Episode 66 -- Tron: Legacy

Synopsis- Sam Flynn, the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn, looks into his father's disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 20 years. Along with Kevin's loyal confidant, father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.

*Mini-Reviews of The Fighter and The King's Speech*

Episode 65 -- The Tourst/Golden Globe Nominations

Starring: Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie

Elise (Angelina Jolie) randomly sits next to an American tourist, Frank (Johnny Depp), on a train going to Venice and gets caught up in intrigue. The police have been following Elise for two years waiting for her to contact her lover who embezzled over $2 Billion. Not only will they need to evade the police, but also the mobster whose money he stole.

We also discuss our reactions to the Golden Globe Nominations announced 12/14/10.

Episode 64 -- Dororo

Live action adaptation of Osamu Tezuka's manga Dororo. A female warrior who was raised as a man joins a young samurai's quest to recover 48 of his body parts from 48 demons and to avenge her parents death.

Episode 63 --Skyline/Unstoppable

Skyline plot summary- Strange lights descend on the city of Los Angeles, drawing people outside like moths to a flame where an extraterrestrial force threatens to swallow the entire human population off the face of the Earth.

Unstoppable plot summary-- With an unmanned, half-mile-long freight train barreling toward a city, a veteran engineer and a young conductor race against the clock to prevent a catastrophe.

*You can now respond with your feedback either by voicemail or text. Please call or text (818) 570-0471 *

Episode 62 -- Red/Conviction

Red--When his idyllic life is threatened by a high-tech assassin, former black-ops agent Frank Moses reassembles his old team in a last ditch effort to survive.

Conviction-- Story of Betty Anne Walters would goes to law school and spends 18 years of her life to prove that her brother was wrongfully convicted of murder.

Episode 61 -- The Social Network

In this episode we will review David Fincher's new movie The Social Network. Also, we'll discuss the use of CGI nudity. In Machete, Jessica Alba's nudity was created through the use of CGI. Will this be a trend in the future?

EPISODE 60 -- Resident Evil:Afterlife/Retrospective

We will be reviewing the latest Resident Evil movie as well as doing a retrospective of the series as a whole. We will also include Resident Evil: Degeneration.

Episode 59 -- Returner

After an alien invasion threatens to annihilate the human race, a young Japanese girl, named Milly (Anne Suzuki), travels back in time from 2084 to October 2002, and enlists the reluctant aid of skilled Tokyo gunman, named Miyamoto (Takeshi Kaneshiro), to discover and prevent the start of the war. However, trouble ensues when the two protagonists are forced to deal with a Japanese mafia boss, named Mizoguchi (Goro Kishitani), who is somehow involved in the start of the war by keeping the first alien spaceship and its alien pilot captive, while our two heroes race against the clock to find a way to stop the oncoming destruction from the vengeance-seeking alien invasion fleet on its way to Earth.

Episode 58 -- Roundtable Discussion III

1. Are superhero movies dead? According to Matthew Vaughn, director of Kick Ass and the forthcoming X-Men: First Class, the superhero genre is on its last legs.

2. All Quiet on the Western Front set to be remade with Daniel Radcliffe. What is it about this WWI anti-war film that resonates with audiences? Is it a coincidence that it keeps getting remade after U.S. involvement in conflicts that were considered unsuccessful (Vietnam and Afghanistan/Iraq)?

EPISODE57 -- Von Richthofen and Brown/Red Baron

Von Richthofen and Brown synopsis: World War I: an allied squadron and a German squadron face off daily in the skies. Manfred von Richtofen, the Red Baron, leads one, and, although one of his decisions cost the life of his predecessor, he expects his men to honor codes of conduct. The allied squad has similar class divisions: its colonel, an aristocrat, laments that men he considers peasants are now fliers, including a cynical and ruthless Canadian, Roy Brown, the squad's ace. As the tactics of both sides break more rules and become more destructive, the Baron must decide if he is a soldier first or part of the ruling class.

