Netflix Instant TV and Movie Picks

It's about to get crazy around here starting next week. The Dallas International Film Festival will be starting up, and then the elusive summer season of movies will begin. If you are lucky enough to be enjoying a three day weekend, here are some films to keep you company on your day off. If you are working today, then, here's some titles to look forward to once you're off work!

HOLY MOTORS

This film needs another chance. I watched it in the middle of Fantastic Fest when the lack of sleep and copious amounts of beer was beginning to set in. I didn't understand all the praise. Not that it's a bad film, but I wasn't sure why it made tons of "Best of" lists. I realize now that I need to give this film another chance when there's ample time to focus on it. 

COSMOPOLIS

I had no interest in seeing this film until my cohort wrote about it for his top ten films of the year, and it spiked my interest. Even though I'm still weary of watching a film with Robert Pattinson, I can always use a good film that comments on the state of modern culture. 

30 FOR 30: PONY EXCESS

This was my first taste of the ESPN series, 30 for 30. It's a fantastic look at the year the SMU football team got the "death penalty" from the NCAA for serious rules violations. It's heartbreaking to see this team go from one of the top football teams to absolute bottom. 

Javi will be back next week with some awesome themed column!

Tweet

The PAIN & GAIN Trailer is a Bro-tastic Fun Time!

Michael Bay only works in certain modes, for me. whenever he tries to go beyond raunchy humor and ridiculous action, he fails. Look at all but the first TRANSFORMERS movies as an example. But in PAIN & GAIN, he appears to be just going back to that silly, violent and "humourous" type of action movie he is known for. Check out this red-band, totes NSFW trailer after the break.

YOU'RE NEXT Trailer Drops!

YOU'RE NEXT has had to jump through a lot of hoops to get here. It had its U.S. premiere at Fantastic Fest in 2011; however, it only had one screening. The second screening got pulled by the studio, and so it became THE film that everyone wished they had seen, but only a few did. Now, it's finally gone through the studio ringer and has a release date.

The buzz about this film is insane coming out of SXSW. Thankfully, most people are keeping their mouths quiet about the details, but word on the interwebs is this film has a great spin on the home invasion horror film.

Here's the synopsis:

In the film, while on a getaway, the Davidson family comes under attack. When Crispian Davidson brings his new girlfriend  along to celebrate his parent's wedding anniversary, the family's evening together is shattered when a gang of mysterious killers begin to hunt the family down with brutal precision. Unfortunately for the killers however, one of the victims harbors a secret talent for fighting back.

Apple has the trailer, and check it out after the break!

#Godzilla2013 Entry #8: GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER

GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER(1966)

Gojira, Ebirâ, Mosura: Nankai no daiketto 

Godzilla, Ebirah, Mothra: Big Duel in the South Seas

Directed by: Jun Fukuda

Written by: Shin'ichi Sekizawa

Starring: Akira Takarada, Kumi Mizuno, Chotaro Togin, Haruo Nakajima, Yu Sekida
Synopsis: When a storm causes his brother to go missing, a young man stumbles unto an island terrorized by a giant lobster and an evil group trying to take over the world.

THE WOLVERINE Trailers Drops!

Quite surprising that it took THE WOLVERINE's marketing department to finally get some trailers out to the mainstream audience. If they're banking on a big summer blockbuster, they might need to up their game a bit. This film has some stiff competition with IRON MAN 3, SUPERMAN, and PACIFIC RIM for the top spot of the summer.

But we finally have our first look at this film, which will be set after the events of X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, which was pretty bad. But hopefully the filmmakers learned from the many, many problems of the 2009 Wolverine origins film because that movie was downright awful.

Here's the premise:

Set sometime after X-MEN:THE LAST STAND, Logan travels to Japan, where he engages a mysterious figure from his past in a fight that has lasting consequences. Vulnerable for the first time, and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel, but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than ever before.

Check the trailers after the break!

SPRING BREAKERS Review- Jonesy's Take

Directed by: Harmony Korine

Written by: Harmony Korine

Starring: Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine, and James Franco

Synopsis: Four college friends rob a restaurant to have the spring break of their dreams only to run into trouble when they're arrested.

Netflix Instant: Movie & TV Picks: Stand-up edition!

