My Afflation

I'll try not to give away any spoilers. I went into this movie a little skeptical because as much as I adore Matthew McConaughey's accent, I wasn't sure I could take him seriously as a father and the hero of a serious sci-fi movie. I wasn't sure that I could take Interstellar as a serious movie for that part either, but OMG! Did it ever deliver! Disclaimer up front, I took Physics for Dummies in college. The topic fascinates me, but the math is entirely over my head, so I won't be addressing any of that below. First off, I was stunned and impressed by the score , and lack of it. The silence was used perfectly. By the way, the IMAX theater I saw it in had no issues with the sound mix. I wasn't taken out of the movie at any point due to sound issues. The score did exactly what it was supposed to and then some. The Hunk was with me (and he's an A/V nut) was so stunned by the visuals of the gargantuan and I quote "What music?" He did notice ...

At the Movies ~ The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey, 2012 (Photo credit: erjkprunczýk ) Well, I haven't yet seen  The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey , But someone posted The Hobbits (Hobitit 1993) on YouTube. It's a Finnish production with English subtitles. There are 24 videos in the playlist and it runs just over 3 hours. Guess what I'll be watching this weekend?    Pin It Related articles 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' is box office hit for 2nd week

This past weekend we watched Real Steel on vudu . We argued over this film. I've wanted to see it since it debuted (honestly, only because of Hugh Jackman, plain and simple). My daughter wasn't all that into it -- it's boxing, not hockey, softball, basketball, or soccer, know what I mean? And the Hunk wasn't all that thrilled about it because it was clearly a "family film" and likely sappy and lame. And he didn't want to watch me drool over Hugh for two hours. 30 minutes in and we were all hooked! At the end I wanted to watch it again and we all agreed that it's a movie worth owning . This is a story about a man (Charlie Kenton played by Hugh Jackman) growing up and out of a selfish self-centered, short-sighted jackass and finding himself to be something more lovable. It's also about a street-smart, strong-willed child who knows what's best for his father, and a robot with a secret. But Max (Dakota's character) doesn't come acr...

With John Carter (by Edgar Rice Burroughs , you know, the Tarzan guy) coming out soon, I got on Project Gutenburg and found the first 5 books for free (which can also be bought online for your Kindle - The John Carter of Mars Collection  (3 books) - but my Nook reads epubs, so I opted to go the free route rather than pay, because, you know B&N offers a similar collection too). By the way, please keep in mind that this series was written at the turn of the 20th century and is set just after the Civil War. Free Downloads : Princess of Mars also as an audiobook   The Gods of Mars   Warlord of Mars   Thuvia, Maid of Mars   Chessmen of Mars I haven't been able to find books 6-11 for free, but I will keep looking. In the meantime, you can read it online , with illustrations at read.gov UPDATE  A little digging around the interwebz helped me find the rest of the series. They are zip,text, and HTML versions at Project Gutenberg Australi...

It's the holiday season and that means days off from work, school, and possibly contagious diseases. Do you remember being home sick, on the couch, or in bed, and watching TV in between doses of Nyquil or Theraflu? Even when I am not sick, but want to watch something comforting and familiar I turn to these movies: At the top of my list is " The Princess Bride ". It has been my favorite movie since childhood. Romance, action, comedy - what more do you need? Since it's the holidays, my favorite is " Miracle on 34th Street " - in B&W, not Technicolor. I also love " Arsenic & Old Lace ". When I want a great action flick, I turn to Captain Tightpants and " Serenity ". If I need a good cry I watch " What Dreams May Come  ". What are some of the movies you watch over and over?

I couldn't join, but it was fun to watch. Really hoping that this is available after the hangout. UPDATE They edited the video and made it available for public consumption! Disney's The Muppets hits theaters this Thanksgiving! To celebrate, several of the stars took part in a Google+ Hangout on their brand new profile -- mostly because Miss Piggy insists on being in all of the important Circles.

Tweet Summer can't get here fast enough!!! I first saw the trailer on Facebook . Like it. Share it. Play the game. Related articles "'X-Men: First Class' Trailer Arrives Tomorrow + New Logo Debuts" and related posts (firstshowing.net)

Tweet Watch live streaming video from bieberpremiere at livestream.com The wonderful things I get in email ... Paramount Pictures occasionally sends me tidbits like this: Movie Opens in RealD 3D, Digital 3D and 2D Nationwide on February 11, 2011 HOLLYWOOD, CA (February 7, 2011) – Paramount Pictures has teamed with Livestream to present the live movie premiere of JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER. The live 2 ½-hour purple carpet event, which will begin airing online tomorrow, February 8th, at 5:00 p.m. PT, marks the first time Paramount will stream a movie premiere exclusively on Livestream. For a truly communal experience, fans worldwide can watch together as the purple carpet event is streamed free at http://www.livestream.com/bieberpremiere and http://www.facebook.com/JustinBieber . Twitter users will also be able to view the live stream’s minute-by-minute coverage on Twitter.com by going to http://twitter.com/justinbieber . In addition, fans can tune in early, beginning at 4...

