The Film Freak Blog

leo — Sat, 15 May 2010 01:10:25 +0000

IF YOU’RE WONDERING ABOUT SHELLING OUT BUCKS TO SEE ‘ROBIN HOOD,’GIVE ME A MINUTE & I’LL TELL YOU IF THIS ONE HITS THE MARK. RUSSELL CROWE TAKES HIS SHOT AT ROBIN HOOD, A ROLE HE’S WANTED SINCE CHILDHOOD. BASICALLY WHAT YOU’VE GOT IS AN ORIGIN STORY. THE TITLE SHOULD HAVE BEEN, “ROBIN HOOD BEGINS.” THE USUAL SUSPECTS ARE ALL REPRESENTED, SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM, FRIAR TUCK, LITTLE JOHN & EACH WERE PRIVVY TO MICROSCOPIC BITS OF CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.

MARION WAS PLAYED BY CATE BLANCHETT. WHAT’S PLAINLY OBVIOUS HERE IS, THERE’S ABSOLUTELY ZERO CHEMISTRY BETWEEN CROWE & BLANCHETT. TOO BAD FOR US, BECAUSE, IT’S THEIR LOVE THAT DRIVES MUCH OF THE STORY. I ALSO FOUND THE PLOT CONFUSING. DIRECTOR RIDLEY SCOTT STARTED OUT USING A REFRESHING LIGHT TONE DURING THE OPENING BATTLE SEQUENCE. I LOVED IT. BUT SOON THERE AFTER THE FILM’S TONE REMAIED VERY DARK & OPPRESSIVE. I WAS BUMMED OUT.

WHEN YOU COMMIT TO A 12TH CENTURY PERIOD PIECE, YOU’RE READY FOR THE EXCITEMENT, YOU’RE READY FOR WONDERMENT, YOU’RE READY FOR SOMETHING, ANYTHING TO HAPPEN. THIS IS WHERE ROBIN HOOD GOES WIDE OF THE MARK. PLUS, ARGUABLY, THE FINEST ACTOR IN THE CAST, JOHN HURT IS LOST & REDUCED TO A DEAD END SUPPORTING ROLE.

IF ‘BRAVEHEART’ SETS THE BAR FOR THIS GENRE, THEN ROBIN HOOD IS ‘BRAVEHEART LITE.’ IF YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST SEE IT THEATERS, MIGHT I SUGGEST HITTING A MATINEE. THAT’LL SAVE YOU BUCKS AT THE BOX OFFICE.

The Film Freak “Iron Man 2″ Movie Review

leo — Sat, 08 May 2010 22:05:12 +0000

Gotta love Tony Stark! Robert Downey Jr. was born to play this guy. Director Jon Favreau knows tone & uses it to guide us through a fantastical world. A world where men glide across the sky in klunky metallic suits with booster rockets in their boots. No matter how unbelievable the action, in ‘Iron Man 2,’ it ALWAYS comes back to one thing: Good acting. The cast is solid, with Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Samuel L. Jackson, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johanssen & a downright dedicated Mickey Rourke as Ivan Danko. Rourke deserves credit for taking a not-so-serious movie role, so very serious. Going method, Rourke found himself in Russia spending many hours with hardened Russian prisoners and Russian prison guards. He also immersed himself in the culture of criminal tattoos authentic to the region & even sported Russian prison beads that were hand-crafted from melted down cigarette lighters. The result is a Superhero movie villain you wished had more screen time.

“Iron Man” fans will hold their heads up walking out of the multiplex. The film delivers exactly what it should. Smirky Stark humor, fresh dialogue & a clever back story to the connection between Howard Stark (Tony’s Dad) & the Vanko family whose names was disgraced hence the vengeance of disgruntled son, Ivan. I really didn’t like the scene where Tony Stark hosts a party in the Iron Man suit. Really drunk, really forced & just plain lame. If that was the best way to get James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) upset enough to don one of Tony’s extra Iron Man suits, maybe the writers should grabbed strong coffee & donuts & extended the writing session.

