T Town Tommy

Newest Iron Man Trailer

Iron Man: Trailer 2 - More free videos are here

Newest Iron Man Trailer

Been neck deep in stock for Valentine's Day in the flower shop but wanted to share the newest Iron Man ad from the Super Bowl. Most of Marvel Comic's movies have sucked but I think this is going to a huge exception. Note to bloggers, I try to use Metacafe instead of YouTube for my videos, the quality difference is amazing. Enjoy!

ironmanmovie.com

The Nines, Total Hotness

I tend to keep my secret fantasy crushes to myself but Ryan Reynolds has always topped my list of guys I wouldn't kick out of bed for any reason. With the glut of shitty movies that hit theatres this summer my movie house visits has been pretty spotty. One movie that has perked my interest is The Nines written and directed by out movie maker John August. August sprung on Cannes a three part movie with Ryan Reynolds playing the lead character in each story and playing gay for the first time. Described as a Twilight Zone type surreal intertwining of three stories into one The Nines finally allows Reynolds to show his acting chops playing three entirely different characters. Being distributed in limited release in the US I am hoping the movie somehow makes it to Tulsa. Besides, seeing a totally hot and ripped Ryan Reynolds on the big screen is reason enough for the price of a movie ticket!

National Treasure - Book of Secrets

Nicolas Cage is back in movie theaters this December in the second installment of the sleeper hit "National Treasure". This time with the surfacing of a mysterious fragment of a manuscript linking the Gates family to a plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln, Cage's character sets off on a new hunt to find the truth. In the process the film reveals more far flung conspiracies, cover ups and plots from our nations history. Enjoy the trailer! National Treasure - Book of Secrets

Nimoy to Reprise Spock Role in Upcoming Star Trek Movie

Details are slowly emerging regarding the upcoming eleventh Star Trek movie. Director J.J. Abrams announced at this year's San Diego Comic-Con that the casting of the younger Mr. Spock is a done deal. Actor Zachary Quinto best known as the villain in NBC's hit show "Heroes" will be staring as the younger version of the science officer. When asked about the casting choice of Quinto, Nimoy commented that the casting choice was "logical". The Star Trek rumor mill has William Shatner also reprising his role as Captain Kirk for the upcoming movie with possibly singer Robbie Williams or Matt Damon playing the younger character of Ensign James T. Kirk.

Latest Transformers Movie Trailer

Transformers (2007) - Funny blooper videos are here

After the huge disappointment of Spiderman 3 I am holding my breath and hoping that Transformers from Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg blows me away this summer. Transformers arrives in theaters July 4th. Check out the newest trailer and the official site!

I Nominate Spiderman 3 for the 2007 Razzie Award

I went and saw Spiderman 3 last night, well most of it anyway. After the Jazz Club dance sequence with Tobey McGuire I felt like I was watching a cheap knock off scene from Jim Carrey's "The Mask". The first hint the movie sucked should have been the totally empty theater on a Sunday night. The drop off for this weekend's ticket sales has been estimated at over 60% for this train wreck of a film. For the first time since sitting through most of "Ishtar" did I actually demand my money back and left early. Trust me on this one folks wait for it to come out on TNT it won't even be worth renting the DVD once it hits shelves. Yes it was that bad. The studio heads most of been smoking crack when they gave the green light on the final cut from Sam Raimi. So far for 2007 I nominate Spiderman 3 for the Golden Raspberry Award for worst film of the year.

30 Years of Star Wars

One of the first moves I remember seeing as a child was Star Wars “A New Hope” during the summer of 1977. Like many families we went as a group and packed into the old Jewel Theater on Main Street in Humble, Texas. Everyone in the audience jaw dropped at what was at that time cutting edge special effects. I remember the crowd of families leaving the cramped movie house all with looks of wonder and awe on their faces. People of all ages where excited about what they had just experience for the first time. This May marks thirty years for Star Wars and Vader is just as popular in pop culture today as the character was in the 70's. So hats off to George Lucas and Star Wars for changing forever how movies are made.

A DVD Dilemma

I have been renting movies like most Generation X’ers since the mid 80’s. In twenty five years of the video store the sales concept has essentially remained constant as technology has changed. The creation of the video player and its legitimacy by Walt Disney with their movie collection first offered on VHS in 1980 created a multi-billion dollar industry with home videos. Video stores became plentiful with rows and rows of bulky VHS boxes.

Then the internet came into existence followed by cheaply priced DVD’s and the game changed forever for home movie viewers and stores. Mom & Pop shops, the corner video store and major companies have slowly fading out of existence. Major chains have been bought, sold off or are now simply gone. I noticed recently another Hollywood Video store with papered up windows a few miles from my home. Blockbuster and a few grocery stores is about the only option for renting movies locally anymore!

I personally have never much cared for Blockbuster Video. I think their fees are too high and if you keep your movie past a week then you bought it; charged to your credit card on file. I also get hit with the sales pitch about their online movie club and how wonderful and super fantastic it is from the sales clerk every time I go to rent something. After being asked for the 50th time it gets so annoying that you want to join the club just so you don’t have to hear the pitch again. So I guess their corporate plan sort of works they just annoy you till you cave in and sign up.

