STEP UP 4 Teaser Trailer Hits...the Streets in Miami

So, here's a little known secret about us here at WDYMS...we have an unabashed love for the STEP UP series. Well, specifically, STEP UP 2: THE STREETS and STEP UP 3D. They're pure dance cheese with horrible, nonsensical stories, bad dialogue, and sub par acting. But yet we always come back, mainly to laugh.

Now the teaser trailer for the fourth installment has hit, and even though it's coming out during a jam packed summer filled with bats, battleships, and G.I. Joes, it looks like they're pulling out all the tricks of the trade to up the level of dancing.




Here's the synopsis:

Emily arrives in Miami with aspirations to become a professional dancer. She sparks with Sean, the leader of a dance crew whose neighborhood is threatened by Emily's father's development plans.

Sounds absurd, but dancing on cars and and in museums? I'm there. Now the one downside is a different director has taken over for this movie, so everyone's favorite from the 2 and 3, Moose, doesn't seem to be featured in this movie. However, here's to holding out hope that he will make at least a cameo appearance.



STEP UP 4 will be released July 27, 2012




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AFI Top 100 Countdown: #81 SPARTACUS

81: SPARTACUS 

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Written by Dalton Trumbo

Starring: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Peter Ustinov, John Gavin, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, and Tony Curtis

Red Band Trailer For GOD BLESS AMERICA Is A Revenge Fantasy Of The Best Kind

Javi here. I'm not sure how much I can express how much I can get annoyed with mainstream media. Every year, I see ourselves going more and more towards the future that was depicted in the highly underrated IDIOCRACY by Mike Judge. Now WORLD'S GREATEST DAD director Bobcat Goldthwait bring us GOD BLESS AMERICA, a movie that looks to be exactly pandering to everyone of us that gets annoyed with the fact that 16 AND PREGNANT is a show that not only was made, but are really popular. Enjoy this trailer after the jump.

For Funsies: The Muppets Strike Back At Fox News

Javi here. Since we're not in the business of getting political, I think that the video speaks for itself and mirrors a few my thoughts. I first found this video thanks to Movies.com, but it's been popping up everywhere on the Internet.



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Netflix Instant: Cool TV and Movie Picks

Jonesy here. Not exactly sure what my Netflix picks this week say about me. They're pretty eclectic; however, there should be something here for everyone.

TROLL 2
It is considered one of the worst movies ever made, and yes it definitely lives up to that hype. However, this film falls into it's-so-bad-it's-almost-good-with-a-crowd category. 

BEST WORST MOVIE

Then, after you've watched the atrocity of TROLL 2 with your buddies, check out this documentary by Michael Stephenson (the child star of TROLL 2). He shows us an inside look including current interviews with the cast and director and tells the story of how this awful movie became a cult classic.

CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER WOMEN
A man and woman meet at a wedding reception and have an instant connection. Full of smart and real dialogue without any extra glitz and glamour. Plus, most of the movie includes one of the best uses of split screens I've ever seen. 

SYRIANA
This movie has always spoke to my political side. The film is dense with story, but don't let that scare you away. It's a smart film that navigates the political world of oil and greed. Plus, George Clooney is stellar as the CIA operative. 

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AMC Presents Their Annual Best Picture Showcase

With the Oscar nominations out, if you're like me, then there was always one or two of the nominees that you missed in the theatre. For the past few years, AMC Theatres showcase all the films nominated for Best Picture in a marathon. For the past two years, the showcase has been split over two Saturdays because of the number of films nominated. However, they always have a few theatres that show all, whether it's the nine films this year or the ten last year, in one day.

Today their schedule for the showcase went live, and here's the breakdown:

Saturday, February 18:

11:00AM: War Horse
1:40PM: Moneyball
4:10PM: The Tree of Life
7:30PM: The Descendants

Saturday, February 25:

11:00AM: Hugo 3D
1:20PM: The Help
4:00PM: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
7:15PM: The Artist
9:05PM: Midnight in Paris

And for the hard core people, here is the schedule for the all day marathon:

Saturday, February 25:

11:00AM: Hugo 3D
1:20PM: The Tree of Life
3:55PM: The Help
7:20PM: The Artist
9:20PM: The Descendants
11:30PM: Midnight in Paris
1:20AM: War Horse
4:00AM: Moneyball
6:20AM: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

I for one plan on attending this event again. I've gone the past two years, and it's always such a fun time. It's nice to be able to see all the nominees on the big screen before the awards are handed out. The AMC theatre near me always has trivia and prizes during the breaks, and last year there was a contest to see who could each the most large popcorns. I believe the record was six.


Check out AMC's website for all the details.

