Amazon.com Review

It’s refreshing when you find a Batman story that both is epic and successfully explores the core of a resolutely explored character. Taking as its catalyst a sub-plot from the seminal Batman: Year One, the story revolves around murders occurring on national holidays, the victims connected to Mob boss “The Roman.” Dubbed “Holiday,” the killer uses an untraceable handgun and leaves small trinkets at the scene. Plenty of suspects are available, but the truth is something the Dark Knight never suspected. This series scores two major coups: it brilliantly portrays the transfer of Gotham rule to the supervillains and charts the horrific transformation of Harvey Dent from hardened D.A. to the psychotic Two-Face. Both orbit around the sharply portrayed relationship between Dent, Commissioner Gordon, and Batman: a triumvirate of radically different perceptions of Justice. It is always great to see the formative incarnation of Batman, drenched in noir here.Jeph (more…)

Radiohead tickets are now available at Stubhub.com, and can be purchased or sold on the Web site.

Radiohead is now considered one of the biggest bands on the planet, and certainly an institution among indie rock fans that like their bands a little more artsy. They’re on tour again, and Radiohead tickets will no doubt sell out quickly.

But while the band itself has become infamous for its chilly pop and paranoia, its members have also started to go off on their own and develop independent music projects. Frontman Thom Yorke has done this with “The Eraser.” Jonny Greenwood has also done this with a solo career, releasing two soundtracks in the past few years.

In 2003, he released a soundtrack to a film called Bodysong, a documentary about human life composed of a mixture of amateur video and well-known media clips. The film follows the various stages of human life, including birth, the teenage years with all their awkwardness, adulthood, rearing children and the bliss of domestic life, and finally the waning years of old age and death. Greenwood’s score provides an important commentary on the scenes themselves, as they’re often presented without narration, so the music sets the tone and intention of the filmmaker when certain scenes are presented. Flowing from jazzy to electronic, the score was hailed as an interesting new move from Greenwood by music critics, and many Radiohead fans perked up as well, hopeful to see Greenwood accomplish more movie scores in the near future.

They were pleased to find that Greenwood was taken on to work with P.T. Anderson on There Will Be Blood, the 2007 film that vied for the Best Picture Oscar with No Country For Old Men. With its epic scope about the steady climb and gradual unraveling of a callous oil man, a strong score was needed that could match the impressive images crafted by Anderson. At times, the score almost suggested a horror film, with the monster at the center of the movie being the misanthropic oil prospector Daniel Plainview. Set to a montage of him scouting land and amassing a fortune, what the music suggests we should be afraid of is his forceful will.

2007 is drawing near for us to greet and along with the coming of the year, major film companies are also set to bring more excitement in cinematic experience as numbers of blockbuster, highly-anticipated film features have neatly been lined up for moviegoers to enjoy and cherish on throughout.

The first to lead the pack starting in May on date 4, “Spider-Man 3″ still sees Tobey Maguire as the web-swinging superhero who this time has to face the battle of his life against two of the most feared villains ever, Venom and Sandman. Exactly two weeks from it, arrives CG animated “Shrek the Third” which finds the titular character (Mike Myers) and his wife Fiona (Cameron Diaz) getting involved in the search of an heir to rule the kingdom of Far, Far Away. Near the end of the month on date 25 comes “Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End” that once again unites Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann for one last decisive battle in a titanic showdown against Lord Cutler Beckett, Davy Jones, and Admiral James Norrington.

Proceeding to the month of June, date 15 will witness the return of our four unique heroes namely Mr. Fantastic, the Human Torch, Invisible Woman, and The Thing in “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” to meet their greatest challenge yet in the form of the enigmatic, intergalactic herald The Silver Surfer. Meanwhile, less than one month on July 13, teen wizard Harry Potter is back to lead his peers defend themselves against the dark forces threatening them and the entire wizarding community upon the rise of the evil Lord Voldemort in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.”

While those sequels mentioned above undoubtedly will draw most attention from the audience, sure there are a lot of new titles worth to be checked out during the year. From epic genre, Zack Snyder’s “300″ certainly is one picture hard to miss out as it opens in cinemas on March 9. Featuring ensemble cast consisting of Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, and David Wenham, this adaptation of Frank Miller’s popular graphic novel is going to bring amazement with its stunning depiction of the ancient Battle of Thermopylae. From animated field, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”, the first all CG animated movie in the history of the franchise, and Disney/Pixar’s “Ratatouille” obviously will be two good options to spend more time in theaters when they arrive on March 23 and June 29, respectively.

For those who rather prefer sci-fi adventure genre, do take a look at DreamWorks’ “Transformers” which will unspool in cinemas exactly on the fourth day of July as Americans celebrate their Independence Day. Presenting young cast like Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, and Rachael Taylor in leading roles under the direction of renowned filmmaker Michael Bay, this fact only has given the picture a fresh take along with a promise of full-packed action scenes to make a great combination for an enjoyable cinematic work. As for the fantasy-genre fans, no need to be disappointed for New Line Cinema will bring up another potential trilogy after the huge success of “Lord of the Rings” series. Based on Philip Pullman’s books “His Dark Materials”, the first of the adaptations, “His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass”, indeed is a must-see feature as it hits the theaters on December 7 judging from its engaging story and stellar cast comprised of Nicole Kidman, Eva Green, and Daniel Craig.

