When the Moon is Full the Legend Comes to Life

It’s time to revisit a horror movie legend in Joe Johnston’s remake of The Wolfman.

First thing I want to get out of the way is the fact that nothing will ever top the original, with that said there are positive points about the remake but also some gleaming flaws that some people might not be able to overlook.

The movie’s main character, Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro), is a stage actor who, as a child, was sent away to an insane asylum after his mother’s death. While in America he is visited by his brother’s fiancée, Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt), who informs him that his brother has gone missing.

Talbot then returns home to his father’s estate in the English countryside to only learn his brother’s body was found and he had been mauled to death. Talbot then sets out to find his brother’s killer. What he discovers is a true horror lurking in the countryside and his own destiny.

The story is not Oscar winning, but its fun, there I said it. Just go with it and don’t try to over analyze every little thing.

The greatest thing the movie has going for it is its look. The film has a very gothic look and it works well. I loved everything from the sets to the outdoor scenes, because they were all filmed on location in England. After watching Avatar and Alice in Wonderland it’s refreshing to actually see real sets and real environments and not just images that were created in a computer.

CGI is used in the film, but it’s only used to enhance certain areas of the movie but it never takes the lead. I couldn’t believe that CGI was actually being used as a tool, the main reason it was invented!

What really impressed me were the makeup effects. Rick Baker, you might know him for his effects in American Werewolf in London, really out did himself. I was really disappointed that he wasn’t able to do a full animatronics transformation scene. The film does go with CGI for the transformations, which weren’t my favorite but they were at least done well.

Now, for the characters, Del Toro does a great job. He is able to pull it off and I can’t see how they could’ve cast anyone else but him. Anthony Hopkins who plays Del Toro’s father is also good, but he just seemed like Anthony Hopkins most of the time. Emily Blunt does a good job playing the love interest and Hugo Weaving, well; he’s Hugo Weaving which isn’t a bad thing.

Yes, the movie’s flaws would be around some of the pacing, it might feel slow to some people. The story could’ve been better, but for what it is it seems just fine to me. The movie does go into the realm of camp and also looses some focus with some questionable editing.

Yet, even with those problems I had fun watching The Wolfman. I found it to be more entertaining then Alice in Wonderland and what I don’t understand is how critics can gush over Avatar's story, which is clearly a rip off from other films, but rip this one in half.

It’s not a perfect movie but its fun. Just don’t go into it thinking it’s going to be the greatest film ever and just enjoy for what it is – a monster movie.

B

Cameras Ready to Roll

By James Drzewiecki
Staff Writer

BRISTOL — Local filmmaker Ryan Casey is about to shoot his feature length film and is asking for help. “As you may know, I will be making my first feature-length film, starting this week,” Casey said. “It is entitled ‘American Jubilee.’ It’s a comedy with existential elements — similar to ‘Little Miss Sunshine,’ ‘The Royal Tennenbaums,’ ‘Everyone Says I Love You,’ etc. — which I wrote and will direct.”

He plans to start shooting this Saturday in New Haven and will also shoot in Bristol.

“It’s very important that we continue to make films here in Connecticut. It benefits the local economy and nurtures local-area arts and culture,” Casey said.

Casey will be using this film for his independent study class at the University of Hartford, where he is finishing work on his master’s degree in communication.

“I’m 70 percent through the graduate program with a GPA of 3.90,” Casey said.

He also plans to enter the work in film festivals nationwide as he continues to move his career as a filmmaker forward.

Casey is asking for donations from the public to help him make his movie.

“All donations go toward feeding our hard-working cast and crew, purchasing props and buying exciting things like insurance,” Casey said.

People who wish to donate can do so through PayPal at his website,www.ajmovie.com. Once on that site click on the donate button at the bottom of the page.

For those of you who don’t want to give your credit card number online you can send a check directly to Ryan Casey. To find out where to send the check, e-mail him atRyan@ajmovie.com for more information.