Red Baron synopsis: The true story of one of World War One's deadliest air aces comes to the screen in this historical drama. Manfred von Richthofen (Matthias Schweighofer) becomes fascinated with flying when he's just a boy, and as a young man he joins the German army and becomes part of their budding air force. Flying in a squadron with his best friend, Werner Voss (Til Schweiger), von Richthofen is a pilot with a great talent for aerial battle, but he also has a sense of honor and fair play, and he and his cohorts often pay tribute to fallen opponents by dropping wreaths over the wreckage of their planes. When von Richthofen and Voss discover a Canadian pilot, Capt. Roy Brown (Joseph Fiennes), who has been stranded in German territory, they rescue the flier rather than leave an enemy soldier to die, and while bringing him to safety Manfred meets Kate Otersdorf (Lena Headey), a military nurse who has devoted her life to helping those wounded by war. Manfred becomes deeply infatuated with Kate, but while she is also taken with him, she cannot abide his open embrace of the blood sport of war, and even as he becomes one of Germany's most decorated pilots, downing countless enemy planes, he comes to understand the true horror of war and the consequences of his actions.

Episode 56 -- Favorite/Least Favorite Spielberg Films

The LTM gang lists what they consider to be their favorite and least favorite Spielberg films.

Episode 55- Saving Private Ryan

Starring: Tom Hanks

Following the Normandy Landings, a group of US soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.

Episode 54 -- Catch Me If You Can

High schooler Frank Abagnale Jr. idolizes his father, who's in trouble with the IRS. When his parents separate, Frank runs away to Manhattan with $25 in his checking account, vowing to regain dad's losses and get his parents back together. Just a few years later, the FBI tracks him down in France; he's extradited, tried, and jailed for passing more than $4,000,000 in bad checks. Along the way, he's posed as a Pan Am pilot, a pediatrician, and an attorney.

Episode 53 -- Schlinder's List

The true story of Czech born Oskar Schindler, a businessman who tried to make his fortune during the Second World War by exploiting cheap Jewish labor, but ended up penniless having saved over 1000 Polish Jews from almost certain death during the holocaust.

Episode 52 -- Munich

After Black September's assassination of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972, Prime Minister Golda Meir okays a black-box operation to hunt down and kill all involved. A team of five gathers in Switzerland led by Avner, a low-level Mossad techie whose father was a war hero and whose wife is pregnant. It's an expendable team, but relying on paid informants, they track and kill several in Europe and Lebanon. They must constantly look over their shoulders for the CIA, KGB, PLO, and their own sources. As the body count mounts -- with retribution following retribution -- so do questions, doubts, and sleepless nights.

Episode 51 -- Knight and Day/Last Airbender

*Mini-review of the Last Airbender*

Starring:
Tom Cruise
Cameron Diaz

June Havens finds her everyday life tangled with that of a secret agent who has realized he isn't supposed to survive his latest mission. As their campaign to stay alive stretches across the globe, they soon learn that all they can count on is each other.

Episode 50 -- E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial

Synopsis-- A group of aliens visit earth and one of them is lost and left behind stranded on this planet. The alien is found by a 10 year old boy, Elliot. Soon the two begin to communicate, and start a different kind of friendship in which E.T learns about life on earth and Elliot learns about some new values for the true meaning of friendship.

Episode 49 -- Karate Kid & A-Team

Karate Kid starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan Synopsis-- 12-year-old Dre Parker could've been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother's latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying - and the feeling is mutual - but cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre's feelings make an enemy of the class bully, Cheng. In the land of kung fu, Dre knows only a little karate, and Cheng puts "the karate kid" on the floor with ease. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man Mr. Han, who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life.

The A-Team Starring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper
Brief plot summary-A group of Iraq War veterans looks to clear their name with the U.S. military, who suspect the four men of committing a crime for which they were framed.

Send feedback to letstalkmoviespodcast@gmail.com or twitter.com/letstalkmovies

Episode 48 -- Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Synopsis-- Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) is an electrical lineman who, while sent out on emergency repairs, witnesses an unidentified flying object, and even has a "sunburn" from its bright lights to prove it. Neary's wife and children are at first skeptical, then concerned, and eventually fearful, as Roy refuses to accept a "logical" explanation for what he saw and is prepared to give up his job, his home, and his family to pursue the "truth" about UFOs. Neary's obsession eventually puts him in contact with others who've had close encounters with alien spacecraft, including Jillian (Melinda Dillon), a single mother whose son disappeared during her UFO experience, and Claude Lacombe (celebrated French filmmaker Franois Truffaut), a French researcher who believes that we can use a musical language to communicate with alien visitors. Lacombe's theory is put to the test when a band of government researchers and underground UFO enthusiasts (including Neary) join for an exchange with alien visitors near Devil's Tower, Wyoming.