Last week I joined Netflix and found the selection to be good with claims of over 75,000 titles and 42 million DVDs total in stock. I noticed however that I must do a search for the newest releases as they are not usually advertised on my Netflix home page. I find it bothersome that I am going over to Blockbuster Video’s web site to find the newest releases and then having to tab over to Netflix and do a search due to lack of a listing.

When I find a very recent movie and add it to my queue I get a flag of “Short Wait”. Hence the video store dilemma when the movie you really want is checked out and you wait. Except with online stores you wait both for availability and then shipping. My DVD ships out of Dallas and I am clocking the turn around time. We will see what a “Short Wait” actually means. I rented “Fly Boys” first after some good recommendations and I really enjoyed the movie. The Zeppelin blimp scene was amazing!

I reviewed the fine print on shipping and orders fulfillment on Netflix site and won’t bore you with the details. The terms boil down to if you rent a low volume of movies every month you are flagged as a good customer and get your orders filled first and from the nearest distribution hub. However if you abuse the system or rent a high volume you are flagged as less desirable to the company shipping hub. The high volume renter is moved to the bottom of the list for order fulfillment.

I think my $9.99 plan and only wanting four movies a month delivered on time is reasonable to ask from Netflix. Their response time will dictate if I stay with their company or try some other vendor. I mailed my package off on Thursday to their Dallas, Texas hub from my home in Tulsa. As of Monday night they still don’t show it as received on my online order queue.

Still rebelling against the Blockbuster sales clerks, I haven’t tried their service yet. If Netflix does'nt work out then Blockbuster's online service will be my next option. I just won't give them the satisfaction of signing me up in their store, I will do it online. What experiences have you had with online movie rental sites? If you know of a good service or have had good or bad experience I would love to hear from you!

During the next few weeks I will be doing a follow up to this post, please stay tuned...

Check out my Netflix choices and movie reviews

Transformers Arrive July 4th

Steven Spielberg is back this summer 2007 with director Michael Bay. Transformers from the 1980's comic book series hits the big screen July 4th. Using all the studio magic Spielberg can muster we are going to get treated to seeing some new incredible CGI and cutting edge film production. With Michael Bay whose previous films include The Rock, Pearl Harbor and Armageddon directing the film it is sure to make for an interesting story and lots of mind blowing action.

Transformers 2007 - Awesome video clips here

101 Must See Movies For Gay Men

Great video that goes along with the book 101 Must See Movies For Gay Men. Can you name all the movies?

Harry Potter Magic Wand Follow Up

Following up on my earlier post "Harry Potter No More?" the full photo of Daniel Radcliffe is now online in the blogosphere. The picture does nothing for me but for those who are interested here is the link to the very cool blog The Superficial. (Disclaimer) Picture full nude not office or kid safe.
Hat tip to Justin and The Superficial

Harry Potter No More?

This week has been a busy one for Harry Potter fans and the actor who brought the character to life. Daniel Radcliffe who stars as Harry Potter has made his first move as an adult actor departing from the film franchise. Released this week are the promotional pictures from the production of “Equus”; a pop-psychology play from the 1970’s. The move marks a huge leap from child star to adult theater actor by Daniel for certain.

The nature of the nudity has caused a media storm and an instant sell out success in London. Without Harry’s magic wand the play would have a lukewarm response from theater patrons. There is a reason there has not been a major production of “Equus” since 1975; the play itself is horrible.

Critics have been quick to accuse Daniel Radcliffe of going to far with the nude scenes and the promotional pictures. They are accusing the actor that his choice in roles is having a negative impact on children. Radcliffe responds on his site saying: 

"I don't see any reason why you shouldn't bring kids because of people taking their clothes off or because of violence to horses. But - and I don't want to insult the intelligence of children - really, a play about the nature of psychiatry? Do you think a five-year-old would be interested?"

Having a theater background and being a former actor I can fully appreciate the move by Radcliffe. Looking at the laundry list of successful child stars whose lives turned tragic by early adulthood; the bold move of character choice by Daniel maybe what his career needs. The media coverage with the new pictures alone is enough to greatly impact future script offers with adult roles. With the acting skills demonstrated in the Harry Potter franchise I am certain we will be seeing more of him in different films.

In related news J.K Rowling announced today the release of the final installment of the Harry Potter series. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," will be released July 21st with the film “Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix” being released July 13th. A tentative release date of November 21st 2008 has been announced for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”. No word yet if a final film will be produced for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”.

Spiderman 3 Re Launches Site and 2007 Media Blitz

Right on the heels of the launch of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer; Spiderman 3 and Sony Pictures re launch their site and media campain. Check out the full length trailer of the upcoming film or The Directors Cut on YouTube. Premier Magazine is also featuring in their Jan/Feb. 2007 issue, Toby McGuire in the new black and silver Spidey Suit.

Spiderman 3 - video powered by Metacafe

New Teaser Trailer for Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is Released

Marvel's first family of superheroes, The Fantastic Four, meets their greatest challenge yet in FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER as the enigmatic, intergalactic herald, The Silver Surfer, comes to Earth to prepare it for destruction. As the Silver Surfer races around the globe wreaking havoc, Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben must unravel the mystery of the Silver Surfer and confront the surprising return of their mortal enemy, Dr. Doom, before all hope is lost.

--20th Century Fox

Trailer and Official Web Site

Fantastic Four-Rise Of The Silver Surfer - video powered by Metacafe