Where Are The Wild Things? In a peaceful dream world.

It's a scorching July day, and you and your buddies are playing in the recently installed above ground pool. Super Soakers XP 500s, 200s, and Free Willy rafts are all part of the equation. Mid "Waterworld" reenactment, someone forces you underwater for a little too long. Immediately you feel like you're going to drown. It's not fun anymore, you burst out of the water, dripping wet and storm into his living room and then delete his save games in Golden Eye on N64 (it doesn't matter that he has unlocked the Aztec level).

"Where The Wild Things Are" is a film that captures all these emotions from childhood. From the the joys of simple "play" to the uncertainty and fear of when things go wrong. It is not a perfect film, it has some pacing issues, and it's lack of plot may bother people. However, you'll be hard pressed to find a more visually and emotionally striking film this year.

Technically, the film is as refreshing as Country Time Lemonade served by your mother to calm you down after you delete your buddies video game (yeah it's a big deal). Director Spike Jonze uses special effects to create everything from sea storms, to massive forts, and most importantly the Wild Things themselves. Half puppets, half actors, and with CGI faces, the wild things make the Transformers look like soulless pieces of scrap metal (which I guess they are?).

Yet all these striking visual elements don't mean anything without a good story, and here is where the film semi-falters. The screenwriter David Eggers, is a prize winning novelist, and his script doesn't really have a conventional story line, rather like all of his stories, rides on the strength of the emotions of the characters. This style of story telling leads to an extremely moving story that sometimes slows the pacing of the film. The pace bothers some people, yet I didn't mind it because the pay off is massive.

Without a doubt, there's a lot going on in the film. The Wild Things may fragments of Max's real life or they could be metaphors for human emotions (I like this theory). Either way, Spike Jonze, his creative team, and Max Records, the child actor who is the soul of film together create an enjoyable film. Every element combines to form a film that is not wild at all, but rather, an emotionally experience that is magically peaceful.

Week Ends

Welcome To The Weekend (BOPPPPPPP)<----Punch Noise

Life The Movie: Balloon Boy And The News of Conversation.

He's already got a t-shirt. Yes, it's him, the legendary six year old aerial navigator FALCON, a.k.a. Balloon Boy, but also the actor formerly known as Russell (he lost mad weight) from UP. In a story that will soon fade into the abyss with the Octomom and hopefully (oh god, hopefully) Jon & Kate, Balloon Boy had a great ride (even if it was in the attic).

On twitter yesterday, almost every trending topic was about the boy, and within an hour there were groups popping up all over facebook. With everyone on a computer/phone tracking the story, it became international news faster than you can say FALCON PUNCH! I believe that it wasn't actually news worthy, yet it was news simply because everyone was talking about it. It's like if someone staged the most jaw dropping marriage proposal ever and then everyone talked about it on the Internet and suddenly it had to be CNN, simply cause everyone talked about it. Let me get my Einstein out and break it down for ya.

(Trivial Event Occurs + People Talk About It) x Internet Hype = International News

It's the "news of conversation" and it is here to stay. I only wish that pressing things like wars, healthcare, and the economy where the news of conversation. And by the way, can somebody get Balloon boy in action movie already, I mean look at the kid. FALCON PUNCH

Flight of the Navigator, Yo

Busy day, today, should have some good stuff tomorrow

Now We're Talking: Expendables Trailer!!

THEY PULLED THE TRAILER!!! NOW YOU HAVE TO SETTLE FOR THIS

Expendables- not in the dictionary, which makes sense cause this movie looks so insane, it couldn't even fit in the dictionary! Based off this trailer it contains the following

1. Schwarenegger, Stallone, Statham, Ludgren, Li, Roberts Rourke, Couture, Crews, Willis, and Austin. If you don't know all those names, look them up, it will provide with an explosive morning of adventure.

2. Evil African dudes saying "wjeee weilll kellll dem"

3. Evil Latino dudes saying something about "American Disease," damn lots of people really don't like us.

4. Water boarding, because why the hell not?

5. Jokes about macho men recieving text messages? Really? Stallone? Come on now, this isn't "Stop or my Mom will shoot"

6. Randy the Ram apparently alive and well after "The Wrestler."

7. Jokes about Jet Li's Asian accent (Stallone really got a thing for minority stereotypes)

8. Explosions and in the words of JJ "hot fire."

9. Arterial blood sprays, which is good because we know it will be in the vein of the hilariously/disturbing/dream shattering  Rambo IV.

