Beginners - Reviews

So, first off: how amazing is the Oxford? It's a classic cinema in every sense of the word. And it's great to see that Empire Theatres is investing some money to refurbish the exterior. Perhaps some minor updates to the interior are in store (e.g., slightly more roomy seats?)

Now, the main attraction: Beginners. As usual, after seeing the movie, we went to a coffee shop where attendees could chat with each other about the movie (and anything else that comes up). Reviews were mixed for Beginners and some of the best comments were off the cuff, not actually written down. So let's start with what I remember people saying, slightly paraphrased and unattributed:

• The movie was the least enjoyable part of the evening.
• It was a good movie but it wasn't the movie that was advertised.
• Not what I was expecting but good for what it was.
• I fell asleep. Twice.
• There's an awful lot of gay history jammed in there!

Now, onto the actual reviews that some of our attendees provided:

• Ewan was on a TV commercial of an English school in Japan in 2000. -Tom
• The movie was a bit slow, however a good story. -Jeff
• [You'd be better off] renting the movie. -Kelly
• I enjoyed the trailers more than the move. -KC
• A cathartic experience if that's what you're looking for. -Chris
• A quirky take on grief, mourning and our quest for love, no matter who we are or who we love. At times funny, at times sad but always very human. -Kirk

So that's it for July!
No news yet on our August outing but you can keep up to date via our e-mail list, Facebook page or Twitter stream.

Scream 4 Reviews

First off, can we talk about Hayden Panettiere? Cause she was a major part of our post-Scream 4 discussion at Second Cup. First off, she rocks that new 'do! She really does. Secondly, sexy much? She works it as a confident gal who happens to be a fan of horror movies. Third, she kinda stole the show. At least, most of her scenes. Fourth, good for her! Breaking outta the 'Heroes mold.'

But what did everyone think of the whole movie? Let's take a look:

• Andrea F: Loved it. Predictable but great. Loved the ending!
• John B: Hugely enjoyable but surprisingly generic. Most enjoyment came from knowledge of prior movies... Other than that, a little pedestrian. "One rule you don't break - don't !@#$ with the original!"
• Cathy T: Exactly what I was expecting; enjoyable nonetheless.
• Andrew P: Scream 4 was enjoyable even without seeing the first three films, attesting ot the success of a good remake.
• Tom N: Jill's North American English was beautiful!
• Doug B: OK, OK...I jumped, may have screamed a tiny bit, laughed out loud, clapped and groaned ("Its just one word - CLEAR!"). I was hating it... thought the acting was piss-poor. Then I realized I wasn't getting it. Then I got it. Then I loved(ish) it (and only hid in my hoddie once!!).
• Richard S: My strongest reaction to Scream 4 was "fun!", followed closely by "that was a whole lot of cheesy one-liners." It definitely wasn't the most suspenseful or tense slasher flick, and it had a sense of humour about itself that I appreciated. All in all an enjoyable sort of movie that made me want to re-watch the franchise. (Also, and sorry for the spoiler, I wanted [removed by editor] to be the killer...)
• Kirk F: A fine addition to the Scream series. Lots of in-jokes and references to past movies that fans can appreciate. I loved Sydney's transformation from "final girl" to "girl who runs towards danger" a la Laurie Strode in Halloween H20. Lots of good jump-out-of-your-seat moments balanced with tons of humour.

Thanks to everyone who came out!

I Am Number Four Reviews

On February 22nd, we went to see I Am Number Four.

What's it about? In brief: it's about an alien teenager running for his life from enemy aliens while also navigating the perils of high school and first love.

And there are lots of special effects and explosions.

What did our panel of reviewers think?

