Rama's Screen

Man, what is this garbage?. I was so disappointed. I expected to laugh a lot but all I got from this movie were cheap, stupid, unfunny jokes. This is one of those comedy films where the funny parts have been shown in the movie trailers while the actual film is filled with lameness. This is from the guys who brought us… Read the rest of this entry »

This is heist movie. The title in English means “A thief who steals from a thief will receive 100 years forgiveness”. It’s a latin proverb that justifies the storyline of what I think to be the Hispanic version of… Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday, the good folks at YSN.com has been more than kind to allow me to become their movie blog writer if you will. The article that I sent to be posted was ‘How Important is Movie Violence?’. It looks pretty cool on their page, actually By the way, YSN.com is a Your Success Network site. If you’re looking into networking with other people who are as determined as you are at thriving to become successful in life, whatever industry it maybe, then do yourself a favor and check out YSN. Much obliged to them. You can see how the article looks by click on the YSN logo below:

Rama’s SCREEN also received a compliment from moviesnobs for the same article.

I need to also recognize and thank my good friend Joe at the local Time Video store here in Riverside. He’s helped me get the word out by allowing me promote my business cards which soon will be mostly attached to the store’s newly released DVD rentals.

So here’s to YSN and Time Video,.. and in the word of Humphrey Bogart’s character in the classic film ‘Casablanca’:

“I think this is a beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

Johnny Depp’s got a new movie coming soon this fall. It’s called SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET. It’s a collaboration between him and director Tim Burton for the millionth time. It’s based on a 19th century legend of a murderous barber who killed everyone who’s ever done him wrong. Now here’s the word on the web, apparently the studio has seen early footages from the movie and thought that the violence was too graphic. They loved the movie but they wanted Tim to take the level down a bit so it can be presented not in R-rated but PG-13. The idea is to get it watched by wider audience, which means more money would be coming in.

Tim who is an artistic filmmaker was definitely not happy with the studio’s request for so many cuts. How can you not show graphic violence in a story like this one? SWEENEY TODD by the way will slit theaters’ throats December 21st.

Which brings me to the question: How important is movie violence?

1). There are movies out there that show violence without any purpose or relation to the storyline at all. It shows grotesque graphics and images just so the filmmaker could prove to the audience that they’ve crossed the boundaries. At the same time it is necessary for certain films to have such high level of violence in order to serve the audiences that love that sort of thing. It’s their niche and it’s all about satisfying that target market. George Romero will keep on making zombie movies til the day he dies… and becomes a zombie.

George A. Romero and his movies

2). Let’s briefly talk about art. Now this is a subject that most people won’t find fascinating. The second they hear the word ‘art’, immediately they’ll think of boring museums filled with large paintings to stare at for hours and hours. But where I’m going with this is that movies like Kill Bill, Sin City and 300 have been the Champions in presenting violence in a very artful manner. It would take away the beauty of it all if the violence level was toned down.

Uma thurman in KILL BILL Vol. 1

3). Another way a movie violence can be important is that if it’s a part of the character so much so that we just can’t see that character becomes somebody who is without violence. That’s one thing I was concerned about the movie LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD that now is PG-13 unlike its R-rated predecessors. The character John McLane has been so closely associated with curse words and violence that I couldn’t see John McLane any other way. But luckily the movie Live Free or Die Hard was very well made in my opinion and it was very action-packed that it didn’t take away the heroic image of the iconic man who’s always at the wrong place at the wrong time.

One interesting fact, if you’ve seen the movie Die Hard with a Vengeance and remember the bad guy Simon, played by the great Jeremy Irons, well.. before Jeremy,.. Sean Connery was actually offered the role but he turned it down on the account that the character was too violent and evil.

4). Movie Violence is important in history-based movies. ‘Saving Private Ryan’ is a great movie, especially the beginning scene at the bloody beach, because it stays true to the real-life situation of D-Day. By showing violence, the movie gives homage to those who actually lived the event.

On the other hand we have another great movie called ‘Hotel Rwanda’. You’d think that because it’s a movie about genocide that the filmmaker would go the distance to show some disturbing scenes. But that’s not the case. This movie is very excellent because it gives graphic bloodshed through their dialogues, through their faces. You can see and feel the brutality just by watching their eyes which hold fear, anger, and disbelief. Hotel Rwanda is filled with talented actors and a gifted writer who can display violence without having to display violence.

HERE IS THE LATEST MOVIE POSTER OF SWEENEY TODD.

Hollywood loves Japanese horror movies. Have we forgotten The Ring, The grudge, Jessica Alba’s upcoming movie The Eye and the other THE’s out there originally made in the land that gave birth to Karate. This time it’s ONE MISSED CALL based on the hit film in Asia named Chakushin Ari and don’t ask me to pronounce it. Shannyn Sossamon (A Knight’s Tale) and Edward Burns (Saving Private Ryan, Confidence) are… Read the rest of this entry »

If there’s one actor that I think deserve better recognition is John Cusack. The guy that made the lasting impression by holding up a big radio set in the movie ‘Say Anything’, may have finally found the movie that might get him the chance to win the win the golden statuette next year. GRACE IS GONE is a touching drama that won this past Sundance and will be released everywhere October 5th. It’s about a father (John Cusack) who… Read the rest of this entry »

At first I didn’t want to waste my time watching this movie, but then I thought maybe I could watch something just for the fun of it, so I could have something to remember and laugh. But ILLEGAL TENDER turned out to be quite… Read the rest of this entry »

Today, THE DARK KNIGHT film crews and demolition experts blew up an old factory building as part of a scene for next year’s Batman film. The building was first made to look like Gotham General Hospital complete with red cross and pharmacy signs. This next installment in the Batman franchise is going all out with this one. I can’t wait for July 18th, 2008.

Just as Rama’s SCREEN has mentioned a while back, The Coen brothers who brought us great films like Fargo and The Big Lebowski now has come up with another thriller starring the versatile Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Woody Harrelson. This movie introduces the baddest bad guy in movies since last year’s Captain Vidal in ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’. Here we have the new Red band R-rated trailer. It’s called Red band because the trailer reveals more violence than the common movie trailers we see day in an day out. Make sure you have flash player to watch this clip

Keanu Reeves was the perfect Neo no doubt. I couldn’t have imagined anybody else playing that character. But most of us know by now that Keanu is just not that good of an actor. Same tone of voice in all his movies, same facial expression, he’s not even trying to accept roles that will push his skills to see if he’s even got one. I guess that’s why he’s going to get stuck doing action/sci-fi movies or anything that has to do with special effects (Johnny Mnemonic, Constantine) because only then will he be able to bank money and still look good for the girls in the end. He did however make one good decision to not be in that dreadful Speed 2.

Maybe he should make a third ‘Bill and Ted’ movie. Those dudes rule! I’d pay to watch that one. But for now we need to be satisfied with Keanu’s choice of being in a remake Sci-Fi movie THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. Keanu will play an alien who comes to earth with a giant robot and they warn earth’s leaders that if they continue war against each other, a far away species will annihilate mankind. And so Al Pacino approaches Keanu and slaps him in the face for bad acting. Well for that last part, I made it up. The movie may not be done until two years from now.