Beneath The Outer Shell

my brother is a genius.  he predicts everything and most of the time, he's correct.  not only does he predict the ending to a movie, but he does so quite early in the movie.  yes, earlier than you and i.  his claim to fame in my book is when he predicted the story and ending to Shutter Island after just seeing the trailer!  it was the first time we had seen a preview for Shutter Island and he already had it figured out.  he does this all the time.  it's amazing.

now i have jumped on board with bold predictions of my own.  aside from predicting Miami would beat Oklahoma in the NBA Finals last year (i predicted it during the preseason), i tried my best to one-up my brother.  and i think i may have matched him.  after seeing Inglorious Basterds, my brother and i asked ourselves what type of movie will Tarantino do next?  i quickly predicted Tarantino's next movie would be a western.  not that big of a deal if you look at what Tarantino does...he puts his mark on different film genres.  aside from sci-fi and film noire, they're aren't that many genres Tarantino hasn't attempted.  well, Tarantino is about to release his next movie on Christmas Day...it's a "western", that takes place in the south...so he's technically calling it a "southern".  but hey, i was correct.  my brother was impressed.  score.

now my brother is back with some very interesting predictions about the next James Bond film, Skyfall.  a quick background story here - starting when i was in elementary school, our father got us interested in James Bond, Alien, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The French Connection, Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock, and much more.  plus, on another note, the only music my parents listened to were The Beatles.  i couldn't have chosen a better set of influences.  as a result my brother and i know every James Bond movie backwards and forwards...my brother even knows who sings each theme song (WTF?) now my brother doesn't search the net for spoilers, plot details, or basic information about a film he hasn't seen.  based on the trailer for Skyfall, my brother has predicted that M will be outed as James Bond's mother and that Bond's father will be revealed as well (possibly related to Javier Bardem's character).  talk about a ballsy prediction...but it would make sense.  Bond is said to be an orphan and the film series sure could use some more background information on the lead character.

i already told him that if he's correct...i'll vomit on him...then congratulate him appropriately.

these are 2 more films i learned about from Roger Ebert's best of 2011 list. interestingly enough, both films are about another planet in the sky. one is a disaster flick and the other is science fiction, (i guess).   i can't help but think, what are the chances of 2 films coming out in the same year about a new planet close to Earth?  the 2 films are vastly different, but still i find it very strange.

Melancholia is a Lars Von Trier film. if you don't know, he is Danish and has done films such as Dancer in the Dark (starring Bjork), Antichrist (starring Willem Dafoe), and well...hmmm...not sure if the average person would have seen any other film by him.  i've only seen a handful of his movies.  Lars Von Trier films are quite unique however. he mixes art, emotion, and realism all in one. he makes you feel as if you were in the film, alongside the characters. the only other director who has done that effectively is Stanley Kubrick. also, Lars Von Trier films do win LOTS of awards. check out his Wiki page here.   Melancholia is the second film in Trier's "Depression Trilogy".  the first film in the trilogy is Antichrist, which is a disturbing film with strong scenes of fear and violence.  the 3rd film in the Depression Trilogy has yet to be made.  if you are wondering if i am ever going to get to the review of Melancholia, here ya go.  the film revolves around the idea that there is a large planet (much larger than Earth) hurling towards Earth.  some experts say the planet will come close, but not hit Earth...others disagree.  some say the impact is inevitable and it will destroy Earth completely.  can anything be done?  well, Bruce Willis isn't around to land on the planet and blow it up.  so sad.  the film is cut into 2 parts.  the first part is about a wedding with Kirsten Dunst.  that's it, no mention of the large planet...just a wedding where there is a LOT of drama.  i'm not sure if anyone in the first part of the film actually get along with anyone else.  everyone's fighting with each other.  everyone despises each other and it gets old very quickly.  my friend Sean called the movie "tiresome"...and he's oh so correct.  the second part of the film focuses more on the potential disaster.  Kiefer Sutherland has a small part in the movie, as his character is convinced that the planet will narrowly miss Earth.  he thinks everyone is worried for nothing.  the film's second part is better than the first, but not by much.  for a lack of better words, the film is just plain boring.  the payoff at the end isn't even worth it.  i suggest skipping this one AND Antichrist.  maybe i just don't like Lars Von Trier films.  i've tried, but it hasn't happened yet.