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For Funsies: Daft Punk's "Derezzed" Played On Floppy Drives

Javi here. Just dropping by with another edition of For Funsies, where I just randomly post something cool that I found on the Internet. This time, I can't actually take credit as I found this awesome video on on /film's Page 2 column. Regardless, it's pretty cool to see outdated technology be put to a rather amusing use. The video features five floppy drives playing Daft Punk's "Derezzed" from the TRON: LEGACY soundtrack.



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84th Annual Oscar Nominations Are In And THE ARTIST Isn't Nominated For Everything (But The Academy Still Snubs Good Movies)!

Earlier today, The Academy came out with their nominations for their prestigious Oscar awards.
And usually we don't care too much about these, but for the sake of being legit, we figured we'd include some thing about it.

 Hit the jump to hear our thoughts.

AFI Top 100 Countdown: #82 SUNRISE: A SONG OF TWO HUMANS

82: SUNRISE: A SONG OF TWO HUMANS

Directed by F.W. Murnau

Written by Carl Mayer, short story by Hermann Sudermann

Starring: George O'Brien, Janet Gaynor, and Margaret Livingston

BLACK MIRROR Discussion- He Said/She Said

BLACK MIRROR is a British anthology television series which features a different cast, setting, and reality with every episode. Each episode has some extreme elements, but nothing that is too far fetched from the reality we're living in today. Charlie Brooker, the show's creator, describes the title:

If technology is a drug - and it does feel like a drug - then what, precisely, are the side-effects? This are - between delight and discomfort -  is where BLACK MIRROR, my new drama series, is set. The "black mirror" of the title is the one you'll find on every wall, on every desk, in the palm of every hand: the cold, shiny screen of a TV, a monitor, a smartphone.  (via The Guardian)

We were able to watch the first season, and both of us could not stop thinking about it. The following is an insanely dense, SPOILER FILLED, discussion of the series, its themes, and what we took from the episodes. (Warning: There might have been beers involved.)

Netflix Instant: Cool TV and Movie Picks

Jonesy here for my awesome Netflix Instant picks for the week. All three of these I absolutely enjoy for very different reasons.

Certified Copy

A film in the same category as BEFORE SUNRISE and BEFORE SUNSET; a couple meets and spends the day together talking about life, art, and love. However, this cerebral film begins to play with the viewers as we begin to ask questions about the couples relationship. Have they met before? Are they married? Or are they just playing with each other and us. Smart and charming.

Fear

Way before THE FIGHTER or WALK THE LINE, Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon were a couple of kids in love in FEAR. This movie is the typical 90's thriller, and I cannot help but have a soft spot for this cheese. And it has one of my favorite lines of all time, "Nicole 4-eva."

When We Left Earth

At one point in my life, I wanted to be an astronaut. True story. (And I still want to go to Space Camp at some point). This mini-series explores the NASA missions including Ed White's space walk, Apollo 13, and the Challenger tragedy. It's breathtaking, captivating, and awe-inspiring.  

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For Funsies: 20th Century Fox Flute

Javi here. Here's another fun video that totally made my morning. I tweeted earlier that this is the theme that they should play in front of the STAR WARS prequels. They go well together.




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AFI Top 100 Countdown: #83 TITANIC

#83 TITANIC

Directed by James Cameron

Written by James Cameron

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Gloria Stuart and Bill Paxton

Film Rant: On "Adults" And Their Movie Theater Etiquette

Javi here. I consider myself a pretty reasonable dude; I use my blinkers; I open doors for ladies, and I STFU during freaking movies. You see last night, I went with Jonesy to see SHAME at the Dallas Angelika. The place was pretty packed, even for a Sunday evening, and I really didn't think many people outside of the Internet movie nerds were into this movie. Regardless, I was excited to finally see it. That is until the movie started.

There was a couple that asked to us to move one seat farther so they could sit together. This usually isn't an unreasonable request; however, this was ten minutes into the movie already. This man thought it'd also be great to make sure that the wife was understanding the movie throughout the movie. Then, the very informative couple behind me who was NOT perpetuating negative racial stereotypes at all decided to narrate the movie. On top of that, they decided to loudly and very obnoxiously laugh at some of the movie's most moving and downright uncomfortable scenes. SHAME is a movie about a sex addict, there are some very uncomfortable scenes, and yet most of our audience (including the couple behind us), of which we were the youngest, decided to laugh and talk throughout the bulk of it. It baffles me that this supposedly more sophisticated audience is stalking and behaving like a 16 year old. What I'm trying to say is why is it that self proclaimed adults have the biggest lack of respect and sense of entitlement this side of a trust fund kid?

Then last weekend, I went to the Plano Angelika to see TINKER TAYLOR SOLDIER SPY. This screening was the worst because of having to deal with drunk Plano 40 year-olds. At one point, a couple that stepped on my companion's foot got up three times to go and use the restroom. Also, there was a dude that was so wasted that he couldn't figure out exactly which row he was supposed to be sitting in. The man tried three times until after realizing his double mistake and went back to his proper seat. There were also deaf and blind people there as a number of patrons wonder out loud "Who is that? What is going on?"

