Episode 33: Terminator Salvation

Hello there and welcome to the 33rd episode of the Cinema Cafe Podcast: the new weekly film podcast by the fans, for the fans. Each week we will review new movies releases, dvd reviews, talk some film news and share our general love for all things cinema. The main goal is to have some fun and hopefully provide the listener with some helpful insight. This week we have a treat: a look at 1 movie that has been recently released, as well as a quick look at a few other films. With that said here's a look at what we discuss on this weeks podcast:

* Terminator Salvation
* A quick look at the 2009 Zac Efron turning into Matthew Perry (poor bastard) second chance movie in 17 Again, and of 2008's "this came out, what the hell is this" movie, Killshot.
* DVD Review of the 2008 Tom Cruise eye-patch wearing based on a WW2 true story to bring down Hitler, Valkyrie.
* Upcoming movie releases for the weekend of 5.29.09

Also, film news and more, only on the Cinema Cafe Podcast. We hope you enjoy and happy movie watching.

We're now on Itunes so head there and subscribe to the Cinema Cafe Podcast. Thanks!

Angels & Demons movie review

This 2009 thriller is adapted from the book of the same name by Dan Brown and is the sequel to the 2006 film Da Vinci Code, even though the book is a prequel. Confused yet? Better off not thinking about things too deeply. Directed by Ron “Richie Cunninghan” Howard and stars Tom Hanks reprising his role as Harvard symbologist Robert Langdom who is called on by the Vatican in order to uncover a conspiracy surrounding the kidnapping of four cardinals as well as the theft of an experimental antimatter device that could lead to the very destruction of Vatican city. Langdom discovers that the clues lead to the Illuminati, a secret organization that was persecuted by the Vatican hundreds of years ago and now is looking for revenge by seeking to kill off the kidnapped cardinals and activate the antimatter device. Can Langdom as well as Vittoria Vetra (the scientist who helped build the antimatter device) stop the Illuminati and save the very basis of Catholicism.

I wasn’t too excited to see this film. I really thought Da Vinci Code was quite boring and a new Dan Brown film well, didn’t leave my heart all a flutter. So when we sat down at the theater I had very low expectations. But yeah, it exceeded such low expectations. It’s a lot better than the first movie, but that’s really not saying much, but while an interesting premise with some fantastic execution by Ron Howard, I didn’t find the film all that enjoyable.

The main problem I had with Da Vinci Code is the same problem I had with Angels and Demons. Basically it’s a bunch of characters standing around while Langdom explains everything that’s going on in the film for the viewers that aren’t paying attention and then he goes on for 10 minutes about how all the clues lead to other clues. I mean we get visual cues on the clues and then Langdom repeats what we just saw. Also I know this is a mystery, but the only one figuring out anything is Langdom and everyone just stands around waiting for him to figure things out.

How about the acting? Tom Hanks as Robert Langdom is much better in this film, perhaps because he got rid of the mullet he had in the Da Vinci Code. Ayelet Zurer of Minich and Vantage Point fame plays Vittoria Vetra and she’s quite beautiful even if her character is completely waste din the film. All I’ll say is that she follows Langdom for one purpose and by the end she never even accomplishes anything. She’s not even a romantic lead or a foil for Langdom so I don’t get why her character was even part of the story. Ewan McGregor plays Camerlengo Patrick McKenna, the main clergyman that everything seemingly revolves around. He’s quite good here, even though he’s not given much to do. You know as I’m talking about this, every character in this film is ancillary besides Langdom. It’s like the world revolves around him. He’s fighting for god, but I wonder if he in fact is god.

Like I said before, Angels and Demons is much better than Da Vinci Code. The story is tighter, and the movie got very intense, very thrilling as times, as the characters weave themselves through a historical mystery than had my nerd heart pounding with talk surrounding the intellegcia, Galileo true beliefs and Bernini sculptures. God I love that kind of stuff. So I give this a very mild dvd/matinee rating. You could do a lot worse than this film, god knows I have recently and while not wholly a great watch its always interesting.

