It has been a wee while since I’ve blogged here. It’s not because I’ve forgotten about my love or passion for movies but primarily because I’ve taken on more freelance work in a different field and I’ve had to focus energies elsewhere. But rest assured, I am back with a vengeance now and a whole stack of movies ready for review and for publishing (for your reading pleasure).

Some of the dvds/movies I’m expecting to review in the next few months:

• Fan Boys
• The Crazies
• Daybreakers
• Love Hurts
• Napoleon
• In the Electric Mist
• Haeundae
• System of a Down: Screamers (Documentary)
• Blade of the Immortal Vol 1 (Anime)

I’m also planning to start blogging every now and then on the Voxy website where I used to blog last year about all things pop culture related, in particular movies and video games. So be sure to check me out there as well should you get more than your fill here at PCR

Thanks for reading and I’ll be back very soon.

- Julie

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I <3 Zombies, I cannot lie. So when I was asked if I was interested in reviewing ‘Zombieland’ for blu-ray, it was a no-brainer! Who am I to deny the coolness of zombies and Woody Harrelson as the gun-toting zombie-killer from Tallahassee?

Zombieland is a very funny take on how to survive if the entire planet (or in this case, country) had become overrun by zombies. With Jesse Eisenberg as the narrator and ‘WoW playing nerd-cum-zombie survivor’ “Columbus”, Zombieland is a survival of the fittest (or craziest, take your pick) journey of four strangers trying to survive, with often hilarious results. It all starts with rules – there are rules to surviving the zombie holocaust and Columbus has them all figured out. If you follow these rules to the letter, you’re bound to survive… or at least live a little longer.

After meeting up with zombie-killing bad-ass ‘Tallahassee’, Columbus realises that there are times when rules don’t apply and survival really is all about who gets the best ‘Zombie Kill of the Week’. After falling victim to a cleverly orchestrated scam by two sisters named ‘Wichita’ and ‘Little Rock’, Tallahassee and Columbus find themselves without transport and weapons until as luck would have it, they run into the same girls again and again, they are made to feel like chumps and are taken hostage. After a few disagreements and exchanges, it is tentatively decided that the group must stick together to survive (well, as far as the girls are willing to go, that is).

Zombieland is an extremely entertaining ride wrapped up with some very smart humour and great dialogue. Admittedly, the best parts of the movie are all about blowing zombies away but hey, that’s what you kind of expect in a zombie movie with Woody Harrelson at the helm. Jesse Eisenberg brings some ‘nerd-lovin’ to the table, as only he can and proves to be one of the least obvious leading men in an action movie I’ve ever seen.

The blu-ray disk comes with additional features which are pretty interesting including how the crew reacted to creating Zombieland and how first-time director Ruben Fleischer envisioned the creation of Zombieland.

<3 Thanks to Danny at Metroexp PR for the review disk.

Zombieland is not due out until the 19th of May but it’s zombie-tastic!

Crazy Heart heralds the return of Jeff Bridges. Not that he hasn’t already produced fine work prior to this (his creepy and way too convincing psycho-killer Barney in ‘The Vanishing’ springs to mind). In Crazy Heart however, Jeff Bridges takes control of the role with the ease of a seasoned pro and nails it 110 percent.

And don’t be put off by the fact that Crazy Heart is a movie about a country/western singer. Although Crazy Heart is about music (you can’t really have the man without the music since Jeff Bridges protrays a musician afterall), it’s also the story of a man with nothing left to live for, down and out and looking at life through a whisky bottle. All is not lost however, when his character Bad Blake meets the younger and charming local reporter Jean (portrayed wonderfully by Maggie Gyllenhaal) in Sante Fe while on the road. Bad Blake and Jean begin a relationship and it seems things might be finally looking up for the aging musician. But life has other plans for Bad and throws him a bit of a curve ball that lands pretty much right in his face.

You don’t have to be a fan of country/western music to appreciate the struggle of a man who has nothing left to live for but eventually finds himself renewed through the love of a good woman and the revival of his musical talent. Jeff Bridges is Bad Blake and represents the life and soul of so many musicians who find that life has somehow passed them by. And when all the glamour and fame finally wears off and the well of creativity runs dry, what do you live for? This is the story of Crazy Heart. I highly recommend this to fans of Jeff Bridges and to anyone who enjoys a well dramatised and well scripted movie about life, love and music.

