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Showing posts from April, 2011

Jason and Shawn review: Lemmy and Deaden

Lemmy Jason: It took me a while to get into this documentary, but once I did, I was hooked. Hearing all that metal music and listening to those fascinating interviews was a great way to spend a couple of hours with a beer or three. I loved the Metallica sequence and the stories from Lemmy's former band members, especially those from Hawkwind, were a blast. Lemmy himself is at once a sad but cool character. I want to watch it again and crank it during the music sequences. Lemmy is a Good for sure. Shawn: This kind of documentary is right up my alley. Here is a story about the pioneer of heavy metal, punk and all those spinoffs. Lermmy is the big dog, period! At times this feels more like a love fest than a documentary, with some crazed fan tasked with following Lemmy around. That said, I loved it! I will even watch it again. It's a good documentary and great entertainment for my metal soul. A Good from the Bad Man. Deaden Jason: Filmmakers who piss and moan about not bei

The Season Finale: Lemmy and Deaden

Nothing goes together like heavy metal and action movies. Maybe heavy metal and horror, but the crunchy guitars and choppy bass suit shoot 'em ups best. So it's no accident Shawn and I have selected the documentary Lemmy and the action picture Deaden to close out our season on The X. Lemmy is about the life and times of Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister. Anyone who loves metal will want to catch this film featuring appearances by Alice Cooper, Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield. Is the documentary about Lemmy as bad ass as his life? Stick with us! And you have to stick around for Deaden, written by and starring Basement fave John Fallon, The Arrow of Arrow in the Head . Fallon has been good to The Basement this season and was our first feature interview. His action flick, made on a low budget, is slowly making the rounds around the globe and Shawn and I are anxious to see it. Will it be Good, Bad or Ugly? Tune in tonight and find out. When we're not reviewing movies, we

Wanna see an extended clip from Fast Five?

Sure yah do! Everyone likes clips, trailers and all that cool embedded stuff. Especially when it gives you a taste of what looks to be a key scene from the upcoming Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson starring Fast Five. I'm a sucker for these movies, I really am. I know Shawn isn't, but he digs The Rock as an actor and action star. The sequence below involves the theft of a bank vault using two Dodge Chargers. The first minute or so is somewhat pedestrian. Then Diesel and Walker tow the vault through a busy city street and demolition ensues. I like what I see here, especially the last couple of minutes of what is obviously a long sequence of smashing stuff. Will I see this movie? Sure. Eventually. I like me fast cars, hot women (there are a couple on display here) and smashing stuff. Fast Five hits theatres April 29.

Restrepo director killed in mortar attack

British journalist Tim Hetherington, the co-director of the Oscar nominated war documentary Restrepo, was killed Wednesday by mortar fire in Libya. Hetherington was in the besieged city of Misrata covering battles between rebels and Libyan government forces when he died. Also dead is Chris Hondros, a New Yord-based photographer for Getty Images.Two others working alongside them were wounded. According to JoBlo.com , Hetherington's last tweet was: In the besieged city of Misrata. Indiscriminate shelling by Qaddafi forces. No sign of NATO. This is sad news. Not only is Restrepo a great documentary, it's a great movie. It's also a good work of non-biased journalism. The world has lost a real talent and truth seeker. We in The Basement salute him.

Dark Knight Rises roles confirmed. Rumours pooed on.

Remember that story we ran awhile back about the rumoured plot for Christopher Nolan's final Batman film The Dark Knight Rises? Well, turns out it was bullshit. Warner Bros. released details today about the actual roles Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard will have in the third Batfilm, and they are nothing like the ones speculated about on the Internet. EW.com reported earlier today that Cotillard will appear as Miranda Tate, a Wayne Enterprises board member eager to help a grieving Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) resume his father's philanthropic enterprises for Gotham City. Gordon-Levitt will play a Gotham City beat cop. Doesn't sound anything like that suggested storyline at all does it, which is fine by me. I like it when a film series moves forward, not back. The League of Shadows idea would have worked, but there's nothing wrong with breaking new ground. In fact, given the state of Hollywood these days, it's encouraged. The Dark Knight Rises hi

Statham guaranteed to kick ass at least one more time

It's no secret we in The Basement are big fans of Jason Statham. Along with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Statham is one of the few actors working today who embodies 80s action cool. Sure, the likes of Matt Damon and Brad Pitt dabble in the genre, but Statham and Johnson are the real deal. Which is why it's always good news when a new Statham flick is announced. The Transporter/Expendables star is set to be the lead in Parker, which is based on the hero from 24 novels written by Donald Westlake. The books are about a thief with a code of honour who isn't afraid to put foot to ass from time to time.Sounds like an ideal role for Statham. No word yet on the plot, but Statham follows Lee Marvin, Mel Gibson, Robert Duvall and Jim Brown as actors who've played the character before, although none have carried the moniker of Parker. Ray director Taylor Hackford directs the film, which is shopping for a distributor.

