We have quite a few choices this week for films to review. Last week’s pick of Green Zone was a good choice; it’s hard to say at this moment if this week will have anything that lives up to its action-packedness. Let the voting begin!

Bounty Hunter

Milo Boyd (Gerard Butler), a down-on-his-luck bounty hunter, gets his dream job when he is assigned to track down his bail-jumping ex-wife, reporter Nicole Hurly (Jennifer Aniston). He thinks all that’s ahead is an easy payday, but when Nicole gives him the slip so she can chase a lead on a murder cover-up, Milo realizes that nothing ever goes simply with him and Nicole. The exes continually one-up each other — until they find themselves on the run for their lives. They thought their promise to love, honor and obey was tough — staying alive is going to be a whole lot tougher. Andy Tennant (‘Hitch,’ ‘Sweet Home Alabama’) directs.

City Island

Set in a quaint fishing community on the outskirts of New York City, ‘City Island’ is a hilarious and touching tale about a family whose comfortable co-existence is upended by surprising revelations of past secrets and present day lies.

Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) is a lifelong resident of the tiny, tradition-steeped Bronx enclave of City Island. A family man who makes his living as a corrections officer, Vince longs to become an actor. Ashamed to admit his aspirations to his family, Vince would rather let his fiery wife Joyce (Julianna Margulies) believe his weekly poker games are a cover for an extramarital affair than admit he’s secretly taking acting classes in Manhattan.

When Vince is asked to reveal his biggest secret in class, he inadvertently sets off a chaotic chain of events that turns his mundane suburban life upside down. Inspired by the exercise, he decides to bring his long-lost ex-con son Tony (Steven Strait) home to meet the family, and it soon becomes clear that everyone–including his college student daughter (Dominik Garcia-Lorido), teenaged son Vinnie, Jr. (Ezra Miller), charismatic acting partner (Emily Mortimer) and drama coach (Alan Arkin)–has something to hide. A perfect storm of deception, half truths and confusion makes Vince and his family members realize that the truth may not set them free, but it is easier to keep track of than all their well-intentioned white lies.

Winner of the Audience Award at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival, ‘City Island’ spins a web of misrepresentations, misinterpretations and misunderstandings into a smart and charming comedy about a family that stops at nothing to avoid the truth.

The Runaways

The story of the groundbreaking ’70s female rock group the Runaways is recounted in this River Road Entertainment production focusing on the duo of guitarist/vocalist Joan Jett (portrayed by Twilight’s Kristen Stewart) and lead vocalist/keyboardist Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning) as they navigate a rocky road of touring and record label woes under the malevolent eye of abusive manager Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon) during their teen years. Acclaimed video artist Floria Sigismondi directs from her own script, with Scout Taylor-Compton co-starring as guitarist Lita Ford.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

A discredited journalist and a mysterious computer hacker discover that even the wealthiest families have skeletons in their closets while working to solve the mystery of a 40-year-old murder. Inspired by late author Stieg Larsson’s successful trilogy of books, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo gets under way as Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander are briefed in the disappearance of Harriet Vanger, whose uncle suspects she may have been killed by a member of their own family. The deeper Mikael and Lisbeth dig for the truth, however, the greater the risk of being buried alive by members of the family who will go to great lengths to keep their secrets tightly sealed.

Hot Tub Time Machine

‘Hot Tub Time Machine’ follows a group of best friends who’ve become bored with their adult lives: Adam (John Cusack) has been dumped by his girlfriend; Lou (Rob Corddry) is a party guy who can’t find the party; Nick’s (Craig Robinson) wife controls his every move; and video game-obsessed Jacob (Clark Duke) won’t leave his basement. After a crazy night of drinking in a ski resort hot tub, the men wake up, heads’ pounding, in the year 1986. This is their chance to kick some past and change their futures — one will find a new love life, one will learn to stand up for himself with the ladies, one will find his mojo, and one will make sure he still exists!

