I Was Wrong Fridays: Channing Tatum

Every so often on a Friday I'll be posting a blog post about things in Pop Culture I was wrong about. Whether it is something/someone I dismissed as a passing fad  or something/someone I thought was about to be huge who failed to make it big and quietly disappeared. For the first entry I'll be focusing on Channing Tatum

I was reading an article today on ew.com about Channing Tatum's new movie called "10 Years" and realizing that it was a movie I wanted to see at some point when I realized that I had become a fan of Channing Tatum. I'm not sure when it happened or how but at some point I began looking forward to seeing any movie he was in. I have gone through this stage with other actors: Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks just to name a few but it's been awhile since I've had a go to actor for movies I would give a chance to no matter what. Currently it would be Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Channing Tatum. I've been a fan of The Rock since his wrestling days but my enjoyment of Channing Tatum films snuck up on me. 

It surprised me because when I saw him in Step Up I dismissed him as a up and coming actor. I actually enjoyed Step Up as a dance flick but couldn't picture him as a leading actor in blockbuster films. I envisioned him doing a few more Step Up sequels and then appearing on some reality show trying to get a second chance at a career. 

I then saw him in She's The Man which I also really enjoyed and he did a good job. He  also showed some of his comedy chops in the film

Instead he keeps his life relatively quiet compared to most celebrities and married his Step Up Co Star.

He was apparently in Battle in Seattle which I loved but don't remember him in it. I assume he just wasn't a big enough name at the time to care about and if I watched it now I'd be surprised to realize he was in the film.If you haven't seen the film I would recommend it especially if you remember the real events when they happened in 1999.

He followed this up with a few forgettable roles in forgettable movies like Stop-Loss (Which is remembered more for the film that may have ended the marriage between Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon), Fighting (Which I watched once with Al but fail to remember what happened in but I assume there was a lot of fighting), and Public Enermies (A film I enjoyed but never had a desire to watch again).

It was at this point that it started turning around. He did the surprising enjoyable but corny live action GI Joe film which made good money despite poor reviews (but in all seriousness how many summer blockbusters actually get good reviews) and follow it up by playing a surprisingly good romantic lead in Dear John. 

Anyone who knows me will tell you I am a sap for romantic films and while it is not on par with A Walk To Remember or The Notebook it was a very enjoyable film and he played a great male lead. The then played a supporting role and was the best part of a really bad film (The Dilemma).

While the rest of 2011 was a forgottable year he jumped up to true leading male status in 2012 with three hit movies and forcing the makers of the GI Joe sequel to push the movie to 2013 so they could include more of his character (A good idea based on his current marketability). 

He started the year with The Vow breaking out in February (The studio was smart to release aroung Valentine's Day making it an "Event Movie" for the romantic holiday).

He then showed that he is a brilliant comedic actor with his role in 21 Jump Street  which I loved but my wife hated. I mean I could have done without Jonah Hill's love story in the film but Tatum made this film so enjoyable.

The trailer doesn't do him justice to how funny he really was in the film. He played off Jonah Hill really well and I am looking forward to the sequel. The last major film this year is Magic Mike which I haven't seen yet but it can't be that bad. I'll watch it with Nessa when it eventually gets to On Demand. Not many people are lucky enough to have three hit movies in a single year but he pulled it off by playing three diverse movie roles.

*For the female readers and my wife*

I don't think 10 Years will be a hit movie like the previous three but I imagine it cost a lot of money to make. The fact I came to is that if anyone else was in this movie other then Channing Tatum I more then likely wouldn't even realize it was being released. I imagine at some point I would have watched it and I'd most likely really like the film since it kinda reminds me of films like St. Elmo's Fire. But I would probably stumble upon it when it hit On Demand or on Netflix rather then wanting to see it in theatres or as soon as it it DVD. The reason for this is due to it featuring Channing Tatum and including some other good actors and actress such as Chris Pratt, Scott Porter, Rosario Dawson, and Justin Long. Without Channing Tatum it would have been a film I had to talk myself into trying rather then wanting to see it. 

For that I will saw I was wrong in thinking Channing Tatum would never be a Leading Man in Hollywood.

Spiderman Vs. The Amazing Spiderman

I got around to seeing The Amazing Spiderman yesterday and then came home and before going to bed watched the first Spiderman movie. Since I'm a geek and have both films fresh in my mind I figured I compare the two rather then just doing a Quick Take on the new one.