Episode 47 -- The Color Purple

Movie 1 of our Steven Spielberg theme month(s)
Starring: Whoppi Goldberg
Oprah Winfrey
Danny Glover

Synopsis-- Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker, The Color Purple spans the years 1909 to 1949, relating the life of Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), a Southern black woman virtually sold into a life of servitude to her brutal husband, sharecropper Albert (Danny Glover). Celie pours out her innermost thoughts in letter form to her sister Nettie (Akousa Busia), but Albert has been hiding the letters Nettie writes back, allowing Celie to assume that Nettie is dead. Finally, Celie finds a champion in the don't-take-no-guff Sofia (Oprah Winfrey), the wife of Glover's son from a previous marriage. Alas, Sofia is "humbled" when she is beaten into submission by angry whites. Later, Celie is able to forge a strong friendship with Albert's mistress Shug (Margaret Avery). Emboldened by this, Celie begins rifling through her husband's belongings and finds Nettie's letters. Able at last to stand up to her husband, Celie leaves him to search for a new life on her own.

Send feedback to letstalkmoviespodcast@gmail.com or twitter.com/letstalkmovies

Episode 46 -- Prince of Persia/Letters to Juliet

This podcast will feature reviews of Prince of Persia and Letters to Juliet.

Prince of Persia plot description--Set in the mystical lands of Persia, a rogue prince and a mysterious princess race against dark forces to safeguard an ancient dagger capable of releasing the Sands of Time -- a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world.

Letters to Juliet plot description-- An American girl on vacation in Italy finds an unanswered "letter to Juliet" -- one of thousands of missives left at the fictional lover's Verona courtyard, which are typically answered by a the "secretaries of Juliet" -- and she goes on a quest to find the lovers referenced in the letter.

Episode 45--Roundtable Discussion II

Topics discussed in this episode:
1. Roger Ebert's article on 3D movies: Does he make good points or is he completely off base?
2. Is there a place for a brick and mortor video store or should we all succumb to Netflix?
3. LA Weekly's article on the non distribution of I Love Phillip Morris

Episode 44-- Red Cliff (International Version)

Directed by: John Woo
Starring: Tony Leung
Takeshi Kaneshiro

Synopsis-- In 208 A.D., in the final days of the Han Dynasty, shrewd Prime Minster Cao Cao convinced the fickle Emperor Han the only way to unite all of China was to declare war on the kingdoms of Xu in the west and East Wu in the south. Thus began a military campaign of unprecedented scale, led by the Prime Minister, himself. Left with no other hope for survival, the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu formed an unlikely alliance. Numerous battles of strength and wit ensued, both on land and on water, eventually culminating in the battle of Red Cliff. During the battle, two thousand ships were burned, and the course of Chinese history was changed forever.

Episode 43 -- Iron Man 2

Aaron will give his opening day review of Iron Man 2. Will include a review of Date Night featuring Tina Fey and Steve Carrell.

Episode 42 -- Top 10 Performances by an Actress

Tanya, Aaron, and Travis list their favorite performances by an actress and the roles where they kicked butt.

You can e-mail us your feedback at letstalkmoviespodcast@gmail.com or follow our blog at letstalkmoviespodcast.blogspot.com. Also, on twitter.com/letstalkmovies

Special Episode -- Roundtable Discussion

Tanya, Aaron, and Travis convene their first ever roundtable discussion. Topics will be about box office expectations vs. reality vs. perception. Also, they discuss the blog "Do Kick-Ass Action Heroines Movie Gender Stereotypes Forward or Just Perpetuate The Current Ones?"

You can e-mail us at letstalkmoviespodcast@gmail.com or on twitter.com/letstalkmovies

Episode 41 -- Magnificient Warriors

Michelle Yeoh (billed as Michelle Khan) stars as Ming Ming, a bullwhip-wielding pilot and adventurer inspired heavily by Indiana Jones. Ming Ming gets involved in a rebel plot against the Japanese occupation of China during the 1930s. Her efforts are confounded then later aided by a con man whom she mistakes for a spy she is supposed to contact (Richard Ng). This film showcases Yeoh's visually impressive martial arts abilities and also features the international intrigue of Raiders of the Lost Ark and its sequels.