• Brad: It was good, not exceptional a solid 7.5.
• Kirk: A little disappointing. I know it's written about/for teenagers but the dialog felt clunky/forced at several points. Also a tad heavy on the melodrama at points. Laughably so.
• Cathy: Cool effects; a little tedious at times. The comic relief helped with this though. I'm so glad the doggie is ok. :)
• Rebecca: It was cute. Funny. Long. Occasionally went for the smart joke instead of the obvious one, which was a welcome surprise. Very shiny, lots of explosions but the romance was eye-rolling.
• Laurie: Titan AE meets the The Matrix meets X-Men with a brief smattering of Cujo. It was entertaining but barely.
• Tom: Question - Why isn't the title, "I'm The Number Four?"
• Curtis L: Things I've learned from this movie: 1) All aliens turn to ash when they die. Instantly. 2) Aliens, like werewolves, fall in love with one person forever. Despite this, I Am #4 is a heckuva lot better than anything with vampires in it.

Of course the real question becomes... Will we see the inevitable sequel?

Tron: Legacy Reviews

Well, since today is February 4th and we saw Tron: Legacy (in fantastic 2D!) on December 21st, I think it's long past time that we got those reviews up! You can also head over to our Facebook page and see some photos of the post-movie coffee time.

What did everyone think? Well, it's a mixed bag. Read on!

• Overall, I'll give it 3/5 stars. Short on story, big on effects. I think they blew their budget on the Jeff Bridges' CGI. - Laurie M
• What can I say, "I loved it." Although I did not see the first one, my plan is to rent the first one and go see it again in 3D. - Ken
• Gorgeous design and art direction with a couple of plot holes to drive a light cycle through while The Dude knocks on the sky. - Peter
• I liked "Tokyo Nikkei Index." - Tom
• Loved Tron! I plan ti see it again in 3D IMAX - Les
• Nice visuals, with a plot that's philosophically deeper than at first glance. - Curtis L
• I found it tedious in places; I didn't really buy into the plot. It had some funny moments though and I enjoyed the pretty, pretty lights. - Cathy
• I thought the graphis for this movie were much better than the first. Loved Quorra. - Mary
• The company and popcorn were great! Happy holiday everyone. Oh, the movie was okay. - Tammy
• I miss 1982. - Calvin.

As you might've guessed: there was no movie outing in January but we will have another on February 22nd!

Out @ Easy A

It's September 30th so it's long past time to post our reviews of Easy A!

This was also our first attempt to do a late-night movie. The turn-out was not great; which pretty much guarantees that we won't be doing that again any time soon.
On a positive note: everyone who came loved the movie!
Here are some of our reviews:

• If I have to give 'Easy A' a grade, I can safely say that it definitely lived up to its title (+ extra credit). Ordinarily I don't go for comedies but this one really delivered. The homage to 80's movies was a very nice touch. Easily the best comedy I've seen in a very long time. - Laurie M
• "Easy A" was easy peasy-ly the hit of september. Exploring the spread of rumors in modern high schools while one girl (and a whole lot of loser guys) tries to turn that to their advantage. It managed not to fall into the cliche of the heroine making a heartfelt speech in front of a hissing crowd only to make them start clapping for her moxy whilst screaming "praise her for showing the truth about ourselves!" for which I am greatful. It's resolution doesn't guarantee a happy ending for all, but seems to be more genuine that way. There were some great moments of witty dialogue thrown into the mix, some of them done with peas! Accept the challenge and go see it for yourself. - Curtis L
• Easy A = A+, Awesome, Astounding, Amusing, Affable, Affable and Astute. It exceeded my (rather high) expectations and delivered a solid comedy. It made me think about my own experiences in high school and made me question some of the "facts" I took for granted. It's easy to forget how quickly rumours spread at that age. The movie manages to balance comedy with insight - no easy task. A really is for Awesome. - Kirk F

That's it for September! Pictures have been posted on the facebook page. Look for the poll for our October outing Tuesday the 5th.

Eat, Pray, Love Reviews

Wow.

Have you ever been to a movie that was sold out? On August 17th, our group found out! The 6:30 showing of Eat, Pray, Love at the Oxford was the most-well-attended screening they've had in two years. There were almost no empty seats (which unfortunately led to our group being split up) and the movie started late due to the long lines.

But what did our moviegoers think? While there were a range of reactions, the most common comment was "long." Understandable, given the two hours and 15 minutes run time.