Vincere

This unusual and offbeat historical drama rests on a little-known conceit. Though seldom discussed in history books (and reportedly undisclosed for half a century), fascist dictator Benito Mussolini conceived an illegitimate son by a woman named Ida Dalser — a son Mussolini allowed to be born, acknowledged, and then promptly denied for the duration of his life. The tale begins in early 20th century Milan, with Benito (Fabrizio Costella) working as the socialist editor of a controversial newspaper called Avanti. His dream in life involves triumphantly leading the Italian masses away from monarchy and toward a “socially emancipated future.” He met the young and wealthy Ida (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) once before, in Trento — where they enjoyed a brief exchange; they re-encounter one another during Mussolini’s period at Avanti and it becomes clear that Ida has fallen deeply in love with Benito; she believes wholeheartedly in his ideals and his future as the leader of Italy — to such an extent that she sells everything she has (her apartment, furniture, jewelry, and the beauty salon she owns) to fuel the development of his newspaper, Popolo d’Italia. While the two become romantically entangled, with Ida positively magnetized by Benito’s charisma and Benito hooked on a lust for power, Benito quickly switches spiritual and political allegiances overnight, changing from an atheistic socialist to a deeply Catholic fascist — Catholic, because an allegiance with the Vatican will enable him to wrest and retain control over Italy’s government. Benito and Ida marry and parent a son together, Benito Albino Mussolini (circa 1915), but the marriage certificate soon conveniently disappears and Ida learns, to her horror, that Benito has married someone else. She unwisely begins to protest the situation — so loudly and persistently that she’s first forced into house arrest and then shoved permanently into an insane asylum — raising key questions about the fate and future of her young son. On a stylistic level, director Marco Bellocchio films this historical material with the passion, theatricality, lyricism, and tragedy of a classicist Italian opera.

Season of the Witch

Lionsgate’s supernatural thriller, ‘Season of the Witch’, stars Nicolas Cage as medieval knight Behmen who undertakes a mission pitting him against an devious witch and making him the last hope for the world against an ancient and dark force. His faith broken by years of battle as a crusader, Behmen returns to central Europe to find his homeland decimated by the Black Plague. While searching for food and supplies at the Palace at Marburg, Behmen and his trusted companion, Felson (Ron Perlman) are apprehended and ordered by the dying Cardinal to deliver a young peasant girl believed to be the witch responsible for the Plague – to a remote abbey where her powers can be destroyed. Behmen agrees to the assignment but only if the peasant girl is granted a fair trial. As he and five others set off on this dangerous journey, they realize with mounting dread that the cunning girl is no ordinary human, and that their mission will pit them against an evil that even in these dark times they never could have imagined.

Synopses from moviefone.

Episode 93 of Pressed & Bound is online! Joe has disappeared to SXSW so Andrew takes his spot. In this week’s episode we discuss:

Books:
Halo, Books 1-3 (The Flood; First Strike; The Fall of Reach)

At the Moving Picture Show:
Green zone

Movies:
Paper Heart [Blu-ray]

Right click and download the ninety-third episode here:
MP4 252mb

Comments or questions? Email us at: pnbfans(at)gmail(dot)com

If you don’t live in Oklahoma City, well you probably have a lot more fun on a regular basis than we do. But if you have some time set aside from painting the town red, feel free to check out these few images from the front lines. These are all taken from our downtown area called Bricktown; it’s a town made of bricks.

This week we have a few films to choose from; up from the two that we’ve had for the passed couple of weeks. On the flip side, however, Joe will be out of town this weekend, so at this moment we’re not sure exactly what will happen, but please feel free to vote. If it comes down to it, I will simply go see the movie myself and sit alone in the dark…by myself…with no friends…

Mother

A woman devoted to her son struggles to keep him from spending his life in prison in this drama from director Bong Joon-ho. Do-jun (Weon Bin) is a man in his mid-twenties who isn’t especially bright and is easily led. Do-jun lives with his elderly mother (Kim Hye-ja), who loves him fiercely even though she has no illusions about his abilities or his bad habits. Do-jun spends much of his spare time with Jin-tae (Jin Gu), a borderline criminal who takes advantage of Do-jun’s credulous nature, much to his mother’s annoyance. When Do-jun is arrested by police and accused of the murder of a young woman, his mother is certain he couldn’t have done it and sets out to prove her son’s innocence to police detectives, who seem more interested in closing the case than researching other possible leads. At first, mother feels certain that Jin-tae has framed her son to avoid being punished himself, but as she digs deeper she suspects the truth is more complicated. Madeo (aka Mother) was an official selection at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