You can e-mail us at letstalkmoviespodcast@gmail.com or follow our blog at letstalkmoviespodcast.blogspot.com. Also, on twitter.com/letstalkmovies

Episode 40 -- Waiting to Exhale/Sex and the City

Synopsis-- This film is based on the novel of the same name by Terry McMillan and centers on four well-to-do African-American women and their relationships with men and one another. All of them are "holding their breath" until the day they can feel comfortable in a committed relationship with a man. Robin (Lela Rochon) is the long-time mistress of Russell (Leon), who keeps reneging on his promise to leave his wife for her. She dumps him to find a man she can have to herself, but her dates with a reliable but unattractive business partner (Wendell Pierce) and a drug addict (Mykelti Williamson) send her back to Russell. Savannah (Whitney Houston) is a successful television producer who also believes that her married lover Kenneth (Dennis Haysbert) will leave his wife. Bernadine (Angela Bassett) is a wealthy woman who abandoned her own career to raise a family. Her husband is now leaving her to marry a white woman. Gloria (Loretta Devine) is a beauty salon owner and single mother raising a teenage son. After years alone, she falls in love with a new neighbor, Marvin (Gregory Hines). The women share their stories over lunches and conversations at Gloria's salon.

*Will make a comparison with Sex and the City movie*

You can e-mail us at letstalkmoviespodcast@gmail.com or follow our blog at letstalkmoviespodcast.blogspot.com. Also, on twitter.com/letstalkmovies

Episode 39 -- Queen Margot

Synopsis--
The historical novel by Alexandre Dumas was adapted for the screen with this lavish French epic. Isabelle Adjani stars as Marguerite de Valois, better known as Margot, daughter of scheming Catholic power player Catherine de Medici (Virna Lisi). Margot is an heiress to the throne during the late 16th century reign of the neurotic, hypochondriac King Charles IX (Jean-Hugues Anglade), a time when Protestants and Catholics are vying for political control of France. Catherine decides to make an overture of good will by offering up Margot in marriage to prominent Protestant Huguenot Henri of Navarre (Daniel Auteuil), although she also schemes to bring about the notorious St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of 1572, when tens of thousands of Protestants are slaughtered. The marriage goes forward but Margot doesn't love Henri and takes a lover, the soldier La Mole (Vincent Perez), also a Protestant from a well-to-do family. Murders by poisoning follow, as court intrigues multiply and Catherine's villainous plotting to place her son Anjou (Pascal Greggory) on the throne threatens the lives of La Mole, Margot and Henri. You can e-mail us at letstalkmoviespodcast@gmail.com or follow our blog at letstalkmoviespodcast.blogspot.com. Also, on twitter.com/letstalkmovies

Episode 38 -- Girlfight

Synopsis--

Diana (Michelle Rodriguez) is a tough though painfully honest girl living in Brooklyn. Surly, frustrated, and directionless, Diana seems to have a ticket on the express train to expulsion; she repeatedly finds herself in detention and schoolyard fights. At home, her weak though abusive single father Sandro (Paul Calderon) clearly favorites her bookish brother Tiny (Ray Santiago) over her. While running an errand for her father, Diana finds herself in one of New York's more renowned boxing gyms, and she instantly connects to the same. Though traditionally a thoroughly male pastime in Latino culture, Diana perseveres and gains self-worth thanks to the help of gruff Panamanian trainer Hector (Jaime Tirelli). Soon Hector assumes the role of Diana's father from her deadbeat biological progenitor. As Diana gains physical strength and agility in the ring, she finds herself drawn to the dashing boxer Adrian (Santiago Douglas), who is supposedly involved with someone else. Slowly though, the two give into their mutual attraction and fall completely in love. Fate intervenes when the two lovers are scheduled to fight one another in the ring, forcing each to choose boxing or love.

Special Episode -- Clash of the Titans/How to Train your Dragon

Tanya and Aaron will be doing an opening day review of the movie Clash of the Titans. We will also discuss How to Train your Dragon. Tanya saw it in 3D, Aaron in 2D how does it compare?

Episode 37 -- Ong Bak 2

Starring: Tony Jaa

Set in the regal times of King Naresuan, Tien (Tony Jaa) is a man who was born into nobility but had it stripped from him after his parents were brutally murdered. During his childhood Tien learned Khon, a form of dance which is usually reserved for royalty. Although he didn't know it yet, Khon would later prove to be an invaluable aide to him. After seeing his parents murdered at the tender age of 10, Tien is forced to live on the streets where he is eventually captured by a group of thieves who take him in and teach him how to steal and fight.