I have decided to not compare special effects since both have good effects for their times and newer movies obviously have the advantage of better technology. I decided to base the comparison on main actor and actress, villian, music, and story.I won't go into the endings as that would contain spoilers which I hate throwing at people who have not yet seen the films.

Actor

Although he was never bad in the role I didn't really buy Tobey Maguire as Spiderman/Peter Parker. It's not that I don't like him as an actor. He was awesome in Pleasantville. But I just didn't enjoy his "Aw Shucks" demeanor in this role.

On the other hand I felt Andrew Garfield was a perfect choice for Peter Parker which made him the better choice for Spiderman. He displayed the geekiness of Peter while seeming cooler when in the Spiderman costume. You could really see the confidence Peter got when he became Spiderman. 

Winner: The Amazing Spiderman

Actress

I'll start by saying that I am not a fan of Kirsten Dunst. If it wasn't for Halle Berry in Catwoman and Kate Bosworth in Superman Returns she would be the worst Superhero Movie casting ever. I just felt she dragged down any scene she was in for this film.

On the other hand I am a huge fan of Emma Stone. I think she is this generations Julia Roberts. The downside to casting her is that no matter who she plays you still think of her as Emma Stone at this point. While she is a great actress  she never gets you to forget she's Emma Stone. But she didn't drag down ever scene she was in.  

I also felt the chemistry between Emma and Andrew was better then Tobey and Kirsten.

Winner: The Amazing Spiderman

Villain

While both William Defoe and Rhys Ifan are amazing actors and did great jobs in each film WIlliam Defoe wins hands down. The entire movie you know he's the villian and he encompasses the role so well. The confusion in being Green Goblin and letting him take over could be seen in every facial expression. 

The Amazing Spiderman is more of an origin story so the villain, while played well by Ifans, is more of a background player similar to Batman Begins, leaving the more well known villain for the sequel.  In Spiderman Green Goblin is front and center for the majority of the film. 

Winner: Spiderman 

Music 

In the last ten years the need to have a hit soundtrack seems to have died. The Amazing Spiderman focuses more on a having music to play over the story then pushing a hit song by Nickelback. The one song that really plays over the movie is a Coldplay song that while good doesn't really tie into the marketing for the film. For it's time the Spiderman soundtrack was a great album even if you aren't a Nickelback fan (I'm sure everyone is a Nickelback fan in secret. How else to explain their popularity)

Winner: Spiderman

Story

While both films have very similar stories and follow the same path of getting powers, learning powers, falling in love with girl, defeating villain, choosing to not be with girl I liked the slower pace of The Amazing Spiderman. They spent more time on Peter learning his powers which while it made less time for the villain it also made the movie a better origin story. With Spiderman he learns his powers fairly quickly which allows the film to spend more time with him as Spiderman which wasn't the wrong choice as both films have great stories. 

The newer film also left more questions open at the end. Without going into details I liked what they did to keep you interested to in the next film. Movies based on Marvel comics have become notorious for adding extra scenes in the credits to promote the next film and The Amazing Spiderman did not disappoint. 

Winner: The Amazing Spiderman (barely)

While both films are great ways to begin a saga The Amazing Spiderman left open so many doors for sequels. There are also so many characters and storylines that are left to explore because the film choose to devote more time to letting Peter Parker develop the powers before really becoming Spiderman and fighting a major villain. 

I'll never consider Spiderman a bad film (unlike the third sequel) but I felt The Amazing Spiderman was the better of the two films. 

Winner: The Amazing Spiderman 

 

  

 

Quick Take Retro: Armageddon, Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day, Dogma

Armageddon

I do not care how corny it is I absolutely love this film. The acting, the dialogue, that Aerosmith song that was played way to much in 1998. It's all cheese and I love it all. The move makes absolutely no sense and I hope that if a giant asteroid was going to crash into earth we would do more then just send oil drillers up to drill a whole to hopefully blow it up with seconds to spare.

Regardless of how flimsy the plot of the movie was the movie delivers solid action and emotion. One of my favorite scenes is the one with Ben Affleck and a few other cast members singing "Leaving On A Jet Plane." It's such a serious moment with everyone worrying about taking off for space and it the singing allowed for a little comedic relief. 

It's not the greatest movie ever but it's worth the time to watch if you are looking for an enjoyable film that requires little to no thought. 