Those who donate to the film will have their name appear in the thank-you section of the film’s credits.
“Any amount whatsoever helps,” Casey said. “Also, because I’m also using this film toward attaining my graduate degree, in effect, you are contributing to an educational endeavor. So, this might be a tax write-off, though, I would check with your accountant first.”
The film begins shooting after an eight-month pre-production process.
“We have a crew of about 20 local artists and craftspeople and a cast of 14,” Casey said. “Mayor Ward and his team, and also, Police Chief Divenere, and Bristol Chamber’s Mike Nicastro also have been helpful at facilitation of the filming in Bristol. Nicastro did everything he could to make sure the film was shot here.”
American Jubilee will be done shooting Sept. 1, and they are looking at a Feb. 1, 2011, release date.
Casey also wrote and directed “Crushing Pennies,” which was released in 2009. His first film was “The Icon of 2nd Street,” which starred Connecticut native Troy Farrand.

Top 10 'Lost' Moments

*SPOILER WARNING*

10. The Incident: Man In Black talks to Jacob: After seasons of mystery surrounding the islands mysterious leader, Jacob, we’re finally introduced to him and his arch-nemesis. I like the scene because it really setup Jacob’s and MIB’s relationship. In this short scene we learn what their motivations are, which begins an interesting conflict.

9. Through the Looking Glass: Jack's flash forward: During the first three seasons the stories of the lostaways before the island were told through a series of flashbacks. That all ended in the season finale of season three where we actually get a flash forward and learn that Jack, Kate and maybe others had made it off the island. This is one of the biggest jaw-dropping moments of the series.

8. Live Together, Die Alone: We're the "good guys": Ben Linus is simply one of the best characters on Lost, but before we knew him as Ben his name was Henry Gale. Throughout season 2 Henry was being held prisoner in the Dharma hatch named The Swan, that the lostaways had taken over. He was basically the Trojan horse for the others. At the end of season 2 we learn that he is in fact the leader and this scene he also claims to be the “good guys".

7. The End: Anti-Locke vs. Jack: The best showdown in the series was between Anti-Locke (the MIB in Locke’s body) and Jack. At this point of the episode, Desmond has uncorked the island (yes, the island has a cork that holds back evil) and it’s falling into the ocean. Yet, the before un-killable Anti-Locke has now become vulnerable since the island as been uncorked and Jack is looking to finish him off once and for all.

6. The Man Behind the Curtain: Ben wipes out Dharma: In this episode we see Ben, well become Ben. One of the most haunting scene’s in Lost history, it shows how Ben will stop at nothing to protect the island.

5. Deus Ex Machina: Locke struggles with faith: The first season had a lot of powerful scenes but the ones that I found the most rewarding where the ones that involved John Locke. In this scene we see that Locke has become victim of a con, a con that his own father orchestrated. It’s such a powerful scene because here is a man that has lost so much in his life and loosing his faith only to gain it back is beautiful.

4. Orientation: John and Jack argue about the button: Locke and Jack have always had confrontations, because John is a man of faith and Jack is a man of science. In this scene wee see Locke desperately wanting Jack to believe and to have him push a button to save the world in a hatch Locke discovered in the first season. John admits that it has never been easy to have faith and pushing the button is a leap of faith. The performances given in this scenes are very powerful and my favorite Jack and Locke scene.

3. Through the Looking Glass: Charlie's Death: Charlie’s death is probably the most talked about death scene in Lost. This scene is very sad, we loose one very likable and important character, but it’s also beautiful because he sacrifices himself to save the other lostaways.

2. Pilot: Jack wakes up in the jungle and the plane wreckage: The scene that started it all; the scene that hooked us and kept us all the way until the end.

1. Walkabout: John Locke Walks: The best scene in the entire series. We knew very little about Locke before this episode and when the scene came where we learn Locke was in a wheelchair before the island, my mind was blown. This is the scene that made me a die hard Lost fan.