Tien's expertise as a thief and fighter grows and it isn't long before he is made head thief. Then Tien sees something that makes his stomach churn. A competition is being held to find the best knights to serve under the very man who had killed Tien's parents all those years ago. Tien passes the tests easily and is made Lord Rachasana's 2nd Knight. Now, he has his opportunity to strike but he will have to use all his skill and ingenuity if he is going to get his revenge on the man who killed his parents.

Episode 36 Flame & Citron

Synopsis-- Thure Lindhardt and Mads Mikkelsen star, respectively, as Flame and Citron. As two members of the anti-Nazi Danish resistance during the Second World War, their activities predominantly consist of hunting down and rubbing out Denmark's most prominent Nazi collaborators, and thus furthering the way for the Allied cause. Although Madsen opts for conventional subject matter here, and even a traditional perspective given his film's anti-Nazi stance, his deglamorized presentation retains a certain uniqueness, with the two main characters presented not as conventional heroes, but thoroughly desperate characters from the dregs of society with nothing left to lose except for their own lives.

*We will do a comparison with Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds*

Godzilla: More than a Monster

We just finished our Kaiju Eiga month on Let's Talk Movies and it's got me thinking about what is the allure of the Godzilla franchise? Twenty-eight films so far and rumors are swirling that a Godzilla movie will be coming out around the time of the 60th anniversary. Godzilla represents our inner desire for destruction and to break free of the constraints of an industrialized world. Remember when the Independence Day movie trailer was shown and people clapped when the White House was blown up? Or the scene in Cloverfield where the Statue of Liberty's head rolls down the street? Godzilla is the ultimate bad ass! He is unstoppable and like a hurricane he blows in, destroys, and the world is left to rebuild till he comes again. In some ways Godzilla is representative of our rebellious streak. He is able to get away with what we could only dream of. If you shoot at him or get in his way he will shoot his atomic ray at you.

Godzilla has evolved to mean so many things to different people over time. The orginal movie Gojira from 1954 featured Godzilla as a representation of the atomic bomb. We create monsters and they will soon come back and destroy us. In the earlier films he is a villian, something that needs to be stopped. Inevitably he has managed to be resurrected over and over. The 60's and 70's movie portrayed him in a more comical and humane way. He became a father to Minilla--providing lessons on how to be a good monster. I was particularly struck by the films of the 90's. The films moved away from the atomic bomb to the effects of pollution. Leading to monsters like smog monster and biollante. There are deeper emotions in that the humans are conflicted on how to handle Godzilla. Should he be destroyed using whatever weapons necessary? Is he a creature who deserves to live and breath like any other animal? The films don't answer these questions, but allow each individual viewer to come to their own conclusion.

The films we talked about for the month of February are modern day representations of Kaiju eiga and owe their influences to Godzilla. Like Godzilla, The Host's monster is a mutation. He is a result of formalydehyde being tossed down the drain and ending up in the river. While the creature does not destroy buildings he does take away human life. The Bunraki (the bad dragon)of Dragon Wars calls upon his army to destroy Los Angeles as he hunts for the girl whose soul he needs to capture. Buildings are scraped, cars overturn, and helicopters are damaged along the way. While the monster of Cloverfield does not have an origin story he's just as destructive.

Godzilla stands apart from these other monsters, because he is not a one dimensional destroying machine. His emotions range from being angry, happy, mournful and comical. He also has a sense of consciousness. He knows when people are trying to help him. For example in Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla the recognition that passes between him and the psychic girl. She removes the device that allowed her to control him telepathically. He turns they make eye contact, we do not need words to know there is some appreciation there. He knows who the bad guys are. Remember the businessman who kept trying to shoot/bomb the hell out of Godzilla in the 2000 movie? Perhaps that is why I have a hard time rooting against him--he's more than a monster. Long live the King of all Monsters!

Episode 35 -- Oscar Nominations

Recording live right after the Oscar telecast on March 7. Tanya and Aaron discuss their reactions to the 82nd Oscar telecast. What wins were surprises? What were the funniest speeches? What were the most heartfelt ones? Whose speech put us to sleep?

Episode 34 -- Best Godzilla movies

In this episode Tanya, Aaron and Travis list what they consider to be the best Godzilla movies ever made.