Jason and Shawn review: Enter the Dragon and Running Scared

Enter the Dragon Jason: Watching this again, for the first time in 25 years, I realized I had forgotten how great Bruce Lee was. He didn't need wire work, fancy camera tricks or CGI to make his mastery of the martial arts impressive. All a director had to do was turn the camera on and Lee delivered. No one, not Tony Jaa, Jackie Chan or Jet Li had moves like Lee. He's still is the master. And Enter the Dragon is still a lot of fun. A Good for sure. Shawn: Here is a movie that's older than I am, and everything I've done in my life in terms of martial arts has stemmed from this movie. Whether YOU hate it or love it, you can't go without seeing it at least once, especially if you call yourself a movie fan. Not just for broadening your cinematic horizons, but for the straight-up legitimate kung fu action! Bruce Lee at his finest. A Good from me! Running Scared Jason: This isn't a movie that goes over the top, it resets the bar for kinetic energy and audacity.

Micro Review: Due Date

To be honest, I enjoyed this far more than The Hangover, which I believe is highly overrated. Funny yes, but overrated. This is funnier though, and not because of Zack Galifianakis, but despite him. Sure he's OK, but this is Robert Downey Jr.'s show. Seeing him slug an unruly 10-year-old and then get his ass kicked by a war veteran in a wheelchair is bust-a-gut funny. And that's just the tip of the inappropriate iceberg. You need to check yourself before you wreck yourself, because this is Good!

Episode XXVII: Movies You Need To See Vol. 1

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Bruce Lee! Tonight, Shawn and I are going to share two movies we think you need to see. Perhaps you already have, perhaps not, but we're going to put out a suggestion each for films we think NEED to be a part of every movie fan's collection. Coming up with our selections wasn't easy. There's a lot of great films out there and picking just one took a lot of effort, which is why we will revisit the subject from time to time, building the ultimate Basement movie library. Being a martial artist, Shawn went with Bruce Lee's 1973 classic Enter the Dragon, the first martial arts film produced by a major Hollywood studio. It's been ages since I've watched it, and I look forward to hearing why Shawn thinks it's required viewing. As for me, I went with 2006's Paul Walker action flick Running Scared. Some might find it hard to believe that Walker made a solid film outside of The Fast and The Furious franchise, but you better be

The apes rise again

I keep forgetting there's a new Planet of the Apes movie coming out. Maybe it's because Tim Burton's redo wasn't all that great or that the new film, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, stars James Franco. I dunno. Below is the first teaser for Rise, due out in August. Most of the carnage in the trailer doesn't happen until towards the end of the movie. The rest is supposed to be a drama. I'm cool with that, but there's nothing in this preview that gets the blood pumping. It does, however, look slick. I have an interest in another Apes movie like a do in another Three Musketeers movie, which is also slated for release this year. I think it's the lack of originality in Hollywood right now that is keeping us in The Basement from theatres. Try coming up with a new idea once in a while guys. Bah! I'm tired of preaching to dead air. Watch the preview and judge for yourselves.

Twilight kid takes aim at being an action star in Abduction

When does a trailer look better than it should? When it's the preview for Taylor Lautner's new movie Abduction. Taylor who? You might ask? He's one of the boys soccer mom's drool over from the Twilight movies. And it looks like he's taking his shot at being an action star in this thriller from director John Singleton. As much as it pains me to say it, the film looks like it might be OK given the storyline and supporting cast. Lautner plays a young man who discovers his baby photo on a missing persons' website and sets out to find out why. Then a bunch of guys with guns show up and things get interesting. Add veteran character actors Alfred Molina, Jason Isaacs, Sigourney Weaver, Maria Bello and the original Mikael Blomkvist from The Girl With The . . . movies and you can consider me intrigued. I know stars like Lautner and the rest of the Twilight crowd aren't supposed to appeal to my generation. I suppose a part of me should accept that movies are gea

