Teen bullies beware: CARRIE returns!!!

Among the many cool film trailers premiering this weekend at New York Comic-Con was the first teaser for the remake of the 1976 Brian De Palma thriller "Carrie". 

If you're a huge BDP fan like me (apologies to old school rapper KRS-ONE), I'm sure you're hoping that this spine tingling, Stephen King adaptation gets the royal treatment via cast and crew.

Well, it seems that Carrie's bloody 2013 makeover won't disappoint die-hard fans as director
Kimberly Peirce (the award- winning "Boys Don’t Cry") directs, talented newcomer Chloe Grace Moretz plays the lead role that Sissy Spacek made famous and Julianne Moore plays the role of Carrie's religious mom. 

"Carrie" is a film about a socially outcast teenage girl who discovers she has psionic powers which seems to flare up when she gets angry or distressed. Her powers become apparent after she gets humiliated by her peers, teachers and an abusive, bible-toting mother, eventually resulting in tragedy. 

With the current climate of teen bullying on the rise, it makes sense that this classic cinema teen revenge fantasy gets a redux and must've been a dream role for Ms. Moretz, a more-than-capable young Hollywood asset whose career mirrors other talented actresses like Jody Foster (Taxi Driver) and Natalie Portman (The Professional). 

This new incarnation of "Carrie" is now on my "MOST ANTICIPATED FILMS OF 2013" list. Check out the teaser below and the full 30-minute NYCC press conference video.

REVIEW: Ridley Scott's "Prometheus"

Hands down, one of the greatest prequels in movie history. This tense nail-biter mirrors the original "Alien" film's dedication to developing story & character and finds a clever way to show the origin of the creepy extraterrestrial we know so well.

Aside from stellar performances by a kick ass cast (Noomi Raplace, Michael Fasbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan-Marshall-Green and Charlize Theron) the film's impressive visual effects were enhanced by the (well used) 3D technology which may make you feel better about kicking up a hefty ticket price... before you pay for that "Bloomberg-free", ginormous soft drink.

What makes this such an entertaining film is the fact that a person who has never seen one of the four "Alien" films can enjoy it as a stand-alone entity.

 But those who have seen the Alien Quadrilogy
(Sorry. "Verses Predator" doesn't count.) are in for some familiar elements to marvel over:

_________________SPOILER ZONE____________________

ALIEN MOVIE STUFF WE LIKE

1.) Bad Ass Female Lead- Actress Noomi Rapace brings an effective intensity to naive archeologist Elisabeth Shaw, whos positive outlook and dedicated faith is shattered when the revelation of a grand Alien plan to end human life comes into play. Ms. Rapace's "Elizabeth" rises to the occasion and reminds one of the fierce anxiety portrayed by Sigourney Weaver's "Ripley".

2.) Creature Attacks- Not only do we get to see the story of creature's origin but it's beginning stages of life and it's metamorphosis into the huge, slimy thing that has a nasty way of reproducing and defending itself.

3.) Bad Ass Brother- " LUTHER" tv series star Idris Elba plays Janek, (captain of the Prometheus) who tries too keep the ship, his crew and himself together as tempers flair and crisis ensues. His performance took me back to the original film where "Live & Let Die", African-American bond villan Yaphet Kotto played the role of "Parker", Chief engineer of The Nostromo.

Michael Fassbender plays "David".

4.) Andriod Assist - Joining the "Alien" robot hall of fame with ASH (Ian Holm) and BISHOP (Lance Hendrickson) is Prometheus' butler & maintenance man DAVID.

Actor Michael Fassbender adds a whole new level of creepy to this digital "Felix Unger" and gives a riveting (and at times unsettling) performance as an intelligent machine that conceals horrible secrets like humans.



TICKET WORTH: $18.50 (3D)
RENT/BUY/STREAM: By all means.

REVIEW: "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" -Bookworms & Emo chicks rejoice!

The many elated readers of the best-selling trilogy " GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO" should be stoked to see this faithful cinematic version, directed by David "Fight Club" Fincher, finally released in theaters.