You and the Cockroaches: Post Apocalyptic movies

Hey every one it’s me Aaron and today I will be talking about post apocalyptic movies the ones that rocked and the ones that sucked. First off, the classic the Road Warrior worked because it had a good story and was strange enough to be different and ultimately a cult classic. The fact that it was also the first movie of its kind was also a contributing factor to its success, and the standard of how we rate movies of this genre.
Next I am going to talk about a movie that did not work for me and that was the recently released the Book of Eli. This movie had a power house cast, incredible fight scenes, but was lacking in storyline. It felt like a side quest that could have been done in a game like Fall Out 3, which is not good for the sole concept of a movie.
Now love or hate it but another good example was Waterworld the fact that it takes place after a non nuclear apocalypse makes it exotic enough to stand out and I think that is the key to this genre is that it has to be exotic, the viewer has to be taken to a strange new place, but at the same time be recognizable like the Statue of Liberty at the end of the original Planet of the Apes or the ruins of L.A. in Terminator Salvation.
Now as for Terminator Salvation it is the traditional post nuke movie but what makes it good is the fact that the story and the action are the main draw of this movie. The storyline isn’t that heavy and is reminiscent of the previous Terminator movies but the action is what works for this movie. You’ve got Mad Max car chases, guns blazing action scenes and new mecha. Plus Christian Bale shooting guns makes any movie a hit!
My last example of a different non nuclear post movie is Reign of Fire. In this movie dragons have swarmed and destroyed the world. This story has your exotic factor plus a simple enough storyline, good action, and Christian Bale shooting guns. The key to any good post apocalyptic movie is to make it exotic but recognizable and make sure the story is simple but good. So catch you next time stay l33t Aaron.

Episode 33 -- Cloverfield

Directed by Matt Reeves
Produced by: JJ Abrams

A group of friends throw a party for Rob, who is leaving New York to go and work in Japan. As the party progresses, however, violent shakes and explosions herald the arrival of an unknown creature, which begins its rampage by throwing the head of the Statue of Liberty down into a street. Told from the viewfinder of their video camera, Cloverfield shows how Rob and his friends venture deep into the streets of New York, determined to rescue Rob's true love from her destroyed apartment building in midtown.

Will you fall in love with the movie Valentine's Day?

I recently saw the ensemble rom com Valentine's Day, and found it to be an enjoyable but uneven film. The film has a huge cast with the likes of Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx, Shirley Maclaine to name a few. Some of my favorite storylines focused on Julia Roberts and Shirley Maclaine. Julia Roberts is an Army officer coming home for one day to spend with the guy she loves. She is seated next to Bradley Cooper on the flight and falls asleep on his shoulder. She tells Bradley's character that she is a keen observer and already has him pegged. The verbal volleyball between these two convinced me that they need to star in a romantic comedy together. They have amazing chemistry! However, there is a little secret about these characters that is revealed at the end and they are pretty good twists. My main problem with this film is that several of the storylines were underdeveloped. Ashton Kutcher and Jennifer Gardner are suppose to be best friends who fall for each other, but we don't get enough development to understand why they are friends or what drew them to each other. Also, the teenager played by Emma Roberts could have had her character cut from the movie. Do we really need a "romantic storyline" about losing your virginity? Overall, this is an enjoyable film and if you are really in the mood for a romantic comedy this is not a bad choice.

Live Movie Adaptations of animated shows

Hey every one it's Aaron and i am writing for you guys another blog. This blog today will deal with live action movie adaptations of Japanese anime and American animated shows. I will be discussing what worked and what didn't work and my hopes for the future movies being adapted. First off lets talk about the movies that worked i would be negligent if i did not talk about the success of the first Transformers movie. Even if you have issues with Michal Bay you must admit that he did an outstanding job bringing the world of Transformers to the big screen and the
CGI action and story were all perfect making this a good example of what can be done in making an adaptation. Unfortunately the sequel suffered from some story issues and was not as good as the first proving that writing is one of the key factors in any movie making project. Another excellent adaptation was the Japanese live action Cashern movie even thou the anime for Cashern was that retro 60's, 70's style. The people behind Cashern were able to reinvent the style and sort of modernize it making it one of the must see adaptations. The one thing that both these adaptations have in common is that they are almost made as tributes to the original works. I remember reading articles on both directors and they said that they where fans of the original works and that they wanted to do the movie in a way that reflected that.
I think that is the only way to do a adaptation of any thing now lets talk about the ones that didn't do that. Such is the case for GI Joe my most hated adaptation ever produced. Those of you that have listened to the podcast will know my deep hatred of this movie so i will not dwell too much on it. GI Joe failed in my opinion because there was no passion to make it a tribute, and that it was basically a property that was exploited and raped to make a few bucks. Another adaptation that I have a love hate relationship with is the Speed Racer adaptation that the Matrix boys did. Now the problem with this movie is in the writing, and the fact that they tried to make it to kid friendly and we get too much Spritle and Chim Chim and it ruins the movie. I was hoping Speed and Trixie would find them in the trunk beat them to death and store their bodies in trash bags. Aah you can only hope the same for the Scooby Doo adaptations as well. Kids don't need movies to be dumbed down for them. Sometimes you just need to explain to them the reason that man's head exploded and just what a boomer is. Anyway as we start to see more and more animated shows being adapted in to live action movies we can hope that they are treated with the respect that they deserve and are made in a way that shows it here is hope that M Knight does not mess up air bender. Anyway thanks for reading and stay l33t Aaron.

