James Marsden in Superman Returns

I might have mentioned this before but James Marsden, Cyclops from the X-Films, will be in Bryan Singer's new Superman movie. No, he's not Superman. He's just Lois Lane's ******* (don't want to ruin the surprise) so we all know that he'll probably die by the end of the movie. He'll basically be doing what he did in X-Men: acting protective, crying like a girl, and not being in large portions of the film.

Speaking of, he is confirmed to return in X3 but what size of a role Cyclops will play in it is yet to be seen. I've also heard rumors that he'd been chosen for the lead role in a movie based on Garth Ennis's Preacher series, but nothing's come of that so far. Well, James, I hope you really like comic books or you fire your agent.

Sorry...

..for the lack of updates, but I'm trying to improve. Honest.

Movie Review: Godzilla VS Hedorah

(A personal note: the version I saw was from the Sci-Fi Channel, with English dubbing and widescreen format. The movie could have been edited.)

When you talk about Godzilla, you probably think about campy movies with guys in rubber suits. That's very understandable. And this film has a lot of that, but it's also the closest thing to "experimental" as a Godzilla film will ever get. It's also one of the few post-1960s Godzilla films to have social message in the form of the living sludge monster, Hedorah.

That is if you can get past all the weird psychedelic bits that is. Director Yoshimitsu Banno seemed to want a little bit of everything when making this film: poetry, pop songs, and animated interludes, and that's just scratching the surface. All of this can put off a traditional kaiju fan, but I found it strangely refreshing.

The positive points of the film are that Godzilla, suddenly becoming a environmentalist, is in the film a lot more than some of the other films made so far, and his battles with Hedorah are pretty good considering when it was made. Most of the people are decent except for the kid. The movie is also one of the few to show casualities of the monster's rampage, adding to the overall darkness of the film.

The bad: It's the one where Godzilla flies.

Another interesting point of the film is that it shares many similarities to the original Godzilla film. Many fans like to ponder if this was on purpose or not, and if there's other symbolism in the film. (Many people lose an eye in this film including the big G.)

Beyond bizarre, this movie still manages to entertain. If you're looking for a different kind of movie, a really different kind of movie, then this is the one. While it's not without its flaws, it's probably be the most unique entry in the series, and one of the best to come out of the 70s. B-

Movie Review: Corpse Bride

Victor Van Dort's got a problem: he's gone and married the wrong woman. And by "woman" we're refering to Emily, otherwise known as the Corpse Bride. But does Victor have feelings for Victoria, his forced fiancee? What will his parents say? Is it even legal to marry a corpse bride?

This film highlights all of Tim Burton's more eccentric tastes for ghouls and such while not going too far over, which makes this more of a mainstream movie than Nightmare Before Christmas. And there's no good reason why you shouldn't see this film. Animated "old school" style with painstaking stop-motion techniques, this movie is a prime example why this method shouldn't be abandoned for fancy computer graphics. Every character is sculpted to perfection and given graceful movement, whether they're scurrying away to a darkened forest or dancing with the dead.

It helps to have a grade A cast, though most have worked before with Burton. Everyone from legends (Christopher Lee) to obscure British actors (Richard E. Grant) put their best voice forward, and let's not forget the ever talented Johnny Depp. All do a wonderful job in this movie, and even get to do a little singing as well.


But the best part of the movie is the message Burton wants to tell us: "I'd rather be dead than to live in Victorian times." The "real" world is drenched in dull blues and blacks, while the netherworld that Victor visits is alive with color. Even Danny Elfman's score highlights this with dreary harpsicords for the living and styling jazz sounds for the world of the deceased.

With all of this positiveness, I either really liked this film or was bribed by Warner Brothers. Sadly, it was the first. But if you never liked or understood Tim Burton's films before, you probably won't like this one either. But please support this film and tell Hollywood that we want more stop-motion animation. B