At the end of the day, don’t try to overthink ‘Iron Man 2.” People should remember it’s not Oscar Season, it’s Blockbuster Season. Grab a popcorn doused in butter & blast off with Tony Stark. I did & it was awhile before I came down to earth. Can’t wait to see it again.

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“The Green Zone” Movie Review

leo — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:39:54 +0000

If you’re looking for Jason Bourne to save the day, “The Green Zone” is a good fit. Matt Damon is back under the direction of Paul Greengrass (”The Bourne Supremacy,” “The Bourne Ultimatum) There’s action, suspense, trademark Greengrass shaky camera closeups, it’s all there.

Matt Damon & his director are flexing their cinematic muscles to send a political message through artistic choices. “The Green Zone” is about one American man’s search for the truth, the truth about WMD’s. (Weapons of Mass Destruction) The subject matter suggests massive & deliberate deception on the part of the U.S. Government, who all play dumb when it comes to Iraq’s supposed stash of weapons. If you didn’t think the two filmmakers weren’t fans of the previous administration, “The Green Zone” clinches any arguement.

The film is 100% pure adrenaline & never let’s up for a minute. Get out to see “The Green Zone.” Forget about left & right. It’s a well made film worth the price of admission.

My Take on the 2010 Oscar Nominations

leo — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:42:06 +0000

Trying to get into the mindset of Oscar voters is ugly. Try to imagine Uber Movie Snobs trying to one-up each other with their vast, endless movie knowledge. Gimme a break. With that said, here are my thoughts. Remember, I’m not a movie critic. I’m just a guy who likes movies.

I always have to check myself & say ‘Oh yeah, it’s the Oscar Voters at work.’ I was blown away at the Animation category, which was hi-jacked. A nod went to a movie called, “Secret of the Kells.” What? Excuse Me? I checked on this. This movie is the epitome of obscurity. I am the Litmus Test. Like it or not, if I haven’t heard of it, living in LA doing movie reporting, who the hell has? Literally no record of box office sales. No one & I mean no one has seen this film. It’s a shame. “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” was really funny. “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” well done. What about Jim Carrey’s “A Christmas Carol?,” which grossed $137 million. It’s too bad.

(2) other Oscar Snubs….“Star Trek” & “The Hangover.” Oscar voters have zero sense of humor which is why The Hangover was omitted. Also, Sci-Fi movies are rarely nominated. Good job “District 9.” The Coen Brothers are often so overrated. “Burn After Reading” blew. Now they garner another Oscar nod for “A Serious Man,” get it together Oscar voters. I’m sorry, but the bottom line is, it was a boring movie. “A Simple Man” was well acted, but grim & depressing. Why are movies that bring you down so popular? I know people will read this and say I’ve got no culture or appreciation for fine film. Please save it for the next sucker. I know funny. I know heartfelt. But I also know manipulative & disturbing. I want escapism, not the real life suicidal drama which is always creeping into your life. I won’t go around carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. Life’s too short people!

What did I like? I called it back in September 09, “The Cove.” I truly believe it’ll win Best Documentary. “Food Inc.” while packed with knowledge about where our food comes from was out & out boring. “The Cove” is a real life Eco- Thriller that’s a Must See Movie. Best Supporting Actor Nominee Christof Waltz as Col. Hans Landa in “IngouriousBasterds” is the only true lock for an Oscar. It’s hard to imagine that Leo DiCaprio was trying to land the role of Hans Landa. Sorry Leo, It’s Christoph’s time to shine.

Finally, Jeff Bridges. What a cool guy. He was Bad Blake in “Crazy Heart.” Beautiful job Sir. He actually played the music which adds a significant layer of talent to any acting role. Don’t be surprised when “The Dude” walks away with the gold.