Episode 32 -- D-War a.k.a. Dragon Wars

In accordance with a Korean legend, every five hundred years, a woman protected by a man transforms in a serpent to fight against a dragon in a battle between good and evil. In Los Angeles of the present days, after a mysterious accident, the reporter Ethan Kendrick recalls his meeting fifteen years ago with Jack, who owned an antique shop and told him that he was the one supposed to protect Sarah Daniels. Ethan seeks out Sarah and together they fight to survive and destroy the devilish dragon.

Episode 31 -- The Host

Kicking off our Kaiju Eiga (monster movie) themed month we present our review of The Host. A mutant monster leaves the water and attacks people on the side of the Han river. The teenager Park Hyun-seo is carried by the creature and vanishes in the river. While grieving her loss, her father Park Gang-du; her grandfather, her aunt and archery medalist Park Nam-Joo; and her uncle Park Nam-il are sent by the army with all the people that had some sort of contact with the monster to quarantine in a facility. During the night, Gang-du receives a phone call from Hyun-seo telling that she is alive in a big sewage nearby the river. Gang-du tell the militaries but nobody believes on his words, saying that he is delusional due to the shock of his loss. The Park family joins forces trying to find Hyun-seo and rescue her.

Special Episode -- Oscar nominations

Tanya, Aaron, and Charles discuss their reactions to the Oscar nominations announced 2/2/10. They also predict who they think will win in their respective categories. Who do you think should win for Best Picture?

3D is it becoming too much?

With the success of Avatar in 3D, it has caused the studio to go back in and add 3D elements to Clash of the Titans. Watching Avatar on the IMAX 3D, I thought to myself there is no way I would ever want to see this in 2D. Nothing can match the experience I had in IMAX, unless I could install one where I live. Frankly, the IMAX screen would be bigger than my entire apartment. This got me thinking if this trend of 3D movies continues how would this change the movie experience? Or is this a trend that people will grow tired of? Hollywood has tried this experiment before, and used the 3D experience to drive people back to the movies instead of sitting down in front of TV. Today it feels like we're doing the same thing. Using 3D to entice people back to the theaters instead of being on the Internet or playing video games. Most people I have talked to have said that they would not have enjoyed Avatar in the 2D format. What does that mean for the longevity of this film? People will rush out in mass to buy the movie, but will it capture their imaginations the same way it did in the theater?

Avatar Suicide Club

Hey every one it’s me Aaron thanks for reading this blog. OK, first off I am going to talk about these support groups for people that want to commit suicide after watching Avatar. First off, it wasn't that good of a movie, and if you believe that if you kill yourself and you will be reincarnated as a giant blue thunder cat then hey go for it more power to you. Yeah I thought Pandora was kinda cool but give this dude an x-wing and light saber any day over the navi. But if you feel bad that people are harming the planet and destroying its natural beauty here on earth go ahead and protest join green peace. But if you want to really make a difference remember good old fashioned violence is the answer why throw stink bombs at Japanese whalers when you can use shoulder fired ant tank weapons pump enough RPGs in to anything and it will go down. That's just my view but if you still need a support group for Avatar remember its just a movie not real and there are plenty of places you can travel on this planet that are just as cool as Pandora.

Episode 30 -- Our Favorite Teen Movies

Tanya, Aaron, Laurie and Travis discuss what are their favorite teen movies.

Episode 29-- Golden Globes

Tanya and Aaron discuss their reactions to the Golden Globe winners. We will share wins that we felt were most deserved, ones we found questionable, and others that were the most surprising. Feel free to join in on the conversation. We will begin recording right after the awards are done airing eastern time. Go to talkshoe.com and search for Let's Talk Movies