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Sep 04
2010
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By: Dan Jones
A good idea can only take an audience so far. Good one-liners? A little further. But to whom is the idea appealing?
You may not have known this, but the present Governor of California used to be a not-too-shabby action star. All right, all right. There's John Wayne and there's this guy.
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Aug 28
2010
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It Is What It IsPosted by humanachiev@aol.com in Zombieland , Year One , This Old Man , the Sasquatch Gang , Tape , Synecdoche , Scary Movie , Robert De Niro , Righteous Kill , Remember Me , movie review , Johnny Depp , I Love You , Hot Tub Time Machine , Funny People , Full Frontal , Dogville , Dan Jones , American Pie , Al Pacino , 28 Days Later |
By: Dan Jones
Would you like to know WHY we've lowered our standards? (Probably not, but here we go.)
By: Dan Jones
The unknown independent filmmaker has many challenges.
Scenes will struggle for life because there is no anticipation. He/she has no television previews or radio station plugs to spread the word. The people involved in making the film will not be on a talk show to promote it. Every frame needs to be seen, but nobody knows this. If there's going to be a limited showing of your film, most won't care what happens in the end or the first few minutes. Therefore, at the premier, your audience members duck out early or show up late.
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Aug 09
2010
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Born Under a Bad SignPosted by humanachiev@aol.com in Vera Farmiga , The Omen , The Informant! , The Good Son , The Coen Brothers , The Bad Seed , Shattered Glass , Owning Mahowny , Orphan , movie review , Mckullie Culkin , Joshua , Fargo , Ethan Coen , Elijah Wood , Dan Mahowny , Dan Jones |
By: Dan Jones
It's Friday the 13th, so let's review the luck of some bad people, and the bad luck bestowed upon the innocent.
Scheming idiots, and idiotic schemes – and most are true stories. Those pathetic losers, for whom you may feel sorry, were wrapped in financial problems and couldn't find their way out. They forgot the simple things, like their family and careers; but no one told them to stop conniving and confide in someone. Then again, who was really there to listen? At least now these degenerates have an audience, or should we say, we've learned from other people's mistakes.
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Aug 05
2010
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Talk About MoviesPosted by humanachiev@aol.com in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , The Owl and the Pussycat , The Lion in Winter , Tape , Talk Radio , Sleuth , Romeo and Juliet , Reservoir Dogs , Out of Towners , Oleanna , Odd Couple , Noises Off , movie review , Glengarry Glen Ross , Dogville , Dog Day Afternoon , Deathtrap , Clue , Closer , Brain Donors , Before Sunset , Before Sunrise |
By: Dan Jones
FADE IN:
A MAN and a WOMAN are at a video store. By the look on the Woman's face, they have been here for quite some time. The Man is distracted by a DVD cover of women exposing themselves atop a fire truck.
WOMAN: I still think we should get a regular movie.
MAN: What's in a regular movie? I don't want to watch a regular movie. Wait, what is a regular movie? I really don't know what you mean.
WOMAN: A man and woman falling in love, or the world crumbling to pieces. Or both.
MAN: Both? Their fate is that they die, then. Is that a tragic love story? Do you want to rent a tragic love story?
WOMAN: No.
MAN: If you do, you're going to have to know the ending first. "Romeo and Juliet"?
WOMAN: That has too much talking.
MAN: It's Shakespeare. How can you say Shakespeare has too much talking?
WOMAN: And we just saw a play last weekend. I don't want to see a couple of people going on and on in a room.
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Jul 30
2010
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Stone is Between a Rock and a Hard PlacePosted by humanachiev@aol.com in World Trade Center , U Turn , Platoon , Oliver Stone , Nixon , Natural Born Killers , movie review , JFK , Dan Jones , Comandante , Bush , Any Given Sunday |
"Stone is Between a Rock and a Hard Place"By: Dan Jones |
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| The movies can drastically change overnight. A single idea, or story, can shift everything. Future theatrical experiences can be forever altered by the power of a single film. Everyone walks away with something – good or bad. In 1995, Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers" was panned and praised, but movies would never be the same. The movie-going world was stirred and torn. High school students were defending freedom of thought against teachers. Audience members walked out by the dozens within the first fifteen minutes. Violence was being blamed on the movies, video games, and music. But "Natural Born Killers" was thought-provoking. What were those thoughts, exactly? The world of cinema was going to learn as Oliver Stone taught. "Natural Born Killers" satirically portrayed the MTV world by using the MTV style. The fact that a style can be narrowed down to a single station is just as preposterous as using the style against itself. Confused? Well, the point was Stone wasn’t convinced a modern take on “Bonnie and Clyde” (screenplay written by QuentinTarantino) was enough to make it his own. It's a complicated endeavor, to make someone else’s vision your own; but Stone was the man for the job. |
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Jul 22
2010
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Mad Men: The Second Best Drama Series Ever!Posted by humanachiev@aol.com in Sopranos , movie review , Mad Men , dexter , Dan Jones , AMC |
'Mad Men:' The Second Best Drama Series Ever!By: Dan Jones The first is "The Sopranos." There's no discussion needed. We don't need to look back to make sure we haven't forgotten "M*A*S*H," "Star Trek," "Gunsmoke," "Perry Mason," or "Dallas." It isn't necessary to compare "The Sopranos" to anything recent like "The X-Files," "True Blood" or anything else that's come out since "The Sopranos" ended in 2007. Not one television show comes close to "The Sopranos." "Mad Men" is not for everybody, but who cares. "Everybody" doesn't matter. Only "Mad Men" matters up until the last episode airs. Then, you may continue living your life until graced with next season, and that's RIGHT NOW! |
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Jul 16
2010
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“The Fresh 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN”Posted by humanachiev@aol.com in Steve Carell , movie review , Knocked Up , Judd Apatow , Funny People , Dan Jones , comedy , Adam McKay , 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN |
“The Fresh 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN”By: Dan Jones We were in favor of the Judd Apatow POW! to the screen when he produced “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.” It wasn’t yet revealing Apatow’s voice (no writing or directing credit), but one felt the change of comedy. Director Adam McKay (“Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby”) and Apatow weren’t hiding the fact they were fooling around with a bunch of celebrities dressed as 70’s news anchors. We were invited to join the wrap party.
THE CLASSICS for Today (part 2)By: Dan Jones We’ve discovered how to capture life, move the pieces around, and set it to music. The classics can remind us how primitive it was or how “corny” we’ve become; and movies will inevitably, overtime, become “dated.” “Dated” can pertain to the composer being overly forceful, or in the late 60’s, hip. “Corny” moments arise when truth and honesty are completely left out of the picture (literally).
Michigan Movie News
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