Can Be Directed, LLC

DVD/Videos Reviewed - Food Films with Fellini's 8-1/2

2010-01-02T17:38:00.000-08:00

So for 2009's New Years Eve I made plans to have a low-key evening with my girlfriend and I told her of an idea to have a dinner inspired by the movie we had already discussed watching for the evening. We were going to watch Federico Fellini's 8-1/2 to prepare for seeing Nine in the theaters soon. I looked for something to make besides a pasta that would be plain and uninspired, and I came across a dish that I knew would be a hit with her because of her love of mushrooms. I visited www.tuscanytonight.com and their recipe for Chicken Breast alla Carmine was just the ticket. With just enough time to prepare the food before she came home from her long day at work, I put the finishing touches on just as she walked in. Moments before midnight we started dinner and had the movie going on the television. The first bite of the new year was amazing. The Chicken was tender and juicy and the sauce wasn't too heavy. There were just enough mushrooms for every bit of chicken. I added some bow-tie pasta along side to savor every bit of the creme sauce.

As for the film, "8-1/2" was an amazingly visual ride through one directors journey toward making his next piece. Marcello Mastroianni Plays Guido Anselmi, a director who guides the movie audience through his conscience towards making his next film within the movie. Fellini was having a difficult time writing his next movie when the idea came about to write a movie about a writer. Proving difficult visually how to show the writers frustration, he changed it to a director because there would be a more outward appearance of the challenges he faced. A great deal of the scenes were shown as daydreams that Guido was having of what he wanted in his movie, but couldn't express them so others could understand it. The scenes were beautifully crafted and well shot. This movie has inspired many film makers and has been noted as Terry Gilliam's inspiration for all of his movies, including Brazil and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

Film Review - Paranormal Activity

2009-10-10T01:56:00.000-07:00

Sitting in a dark room with total strangers just waiting to be scared is a total rush. This movie was made for a measly $11k and has already surpassed that by 7x's in it's two weeks in theaters. It had premiered at Slamdance's 2007 film festival and has been waiting for the right moment to be released. Oren Peli directed, wrote, edited and produced the movie, but with such a small budget we don't see him in the movie. The fact that there wasn't any credits to the movie at all was surprising. I waited through to the blue ratings notice at the very end and there was nothing.

The reaction was amazing at the payoff. There wasn't anyone that left the theaters from where I was sitting. The people I talked to outside afterwards said that their first two times seeing it people walked out in the last 5 minutes. There was a great deal of nervous laughter in the audience when things would happen. I felt that this was what Blair Witch should have been back in 1999. There wasn't as much shaky camera movement as Micah Sloat put the camera on a tripod for most shots. His fiancee Katie Featherston was the "subject" of the movie.

Go check this movie out, but "don't see it alone"

Film Review - Whip it

2009-10-09T17:36:00.000-07:00

So, there wasn't a wait in line forWhip It like I thought there would have been only a week after it came out. I got to the theater about 15 minutes early and I was the only one sitting to see what I think was the most heart-warming story I've seen this year, so far. Not ever having played roller-derby, I could still relate to the message in this movie about defying the "normal" way of life. Just like Ellen Page's character, I am paving my own path with the career I've chosen to study. This movie isn't like your typical boy-meets-girl romantic girlie movie. This was about standing up for what you believe in, or what you want to do with your own life instead of letting people choose for you. I nearly cried when character Marcia Gay Harden's character read the note from her daughter.

This was a perfect directorial debut for Drew Barrymore, who also played a character in it who happened to be on the ground more than skating in the movie. She has a knack for being a more physical comedian than people give her credit for. It was also good to see the likes of Daniel Stern, and Juliette Lewis who played Dad and one of the rival skaters respectively. There were so many awesome real life derby girls that were in it as well.

If you haven't seen this movie yet, what are you waiting for? Go see it... And remember, you CAN do anything if you put your mind to it!

Film Review - Jennifer's Body

2009-10-04T15:07:00.000-07:00

After getting to the theater already playing the trailers before the movie, I had to deal with the only other group of people talking over the intro of Jennifer's Body. This is the latest by writer Diablo Cody who has such a way with her dialogue that I can understand it, even though I can't necessarily relate to it. There are subjects like girl problems and high school social issues that Megan Fox's character and Amanda Seyfried dealt with that I could relate to on some level being a guy, I felt sympathy for both.

Ultimately in the end I enjoyed the movie for it's story and some of the scenes, but mostly the dialogue. It seems like such a fresh take on how the "youth of today" speaks that it's very believable. Wonderfully directed by Karyn Kusama who has only three movie under her belt, but we should take note for future projects.