the second film is Another Earth.  this is a fun independent film about a new planet which has been discovered very close to ours.  apparently it was "hiding" behind the sun...and now it hovers in the sky. it looks a lot like Earth...perhaps too much.  they even call the new planet Earth 2.  the story revolves around a grad student who has too much to drink one night, and while looking at the planet in the night sky slams into a car.  people are killed, and she's at fault.  she spends time in prison and the movie starts when she gets out.  Brit Marling stars as the main character and is brilliant.  she also helped write and produce the movie.  the film doesn't rely on special effects, but rather good performances.  the plot involves the lead character trying to find the sole survivor of the car she slammed into.  she finds him, but finds it difficult to admit she was the one at fault.  also in the story, there is a national essay contest...and the winner gets to travel to Earth 2.  the film doesn't go as far as you are hoping, but it's an independent film...so what do you expect.  the payoff at the end is done well and worth the time investment.  i thoroughly enjoyed the movie and thought it was rather brilliant.  i recommend it.

every once in a while i realize that i haven't seen any worthwhile movies in a long time.  a few weeks ago, i googled Roger Ebert's best movies of 2011.  i hadn't heard of most of them, and i hadn't seen any of the top 20 he wrote about.  time to get busy, i thought to myself.

for whatever reason or series of reasons brought me to where i am today, i thank Thee. for whatever reason brought me to watch the latest remake of The Karate Kid, i question Thee.

the movie is really good. it works, for the most part, and it's touching and meaningful. it's not quite as good as Macchio/Morita combo, but it comes ohh so close...and in a surprising way. the remake has 2 main characters, just like the original. the difference is that the 2 main characters are 1) The Karate Kid (or we should be saying The Kung Fu Kid) and 2) China.

i was so shocked when i saw how China was utilized to it's full potential. it was awesome! it was as if we got to take a field trip there! the busy streets, the luscious green foggy landscapes, the houses, the language, you name it. in The Karate Kid, we got a glimpse of it.

the second surprise for me regarding the film is the boring, unenthusiastic, non-personality ridden Mr. Miyagi character who goes by the name "Mr. Han" and is played by Jacki Chan. on paper i guess it does look good to have Jackie Chan play this role and i do know that Jackie Chan is not known for his acting ability. this was just plain wrong. the writers tried to have the characters similar, but Pat Morita nailed that role with the perfect amount of personality, discipline, and timed wit. Jackie Chan nailed down the training and fight sequences. unfortunately, if you know the story, most of the fight scenes are between Jaden Smith and the big bad bullies which means we only get incomprehensible fight sequences and continuous moments of "wait...what happened?" during the action. maybe the makers of The Karate kid were thinking if Jackie Chan was in the movie somewhere...all of the fight scenes would come together and look spectacular. good try.

but if you have a child around 7 or 8, i think this movie is perfect. Jaden Smith does pretty well as a young role model. i liked Ralph Macchio better, but the original was a very important movie for me, as it was for many kids.

however, i don't have any kids and i watched the 2010 version of The Karate Kid and i liked it. go figure.

during the movie i remembered back when i was in Hawaii. one day, i was on the bus going to work and facing me was an older Asian man and either his son or his grandson who was maybe 7 years old sitting on his lap. they were both quiet and minding their own business when the man stuck his bare finger in the child's ear and started scraping around and cleaning...sacrificing himself as a human q-tip. i was enthralled. i kept thinking to myself, "that's pretty gross", BUT that thought was overruled with one sweeping final thought on the entire situation. "THAT'S love".

ok, i've finally decided to go there. here. a post about a man i have tried for so long to appreciate on the same level as directors i consider my favorites. Aronofsky, Nolan, Tarantino, and even number one, Kubrick. i am now watching The Fisher King...for the first time. i'm not sure how i missed it, but after less than an hour, i'm thankful i made it this far in life without it. this movie marks the final crack in my brain and in my heart i will allow Mr. Gilliam to cause.