Tweet I know that I am not the only one stoked for Tron: Legacy (soundtrack by Daft Punk available Dec. 7, movie opening on December 17) so here is a little sneak peek of a video and scenes from the movie along with a new Daft Punk video.

Noah Ringer as Aang in M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) … as in “hang” not as in “hong”. And Sokka is sock-a (who was NOWHERE near as funny nor as concerned with food as he should have been. Jackson Rathbone needs to stick to the Twilight franchise). Those were just the first few things that grated continuously on my nerves as I sat impatiently through The Last Airbender . I *really* wanted to love like this movie. I adore the series. I have been re-watching it over the last few weeks, and probably know more about it than any other middle-aged mother who’s kids have outgrown the series should. I sat impatiently because I was waiting for it to get good. I wanted to disbelieve the reviews, it couldn’t be that bad, right?  When you have such a beloved series as Avatar:The Last Airbender, you do not rewrite and eff it up!!! That’s two hours and $20 I will never get back. I can’t believe Nickelodeon signed off on this adaptation. None o...

I am so hoping M. Night Shyamalan does not screw this up. I've finally got my mom hooked on Aang . The only thing missing from this movie is Will Smith (because it opens July 4 weekend, and what's 4th of July weekend without a Will Smith sci-fi movie???) Thoughts? Are you a fan of Avatar ? Aang, Katara, Sokka, Zuko, Uncle Irho Apa, Momo, or any of the other characters? Got hooked on a kid's show and not ready to admit it? Don't worry, you're safe here :) Related articles by Zemanta The Last Airbender Trailer (screenrant.com) Last Airbender's Super Bowl Ad Unleashes Elemental Fun (wired.com) The Last Airbender: Character Posters & Trailer Date Confirmed (screenrant.com)

Me and my big mouth have gotten me the editor position for the funniest post of the year. @ CTK1  asked who wanted to have guest bloggers for #TopCultComedyClassics. You should have seen me (figuratively) jumping up and down volunteering my site. So get ready for some good memories, some laughs, and a list of great comedies to rent. Thank you to all the contributors. Here's to starting the new year off FUNNY . The Rules : Submit a review in 200 words or less of your favorite cult comedy. Give a brief plot synopsis and reasons why it's a cult classic . (The rules were adhered to loosely). In no particular order, I present The Top Cult Comedy Classics of our time. DISCLAIMER :  A lot of these comedies are rated R and there is cussing in a few of the reviews. Office Space   submitted by @ BDJoyner “Ah, yeah, I’m gonna need you to come in on Saturday" The red stapler; the printer beat down; Michael Bolton spittin’ gangsta rap lyr...

Well, my first impression was Oh, and the guy cast as Duke (Channing Tatum) was a nice piece of eye-candy with good on-screen chemistry with Marlon Wayans. Other than that … what the heck did they do to the back story??? The Baroness and Duke ? Scarlett and Ripcord ??? What ‘Verse are they trying to put this in?? Then again, I wasn’t a huge Joe fan as a kid. Much more my brother’s thing. I will have to say that at least this time people died. My father’s biggest complaint about G.I. Joe when I was a kid was that it didn’t correctly portray war. People die in war. The good guys don’t always win, and if you are in the military, you damn better well have better aim than the Joes did. (OK, he didn’t say damn). I needed some brainless action footage and G.I. Joe delivered.  

Image by FoXMuLD3R via Flickr Last night I watched Benjamin Button for the first time. A few months ago I read the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald . Talk about taking license with a story! The general premise was the same, but there the similarity ends. Events, characters, settings – all different. The movie changed the books events to coincide with Hurricane Katrina . I feel robbed. I would have liked to see Benjamin Button ride with Roosevelt and the Rough Riders , as well as show up as a 15 yr old in his uniform for the reunion. The movie really rode rough-shod over the latter half of Benjamin’s life when it truly became hard for him for him to deal with his very unique way of aging. The movie romanticized it to the point of being nearly unrecognizable. In the story, he goes to college, marries, has a child, and raises his son, all while aging backwards. This causes a similar set of problems as when he was first born. If you are so inclined, please read the story in Fitzgerald’s...

