"World domination, same old dream. Our asylums are full of people who think they're Napoleon...or God." - James Bond

Daniel Craig's Bond is in serious need of a comeback. Quantum of Solace wasn't bad but it was no Casino Royale either. I do like that the last two film's stories are connected and I am pretty sure Skyfall is a continuation of that. In the 60's when Sean Connery was Bond, each movie had a villain that belonged to the same terrorist organization called SPECTRE. Other than that each Bond movie pretty much stands on its own. For the most part I love all of them. Die Another Day and Connery's final but unofficial Bond movie Never Say Never Again are my least favorite. Never Say Never Again was garbage actually. Daniel Craig has been a great James Bond so far. Better than Brosnan and almost as good as Connery but the thing about Connery is he automatically gets credit because he was the first and set the precedent. 

You can definitely tell that American interest in this British agent has dwindled in the past twenty years. The production company responsible for the making of so many of these movies has faced bankruptcy and the few head people who have been involved in the Bond movies since the 60's have had trouble finding the right directors and writers. I like the direction these last two movies have taken. I didn't like the Roger Moore era of gags and I thought his movies were too lighthearted. I would like to see a return of the characters "Money Penny" and "Q" though. But the girls are always beautiful, the stories are engaging and the action scenes are impressive as hell. 

This is my current ranking of all the men who've played 007 so far:

1. Sean Connery
2. Daniel Craig
3. Pierce Brosnan
4. George Lazenby
5. Timothy Dalton
6. Roger Moore

Finally

What was once years of internet rumblings about a bio-pic constantly being put on hold by Spielberg is now a green-lit film well into pre-production. I thought Liam Neeson was a good choice but when he backed out of the project and my favorite actor of all time got involved I was very excited and thought "My God, of course!". Titled 'Lincoln', the film will cover his road to the presidency and how the Civil War defined it and him. Mary Todd, his wife, will be played by Sally Fields and rising star Joseph Gordon Levitt will play their eldest son Robert. Soon I'll be making a trip to the theater to check out Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Why? Because its about Abe killing vampires, that's why. There aren't a whole lot of people talking about 'Lincoln' yet but I predict they will by the beginning of next year. As you can see from the above photo, Lewis has the likeness pretty down pat and judging from his performances as the Butcher and the very cold Daniel Plainview from 'Blood', his performance as the sixteenth president will be a must-see for anybody who's a fan of the actor or the man himself. This film is largely based off of Doris Kearns Goodwin's 'Team of Rivals' which I've read twice and absolutely love so I see great potential here. Lincoln is one of the most admired and beloved figures in all American history. He's a pop culture icon and its about time we got a modern movie where he's finally front and center.

BD's top 10 NES games part deux

Ninja Gaiden:  first off  this game is really fucking hard and you only get like 3 men and 1 continue which is bull shit.  I thought ninja gaiden had great graphics and awesome cut scenes, it has been credited for being one of the first games that tried to be someone cinematic. All around fun and easily makes my cut. 

Duck Tales:  Laugh if you must but anyone who has played this will agree that its alot of fun.  It has a Mega-Man format which makes since for a Capcom game.  Running around as a rich bastard duck beating the shit out of enemies with your cane is pretty awesome.  DT has a bunch of secrets to find along with good boss battles and catchy music which makes for a great game

MEGA-MAN: Im not going to pick one certain game from the series because i really like them all.  MM gives the player alot of satisfaction because you start out as a turd armed only with a pea shooter that makes it hard as hell to beat the bosses.  The great thing is when you do beat one and get there gun all you need to do is figure out which boss that new gun will literally beat with like 6 hits.  All the bosses are unique and difficult and like I said just a great deal of satisfaction when you beat'em.

DOUBLE DRAGON II:  Most people seem to like the first DD more and I agree its a very good game but I always leaned towards this one since you could play with 2 players at once.  This was one of the first games I remember beating and the cool thing was I did it with my dad as my partner in crime.  Great game play, semi difficult levels and karate what more could you ask for.

DR MARIO:  Last but not least is Dr. Mario.  The wife and I go through phases when we will play the shit out of this game against each other.  There is alot of strategy involved and its a very addictive game.  I will also say there aint many people out there that can hold a candle to me in this game.