A new day dawns and so the vampire creeps, creeps, creeps its way slowly back into the shadowy depths of mythology. Or does it? Has Hollywood had its fill of blood-letting and bloodlust? Do we finally bid farewell to Edward Cullen, Angel, Eli and Bill Compton? Or does the vampire continue to dig its nails into the everlasting flesh of Hollywood, holding it in its eternal embrace.

With Daybreakers just released in the US (doesn’t arrive on NZ shores until March this year), it’s possible we’re about to see a huge decline in vampire related movies/books/tv shows and the like. Obviously True Blood has found its niche and with current trends aside, will probably continue for a few seasons yet, given its popularity. Other than the continuance of the Twilight movies this year (Eclipse releases in New Zealand in July), it seems the vampire may have had its time in the limelight. Perhaps Hollywood really has had its fill of vampires. Let’s take a quick recap over the last few years and look at just how popular the vampire has been in the entertainment medium:

1. Twilight (books and movies) – based on the books by Stephanie Meyer. Made vampires look hip again and even trendy caus’ they mention google
2. Let the Right One In (movie based on the novel) – back to more traditional roots, you can’t deny the understated creepiness and allure of Eli, the 12 year old vampire that befriends a lonely boy on a swing. Just awesome.
3. True Blood – bringing the vampire wayyy down south made this TV show with its raunchy and sexy appeal something to really sink your teeth into. Also based on books and starring New Zealand starlet Anna Paquin in the lead role.
4. The Vampire Diaries – also based on books and started a little bit of controversy when it was revealed by the author’s legal representation that Stephanie Meyer allegedly plagiarised parts of the book to create her own. Wow, vampire politics even!
5. Daybreakers - features Ethan Hawke as a cool looking vampire dude who befriends a group of humans. Kinda weird when you think about a world populated by vampires where humans are the endangered species.
6. The Vampire’s Assistant – apparently we didn’t get enough of the teenage vampire running amok with Twilight. The Vampire’s Assistant does however feature some other freaky looking people like Salma Hayek with a beard!
7. The Underworld trilogy – started off so very well with Kate Beckinsale bringing sexy back to the vampire that fights werewolves. So much promise with this story but not too sure what happened along the way. Even the brilliant Michael Sheen couldn’t save this vampire story from the harsh critics of hollywood.

So if Vampires have had their day (or is that night?), what -  if anything, could replace them? We’ve got Wolfman with Benecio Del Toro and Emily Blunt clawing its way to theatres soon but I doubt that’s going to spawn a million and one stories/books/movies about werewolves. And without the vampire in hollywood, things just wouldn’t really be the same. Or would they? I guess only time will tell but one thing’s for sure, the vampire has had one hell of a ride over the last few years. Maybe it’s time the vampire got some of that eternal rest we keep reading about… you know, until hollywood needs to feel its cold, vice-like grip on its throat once again.

Kiwi actors Lucy Lawless and Craig Parker will be appearing in the upcoming Starz TV series ‘Spartacus: Blood and Sand’ which looks extremely kick ass, I might add. With executive producer Sam Raimi behind the scenes, I have a good feeling about the show. Checking out the trailer gives me a distinctly ‘300′-cum-’Gladiator’ type feel about it with the grittiness of ‘Rome’. And of course, anything that showcases homegrown talent such as Lucy Lawless and Craig Parker deserves support from me You can visit the official Starz website here.

Check out the trailer:

If you’ve never heard of the artist Francisco Goya you’re not alone. Goya’s Ghosts is directed by Milos Forman and stars the wonderful Skellan Skarsgard as Goya, Natalie Portman as his muse Ines and Javier Bardem as the manipulative and corrupted Father Lorenzo. It’s a movie told from Goya’s perspective and portrays Goya as a lonely but talented artist who falls victim to the injustices of the time at the hands of men who commit horrendous acts in the name of religion.

Goya’s Ghosts produces a solid cast including stellar performances from Bardem, Skarsgard and Portman who work magnificently together onscreen. It’s a touching story of a talented artist living in a tumultuous time who struggles to come to grips with the loss of his hearing and a world corrupted by religious tyrants and tragic women.