Film Trailer - Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day

2009-09-09T00:46:00.000-07:00

WOW!!!! All I have to say is WOW. I saw the first movie a decade ago and loved it. I was impressed even more so that the guy that directed it was a first time director. What impressed me even more was that his story was documented and shown as a how not to work in Hollywood for myself and the classmates I go to school with right now. I'm a junior in film school and I was blown away to see the trailer for the sequel when I got home from my "Day job" for the movie of the fall now. I didn't hear anything about it until squeaking onto IMDb, where the trailer below, came from.

Mark your calendars, go see this movie!!! It comes out two days before the actual All Saint's Day this year on October 30th. Pretty clever I might add. I think the only reason it doesn't come out on the true date is that it's a Sunday.

Check this out!!:

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi404357657/

DVD/Videos Reviewed - Snakes on the Plane

2009-07-05T22:28:00.000-07:00

The title should be "Snakes on the MF'in Plane" Cause even though this was my first time seeing this movie, I knew that was going to be a line in the movie based on who the main character was being played by.

I didn't see this movie in the theaters and I missed out on the audience jumps and screams I'm sure. This is the type of movie I end up watching through my fingers, and there are many reasons for that: First, I didn't know just what the combination of humor/action there was going to be until I saw one of the co-stars. Second, the stereotypes are abound in this movie, almost as bad as in Soul Plane (and I saw THAT in the theaters cause I knew what I was getting into) but I wasn't aware there were going to be the cliches. And lastly, I watched through my fingers because I was one of the people the director was talking about in the behind the scenes documentary of people's biggest fears. I hate snakes!! That's right, me and Indiana Jones are brothers in that hatred of the reptile community.

Check this movie out if you get a chance. It's funny and scary in a good way. The extras are pretty fun too. There's even a music video for the movie that is pretty cool too!

Check out the trailer from IMDb.com :
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi612630809/

Film Projects - Coke Ad filmed for school project

2009-07-01T18:12:00.000-07:00

I am a junior in film school and this is my final project for the Cine 1 class I was in last semester. In Cine 1 we get our first exposure to a 16mm camera and we film in black and white. Our final project is a short film or an ad for a project and I chose to film a commercial for Coke. Because my schedule was so tight I couldn't find a full crew to film with, all I had was a few actors (one of which was also a film student), me, and my partner.

What we came up with was pretty cool, considering that this was my first project where I was working on my own. My crew, as it were, was terrific. I made a few mistakes along the way (not turning the adjustable exposure open, a lot), but it turned out alright. Especially when I put it to music. I found a piece of very experimental music from one of my favorite frontman's side projects General Patton V.S. The X-Ecutioners.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Movie Reviews - Free Family Film Festival

2009-06-16T12:35:00.000-07:00

It's the start of summer for my nine year old and we've been to the first FFFF of the summer. Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa. Returning to our theater for a week (3 days in all tuesday through thursday) brings back Ben Stiller and company to cartoon series started in 2005.

In this one, Alex and his friends Marty, Melman and Gloria are still stranded in a lost country and are trying to get back to New York and safe, comfortable home. What's wrong is they are relying on the brains of a group of penguins to get them there. There was a few new gags for this episode and the laughs were abound.

I'm glad they brought this one back for the summer program because I missed it when it was in the theater the first time. And with this movie the children in the theater are part of the "Magic". My son buried his head into my shoulder for a few of the scenes when I would make oh, and ah noises for emotional moments.

For more theaters with this program, check out Regals Free Family Film Fest page at: http://www.regmovies.com/nowshowing/familyfilmfestivalschedule.aspx

And the Madagascar 2 trailer from IMDb at: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2831286553/

Thomas Pynchon, American Novelist | Reader's Guides & Information | Inherent Vice

2009-06-15T22:48:00.001-07:00

Thomas Pynchon, American Novelist | Reader's Guides & Information | Inherent Vice

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DVD Review - Tropic Thunder (2 Disc Director's Cut) 2008

2009-06-11T23:30:00.000-07:00

The 2008 summer comedy blockbuster that is Tropic Thunder has now become two discs of an amazing movie and great features. Disc one has the feature with two separate commentary tracks with the director (Ben Stiller) the writer and a few of the lead crew including the editor, production designer, and the director of photography. On another commentary track there is the actors Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black. If you missed this movie in the theaters last year, by any means that you can, see this movie on DVD.