Well thats it.  I plan on doing a top 10 for Sega, SNES and maybe another system but we shall see.

I actually beat all of the games on the list except for Ninja Gaiden and maybe a Mega-Man or two

There and Back Again

I don't know how many of you are Lord of The Rings fans and if you're not I apologize beforehand for nerding up MHB lol. I myself am really looking forward to this next prequel and pleased that many actors from the trilogy are reprising their roles. Martin Freeman, star of the British series of The Office and movies like Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, will be playing the young Bilbo Baggins. I think The Hobbit will do very well in December. The trilogy made a ton of money and received many Oscars and having read the books, I can say Peter Jackson did an awesome job at adapting the story onto film. The Hobbit the book is something I try to read once if not twice every couple years. Unlike the trilogy it is geared more toward children but is still very enjoyable. From the looks of the trailer and behind the scenes stills, visually its going to look as if it was made right after Return of The King, as if they just kept on filming. As for the overall mood and how much they were able to fit from the book, we'll just have to wait and see. But I can't wait to see the chapter 'Riddles In The Dark' (when Bilbo first meets Gollum) brought to life on screen.

Early batch of Amazing Spider-Man reviews are in, round one goes to Spidey.

As The Telegraph (4/5) puts it, "the film’s second half offers more than enough bungee-swinging through Manhattan’s concrete canyons, immaculately rendered in vertiginous, silky-smooth 3D, to satisfy thrill-seekers of either sex. What’s refreshing is how Webb makes those action sequences count: with a plot that rests almost entirely on the romance between his two leads."

Time Out London (4/5): Webb and the film’s writers have done a smart job of making a snappy blockbuster with few obvious pretensions: ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ is light on its feet and feels both intimate and expansive, smoothly making the transition from hanging out in school corridors to hanging off the sides of buildings. Webb offers no radical rethink about how to craft a comic-book summer movie, but still he delivers a enjoyable rush over a patchwork of genres – romance, action, sci-fi, horror and comedy (there’s almost one for every leg of a spider) – while avoiding bumps at the joins... ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ feels like a romcom upgraded to include 3D and industrial cobwebs.

The Guardian (4/5): "Webb successfully treads a fine line between keeping the hardcore superhero-movie fans happy and injecting a dose of meaningful affect... In re-engineering Parker into the introspective, uncertain male more typical of his previous film, Webb is aided by a terrific performance from Andrew Garfield, who brings a genial unflappability that allows him to negotiate the often-ludicrous demands of the superhero plotline... It's the successul synthesis of the two – action and emotion – that means this Spider-Man is as enjoyable as it is impressive: Webb's control of mood and texture is near faultless as his film switches from teenage sulks to exhilarating airborne pyrotechnics.

SFX (4/5): Even when he’s hunting down villains, he’s still just a teenager, living in the real world, dealing with everyday problems, and the film captures that enduring Spidey spirit perfectly... the broad strokes are familiar, but the details are intriguingly shuffled, amended, expanded and reinvented... Andrew Garfield is brilliant. Whether his slightly less nerdy, but slightly more nervy Peter Parker is better than Tobey Maguire’s is debatable, but his Spider-Man is magnificent... Emma Stone is possibly even more impressive as Gwen Stacy, mainly because she triumphs over a rather blandly-written role... There’s a brilliant score from James Horner too. For the first time in many a year, you may be humming a superhero film theme tune on the way home.

Total Film (4/5): "A young buck made testy by grief, a rebel without a comb, Garfield nails all bases here, star DNA aglow. Stare-y eyes melting, he’s winningly earnest; lithe of physique, he delivers in the dust-ups; blithely gatecrashing Gwen Stacy’s bedroom, he gives good dreamboat.  And like any story worth telling, this one’s still 'all about a girl'... Enter Emma Stone, weapon of sassy destruction as arch and direct, confident yet relatable first Spidey-love Stacy... The wall-to-wall ruckuses leave the “untold story” of Peter’s parents largely untold, its threads left loose in a fashion that frustrates given how many story strands here were unthreaded in 2002... It isn’t perfect but this reboot’s wins outweigh its wobbles. The leads charm, the action crackles and the grooves are well-laid for part two. Untold story? Next time, then."

