Happy Birthday Lindsay Wagner..cue Bionic Woman theme music...

Happy Birthday to one of my favorite actresses and a childhood crush, Lindsay Wagner. Best known for playing Jaime Sommers, The Bionic Woman during the mid-70's as a TV spin-off of the popular The Six Million Dollar Man series. I had a major crush on Lindsay during my pre-teen years. Between her, JoAnna Cameron (Isis) and Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman) I was in heaven. As Jamie she used to trades quips with the bad guys while kicking their ass. She was so cool. And then there's this thing she used to do with her hair that drove me crazy. Anyway, Happy Birthday Lindsay who turns 62 today.

There she goes, doing the hair thing...

Now this looks like a vampire movie...the new FRIGHT NIGHT (2011)

When I first heard they was re-making one of my most beloved films, Fright Night, I was very apprehensive. I mean the original Fright Night was very cool. It had the right balance of horror and humor.  It gave the vampire genre a serious injection of new blood, if you pardon the pun. It was cool seeing Roddy McDowall as Peter Vincent, the horror movie host asked to help take down a suave and sinister vampire (wonderfully played by Chris Sarandon). So when news came they were re-doing it, I was like here we go again. But guess what, after seeing the new trailer, this version of Fright Night looks bad ass. Colin Farrell is playing the vampire now, and while I have never been a huge fan of Colin, he looks perfect as the deadly vampire. Cast as the young teen who learns his secret is Anton Yelchin (fresh off paying Chekov in Star Trek and Kyle Reese in Terminator Salvation). And playing the updated Peter Vincent who is a magician now is former Doctor Who David Tennant. Throw in the wonderful actress Toni Collette as Yelchin's mom and Superbad's McLovin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) as Yelchin's buddy Evil Ed and you have a super cast. So forget those Twilight movies, here comes the real deal with Fright Night. The film opens August 19th. I can't wait. If you haven't seen the trailer, check it out below.

Is Jennifer Lawrence poised to become the next big film superstar?

 20- year old Jennifer Lawrence is well on her way to becoming a huge star in film. Having paid her dues in TV series such as Medium, Cold Case, Monk and a full time gig on The Bill Engvall Show (which ran three seasons), young Jennifer had a breakout role in 2010's indie smash Winter's Bone. The film earned her a Best Actress Oscar nomination which made people take notice. The Kentucky native is turning heads with her terrific performance as the young Mystique in the retro X-Men: First Class this summer, which has earned over $100 million in North America in less than a month. 

 And you may have heard that she was recently cast as Katniss, the heroine of the futuristic best-seller The Hunger Games. Katniss is a girl who is forced to fight in a televised death match with other teens. The Hunger Games is the first in a planned trilogy based on author Suzanne Collins' wildly popular dystopian series. I have never read any of the books but I am eagerly awaiting the movie, which hits theaters March 23rd, 2012. And expect the young Jennifer to just explodes into the stratosphere.

In brightess day, in blackest night..no comic book fan shall be disappointed with GREEN LANTERN

Contrary to all the bad reviews, Green Lantern is a very enjoyable movie. I was expecting something along the lines of Batman and Robin or Catwoman. Something just god awful. But this is a pretty good movie. I don't know what movie critics saw, but I saw an entertaining one. Yes, it had some faults but it was no train wreck as we were led to believe.

Ace test pilot Hal Jordan (played by the always reliable Ryan Reynolds) works for his on-again,off-again girlfriend Carol Ferris (a surprisingly effective Blake Lively) at her dad's company. Well his reckless stunt at the film's opening gets him into trouble and shows his relentless desire to push himself ever since his dad died in a aircraft failure years ago. Cut to outer space where a Green Lantern named Abin Sur comes under threat by the returning evil of Parallax, a force that feeds on fear. Badly wounded in battle Sur manages to make it to Earth and calls upon Jordan to take his ring and become a Green Lantern too.

And we're off and running. After Sur dies and the government confiscates his body and his ship,led by Amanda Waller (played by Angela Bassett), they call in scientist Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) to examine the body. Hammond gets infected by Parallax's residue and gains vast mental powers. He also becomes very unhinged.

In the meantime, Hal is whisked away to Oa, homeworld of The Green Lantern Corps where he gets a crash course in lantern training. To focus his mind and to be able to create constructs from nothing but his will. He meets resistance from Sinestro (superbly played by Mark Strong) who takes offense that the corps have accepted a human into their ranks.

After a bout of some soul searching, Hal returns home in full Green Lantern gear, looking very spiffy I might add and has to save the day at a celebration for Ferris Air. He gets to show off his new power and is very impressive.

Of course Hector sees him and immediately doesn't like it. Especially since both men are in love in Carol. And Parallax is headed for Earth to kill Jordan, who now has the ring of the one Lantern who imprisoned it long ago.

Things come to ahead with a cool battle between Hal and Parallax that starts on Earth and ends up near the sun.