The story centers around a freshly sued Swedish magazine publisher Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) who is commissioned to find the missing grand niece of retired CEO Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer)

Mikael recruits the covert geek squad services of freelance surveillance agent and researcher Lisbeth Salander (a brave performance by Rooney Mara) who is having some problems of her own. She is a ward of the state and her monitary allowance is given to her by a new guardian who sexually abuses her.

Mikael and Lisbeth end up having a sexual relationship and begin to suspect that they have stumbled onto the trail of a serial killer.

Violent and graphic for vanilla audiences waiting for a Jennifer Aniston cameo, this adult drama is all grown up and, apparently, follows the books pretty faithfully (Sorry. I wait for the movie like everyone else).

Fincher brings us another visually handsome film that sounds great, once again showcasing "Social Network" vets cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth and music directors Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross.

Ms. Mara's portrayal of the "girl" is a fascinating study of inner struggle, able as she is vulnerable and hell bent on revenge. She brodens the scope of the classic cinematic heroine into a new contemporary style of brainy/bisexual/emo/warrior chic with a touch of punk. It seems as though she has successfully embraced the internal workings of an iconic literary character and channeled it into a riveting display for the camera.

The film moves as does a book (has a pacing, kinda long) and may not be the action shoot-em-up as suggested by the film's trailer. Yet it is well worth the admission $ for fans of the book and those who enjoy a more intense and well-developed film.


Golden Globe Nominations:

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
ROONEY MARA

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
TRENT REZNOR, ATTICUS ROSS

The presentation of “The 69^th Annual Golden Globe^® Awards” is on Sunday, January 15, 2012

The year 2008 starring in "Return of the sequel".

Some say you can't get enough of a good thing. If anyone believed that last year it was Hollywood, for sure. Sequel after sequel came rolling off the film studio assembly lines and into our neighborhood multiplexes like overpriced buckets of popcorn.

NEO should have told MORPHEUS that the "second black cat" was actually named "Reloaded". The Hollywood matrix glitched on purpose and we loved every minute of it. Just in case you missed this massive re-attack on the senses, here's a run down of some of favorite stories that got part-two'd:

Last year we:
•Helped RAMBO into the old folks home (we hope).

•Once again visited our furry friends from the land of NARNIA. PETA must be pleased.

•Dusted off yet another MUMMY. (Spoiler Alert: Brendan Frasier really is the animated corpse.)

•Witnessed more gore in SAW.

•Sang yet another HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL.

•Got another delivery from THE TRANSPORTER.

•Went to hell and fought THE GOLDEN ARMY with HELLBOY.

•Really, really wanted to believe in THE X FILES.

•Escaped twice: once to Africa from MADAGASCAR, and again from GITMO with HAROLD AND KUMAR.

•Fought another STAR WAR with cartoons CLONES.

•Got no SOLACE with 007. (Okay. Maybe a Quantum)

• Watched INDIANA JONES bump his CRYSTAL SKULL.

•And giggled with the SISTERHOOD again in those darn TRAVELING PANTS.


But I think 2008 sequel award goes to the caped crusader. THE DARK KNIGHT is now the fourth highest grossing movie in history and picked up two Academy Awards. (Best sound editing and best supporting actor: HEATH LEDGER.)

Betcha we see more super hero flicks soon considering that three of the top ten films of 2008 were superhero movies. ENTER: THE WATCHMEN.

The Dark Knight- Worldwide Gross : $1,001,082,160
Hancock - Worldwide Gross : $624,386,746
Iron Man- Worldwide Gross : $582,030,528



PHAT ALERT!!
Paramount Pictures and Marvel Studios are scheduled to release on July 15, 2011 a film titled The Avengers.
Iron Man director Jon Favreau is the executive producer, while Robert Downey, Jr. and Don Cheadle will play Iron Man and War Machine, respectively.
Unknown returns include Edward Norton, star of The Incredible Hulk (2008) as Bruce Banner and Samuel L. Jackson in his Iron Man cameo as Nick Fury.
The film's roster includes Iron Man, Captain America, the Incredible Hulk and Thor.The film's writer, Zak Penn (co-writer of The Incredible Hulk film), cited Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's Ultimates version of the team as inspiration for the story.