allowed me to observe. I don’t even know how to make the connection, but there was a connection. You can use anything as long as it grounds you. It was fun wearing a mustache and the glasses too.”

I’M STILL HERE Although the movie is most likely a huge pretense, what if it weren’t? Cameras could probably follow somebody such as Axl Rose and get a real documentary much like this one. In Axl’s case, it would just be sad. Whereas, though it won’t be to everyone’s [...]]]> Click on the titles for full review:

I’M STILL HERE
Although the movie is most likely a huge pretense, what if it weren’t? Cameras could probably follow somebody such as Axl Rose and get a real documentary much like this one. In Axl’s case, it would just be sad. Whereas, though it won’t be to everyone’s taste (loud snoring could be heard at one point in the audience at the review screening), I’m Still Here does for the celebrity crash-and-burn story what This Is Spinal Tap did for rock docs. Except Spinal Tap only toured as a real band after the movie.

RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE 3D
Director Paul W.S. Anderson, who retreated to a producer position after helming the first feature and marrying its star, returns to the franchise with much more money than before, which has enabled all kinds of new and ridiculously cool visual effects—Milla rappelling off a skyscraper in 3-D as the zombie masses run after her like doomed lemmings is a standout moment. But Anderson has never cared much for coherent scripts, and he still doesn’t.

EASY A
Emma Stone makes for a refreshingly believable high-schooler in this comedy that also takes on hypocritical societal double-standards toward gossip and sex. Yep, we’re dealing with that extremely rare species: a big-studio movie aimed at teenage girls that’s also smart and funny enough to please boyfriends and parents.

THE TOWN
The heist scenes are kinetic, tightly directed pieces of work, and the way Charlestown itself becomes a fully realized character is testament to the fact that Affleck has been paying good attention over the years to the best of directors. If only he realized his limitations with the thespian skills—the movie grinds to a boring halt every time Doug has to engage in a long, dramatic dialogue scene with another character, usually in a manner that fails to move the plot forward but might, in an alternate universe, show off the acting talents of the lead.

DEVIL
Now, Devil is no Sixth Sense or Unbreakable—for one thing, nobody in the cast is remotely the caliber of Bruce Willis—but at 80 minutes, it cannot be called overindulgent, which may be due to Shyamalan only being a writer and producer this time, and not director. (Helming duties fall to John Erick Dowdle, whose Quarantine similarly trapped strangers in a scary, confined space to great effect).

I have, as some readers may be aware, joined the writing staff of Geekchicdaily.com. I will not be regularly linking to articles there, in part because every piece is a collaboration, but [...]]]> It has occurred to me that “Links of the Week” is a terrible title for getting traffic. From now on, actual titles in header.

I have, as some readers may be aware, joined the writing staff of Geekchicdaily.com. I will not be regularly linking to articles there, in part because every piece is a collaboration, but mostly because the site is designed not to really be a website as end goal, but a place where you sign up for a daily email newsletter. The daily email is a very quick read in and of itself (rather than just a bunch of headlines and links, as so many are), and the more of you sign up for it, the more likely I am to get a raise down the line, so please do.

I still write for E! Online, as well. Like these. Click on the all-caps headline for the full review.

TAKERS
A well-rounded cast of character actors (plus Paul Walker) tries to pull off a big robbery while obnoxious alcoholic cop Matt Dillon attempts to stop them. Very nearly a good little heist movie, Takers generates the occasional interesting plot twist but fails at the most basic level of creating characters worth caring about.

THE AMERICAN
This is the movie that was made especially for people who thought Michael Clayton was too fast-paced. If you’re reading this on a computer screen, you’re probably not one of them.

MACHETE
There’s still a lot of fun to be had when he actually does pick up that signature blade and start chopping, but when it comes to Trejo taking the spotlight, we were hoping for more snarly, less sedate.