Image via Wikipedia DISCLAIMER: This post contains spoilers if you have not yet seen the movie. I am a child of the 80s. If my brothers hadn't gotten to them, I would still own the (mint) complete set of Aerialbots that my dad got me for Christmas one year. My first Transformer was Ratchet (even my toys reflected my desire to be a doctor). Then Bumblebee . I had that set until I left for college, when I "willed" it to my youngest brother, because, you know, I was too old for toys. -Sigh- All that aside, I loved Transformers when it came out because I went into it realizing that it would be nothing like my beloved cartoon. And that's why I love Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen . Image by Colony of Gamers via Flickr The story line continues from the first movie. Unlike Avatar: The Last Airbender , this movie translates fairly well to the screen -- if only taken as a highly action-packed summer blockbuster. Don't expect more from it than that. And that Mega...

Two years ago my kids got me hooked on Nick's Avatar:The Last Airbender series. The story is incredibly well-written. The kids are reluctant heroes in an ongoing war. They aren't perfect. Aang is a typical 12-yr-old boy who wants to have fun -- not have the burden of saving the world on his shoulders. Katara had to grow up too quickly. Sokka is Katara's brother, he can't bend any elements, but still wants to be a warrior like their missing father. And then there's Prince Zuko . He undergoes the most dramatic changes throughout the series. Along the way Aang, Katara, and Sokka build their team of elemental benders -- all needed to help Aang fulfill his destiny as the Avatar. The kids and adults all have their faults, there are people with evil intentions, the desire for world domination, redemption, and a wise old uncle who can breathe fire (it's a trick, you gotta watch the show). Now, there's a movie being made. Truth be told, I am a HUGE fan of Nick m...

Image by Getty Images via Daylife I wish. Many of my friends in real life and online are well aware of my huge *cough* crush *cough* on Nathan Fillion . I am constantly talking about Capt. Tightpants of Firefly , Serenity , and most recently, Castle fame. One fan, with infinitely more time and talent with After Effects than I have has created a simply spectacular movie trailer for a non-existent movie. I hope the movie execs are paying attention. 1) Hire this guy and 2) MAKE A GREEN LANTERN WITH NATHAN FILLION I give you Nathan Fillion as the Green Lantern

Try it, you’ll like it!!! My daughter is the big Hannah Montana / Miley Cyrus fan in the family and she really, really, really, to the n th degree really wanted to see this movie. And since we didn’t make Shark Nights like I had planned, I promised to take her to see it. I was pleasantly surprised. Truth be told, I would see it again just for Billy Ray Cyrus and Rascal Flatts . The story flowed well, with a well-written plot. A sweet teen love-story sans sex and (not too much) drama. There's a plot-twist or two to keep you interested, some the physical comedy that the TV show is known for, and plenty of songs to warrant me buying the soundtrack for my daughter. Being a Disney movie with a music star in it I wasn’t sure if I was expecting a bad musical or a large screen version of the show. Blessedly, it was neither. The music scenes carried the movies along like any good soundtrack and enhanced the country feel of it. It was more emotionally mature than the TV show on ...

Truthfully, I know about the Star Wars one because of Tim . I think I saw the He-Man/She-Ra one, I wasn't allowed to watch the Pee Wee Herman one, and I never heard of the Pac-Man one. How about you guys? (Disclosure: this was sent to me by someone else who had the time to do the research on "forgotten" Christmas specials. I thought it was good enough to pass along)   1. " The Star Wars Holiday Special " (1978 - CBS): On the planet of Kashyyyk, Chewie’s family anxiously awaits the return of Han Solo and Chewie for the celebration of ‘Life Day.’ The duo must battle their way through Imperial forces to join the party. *Key moment: Princess Leia performing the "Life Day" theme song to the tune of the original Star Wars’ score. 2. " He-Man & She-Ra Christmas Special"   (1985): Two children unwittingly get caught up in the battle between good and evil when Skeletor believes that the spread of their...

  I can't wait!! I am so stoked despite possible bad press since this is a prequel. But the last one left me wanting more. I will admit that I am more of TNG fan than the Original , Voyager , DS9 , or Enterprise (though I am reminded that back in the day, on my very first personal web site, I had a prominent Star Trek badge. I was such a geek)   And that is your daily dose of geek from me. Keep your eyes out for more Star Trek trivia and fandom.