This is an incredibly smart love letter to making movies by actors that really enjoy their craft. Building the characters as previously acclaimed movie stars in the beginning with faux trailers and advertisements, this sets up the main comedic plotline of actors being stuck in a remote part of Vietnam. Their movie takes a turn for the worse and the crew including the actors has to fight their way back to the states. The acting by the cast was amazing and having Ben Stiller as the director was a double pleasure from him.

On the second disc there are hours of extras that include hilarious outtakes and deleted scenes with introductions by Ben Stiller and the editor for the movie. There is also a faux documentary for the making of the movie about the failed movie in the film. This documentary was “directed” by the writer of Tropic Thunder, Justin Theroux.

For more information, check out the trailer from IMDb and check out their website:

www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2677539609/

Film Reviews - The Hangover

2009-06-11T15:17:00.000-07:00

First off, I never thought I’d like this as much as I did. Secondly, I want to see it again! This isn’t just a d!ck and f@rt movie. It’s mostly a who-done-it-and-how movie. For a great majority of this film, we’re on the adventure of tracking down where one of our lead characters, the bachelor ended up after a night that they’d obviously forgotten. Through bizarre clues (i.e. Mike Tyson, tiger, family heirloom, et al…) they’re finding their way through Las Vegas, where this wild bachelor party has taken place. Meanwhile, back home, the women in these men’s lives are worrying and wondering about how they are and where they are. Lies and misleading conversations are the guy’s only saving grace in order to buy them enough time to find their friend who they’ve misplaced. Obviously, after jumping through amazingly ridiculous hoops, they find their friend in the nick of time; but not without one surprise after another that keeps you laughing and wanting for more once the movie has come to an end. But don’t get up yet…stay for the credits.

DVD/Movie Reviews - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

2009-05-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

Sarkin Froode!! This movie, based on the best selling novels by Douglas Adams, is another in a long history of versions of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. There have been radio shows, BBC TV series, and now in this 2005 movie we see a great host of the characters in their best realm. Unfettered by television limitations. On this scale, the movie was intended to show the very colorful language and ideas that filled the stories written only 30 years ago.

Garth Jennings has directed a wonderful story with fantastically visualized characters portrayed by Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel, Sam Rockwell, Alan Rickman (at least his voice), John Malkovich, and our main character played by Martin Freeman.

But "Don't panic", there's plenty of great story even though our planet is destroyed in the first few moments of the movie, we can still enjoy the additional features on the DVD that include additional scenes that were cut out of the theatrical feature, behind the scenes of the movie, and if that's not enough, there is an improbability drive on the main menu so you will have a surprise every time you use it.

I highly recommend this movie for a great laugh and there are some underlying social commentary that isn't heavy handed.

Check out the trailer from IMDb.com: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2445345049/

And don't forget your towel!!!

DVD/video review – Charlie Bartlett

2009-05-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

Most of you may know who Anton Yelchin is by now, being is that his portrayal of Chekhov in the New Star Trek and Reese in Terminator: Salvation, but not many people recognize him as the smart talking, piano playing, entrepreneurial minded Charlie Bartlett. He is one of many characters in this fantastic story about rebellion from authority that is vastly different than ordinary high school dramas. They have all been well thought out and every one in the movie plays an important role. I think this movie was a bit mis-marketed to the teenage crowd even though the R rating. I’ve seen it a few times and it still makes me laugh a lot.

The special features include two audio commentaries and a music video for the Spiral Beach song “Voodoo”. My favorite feature is the Bathroom Confessional featurette where they have the cast sit in the toilet seats from the movie and talk about whatever they want to. They’re really funny although a little too short.

I'll try and find a trailer for this soon. So far all the sites I'v looked at don't have one to share here.

Things we're doing - First Video Resume

2009-05-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

So my partner Kanya is working on getting herself a part-time job as a Lifestyle Correspondent at a winery and the company she is looking to work for wanted a video resume. Perfect!! Something she and I wanted to work on with OUR company. They end up being short movies too. You have to edit them together, right? So we spent the weekend (when I wasn't at my part-time gig) filming her resume and taking pictures that would go perfectly with her one minute of glory.

Now's when I get to "Work my magic" and make small production value look and sound BIG!!! When I am finished, I will be posting a link to the site so she can have us look at her resume and vote her up so she can take on this amazing job in the wine country and help our company get some recognition!

I'll be publishing the link once we're done editing the resume. Her video needs us to vote for her before the 1st of June, 2009.