10. Plenty of grunting, which in action movies is a good thing

Spiderman 4 Poster Hits

Carnage? Yes!!

Hard Rain In Los Angeles (With Musical Links!)

The word on the street is that a hard rain is going to fall in Los Angeles over these next couple of days. And while they were not a favorite part of my high school, let me get a little SAT on your asses  and say that "Rain:Los Angeles" as "Kryptonite:Superman" or "Keeping Identity Secret:Batman," basically people here think that it will end them. It's just a little agua folks, and if the heavens are going to make it rain, then let us enjoy.

Now I realize that I'm being ignorant and that the rain could cause some flash floods and mudslides in some parts of Los Angeles county, but in general the way people freak about a little rain drops falling on their heads is nuts. Yet Los Angeles, I can understand your fear; it's a fear of the unknown. Rain here in LA is rare, so when it occurs people freak out because it's foreign, alien like substance. People are only used to golden rays of sunshine that bronze the skin to that perfect tan, not rain that turns the skin into some amphibian gollum smeagol type creature.

So people of the city, I have seen the rain, both in this coast and on the other one and there is nothing to be afraid of. Don't fear the unknown, your cars will still work, the chocolate cupcake stores will not cease to be open, and we will endure. And just in case you're wondering, I have not seen Hard Rain, but as a wee lil child I recall the trailer being dope as hell, and umm, let's just say some things are cooler when you're younger.

I'm in Texas, now you feeling lucky, uh, wait, wrong movie

Is Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Too Realistic?

Above is the trailer for the upcoming video game "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2," which is without a doubt the most anticipated video game of 2009. The first game "Modern Warfare" has sold over 12 million copies and the sequel which comes out in a month is already in the top ten best selling games on Amazon. So when this new trailer for the game premiered on Monday Night Football, game developer Infinity Ward and publisher Activision expected the hype to continue, yet with the Washington D.C. in flames imagery, there has been a small backlash against the game.

It started with an article in the Christian Science Monitor that stated that the trailer, with battles raging in front of The White House and the Washington Monument charred and damaged could offend Americans in the post 9/11 world. I believe that this is a legitimate concern, in fact I'm glad someone is starting the conversation. The games feature bloody combat in real world locations with villains that while fictional look a very familar. Each detail in the game from the real life weapons, bullet ricocheting sound design, and stunning graphics combine for a wild user controlled war experience.

With the war in Afghanistan back in the headlines (I don't know why it left), and the death toll rising, I feel uncomfortable that our nations conflicts will soon become virtually controlled by millions of gamers from the ages of 8 and up. The issue I take with the new trailer is not with the Washington in flames look (I've seen it before), but rather with the ultra-realistic war simulation that Call of Duty is selling. And while the war on terror in media is not new (god knows I love 24), the concept of actively controlling it with no coffins or consequence is, and more importantly potentially dangerous in the way it can numb us to the horrors of war.

Is This The Next Big Action Hero?

YES

Yesterday it was announced that Adrien Brody will be the lead in Predators. And when I say lead, I mean the one the only, ARNOLD role. Some people are shocked about this, but I tell you what, I like this casting, here is why.

1. Brody is a serious actor. The dude has an Academy Award so he can act, and that's basically all you need. Good actors can play any role. People were shocked when Ledger was cast as the Joker, didn't think he "fit" the part, which ended up nabbing him an Academy Award.

2. Brody lost 16 pounds to shoot "The Pianist" and if he could do that, he can definitely bulk up for the role. I don't know if he is going to have those gigantic biceps like Arnold, but he'll be fine, and if he isn't, those CGI muscles will do the rest.

3. Brody brought the action heat pretty hard in the often forgotten "King Kong."

4. I mean as long as he isn't holding the minigun, I think he'll be fine.

5. His name is more action movie sounding than his co-star in the film who is named, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali.

Life The Movie: Helicopter Bank Robbery

I'm late to the party on this one. But anytime bank robbers rappel from a helicopter, bust through the ceiling, blow open the vault, and then fly away to safety, the party keeps going for a long time. And while I wish I could say the robbers took the money and gave it to the poor, I'm thinking they probably took the money and gave to to themselves so they could go ball out Swedish style. And by Swedish style, I mean sell their story to Hollywood because it's that good.