Thanks for reading my blog. I appreciate it. You can friend me on facebook.com/leoquinones or Twitter @leoquinones

I want “Inglorious Basterds” to win Best Picture, but it’ll go to “Avatar.” Find out who’s right & who’s crazy March 7th!

One last thing, check out “The Film Freak Movie Talk Show” audio podcast now at www.filmfreak.com, thanks!

A Sneak Peak Backstage at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards

leo — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:57:50 +0000

So much has been happening & now it’s time I catch you up. Thanks for reading this. I know how busy you must be these days.

Last Friday, I was on the Red Carpet for TV Guide Network at The Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. There’s (3) huge awards shows, Critics’ Choice, Golden Globes & The Oscars. I guess the SAG Awards fall in there somewhere.

I can tell you about a few of my personal highlights for the night. I had a brief chat w/ Quentin Tarantino. He’s earned a slew on nominations for “Inglourious Basterds.” I aksed, ‘If you look at the famous picture of Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Rainn, you clearly see a throat injury. It was never addressed in the film. Since you wrote it, Where & How did Aldo get the scar?’ Quentin laughed and said, “No I can’t tell you that now because it still needs to be explained in the next Basterds movie.” More Basterds? I love it & I’m patient.

After ‘The Hangover’ won Best Comedy, the entire cast invaded the press room. Ken Jeong, (the crazy naked Asian guy who jumped out of the car trunk) went center stage & said something like, ‘Does anyone wanna see my extremely small penis?’ Once is enough for me dude. But what a great sport.

The best part of the night was when Jeff Bridges strolled into the press room after winning Best Actor for “Crazy Heart.” He was gracious & well spoken. He also promised “Tron: Legacy” (in theatres 12/17) will blow everybody’s mind. I trust The Dude, always have.

If you’d you’d like to hear something different while at work, please check out my Film Freak Movie Talk Show podcasts on www.hottalkla.com. They’re FREE & you can suscribe on iTUNES.
@leoquinones on Twitter & finally Facebook.com/leoquinonesjr.
I will be here more & I hope you are too!

Godd Things happen to Good People! 10/2/09

leo — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:50:31 +0000

I never met Stacie. But I found myself at Sonny McLean’s last night watching people donning “Team Stacie” T-Shirts. I was invited down to possibly MC a live auction & possibly help out with the giving away of a few raffle prizes. There was a little confusion on what I was supposed to do & what not. So I thought it better to just chill out & take it the fun. There were celeb bartenders like “24’s” SPRAGUE HAYDEN. She played the President’s betraful daughter of as I call her on the show, “The 1st Bitch.” Also pouring was another “24″ star, CARLOS BERNARD. he’s plays Tony Almeida, Jack Bauer’s bestie. No wonder why my girlfriend took 25 minutes to order a beer. She friggin’ loves that dude. Whatever, it was cool that he was there. D.B. Sweeney & Brian Austin Green were lending a hand pouring brews. Then things started picking up at Sonny’s in Santa Monica. Megan Fox got behind the bar & started bartending. How could she? There were so many cameras flashing, it was blinding. Good for her for halping out. The night catapulted to amazing when Johnny Rzesnick of The Goo Goo Dolls was rumored to hit the stage. My fundraising instinct took over. My buddy Rob, a fantastic karaoke perfprmer/entertainer was in the house. I suggested to raise $$$$ by telling the crowd, ‘If you want Johnny to sing, throw down cash. Man, the money was flying. OK, now I contributed in a small way. There were hundreds of dollars raised in the matter of moments. Johnny w/ his drummer Mike tore into a great upbeat version of their hit, “Slide.” The crowd went into hysterics. My hats off to the staff @ Sonny McCleans. Class all the way. Even though I’ve still to meet Stacie, I feel good knowing she’s got so many people looking out for her best interests! “Team Stacie” well done.

Coming Soon.

admin — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:48:49 +0000

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