• Excellent movie - you cannot go wrong with Julia - Rhonda W
• I didn't hate it. Could I, too, be a discontented WASP-y love-phobe? - John W
• Loved it. This movie touched a personal space in my heart; it came at the right time. Lesson learned. - Karen C
• Scenery was beautiful. Julia was beautiful. What else can I say? Bellisimo. - Dianna P
• Too long, I fell asleep! - Sue A
• Overall it was good but long. I liked Italy and India but not Bali. - Laurie M
• Liked her assertiveness but felt that there were too many stereotypes of certain countries (like the elephant). - Sara
• Good movie. Makes you really think. A little too long. - Mary
• I really enjoyed this movie so much! Tears, smiles and feel relaxed. Thank you. - Tammy P
• I love it! - Ken B
• Prophetic! - Martin T
• Balance. Watch. This. Movie. - Les C
• hot! Hot! Hot! - K. W.
• Scrumptious, romantic, sweet and funny, funny, funny. - Mary Kate A
• Some good messages almost lost in a long movie. - Richard S
• More Bali, less India. - Brad A
• Eat. Pray. Love. Sleep. - Doug B

Thanks to everyone who came out. See you in September!

Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog & Serenity

On Friday, August 13th, Hal-Con hosted an late-night screening of Joss Whedon's Serenity, preceded by a big-screen showing of the very popular Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Hal-Con was also nice enough to give us two free tickets to give away to the screening.

Doug B won our contest but generously gave his tickets to boyfriend Richard S. Here's Richard's review:

"Having seen both “Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog” and “Serenity” before, I went to the theatre, roommate in tow, prepared to be delighted and entertained by the double feature. When I arrived at the theatre, there was already a sizable line of expectant movie-goers waiting for admittance. Rather than being an off-putting experience, it added to the anticipation. Most people attending were talking amongst themselves and had obviously seen at least one, if not both, of the movies before. Die-hard fans could be spotted by their Jayne Hats – garish knit toques with ear-flaps made to look like the hat a character in “Serenity” received from his mother in one episode of the TV series “Firefly”- or dressed as their favourite character.

The event was well attended, with few empty spots in the upper tier of seating. The organizers were good natured and provided pre-show entertainment, singing “The Ballad of Jayne Cobb” accompanied by the ukelele. Free t-shirts were also lobbed at the crowd, which resulted in a particularly athletic display as one patron vaulted over the railing for the stairs in order to secure some swag for himself.

The first movie, Dr. Horrible, began with a cheer from the crowd, many of whom chanted “Play!” as the DVD menu was projected on the screen. A goodly proportion of the audience also sang along as Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion once more surprised me with their singing abilities. If you've seen Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog before, you can take it from me that seeing it on big screen makes it that much better. If you haven't, then I totally suggest that you go out and watch it so you can realize how much you missed out.

After Dr. Horrible, there was a brief intermission where the audience was briefly decimated by the need for concession and bathroom breaks. The opening credits for “Serenity” were also met with a great cheer from the crowd. After seeing “Serenity” now for the third time in theatre and the umpteenth time in total, I'm still not certain what my favourite part is. Summer Glau's character, River, has got to be one the biggest highlights. She goes from an unusual and unsettled young girl whose only response to a high-speed chased culminating in a near-crash experience is to say that she swallowed a bug, to an unusual young girl who can totally kick some ass. The writing is also in contention for favourite part of the movie. The banter between the characters and the juxtaposition of that humour with a bleak situation makes for an entertaining movie. The cast also helps to maintain the suspension of disbelief necessary for science fiction. Their chemistry is such that you can easily let yourself believe in the story for that hour and a half."

Well said.

Thanks again to Hal-Con for giving us the tickets!

Find out more about the Sci-Fi / Fantasy / Comic Convention (starting October 29th at the Lord Nelson) via:

• Hal-Con's Web site
• Hal-Con's Twitter
• Hal-Con's facebook page

Despicable Me Reviews

An animated family movie about a supervillain? Not exactly what you'd expect from Out @ the Movies, right? And yet it got rave reviews from our moviegoers! We also had a great turn-out with almost 20 attendees, including lots of new faces and kids. Afterwards, some great conversation and treats at Dairy Queen. You can check out photos on our facebook album.

