Ross Matthews is right about one thing – any self-confidence he feels about his writing skills is without a doubt delusional. He’d have to be out of his mind to think that readers will actually be entertained by the garbage he passes off as a book. [Read more...]
Book Review: Man Up! Tales of My Delusional Self Confidence by Ross Matthews
05/21/2013 by Leave a Comment
Looking Ahead to 2013: 1st Quarter (January – March)
01/04/2013 by Leave a Comment
Now that we’re done looking behind us here at HST, it’s time to ring in the new year by filling our calendars with the upcoming releases (movies, music, TV, and video games) we’re looking forward to most. Big names, big sequels, big comebacks, big excitement. [Read more...]
Review: Megamind
11/05/2010 by Leave a Comment
Megamind is a not bad but not great film that takes a very scatter shot approach at lampooning the superhero genre and never steps out with its own message or voice.
The premise of the film is familiar as it is basically ripping off every superhero movie before it. Megamind, like Superman, is jettisoned from his plant at the cusp of its destruction only he doesn’t have superpowers beyond high intelligence. But don’t worry; there is a Superman in this story. Megamind’s arch rival is sent out as his race’s last hope, a much more human like race, from Megamind’s neighboring planet before it too is destroyed. The two become rivals unlike any other in Metro City and they do countless battles where Megamind’s greatest victories are near ones. It’s when an unlikely twist is thrown into their relationship that Megamind is forced to rethink his ways.
Now Playing Review – Megamind
11/05/2010 by Leave a Comment
As the world comes crashing down around two desperate parents, their one last act before their planet is destroyed is to send their son far away to the promising planet of Earth, where he can grow up to live the life that would have been cut short without their intervention. On Earth he will be raised by two loving parents who will give him everything he needs so that he will grow up to be the moral and just person he is meant to be, using his powers for good. Wait a minute… This isn’t a story of Superman. Or Metro Man. See the guy he is punching in the face? Yeah, this is his story.
Megamind could have grown up to be Metro Man had his similar origin story not ended in a rougher part of the neighborhood. Instead his moral compass was smashed during his landing and he chose the path of evil. [Read more...]
Comic-Con International 2010 – My Experience in Nerd Heaven
08/02/2010 by 1 Comment
A couple of weeks ago I excitedly told my aunt that I was going to Comic Con in a week, with a big ol’ smile on my face. I didn’t really expect her to be jealous, but I was overly excited. Then she asked if it was a gathering of comics or something. As in comedians. I then proceeded to try and explain that it was this really cool event that happens each year that has been taken over by Hollywood in the past decade or so. Basically it has everything a nerd would desire to see, including comics, writers, artists, video games, tv shows, and movies. I told her about the panels I was planning on sitting in on and some of the people that were scheduled to attend. I was adamant about making her see how awesome it was, but she just didn’t get it. Color me deflated. Oh well, I guess Comic Con is just for certain people…
Like this girl:
Now Playing Review – Date Night
04/23/2010 by Leave a Comment
If Date Night were a blind date between you and another person (as opposed to what, I don’t know) then I would say that the date is going pretty well. Sure there are times when some traits are revealed that you aren’t really sure if you want to stick around for, and sometimes they make some nervously ill-conceived jokes that you laugh at to be nice, but overall you genuinely had a good time and were glad you didn’t need to get a friend to call with an “emergency” to allow you to bail out early.
The date that this story revolves around takes a different path than the hypothetical mentioned above. In Date Night, Phil and Claire Foster try to add a little spice to their marriage by going out to a fancy dinner in the city. Unfortunately they do this without making a reservation, but instead of leaving they decide to take on the identity of the Tripplehorns since they bailed on their table. Unfortunately for the Fosters, they don’t even get through their dinner before two men pull them from their meal and accuse them of doing something in a case of mistaken identity, starting off the most dangerously adventurous date of their relationship. [Read more...]
Review: Date Night
04/09/2010 by 1 Comment
Date Night works by pairing two comedy greats together, letting them do what they do best, fills the supporting cast with some great actors, and doesn’t drag at all over its crisp runtime.
The premise is easy to grasp by simply watching a trailer or TV spot, a suburban couple, the Fosters, goes into the city for a night out on the town and when they steal someone else’s reservation they are mistaken for being someone else. What ensues is a game of cat and mouse all across the city that plays out as a detective story as the Foster’s try and track down the “Tripplehorn’s”. Now the film does take a few turns where you might scream at the screen at why The Foster’s are doing this instead of that which could have avoided this whole mess, but then you wouldn’t have a movie now would you. If you can get past this kink then you will find a fun, funny, and kind of weird adventure with an odd couple that encounters a lot of interesting characters along the way.
Suggestion Box (Nov. 9 – 16)
11/16/2009 by Leave a Comment
Clash of the Titans Trailer – Yay violence, mythology, creatures and CGI. Check it out here.
Date Night Trailer – Two of TV’s best comedians finally come together for this film. Should be great. Check out Tina Fey and Steve Carell here.
Green Zone Trailer – Matt Damon doing what he does best. Check it out here.
Leap Year Trailer – Who knows if this film will move beyond the usual romantic comedy, but I am pretty much willing to watch Amy Adams in anything, so here’s to high hopes. Check it out here.
Review: The Invention Of Lying
10/12/2009 by Leave a Comment
Ricky Gervais makes his American writing and directing debut with the help of Matthew Robinson and the results are a dramedy that doesn’t deliver the laugh a minute pace you might be expecting, but it doesn’t try to and it works fairly well.
The premise of the film is very high concept and takes place in a world where everyone tells the brutal honest truth. They don’t hide things by just ignoring saying the things that might be inappropriate, they have no barometer for what is appropriate or not, they just say whatever is on their mind and believe everything everyone says because there are no lies. Our focus is on Mark Bellison, an average bloke who doesn’t have much money, no romantic prospects, and is probably at risk of losing his job. [Read more...]
Review: Ponyo
08/13/2009 by Leave a Comment
Hayao Miyazaki’s latest is given the A+ voice over treatment for American audiences with the help of John Lasseter and the results are a beautiful looking animated tale full of wonder and imagination that is a bit all over the place and can’t sustain it’s full run time.
Sosuke is a young boy that lives on the top of a hill of a port town. His mother works at retirement community and his father is a boat captain that docks in and out of their local port. Sosuke loves the water and one day when playing by his house he discovers a small red fish like creature with a rather human face. This fish he names Ponyo turns out to be on the run from an underwater sorcerer of sorts who begins to pursue Sosuke and his mother as the boy takes Ponyo down to school with him. Ponyo seems to be an unusual fish, as she can speak and apparently heal people, and Sosuke bonds with her immediately. When the sorcerer gets his hands on Ponyo again, Ponyo begins on the path back to Sosuke with the help of a little magic that will allow them to bond even further. [Read more...]
Review: Baby Mama
05/28/2008 by Leave a Comment
Tina Fey’s second effort at writing for the big screen is a fairly successful comedy, that doesn’t live up to her comedy chops on 30 Rock. Directed by Michael McCullers, Baby Mama follows the story of Kate Holbrook (Fey), a hard working 30 something that has never had time for a child or family as she worked up the corporate ladder of her whole foods company. After trying the artificial insemination route, Kate, finds out that her Uterus is just not up to snub so she decides to endeavor in the surrogate route. [Read more...]
