Month: March 2013

Ep. 94: Real American Nerd Heroes

Knowing is half the battle as the Reel Nerds observe To Kill A Mockingbird, The Game, Your Highness, Roger Rabbit, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, before this week’s feature: G.I. Joe: Retaliation.

(5:30) Reel Nerds at Starfest Announcement

(9:05) Fan Mail

Watching

(17:26) Ryan: To Kill A Mockingbird, Your Highness

(25:28) Brad: Rocky digibook, The Game, Nature Calls

(33:47) James: Revolution, Lincoln, GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Ghostbusters

(49:00) Box Office Stats

Releases

(50:29) That Thing You Do, The Bible, Hello Dolly, John Dies at the End, The Killing S:2, Dirk Gently

Reel News

(54:50) White House Down trailer

(59:40) FX announces FXX

(1:01:28) Tomb Raider reboot still in works

(1:04:00) Deaths!

Comics Corner

(1:06:25) Guardians of the Galaxy

Review

(1:10:00) G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Reel Gamers Review: Tomb Raider (PS3)

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The original Tomb Raider debuted on Playstation in 1996, and boy have video games changed for the better. Of all the video game characters that needed an upgrade Lara Croft might have needed it the most. The biggest selling point of the original game was Ms. Croft’s unbelievable *ahem* assets. This new Tomb Raider takes what you know about Lara and turns it on it’s head. Gone are horrible controls and an even worse camera angles, this game is full of amazing graphics, tight controls, and a Lara Croft that learns to be tough and self reliant.

Tomb Raider takes gamers on basically an origin tale of Lara becoming a Tomb Raider. Lara and several of her friends are on a journey to a mysterious island that holds many secrets. In a tale that owes a lot to the Uncharted series, where nothing is what it seems. Tomb Raider starts with a bang dropping players into several intense action sequences. Lara is beat up and hurt and worst for wear after the boat she’s on wrecks and sinks. Separated from her colleagues Lara fights her way back to them.tomb-raider-2013-screenshot-3 On the way Lara meets other people that are trapped on the island and they are not friendly. One of my favorite moments in the game is when Lara is forced to kill them and how great this moment is handled. Throughout the game I still felt guilty about killing people, just like Lara. As the story progresses I found myself just engrossed in Lara’s journey and I did not want it to end.

The graphics are absolutely stunning. Lara looks beautiful and strong. The game also has some sweet effects, when it rains rain drops hit the screen and slid down as if we are watching this game through a camera that’s really there. Not only does water trickle down the screen but so too does snow, blood, and sparks from explosions. The lighting effects are also amazing, I loved the way this game looked every nook and cranny is beautifully realized.

The controls are super tight and precise. This is needed in game like this where perfect timing in jumping is crucial. You must traverse hostile terrain where ledges and branches break without warning. The weapon controls are spot on as well. Although Lara doesn’t like to kill she sure knows how to use weapons. She needs them too because not only does she have to deal with crazy “locals” but also wildlife. Yes, hunting is an important part of this game and by hunting you are rewarded with HP and skills.tmbradierdeer Almost everything on this game is top notch. Story, production value, but I think one best things this game has going for it is Camilla Luddinton’s performance as Lara Croft. You believe everything that she says and feel the heartbreak everytime she loses someone close to her. As far as Tomb Raiding it’s optional in the game. Now don’t freak out it’s still fun and there are a lot of tombs to discover. After you beat the game you are free to explore the island without the story pushing you in a direction and it is lots of fun. Trust me you will want to play this game after you beat it because there is so much to do and lots that you missed the first go around. The only blemish in the game is the multi-player is just alright. It’s bad, it’s just not that great either. It is fun but unnecessary.

This is a very welcome return. Lara Croft is back and kicks so much more ass then she did before.

Here are the ratings for Tomb Raider:(These are the old Gamepro magazine ratings, I loved this magazine when I was little and it hasn’t been published for over year so I’m bringing it back! Brad is working on something that will look better, here is a sample of how they looked when I was growing up)

Graphics 5.0

Control 5.0

Sound 5.0

Fun Factor 5.0
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Have you watched the new “The Battery” trailer yet?

The talented filmmakers of “The Battery“, whom we met at the Telluride Horror Show and then interviewed, have released a new trailer for their amazing film. Have a look!

Reel Nerds Podcast to Appear at StarFest 2013

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The Reel Nerds will be attending Denver’s premiere Sci-Fi convention in April. However, it will be without a booth. We’ll simply be perusing the con and sitting in on stuff. So if you spot us in our official Reel Nerds shirts, say hello.

Brad will probably be there the whole time, flashing Vulcan-gang signs.

UPDATE: We will have a booth after all! Just Saturday though. Come hang out at it!