Remember Me

In the romantic drama ‘Remember Me,’ Robert Pattinson plays Tyler, a rebellious young man in New York City who has a strained relationship with his father (Pierce Brosnan) ever since tragedy separated their family. Tyler didn’t think anyone could possibly understand what he was going through until the day he met Ally (Emilie de Ravin) through an unusual twist of fate. Love was the last thing on his mind, but as her spirit unexpectedly heals and inspires him, he begins to fall for her. Through their love, he begins to find happiness and meaning in his life. But soon, hidden secrets are revealed, and the circumstances that brought them together slowly threaten to tear them apart. ‘Remember Me’ is an unforgettable story about the power of love, the strength of family, and the importance of living passionately and treasuring every day of one’s life.

She’s Out of My League

An airport security guard gets involved with a girl who’s very obviously of a higher caliber than himself, and schemes to make the relationship last as his friends and family watch along in disbelief. Kirk (Jay Baruchel) was languishing in a dead-end job as an airport security agent when he somehow managed to earn the affections of the successful and drop-dead gorgeous Molly (Alice Eve). Even Kirk isn’t exactly sure what Molly sees in him, though he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make the relationship work. With his friends, family, and ex-girlfriend all watching stunned from the sidelines, Kirk discovers that he’ll have to work overtime in order to convince Molly that he’s worth hanging on to.

Our Family Wedding

“Our marriage, their wedding.” It’s lesson number one for any newly engaged couple, and Lucia (America Ferrera) and Marcus (Lance Gross) are no exception. In Fox Searchlight Pictures’ ‘Our Family Wedding’ they learn the hard way that the path to saying “I do” can be rife with familial strife. When they return from college and too suddenly announce their marriage plans, they soon discover that their fathers–two highly competitive over-the-top egos – can wreak a major amount of havoc on their special day.

With insults flying and tempers running high, it’s anyone’s guess if the alpha dads (Forest Whitaker and Carlos Mencia) will survive to make it down the aisle in one piece. Lucia’s mother (Diana Maria Riva) is busy planning the wedding of “her” dreams and the only levelheaded one in the bunch is Angela (Regina King), the groom’s father’s best friend and lawyer, who manages to keep her cool when the madness reaches a crescendo.

With only weeks to plan their wedding, Lucia and Marcus soon discover the true meaning of love and find there is truth to the saying–that when you marry someone, you marry their entire family.

Green Zone

United 93 director Paul Greengrass explores the aftermath of the Iraq invasion in this feature adaptation of author Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s literary exposé of the same name. A one-time Baghdad bureau chief of the Washington Post, Chandrasekaran was present as American forces attempted to set up a provisional government on the grounds surrounding former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s opulent palace. The resulting governing body, according to critics, existed in a bubble so far removed from the grim realities of the Iraq War that it failed to properly assess the needs of the people. In this fictional thriller set during the U.S.-led occupation of Baghdad, director Greengrass and screenwriter Brian Helgeland use Chandrasekaran’s novel as the foundation for the story of an officer who joins forces with a senior CIA officer to unearth evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Matt Damon) is certain that Hussein has been stockpiling WMDs in the Iraqi desert, but in their race from one booby-trapped site to the next, they soon stumble across evidence of an elaborate cover up. As a result, the objective of their mission is inverted, and Miller realizes that operatives on both sides of the conflict are attempting to spin the story in their favor. Now, as Miller searches for answers made ever more elusive by covert and faulty intelligence, the truth becomes the most valuable weapon of all. Will those answers prove pivotal in clearing a rogue regime, or escalate the war in a region that grows increasingly unstable with each passing day? Amy Ryan co-stars as the New York Times foreign correspondent who travels to Iraq investigating the U.S. government’s allegations about weapons of mass destruction, with Greg Kinnear appearing in the role of an additional CIA officer, and Antoni Corone essaying the role of a colonel. Brendan Gleeson rounds out the main cast for this Universal Pictures production.