London Evening Standard (2/5): "Director Marc Webb aims for a new realism, stripping away the brio of Sam Raimi's 2002 version with Tobey Maguire.  He also dispenses with much of the character and sass that always made this character fun. It's not Garfield's fault: he is a convincingly troubled, inarticulate Peter Parker, a springily athletic Spider-Man, and has awesome hair. His greatest enemy is the script. That, and the rather wearisome 3D.  Webb's film is slow on plot, skimpy on character development... Webb saves up most of the emotional punch for a downbeat, wet-eyed ending in which Garfield and Stone are superb."

Taken 2 Trailer International Trailer!!

More chduly TDKR posters arrive!!

Am I wrong or do these just scream the 1998 Batman and Robin movie?

First Judge Dredd Trailer has arrived

Red Band trailer for The Babymakers

The latest from the Broken Lizard crew.

Kristen Stewart Hollywoods highest paid actress

I have no problem with this, it's not her fault if teenager worship her shitty Twilight franchise. I'll be interested to see how the rest of her career shakes out, I've seen two Twilight movies and they are geniune trash but I didn't find anything too wrong with her in the role of Bella. I've always appreciatted the fact that she's looked miserable all these years when talking about the part or being  drooled over by the Twihards. She didn't set me on fire as Snow White either but again she didn't do anything to offend me either. Jurys out.
Highest paid actresses 2011

1. Kristen Stewart - $34.5 million

2. Cameron Diaz - $34 million

3. Sandra Bullock - $25 million

4. Angelina Jolie - $20 million

5. Charlize Theron - $18 million

6. Julia Roberts - $16 million

7. Sarah Jessica Parker - $15 million

8. Meryl Streep - $12 million

9. Kristen Wiig - $12 million

10. Jennifer Aniston - $11 million

On a related Kristen Stewart note the first trailer for the final Twilight film was released today. Feel free to watch it and feel sorry for a generation of kids who despertately need to be introduced to a real vampire film like The Lost Boys.

Jim Carey drops out of Dumb and Dumber sequel

FUCK!!!! Click here for more

B.D.'s top 10 NES games Part 1

I recentley watched the 100 greatest video games of all time on G4 and it got me thinking about my favorite games for all the systems that I have had over the years starting with my NES all the way to my XBOX 360.  Im going to start with the NES. These arent in any order just my 10 favoirite.  Lets start with 5 of them

  MARIO 3:  By far was the NES game I played the most and at the time blew the doors off everything else.  Not only did you get the great side scrolling action that the franchise perfected but it was full of secrets that made you feel like a pimp when you discovered them.  I remember getting the leaf that turned you into a racoon and some how you could fly.  Why a racoon suit made you fly I have no idea but it was fucking awesome. By the way I knew how to get all 3 whistles.

SUPER-C: This game was awesome.  I actually played this before I ever played Contra and I think its alot better.  Super C had great levels and the weapons were bad ass.  It was truley a game that was more fun with a friend playing along side you, if you got the spread gun and your partner got that machine gun it was curtains for those aliens.

MIKE TYSONS PUNCH-OUT: 007-373-5963 thats the code that takes you right to the man himself.  I think its funny that code is still in my brain over 20 years later.  The best part of this game was the characters, guys like Glass Joe, Piston Honda, Bald Bull ect.  I can proudly say that I actually beat Tyson a time or two and it was glorious.  GO LITTLE MAC!!  By the way I always thought little Macs trainer looked like Carl Winslow from Family Matters.


WWF WRESTLEMANIA:  Not much to say about this one but i think it was one of the first games I ever owned and at the time I loved it dearly.  I have recentley played it and its fucking terrible but ill never forget it.  Just like He-Man it was awesome at the time but it was just because I was like 5 or 6 years old.


TMNT ARCADE:  I think this has to be a fav of anybody thats ever owned an NES.  Great two player action, awesome levels and it even had a Pizza Hut tie in wich was the first time I ever saw advertising like that in a game.  Anybody could be decent at this game if they hit the buttons fast enough but the cool thing was that you could actually get really good with certain turtles. I was best with Donatello and sucked with Raphael.

New Walking Dead still and season 3 info

Rick holding it down in season 3

If you want to read the showrunner talking about Season 3 of The Walking Dead click here.