A proud military man, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg is a loyal officer who serves his country all the while hoping that someone will find a way to stop Hitler before Europe and Germany are destroyed. Realizing that time is running out, he decides that he must take action himself and joins the German resistance. Armed with a cunning strategy to use Hitler’s own emergency plan – known as Operation Valkyrie – these men plot to assassinate the dictator and overthrow his Nazi government from the inside.

With everything in place, with the future of the world, the fate of millions and the lives of his wife and children hanging in the balance, von Stauffenberg is thrust from being one of many who oppose Hitler to the one who must kill Hitler himself.

Also Known As:
Rubicon
Untitled (United Artists/Bryan Singer Thriller)

Production Status:
In Production

Logline:
Based on actual events, thriller depicts an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the height of World War II.

Genres:
Action/Adventure, Drama, Thriller, Biopic and War

Release Date:
December 26th, 2008 (wide)

MPAA Rating:
PG-13 for violence and brief strong language.

Distributors:
MGM Distribution Company

Release Date:
August 29th, 2008 (wide)

MPAA Rating:
PG-13 for crude and sexual content througout, language, drug references and comic violence.

Distributors:
Lionsgate Films

Doomed by a double-crossing sorceress to spend eternity in suspended animation, China’s ruthless Dragon Emperor and his 10,000 warriors have laid forgotten for eons, entombed in clay as a vast, silent terra cotta army. But when dashing adventurer Alex O’Connell is tricked into awakening the ruler from eternal slumber, the reckless young archaeologist must seek the help of the only people who know more than he does about taking down the undead: his parents. As the monarch roars back to life, our heroes find his quest for world domination has only intensified over the millennia. Striding the Far East with unimaginable supernatural powers, the Emperor Mummy will rouse his legion as an unstoppable, otherworldly force… unless the O’Connells can stop him first.

Genres:
Action/Adventure and Sequel

Release Date:
August 1st, 2008 (wide)

MPAA Rating:
PG-13 for adventure action and violence.

Distributors:
Universal Pictures Distribution

Production Co.:
The Sean Daniel Company, Sommers Company

Starring:
Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello, Michelle Yeoh, John Hannah

Directed by:
Rob Cohen

After an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken, hell on Earth is ready to erupt.A ruthless leader who treads the world above and the one below defies his bloodline and awakens an unstoppable army of creatures.Now, it’s up to the planet’s toughest, roughest superhero to battle the merciless dictator and his marauders.He may be red.He may be horned.He may be misunderstood.But when you need the job done right, it’s time to call in Hellboy (Ron Perlman).

Along with his expanding team in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense—pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), aquatic empath Abe (Doug Jones) and protoplasmic mystic Johann—the BPRD will travel between the surface strata and the unseen magical one, where creatures of fantasy become corporeal.And Hellboy, a creature of two worlds who’s accepted by neither, must choose between the life he knows and an unknown destiny that beckons him.

Genre:
Action/Adventure

Starring:
Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Luke Goss

Director:
Guillermo Del Toro

Screenwriter:
Guillermo Del Toro

Story:
Guillermo Del Toro, Mike Mignola

Producer:
Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Mike Richardson

Composer:
Danny Elfman

The story kicks off in Brazil where Banner works as a manual labourer at a bottling plant, trying to find a cure and learn Portuguese in his spare time. (One of the film’s funnier lines involves his broken Portuguese.) Soon however crack U.S. commandos led by Tim Roth with a permanent five o’clock shadow (do they allow this sort of thing in the U.S. military?) are on Banner’s case. He escapes – narrowly – in an exciting foot chase on top of rooftops in a densely populated Brazilian slum, an interesting and exotic choice that makes a change from your standard Hollywood action movie locales.

Things must come to a head however. Banner must find a cure and he soon finds himself back in the States where the Hulk faces off against the U.S. military in a thrilling show-off on a university campus that may lack the scope of a similar fight in the first movie, but which is emotionally more involving.

This time Roth’s character has however been injected by super-soldier juice and is well on his way to becoming The Abomination, an over-sized monster against which the Hulk faces off in a no-holds barred epic battle at the movie’s climax. This final battle in New York streets replete with flying cars, lots of stuff exploding and fleeing bystanders actually outclasses the final show-off in the recent Iron Man by the way.

Except for one or two quiet moments shared by Banner and his girlfriend while on the lam, Incredible Hulk doesn’t waste a single frame on dull talky exposition. It is all plot-driven and action-filled. In fact, unlike the much-hyped Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Incredible Hulk never runs out of steam. Put simply: this is the movie which audiences wanted to see back in 2003. No dull existential angst and weird split screen film techniques. No mutant poodles either. Instead we get some nice comic asides, including another cameo by Stan Lee and a riff on those mega-stretchy purple pants Banner always seems to wear.

Distributor:
Universal Pictures

Release Date:
2008-06-13

Starring:
Edward Norton (Bruce Banner), Liv Tyler (Betty Ross), Tim Roth (Emil Blonsky), William Hurt (Gen. “Thunderbolt” Ross), Tim Blake Nelson, Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark)

Directed
Louis Leterrier

Written by Zak Penn

With The Incredible Hulk Marvel has done it again. Like the recent Iron Man, Incredible Hulk is a definite Saturday matinee crowd-pleaser. Kids – and their parents – will love it. Unfortunately the only thing standing in the way of Incredible Hulk becoming the summer hit it deserves to be will be audiences’ negative memories of the 2003 original. Well, forget about all that: The Incredible Hulk may ultimately be as brainless as its main character, but it really is “incredible” this time around. And Hulk smashes stuff too . . .