Come on Green Zone!

As a reminder: if the winning film on the list doesn’t happen to be showing in our area, we will pick the next highest.

Synopses taken from moviefone.com.

Episode 92 of Pressed & Bound is online! This week we have several people walk in front of our camera. One guy has a red jacket. In this week’s episode we discuss:

Books:
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (P.S.)

At the Moving Picture Show:
Alice in Wonderland

Movies:
Carmen Jones

Right click and download the ninety-second episode here:
MP4 260mb

Comments or questions? Email us at: pnbfans(at)gmail(dot)com

It’s no surprise that we at P&B absolutely love George R. R. Martin’s Ice and Fire series. You combine an epic story told in a way that neither talks down to the reader nor makes things too easy over the span of thousands of pages and you pretty much have us hooked. Well it turns out that we’re not the only ones.

I have attempted to try and not get too excited about the potential release of this series since hearing about its mumblings last year. HBO has spearheaded the task force in creating the television series, having already shot a pilot in late 2009. Up until now, however, they’ve kept their secrets tight like so many three hundred foot tall walls covered in ice (THAT’S AN ICE AND FIRE REFERENCE, FYI), allowing but little information to leak out. Luckily, the Chicago Tribune has posted a few tasty bits of news for all to enjoy. In summary, they have a full cast list and a couple of quotes from George himself on the matter:

“From the start of this, I’ve told myself, ‘Don’t get too emotionally invested in this, or you will be devastated if it doesn’t go.’ Wise words, those. I’m a smart guy.

“But easier said than done. I’ve failed. I am totally emotionally invested, and if HBO does indeed decide to pass, for whatever reason, I will be gutted.

“So let’s all hope I am soon doing the happy dance instead.”

You can read the rest here.

I’ve mentioned this in the past, but occasionally I turn a blind eye to Pressed & Bound and host another podcast. The show in question is, of course, Nintendorks Radio, of which we have hit 53 episodes. Good job everyone! The link to the episode is within this MAGIC BLOCKQUOTE:

It’s time for another edition of Nintendorks Radio with your hosts Travis Woodside and Garret Evans. You can get your episode now on iTunes (search for Nintendorks Radio in the iTunes store) or right here. Or you can refuse.

Episode 053 – Samus is a 1950s Detective
We discuss the Nintendo Media Summit, Metroid Other M, Heavy Rain, and telephones.

Also note a special NEW SEGMENT called “I show Garret some box art and see if it makes him laugh.”

I made that banner, by the way; I just want you all to know that.

Thanks to all who voted last week! We just realized that “At the Movies” was already taken, so we needed to change up the title of our segment a little bit. I think we’re all better off for it in the end anyway. Like last week we have but just a couple of films to choose from. Unlike last week, however, these films could prove to be much more interesting. As a reminder: the poll is located both in the sidebar and at the bottom of this post. Vote for which you’d like to see discussed!

Brooklyn’s Finest

In the course of one chaotic week, the lives of three conflicted New York City police officers are dramatically transformed by their involvement in a massive drug operation in ‘Brooklyn’s Finest,’ a searing new crime drama from acclaimed director Antoine Fuqua (‘Training Day’).

Burned out veteran Eddie Dugan (Golden Globe-winner Richard Gere) is just one week away from his pension and a fishing cabin in Connecticut. Narcotics officer Sal Procida (Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke) has discovered there’s no line he won’t cross to provide a better life for his long-suffering wife and seven children. And Clarence “Tango” Butler (Oscar nominee Don Cheadle) has been undercover so long his loyalties have started to shift from his fellow police officers to his prison buddy Caz (Wesley Snipes), one of Brooklyn’s most infamous drug dealers. With personal and work pressures bearing down on them, each man faces daily tests of judgment and honor in one of the world’s most difficult jobs.

When NYPD’s Operation Clean Up targets the notoriously drug-ridden BK housing project, all three officers find themselves swept away by the violence and corruption of Brooklyn’s gritty 65th Precinct and its most treacherous criminals. During seven fateful days, Eddie, Sal and Tango find themselves hurtling inextricably toward the same fatal crime scene and a shattering collision with destiny.