You can check out all the details here, but basically the thieves stole a helicopter and then hovered over the bank, then with automatic weapons strapped to their back, they rappelled down from the chopper and smashed through the glass structure on the roof. Once they were in the joint, the cunning criminal masterminds set off bombs to get at the vault. Once they got the loot, the stuffed the money stacks into large bags and strapped the bags to their backs and ascended back into the helicopter like criminal angels. But wait, it get's better, any police attempt at following them in the air was dastardly thwarted by placing dummy bombs around the police helicopter hanger, effectively grounding air traffic.  The Sweedes currently have little to no leads.

To this story, I say "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?" I'm very glad that no one got hurt because this story is beyond wild, it's like primate status wild. Sometimes in life, in between the same morning commute and the repetitious schedules something like this occurs to remind that yes, wild wild shit, actually does go down, and boooyah, regardless of what they may tell you, Hollywood style bank heists are real. And while this occurred in Sweden, it certainly is a piece of thislalife.

Weekend Wrap Up: Are Zombies The New Vampires?

So "Zombieland" managed to slaughter the box office this weekend with a juicy 25 million and I'm all sorts of people from Hollywood high rises to nerds in capes in dark dungeons are salivating with the concept that zombies are the new vampires. Cue the "True Brains" HBO series and the young adult abstinence parable novels. I can say with confidence and a small apology that they most definitely are not. Why? It's simple it all comes down sex, life, and death.

The attraction of vampires both in the past (old school B STOKES status) and now has been the simple: live forever and slay for an eternity. It's like the tag line for the classic 80's flick "The Lost Boys" (starring my main meng Jack Bauer).

Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It's fun to be a vampire

The attraction of zombies is basically the thrill of a world without control and all the creative ways survivors can KILL the zombies. There ain't no partying, there isn't any living forever, and depending on your preferences I'm guessing most people are trying to have sex with the zombie Edward Cullen, actually on second thought, I'm sure there are some twilight fans who would.

Have a Ass-Kicking Weekend

Time to Step Up And Make It All The Way Through The Weekend

Zombieland: Pretty Fun (For a Rip-Off)

Zombieland is a funny and exciting film that mixes comedy, romance, just a little bit of human drama, and a shit load of zombies to an entertaining effect. Zombie junkies should be satisfied with the destruction of the undead, but it's not as crazy as you'd hope (click here for crazy). However, it's unfortunate that the movie is kind of a rip off of the book featured on the left. 

Narrated by Michael Cera, oops, I mean Jesse Eisenberg, puts emphasis on the zombie rules of survival, for example rule 23 is the buddy system (here). Yet while these rules are comical they are completely ripped off from "The Zombie Survival Guide" by Max Brooks, yes, that is the son of Mel Brooks. His book was so successful that the sequel "World War Z" is being turned into a movie by notorious zombie slayer Brad Pitt.

While this fact kind of ruined the movie for me, for the casual non-nerd (aka the greater population of the universe) the movie should be a fun, albeit not best picture worthy film. It hits the right plot beats, there are some great kills, and some original laughs. Chances are you probably already know if you're going to see it or not. So go ahead, enjoy it, just know that the writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick could be some real deal literary zombies, feasting on other people's creative blood.

TPG's Truth Drop: Is October A Sleeper Candidate For Best Month Of The Year

Today marks the first day of October, the first of the double digit months, and without a doubt, one of the best months of the calendar year. It is a month where the every aspect of the environment clicks into place for the better and enjoyment of all. It's also a lengthy month (unlike shorter months, I'm looking at you February,) and home to the greatest party of the year, Halloween, aka the Devil's night, aka the night where people get wild.

Yeah the summer months got a long going for them, in a sea of bikinis and fireworks it's hard to compete, but when you stop and think about October your realize that it's basically one giant gift from nature. First, the weather is ideal, there usually isn't any snow or ice to destroy you on your travels, and the temperature is perfect for Jeans and Sweatshirts (sweaters if you roll like that). Second, in some places in the country there is Autumn (featured above) which is basically nature's way of showing you that along with physical power (fires, floods, and it's current fave tsunamis) nature is a well balanced artistic renaissance man. (Answer to the question of why the leaves change color is here for all ye education seekers)

And then let us not forget Halloween, the greatest party holiday of the year. I wrote a piece in college about how Halloween is the only holiday for friends, check it out here. But basically no one gets together with Grandma for it, they get together with their partners in crime, dress up in weird shit and depending on your age either get candy or get drunk. And to top it off, its the only holiday that occurs at the end of the month, so you got a whole month of excitement and prep work (don't act like you haven't thought about your costume, yes I'm talking to you Jay Judah of www.jayjudah.com).