Another reason not to care about a Crow reboot

It's bad enough Hollywood is remaking The Crow, but the fact Focus Features has been sniffing out the wrong stars for lead makes it even worse. First Mark Wahlberg was tapped to play Eric Draven, the murdered rock singer who returns from the grave to avenge his wife's murder. We in The Basement breathed a sigh of relief when Wahlberg dropped out of the project, but now word has it A-Team and Hangover star Bradley Cooper is locked for the role and I feel my stomach acid boil over once again. It's not that Cooper and Wahlberg are bad actors. I don't mind either of them depending on the role. But neither is Crow material. In fact none of the stars who played Draven after the late, great Brandon Lee nailed the part like he did. It takes more than long hair and face paint to make the character work. Lee had a charisma and presence none of the other actors share. And he wasn't a pretty boy like Cooper or Wahlberg. Truth be told, nothing about this project feels righ

And the villain in the new Superman movie is . . .

Zod! Not Lex Luthor, as almost everyone on the planet suspected, but Zod. As in "kneel before Zod!" The villain was originally portrayed by the great character actor Terance Stamp in Superman and Superman 2, which is my personal favourite of the original films. This time around Zod will be played by Michael Shannon, who is best known for his roles in TV's Boardwalk Empire and the feature films The Runaways and Revolutionary Road. While not a geek favourite, Shannon is well regarded as an actor, which shows Warner Bros. and director Zack Snyder are going with a super actor instead of a super star for the villain. I'd say that's a smart move. Shawn and I are less than thrilled with the latest revamp of Superman, even if they go with Zod as the bad guy. Why not continue with the universe Bryan Singer forged in Superman Returns? Or improve on the work already established in Smallville? But we don't run Hollywood. Oh, and for the record, the upcoming film i

Jason and Shawn review: Legend of the Fist and Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen Jason: Action doesn't need translating. Too bad there wasn't more of it in this talky martial arts film featuring the great Donnie Yen. There are about three or four exceptional fight scenes, but they are way too spaced out between long sequences of chatter. I don't mind chatter and plot, but when I watch a kung fu film, I want a lot of kung fu. Sadly, the lack of kung fu means Legend of the Fist has to rate a Bad. Shawn: We need a kung fu guy and Donnie Yen is he. He ranks right up there with Tony Jaa. This is a guy who can use the big-screen exposure. He is so precise with his moves. This movie is excellent. The story is excellent and the action scenes ridiculously long. It was all a bit too foreign for my tastes, but I know I'll watch it again. My biased kung-fu loving side can't resist a Good here. Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil Jason: What a fun, likable movie with lovable characters and some great, gory deaths -- n

Episode XXVI: Legend of the Fist and Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil

Radio NL reporter Shane Woodford returns for a second go-round in The Basement and, believe it or not, he actually asked to be here. Usually we have to put on skin masks and butcher's aprons and haul our return visitors back kicking and screaming. We kid, we kid. Or do we? You'll never know for sure. Seeing as Woodford isn't a horror fan (wuss) we've lined up something different for your listening pleasure tonight -- kung fu! Everyone loves kung fu, right? Well Shawn does and I do. We're not sure about Woodford. Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen is a good 'ole fashioned kick 'em up that promises spectacular fight scenes. To say we're looking forward to reviewing it is an understatement. And it stars martial arts legend Donnie Yen. Get ready for a good time! Which brings us to Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil. A horror comedy, the film stars Firefly fave Alan Tudyk as one half of the Tucker and Dale combo. As for the evil? Well, stick with us! T

Maggie Grace back for Taken 2

We reported a couple of weeks back that Liam Neeson will return in the still untitled Taken 2. Now word has surfaced via a number of movie news websites that Maggie Grace will also be back as Neeson's daughter. The follow up to the 2009 box office hit is once again penned by co-producer Luc Besson. No word yet on what it's about but one can hope it isn't just a rehash involving Neeson saving Grace from bad guys. Although one would complain less if the level of ass kicking, which was already awesome, is pumped up even more for the sequel. Transporter 3 director Olivier Megaton will direct, with production set to start in late 2011/early 2012. And I'm excited, as we here in The Basement loved the first film. Don't screw it up guys!