The film captures the volatile and deadly world of one of New York’s most dangerous precincts through the eyes of the men and women pledged to protect and serve, as they face the wrenching choices that make them ‘Brooklyn’s Finest’.

Alice in Wonderland

Watch Video Alice in Wonderland Trailer 2010 – Click here for more free videos

Tim Burton takes a stab at Lewis Carroll’s timeless tale of a young girl (Mia Wasikowska) lost within a fantasyland with this 3-D production of Alice in Wonderland. The Lion King’s Linda Woolverton provides the script, with Hollywood heavyweights Richard Zanuck and Joe Roth heading up the production team. Burton veteran collaborator Johnny Depp co-stars as The Mad Hatter in the Walt Disney Productions picture.

Synopses taken from moviefone.com.

Episode 91 of Pressed & Bound is online! This week we have a short show and talk about some filmage downtown. In this week’s episode we discuss:

In Theaters:
Cop Out

Right click and download the ninety-first episode here:
MP4 72mb

Comments or questions? Email us at: pnbfans(at)gmail(dot)com

Let’s look at a movie I recently watched for the first time. It seems like everyone else I know has already seen Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon, but it was new to me. Here, you’ll get the pristine reactions of my first viewing, fresh as the plastic film in one of Garret’s unboxing videos.

Normally, I wouldn’t write about this flick because it isn’t a kung fu movie. This is an exception, though, because it tries so hard to be a kung fu movie. It’s evident just from the opening sequence that the powers in charge of this movie (presumably Berry Gordy?) were big fans of the old Shaw Bros. classics. During the opening credits, we see our main character doing shirtless punches and kicks, a la Gordon Liu in The 36th Chamber and most of his other films. If you look closely, though, you’ll observe that occasionally our star glows with yellow video effects. If I stopped here, you would already have the flavor of this peculiar cinematic experience.

Some of our stars, in order of current Hollywood recognition, are:

• William H. Macy (Yes, that William H. Macy, though he only gets a cameo.)
• Julius Carry (I hope you remember him from The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.)
• Vanity (Prince was apparently her mentor. Anyway, she was in Action Jackson and an episode of Highlander.)
• Taimak (You might remember him from not a damn thing else. He’s our eponymous hero.)

Essentially, Taimak plays a kung fu enthusiast nicknamed Bruce Leroy. He seeks the final teaching that will make him a great kung fu master. He has hardworking parents and a streetwise, smart aleck younger brother. He gets teased because he’s a weirdo who dresses like this and who wears one of those conical, Chinese straw hats. He gets challenged by Sho’nuff the Shogun of Harlem, played by Carry. Sho’nuff is the real star, as far as I’m concerned. Anyone who can simultaneous sport an afro and a samurai topknot while looking that good has my respect.  (See above picture.)

In between silly fight sequences, there is a romance between Taimak and Vanity. I forget what her character’s name is. It really isn’t important. We also get to see a music video for DeBarge’s “Rhythm of the Night.” Most of the other music is themed to help tell the story in very explicit ways. For instance, when the singer starts talking about the “power of the glow,” people start glowing.

Still, there is one pretty good scene. In a surprising moment of what I think is pretty reasonable acting, Faith Prince tells off her crook boyfriend. It’s a big scene. They talk about her tits. You can’t miss it.

This flick is a really nice illustration of the way people used to get confused about martial arts. Bruce Leroy’s students practice “Chinese goju-ryu,” which is odd because goju-ryu isn’t Chinese. Sho’nuff uses a Japanese title and quasi-Japanese outfits, but claims to do kung fu. Doing martial arts enough seems to give people magic powers. Nowadays, martial arts in pop culture is all MMA and UFC stuff. Back before Helio Gracie and Dana White got big, though, people thought karate could make you dodge bullets and shoot lightning from your fingers. It was a simpler, stupider time.

Anyway, that’s a rant for a different blog. If you enjoy cultural experiences similar to Troll 2, Blank Man, or any of the Karate Kid sequels, you’ll happily laugh your way through this one.