• Fabulously fun movie. Gru was great and enjoyed his character development. I wish I had a minion at my command; I could do way more in life. - Curtis C
• Great movie. There were more 'adult' jokes than I was expecting. I couldn't stop laughing. - Mary M
• Hilarious! Great fun and super-cute. - Mallory M
• Originally the trailer did not entice me to want to see the movie. I'm glad I went with Out @ the Movies because I had a great time. Great movie! - Leigh M
• I wish all kids were as cute as that little girl! - Kelly M
• Loved Gru - I want to be adopted by him. "Poop!" hehehe Loved the Minions too! - Mary J
• I liked the "butt photocopying" scene. - Sioux J
• I liked everything. - Stacy W
• New twist to an old theme. - Kim C
• It was good! - Wolf C
• Pleasantly surprised. I laughed. I cried. The whole gambit of emotions. I swear that same little girl was in Toy Story 3 though. - Laurie M
• Lightbulb! You should go see Despicable Me! Highly entertaining without beeing too huggy-kissy-nice-nice! This is one of those movies where you'll be cheering for the Bad Guy. "It's so fluffy I could die!" - Curtis L
• Despicable You if you don't see this movie. Don't pass up this movie. It's a total "lightbulb!" - Les C
• Great, great, great movie! Good choice! - Tammy P
• Great movie! Very funny and cute!! - Andrea F
• A cute movie that made me laugh a lot. - Robert A

What about August? Our August movie outing will be on Tuesday, July 17th. We have three potentials:

• Eat, Pray, Love - starring Julia Roberts
• Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - starring Michael Cera
• The Expendables - starring ... lots and lots of action heroes.

A-Team Reviews

Thanks again to everyone who came out to see The A-Team and enjoyed some Dairy Queen afterwards. The theatre was pretty jam-packed thanks to the $5.99 ticket price. It was a great movie with great treats and good company.

So what did our reviewers think?

• Tammy P: I didn't want to see it but now I am glad I did and I met some great people.
• Mary M: I couldn't stop laughing and I'm so jealous of Face [because he got to kiss Jessica Biel]. Dammmmmm.
• Curtis L: If you got boredom and you where to see it, you should probably to ... The A-Team! The casting was well done, the action was epic and there were plenty of laughs. I found myself cheering and applauding with the rest of the audience. 9/10
• Mary J: Hilarious movie! Was expecting an action flick and got a comedy/action flick - doubly impressed. ....Mmmmm blizzard - great people too! Mmm people.
• Sarah O: Movie was terrific! Funny and thoughts - a perfect rest from work. The DQ treat really hit the spot and the company was certainly enjoyable! :)
• Les C: I laughed! I covered my eyes! I cheered them on! A plethora of emotion; totally cool.
• Curtis C: There was SOoooooooooooooooooooooooo much action. Down with bad reviews, this one was on the up and up! Hope they make a sequel.
• Melannie B: Awesome, action-packed with unbelievable stunts and it did well by the original. Plus, oh, if I could blow stuff up like they can. Two thumbs up.
• Mark M: Everything old is new again! When I first heard that this film was being made, I wondered if this was going to kill the TV/redo genre - but I was wrong! When you put together a smart and sexy cast along with a not-too-complicated story (sticking to the original premise) you have a 'plan' and a recipe for success! On the production side - things blow up! A few nods to today's pop culture from this retro dinosaur and produced by one of the Scott brothers, what else can be said? Ridley - hang up the tights; Tony - get this team back in action.

What's next? Our July outing date is TBA. Keeping to tradition the movie outing would be on July 20th would be smack-dab in the middle of Halifax Pride and I know that's a busy time. I'll make an announcement about our next outing soon.

-Kirk

Iron Man 2 Reviews

Thanks to everyone who came out to Iron Man 2.