I love comedy. I love listening to stand up sets, listening to various comedy podcasts, and watching specials. I'm actually amazed at the great titles that are available on Netflix. Here are some of my favorite ones:

#Godzilla2013 Entry #7: INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER

INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER (1965)

Directed by: Ishiro Honda

Written by: Shinichi Sekizawa

Starring: Nick Adams, Akira Takarada, Jut Tazaki, Akira Kubo, Yoshio Tscuhiya, Haruo Nakajima, Masaki Shinohara, and Shôichi Hirose

Synopsis: When a pair of astronauts discover an advanced alien race on Planet X, they agree to give them Godzilla and Rodan to fight King Ghidorah who terrorizes Planet X. But the aliens have a ulterior motives for the monsters.

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS International Trailer is All Explosions and Cumberbatch

Poster is courtesy of Trekmovie.com who figured out the cool hidden bitl.ly links that lead to the new posters.

We can finally see the light of summer season heading toward us. Let's get out of this pretty dull season of films shall we? With every new trailer get and with every bit of plot info we (don't) get, STAR TREK INTO THE DARKNESS is easily the most anticipated film for the summer, and thankfully we're just two short months away.

There's a new international trailer that was dropped today which has scores of new footage. Thanks to Empire for posting this original trailer.

2013 Dallas International Film Festival Announces (Free!) Family Day

THE SANDLOT to be screened outdoors in Dallas’ Klyde Warren Park!

The Dallas International Film Festival presented by AutoNation Volkswagen Dealers announced the line-up for its free Family Day celebration. Presented by Texas Capital Bank, Family Day will kick off Saturday, April 6, at 2 p.m. at the new Klyde Warren Park in downtown Dallas, and will conclude with a free 20^th-anniversary outdoor screening of the childhood baseball classic, THE SANDLOT.

Young film lovers will be able to create crafts, including making their very own microphone, popcorn box and “Walk of Fame” star. They can also decorate their own celebrity sunglasses and then sport those Hollywood-style shades as they strut the Red Carpet for photos. Also, kids can get their faces painted, jump in the bounce house, visit the balloon artist and check out the buzz from Texas Honey Bee Guild.

“We are excited to have Family Day in the heart of Dallas in the Arts District at Klyde Warren Park,” said Renee Contreras, Director of Education, Membership and Outreach for the Dallas Film Society. “What an opportunity to entertain, educate and share the love of film and glitter of Hollywood.”

Check out the fill schedule after the break.

Netflix Instant TV and Movie Picks- Shame List Edition

We all have them. Those films that have slipped through your viewing cracks that when brought up in conversation, you're subjected to many minutes of shame because, "What do you MEAN you haven't seen [insert film here]?!"

There are plenty on my list, but unfortunately not all of them are on Instant yet. However, I did find three on my list that I've heard, multiple times, that I need to see like yesterday. So, here they are, and yes, you are free to scoff and laugh at my shame.

For Funsies: Amazing Beach House Music Video directed by Eric from Tim & Eric

Music videos have gotten into some pretty interesting territory since the MTV hayday. Given that bands don't really need to advertise the song through the video, most of the good bands (Grizzly Bear, for example) out there have made the music video a way to do tell a cool story or get a little crazy visually. I forgot to post about that awesome Tilda Swinton/David Bowie video, but one of my favorite bands, Beach House, just released a video for their new single, Wishes. Check out the video directed by Eric Wareheim (from Tim & Eric fame) after the break.

Vimeo On-Demand Launches and has Sweet Movies Available!

As of now, our movie watching experience is slowly transitioning to streaming services, clouds, personal hard drives, and anything but physical media. We can debate the merits of this, but now is not the time. What is important is the new on-demand service by Vimeo just launched today.

The new service will allow filmmakers to upload their work and choose their price and availability based on country with a 90/10 revenue split of any proceeds. You can choose to rent your movie or to have it be available to purchase and then streamed to any Vimeo-enabled device such as an Apple TV, Boxee, or Roku.

This is huge for indie filmmakers. I know that YouTube has tried streaming movies, but this really seems like a better step in the right direction for indie distribution. iTunes currently seems to be mostly for bigger films and is tied to the Apple model. Hopefully we get to see filmmakers adopting this model beyond using normal distribution methods. I think that this could do a lot of good akin to Bandcamp and its impact on the indie music scene.

Since I'm not a filmmaker, I'm interested in seeing what they will be able to offer. Going off the selection  they have today, I'm confident it will get better in the future. If you're looking to rent anything, check out IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY and SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS, both of which are excellent titles. You can check out my review of each film in the link.   For more information on the new On Demand service, check out this blog post and the video below, and thanks to Indie Wire for posting about this first.


Vimeo On Demand: Sell your work, your way from Vimeo Staff on Vimeo.


Tweet

KICK-ASS 2 Red Band Trailer!