'Lost' Earns 12 Emmy Nominations (List Below)

Outstanding Comedy Series

"Curb Your Enthusiasm" (2000)

"Glee" (2009)

"Modern Family" (2009)

"Nurse Jackie" (2009)

"The Office" (2005)

"30 Rock" (2006)

Outstanding Drama Series

"Breaking Bad" (2008)

"Dexter" (2006)

"The Good Wife" (2009)

"Lost" (2004)

"Mad Men" (2007)

"True Blood" (2008)

Outstanding Made for Television Movie

Endgame (2009/I)

Georgia O'Keeffe (2009) (TV)

Moonshot (2009) (TV)

The Special Relationship (2010) (TV)

Temple Grandin (2010) (TV)

You Don't Know Jack (2010) (TV)

Outstanding Miniseries

"The Pacific" (2010)

"Return to Cranford" (2007)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Alec Baldwin for "30 Rock" (2006)

Steve Carell for "The Office" (2005)

Larry David for "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (2000)

Matthew Morrison for "Glee" (2009)

Jim Parsons for "The Big Bang Theory" (2007)

Tony Shalhoub for "Monk" (2002)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Kyle Chandler for "Friday Night Lights" (2006)

Bryan Cranston for "Breaking Bad" (2008)

Matthew Fox for "Lost" (2004)

Michael C. Hall for "Dexter" (2006)

Jon Hamm for "Mad Men" (2007)

Hugh Laurie for "House M.D." (2004)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

Jeff Bridges for A Dog Year (2009)

Ian McKellen for "The Prisoner" (2009)

Al Pacino for You Don't Know Jack (2010) (TV)

Dennis Quaid for The Special Relationship (2010) (TV)

Michael Sheen for The Special Relationship (2010) (TV)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Toni Collette for "United States of Tara" (2009)

Edie Falco for "Nurse Jackie" (2009)

Tina Fey for "30 Rock" (2006)

Julia Louis-Dreyfus for "The New Adventures of Old Christine" (2006)

Lea Michele for "Glee" (2009)

Amy Poehler for "Parks and Recreation" (2009)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Connie Britton for "Friday Night Lights" (2006)

Glenn Close for "Damages" (2007)

Mariska Hargitay for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999)

January Jones for "Mad Men" (2007)

Julianna Margulies for "The Good Wife" (2009)

Kyra Sedgwick for "The Closer" (2005)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

Joan Allen for Georgia O'Keeffe (2009) (TV)

Claire Danes for Temple Grandin (2010) (TV)

Hope Davis for The Special Relationship (2010) (TV)

Judi Dench for "Return to Cranford" (2007)

Maggie Smith for Capturing Mary (2007) (TV)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Ty Burrell for "Modern Family" (2009)

Chris Colfer for "Glee" (2009)

Jon Cryer for "Two and a Half Men" (2003)

Jesse Tyler Ferguson for "Modern Family" (2009)

Neil Patrick Harris for "How I Met Your Mother" (2005)

Eric Stonestreet for "Modern Family" (2009)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Andre Braugher for "Men of a Certain Age" (2009)

Michael Emerson for "Lost" (2004)

Terry O'Quinn for "Lost" (2004)

Aaron Paul for "Breaking Bad" (2008)

Martin Short for "Damages" (2007)

John Slattery for "Mad Men" (2007)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

Michael Gambon for "Emma" (2009)

John Goodman for You Don't Know Jack (2010) (TV)

Jonathan Pryce for "Return to Cranford" (2007)

Patrick Stewart for Hamlet (2009) (TV)

David Strathairn for Temple Grandin (2010) (TV)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Julie Bowen for "Modern Family" (2009)

Jane Krakowski for "30 Rock" (2006)

Jane Lynch for "Glee" (2009)

Holland Taylor for "Two and a Half Men" (2003)

Sofía Vergara for "Modern Family" (2009)