There were so many of us, we had to separate into two groups! Well, not really. Unfortunately, we did get a bit separated; some of us saw the 6:30 show and some of us saw the 7:10. Post-movie, everyone took the opportunity to converse. There were also a lot of new people; always nice to see.

Iron Man 2 is, of coursed, based on comic books and that seemed to deliver just what Mary was looking for: "Iron Man 2 had action, humour, cool costumes & good ol explosions. Everything I want to see im my comic book on the big screen!"

Laurie was also impressed but had some critiques: "Overall I quite enjoyed Iron Man 2. Lots of laughs in a fairly predictable, but still fun to watch, storyline. "Most" of the characters were quite enjoyable. Tony Stark saves Gwyneth Paltrow at least three times; her character - twice and her overall performance - once. --zing-- Seriously though; can a movie really go horribly wrong with Robert Downey Jr in it? I think not."

I'd seen the movie before but enjoyed it equally the second time. It's not the perfect film but it's highly enjoyable. My only complaint is that they replaced Terrence Howard with Don Cheadle. I much preferred Howard's characterization of Rhodey; much closer to the comics.

That's it for this month. The poll for our June outing will be posted on Tuesday, June 1.

Kirk

Looking forward to the next OUTing.

Date Night Reviews

Thanks to everyone who came out to see Date Night last Tuesday! It was universally agreed: funny stuff!

Our reviews:

• "Funny movie; Tina and Steve are great tograther. This is a feel good date movie." -Kate
• "It's been a while since I laughed that much!" -Patricia
• "A great time, Kirk. Funny movie." -Terry
• "Date Night was hilarious!" -Tara
• "Date Night was one laugh after the next. Way funnier than I had anticipated!" -Mary
• "I laughed so hard my chest hurt for the rest of the evening." - Kirk
• "A hilarious madcap ride as one responsible couple (Tina Fey and Steve Carell) tries living on the wild side and taking another couple's reservation at a hip NYC restaurant. Great cameos by James Franco, Mark Wahlberg, and Mila Kunis." -Mary Kate

What about May? Well, May's quite exciting - it's the first anniversary of Out @ the Movies! What are the potentials for May 18th?

• Iron Man 2
• Takers
• Letters to Juliet
• Robin Hood

See you at the cinema!

Kirk

Alice in Wonderland Reviews

Out @ Alice in Wonderland

Thanks to everyone who came out Tuesday night! After our trippy adventure to Wonderland, we headed down to Second Cup for coffee and conversation.

Our Reviews:

• "Good movie, dark at times. Overall -> good!" -Tony
• "Not optimistic going in but pleased and well entertained. Would recommend to others - definitely to kids!" -Donna
• "A fun two hours; doesn't get too bogged down in the silly world-play of the source material. Depp is great as Hatter but mercifully doesn't give us the unending ham that Jim Carrey or Robin Williams would've. Some great imagery." -Curtis
• "I had heard a mix of reviews so had low expectations going in. Pleasantly surprised by a fun adventure film. Though some of the gobbledy-gook language that Wonderland entails could've used subtitling." -Kirk
• "I found the movie sarcastically funny. Mad hatter actor (Johnny Depp) was true to the character and depicted his role well. It took me awhile to figure out this was a continuation of the old "Alice in Wonderland," as I was confused until I hit the end. I wish they had clarified that just a little more then the directer did. Other then that, interesting movie, great actors." - Ryan
• "The movie was great. I liked it." -Xian
• "Dark going in but fast-paced. Well done. I would like to see it in 3D." -Kate
• "I was pleasantly surprised by the script; very entertaining! Great cinematography!" -Cathy
• "Great night out at the movies; nice to see everyone. Very well done movie. Took me back to my childhood. Was a great story. Looking forward to another Out @ the Movies!" -Ken

April: And what about our next movie outing? That'll be Tuesday, April 20th. The current slate of candidates include:

• Date Night
• A Shine of Rainbows
• Death at a Funeral
• Kick-Ass

See you at the cinema!

Kirk

Out @ The Wolfman Reviews

Thanks to everyone who was able to tear themselves away from the Olympics to come to Out @ The Wolfman.