Click here for more convention info.

Ep. 93: Olympus Is Ph*cked!

The Reel Nerds lay siege to the White House, drop a bunch of f-bombs, and rescue the biggest loser.

 

(6:44) Fan Mail

Watching

(17:07) Ryan: Weird Science, Johnny B. Goode, Natural Born Killers, Hitchcock, Pitch Perfect, Bates Motel

(29:59) James: Bates Motel, The Hobbit, Brazil

(41:36) Dan: Drive, It’s Always Sunny, Battleship, The Bourne Legacy

(49:00) Laura: Call the Midwife, The Biggest Loser, Dr. Phil

(58:20) Brad: DS9 S:6, The Sitter

New Releases

(1:07:00) Lincoln, Jurassic Park, Killing Them Softly, The Borgias S:2, The Comedy, Sexsquatch: The Legend of Bloodstool Creek

(1:13:00) Box Office Stats

Reel News

(1:15:29) Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 2 in pre-production

(1:16:01) Robert Redford will be in Captain America 2

(1:17:36) Jane Got a Gun loses director on the first day

(1:20:00) David S. Goyer making The Dark Knight version of The Count of Monte Cristo

Comics Corner

(1:21:47) Batman: Death of the Family

Review

(1:28:11) Olympus Has Fallen

Ryan has now watched 46(plus one cartoon) Robert Downey Jr. Movies and he ranks them all!

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Almost a year has passed and I have seen 20 more Robert Downey Jr movies! I ranked the first 26 I saw and now I going to do it again. I have found along my journey that Mr. Downey has done an amazing job transforming from a Brat Pack star of the 80’s, falling from grace because of personal problems, to one of the biggest movie stars in the world. I will say that most of his movies are good and he is a standout in almost all of them. I hope this list inspires you to find an actor you enjoy and watch their full body of work. I only have a few more movies to see,(tough to find,even on Amazon they are somewhat expensive.) but I think this is a pretty complete list. Let me know what you think and if you agree or disagree. So without further ado here we go!

love47. Love & Distrust: Love and crap is more like it. This movie is a collection of shorts I think all involved would like to forget. Downey is funny in it but he is only in the movie for 5 minutes so you have to sit through 90 minutes of crap to see him.

tuff246. Tuff Turf: This movie is trying to be cool, it is not. RDJ does have dogs that he makes attack the bad guys in the climatic fight so that’s kinda cool.

pickup45. The Pick-Up Artist: Lots of good actors are in this lame rom-com. I’m pretty sure this movie killed Molly Ringwald’s career. Some good chemistry between the leads cannot save the sappy script.

indreams44. In Dreams: Lame serial killer movie. It is cool to see Downey play a villain but I wish it wasn’t in this movie. Annette Bening is horrible in it as well.

goth43. Gothika: Oh no Halle Berry is haunted by a ghost! And then she doesn’t remember killing her husband! How is she going to solve this murder?! Downey is only in this movie for 10 minutes he does a good job with his small part.

johnny42. Johnny Be Good: Not great, not horrible 80’s football movie. Anthony Michael Hall is a football stud and RDJ plays his best friend. This is Uma Thurman’s first movie as well. Some funny parts but total cheese.

196941. 1969: Sweet Kiefer Sutherland and RDJ in the same movie! Aww man, it’s a cheesy Vietnam protest movie. Great performances however.

shaggy40. The Shaggy Dog: I am not a fan of Tim Allen in Disney movies. And this is no exception. Some funny parts and Downey’s performance is hammy and good, almost like he knows the script is crap so he just has fun with it.

only39. Only You: Ho-hum rom-com, with some really bad dialogue. The leads of Marisa Tomei and Mr. Downey are good however.

ginger38. Gingerbread Man: Average lawyer movie, elevated by some truly terrific performances. Kenneth Branagh is great.

black37. Black and White: Not the best movie dealing with race relations, but I have seen worse. RDJ plays a gay man married to Brooke Shields who is filming a documentary about white kids wanting to be black. Mike Tyson plays himself and smacks RDJ when he hits on him, so that was funny.

friends36. Friends and Lovers: Some funny parts are found in this comedy, especially Mr. Downey who plays a German ski instructor named Hans. Too bad you have to endure Stephen Baldwin as the lead in this movie.

rest35. Restoration: Average period drama that is better when I watched it a second time. I wish Meg Ryan did not do an Irish accent however.

fur34. Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus: This movie is weird but I liked it. You have to see it because it is too unusual to describe. Just know Nicole Kidman takes weird pictures and RDJ has werewolf syndrome.

game

33. Game 6: Fun little movie with Michael Keaton as a playwright and RDJ as a critic of plays. Keaton is great in this movie.