here's the problem...

i just don't get it. i don't understand why it's great to release films that don't feel like they were finished completely. it's not style. i believe it's a form of insanity even i have yet to achieve. Dr. Phil, Dr. Drew, and Oprah? you there?

my brother cracked for the final time on our last Gilliam event we did together. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. we lasted about 45 minutes. i don't know. people liked the film. all i saw, and my brother, were monty python sets filled with elaborate costumes mixed with random long moments of obscure dialogue. this was Heath Ledger's last film, and his death messed things up a bit. i say he was a bit lucky to not have been forced to watch this one...in his absence they decided to employ Johnney Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law to replace him. why three? well, Gilliam wanted to show three different aspec....ya know what? never mind. it's a complete mess, for me at least.

after that we thought about a GOOD movie which ironically is about an unraveling of a Terry Gilliam movie. the movie is a documentary called Lost in La Mancha. basically, it's a funny look at how this man could not make the movie he wanted to...at that time. everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong...and everything that no one could have imagined going wrong, went wrong too. it's also funny that they were filming so much of this...as if they KNEW a Terry Gilliam film was on thin ice and ready to implode at any moment. the documentary is quite revealing and explains a lot when you look at one of his films, and wonder...what??? the good news (for fans) is that Gilliam is trying again. look for The Man Who Killed Don Quixote sometime in the "future".

but my brother and i think that the man must be cursed. his films just don't really work right. i know this is all opinion, but good lord...i have only been able to finish one of his films. i did it only once too. 12 Monkeys. this is the only film i thought followed some sort of rational pattern of insanity with decent editing and continuity.

if you haven't seen one of his films...i'm not even going to recommend it.

which ones did he do you may ask?

Jabberwocky (1977)
Time Bandits (1981)
Brazil (1985)
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
The Fisher King (1991)
12 Monkeys (1995) (inspired by Chris Marker's La Jetée).
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
The Brothers Grimm (2005)
Tideland (2005)
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)

if i know most people (aside from 12 Monkeys, and possibly Brazil) the one that sticks out the most is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

let me tell you something about Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. it's not as good as people say it is or remember it as. i still can't finish the film. i give up around the time the room is filling up with water. i know the film looks good, and it's a little funny...but here is why most people say they LOVE Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas:

1)it's got Johnney Depp in it.(women who like him have many many of his movies on their "favorite list")

2)the film is about Hunter S. Thompson. once certain kids get to college, or once they hang out with college kids, they have to eventually talk about how cool this guy is because of his life and the drugs...and, (because of this movie)...how cool THIS movie is.

3)the film has massive amounts psychedelic drug use along with cool hallucinations the viewer gets to experience too. not sure what it is about drugs, the counter culture, and whatever attracts even the straight laced kids to drug films, but it ALWAYS works...at least in my lifetime (1977+)

and there ya have it. people will talk about Fear and Loathing as if it's a masterpiece. i don't think it is. it's not terrible. but it's, just not good.

the movie Brazil? couldn't finish it, both times.

Tideland? nope...lasted under 30 minutes.

Time Bandits? well, i was a kid and always got sick of it being on HBO...because i couldn't finish it.

The Brothers Grimm? woah. not even close to a full hour.

and there ya have it. there are a few i haven't seen. guess what. DON'T NEED TO!

i'm not here to blast Terry Gilliam, and i know i haven't given a lot of critical analysis or explanation for my frustration. this was a venting post, once again. just be honest with yourself, or just trust me.

ohh, and as i finish this, i have made it about an hour into The Fisher King...and there is a guy with a mustache in a red dress dancing and singing on a table in a fancy restaurant. if i wanted loony tunes, i would change the channel. i think i will. better make this official:

The Fisher King? about an hour.

i had been waiting for this one for a long time. after Fight Club, i began to do something i had never really enjoyed in life. read. Fight Club changed my life in the sense that i was able to find something that i truly loved reading about. insane people with insane ideas living in a very real world we called life. sure, Fight Club was a little "out there" with the ideas...but there are people who feel like their life is meaningless, that their life is mundane, that their life needs something more. i can relate to the basic core beliefs of every Chuck Palahniuk character.

and after 5 years of becoming obsessed with Chuck Palahniuk books...my favorite novel of his has come to a movie theatre near me.

i had lots of anxiety. i have been disappointed so many times in my life with various movies. most recently, with Indiana Jones 4. with Choke, i was worried i was setting myself up for the same type of disaster.

and i can happily say, that after 2 viewings...i had nothing to worry about.