VHS Red Band Trailer

When it comes to horror movies I think the further out of the box you are willing to step the better. This has some creep factor and it's nice to give VHS a little modern love, MHB is going to keep an eye on this one.
Synopsis:

When a group of petty criminals is hired by a mysterious party to retrieve a rare piece of found footage from a rundown house in the middle of nowhere, they soon realize that the job isn’t going to be as easy as they thought. In the living room, a lifeless body holds court before a hub of old television sets, surrounded by stacks upon stacks of VHS tapes. As they search for the right one, they are treated to a seemingly endless number of horrifying videos, each stranger than the last.

Third (and final?) Dark Knight Rises trailer

Does this trailer make you willing to drop $100 to see this bad boy on opening night if you had to?

First image of Angelina Jolie as MALEFICENT

I have no problem admitting that growing up Maleficent creeped the shit out of me, she was so damn evil in Sleeping Beauty. I think this idea of Angelina Jolie playing the character in a live action feature has some potential. We shall see...

Unreleased scene from the movie, Elder Engineer?

Prometheus: My Official and Final Review....Maybe


I normally never get on blogs to discuss movies but I've felt compelled to visit some and defend a film I honestly thought was great sci-fi and a worthy prequel to such a classic. I love all kinds of movies but there's always been a special place in my heart for science fiction and for me it was definitely Star Wars that started it. But in high school I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey and it totally changed my perspective on what science fiction could deliver. Eventually I saw the movie Alien and it again made me think of the genre in a totally different light and I've loved it ever since. Its story had so much mystery which in turn gave it depth and like a book forced you to use your own imagination. When an artist or artists leave things to interpretation it can have a positive or negative effect. For me it was positive. But there's still a part of you that wants the artist to interpret for you and so this is how many prequels come about.

When I first heard that a prequel to Alien was in the works I got very excited because the image of the iconic space jockey immediately came to mind and I thought "Okay great, we're going to find out who these guys are.". Many months later the promotional websites and previews start fueling fan anticipation until finally the film hits theaters. I admittedly have let hype cloud my judgement when seeing certain movies like Revenge of The Sith which I loved at the theater and grew to hate after watching it enough on dvd. I've seen Prometheus twice at the theater and have enjoyed it each time. I can't say my opinion of it won't change in a few months time when I've watched it again on dvd but 'Revenge' was a finale and Prometheus is the beginning of what might be a whole new tangent in the universe of Alien.


Before I get into the microscopic negatives from other people who's expectations weren't met, I want to say what I liked about it. Story is number one, no doubt about it. But can you imagine Star Wars or Superman without music? I thought the soundtrack to Prometheus was good and it was a definite statement by Ridley Scott to use far more music in this one than he did in Alien or even his other sci-fi hit Blade Runner. Visually I think everyone who's seen it agree, whether they liked the story or not, that it was a beautiful picture. I always appreciate a balance of special effects and actual on-location footage. Acting wise, Fassbender was undoubtedly the star but I have to give props to Noomi Rapace. I haven't seen her in anything else but I thought her character by the end of it was pretty hardcore, an echo of Sigourney Weaver's Ripley. The story definitely tackles a lot of themes and even though the idea of challenging 200 hundred years of evolutionary discovery might seem foolish to pro-science people like me, its still interesting and entertaining to see both science and religion challenged as it was in Prometheus.

The growing consensus among the naysayers is that the acting is bland, the characters are boring and the plot has too many holes. I personally could not disagree more about the acting. The importance of some of the characters is questionable, particularly Charlie. But I don't agree that he gave a poor performance overall. As for the plot, the only holes that I consider relevant are ones that the sequel(s) will presumably answer. If there was only going to be this movie and nothing more, I would agree that it was lazy writing but its not. The most annoying complaint I've read thus far about the movie is that the xenomorph doesn't look like the others from the previous films. Pretty dumb considering none of them looked alike or did the same things. Whatever the engineers were engineering-making on LV-223 were obviously biologically diverse and there were several species. And speaking of biology, another complaint is around the character of the biologist and the geologist who get lost within the Engineer's pyramid and eventually get killed by a species resembling the face-hugger. To me this was nitpicking at its finest. Clearly these were meant to be expendable characters and this is after all a story about how an emotionless, remorseless, instinctual beast who hunts its prey one by one...is created.