They're back. The kids, well not so much kids anymore, from Matthew Vaughn's ultra-violent and ultra-awesome film, KICK-ASS, are back for the sequel, KICK-ASS AGAIN! Just kidding, that's not really the title.

Here's a synopsis for part 2 via comingsoon.net :

After Kick-Ass' (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) insane bravery inspires a new wave of self-made masked crusaders, led by the badass Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey), our hero joins them on patrol. When these amateur superheroes are hunted down by Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse)—reborn as The Mother F%&*^r—only the blade-wielding Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) can prevent their annihilation. 

Thanks to MTV for the trailer.

#Godzilla2013 Entry #6: GHIDORAH, THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER

GHIDORAH, THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER (1965)

Directed by: Ishiro Honda

Written by: Shinichi Sekizawa

Starring: Yosuke Natsuki, Yuriko Hoshi, Hiroshi Koizumi, Haruo Nakajima, Shoichi Hirose, Masaki Shinohara with Emi Itô and Yûmi Itô

Synopsis: When a meteor with King Ghidorah crashes to Earth, Godzilla, Mothra, and Rodan must team up to fight him.

Dallas International Film Festival 2013 Full Lineup of Films

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL Review - Javi's Take

OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

Directed by: Sam Raimi

Written by: Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire, based on a book by L. Frank Baum

Starring: James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis and Zach Braff 

Synopsis: A travelling circus magician gets transported to a far away land where he learns to not be such an a-hole. 

Netflix Instant: TV & Movie Picks

Sorry for the delayed post, but here are some recently added movies that are worth your time on Netflix. Check them out below!

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING Trailer Drops and Jonesy Gets a Shakespeare Boner

Damn, I love Shakespeare. His comedies are always so witty and charming. I enjoyed Kenneth Branaugh's version of MUCH ADO from 1993, and now I am stoked about Joss Whedon taking a stab at this story. I had listed this film as one of my most anticipated of this year, and after seeing this trailer, my opinion hasn't changed. In fact, I'm even more excited.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is a complicated tale of love between Beatrice and Benedict, who would rather verbally out spar each other than admit their love to one another. It also follows young Hero and Claudio on their wedding day as complications arise from the villainous Don John.

Check it out!

#Godzilla2013 Entry #5: MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA

MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA (1964)

Directed by: Ishiro Honda

Written by: Shin'ichi Sekizawa

Starrring: Akira Takawada, Yuriko Hoshi, Hiroshi Koizumi with Emi Itô and Yûmi Itô

Synopsis: After Godzilla comes back to wreck destroy Japan, a reporter, photographer, and professor must convince Mothra to fight against Godzilla. 

IRON MAN 3 Trailer Drops!

Are you ready for round two? Now that the first set of Avengers films, we get to enjoy another set of individual Avengers films before the big sequel which is scheduled to be released in May 2015. The first one up for the second round (or in this case third) is IRON MAN 3. This third installment begins where THE AVENGERS left off where Tony Stark has saved the world and now must begin his life again.

I said when I posted the teaser trailer that this film is taking a darker tone from the first two, but after seeing the full length trailer, oh man, I got goosebumps.

Check it out!

For Funsies: AFOL - A Blocumentary

If you look at my Instagram feed, you know I've been into those Lego minifigs. They're so much fun, and they're amazing for taking goofy pictures for strangers on the Internet to appreciate. It just so happens that I came across a cool little documentary from the official Lego YouTube page.

It's about AFOLs, who are Adult Fan of Legos. My good friend, Deefuzz, tweeted about the first of four parts of the documentary on Twitter. Unfortunately, the documentary is not embeddable so check out the whole thing by following these four links: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 . (EDIT: Thanks to my best friend, Damon, I have the link for the full documentary over at Vimeo.)

Now that you're done watching the short. I have to say I  really enjoyed it as a small snapshot of the sociological aspects of being an adult toy collector. If you notice, a lot of the guys that are interviewed in the doc are always a little defensive of their hobby. They seem to need to justify it to themselves that they're doing this for themselves and not anyone else. I don't see why they would even need to justify it.

I personally find these people fascinating in the sheer creativity they have with this hobby. I can only imagine what would happen if they were engineers and architects. To say that the See people are committed and enthusiastic is an understatement and it's amazing to see that in this cynical Internet of ours

Tweet

Netflix Instant TV and Movie Picks

I found myself at a loss a little bit this week. With the Oscars taking up most of the this year, it's tough to get out of that mindset all of a sudden. But thankfully, that season is over, and now is the time to catch up on films that you may have missed in years past.