First off, you need to know that Choke is an independent movie, with a first time director (Clark Gregg) along with a very tight budget. in comparison, Fight Club, directed by David Fincher, was a BIG movie if you recall.

Choke is about a sex addict, a con man, and a lonely soul trying to find out about who he is and why he is...these are all the same person, and no, that's not a clue about the ending (like the ending to Fight Club). it's completely obscene, vulgar, and offensive, yet sweet, beautiful, deep, and meaningful at so many levels.

i have to be brief when describing this movie. from start to finish, it is filled with such emotion that you will cry, you will laugh, you will feel uncomfortable, and you will simply...feel. i left the theatre with tears in my eyes and a big fat smile on my face...both times. the actors chosen, the acting itself, the pace of the movie, the script, everything...it all worked so well. Choke succeeds at every level a movie truly "needs" to succeed in. does this mean that Choke is a "perfect" movie? no, of course not...but it comes pretty damn close in my book. seriously, the only "bad" thing i have found about the movie is that i wish it took it's time a little more, that more of my favorite quotes from the book were there, and that it was just a little longer. it's about 90 minutes. Fight Club was over 2 1/2 hours (like most David Fincher movies). side note: i always thought that Fincher should be doing EVERY Chuck Palahniuk book that makes it's way to the screen, but Clark Gregg nailed this difficult task.

but ya know...i think the truth is...a movie that leaves you wanting more just may be THE key ingredient to a "perfect" movie. so with that...i would have to say, that given the circumstances, the nearly impossible subject matter of the novel to dance around without getting an X-rating, and the budget...Choke is as about "perfect" as it could have been.

take it from me. i am the result of my actions. we all are, whether we want to accept it 100% or not. i have made mistakes in my life and i am forced to deal with them everyday. there is a new threat that has been around, is easily available, and is totally legal in many states at the moment...including Georgia.

it's called Salvia Divinorium, and here is an article about it that came out yesterday about the "potential medical benefits". when i hear people talk about medical benefits in the same sentence as extreme psychotropic drugs without the advice of professionals...i do nothing but worry about a generation of kids thinking it's okay to self medicate. the fact is...no, i don't think drugs should be legal. people who are raised in an environment where they are more prone to use drugs as a coping mechanism don't get any advice from "professionals"...and when it comes to your mental health, you need nothing but advice before making bad decisions that could affect the rest of your life. mental health is something people take for granted, until they lose it. take it from me...i have experienced it, i have seen it time and time again with friends, and i worry about the kids i don't have yet as a result.

Salvia Divinorium is a scary drug with intoxicating effects that cannot be fully understood. the immediate effects after ingesting it have been linked to peyote, DMT, PCP, and the strength of the LSD available in the 1960's. if you think this is a cool thing, you should seek help...once again, take it from me. yes i've tried Salvia Divinorium, and i've tried it more than a few times. at first, i thought it was "cool" because it was so strong and intoxicating and it was and is as i write this completely legal to buy and own, at least here in Georgia. i went to all my friends and told them to try it, wrote about it, and thought it was the best thing since sliced bread! why wouldn't it be okay for me? here's why: you should be very concerned with any drug that suggests you have a sober sitter sitting next to you when you take it. now, why would they put that on the packaging itself? think about that "warning" for a minute. where else would you see that kind of warning? the fact is, you need someone to watch over you just in case you want to do something stupid, like jump out of a window or shoot yourself in the face like a guy reportedly did here hidden in this article suggesting the "potential medical benefits" that stemmed this blog. Salvia Divinorium is NOT to be messed around with. youtube is filled with videos of users getting high on it...for me, watching people laugh, fall down, and talk about insanity after taking it doesn't make me laugh...it makes me very concerned.