The Day After Tomorrow

 This is definitely the lamest "End of the World" movie ever. I know the effects of Global Warning are not good for the world. My wife is taking Environmental Studies and she's always reminding me to recycle and place food in the compost. She also has to well at me for leaving the water running. 

But to use Global Warming in a movie is kinda lame. Other then crazy storms nothing really happens. There's a poor attempt at including romance between two of the kids but even that storyline is weak at best. I just don't think the world's climates would switch that quickly so it feels unrealistic. 

The movie did make a wise decision to be released in the early part of the decade when little was actually known about Global Warming by the average movie watcher. 

Even with everything that is wrong with the film it is still one of my favorite "so bad it's good" movies.

Independence Day

I remember waiting in a really long line to see this film on opening day. It felt like I waited forever (thank God for the invention of the internet where you can purchase movies online early and skip the lines to purchase tickets.) but the movie ended up being worth the wait.

From the moment I saw the first trailer it was my must see movie of 1996. 

I was 15 when the movie was released so it seemed like the greatest thing ever and it was all I talked about that entire summer. I was a huge Fresh Prince fan so I was excited to see Will Smith in a movie (I hadn't seen Bad Boys or the really good Six Degrees of Separation yet). 

There was so much action in the film right from the start and I loved every second of it. It was the first movie I went to see multiple times in theaters just because I was that impressed with it. Now that Titanic is getting a 3D release this movie should get one as well. If any 90's movie deserves to be released in 3D it's Independence Day.

The movie made great choices with casting. Everyone in the movie owned there roles. Besides Will Smith other actors delivering solid roles are Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, and Randy Quaid.

Here's hoping I can stand in line for the 3D release.

Dogma

In my opinion the best of the Kevin Smith films. The film has great dialogue and the cast delivers the lines with ease.

The cast makes the film. Alan Rickman is great as Metatron. He delivers his lines with such dryness that is hilarious and is also seen in his role as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films. The film also includes great acting from Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Chris Rock, and Selma Hayak. Even Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith hold their own in the film. Plus Alanis Morrisette as God is a great cameo.

Like any Kevin Smith movie the film is filled with plenty of stupid humor but it comes across as a better film due to the higher quality of actor in the film. Where his earlier films were just as funny, Dogma delivered superior acting.

The movie was seen as controversial when it was released with like 20 Catholics protesting the film.  These protesters including Kevin Smith himself which proves that the protesters actually had no clue what they were actually protesting.

If they had watched the film they would have seen that God wins in the end. Plus it's obvious that the film should not be taken seriously mostly because it is a Kevin Smith film.

The fact is it's a funny movie and that's enough to make it worth watching. 

Top Ten: Movies I want to see in 2012

I had originally planned on doing this list just after New Years but I slacked off and it wasn`t like there was really anything released in the last three weeks that interested me. It was kind of sad that I had to stretch to find ten movies I wanted to see this year. I`m sure there will no some independent films I end up loving by the end of the year but I usually watch those films after they have reached theaters and can be found in the $5 bin at Wal-Mart.

I had originally planned to include Super Hero movies as one spot but then was short two films so dropped The Avengers from the top ten and included the two below.  

10. Man on a Ledge

As a police psychologist works to talk down an ex-con who is threatening to jump from a Manhattan hotel rooftop, the biggest diamond heist ever committed is in motion...  

I mostly want to see this film because I loved Inside Man and the premise reminds me of that film.

9. Chronicle

Three high school friends gain superpowers after making an incredible discovery. Soon, though, they find their lives spinning out of control and their bond tested as they embrace their darker sides.

I love Super Hero movies and this one is intriguing because it seems almost low budge and the story seems likely if three guys were ever likely to gain powers. 

8. Amazing Spiderman

Teenager Peter Parker grapples with both human problems and amazing super-human crises.

Spiderman has always been one of my favorite super heroes and I liked the first set of films before the disaster that was Spiderman 3. I'll be interested in seeing how they remake this franchise especially with how well the Batman remakes were done. I'm not sold on Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker but I enjoy Emma Stone in everything she's done so hopefully the casting works out. 

 7. Men in Black III

Agent J travels in time to MIB's early years in the 1960s, to stop an alien from assassinating his friend Agent K and changing history. 

I loved the first two movies and even it's been awhile since Will Smith had a Summer Blockbuster. 