Kristen Wiig for "Saturday Night Live" (1975)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Christine Baranski for "The Good Wife" (2009)

Rose Byrne for "Damages" (2007)

Sharon Gless for "Burn Notice" (2007)

Christina Hendricks for "Mad Men" (2007)

Elisabeth Moss for "Mad Men" (2007)

Archie Panjabi for "The Good Wife" (2009)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

Kathy Bates for "Alice" (2009)

Catherine O'Hara for Temple Grandin (2010) (TV)

Julia Ormond for Temple Grandin (2010) (TV)

Susan Sarandon for You Don't Know Jack (2010) (TV)

Brenda Vaccaro for You Don't Know Jack (2010) (TV)

Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Series

"The Colbert Report" (2005)

"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" (1996)

"Real Time with Bill Maher" (2003)

"Saturday Night Live" (1975)

"The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" (2009)

Outstanding Reality Competition Program

"The Amazing Race" (2001)

"American Idol" (2002)

"Dancing with the Stars" (2005/I)

"Project Runway" (2005)

"Top Chef" (2006)

Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality - Competition Program

Tom Bergeron for "Dancing with the Stars" (2005/I)

Phil Keoghan for "The Amazing Race" (2001)

Heidi Klum for "Project Runway" (2005)

Jeff Probst for "Survivor" (2000)

Ryan Seacrest for "American Idol" (2002)

Outstanding Reality Program

"Antiques Roadshow" (1997)

"Dirty Jobs" (2005)

"Food Revolution" (2010)

"Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List" (2005)

"MythBusters" (2003)

"Undercover Boss" (2010)

Sneak Peek At Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Alice Returns to Wonderland

When it was announced that Tim Burton was directing the live-action Alice in Wonderland, it seemed like a match made in heaven. Well, after viewing Alice’s new journey I wouldn’t say it was a perfect match, but it had its moments.

The story remains some what the same. It’s not really a full fledged retelling as it is a re-imagining. I like to look at it as a sequel, because technically it is.

The film has an adult Alice, who is being forced into a life she doesn’t want and to escape this she chases the white rabbit down the infamous rabbit hole. She ends up back in Wonderland, oh wait I’m sorry it’s actually called “Underland”, and finds herself in the world she used to dream of as a child. We soon learn that Alice is the chosen one to defeat the Jabberwocky, a dragon of sorts, and restore the throne to the pure White Queen (Enough with “The Chosen One” storylines).

The story has a lot of similarities, in my opinion, to the mini-series Tin Man. If you haven’t seen that, it was about an older Dorothy returning to the Land of Oz to defeat the Wicked Witch once again. You can argue that they’re completely different, but for me they felt very similar.

There are things I liked about Alice in Wonderland, but it’s not a perfect movie by any means and has some real problems.

The first thing I want to talk about is the story. The story, for me, is the most important aspect of any movie. If you don’t have a good story then how are you expecting the audience to get emotionally involved?

In Burton’s Alice, he gets rid of the book’s narrative and a lot of its heart and swaps it with visuals. Why? I didn’t really like the visuals; I thought it all looked too cartoony. I would be able to bare it if the visuals had Burton’s personality in them, but they didn’t. I think I saw Tim Burton shine through twice in this movie and everything else felt nothing like him.

The CGI world just annoys me. It’s just like Avatar, these computer created worlds don’t have the same human feeling as actual sets and locations and these films SUFFER because of it. I want this overuse of CGI to stop, I don’t care about 3D, I don’t care that each blade of grass took a team of animator’s months to create; I just want a good story, with REAL sets. All these CGI worlds are a waste of time and money.

The Positive things about this movie are in its performances. Mia Wasikowska was very believable as an older Alice and did everything well, even in scenes that felt rushed and lacking any real emotion (the ending battle scene).

The beginning when Alice was in the real world, I thought it was very well shot and done. I thought those were the most magical moments of the movie, because it was real and I felt connected to what was going on. Then we get into the fake looking Wonderland and that connection you had begins to break.

