Friday, February 21, 2014

Cinnaburst Spring Breakout '14


I get two weeks of vacation a year from work, and the time expires on March 1. Since everyone else took next week off, I'm stuck taking this week off. I've dubbed it Cinnaburst Spring Breakout '14... and while I have nowhere to go, I made plans to drive around town and visit places I've never been, eat at restaurants I've never eaten at before, etc.

But of course I've spent almost every day doing nothing. Woohoo?

Last week I asked you if you liked Valentine's Day, and the majority of you answered No.



  • Box Office News: Everything is still awesome!
  • Trailer Time: Check out new trailers for Guardians of the Galaxy, In the Blood and more!
  • In Theaters This Week: 3 Days to Kill and Pompeii
  • Next Week's Notable DVD Releases: Gravity and Thor: The Dark World

  • The man in too many bands, Overcommitter, sends word that if you don't want to be spoiled by the new Captain America film, you might want to keep your hands off the merchandise (SPOILERS)

  • Dallas Buyer's Club had a $250 makeup budget, and earned an Oscar nomination anyway
  • Screened takes a look at the Top Ten Biggest Best Picture Oscar Snubs
  • Meet your new Fantastic Four
  • The original Godzilla might be coming to a theater near you!
  • Meryl Streep: Better than God?
  • Paramount on Christians hating Noah: EVERYTHING IS OKAY. In related news, the film will not be edited
  • Just how does Netflix measure its exclusive shows?
  • Speaking of Netflix, have you noticed a decline in streaming quality lately? This might explain why

    And that brings us to this week's poll.


    Should Hollywood cut back on spoiling upcoming movies?
    Yes
    No


  • Friday, February 14, 2014

    Let's Bee Fiestas

    Happy Valentine's Day!

    For those of you who are married and celebrate Valentine's Day, enjoy the day! For those of you who are married and don't celebrate Valentine's Day, enjoy it! For those of you who are single and lonely like me, and will be spending the evening watching some good ole' pornog, there now exists a website where our dreams of getting laid can come true!


    Here is an image from last Saturday's Ring of Honor show that should git yer motor runnin' regardless of whether you are married or not!


    Last week I asked you if you agreed with movies getting sequels before even being released, and you answered a unanimous No.



  • Box Office News: Everything is awesome! Everything is cool when you're part of a team!
  • Trailer Time: Check out new trailers for The Purge: Anarchy, Think Like A Man Too and more!
  • In Theaters This Week: Robocop, About Last Night, Endless Love and Winter's Tale
  • Next Week's Notable DVD Releases: Game of Thrones Season 3

  • Glenn wants us to see what classic western films would look like had they been combined with motifs from the east

  • RIP lots of famous people
  • In other bad news, Tom Brokaw has cancer
  • In even MORE bad news, Comcast is buying Time Warner Cable, thus creating the worst company in the world
  • How much more bad news can we get this week? Shia LaBeouf is famous no more
  • Is Hollywood too white?
  • Noah is not making Christians happy
  • Where has James Bond traveled?
  • Recasting bad movies: Batman and Robin
  • Coming to Netflix: The Clone Wars, along with unaired episodes. Guess who JUST BOUGHT a complete series Blu-Ray boxset that has no unaired episodes along with two faulty discs? Grrr.
  • To quote Glenn, "nooooooooooooooo"

    And that brings us to this week's poll.


    Do you like Valentine's Day?
    Yes
    No



  • Monday, February 10, 2014

    The LEGO Movie (2014)

    "Everything is awesome! Everything is cool when you're part of a team!


    The phrase "greatest movie ever" is used quite often, mainly as a joke, but every so often (or once or twice a year) there comes along a film that spurs lots of online debate over whether it actually IS the greatest movie ever. You wouldn't think that an animated movie about a product that a toy company makes would be one of these discussions, but here we are.