zero32. Less Than Zero: Hokey 80’s movie but buoyed by tremendous performances by all actors. Downey’s spiral into drug addiction is scary how well he pulls it off.

chances

31. Chances Are: Fun little fantasy comedy. If it wasn’t so cheesy it would be higher on my list, but hey it has Rod Stewart’s “Forever Young” in it, so that’s super cool.

weird30. Weird Science: Classic John Hughes 80’s teen comedy. RDJ plays a bully and is pretty funny. But come on we all watch this for Kelly LeBrock..Hello!

natural29. Natural Born Killers: Amazing performances that are hindered by Oliver Stones insane directing. Hats off to Woody Harrelson, RDJ, and Rodney Dangerfield.

twogirls28. Two Girls And A Guy: If there was a movie that showcased how talented RDJ is it might be this one. He sings, dances, and does a Shakespeare monologue.

short27. Short Cuts: A 3 hour long movie that follows different LA couples over the course of a couple weeks. All the actors are great in this movie, and big shout out to Jack Lemmon who has a monologue that will make you cry.

usma26. U.S. Marshals: Sequel to The Fugitive and it could never live up to it. US Marshals does feature an amazing plane crash and Tommy Lee Jones is in fine form again.

wonder25. Wonder Boys: This is a fun little movie. Michael Douglas is great as a professor trying to write a follow up to his smash first novel. Mr. Downey plays his promiscuous editor who’s reputation has taken a hit.

charlie24. Charlie Barlett: Fun movie about a high school kid that has some serious ADD. RDJ plays the principal of his school and the father of Charlie’s crush. Mr. Downey is great as a damaged father and man.

guide23. A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints: A very powerful drama about where you come from and where you are. Robert Downey Jr is great but so too is his younger version played by Shia LaBeouf.

air22. Air America: Cool true story about pilots in Vietnam delivering supplies. Too bad there is a lame sub plot involving Nancy Travis.

fatguy21. Family Guy; The Fat Guy Strangler: Not a movie but a really funny episode where RDJ plays Lois’ crazy brother who murders fat guys. Downey’s son loved Family Guy and he reached out to the show to see if there was anything he could do, and this is what they came up with.

home20. Home For The Holidays: Families can be tough and this movie does a great job at capturing that dynamic. Holly Hunter is great so too is her gay brother played by…Robert Downey Jr.

soloist19. The Soloist: Guess what? The performances are superb in this movie too! RDJ plays a journalist who discovers a homeless genius played by Jamie Foxx.

heart18. Heart and Souls: Corny? Yes. Heartfelt and funny? Hell yes.

singing17. The Singing Detective: This movie is really strange, but I love it. Killer performances all around and a standout soundtrack are just two of the selling points of this movie. Give it a try.

due16. Due Date: Really fun road trip movie and RDJ and Zach Galifianakis have tremendous chemistry together.

sher215. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows: Downey as the worlds greatest detective is awesome. The movie is cool and Guy Ritchie knows how to make things cool.

iron214. Iron Man 2: Follow-up to the smash hit Iron Man, it doesn’t quite soar to the originals heights but its still a good film, and any excuse for RDJ to be Tony Stark is a can’t miss.

rich13. Richard III: This is Ian McKellen’s movie but RDJ is good in his limited time on screen. The movie is fantastic. A must see for any Shakespeare fan.

back12. Back To School: One of my favorite 80’s movies and my favorite starring Rodney Dangerfield. Just some silly fun.

good11. Good Night and Good Luck: I love this movie. It is so engrossing and it all has to do with the actors involved. George Clooney knows how to make good movie and this might be his best.

soap10. Soapdish: The biggest surprise for me watching all of Downey’s movies was how much I loved this movie. It is so clever and smart, not to mention extremely funny. RDJ plays a producer on a soap opera that is about to kill off it’s long time star the amazing Sally Field.

chap9. Chaplin: Robert Downey Jr is absolutely owns this movie as Charlie Chaplin. He earned a very much deserved Academy Award nomination for this role.

scan8. A Scanner Darkly: This movie is badass. It looks great and is very cool. I did not think I would like this one but was pleasantly surprised how cool it was.

sher7. Sherlock Holmes: Making Victorian England cool one punch at a time. RDJ is super cool as the super sleuth.

zodiac6. Zodiac: Amazingly shot, scary, and wonderfully acted. This is a great film. I rewatched this recently and fell in love with it again.

tropic5. Tropic Thunder: Downey plays an award winning Australian actor, who for his latest role plays an African American in Vietnam. Yes only Mr. Downey can play the part of Kirk Lazarus.

iron4. Iron Man: Totally sweet super hero movie. Tony Stark is a role that RDJ was born to play. Can’t wait for the 3rd movie.

last3. The Last Party: I love this documentary that RDJ shoots during the 1992 Presidential Election. You can’t own this on DVD but I recommend everyone to rent it for $2 on Amazon.

aven2. The Avengers: Wow. This movie is all kinds of awesome. All the action and all the great characters make this one unforgettable film. This is what summer movies are all about.

kiss1. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: This is still my favorite Robert Downey Jr movie. It is a great action comedy movie. You can get the Blu-Ray for $7 on Amazon, so do yourself a favor and get it now.