6. Red Dawn

A group of teenagers look to save their town from an invasion of North Korean soldiers.

I had to use the original trailer since they haven't released the trailer for the remake. This is one 80's movie that I loved and still think can be remade if done well. I like that they updated it situation that drives the kids together to fight. I'm just hoping they don't mess it up.

5. The Woman in Black

 A young lawyer travels to a remote village where he discovers the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals. 

Yes one of the reasons I want to see it is to see Daniel Radcliffe in his first post Harry Potter film role but the movie always sounds promising and creepy. I would have watched it with almost any other actor in the lead role.

4. Dark Knight Rises

 

Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, the terrorist leader Bane arrives in Gotham City, pushing it and its police force to their limits, forcing its former hero Batman to resurface after taking the fall for Harvey Dent's crimes. 

The Dark Knight was amazing and I'm not sure this movie will be able to match the intensity Heath Ledger brought to The Joker but I'm willing to find out. 

3. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

President Lincoln's mother is killed by a supernatural creature, which fuels his passion to crush vampires and their slave-owning helpers.

Regardless of how cheesy the trailer for the book looks it was a really good read and I think can translate well to film. Of course there have been other books translated to film that massacred the book but Tim Burton is a producer on the film and I usually enjoy movies he is associated with.

2. American Reunion

Jim, Michelle, Stifler, and their friends reunite in East Great Falls, Michigan for their high school reunion. 

I was in high school and the first two movies were released so I with Reunion I feel like the films grew up with me. I like the idea of seeing where the characters are now and how it's easy to forgot you are an adult when with high school friends. 

1. The Hunger Games

Set in a future where the Capitol selects a boy and girl from the twelve districts to fight to the death on live television, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister's place for the latest match.

I just finished the first book and now cannot wait to see how they do the films. I wanted to see the film before I read the book but it moved up the list after I read it. I like the fact that the author of the film worked on the screen play. One of the things that I think helped the Harry Potter films was that JK Rowling had input into what was included and what wasn't included in the films. I think the benefit of Suzanne Collins working on the screen play will help the film stay focused and include the major elements of the book.

 

 

Second Chance: Inception

A new topic I'll be starting is Second Chance for things I initially disliked or simply hated. Sometimes it'll be a something I just couldn't get into and gave up on. Other times it'll be something I hated the first time and feel that I should give it a second try.

The best example if giving something a second Chance is Everwood which I did not like the first time. I tried it again and forced my sense through the first episode and it ended up being one of my all time favorite series.

I'll start with Inception. I watched this on New Year's Eve with Nessa a fee years ago and really didn't like it. I had such high hopes for the film and they I was disappointed. The movie made no sense. It's not that the movie confused me. It's that I became so distracted by the plot home that I couldn't enjoy it. I remember after watching it I complained about it to a coworker who said its a good film if you just watch it and don't think. In other words it's an Adam Sandler film.

I re-watched it recently and I hated it more the second time. I just couldn't take my coworkers advise and shut off my brain. If I wanted to shut off my brain I'd watch Twilight.

I hated the movie more because I knew what was going to happen next so there was no element if suspense or surprise. I knew the plot holes and poor plot that was coming. There was no wishful thinking that maybe the movie would get better as it went on. I just knew it would suck all the way through.

The movie does have good aspects. The acting is tremendous. Considering who is in the movie its not a big surprise. Also the fight scene in the hallway was one if the best fight scenes I've seen in a movie.
The special effects were also really well done. I guess they spent all the budget on actors and effects and dropped the ball on story and plot. Make it shiny and make people think it's smart and people will love it.

College Humor described it best in this clip:

I will not be watching it a third time.

Tuesday Top Ten: Movies I Hate by Actors/Actress I Love

 Anyone who knows me knows I love watching movies. I am not overly picky and there are lots of movies I love even when others disagree. For instance I love Grease 2. 

I was watching That Thing You Do the other day and while watching Tom Hanks on the screen I was trying to think of a movie with him that I hated. I could only think of one (See List) but it then got me thinking of other movies I hated that featured actors or actresses I usually love. 

I then thought about why I didn't like these movies. In most causes it's not the fault of the actor. They do just fine. It's usually a story I don't care about or I can't identify with. In some cases it's because it features another actor or actress that I don't enjoy. And sometimes it's just a really bad movie. 

With each film something just didn't click for me.