Mind you, this is not a complaint on the Angelika theaters. There were just too many people that were creating a disruption during both screenings. However, I am still appalled at the lack of manners of these people that are supposed to be leading by example. At this point, I am tired of having to see movies where I don't know where some drunk is going to ruin it for me or some idiot is going to be talking the whole time and laughing at the most inopportune times.

Yeah, this is mostly a rant, and I really wish that there was a way for people to behave their age, but I really don't think that even calling a loud patron in the theater would make a difference. They have that particular lack of respect for those around them ingrained in their heads. Yes, this is a movie related rant, but what does it say about society at large? Are we really that thoughtlessly casual and selfish that we don't care about how our actions affect others? Seems to be that way.

At this point, I will be avoiding seeing "artsy" movies during the evening. It's sad that it's come to this. I expected this more out of spoiled brats in suburban movie theaters, but this is just disappointing. And to think that people want dedicated texting areas. Slowly but surely, I'm liking not going to theaters more and more.

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THE GOLD RUSH Review- He Said

On Friday night, I managed to get down to the historic Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff in Dallas. As Foursquare would tell me, I had not been there since May 11th. What a shame since the fact that I was going to go see a very unique movie is the reason that I wish that I could make down there more often. Regardless, my mission was to experience Charlie Chaplin on the big screen for the first time. As you guys will see in my review of MODERN TIMES for the AFI Top 100 column we have running, Chaplin is a recently rediscovered filmmaker whose work has a lot of meaning to me.

Behind the Scenes: Andy Serkis shows us why he should be nominated for RISE

There's been lots of talk over the past couple months about Andy Serkis's performance in RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. We were huge fans of the movie and put the film on each of our respective Top Films of the year lists. Most agree that the movie is such a success hangs on Serkis's performance as Caesar. Even James Franco wrote a piece championing for Serkis for Deadline.com

Today, Hitflix posted an exclusive video showing a CG-free Serkis as he performs the emotional scene of Caesar saying goodbye to Franco's character. The first half of the video is Serikis with just the sensors on his face and body, and the second half shows the finish product that was seen in the movie. If there was any doubt of what he brought to the film, this clip will put that to rest.





Oscar nominations haven't been announced yet, but I hope that academy members realize that this is the future of movies, and we will probably be seeing more and more performances that use this type of motion capture.

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TINKER TAYLOR SOLDIER SPY-He Said Review

TINKER TAYLOR SOLDIER SPY

Directed by: Thomas Alfredson

Written by: Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan, adapted from a book by John Le Carre

Starring: Gary Oldman, John Hurt, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, and every other awesome British actor not in a Harry Potter Movie.

Synopsis: A retired British Intellgience has to discover the Russian mole that is hidden on top of the agency. 

SHUT AND PLAY THE HITS Trailer Is Up: Since James Murphy Broke Our Hearts, He Made An LCD Soundsystem Movie

Javi here. Back a couple of years when LCD Soundsystem front man announced James Murphy that the band was done, I was devastated yet really happy that I got to see them at least once. Thanks to the AV Club, I found that there is a trailer to a new documentary/narrative that chronicles the last concert and has Murphy talk about the experience of the band. Now, there's a trailer for the documentary! 


Check it out after the jump.

New THE DARK KNIGHT RISES photos

Summer seems like forever away, but it will sneak up on us before you know it. No doubt that the final chapter of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy is on top of many people's most anticipated for the year. Over the holiday season, we were treated to an awesome teaser trailer. Today, Entertainment Weekly released five new photos from the movie, including Gary Oldman in action, a better look at Christian Bale in his suit, and of course, more Tom Hardy as Bane.

Check it out after the jump.

AFI Top 100 Countdown: #84 EASY RIDER

#84: EASY RIDER

Directed by: Dennis Hopper

Written by: Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, Terry Southern

Starring: Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, and Jack Nicholson

For Funsies: Edgar Wright Syndrome

Javi here. for another installment of For Funsies the totally random column where I find a nutty video and post it for you, dear readers. Today's video is a hilarious look at the style of WDYMS favorite, director Edgar Wright. For those not familiar with the director (seriously, why aren't you?), Edgar Wright is the director of cult hits such as SHAUN OF THE DEAD, HOT FUZZ, and SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD.


Source: Edgar Wright Here

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REWIND THIS! documentary trailer and news

There's a whole sub-culture of movie goers that we here at WDYMS have been fortunate enough to stumble upon since we dived into the world of movies. It's the world of VHS. We have met so many people who not only love watching old VHS movies, most of which I haven't heard of, but they go on the hunt for old and rare VHS movies. I was actually quite surprised of the eclectic types of videos there were out there. It's such fun to see this different side of the movie culture. 