Rubber rolls onto DVD, Blu-Ray in June

Remember the tragic tale of Robert, an inanimate tire that somehow comes to life with the ability to kill people with its "mind"? Sure you do. Shawn and I talked about it on an episode back in January . And you thought we were kidding. The movie is called Rubber and it looks like all kinds of crazy and cool. Well, the story of Robert The Killer Tire rolls onto DVD and Blue-Ray on June 7, so you know what movie we're featuring on our June Special. According to the official website , Rubber is about "Robert, an inanimate tire that has been abandoned in the desert, and suddenly and inexplicably comes to life. As Robert roams the bleak landscape, he discovers that he possesses terrifying telepathic powers that give him the ability to destroy anything he wishes without having to move. At first content to prey on small desert creatures and various discarded objects, his attention soon turns to humans, especially a beautiful and mysterious woman who crosse

Beware the Snow Beast!

Is this a remake of the uniformly terrible TV movie of the same name from the late 1977s? Who's too say. Does it look as shitty as the Bo Svenson "classic"? Yes, and that means Shawn and I will be watching Snow Beast at some point. The latest film to feature the words snow and beast in the title stars Luke Duke himself John Schneider, Jason London and hotties Danielle Churchran and Kari Hawker (pictured). According to the boys over at Arrow In the Head and the film's official website , Snow Beast is scheduled for release August 29. Whether that's on SyFy or not remains to be seen, but Snow Beast feels like that kind of a movie. Snowbeast version 1977 featured a ravenous sasquatch that terrorized a Colorado ski resort. The latest incarnation has a similar beast slaughtering animals and residents of a Canadian town. Judging from the trailer below, a lot of people get bitch slapped. It's no secret Shawn and I dig movies like this. The badder the better. Thi

Super 8 TV spot impresses

Just when it looked like the J.J. Abrams directed/Steven Spielberg produced Super 8 couldn't get any cooler this TV spot had to come along and prove us wrong. Everything about this movie has oozed awesome from the get go. The spot below, which is about a minute long, shows footage not teased at in any of the previous trailers or Super Bowl ad. And everything about it looks like pure cinematic gold. We know Abrams is a solid director. Star Trek and Mission: Impossible 3 proved that. And Spielberg is Spielberg. I love the early Amblim Entertainment vibe this gives off and how it brings kids into the picture without sacrificing thrills. As for the plot: Set in 1979 Ohio, a group of six young children use a Super 8 camera to make their own zombie movie. One night while filming near a remote stretch of railroad tracks, the children witness a truck collide with an oncoming train leading to a catastrophic derailment. Amidst the fire and destruction, something inhuman emerges.

Jason and Shawn review: Carver and Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

Carver Shawn: Never before has a movie EVER made me cover my eyes! Carver did, thanks to my fear of poo! The film was slow moving to start but was still entertaining from the get go. A nice and suspenseful build up to a satisfying gore-filled crescendo. This, ladies and gentlemen, is how you make a good, low-budget slasher film. Cliched story yes, but a perfect delivery. A Good for me! Jason: A well made, no-budget slasher film with great gobs of gore and brutal violence. In fact, it's the underlying sense of nastiness that hurt the film for me. I didn't mind all over-the-top slasher goodness, but I don't need to see the killer pee on his victims or dump a full toilet on them. That said, Carver is well acted and directed and the special effects are great, especially for such a low budget. A Bad from this Basement Dweller. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale Shawn: I don't know. I. Don't. Know. This is an interesting Christmas story that needed to make up its mind

Episode XXV: Carver and Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

What offends you more: the thought of being attacked by a family of homicidal backwoods hicks or a homicidal Santa Claus? This is the question Shawn and I faced heading into tonight's films. One is an indie horror flick called Carver, the other a Finnish killer Santa Claus fantasy titled Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. One is a based on an alleged true story the other . . . is about a killer Santa Claus. Some might think we in The Basement are scraping the bottom of the barrel with this week's offerings. We disagree. Carver is supposed to a gorehound's wet dream while Rare Exports has received rave reviews from around the globe for being a fun, alternative holiday tale. Us Basement Dwellers are up for both. When we're not rocking the reviews and knocking back brews, Shawn I take our shots at the dumbest movie villains of all time. Sure, everyone remembers Darth Vader and Hans Gruber. But what about the bad guys who suck? Tonight, the losers get their due! As alw