    I first reported news of a LEGO movie being made in the November 18, 2011 Friday Film Fiesta with the lone comment "I'm so there!" At the time I was skeptical. It wasn't a Pixar movie, so it would probably suck. It wasn't one of the old school animated Disney movies, so it would probably suck. I had seen the CGI animated LEGO Star Wars shorts in the past; they're good for a quick laugh, but they're ultimately forgettable. Very, very forgettable. But regardless of the quality, I would still see it because it's LEGO. I assumed that this LEGO movie would be exactly the same, and even wondered what kind of story they could even come up with. Then, over the next two years, news broke of the casting choices, and last summer we got our first look at the LEGO toy sets based on the movie that were being developed. All of it sounded good. But still, could the movie be THAT good?

    It is.

    The movie's main character is named Emmett. He's a simple construction worker who follows all of the rules (or building instructions) and sings "Everything is Awesome" for over five hours a day. However Emmett's problem is that he is literally generic, and has no friends because nobody knows who he is. That all changes one day when some master builders invade the city in search of "the Special One" whose destiny is to destroy the barriers between all of the LEGO galaxies (each based on a different theme). See, eight years prior, the evil Lord Business stole the Piece of Resistance, and was able to barricade the LEGO realms and prevent minifigures from travelling throughout the galaxies. So Emmett the unlikely hero must join forces with the Master Builders before Lord Business enacts his Taco Tuesday plan, which is really to superglue all of the LEGO pieces together, thus cementing his character as the most evil villain in Hollywood history.

    And as a toy collector, the end of the movie really tugged at my heart. Without spoiling anything, the plot all starts to come together at a certain point, and the style of the film radically changes. You'll know when you get there. It's almost a light hearted jab at collectors of LEGO, and a sick burn at the reeeeeaaally hardcore collectors too, yet it re-enforces the fact that in the end, LEGOs are toys, and can be enjoyed by EVERYONE. Because the age limites are totally just suggestions. Whether you build sets and display them as a collection or play with them as toys, it's what you do with your imagination that counts. And everything you make is beautiful.

    I loved every minute of this movie and will be buying it the day it is released on home video. The cast was fantastic, and there are lots of fun cameos by both celebrities doing voiceovers and older LEGO sets and themes. SPACESHIP~!!! And with its record breaking box office opening, a few other people must have liked it too. Highest recommendation from me, and we have a very early contender for Movie of the Year.

    Now, please excuse me while I go and play with my toys.

    Friday, February 7, 2014

    Building a Better Fiesta

    elcome to the Friday Film Fiesta! This week sees the release of The LEGO Movie.

    Well I just have to ask, what makes LEGO's so great? Is it their superior plastic that allows them to last for generations? Is it their brilliant design that allows them to work flawlessly with bricks manufactured decades ago? Or is it their incredible themes and sets?

    In case you haven't realized, I'm a Mega Bloks Guy.


    Just kidding, I love LEGO! Seriously, what the hell is that crap on the left?

    Last week I asked if you enjoyed the new TMNT designs, and you answered Meh.

  • Box Office News: Okay that movie seriously cannot be that good, can it?
  • BONUS JANUARY REPORT: It was the best January in four years
  • Trailer Time: Check out new trailers for Maladies, Hector and the Search for Happiness and more!
  • In Theaters This Week: The LEGO Movie, The Monuments Men and Vampire Academy
  • Next Week's Notable DVD Releases: Ender's Game and The Best Man Holiday

  • RIP Phillip Seymour Hoffman. But never fear! He will soon be reanimated!
  • In other bad news, Leonard Nemoy isn't doing so hot
  • Netflix is spending billions on content, and here is what's showing up first
  • WANTED: Robocop, for crimes against cinema
  • Guardians of the Galaxy already has a sequel? Note that this would go up against Batman vs Superman
  • Dwayne "The Green Lantern" Johnson?
  • What conspiracy theories can you get from The Shining?
  • Mean Girls is ten this year, and it still has some secrets
  • Seth Rogen is bringing Preacher to AMC

    And that brings us to this week's poll.


    Do you agree with movies getting sequels before even being released?
    Yes
    No