REWIND THIS! is a documentary still in production from IPF Productions in Austin. The documentary sets to explore history of VHS and how it shaped modern media. In the age of Blu-Rays and the blossoming 3D home theaters, it's strange to think those bulky plastic videos got us here. REWIND is almost finished with production and has set up a Kickstarter site to help with the rest. There are different levels to donate, and some levels come with some pretty cool one-of-a-kind swag (including a charm, poster and a VHS bed).  

Check the trailer for the documentary:

It's refreshing to see (semi) local filmmakers take on a labor of love. In this day and age where this next generation won't even know what a VHS is while that's all I knew growing up, it'll be fascinating to see the chronicle of how exactly VHS's impact on media today. 

The team of filmmakers are looking to reach their goal within the next 30 days.Check out their site for all the details on the film. 

And we will be sure to keep you up to date on this heartfelt project.

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AFI Top 100 Countdown: #85 A NIGHT AT THE OPERA

85: A NIGHT AT THE OPERA

Directed by: Sam Wood

Written by: George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind, from a story by James Kevin McGuinness

Starring: Groucho, Chico, and Harpo Marx, Kitty Carlisle, and Allan Jones

Netflix Instant: Cool TV and Movie Picks

 Jonesy here. Hope everyone had a fun holiday and survived the first week of the new year. Here is my first fabulous list of Netflix Instant picks to help tide over the lull before awards season.

TRUE GRIT

The remake of the John Wayne classic, this Coen Brothers film made me have a new appreciation of Western movies. One of my favorite films last year, and a great introduction to Hailee Steinfeld.

INSIDIOUS

A horror movie that got a bit lost in the shuffle this past movie season. Made for under a million dollars, which is quite a feat nowadays, this movie reminded me of the creepiness of THE RING. Now, even though you cannot recreate sitting in a packed theatre, watch this movie with the lights off and the sound off. 

BILLY ELLIOT

A sweet film about a young boy who decides to take ballet lessons instead of boxing lessons against his father's wishes. If the premise sounds a tad cheesy, don't let that fool you. The movie has so much substance. It was one of my first experiences I remember of enjoying a "foreign" movie. (I say foreign...it's from England, but to a 14 year old, that's a foreign movie).

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For Funsies: Michael Caine Does Michael Caine

Javi here. This is just another fun video, but for those that don't know, Michale Caine has one of the most imitated voices in movies. The movie THE TRIP even has the two lead actors trying to do their best Micahel Caine impersonation. For some good laughs though, check out the video below.



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The Man With The Most British Name Ever, Benedict Cumberbatch, Will Play A Villain in STAR TREK 2

Javi here. The WDYMS duo is a big fan of Benedict Cumberbatch; both for his awesome name, and the fact that he is a damn good actor. For those that don't know him, and there are plenty of you, he has played Sherlock Holmes in the Steven Moffat BBC version of SHERLOCK along with new hobbit, Martin Freeman. He has had roles in TINKER TAYLOR SOLDIER SPY and WAR HORSE most recently this year, and he was both Dr. Frankenstein and his monster in Danny Boyle's stage production of FRANKENSTEIN.

Now Variety reports that he will be playing the villain role in J.J. Abrams up coming STAR TREK sequel. Very much like every other Abrams movie, there is very little that's actually known about the movie except that he is actually shooting the movie and it will come out supposedly on May 13, 2013. This is exciting news as this is an actor much like Michael Fassbender and Tom Hiddleston that deserves more exposure. We'll keep you up to date when more information becomes available.

UPDATE (7/9/12) Jonesy has now posted more information about what Cumberbatch's role might be. Go here for the new article.
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For Funsies: THE LION KING RISES

Javi here. Just watch this awesome video!


Credit: Pajiba

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JUAN OF THE DEAD (JUAN DE LOS MUERTOS) Now Has US Distribution, Which Means You Need To See This When It Comes Out

Javi here. So, this is very good news indeed. 2011 will be the year where I had a big interest in Spanish movies. Director Alejandro Brugue's politically relevant zombie comedy, JUAN OF THE DEAD, is much more than a "Spanish SHAUN OF THE DEAD." Where SHAUN was poking fun at the genre, JUAN pokes fun at the Cuban culture and politics through a zombie apocalypse. Variety now reports that the movie has gained a US distributor through Focus World, which is a digital/VOD distribution arm of Focus Features.

The details of the distribution appear to be exclusive to digital and VOD, so you can see it from the cable box top, iTunes, Amazon and all of the other digital services. Then after April, it might be getting a separate theatrical run from a different distributor. There's no set release date, but you bet I'll let you guys know when it comes out. Read my review here.

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