Johnny Depp reminded me as Jack Sparrow, the way he moved and talked was all Sparrow, but it works. For people who were looking for something completely different from Depp might be let down, but he was a decent Hatter. But why does The Mad Hatter have such a huge role? Why is he the character in the center of the DVD? It’s not The Hatter in Wonderland, its Alice in Wonderland and Alice gets pushed to the side on the DVD and blu-ray covers.

The Blue Caterpillar was awesome and really the only CGI created character I liked. He told you exactly how he feels, which made for some great moments with him and Alice.

Going back to the scenes that felt rushed, everything moved fast, which sucked because once we got to the ending I didn’t really feel connected to the characters. I didn’t feel the characters really had that much enthusiasm in saving Wonderland aka Underland, it felt like they were just doing it, because they had to.

The movie has some flaws, but for kids it will be fun. For those of you who are looking for a very unconventional Tim Burton film are going to be very disappointed. This film is very conventional.

C+

A lot to look forward to with sport games

E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, one of the biggest video game shows of the year, has displayed this year’s upcoming sports games.
There are a lot of new sports titles making their way to store shelves this year, most of them are continuations of franchises we all know and love. So, nothing that original this year, but is that a bad thing? Did anyone even play the original football game Backbreaker?
Electronic Arts, one of the biggest names in the sport gaming world, showed off their new installments in their popular franchises. They had Madden NFL 11, that will be coming out for PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and PSP, EA Sports Active 2.0, which will be a Wii only title, EA Sports MMA for the PS3 and Xbox 360, NCAA Football 11 for the PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 for Xbox 360, Wii and PS3, NHL 11 for Xbox 360 and PS3, FIFA Soccer 11 for the DS, PS3, PSP, Xbox 360 and Wii and the very anticipated NBA Jam, which will be a Wii exclusive.
Out of all those games I’m really excited for NBA Jam. I was a huge fan of the game on the Sega Genesis, it claimed many hours of my childhood. I just hope it can recapture all the things that made that original game so great.

The next game studio is Ubisoft. They showed off one sport game this year and that was Shaun White Skateboarding. This game will come out for the Xbox 360, PC, Wii and PS3. I know a lot of people disliked Shaun White Snowboarding, but I bought it for the Xbox 360 and I actually liked it. Yeah, I know the game lacked in many areas, but it was fun. SO, I’m actually interested in seeing how this skateboarding game plays.
Sony Computer Entertainment is next on the list. The three games they had were Sports Champions for the PS3, The Fight: Lights Out for the PS3 and Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip for the PSP. All these games look interesting.
UFC has been brought back this year by THQ with UFC Undisputed 2010, which is a good game. I’m not going to say that UFC Undisputed 2010 is a great game because it gets repetitive. Yet, it’s not a bad game and UFC fans will really enjoy it. THQ also had WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011, which will come out for the Xbox 360, DS, PS2, PS3, Wii, PC and PSP. They are also coming out with WWE SmackDown vs. Raw Online for the PC.
It’s going to be interesting when EA Sports releases EA Sports MMA to go up against UFC Undisputed. I wonder which one is going to be better and which one is going to sell more copies.
Konami is next on the list and they have three games. First up is Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring that is coming out for PS3 Xbox 360, Wii, DSiWare and PSP. Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 is getting an iPhone game and their last game is The Cage: Pro Style Battling Practice, a Wii exclusive.
Konami has some interesting titles, but why are they so long? Who is going to remember Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring? That’s a long title; couldn’t they just call it Lucha Libre AAA? What would have been wrong with that title?
Now 2K Sports is going to have NBA 2K11. That’s the game that will have Michael Jordan on the cover. I know that everyone is excited about this and they should be, but my question is who is going to put on the cover of NBA 2K12 that can top Michael Jordan? Oh, no one thought about that! Next years cover is already a disappointment.
A lot to look forward to this year.