No film is perfect, there are always going to be flaws, even in the story itself. You could take any story and pick it apart until all the potential enjoyment in seeing it is lost. If I could say anything to the naysayers of Prometheus it would be this: Wait until the rest of the movies are made before you totally tear this one apart. Alien had a lot of people asking questions too, but its still a masterpiece. I'm going to wait until I see the other movies being planned before I pretend I'm an accomplished director like Ridley Scott and pick away at a movie that is far from "terrible". Everyone's entitled to their opinion, sure, and this is mine.

Shamisoshea takes on Rock of Ages

6.5 Hypebeasts out of 10

 "So even if this ROSE has a few more THORNS than we'd like, never quite becomes a PARADISE CITY, and probably ultimately fails to HIT YOU WITH IT'S BEST SHOT, this reviewer JUST CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING ANYMORE. I liked this damn movie. 6.5 ypebeasts out of 10."
Full review after the jump

Mike Tyson one man Broadway Show directed by Spike Lee on the way

Ladies and Gentleman.. The Baddest Man on the Planet

Pretty sure the title says it all. Normally wouldn't post Broadway news on The Beast but for Iron Mike Tyson I'll make an exception. Is it weird that I actually would like to see this? Deets

Are you an 80s movie aficionado?

Would you pay $100 for TDKR IMAX??

According to this you may have to Scalping TDKR tickets??

Sweet Taken 2 Teaser Poster

 

Never get tired of Savages video

There's really not a lot more I can say about Savages at this point, it's a movie that people within the industry are excited for. Oliver Stone has had more misses than hits lately but when he's on his game you can end up with Platoon, JFK, or Any Given Sunday. When he's off you get Alexander. All indications are that he's back on his game for this and the way they are promoting the hell out of it you can tell the studio is hoping they have a sleeper big summer hit on their hands. Today they released a lot of cool trailers showcasing interactions between the characters.

Synopsis
Laguna Beach entrepreneurs Ben (Johnson), a peaceful and charitable Buddhist, and his closest friend Chon (Kitsch), a former Navy SEAL and ex-mercenary, run a lucrative, homegrown industry—raising some of the best marijuana ever developed. They also share a one-of-a-kind love with the extraordinary beauty Ophelia (Lively). Life is idyllic in their Southern California town…until the Mexican Baja Cartel decides to move in and demands that the trio partners with them.

When the merciless head of the BC, Elena (Hayek), and her brutal enforcer, Lado (Del Toro), underestimate the unbreakable bond among these three friends, Ben and Chon—with the reluctant, slippery assistance of a dirty DEA agent (Travolta)—wage a seemingly unwinnable war against the cartel. And so begins a series of increasingly vicious ploys and maneuvers in a high stakes, savage battle of wills.

 

Jonah Hill joins cast of Django Unchained

If this movie is trying to force me to get on my knees and blow it already it's getting close to sealing the deal.

The next Bridesmaids?

Final Expendables 2 poster attempts to fit all the bad ass into 27" by 40"

EW Prometheus Podcast

Should make for some decent listening on the treadmill or something. Haven't listensed yet but supposedly an in depth analysis of the movie. Click here to listen

Ain't It Cool News reviews ROA

By Billy the Kidd:

 "ROCK OF AGES is absolutely a guilty pleasure film, and, if you were to watch it and tell me that it flat-out sucks, I’d have no gripe with what the movie did for you. But, when I can sit for two hours (and yes, the movie starts to feel its length about halfway through) and listen to the hits of REO Speedwagon, Extreme, Twisted Sister, Foreigner and Whitesnake, even in these GLEE-d up versions (I’ve a fan of that show, too), it’s hard to not find some enjoyment in that."

Full review after the jump

Resident Evil Retribution Trailer

I don't know why I like these movies but I do. One of a million guilty pleasures I seem to have. Whatever. I like zombies and I enjoy seeing Alice find new ways to beat the shit out of them. Coming your way on September 14, 2012.

Oliver Stone interrogates cast of Savages in character.

