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 Death Race (2008) [R] 89 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $11.75
Because it's hot and lucrative right now to mine the 70s for B-films to reboot into potential blockbusters, expect even more like Paul W. S. Anderson's Death Race—based on Death Race 2000. The story has all of the essential ingredients for a summer blockbuster: action, cars, mayhem, vengeance, explosions, and a story and characters that are as deep as mountain dew on a melon in May. Jensen Ames (Jason Statham—looking wiry and appropriately malnourished) lose his job at a steel mill, goes home dirty and smelly to his wife and new baby with $300 in cash, cleans up, and comes down to the kitchen to find her dead on the floor. Hours later he wakes up to the sounds of barking cops with a blood soaked kitchen knife in his hands. The film spares us the trial, and leaps to his sentence: life in prison on Terminal Island, a futuristic island prison where, in 2012, all are run by corporations and this one makes a 'killing' literally and figuratively off an Internet streamed show called "Death Race" where convicted felons duel it out on the race course in high octane, weapons and defenses-enhanced, supped up death machines bearing only small resemblance to the cars they once were.…continued…or read the spoiler points…or read 2cOrNot2c…
Movie Review of The Rocker (2008) [PG-13] 102 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $13.50
So, imagine you're living the dream. You're the drummer for a White Snake-like, heavy metal band you've named Vesuvius, and the band is just about to hit the big time and get signed. Only, without your knowledge, the rest of your bandmates have agreed to dump you for the nephew of one of the record label's executives leaving you high and dry at the altar. Well, this is the story of The Rocker, written by Maya Forbes & Wally Wolodarsky and directed by Peter Cattaneo. Robert 'Fish' Fishman (Rainn Wilson) is now in his late 30s early 40s plugging away at his cubicle job until he has a breakdown and nearly strangles a co-worker who won't stop going on and on about how great Vesuvius is and gets fired. Back in his hometown of Cleveland and living, very temporarily, in the attic of his sister's home, he seeks to recoil and find a new niche. Things are not going very well on the job front, until he gets an unexpected musical break from a most unlikely source, his own nephew Matt (Josh Gad) himself the keyboardist for a high school teen angst band called A.D.D.. Having just lost their drummer to inappropriate activities at school, A.D.D. is about to lose its first gig at their senior prom and Matt's one and only chance to attend it and possibly, finally, maybe meet some women, the band is desperate for a drummer and interviews for a new one have gone surreal. Matt, however, seizes the opportunity to invite his uncle whom he knows to be a fantastic drummer.…continued…or read the spoiler points…or read 2cOrNot2c…
Movie Review of Henry Poole is Here (2008) [PG] 100 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $13.75
Have you lost all faith in movies? Well, once again, here's a call to you to take a step out of your multiplex and seek out the independent theatres in your area showing independent films. They used to be called art house theatres, but that name was kind of misleading. It's not so much that megabucks studio productions cannot have their artistic moments, it's more that those films shown in the so-called art houses were to be more about the artistry than the profit. Certainly, art house films needed to make some money for the people who made them, but money was not the means to justify the ends and vice versa. Well, another case in point comes from a bittersweet little film called Henry Poole Is Here. The title, cryptic as it rolls off the tongue, reveals the main character and suggests something about the tenor of the film. Let it, for you want to approach this film somewhat guardedly. That seems to be what everyone wants including the writer (Albert Torres), the director (Mark Pellington), and the main character, Henry Poole (Luke Wilson). But, the opening question serves a dual meaning, have you lost all faith in movies? Have you seen a movie recently that really woke you up? And not like a Coca-Cola® Rockstar energy drink, but to the realities of the human condition? And have you lost any confidence that movies today might deal with something other than the violence and atrocious sides of human beings rather than exploring our faith or lack thereof in not just any good forces that might happen to inhabit the universe but in each other and ourselves? Well, if yes to either was your answer, then Henry Poole Is Here will rekindle your faith in both senses when it comes to the movies.