So give it up for October. In a calendar full of J months (January, June, July), October stands alone with an "O" face daring everyone else to match it's pleasant weather and legendary holiday. Enjoy It.

Who is the audience for the Fantastic Mr Fox?

After watching this trailer, it's clear to me that this movie is going to be either incredibly mind expandingly awesome or spitting on Roald Dahls grave terrible. It really makes me wonder who the audience for this film is?

1. Animals- Research has proven that stop motion animation is easier for animals to process, so a stop motion animation movie about animals  will really blow your dog, fish, iguana, or ferret, or South American based caiman away.

2. 20 Something Year Old Bro's Who Like Plants And I Aint Talking about Gardenias

3. 20 Something Year Old Bro's Who Like Plants And I Aint Talking about Gardenias Who Are Now 43 Year Fathers Who Wish They Were 20 Something Year Old Bros....

4. Wes Anderson- Rumors abound say he directed this movie over email, so he might be there opening night. Source here

5. Disciples of Wes Anderson- Dude you haven't seen "The Royal Tennabuams" are you kidding, seriously, best movie ever, wait let me drink my PBR, ahh damn, my chuck Taylors are untied, ahhh never Arcade Fire album leak on pitchfork, ahhhh Life Aquatic, Bill Murray is God, brah. Those types of dudes.

The Ghost And The Darkness Is A Strange Ass Movie, yo

Yeah, that's some dude getting smoked by a gigantic lion. No it's not the bloody out-takes from "Planet Earth," it's a just a picture from the 1996 film "The Ghost and the Darkness." The story deals with an Irish engineer (played by the man who was once Batman: Val Kilmer) and his hunter buddy/prophet/white African friend (Michael Douglas, aka the man who would go on to marry Catherine Zeta Jones). Together they hunt two gigantic lions who are dining on the all you can eat buffet of railroad workers and assorted British nationals posted up in Africa.

This is one of those flicks that I wanted to see as a child, but couldn't convince Dad, or anybody's Dad to take me and my buddies to. Recently, as I usually do, I was debating if a man could kill a lion with his bare hands and someone quaintly replied "Yo that dude in "The Ghost And The Darkness" does it." BOOM, suddenly I had to see it, so I rapidly removed some bullshit movie like Citizen Kane from the top of my netflix que and bumped this movie, the spiritual sequel to "The Lion King" to the top.

But man what a weird flick. There are too many sequences of Lions randomly chowing down on helpless bros in graphic detail. Douglas plays a bizarre hunter who had his his whole tribe killed, but it's strange because he looks like an Australian cowboy from Arizona. Kilmer is pretty badass, his "Irish" accent fades halfway through the movie. And the lions, well damn, they look very real, so real in fact it makes me wonder if people were actually eaten during the production of the film. Obviously that couldn't be real, or could it?

Weekend Wrap Up (All over Roman)

Poor old Roman Polanski, one minute you're living the good life in Europe, jetting off around the continent picking up hardware, then BAMMMM, you're getting arrested for some 31 year criminal charges. And in other news "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs" continued to dominate the box office.

The Roman Polanski thing certainly is a strange one, here is a dude who raped a 13 year old girl way back in the day, and then skipped out of the country when it looked like he have to face the facts and do some time. Now he's become a mega icon in European cinema and some people are losing their minds that he might have to take some responsibility for his actions. Not really gonna weigh in because I don't know all the facts, but the whole thing is a surreal part of thislalife.com

Regarding the box office, it's clear we are in a dead zone of solid flicks. I mean, "The Surrogates" was shot in my home town and I had no desire to see it. It was my chance to see the streets I used to dominate during the capture the flag as a youth on the silver screen and I passed. Oh well, when does "Where The Wild Things Are" come out.

Have a good weekend, go party with some prawns

We're having a Prawn Party yo

Coping With Paranormal Activity

"Paranormal Activity" was so way more scary than I could have ever imagined. It's a simple movie, a couple suspects their house may be haunted so they video tape everything, both what they do in the day and what happens at night. By the end of the movie the entire audience was dreading the night sequences. Straight up terrifying! Here are some of the ways I coped at 2:30 AM last night.

1. On the car ride home I bumped "The Finer Things" by Steve Winwood at max volume

2. Watched every episode of "Glee" even though there was some dude asleep on the couch next to me.

3. Looked at this website which pairs up makes you choose between two kittens. Of course the one you don't choose doesn't get haunted or anything, it just keeps being cute

4. Sought solace in twitter (follow me here) in realizing that I wasn't alone in the fact that I couldn't sleep, people who saw the movie across the whole country were experiencing the same thing

5. During the flick I punched Jay Judah of the legendary www.jayjudah.com over and over again

6. Watched ET but then I realized that ET freaks me out so then I watched Bad Boys II, but I was still damaged, so I just went to sleep and decided to ride this thing out.