Film Reviews - Star Trek (2009)

2009-05-16T12:14:00.000-07:00

For those of you reading this, I am admitting something that I wouldn't say in public: I am a Star Trek fan. The William Shatner Star Trek was amazing to me growing up. True, I only saw them in syndication because I was born in the late 70's so I'm a child of the 80's. Having said that, I do enjoy the latest incarnation brought to us by Director J.J. Abrams who has many producer and writer credits, but has only directed a few episodes of television and one feature movie (Mission Impossible 3).

With this version of Star Trek we begin at the origins of the crew of the USS Enterprise, which weren't even through Starfleet Academy yet. I won't spoil anything more, but our first scene with James T. Kirk is when he's a baby. We end up seeing all of the original crew members (not cast) from their beginnings and how the friendships were forged. The special effects and character make-up was amazingly accurate with an updated look. Go check this one out if you haven't already!

The trailer found at www.IMDb.com :

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi381354521/

Film Review - Drag me to Hell - Trailer

2009-05-05T22:53:00.000-07:00

Sam Raimi returns to his roots with this horrific tale of a woman put into her most difficult position at work. The special efx look great and the cast is perfect. I enjoy Alison Lohman and Justin Long playing opposite each other as a couple and relative newcomer to the big screen Lorna Raver (she's only been in a few movies, but has done television spots for almost two decades) plays the antagonist for Lohman's character at work. Check this movie out when it comes out this month.

Here is the trailer from IMDb.com : http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3899917081/

Also, check out the official website for more tidbits at: http://www.dragmetohell.net/

Film Reviews - X-Men Origins: Wolverine

2009-05-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

This will be the first post in a long time about a movie that we've gone and seen. Our team didn't get the chance to go see it on thursday night like we wanted to. We'll be going this evening to see it with some friends. This should be interesting. There will be a few things to consider when entering the theater tonight: This isn't a continuation of the first three, it's the stuff that happens BEFORE Logan becomes who he is and how he gets there. In no way were we sueded by any of the press that this movie got for the leaked version.

More to come...

Check out the trailer on IMDb.com at:

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3012297497/

Film Reviews - Taking of Pelham 123 Trailer!

2009-04-27T17:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this is a movie that looks like a great one already. Two super actors in a head - to - head for control of the major transportation in a major city. John Travolta and Denzel Washington are the headliners of this movie with James Gandolfini as a supporting role. As far as I'm seeing, this could be another resurgence in popularity for the stars.

Check out the trailer I found at www.imdb.com

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1348535065/

So Many Sites, So Little Time - New Button

2009-04-20T18:27:00.001-07:00

So, my partner and I have been thinking of ways to have people donate to our company in order to build a budget for our first few films. Now we have included a new button at the sidebar for people who would like to see an emerging film company put together their first short film. For your donation, we will be putting together a credit list of people who donated to our project and putting in a huge thank you credit title in the end credits of the movie. As well, if you include your address, (or an address you want us to send goodies to) we will be putting together a thank you gift.

The button is getting set up in the next few weeks and we will be updating the blog with any news on what we may have for "Thank You" goodies. Let us know how you would like us to credit you in our film.

Keep independent films alive!

DVD/Videos Reviewed - The Matador

2009-03-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

As a fan of the TV show, Remington Steel when I was a kid, I never once thought that Pierce Brosnan could ever play the role of being Broken, Sleazy or Desperate. He plays all of these roles almost a little too well, in a watched-it-through-my-fingers kinda way.

Brosnan plays an assassin who's on the brink of disaster as his cold-hearted nature for his job is coming to an end. He freezes at the moment he’s supposed to take out one of his last marks before his "retirement". Meanwhile, there is a relatable character who Greg Kinnear plays. He is a husband who is worried about his life's future with his wife (Hope Davis), being that he sees his entire career balancing on a business deal where he's not favored.

Brosnan's broken-natured spy & Kinnear's broken-natured business man/husband meet at a bar (no bad jokes inserted here) and their meeting benefits the other in their business and personal lives.In the end, the mild-mannered Kinnear helps empower Brosnan, in an amusing out of character way, with the killing of his final mark. Brosnan helps Kinnear mend his teetering relationship with his wife by assisting in "taking out the competition" of his business dealings.

The two are an unlikely pair who find that their individual business needs bring them together and on accident, they become unlikely friends.I would suggest renting this, especially for the painful moments when Brosnan is either strutting through the hotel lobby in nothing but a speedo and cowboy boots, or him dressed in a cheerleader uniform with pop pops in a slow-mo cheer!