It’s nice to see Natalie Portman in another period piece after seeing her brilliant performance in The Other Boleyn Girl aside Scarlett Johansson and Eric Bana. I was also impressed with Javier Bardem’s portrayal of the deceitful Father Lorenzo – he seems almost too sincere in his corruptive nature.

[starreview tpl=16]

Shame on the New York Times blogger who made a few callous comments about the state of Michael C. Hall’s headwear at the Golden Globes. Michael C. Hall who won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a TV drama series (Dexter) wore the beanie to cover his hair loss due to battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma and is now in remission. The New York Times blogger issued an apology via twitter stating:

So sorry that Michael C. Hall has had cancer. Thanks for clarifying why he is wearing a knitted skull cap.

It just goes to show that no matter who you are always be respectful, especially when you’re flinging crap via twitter to the entire world…

I’m looking forward to seeing Crazy Heart. I get to see this next week and it looks very good. I haven’t seen Jeff Bridges in a prominent movie role in quite some time so I’m very excited, especially since Mr. Bridges just bagged the Golden Globe for his performance in this.

And even though I’m not really a country/western music fan, I’m pretty fond of the title song “Weary Heart” (which coincidentally, also won the second golden globe this movie received for Best Original Song).

Here’s the official website if you want to check it out http://www.crazyheartmovie.com/

And the trailer:

For some, climbing a mountain that you know in your heart of hearts will most probably kill you is a passion and for a few, an obsession. There’s something deep and primal about man going up against nature but you kinda expect that the outcome will rarely be a positive one. Thus is the case for our adventurous mountain climbers from Germany and North Face is their story.

From a purely cinematic point of view, North Face is photographed beautifully. I’ve never been to Germany so I’ve never seen the Eiger Mountain but in this movie and from a distance, it really is beautiful and uncompromising and doesn’t look in the least bit threatening. For climbers Toni Kurz and Andreas Hinterstoisser, the challenge to face Eiger is overwhelming and cannot be ignored. After leaving the Fuhrer’s army to climb their mountain and make history as the first to do so, things start to really decline at a rapid pace.

Again, this is another movie supposedly based on the true story of the climbers who faced their most terrifying challenge ever only to succumb to a plague of bad luck, poor preparation and bad timing. Mother Nature it seems, is a more than formidable opponent and is captured in all her glorious fury as she unleashes her wrath upon the climbers. As they ascend the “Murder Wall”, the locals’ nickname for Eiger, step by painstaking step the climbers realise they are slowly losing their grip on their dream, their hopes and eventually each other.

North Face is similar to “Touching the Void” in the sense that it truly captures the essence of Man vs. Nature and the struggle of two friends with a dream to climb one of the most dangerous mountains in the world.

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I enjoy stories about the underdog taking back what’s his or hers or theirs, in this case. The underdog in Stone of Destiny appears to be Scotland who as a nation in the 1950s, seem to be overwhelmed by the injustices of past historic deeds. Although most of these injustices seem to point at a severe case of identity crisis. Enter Charlie Cox and his small band of freedom fighters (Billy Boyd, Robert Carlyle and Kate Mara) who believe that something must be done and come up with the outrageous idea to take back the ‘Stone of Destiny’. The only problem with this is that the stone is now housed in Westminster Abbey under heavy guard and is next to impossible to access. That’s no problem for our wily band of freedom fighters though, because they’ve got a plan!

So goes the story of the Stone of Destiny as portrayed in the movie which is mildly entertaining and if nothing else, a nice wee yarn. Based on the book of the same name (and for the most part, based on a true story), Stone of Destiny is a solidly made movie about the pride and dignity of the scottish people captured and symbolised by a sacred relic. Although there are many rumours surrounding the Stone of Destiny which include it’s origin and subsequent copying of the original stone (circa 1950), Stone of Destiny avoids getting bogged down in particulars and as a result, comes together just swimmingly.

Robert Carlyle makes an appearance as a politician backing the young rogues on their quest. Charlie Cox (from Stardust) is enthusiastic and energetic as the enigmatic leader, Ian Hamilton. Good for the family, nice for a look if you’re into underdog stories or just curious about what the hell the Stone of Destiny is all about.

[starreview tpl=16]