people who swear by marijuana say they will be "high till i die". i've been there. i understand that kind of talk. i've even said that...when i was HIGH! and i struggle everyday with it too as a result. but that philosophy makes me cringe with serious concern too. i wonder what their real potential in life could have been, if it weren't for a drug known to demotivate individuals to the point of being a lifelong loser with one thing always on their mind. sure we can talk about "moderation" until our ears fall off. i don't wanna hear about people who are able to function just fine from it. people who say that statement, are HIGH...or are at least the enablers in denial of the people who are HIGH! in my opinion, marijuana is NOT okay and should never be legal. and alcohol? yes, this is dangerous and personally i think prohibition should return. speaking of, drunk driving is something that can easily be prevented...by the police sitting back and arresting people who drive away from a public bar. how easy would that be to make their monthly quota of arrests? and how many deaths could we save each year from this overly simple task? it astounds me everyday that we allow people to drive away after having drinks in public. simply amazing.

i watched the new film starring rising star Seth Rogan called Pineapple Express yesterday at my favorite website. this movie was VERY funny, BUT if you think the long term affects of a movie that shows people driving around while smoking pot throughout the entire film is a good thing for society? wow. yeah yeah, Cheech and Chong, Half Baked, whatever. doesn't mean it's okay and it isn't helping our world at all. regardless...it's illegal and we wonder why so many of our kids are getting arrested for driving under the influence. it impairs you anyway you look at it...and if you don't agree with me, you must be HIGH!

that reminds me...i don't see too many movies being released focusing on people who drink and drive (maybe aside from one of favorites, Sideways), have fun while doing it, and never see the negative consequences. why is that? when there is a scene with people drinking and driving in films...it's nothing but serious foreshadowing that some devastating event will soon happen. with marijuana based films...it's different most of the time and the people get through it and laugh. yes, i do think alcohol is worse than marijuana...but that's beside the point. they both are dangerous to everyone, especially everyone outside of the user, unless done in moderation and in a home away from the public or away from "heavy machinery"...period. plus, marijuana is illegal and yet we celebrate it in so many films today as an activity of the characters without noting the potential long term side effects. whatever...i don't America to turn into a socialist or a communistic society, but i do feel strongly about a few things.

and now there is Salvia Divinorium, a highly dangerous drug with serious concerns i know quite well. this needs to be illegal in all 50 states, and i believe eventually it will, but until then we need to be aware of the long term side effects, which really haven't even been fully studied or understood.

trust me on this one. ingest at your own risk.

holy crap! i just watched 2 more movies online here that made me really really happy. i don't know where to start, but i guess i'll start with the BIG surprise feel good movie.

Wristcutters: A Love Story is an outstanding movie. i was a little skeptical when i first read about it, but i was still interested. on paper, the movie doesn't seem like it would work...at all. the best surprise is, that it does!

Wristcutters is set in an afterlife reserved for people who commit suicide. this afterlife is a lot like reality, except no one can smile, there are no stars in the sky, and a few other surprises i won't mention. the film stars Patrick Fugit, (the kid from Almost Famous), Tom Waits, and my future wife...Shannyn Sossamon. these 3 characters find themselves in this bizarre and gloomy afterlife because they "off'ed" themselves for various reasons in the real world. they're each looking for something different in this afterlife, but they decide to take a road trip together.

surprisingly, the film was released by After Dark Films...i say "surprisingly" because this is a GREAT movie. After Dark Films has been the culprit behind less than desirable crappy horror films, like the masterpiece Captivity. for a review of Captivity i wrote, go here. so i can say that with Wristcutters, After Dark Films has renewed my interest.

back to the movie though. Wristcutters is a HILARIOUS dark comedy. it's very well written, well paced, and even though the story may be a tad bit predictable, the movie is full of surprises and keeps you interested. when the movie was over, i couldn't stop smiling and i just HAD to write this review ASAFP. if ya like the idea, and you're in the mood for strange but completely original and cute love story along the lines of...let's say, Being John Malkovich...see this movie! it's a keeper!


now onto the other movie i watched...No Country For Old Men.