Will Smith on why he passed on Django Unchained

Here's what he told Empire, "I came really close, it was one of the most amazing screenplays I had ever ever seen. I was in the middle of 'Men In Black 3' and [Tarantino] was ready to go, and I just couldn't sit with him and get through the issues, so I didn't want to hold him up. That thing's going to be ridiculous. It is a genius screenplay."

One of the most amazing screenplays he's ever seen and it was genius, but he passed it up? All I need to know about the guy.

Trailer for Sinister has potential

This poster is creepy. Well Done.

Good Prometheus read

Young William Fisher found a great article answering a lot of questions about Prometheus. I now want to see it again after reading this. http://cavalorn.livejournal.com/584135.html#cutid1

Prometheus on trial

The general consensus on Prometheus seems to be that it was bad ass but everyone is left with too many questions. These guys bring up all the unanswered questions and holes in the logic of the film in a pretty funny manner. Anyone who was present for Prom Night needs to see this.

International Django Unchained trailer features more action

New Spidey Poster spotted at bus station

Not a lot about romance has been shown in the trailers but we know it's going to be a part of the story. I like this poster, about as romantic as a Spider-Man poster can be by my estimation.

New Abe Lincoln action scene

Lincoln Clip

3 hour Director Cut of Avengers to be rereleased in August and on Blu Ray

30 extra minutes of one of the coolest movies of all time, lets do it.

Bill Murray finally offers some hope for Ghostbusters 3

Bill Murray is an all time great, the guys career is just phenomenal. From funny man to Oscar threat nearly every time he takes a role now. Perhaps most recognized for his work in Ghostbusters he has been the reason we have never seen the guys suit up for a third go around. Dan Akroyd and and Harold Ramis have been trying to get him on board for Ghostbusters three for at least a decade now but there is one problem. Murray felt the second Ghostbusters stunk and he won't do another bad one. In the past he has been rude or curt when shooting down questions about the potential film but on Letterman for the first time he seemed as though it was at least a possibility. When asked about the script he maintained it wasn't up to snuff yet but that "we'll try again" which is by far the most promising words to ever come out of his mouth concerning the continuation of the franchise. At least it seems like he is finally willing if they can make a quality film and not just a money grab.

Americano Trailer

Here's the synopsis: 

The death of his mother draws a young Frenchman (Demy) back to his childhood home in Los Angeles as he prepares to wrap up his mother’s estate. Things become complicated when he discovers that she was very fond of a woman named Lola (Hayek), who appears in her will. Martin combs Los Angeles for his mother’s mysterious friend and companion, finding no trace of her. Traumatized at the sight of his mother’s body in the morgue, he drives to Tijuana in search of Lola, thinking she should inherit his mother’s apartment. But is Lola, his childhood playmate, truly the woman who brightened his mother’s life in Los Angeles — or is she a darker femme fatale, echoing the titular screen character from one of Jacques Demy’s key works?
AMERICANO opens in limited release on June 15, 2012.

Costumes for the upcoming Superman movie

Is this what the terrible Alexander wig was made from???

MHB Movie Review: Prometheus

One of the most anticipated movie events of the summer, the MHB crew took a field trip to see Prometheus Friday, affectionately labeled Prom Night, and the No. 2 movie on the MHB Summer Big Board certainly didn't disappoint.

MHB Rating: 8 Hype Beasts/10

Joseph Fiennes near deal to join season 2 of American Horror Story

I like Joesph Fiennes, especially as William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love. The first season of American Horror Story was kind of grounbreaking as far as horror on TV, but it lost it's way a little towards the end of the season. The cast assemmbled thus far for the sequel makes me believe they may turn in a complete effort this time, especially since Fiennes is close to filling the last major role for the season, the head of the mental instittuion the season is going to be set in. Fiennes joins an all-star cast for AHS‘ second season, which already includes Lange, James Cromwell, Chloe Sevigny, Zachary Quinto, Adam Levine, Lily Rabe, Sarah Paulson, and Evan Peters.

Star Wars The Clone Wars season 5 trailer

I don't watch the Clone Wars faithfuly, but as a devoted Star Wars fan I keep an eye on it. Generally it's pretty good and since we will never get the live action TV series we were promised you have to appreciate whatever you get when it comes to Star Wars on TV. Also it features Darth Maul, nuff said.
Season 5 Trailer

Hangover 3 Deets

I think the Hangover was the most overrated comedy of the last 10 years and found the sequel to be unwatchable but I know it's wildly popular. So if seeing lots of penis and constantly losing friends is what makes you laugh here are some details for the third act. This franchise stinks.