Before we see what our moviegoers thought of The Wolfman, let's learn a little more about the movie. It's a re-make of a 1941 movie (The Wolf Man) - the first mainstream movie about werewolves. The cast includes Anthony Hopkins, Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving.

The plot:

"Lawrence Talbot's childhood ended the night his mother died. After he left the sleepy Victorian hamlet of Blackmoor, he spent decades trying to forget. When his brother's fiancée, Gwen Conliffe, tracks him down to help find her missing love, Talbot returns home to join the search. He learns that something with brute strength and insatiable bloodlust has been killing the villagers. As he pieces together the gory puzzle, he hears of an ancient curse that turns the afflicted into werewolves when the moon is full. Talbot must destroy the vicious creature in the woods surrounding Blackmoor, but as he hunts for the nightmarish beast, a simple man with a tortured past will uncover a primal side to himself -- one he never imagined existed."

What did others think of The Wolfman? IMDB users gave it a 6.8 out of 10. Rotten Tomatoes has it at 32%.

And what did our moviegoers think?

• It was like Teen Wolf on acid. - Tara H
• Effects = 7. Movie ... owes me points. Wait for the video. - Kate K
• The few entertaining moments and special effects didn't make up for the plot and dialogue. - CathyT
• The parts with the wolf were bang-on. A refreshing change from shirtless body builders standing around. But the non-wolf parts needed some polishing. Plenty of gore and muttonchops! An enjoyable homage to the original. - Curtis L
• Loved the Special effects! the movie - not so much. - Lynn
• Some movies are "so bad they're good." This was just bad; full of plot holes and inconsistencies. Glad I had a free ticket and didn't pay to see it. - Kirk F
• Sigh - I give Wolfman 2 out of 5 silver bullets. - Laurie M

After the movie, there was (as usual) coffee and commentary at the Second Cup. It was a great opportunity to compare various theories on the filmmakers' approach. Though it was fairly universally agreed there were plot holes a'plenty!

We've been on a bit of a streak with scary-themed/type movies; December was Gremlins, January was Daybreakers and February was The Wolfman. What about March? Right now, there are four potential movies up for March 16:

• Alice in Wonderland
• Green zone
• Remember Me
• She's Out Of My League

That's it for now. See you next month!

Kirk

Out @ Daybreakers Reviews

Thanks to everyone who came out to see Daybreakers! It was quite the experience including a few moments of good scare and lots of vampire-related conversation at the Second Cup.

Let's start off with a quick recap of the plot:

"The year is 2019. A mysterious plague has swept over the earth, transforming the majority of the world's population into vampires. Humans are now an endangered, second-class species -- forced into hiding as they are hunted and farmed for vampire consumption to the brink of extinction. It's all up to Edward Dalton, a vampire researcher who refuses to feed on human blood, to perfect a blood substitute that might sustain vampires and spare the few remaining humans. But time and hope are running out -- until Ed meets Audrey, a human survivor who leads him to a startling medical breakthrough. Armed with knowledge that both humans and vampires will kill for, Ed must battle his own kind in a deadly struggle that will decide the fate of the human race."

And what did our moviegoers think?

• Better than New Moon; an actual vampire movie - Tara H
• I think it was great movie. I liked it! - Xian W
• I screamed so f***ing loud in the scary preview (for the "Crazies" car wash scene) that it certainly set the tone for the feature presentation and the rest of the night. I am sure everyone was more entertained because I was scared out of my be-jesus wits. Movies about vampires are really good. I like being human though. I did my last Will and Testament earlier and got me thinking... if I was to die by converting to Vampire, then would I need to execute my Will? - Curtis C
• Willhem Dafoe chews up the scenery and Sam Neil slurps up the gooey leavings. An interesting vision of what a "world on blood" could look like. I recommend this movie to anyone who's tired of sparkly abusive boyfriend "vampires" and prefer to see that the real monster is the vampire, but the twisted human nature beneath it. Oh, and Ethan Hawke can bite me, seriously. - Curtis L.