I liked this movie. The special effects were amazing. And the cast was mostly effective with Strong and Lively being the best. Like I said earlier Lively is very convincing as the headstrong and very beautiful Carol and she deserves a lot of credit. Strong's performance of Sinestro evokes memories of Ian McKellan as Magneto from the X-Men films. Look for Sinestro to be front and center for the sequel. Reynolds was good too but he really didn't get to flex his muscle until the very end. But I'm sure he will be that much better by the time the sequel comes. The few things I didn't like was the weak film score, and the shortness of the film. It could have easily done with about a half hour more. Hal's training on Oa went by way too fast. So those are some minor things that can be fixed for the almost guaranteed sequel, which has a doozy of a setup at this film's ending.

So all in all, Green Lantern was very enjoyable. I still liked Thor and X-Men: First Class more but at least DC now has another hero in their movie stable other than Batman and Superman. Here's looking ahead to what should be a superior sequel ala X2.
B-

Retro Goodness - Escape From New York (1981)

Classic 80's flick with Kurt Russell ultra cool as bad ass ex-soldier now criminal, Snake Plissken. Set in 1997, he's finally caught and on his way to the maximum security prison which is now the entire state of New York. But  a group of convicts kidnap the President (played by Donald Pleasance) from Air Force One and threaten to kill them unless they're released from prison. So the prez's only hope is Snake, who reluctantly agrees. Russell is perfect as Snake who doesn't say much but kicks a lot of ass. Once he enters New York, he tries to track down the president and runs into a cab driver (Ernest Borgnine) who takes him to The Brain, a smart dude who knows all the angles. But lo and behold The Brain (played by Harry Dean Stanton) is a former partner of Snake who left him high and dry after a job. So Snake is a litte pissed at him. But The Brain tells him he will never find the President without his help as he is being held by The Duke, the self imposed leader of New York (played by Isacc Hayes). Also involved is super sexy Adrienne Barbeau as the Brain aka Harold's lady friend Maggie and Lee Van Cleef as Bob Hauk, the warden who gives Snake a hard time. Directed by ace horror master John Carpenter, who worked with Kurt on other classic 80 films such as The Thing and Big Trouble in Little China. Also John did the very cool music score.

Man, I know I saw this movie like 40 times when I was a kid. And I thought it was the coolest movie ever. Kurt Russell was just all that as Snake. Didn't take crap from no one and did his own thing. The eye patch made him look cool and he was one guy you didn't want to mess with. A sequel called Escape from LA would follow about 15 years later, a little too late I think. While it was great seeing Snake back in action, it just wasn't the same. It was not as good as New York. So I can enjoy Escape from New York anytime I feel like it since I own it on DVD and I think I might be watching it again very soon. The rules are simple once you go in, you don't come out.

B+

Snake meets his old friend The Brain

Snake having a little chat with Hauk

The Duke

Maggie is a little pissed

Man, I am not in the mood to be fucked with..

The President under duress

Happy Birthday Courtney Cox!

One of my favorite 'Friends'...Happy Birthday to Courtney Cox.

X2 is my favorite comic book ever....still is!

Best comic book movie ever! Terrific sequel that improves on the original in every way. In their second movie, the team must join forces with their rival Magneto to battle a covert anti-mutant operation that targets all mutants in the world. As a die hard comic book fan, X2 hits all the right notes from the opening scene at the White House, when a mind-controlled Nightcrawler (wonderfully played by Alan Cummings) tries to assasinate the president to the thrilling assault on the X-mansion, where Wolverine cuts loose against some bad guys, to the super climax where Storm turns on the cold and Jean Grey lets loose with some major firepower. Oh yeah, this movie is awesome. The entire cast is rock solid including Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry, and Famke Janssen. One of my all time favorites.

Some added comments is that when Stryker's soldiers attack the X-mansion, Wolverine and Colossus go to work, especially Wolverine. You get to see why he is the best at what he does, just ripping through the soldiers like they were nothing. I was like screaming hell yeah! mess them up Logan. As he states to one soldier before he takes him out "you broke into the wrong house bub." In fact that sequence has to be one of the best scenes in film history. Also Logan has a fantastic fight with Lady Deathstrike (Kelly Hu) for the film's climax.

Magneto gets to shine too once he gets in on the action and you can still see why he is one mutant you don't want to make mad. His breakout sequence is just awesome.

The introduction of Nightcrawler is a pure stroke of genius as his teleporting power is just so cool. And it looks amazing. And his scenes with Storm and Jean Grey are revealing and very inspiring. This is not just a comic book movie, it's a powerful film full of emotions and grand spectacle. And filled with lots of humor and inside jokes that every X-fan will get. I love the scene where Logan meets Nightcrawler for the first time and the teleporting mutant goes on proudly about his family history of circus entertainers.

X2 just delivers in every possible way, setting a new standard for comic book movies. In fact, years later after its release, it still holds better than ever. I love it more than Iron Man, and yes even more than The Dark Knight. It looks sensational on Blu-ray.
High praise indeed.