10. Vanilla Sky (Cameron Diaz)

The movie had a good case and the story was ok. I just didn't enjoy how the movie played out at all. The concept of the film had been done before and since and it has been done much better.

9. Cast Away (Tom Hanks)

A movie about a guy stuck on an island just didn't appeal to me. I loved Gilligan's Island because it had various characters to work with. As great of an actor as Tom Hanks is I just could not but into this film. 
 
 8. Stuck on You (Matt Damon)

I love stupid comedy movies as much as the next guy but sometimes the movie is just too stupid.

7. Bewitched (Will Ferrel)

 

The first mistake was anyone thinking this was a good idea for a movie. The second mistake was casting Nicole Kidman.

6. Eyes Wide Shut (Tom Cruise)

The first mistake was anyone thinking this was a good idea for a movie. The second mistake was casting Nicole Kidman.

5. I Am Legend (Will Smith)

They should not have killed the dog. That instantly makes me hate the film.

4. Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Brad Pitt)

I may be the only guy who cannot stand Angelina Jolie as a actress. I watched the film because I enjoy Brad Pitt movies but she seriously irritates me.

3. Little Nicky (Adam Sandler)

I love Adam Sandler movies so I should like this movie but I don't. I did enjoy Harvey Keitel as Satan though.

2. Gigli (Ben Affleck)

Do I really need to say what was wrong with this film?

1. Battlefield Earth (John Travolta)

I went to see this movie with Rory and Jen. While waiting for the movie to start the previews were on and after watching one preview I commented on how I did not want to see that movie. Rory and Jen agreed it looked bad. Then the words "Battlefield Earth" flashed on the screen and we realized that preview was really the opening for the film we were about to watch.

Sadly it only got worse from there.

Tuesday Top Ten: Horror Movies

In the spirit of Halloween my friend Amy and I decided to agree on our Top Ten Horror Movies and then place them into our own top ten. 

I've always been a fan of Horror movies. I would never call them my favorite movies but I think it is good to be scared sometimes. We actually came up with the list a lot easier then I thought we would. After moving a few that were move thriller then horror.

There are also a lot of horror movies that just aren't very good. Like that movie "Mirrors." 

First a few Honorable Mentions that didn't make the top ten but I do enjoy.

Any of the George Romero movies especially Dawn of the Dead

Psycho: The original not the lame remake

The Shining

Carrie

The Last House on the Left

Rosemary's Baby

For Amy's list you can visit her great blog at :

Absolutely Amy

And now on to my version of the Top Ten Horror Movies:

10. Scream

I loved this movie from the moment Drew Barrymore was gutted and hung from a tree. It flipped everything on it's ear by making fun of horror and slasher films while stating the rules to survive the films. And just when you thought the film would pave real new ground the flipped it again and made the killer predictable.

9. The Amityville Horror (Original and Remake)

This movie gains points on the score alone. As seen in the clip it's just a creepy theme for a story that is also suspenseful. The remake was not great but it was better then other recent remakes.

8. Saw

The Saw movies freaked me more out because half the time I had absolutely no clue what was happening and why it was happening. But it does have one of the best movie endings ever.

7. Pet Cemetery  

This movie was scary because of the child actor. It's not that horror movies are known for great acting but the child actor was creepy.

6. Child's Play

I had a doll just like Chucky and I stopped playing with it after seeing this film.

5. Halloween (Original and Remake)

I liked the original better then the remake. Maybe it was because I was younger and the original was just slash and kill. I didn't need the so called "back story" of the remake. I think it made the film less scary that they made him "human." Sometimes less is more. All you need as a creepy music and a good villain.

4. It

The movie hasn't aged great but nothing could be scary than a killer clown played by Tim Curry. If any horror movie should be remade it should be It 


3. Friday the 13^th

A movie that takes something as simply as summer camp and makes it terrifying. Now if it had stopped at just this film and skipped the lame sequels. Bonus points for Kevin Bacon being in the film.

2. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Original and remake)

This movie always freaked me out more because it was based on true events and I watched the documentary of the events that the film was based on. Also the remake was just as good as the original and was actually well acted.

1. Nightmare on Elm Street

The later films made Freddy a joke but the original film had him be a great villain who played with his victims before killing them. It's one thing to chase down and stab your victims. Freddy did it a different and far scarier way. You couldn't get away from Freddy because everyone falls asleep eventually.