Afterwards, we headed down to Second Cup and had discussions regarding various aspects of the movie and vampires. For example, if the vampirism is spread by some sort of disease, why didn't they have reflections? If they had reflections, how could they be recorded on video? When will the vampire movie trend end? Who's sexier; vampires or werewolves? <- that last question depends greatly on which vampires you're considering.

What about February? Right now, there are 5 potential movies:

• Dear John
• From Paris with Love
• The Wolfman
• Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
• Valentine's Day

That's it for now. See you soon!

Kirk

Gremlins Review

Thanks to those of you who came out to see Gremlins!

The weather was a bit cold, so there weren't as many attendees as we might've hoped. Those who came had a great time with this "classic" Christmas film! It's easy to forget both how scary and funny that movie can be! One of my favourite parts of the film is what's happening in the background and all the nods to other movies. For example, the "Flashdance" Gremlin in the bar. Pretty good considering Flashdance had only come out the year before. The best sight gag, hands down, was in the background of the scene where Billy's dad is at an "invention convention." We see Dad on the phone and in the background, from 1960's Time Machine is... the time machine! As Dad talks, the machine starts to rev up and smoke begins to appear. Cut back to Billy's mom on the other end of the line for a moment. When we come back to the convention, the time machine is gone and there are people investigating a small burn mark on the floor.

And let's talk about Billy's mom for a moment, shall we? Mom doesn't take no guff from those rowdy Gremlins! She takes out three of the little monsters all on her own (and that was half the total population of the little demons at the time!). How does she do it?

1. What appears to be an automatic mixing bowl. ...This was the moment when, as a child, I had to leave the room.
2. A big, sharp, kitchen knife.
3. Microwave.

You can watch the scene on YouTube (not the greatest quality).

And Billy?

I had kind of forgotten that I had a crush on Mr. Zach Galligan. Something about those big beautiful eyes. And, oh yeah, he's kind of hot without his shirt on!cTake a look at 20-year-old Zach with Corey Feldman in the foreground:

So how is it that a 1984 horror/comedy/holiday film came to be airing at the Public Archives of Nova Scotia on a cold December evening? The event was a fundraiser for the #HalifaxChicks team for the Bust-A-Move fundraiser. Bust-A-Move is an event to raise funds for mammography equipment for local hospitals to help with early diagnosis of breast cancer.

You can find out more @ http://bustamove.ca.

Let's take a look ahead at January! Our next movie outing will be on Tuesday, January 19th. The poll will open in the first few days of 2010. The tentative line-up of nominees are:

• Youth in Revolt - http://youthinrevolt-themovie.com
• The Lovely Bones - http://www.lovelybones.com
• The Book of Eli - http://thebookofeli.warnerbros.com
• Hoodwinked 2: Hood vs Evil - http://www.blueyonderfilms.com/projects/hoodwinked-too.html
• The Spy Next Door - http://www.thespynextdoorfilm.com

That's it for now. See you at the cinema!

Kirk

In The Loop Reviews

Rottentomatoes.com gave In The Loop a 95% approval rating. What did our moviegoers think? Let's find out:

• Very witty and pithy! Exactly what I would expect from a British movie. I'm all smiles. - Curtis
• Such witty cursing! One of the best movies ever! - Daniel
• It made an art of cursing. - Shalome
• Easily the most swearing I've ever seen in a movie but also some of the best. The plot was wonderfully fast-paced (matched only by the dialogue) and full of "laugh out loud" moments. Not for the timid. - Kirk

Incidentally, it's now available on DVD as well, so if you missed it tonight, you can still watch it at home.

Special thanks to the Monday Night Movies Series for organizing this showing! To find out more about upcoming indie movies, check out http://culturalproduct.com/ and http://facebook.com/group.php?gid=3550750175.

Reviews of Where the Wild Things Are

So what did our moviegoers think of Spike Jonze's adaptation of the beloved childhood classic Where the Wild Things Are?

Let's find out!

