movies: news • premieres • awards • star birthdays • new to DVD • coming soon
posters: just in • hottest • extravaganzas • stand-ups | capsules: previous • next]
Most Recent Movie Reviews:
review archive: 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008
(click a poster to purchase a poster)
Movie Review of Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) [PG] 92 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $13.50
Taking the tact that Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth
was based on fact, the new Walden Media 3D version of the film, immediately creates an engaging family drama that's sure to entertain even the most skeptical pre-teens and adults alike. With an incredibly likeable cast and trilling 3D effects, Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D rocks the socks off the original film and adds a new twist to the original Jules Verne story. …continued…or read the spoiler points…Movie Review of Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) [PG-13] 110 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $11.50
If the publicity surrounding Hellboy II: The Golden Army does nothing but get people to see writer / director Guillermo del Toro's masterpiece film, Pan's Labyrinth, then this moive's worth it, because, everyone should see Pan's Labyrinth instead. While Hellboy II represents a mishmash, uneven sequel to the first Hellboy film adapted from Mike Mignola's comic book, Pan's Labyrinth is an astonishing, haunting, brilliant Academy Award®-winning film. Likewise, if big-budget action films like Hellboy add money to the coffers allowing for del Toro's really great films, then bravo. Unfortunately, the previews for Hellboy II and del Toro's name, made it seem like it might stand a chance of joining Superman II or Star Trek II as sequels that rivaled their prequels rather than the convoluted and borderline incomprehensible film it turned out to be.
Did you make the mistake and see The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen? Or, honestly, the first Hellboy? In either case, you were probably filled with dread upon hearing of a sequel to Hellboy—thankfully, no sequel for The League has been mentioned in a long time. But, as for Hellboy, one would think that Guillermo del Toro would be quite up to getting this 'franchise' on track. His genius is obvious, it's probably just the source material that's problematic.…continued…or read the spoiler points…
…a mishmash, uneven sequel…see Pan's Labyrinth instead…
Movie Review of Hancock (2008) [PG-13] 92 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $13.75
Pow…Zowie…Kerplunk…Smash…Ahhhhhhhheeeeeeahhhhh…splat…If you thought the Batman Returns sequel, The Dark Knight, was the only superhero movie with any real gusto this summer, and now that summer is half over you still think Iron Man is the best…well, you might be right because Robert Downey Jr.'s performance will be hard to top for years to come…however, now that Will Smith has started to get back in the swing of things as the action hero her really is with his 'inspired sort of' return in I Am Legend which was a bit over the top to his virtual resurrection as Hancock on the spot on the annual calendar that once might have been relabeled, "The 4th of July as brought to you by Will Smith" back when a Will Smith action movie actually meant it was going to be a fireworks-packed, all-you-can-eat-barbeque-ribs, no-holds-barred, alien-smashing, celebration worthy of the birthday of the world's oldest-surviving with a continuously-operating government country on the face of the globe (insofar as we know, and we don't know that we aren't the puppets of the hive mind of the bees).
[Don't worry that does not break the record for longest sentence ever, not even close, but it does capture how exasperatingly good both Will Smith and this movie are. Exasperating because most people, well maybe only I, didn't want there to be a better super hero movie this summer/year than Iron Man. And, probably, Hancock actually isn't quite as good, but it's within a George Carlin word or 50 shy. It's actually kind of too bad that the writers decided that potty mouth is back in and to virtually exhaust George Carlin's list in the first 10 minutes. Had it stopped there, it might have made Hancock more kid friendly than it is from the language point of view. It's still also quite bloody and violent, which is also a shame for the kids who might really get to dig this film without having to break house rules and get the "all you have is your honor" speech from their parents and guardians trying to do the right thing. And, it is the right thing really for pre-teens, probably, not to see this film un-chaperoned. They'll hear worse on certain cable channels, but to be on the safe side, if you want them to see the film, and it's never a bad idea to preview it yourself first, go along with them and be informed or able to answer questions.…continued…or read the spoiler points…
The 4th of July as brought to you by Will Smith.