…continued…or read the spoiler points…or read 2cOrNot2c…
Movie Review of Mirrors (2008) [R] 110 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $8.75
Once again, Hollywood mines the cemeteries of the Asian ghost story genre and remakes a Korean horror film called Into the Mirror for USAers. The first few of these remakes were fine, but after a while, it's pretty easy to see they tend to follow a narrow formula that is as predictable now as the first were totally unpredictable. These Easter culture-derived stories were willing to go to a place that Western ghost stories were not, they were more willing to have the ghosts cross the line from lost souls into malevolent, vengeful, murderous ghosts on a mission nearly always to right some past wrong. Once you get that, though, they sort of lose their power, so to speak, the movies not the ghosts. Writer / director Alexandre Aja becomes the latest to attempt such a remake, with a twist, as there's almost always some sort of a twist as well in these films – one that will be given away here only in the spoiler – on the heels of his low-performing, victimization scary film P2. His source material is Into the Mirror; and, as the preview reveals, there's something terrifying in the mirrored universe we think are just our reflections that starts to terrorize Ben Carson (Kiefer Sutherland) and his family. …continued…or read the spoiler points…or read 2cOrNot2c…
Movie Review of Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) [PG] 98 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $10.25
Well, as nearly everyone alive knows, it all began a long time ago (some 30 years-ish) in a galaxy far, far away (also known as California) when the young George Lucas conceived of what is now apparently called his Star Wars universe. Six major motion pictures, millions of action figures, thousands of product tie-ins, hundreds of novels, dozens of video games, and countless cartoon specials later, it apparently became necessary to someone in the Star Wars universe to create a feature-length, CGI-animated film that would explain in 90 minutes the events that happened between episodes II and III of the Star Wars Hexilogy—apologies, but what else does one call a six part story? Now, there are a lot of people who grew up on the Star Wars trilogy—the real one, the one that included: Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. Then, Mr. Lucas went back, supposedly always according to plan, and made the first three episodes of this story which were unfortunately called: The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith.…continued…or read the spoiler points…or read 2cOrNot2c…
Other Recent Reviews:
Tropic Thunder (2008) [R] 107 minutes WIP™ Scale: $14.25
Pineapple Express (2008) [R] 111 minutes WIP™ Scale: $3.00
Swing Vote (2008) [PG-13] 100 minutes WIP™ Scale: $14.00
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) [PG-13] 112 minutes WIP™ Scale: $13.75
Step Brothers (2008) [R] 95 minutes WIP™ Scale: $7.75
The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008) [PG-13] 100 minutes WIP™ Scale: $9.25
Space Chimps (2008) [G] 81 minutes WIP™ Scale: $11.50
Mamma Mia! (2008) [PG-13] 108 minutes WIP™ Scale: $13.00
The Dark Knight (2008) [PG-13] 152 minutes WIP™ Scale: $14.50
American Teen (2008) [PG-13] 95 minutes WIP™ Scale: $13.50
Meet Dave (2008) [PG] 90 minutes WIP™ Scale: $13.25
Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) [PG] 92 minutes WIP™ Scale: $13.50
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) [PG-13] 110 minutes WIP™ Scale: $11.50
Hancock (2008) [PG-13] 92 minutes WIP™ Scale: $13.75
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...