A long-overdue review of Baja Fresh:

Normally, if I ordered something called a nacho burrito and got something this dry and annoying, I’d imagine I just caught an employee on a bad day. But three bad burritos in three days, y’know…there’s probably some kind of appropriate metaphor to be had in a [...]]]> Let’s dive in, shall we?

A long-overdue review of Baja Fresh:

Normally, if I ordered something called a nacho burrito and got something this dry and annoying, I’d imagine I just caught an employee on a bad day. But three bad burritos in three days, y’know…there’s probably some kind of appropriate metaphor to be had in a sport, like maybe baseball; I just can’t quite think of what it might be.

A PREDATOR sequel that doesn’t suck:

It’s frustrating the way this mystery over where they are is drawn out, because it’s unlikely moviegoers can’t predict what’s coming in a movie called Predators that has a picture of the main Predator on its poster.

So given that you already know this is a movie about humans hunted by Predators where, in all likelihood, the main characters will get picked off one by one, we might as well cut to the chase.

Nic Cage trains Mickey Mouse? Not quite:

Contrary to popular belief, the story of a hapless wizard’s assistant who misguidedly brings broomsticks to life doesn’t originate with Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe first wrote it as a poem in 1797. So it really isn’t as blasphemous as some may think to have Jay Baruchel follow in Mickey’s footsteps as a physics student named Dave, or that the long-bearded sorcerer Yensid (Disney spelled backward) has been replaced by Nicolas Cage as Balthasar Blake, an apprentice of Merlin’s who is destined to remain immortal until he can find the legendary magician’s true heir.

The summer movie everyone had high hopes for pays off:

It’s tough to review a movie when everyone you mention the title to sticks their fingers in their ears and goes “LALALALA! No spoilers!” So all we’ll say to those folks is that Inception’s a smartly scripted, big-budget action/heist movie of the sort you’d expect from the director of The Dark Knight.

Finally, KFC’s new Double Down spinoff called the Doublicious:

Doublicious definition
Makes this boy go crazy
They want the spin-off
So they make a rip-off that is lazy

KFC, see, it ain’t breezy
You can’t please me just this easy
There’s a reason the Double Down pleased ‘em
This is a cynical attempt to squeeze ‘em

Geekweek review of THE KILLER INSIDE ME:

Unlike the more justified killer also named Ford that Affleck played previously (in that Jesse James movie I will not retype the entire title of), [...]]]> Okay, now that you’ve had a chance to read through all my LAFF stuff, here are some other recent articles you may have missed:

Geekweek review of THE KILLER INSIDE ME:

Unlike the more justified killer also named Ford that Affleck played previously (in that Jesse James movie I will not retype the entire title of), Lou’s justifications for himself, when they exist, are flimsy at best, hilarious other times. When he his fiancé accuses him of cheating, he deflects by insisting “Don’t tell me that the girl I’m about to marry is sleeping with a guy who’s been running around with whores!” This being the ‘50s – or that being the most convoluted non-excuse ever – that actually makes her back down. But don’t try it at home.

E! Online review of KNIGHT AND DAY:

The movie plays its final few developments as surprise twists, but they’ve been so thoroughly telegraphed that spoilers aren’t even necessary—you’ve spoiled the story in your own mind before it gets there. It’s a shame that an initially fast-paced romp like this limps across the finish line…as Cruise should know from M:I:III, a weak finale can undercut considerable goodwill.

and also of THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE:

Slade was considered an unusual choice as director for this third chapter in the series, a guy who supposedly earned horror cred with the more violent vampire voyage 30 Days of Night. But he has plenty in common with the Twilight series: two previous features that were generally overrated by fans, and a knack for creating characters nowhere near as appealing as they need to be.

Finally, THE LAST AIRBENDER. This has not been a good summer for movies:

Angry Asian advocacy groups have protested the fact that some of the characters have been cast against racial type, but there’s no need to boycott this movie because of perceived insensitivity. Boycott it because it’s crappy.