• An interesting look at childhood. It was a wild and unpredictable ride even if it isn't entirely clear where the ride took us. -Kirk
• Visually rich but it's hard to flesh out a 10-page book into 90 minutes of film. -Peter
• It was very bland. Like vanilla without the vanilla taste. Diet vanilla!! -Brian
• An interesting visualization of a child's inner voices via mythological monsters. Too complex for children to watch raptly. -Curtis L
• It was interesting how Max's inner conflicts and the people in his life were represented by the "Wild Things." I thought that actor Max Records did a superb acting job as our hero Max. I felt that some of the violence was unnecessary ([SPOILERS! Highlight to read] e.g., an arm being ripped off one of the Wild Things, rocks being thrown at owls). -Cathy
• No comment. -J

I can certainly say this: this movie generated one of the lengthiest and most complex discussions of any of the movies we have seen.

Well that's it for this time. Watch the blog for information on our next outing!

Kirk

Reviews of Whiteout

What did people think of sub-zero suspense movie? Let's find out!

• Kept me guessing. Exciting! - Mimi
• On the edge of my seat throughout, though the ending came too quickly. -Kim
• I was fairly disappointed. I [mistakenly] thought this was going to be a monster flick. Not a slasher. Overall a bit short, good storyline. But was waiting for a huge monster. - Luke
• I'd read the original graphic novel so already had an idea what to expect. The movie's story differs but it's still very suspenseful. Normal people doing bad things often make for some of the greatest mysteries in my opinion. -Kirk
• An interesting thriller with an ending that leaves you in some kind of suspense. Kate Beckinsdale once again hides her British accent as a U.S. Marshall trying to solve a string of bizarre murders on the end of winter rotation. Supported by Gabriel Macht (The Spirit), the film does become a 'page turner' - leaving you to wonder how it's going to end. Certainly not a Janet Jackson video ([director] Dominic Sena's major claim to fame) but certainly a visual feast. If you liked Kalifornia (David Duchovny, Michelle Forbes, Juliet Lewis and Brad Pitt), you will enjoy this! - Mark

And there you have it!

Thanks again to everyone who came out!

Kirk

G.I. Joe: The Reviews of Cobra!

RottenTomatoes gave GI Joe a 38% approval rating. Let's see how it fares against the critics in Out @ the Movies:

• "An action-packed, testosterone-inspired B movie." - Daniel
• "Do I expect the sequel??? Probably not." - Yongmin
• "Paramount's summer thrillogy concludes with a film that relies on Stephen Sommer's ability to develop characters and plot quickly and cleverly - in between action dances. Take it for a spin!" - Mark
• "I was on the edge of my seat, in anticipation of the chase, excitement, testosterone levels high!!" - Jerry
• "The first half was better than I hoped. The second half was worse than I feared." - Kirk (who watched it in Montreal!)

Though given the box office, I think Yongmin's prediction is inaccurate, I expect to hear sequel rumours any day now.

Our next movie outing is not a movie outing at all! We're off to see a play. Find out more at http://bit.ly/e1uzX

Thanks again to Daniel & Yongmin for hosting!

Kirk F

Hurt Locker Reviews

A great movie with a great crowd! What more could anyone ask for? RottenTomatoes.com gave this movie an overall 98%. Let's see what our moviegoers thought of it:

• Gripping, relevant. It made me cry. The main character, James, was brilliant. Very moving. - Lisa
• A riveting character-driven story that shows truth about war and life. Director Kathryn Bigelow delivers, once again a gripping story that leaves you on the edge of your seat - building up an ending that will leave you wondering about our characters. Drama! Intrigue! Irony! - Mark
• Good! - Jun Xian
• Well, my heart was in my throat the whole time. The adrenaline was running so high I could hardly walk, breathe, whatever. I thought it was a good movie which gave me a better understanding of what it must be like to be in a war. And thinking of the people in war now - how sad, horrible, terrible. Much compassion and a bit of understanding of the mind of the hero. - Theresa
• Disturbing; intense but liberating. - Kim
• Thumbs up! - Nicky
• As realistic as it gets without being there. Great. - Jerry

So that was The Hurt Locker. Look for our next poll to be up on Saturday, August 8th for a Tuesday, August 18th showing.

-Kirk