No Country For Old Men proves that the Coen Brothers are STILL...the shit. if ya haven't heard about this one, i don't know what rock you've been hiding under. it's winning awards left and right, and will definitely take up some more at the 65th Golden Globe Awards on January 13th, 2008.

all i can say is...believe the hype! the fact that it's such an AWESOME movie doesn't surprise me because of the consistent 4 star reviews it's getting. after seeing it, it's one of my favorite Coen Brothers films and goes right up there with Fargo, The Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona, and Barton Fink. for me personally, it's hard to name one of their previous films that's CLEARLY better than No Country For Old Men. this film is creepy, suspenseful, fascinating, unpredictable, extremely intelligent...and the ending will more than likely piss you off. and those, my friends, are the basics of EVERY good Coen Brothers film to date.

so there ya have it...a refreshingly fantastic original love story, and another prefect Coen Brothers film. BOTH are 4 star movies!

people like to read a lot in America. well, i bet people in other countries like to read more based on the ignorance i experience everyday here...but still, there is a select type of person who is ALWAYS reading something. i, unfortunately, am not one of these people...but i do like to read certain select authors and the occasional highly recommended stranger. so, for the people in the world who read ANYTHING at all, i have to hand it to you. i envy a part of you and i am sometimes intimidated by you because of the fact that you read more than i do, and in my mind there is a possibility you are simply smarter than i am. for that, i sincerely applaud you.

however, there is a certain type of reader i cannot stand...and, yes as a matter of fact, i do enjoy judging these and other people i don't understand. hey, judging people is human nature. if you try and tell me you don't EVER judge someone, you're lying. anytime you put a label on anyone OR anything, you are in essence...judging. trust me.

ok, i'm currently watching The Da Vinci Code on Starz On-Demand. believe it or not, i haven't seen it yet. i know i know, what's wrong with me...catch this...i also just recently watched Munich for the 1st time last night! and, don't laugh, i still haven't seen Schindler's List. however, watching Ron Howard's take on Dan Brown's semi-intriguing ridiculous fantasy..i started to remember a specific trait about certain people i DON'T like in this world.

did ya catch people reading The Da Vinci Code? well, did you catch people reading The Da Vinci Code AFTER the movie came out or while the hype about the movie was HUGE?

bingo. that's a characteristic of my anti-type of person.

for some reason, when i see someone reading a book along with the hype of the movie, such as The Da Vinci Code, Memoirs Of A Geisha, The Scarlet Letter, American Beauty, or "insert Hollywood Blockbuster based on a book here"...i seem to get a little more than irritated. in fact, i get down right angry at the type of person who jumps on the bandwagon with the rest of the sheep in America; and most of the time, this person seems to be proud of it. i mean, people like to carry their book around with them everywhere, as if it's a statement of who they are as a person...or as a symbol of how smart they wanna appear to be to everyone around them. people may not ever even read the damn book outside their own home, however they'll be damned if they leave the house without it.

i remember a co-worker once reading Memoirs Of A Geisha, AFTER the hype of that POS movie came out...and i remembered my ex-girlfriend reading...you got it, The Da Vinci Code when everyone was all up in arms about it. and what do ya know...both of these people pissed me off too. coincidence? i think not!

it's also the SAME type of person who buys albums popularized by MTV and radio, and STILL finds their favorite track to be THE one song that is played over and over again until your ears bleed for mercy. being a Smashing Pumpkins fan in 2007, i do my best not to cringe directly at these people. for example, at the last Pumpkins concert i went to in Atlanta, a girl and her boyfriend sitting next to me showed up about 30 minutes late. they watched the concert for about an hour from the 5th row in the pit at the Fox Theatre...then the girl nudges me and asks in an annoyingly high pitched voice, "did they play Today yet?" i couldn't believe my ears. for one, i can easily go my entire life without EVER hearing another Smashing Pumpkins song mutilated by constant airplay. i looked at her for en extended moment, bit my lip and said politely, "Yeah, it was the first song they played". the smile shining from the metal braces on her teeth turned to a frown of sheer disappointment instantaneously. her and her boyfriend, who got into a fight immediately after that, left about 10 minutes later. hell, i was STOKED the Pumpkins got rid of that song at the start of the show! it's not that i hate these songs, it's just that they've been driven into my head more times than my parents birthdays. the same can be said about any overplayed radio song. i was a DJ for a few years and good god almighty help me! seriously, songs like My Sharona, The YMCA, or any song known to man by Matchbox 20, or The Goo Goo Dolls makes me wanna get an early start planning my own personal suicide bomb attack against soon to be president-elect Hillary Clinton. GOD HELP ME NOW!