Go see it.

Paranormal Activity: Hype Worthy?

 

I might not make it to the screening tonight, I'm a little under the weather, and the line might be massive. What screening? The "Paranormal Activity" screening being held in Los Angeles (and other cities across the country) this evening. Directed by newcomer Oren Peli, the film which has been on the festival circuit for a while now, gets a limited release on Friday. Billed as haunted house thriller in the vein of "The Blair Witch Project," the film has been generating serious buzz from around the film spectrum including nerdy ass bloggers (who me?) and even Steven Spielberg.

There is a chance the film could suck harder the Phillies closer Brad Lidge's performance this season, yet I'm thinking, or you could say, I'm pondering that this movie is going to bring the scary thunder and the lightning for that matter. 

Everyday Heroics: Grandpa The Bank Robber Buster

Every now and then someone just has to step to the plate and deliver with a grand slam. This Grandpa is the perfect example. He recognizes the situation and then acts, and by act, I mean regulating Warren G style. I like to tell myself that I could do what he did in this situation, but I'm not that sure. In my wild world of imagination I'm thinking that ol Gramps here had some combat experience, and by combat experience I think he was an everyday John Matrix

Obama's Next Television Move

Now the he is has tackled both Leno and Letterman, President Obama is now rumored to be turning his media machine to scripted television. Here is what he is thinking.

1. Flash Forward- Unbeknownst to the American public, the commander in chief will have a two episode arc starting tonight. In the episode, he will appear as the President who when he blacks out, sees himself as the only chill brah dude potato farmer in Hawaii.

2. Dancing With The Stars- Barrack shows up, unbuttons his tie, looks into Tom Delay's soul and says "Let's do this." He then proceeds to light the dance floor on fire with the flyest dance moves since "Step Up 2 The Streets."

3. Lost- Warning Lost Language Begins Now: In a parallel time line created when Jughead explodes after Juliet detonates, a young president Obama takes Horace's place as the leader of the Dharma initiative.

4. 24- Extremely upset about the season 7 deaths of Special Agent Larry Moss and legendary villian Dubaku, the leader of the free world appears as Bauer's new partner who promises to not get emotional like that fool Curtis Manning and take care of that pesky turn coat Tony Almeida once and for all.

5. Glee- The President is slated to appear as a new member of the Acafellas.

Weekend Wrap Up

Another weekend passes by and I can report that I did not step in the movie theatre. The fallout from the summer movie season continues. Box office was kind to the 3D God's once again, with "Cloudy With A Chance of Meaaaataballlz" taking that number one spot. As for Jennifer and her body, she didn't do so hot. Some people are saying this is the end of Megan Fox and the demise of "Juno" screenwriter Diablo Cody, and to that I say, blehhhhh, who really cares? I don't want to sound sexist, but let's be honest here folks, Fox is only famous because she is sizzling. She's like the 2007-2010 version of Alicia Silverstone. She'll be gone in no time.

The same shows that I don't watch continued to win awards at the emmys, mainly "30 Rock" and "Mad Men," but I was happy to see my man Michael Emerson, aka Ben Linus pick up some much earned hardware. Yet, after last weeks award show fireworks, I was infuriated that Kanye or one of his doppelgangers didn't storm the stage. I actually bet the producers were hoping something like that would happen, mark my words, something similar will go down at the Oscars. With 10 best pictures nominations, and a new voting system, the Academy really wants to be hip, and there is nothing more hip that having a major star bum rush the stage. You wait and see.

Weekend Video Substitutions

It's not that I'm not interested in Jennifer, or her body even, I'm just not that captivated by it on the silver screen. Why should I pay my hard earned cash to just watch the body on the screen? Let' not kid ourselves, that's why anybody is going to see this film.  After all, isn't it much easier to watch this video? (no idea why it is in Russian):

You guy's wanted Jennifer's Body, there you have it. And now for the rest of the audience who wants Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, here's some dude named BLAZE and he's going to teach you how to make meatballs, you can supply the clouds, the story, and the 3D.

As for the other releases this weekend, "Love Happens" and "The Informant," well just say I just "informed" you about Megan Fox and Meatballs so if you could cook those meatballs for Megan Fox then maybe "Love would happen." Have a good weekend folks.