Chick 1

Quote of the Week

Now I don’t wanna kill you and you don’t wanna be dead.

-Mal Johnson (Danny Glover)

Silverado 1985

Posted on by Chick 1 in Movie Quotes 2 Comments

Review: Yes Man

Chick 1 says:

I like Jim Carrey.  I think he’s both funny & he can act.  He’s proved himself in movies like Ace Ventura, The Truman Show, Bruce Almighty, & one of my favorites, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.  But he’s also put out quite a few mediocre projects and Yes Man, about a man who is challenged to say “yes” to every opportunity, looked like it might just be Jim Carrey Comedy #48.  So I went with limited expectations. Read more

Posted on by Chick 1 in Reviews, The 2000s 78 Comments

I Can’t Wait: Holiday Movies

Chick 1 says:

Having wandered through the first round of holiday movies with varying enjoyment, the start of December seemed to bring a lull in good films.  Seems that dry spell may end on Friday.

The Tale of Despereauxdespereaux1

This little fairy tale starring Matthew Broderick as the tiny mouse Despereaux and Emma Watson as Princess Pea, looks absolutely delightful.  Beautiful animation, fun cast, and a sweet story.  Opens Dec 19th.  See the trailer here. Read more

Posted on by Chick 1 in I Can't Wait! 82 Comments

Casting Notes

emmaalanChick 1 says:

A few more projects in development that have piqued my interest. Apparently, this week the theme is Harry Potter.

Old News: I’ve been mildly interested in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, currently filming in London.  Naturally, it features Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter but when Alan Rickman (Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series) was announced as the Caterpillar, I was completely sold.  I adore Rickman and would pay to watch him sort socks.  This movie has officially been moved to my I Can’t Wait list.  Check out the rest of this cast: Mia Wasikowska as Alice (Thank heavens Burton was original enough to cast someone besides Dakota Fanning or Abigail Breslin!  Yes, they’re talented but they’re not the only fish in the sea.), Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, Michael Sheen as the Cheshire Cat, & Crispin Glover as the Knave of Hearts.  Yes, this will be weird but it could also be freakin’ awesome! Read more

Posted on by Chick 1 in Casting Notes 73 Comments

Sorry for the Lull

Chick 1 says:

To the 3 people who check this blog; sorry I haven’t posted in a while.  Fall has been crazy!  But hopefully I’ll be able to post more consistently from now on.  Thanks for stopping by.  I will do my best to make it worth your time.

Posted on by Chick 1 in Randomness 3 Comments

I Can’t Wait!: Update on The Soloist

Chick 1 says:

I’ve had my 2nd temper tantrum in as many days.  Paramount has decided to push back the release of The Soloist to March 2009.  This will successfully eliminate the movie & its stars from the upcoming Oscar race.  Various websites have speculated as to why this move is being made.  Often a shift like this would be the sign that the studio has lost faith in the film but the trailer has been generating quite a bit of Oscar buzz for its director, stars, & writer.  Add to that the fact that director Joe Wright is coming off his success with Atonement & the phenomenal year Downey is having & it doesn’t make a lot of sense.  I think this could be a mistake & the movie could lose some of the momentum behind it.  Besides, Oscar worthy films released in spring are often overlooked come voting time.  Kristopher Tapley at www.incontention.com speculates that Downey’s lack of availability to promote the film due to his shooting schedule with Sherlock Holmes might have played a part in all this.

First Harry Potter, now this…stupid movie studio executive people.

Posted on by Chick 1 in I Can't Wait! 3 Comments

Casting Notes

Chick 1 says:

Here are some recent (& not so recent) tidbits on casting upcoming projects.  Enjoy.

New News – Iron Man 2:  So reports are out that Terrence Howard is not returning to Iron Man 2 but will be replaced by Don Cheadle.  My first temper-tantrum like reaction is, “NOOOOOOOOOOO!  NOOOOOOO….. wait…Don…Don Cheadle…….that….that could be…..cool.”  While Robert Downey Jr’s performance & Jon Favreau’s direction & commitment to invisible CGI were the top reasons for Iron Man’s success, Downey was also backed up by a solid supporting cast.  I enjoyed Howard as Stark’s friend & military liaison James Rhodes, especially seeing a high ranking colonel with his strange little girl voice.  But let’s face it, Don Cheadle is an amazing actor & can easily fill & maybe even improve the role.  While I will miss what Howard would have done as War Machine, I very much look forward to seeing what Cheadle will do.

In a side note, while on tour promoting Tropic Thunder, RDJ reported that when the first pictures of him in black-face came out, Cheadle called him & asked, “Are you playing the black me?”

  Read more

Posted on by Chick 1 in Casting Notes 143 Comments

I Can’t Wait!: Australia, The Soloist, & Quantum of Solace

Fall is here & that means – Oscar season!  Yes, a few inspirational films scattered throughout a bunch of movies to slit-your-wrists-by.  Guess which ones I prefer.

On the heels of Oscar season comes the holiday movie season.  Blockbuster tentpole releases, family films (some crappy, some fun), & a few Oscar stragglers.

Here are a few upcoming releases that I’m excited about.  Hmmm… they all come out within 5 days of each other.

  Read more

Posted on by Chick 1 in I Can't Wait! 83 Comments

Review: Like Water For Chocolate

 Chick 2 says:like_water3

Like Water for Chocolate is a subtitled film typical of fairy tale fantastical stories from Mexican directors.  It’s the story of Tita, forbidden to marry her true love so that she can care for her overbearing mother, she pours all her unfulfilled emotion into her cooking.  Her true love Pedro, in order to be near Tita, marries her older sister and drama ensues.  It is a clever and cute story, but not sophisticated.  The second act seems long as you wait for a final resolution to all the hardship, and that resolution may seem dissatisfying to some.  Released sixteen years earlier, its story has similar characteristics but does not quite attain the magic of Chocolat.  Lumi Cavozos is very endearing as Tita, and her sister Gertrudis provides for some brief entertaining comic relief. 

IF you’re looking for a fun, fantastical rental, THEN go (rent it).

Posted on by Chick 1 in Reviews, The 1990s 33 Comments

Review: Blow Dry

Rachel Griffiths & Alan Rickman strut their stuff

Rachel Griffiths & Alan Rickman strut their stuff

Chick 1 says:

I’d been wanting to see this quirky little British movie for several years.  It has an amazing cast & looked like the hairstyling version of Strictly Ballroom, a movie I love. 

Blow Dry stars Alan Rickman as Phil, a hairstylist in the small British town of Keighly, who was once an international hairstyling champion.  He now owns a dumpy barber shop where he works with his son, Brian, played by Josh Hartnett.  Phil, has not competed in 10 years since his wife, Shelley, ran away with his hair model, Sandra (Natasha Richardson & Rachel Griffiths).  Shelly and Sandra now own a salon in the same town.  The storytellers kick things off with an announcement that the international hairstyling competition is coming to Keighly and the revelation that a character has cancer, then sit back and let the madness ensue. 

Well, kind of.  Read more

Posted on by Chick 1 in Reviews, The 2000s 59 Comments