i'm not quite sure what's wrong with me on these issues i have with certain people, i think maybe it's their lack of originality, i'm not totally sure, but i sure can pinpoint these people from a mile away.

so if the book you're confidently holding as you walk down the street has a big label on the cover that reads, "Soon To Be A Major Motion Picture", or "Now A Major Motion Picture"...please...save yourself from watching a grown man cry, either hide the book, or turn around and walk the other way.


legal note: i'm joking about my assassinate Hillary Clinton statement. please, try and arrest me...my life is boring anyway

ya know...there are sci-fi movies every year that come to the big screen. most of which are either sequels themselves or are in line for "going to have a sequel soon". occasionally, there is a film that almost definitely will NOT have a sequel. most of these are easily forgotten. ummm, remember "Red Planet"? well, unfortunately, i do. point made.

but now, "Sunshine" falls into the category of "will never have a sequel". for that reason alone, it's got to be a bit more intriguing than Matrix 4, Star Wars 9, and Harry Potter 12...right?

"Sunshine" is a GREAT science fiction film made by the director who did the perfectly crafted "Trainspotting" and "28 Days Later".

from the opening scene, to the familiar space suits themselves, to the overall tone and psychedelic feel to the movie...i couldn't help but keep thinking of Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" and Ridley Scott's "Alien". "Sunshine" clearly doesn't hide the fact that those 2 movies are behind some of the ideas in this film..and that's actually a great thing.

"2001: A Space Odyssey" has been my all time favorite sci-fi film simply for the dramatic realism Kubrick always nails with his movies. "Sunshine" re-creates that trippy tone throughout the film. the only drawback may be a bit of "overload" with the storyline, but overall the movie is too cool to miss if ya ask me.

"Sunshine" is about, as i try not to delve too deep as to not give away anything, the sun and the fact that it dieing...the sun is in danger of completely burning out. there is an ice age on earth and there is yet but only one hope for all of mankind. a spaceship with a special BIG bomb attached to it. the bomb and ship are on their way to the sun to drop off the "payload". the expected result is that the bomb will sort of jump start the sun and allow it to continue burning as we see it today. the crew plans on returning home years later.

there are so many cool scenes and intense emotional sequences that i find it hard to narrow the list down to a few to tell you about. one of my favorite scenes is where the crew gets their first look at the planet Mercury as it scrolls across the sun. it's a beautiful scene with perfect music and is shown at just the right pace. it gave me chills BOTH times i saw the movie. in fact as i write this...i'm itching to see the damn movie again. [checking the movie times right now]

that reminds me...the sun itself in the movie is one of the highlights that continuously keeps the movie in the amazing category. it's hard to describe, but the special effects of the sun make it look as real as you could imagine the sun looking...especially when you are so close. the sun turns out to be big a beautiful character itself. this is even more clear after watching a number of crew members who have a deep, and sometimes disturbing fascination with the sun. some even fantasize about dieing in pure sunlight. this movie is kinda disturbing in a very awkward way.

there is a LOT of drama in "Sunshine" and the 3rd act of the movie is kinda filled with a lot of "WTF's". HOWEVER, i have seen this movie twice now and even with a hectic and ridiculous end sequence, it's STILL a really good movie. to put it simply, i HIGHLY recommend this film to anyone who thinks the idea is somewhat intriguing. or if you liked "2001", or "Alien" and you are in the mood for a movie that takes itself VERY seriously..."Sunshine" is definitely for you.

psychedelics recommended...but not essential