Movie Review of Wanted (2008) [R] 110 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $14.00
Many people have been unfamiliar with the Wanted comic book series by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones and the Russian director of Night Watch (Nochnoi Dozor) but no more. In the first summer 2008 blockbuster that exceeds expectations, Wanted, starring the multiple talents of Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, Terrence Stamp, and more impressively James McAvoy who's absolutely new to this genre, literally blows everything else away.
Tracing its roots back to The Matrix when it comes to special effects and stunts that become the movie rather than merely enhance the movie, Wanted is 2008's Die Hard 4, Bourne Ultimatum, Hitman, and The DaVinci Code all rolled into one powerful, fun, supercharged video game-esque, Fight Club for the 2000s that will simply blow you away. …continued…or read the spoiler points…
…first summer 2008 blockbuster that exceeds expectations
Movie Review of Get Smart (2008) [PG-13] 110 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $10.00
Whether due to too much build up of anticipation from the previews and popular AT&T "Silence your cell phone" promos, over-excitement of the thought of dramedy superstar Steve Carell uttering "missed it by that much" in nearly perfect Don Adams cadence, or just a failure to translate well into the 2000s, it's difficult to report that the new Get Smart film also featuring the acting talents of Anne Hathaway (Agent 99), Dwayne "formerly The Rock" Johnson (Agent 23), Alan Arkin (The Chief), and Terence Stamp (Siegfried the really bad dude), despite some amusing parts and great tributes to the original show and stars, didn't turn out very well. First, there's something just off about everything from the first frame to the last. Certainly, there's a prime case of everyone overdoing it a bit—which is to be expected. Second, it's just not that funny and nearly all of the funniest parts are in the preview (including but not limited to the part where Agent 23 uses a stapler to staple a memo to Agent Larabee's head). Third, the story is about an intriguing and interesting as that used for Mission: Impossible I. There is a twist, but if you cannot see it coming a mile away, you fell asleep at the umpteenth self-deprecating line for Maxwell Smart. If you loved the original TV show, you'll enjoy the many tributes to it, but you'll probably be wondering if you'd still love the show if you watched it new today. It's always difficult to predict what will translate well into a future update; and, despite perfect casting for the leading roles, this one just didn't translate well.…continued…or read the spoiler points…
Other Recent Reviews:
The Happening (2008) [R] 91 minutes WIP™ Scale: $14.25
Son of Rambow (2008) [PG-13] 96 minutes WIP™ Scale: $13.75
The Incredible Hulk (2008) [PG-13] 114 minutes WIP™ Scale: $12.50
The Love Guru (2008) [PG-13] 88 minutes WIP™ Scale: $7.50
Kung Fu Panda (2008) [PG] 92 minutes WIP™ Scale: $14.00
The Wackness (2008) [R] 108 minutes WIP™ Scale: $12.50
You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008) [PG-13] 113 minutes WIP™ Scale: $10.25
The Strangers (2008) [R] 90 minutes WIP™ Scale: $11.00
Sex and the City (2008) [R] 148 minutes WIP™ Scale: $11.25
Indiana Jones 4 (2008) [PG-13] 124 minutes WIP™ Scale: $13.50
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) [PG] 147 minutes WIP™ Scale: $12.75
Frontier(s) (2008) [NC-17] 108 minutes WIP™ Scale: $4.25
What Happens in Vegas (2008) [PG-13] 99 minutes WIP™ Scale: $12.75
Speed Racer (2008) [PG] 129 minutes WIP™ Scale: $13.25
Film Premiere and Award Photo Sets
archive: 2008 • 2007 | Videos from the Latest Premieres
Listed in Order of Publication in the mEd database not necessarily chronologically...