I hope you have as much fun reading this as I did watching all these films. I also hope that you too find an actor who’s work you can watch over and over again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reel Advanced Review: Evil Dead (Spoiler Free!)

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Starring: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, Elizabeth Blackmore

Directed By: Fede Alvarez

It’s no secret that I am a big The Evil Dead fan. To Me it’s one of the most innovative horror films of all time. It is also made by my favorite director Sam Raimi. So when I heard that it was being remade like most fanboys I was a little scared. It’s my sacred cow, and a lot of times when horror is remade they neuter it. THIS IS NOT THE CASE WITH EVIL DEAD. It is a hardcore, violent, bloody good time.

Continue Reading

Ep. 92: Nerd Magic

The Reel Nerds welcome local filmmakers Spencer Kane, Zach Eastman, and Matty O’Connor and discuss Manhunter, The ABC’s of Death, and the Veronica Mars kickstarter success before revealing their review of The Incredible Burt Wonderstone.

 

(3:58) Filmmaker Spotlight: Matty O’Connor, Spencer Kane, Zach Eastman

(39:28) Fan Mail

Watching

(52:00) Ryan: Love & Distrust, Black and White, The Great Mouse Detective, Josie and the Pussycats, Evil Dead (2013) advance screening

(1:09:00) Brad: The ABC’s of Death

(1:24:29) James: Starcraft 2, Manhunter

(1:28:55) Spencer: Snow White & The Huntsman

(1:32:16) Zach: Hitchcock, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Man on the Moon

(1:40:00) Matty: The Master, American Beauty, Community, Psychonauts, The Dust, Trash Humpers

(2:07:00) Box Office Stats

Releases

(2:10:28) The Hobbit, Les Miserables, Zero Dark Thirty, This Is 40

Reel News

(2:14:00) Evil Dead 4 might be Army of Darkness 2

(2:16:00) Kick Ass 2 trailer

(2:19:00) Veronica Mars Kickstarter

(2:25:00) Colin Trevorrow directing Jurassic World

Comics Corner

(2:33:00) The Boys (James Review)

Review

(2:38:00) The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

Ep. 91: Army of Ozness

The Reel Nerds follow the yellow brick road to Oz the Great and Powerful.

 

(5:52) Fan Mail

Watching

(19:08) Ryan: The Dick Van Dyke Show BD, Less Than Zero, Short Cuts, Perks of Being A Wallflower

(33:31) Brad: DS9

(36:38) James: Vikings, The Day the Earth Stood Still, No Retreat No Surrender

(53:18) Box Office Stats

Releases

(54:54) Life of Pi, Rise of the Guardians, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan 1&2, Hitchcock, Sound City, Ripper Street, This Must Be The Place

Reel News

(1:00:00) Whose Line? Returning to CW

(1:02:00) Studios agree to satellite film distribution

(1:05:33) Much Ado About Nothing Trailer

(1:05:00) Sam Mendes not coming back again for Bond

(1:07:00) Sam Raimi might write Evil Dead 4 over the summer

(1:08:00) David Duchovny wants fans to demand more X-Files

(1:09:30) Dexter to end soon

Comics Corner

(1:10:00) The Boys

Review

(1:14:28) Oz the Great and Powerful

48 Hour Film Project Denver Dates Announced!

If you’re looking to compete in this year’s competition, Denver Producer Kristin Nolan, has just announced all the dates for the 2013 project.

From the 48 Hour Film Project website:

  • The 48 Hour Film Project will return to Denver the weekend of August 2 – 4, 2013. Filmmakers from all over the Denver area will compete to see who can make the best short film in only 48 hours. The winning film will go up against films from around the world for the title “Best 48 Hour Film of 2013”.
  • Registration opens Tuesday, June 4. Early Bird Registration is $140. Teams must register on or before Monday, July 8 to get this special rate. Regular registration is $160. If teams register after Tuesday, July 23 they must pay a rate of $175.
  • Sign up for the Denver mailing list and we will inform you when more information is available.

I’ve competed the last 3 years in a row, and while sometimes frustrating and exhausting, it’s a fun experience that I recommend you try if you’re into making your own films. The 48 Hour Film Project runs all year long, all around the world, so if you’re not from Denver, you have can still go to the website and learn more about where you can compete near you!

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