A+

Actress Rose Byrne is having one heck of a year...

Australian actress Rose Byrne is having one terrific year at the movies. Her new film X-MEN: First Class just opened this weekend to number one at the box-office. Rose is still riding high off the success of her other summer movie, Bridesmaids, which cast her as a woman jockeying to be the maid of honor at her friend's wedding. At first she comes across as very unlikable but by the end of the movie, the audience have become very sympathetic to her character. And a few months ago, Rose starred in the horror pic Insididous which defied box office expectations and earned over $50 million in America alone. The film only cost about $1.5 million. So, the 31-year actress is having a really good year.

My first film seeing Rose in was 2004's Troy. She played the slave girl Briseis, who caught Brad Pitt's eye. Rose had appeared earlier in 2002's Star Wars: Attack of the Clones as Dorme, but I did not know it at the time. She would then appear in such films as Wicker Park, 28 Weeks Later and Sunshine. She is one of my favorite modern actresses and it's great to see her doing so well this year. Congratulations Rose. Keep up the good work. Because Bridesmaids and X-MEN are two of my favorite films of the year so far.

X-MEN:FIRST CLASS is a fresh new start for Professor X and company

Just got back from seeing X-MEN:FIRST CLASS and I'm pleased to say that it was excellent. In fact it comes close to rivaling my favorite X-Men movie in the series, X2. This prequel focuses on how Charles Xavier (played by Charles McAvoy) formed his initial team of merry mutants to help mankind and battle evil forces. Set in 1962, Xavier is seen as ladies man, using his telepathic abilities to score with lovely co-eds. At his side is the blue skinned Raven (played by Jennifer Lawrence). It's very touching how Charles and Raven meet and become best friends. But that will not last long. On the other side of the world, Erik Lensherr (played by Michael Fassbender) is hunting down the sadistic Sebastian Shaw (played by Kevin Bacon) who murdered his mom during the Holocaust. Erik is learning to control his magnetic powers but he is not yet the powerful mutant he will become. At least not in the first half of this movie. The villains in this film are Shaw and his Hellfire Club, which includes the striking Emma Frost (played by January Jones) who is also a telepath like Xavier. But she is a little more easier on the eyes than Charles is. Shaw plans of starting World War 3 between the United States and Russia and uses the real life Cuban Missile as the stage to get it started. CIA agent Moira MacTaggert (played by Rose Byrne) gets wind of this and once she finds out mutants are involved, she calls on Xavier to help her out. When Xavier and Erik finally meet, things start to come together quickly. They have a common enemy and go about recruiting mutants to help their cause.

There are some nifty new mutants making their first appearance in the X-Men film universe including the super sonic screaming Banshee, the bad boy Havok (Cyclops brother) and the amphibious like Darwin. Also look for Hank McCoy who will turn into the furry blue skinned Beast. It's cool how so many things are finally explained like Hank creating Cerebro and the Blackbird. And how Xavier helps Erik reach his full potential with his powers. And while there is plenty of action in the film, its the story and the characters that are so fully fleshed out, that we understand and realize the dangers and the dilemmas these mutants are facing. As for the performances Michael Fassbender is magnificent as Magneto. His tragic story is finally brought to life and we understand why he took the road he did and why he despises humans. His scenes with McAvoy and then Lawrence are the best scenes in the entire film. Lawrence is a revelation as Raven/Mystique as she is constantly struggling with her appearance and longs to human. Her scenes with Hank are quite touching. Fassbender and McAvoy scenes are quite emotional as well as you can see these two men being conflicted about their differences. Kevin Bacon makes a formidable adversary as he is a mutant who can absorb energy and then re-channel it. Kind of makes him hard to bring down. Also of note is Jason Flemyng as the red skinned teleporting Azazel. He looks positively wicked.

The finale is awesome as The X-Men try to prevent the United States and Russia from launching an all out nuclear war. At this point, the film becomes Magneto's show. And he doesn't hold back. It's like in X2 when Wolverine cuts loose at the mansion against the invading soldiers. Magneto, thanks to Charles has full control of his powers and he lets go. From lifting The Hellfire Club's sub from underwater to going against Shaw one on one to staring down over 100 missiles fired by naval warships, Magneto gets to show his stuff. The design of the film perfectly captures the era of the 60's and it makes it feel new and fresh. Also the music score is one of the best I've heard. It's a good blend of heroic and dramatic themes that swells often and is very pleasing to the ears. I enjoyed this film tremendously and so far it's my favorite film of the summer, even better than Thor. Yeah, it's that good. Just check out my rating I'm giving it.
Oh and one more thing, the film has one surpising and cool cameo. I'm not gonna say who it is but it is freaking awesome when they show up.
A- 

Sebastain Shaw and Emma Frost

Xavier and his team

Oh yeah Magneto cutting loose

Mystique all suited up

Emma Frost looking serene

Banshee taking flight

Professor X in action

The devil looking Azazel