Wanted Premiere • Wall-E Premiere • The Love Guru Premiere • Kung Fu Panda Premiere • The Incredible Hulk (2008) Premiere • The Happening Premiere • Hancock Premiere • Get Smart Premiere • Camp Rock Premiere • You Don't Mess with the Zohan Premiere • Sex and the City Premiere • Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Premiere • What Happens in Vegas Premiere • Made of Honor Premiere • Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay Premiere • Forgetting Sarah Marshall Premiere • The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Premiere • (continued)
Brand New Posters Just In:
New Poster Archive: 2007 • 2008 | TV Posters: 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008
New as of 3-July-08
Brand New Stand-Ups Just In:
New Stand-Ups Archive: 2008
New as of 3-July-08
Recent Movie Star Birthdays:
birthdays: last month / this month / next month / by month / alphabetically
[click star names to see tribute pages]
| 13-Jul | 12-Jul | 11-Jul | ||||||||
| Harrison Ford | Cheryl Ladd | Tab Hunter | ||||||||
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| (click to purchase) | ||||||||
| Also: Cheech Marin Al Santos Patrick Stewart | Also: Topher Grace Mel Harris | Also: Greg Grunberg Sela Ward | ||||||||
| 10-Jul | 9-Jul | 8-Jul | ||||||||
| Jessica Simpson | Tom Hanks | Anjelica Huston | ||||||||
(click to purchase) |
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| Also: Chiwetel Ejiofor Adrian Grenier Thomas Ian Nicholas | Also: Brian Dennehy Kelly McGillis Enrique Murciano Fred Savage Jimmy Smits | Also: Kevin Bacon Sophia Bush Billy Crudup Milo Ventimiglia | ||||||||
| 7-Jul | ||||||||||
| Shelley Duvall | Related DVDs | Related DVDs | ||||||||
(click to purchase) | ||||||||||
| Also: Bill Campbell |  |  |
Movies Now on DVD and Download:
DVD releases: Archive / This Week / Next Week
(click poster to purchase)
Stop-Loss (2008) [R]-- W.I.P. Scale™ Rating: $13.00
Review-lite: While pundits have been attributing the lack of commercial success of the US-Iraq war films to the perception that USAers view them as being anti-troops, co-writer / director Kimberly Peirce's film Stop-Loss turns that notion on its head. Ryan Phillippe and Channing Tatum portray US troop commanders who return from a failed mission whereby an ambush cost them not only the lives of a few of their men but, also, traumatic mental breakdowns. Trying to recover and they learning about being stop-lossed, the men have to deal with now devastated family lives as well as the nightmares of their tours of duty now set to be repeated against their will. In the end, Stop-Loss is a stunning and frightening look at not only the impact of service in the US-Iraqi war on our service people, but a scathing indictment of US Iraqi war policy. (click for full details and complete review) • (click to purchase Stop-Loss)
Also This Week:
The Ruins • Superhero Movie
Previously or Recently Announced Available for Pre-Order:
21 • August • The Bank Job • College Road Trip • Doomsday • The Forbidden Kingdom • Hannah Montana And Miley Cyrus: Best Of Both Worlds Concert • Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay • Meet Bill • Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day • Never Back Down • Nim's Island • Prom Night • Shine a Light • Shutter • Step Up 2 The Streets
Movies Coming Soon:
Dynamic Calendar Jan 2007 - Jun 2009 with links to official sites, trailers, reviews & more
Plain Calendars: 2006 • 2007 • 2008-09
Friday, 11 July 2008
Hellboy 2 • Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D • Meet Dave
in limited release only: August • CSNY: Déjà Vu • Garden Party
Friday, 18 July 2008
The Dark Knight • Mamma Mia! • Space Chimps
in limited release only: Transsiberian
Top 10 Hottest-Selling Movie Posters:
(source: our friends at
| #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 |
| The Dark Knight | Indiana Jones 4 | Sex and the City | Hancock |
| #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 |
| Wall-E | Iron Man | Twilight | Mummy 3 |
| #9 | #10 | ||
| Chronicles of Narnia 2 | Quantum of Solace |
Movie Poster Extravaganzas:
archive
Here we honor the George Lucas / Steven Spielberg collaboration, the Indiana Jones Quadrilogy with this movie poster extravaganza.
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