What I Think Of: Fanboys (2009)

This story about a group of friends that try to sneak into Skywalker Ranch in order to get a early peek at Star Wars Phantom Menace before their friend passes away from cancer, has as much an odd journey of being released as its premise that people want to see a movie about characters trying to see an early copy of a movie that came out a decade ago. Weinstein Co edited a new print of Fanboys without the cancer subplot, but eventually the filmmakers won and kept it in, then it was supposed to released back in 2007, and yada yada yada, its finally nice to see this film get a release even if its not entirely a successful watch. You really have to love Star Wars and really have to understand the ins and outs of fandom to get a full appreaciation for this movie, but with that said, that's fine since that's what the filmmakers were going for. Still, I just can't get past the fact that this is about a movie that came out a decade ago that wasnt even any good- even diehards disliked it and that's saying a lot. If you want to watch a better look at Star Wars fandom, check out Triumph the Insult Dog's interview with Star Wars geeks outside of the Ziegfeld theater in NY. Now tha's pricelss.

Episode 32: Angels and Demons

Hello there and welcome to the 32nd episode of the Cinema Cafe Podcast: the new weekly film podcast by the fans, for the fans. Each week we will review new movies releases, dvd reviews, talk some film news and share our general love for all things cinema. The main goal is to have some fun and hopefully provide the listener with some helpful insight. This week we have a treat: a look at 1 movie that has been recently released, as well as a quick look at a few other films. With that said here's a look at what we discuss on this weeks podcast:

* Angels and Demons
* A quick look at the 2009 geek-love Star Wars rules all film, Fanboys and of the television show, Penn and Teller: Bullshit Season 6, where they debunk dolphins- glad to see those dolphins finally get theirs.
* DVD Review of the 2003 documentary about the thrilling, against all odds survival story of two snowbound mountain climbers, Touching the Void.
* Upcoming movie releases for the weekend of 5.15.09

Also, film news and more, only on the Cinema Cafe Podcast. We hope you enjoy and happy movie watching.

We're now on Itunes so head there and subscribe to the Cinema Cafe Podcast. Thanks!

New Movie Releases for the Weekend of 5.15

1) Angels & Demons

- the prequel to the less than stellar 2006 film Da Vinci Code, this one see’s Tom Hanks without the mullet from the first film as Robert Langdon, a Harvard symbologist who must stop the Illuminati, a secret society, from destroying the Vatican. I’m not a conspiracy nut, but I like stories surrounding the hidden truths, fact or fiction, surrounding the world as we know it. Still, Da Vinci Code was pretty bad, but early reports say this is a huge step forward from that first abysmal film, and hey it’s got Richie Cunnigham as director, so shouldn’t be too bad...

2) The Brothers Bloom

- the sophomore effort from Brick director Rian Johnson, this one see’s Mark Ruffalo and Adrian Brody as two conmen brothers who see Rachel Weisz’s wealthy lady as their last big score. I’ve been waiting a long time to see this, especially since it’s been making the festival circuits since last year and everyone seemingly loves it. I love Brick, and I cannot wait to see this whimsical take on life and everything in between. Seriously Brick is awesome so this one should be just as good if not better.

3) Management

- now this is one I had never heard of until I had to do this list. This one stars Jennifer Aniston, a traveling saleswoman who tries to chase off a motel manager played by Steve Zahn who follows her cross country after an ill-advised fling. From what I can gather, this is an offbeat comedy with Aniston touched with an indie feel so could be good, and I like Steve Zahn so I’ll be checking this out sooner than later.

4) O’ Horten

- a drama surrounding the life changing event of a 67 year old train engineer named Odd Horten- the moment of his retirement. Now this is another one I has never heard about until I was doing this list and is one that’s getting a very limited release in NY and LA, however this is from the fantastic Norwegian director of Kitchen Stories, Bent Hamer, so this could be very good.