Film Premiere Photo Sets
The House Bunny Premiere • Hamlet 2 Premiere • X-Files: I Want to Believe Premiere • Swing Vote Premiere • The Rocker Premiere • Meet Dave Premiere • Tropic Thunder Premiere • Star Wars: The Clone Wars Premiere • Pineapple Express Premiere • Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 Premiere • The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Premiere • Step Brothers Premiere • Mamma Mia! The Movie Premiere • The Dark Knight Premiere • Wanted Premiere • Wall-E Premiere • The Love Guru Premiere • Kung Fu Panda Premiere • (continued)
Brand New Posters Just In:
New Poster Archive: 2007 • 2008 | TV Posters: 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008
New as of 22-August-08
Brand New Stand-Ups Just In:
New Stand-Ups Archive: 2008
New as of 30-July-08
Recent Movie Star Birthdays:
birthdays: last month / this month / next month / by month / alphabetically
[click star names to see tribute pages]
| 24-Aug | 23-Aug | 21-Aug | ||||||||||||
| Chad Michael Murray | Scott Caan | Kim Cattrall | ||||||||||||
click photo to purchase from MovieGoods.com | click photo to purchase from MovieGoods.com |
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| Also: Rupert Grint Marlee Matlin | Also: Jay Mohr | Also: Loretta Devine Carrie-Anne Moss Hayden Panettiere | ||||||||||||
| 20-Aug | 19-Aug | 18-Aug | ||||||||||||
| Joan Allen | Matthew Perry | Christian Slater | ||||||||||||
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| Also: Amy Adams | Also: Adam Arkin Erika Christensen Kevin Dillon Jonathan Frakes Peter Gallagher | Also: Edward Norton Robert Redford Madeleine Stowe Patrick Swayze | ||||||||||||
| 17-Aug | ||||||||||||||
| Robert De Niro | Related DVDs | Related DVDs | ||||||||||||
click photo to purchase from MovieGoods.com | ||||||||||||||
| Also: Sean Penn Donnie Wahlberg |  |  |
Movies Now on DVD and Download:
DVD releases: Archive / This Week / Next Week
(click poster to purchase)
Street Kings (2008) [R]-- W.I.P. Scale™ Rating: $12.25
Review-lite: Director David Ayer, no stranger to directing those of dubious moral codes gets all wrapped up in Street Kings about a special unit detective named Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves) escaping his demon-haunted world fashioned by his power-hungry, depraved, overly self-indulgent boss, Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker). Reeves, for his part, plays the steely, emotionless Ludlow well, though he seems unable to free himself from the pained, constipated facial expression that's been plastered on his face since The Matrix. Mr. Whitaker need not bother to have taken his role as the nearly maniacal Wander not because he does a bad job but because he's worthy and capable of so much more. It times like these that the underlings usually stand out more, and in this case it was Jay Mohr playing a not-so-nice guy and an uncomfortably hilarious performance by Cedric the Entertaining that might most be remembered from this occasionally convoluted but always twisty cop drama film. (click for full details and complete review) • (click to purchase Street Kings)
Also This Week: Camp Rock • Hannah Montana And Miley Cyrus: Best Of Both Worlds Concert • The Life Before Her Eyes [DVD] • Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day • Prom Night • Quid Pro Quo • Strange Wilderness
Previously or Recently Announced Available for Pre-Order:
88 Minutes • August • Baby Mama • Bigger, Stronger, Faster • Boy A • Chicago 10 • CSNY Déjà Vu • Deception • Eight Miles High • The Forbidden Kingdom • Forgetting Sarah Marshall • Goal II: Living The Dream • The Happening • Horton Hears A Who! • Leatherheads • Made of Honor • The Memory Keeper's Daughter • Monster Camp • OSS 117: Cairo, Nest Of Spies • Pathology • The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A Veggie Tales Movie • Planet B-Boy • The Price Of Sugar • Priceless • The Promotion • Redbelt • Run, Fat Boy, Run • Sex and the City • Snow Angels • Speed Racer • The Strangers • Transsiberian • The Visitor • War, Inc. • What Happens in Vegas • You Don't Mess With The Zohan • Young @ Heart
Movies Coming Soon:
Dynamic Calendar Jan 2007 - Jun 2009 with links to official sites, trailers, reviews & more
Plain Calendars: 2006 • 2007 • 2008-09
Friday, 22 August 2008
Death Race • The House Bunny • The Longshots • The Rocker
In Limited Release Only: 8 Miles High • Crossing Over • Cthulhu • The Fifth Commandment • I Know What Boys Like • I Served the King of England • I.O.U.S.A. • Trouble the Water • Wild Child
Friday, 29 August 2008
Babylon A.D. • College • Disaster Movie • Hamlet 2• Traitor
In Limited Release Only: Ballet Shoes
Top 10 Hottest-Selling Movie Posters:
(source: our friends at
| #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 |
| The Dark Knight | Twilight | Mummy 3 | Pineapple Express |
| #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 |
| Quantum of Solace | High School Musical 3 | The Spirit | Star Wars: The Clone Wars |
| #9 | #10 | ||
| Tropic Thunder | College |
Movie Poster Extravaganzas:
We pay tribute to Brendan Fraser's The Mummy Franchise with this movie poster extravaganza.
Here we honor the Batman franchise with this movie poster extravaganza.
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