Be Here Now: The Andy Whitfield Story

I'll be honest, it choked me up a little putting this on here and seeing footage of Andy in this documentary. I've already stated here on the Beast how great of a job he did as Spartacus and what a loss he was to the acting community. What hurts the most about losing the guy is that he was in the prime of his life and had finally made the big times and had his legs chopped right out from underneath him. I hate to think about it honestly,  but I do look forward to watching this documentary on his battle with cancer to honor his memory and watch Andy's last battle on screen. R.I.P

5 reasons Rock of Ages will succeed

                                 Younger demo may turn out because of Glee

5.) Fox's smash hit Glee just wrapped it's third season and shows no sign of slowing down. It's a bit of a pop culture phenomenon and the musical styling on the show are very similar to what we've been treated to in previews so far. Given the taglines about "the music of your generation" and such it's evident that the studio is banking on the 40 plus crowd to turn out for the film, but with the tunes familiar to all, bright colors, dancing, and auto tune music there's a good chance a younger demographic will be attracted to the movie.

                                                  Alec Baldwin is hilarious
4.) Alec Baldwin has successfully reinvented himself in the Autumn of his career as a funny man to the tune of 6 starring seasons on 30 Rock and several Emmy's to go with it.  He's also cemented himself as an all time great Saturday Night Live host so we know he can bring the funny. He also tends to have a good eye for movie projects these days, finding his way into monster hits like The Departed and It's Complicated when he can steal time away from filming on his TV show. The guy is a stud and he is going to bring some serious laughs alongside Russel Brand, the chemistry the two have plays well in the glimpses we've seen from previews.

                                              
                                                   Movies set in the 80's are always funny

3.) Being set in the 80's brings a lot to the table. It gives you the chance to play on nostalgia, and gets to poke fun at a time that almost looks like it belongs on another planet. Comedies that are set in the 80s play well. Wedding Singer, Hot Tub Time Machine, and Take me Home Tonight all brought some serious funny. Fact is in hindsight the 80s were a funny time, with funny clothes, and funny music. Everything about the 80s promotes a good time and that comes across in the previews, you feel safe in plopping down your $10 bucks for this film because you know you're settling in for a party on screen. It's enticing in a time in history that is quite a bit more stressful than the shenanigans taking place on screen.

                                                             Tom Cruise

2.) Tom Cruise is back. After a 5 year banishment from the A-list he's back. Coming off the highest grossing movie in his career he's picked a great role to showcase his range and play on the comedic chops people fell for during his role in Tropic Thunder. You could have slapped a wig on about any middle age actor and rolled him out for this part but getting Tom fricking Cruise in a role far, far removed from anything we've ever seen him do is brilliant. It's just one more selling point for the film. Come see one of the biggest movie stars of ALL TIME in a role you never dreamed you'd see him in. The fact that Tom Cruise even accepted the role speaks volumes, no matter what you think of him he doesn't often appear in bad movies. If you think I'm wrong look at his IMDB sometime, very few movies that weren't successful either critically or financially.

                                                    People actually really like musicals

5.) Here's a fact that is often overlooked: musicals succeed. They just do. Obviously they don't thrive in the manner they did in the 20s-60s but when they have been released in the last 10 years audiences have been receptive. Disregarding animated movies that are heavy on song here is a list of musicals that have been financially successful (many nominated for Oscars)in the last 12 years. Moulin Rouge,Chicago, Dreamgirls, all three High School Musicals, Hairspray, Mama Mia, Sweeny Todd, and Mama Mia amongst others.  It's counter programming, in a summer with super heroes battling left and right, alien invasions in all directions, here is a movie with romance and comedy. And as a bonus there is music, and not just music it's 80s music, the most cliche 80's music you can think of. That's perfect though, they're the songs that you get drunk at a bar listening to and sing along every single word because you've heard it a million times. That's not enough though, you are going to want to hear it a million and one times, because you want to see this movie. People will show out for this movie, they may not want it in bulk, but people do like to see musicals and Rock of Ages looks like a great one.