Film Reviews - Confessions of a Shopaholic

2009-03-16T00:11:00.000-07:00

*possible spoiler*

Over the weekend I took my partner out to see the movie "Confessions of a Shopaholic", which I must say was a nicely filmed movie. I was not let down to the amount of times I was watching the movie through my fingers because of the idiotic things the main character put herself through to get her next shopping fix. Sadly to say, I am that way with two things: DVDs and CDs. I have a pretty decent collection of both because when I get the chance, I can spend more than I want to on them. But, back to the movie, Isla Fisher is easily convincing as the troubled shopper. But the things she gets away with, even for the movies, is a bit too far fetched.

The other actors/actresses in the movie were very strategically placed to thwart her attempts at shopping until her debt was erased, including her parents (played by two favorite actors of mine: Joan Cusack and John Goodman [He will most likely be in a future DVD review of mine, Big Lebowski]).

*SPOILER* The main character goes through this wonderful transformation and ends up selling her belongings to clear her debt in the end by having a garage sale and auction of her things very much like the sales she was regularly attending in the beginning.

Cute, scary, funny, and then some. Just don't think too deeply about the plots or you'll be disappointed. Enjoy a matinee with a loved one, and save room for some popcorn.

Film Reviews - Fanboys

2009-03-16T00:07:00.000-07:00

We just got back home from watching "Fanboys" in it's limited release glory 20+ miles away from my house. This film has been over two years in the making. I remember seeing one incarnation of the poster for it well over a year ago personally.

Acording to IMDB's webiste the film began principle photography in 2006.  So the premise is pretty cool, as far as a road trip and a love letter to a most beloved series in cinematic history. The story reminds me of something my friends and I would have joked about doing when the movies actually came out. There were a few parts of the film that were a little too far fetched, but other than those, a very believable coming of age story.   The comedy was consistent and the one-liners kept coming. Tons of movie references and cameos by fans of the Star Wars series.   Overall cute movie, but if you were looking for a saga a la, Trekkies, it's not there.

May the force be with you.

Film Reviews - Taken

2009-03-16T00:04:00.000-07:00

So, we saw the movie on Saturday. Let me tell you, Taken is a very well put together story/movie. Not to go into too many details, cause I don't want to spoil it, the main character was presented very believable and the plot was very well developed (despite the comments from a fellow that was last to leave the theater with us) and well timed.

From a film makers standpoint, the rapid pace of the shots was very well used and the stunt work was developed in a way that can give the audience a reason to believe that Liam's character could in fact be the guy they described him to be.

Your thoughts, comments, arguments are welcome here.

DVD/Videos Reviewed - Grindhouse Double Feature

2009-03-15T23:57:00.000-07:00

Grindhouse Double Feature: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. One, double feature means two movies for the price of one. Two, Grindhouse Features are throwbacks to the 60's and 70's double feature films that showcased buxom females and macho males. Three, raw action and horrific zombies.

I only watched the Quentin Tarantino feature "Death Proof" this morning, but let me tell you, even this feature solo has a double feature to it. there is a great car crash separating the two halves of this very enjoyable car chase filled adrenaline rush. Kurt Russell is the car chaser in both halves chasing after two groups of women (including one of my favorites, Rosario Dawson) on their own journeys. Like I said, the action is great, the acting is very much reminiscent of the over acted 60's and 70's movies, and the stunts were done as real as they come. The special features on disc two show just how they got the cars to do what they did in the movie, and how the actors (and stunt people) stayed safe the whole time.

Awesome! This movie was written, produced, directed, and acted in by Mr. Tarantino himself. Good for more than one viewing, check this out if you enjoy a good action flick.

DVD/Videos Reviewed - Dazed and Confused

2009-03-15T23:52:00.000-07:00

Today I watched a movie that spawned a few Hollywood careers: Dazed and Confused. Released in 1993, this movie came out when Bennifer hadn't been anywhere near the minds of Movie columnists, Matthew McConaughey wasn't playing a film actor's agent, and Cole Hauser has just severed his "School Ties" a year prior. This movie was written, produced, and directed by Richard Linklater at the start of what would be a very courageous career spanning now 18 years and counting. As a coming of age story, this puts us in the shoes of a late 70's junior high graduate into High School on his last day before summer. The local High School seniors plot an initiation the incoming freshmen will never forget. As the story progresses (all in one day, no less) the young boy goes through an entire plethora of events towards manhood learning how to tell friends from foes really quickly.

The Criterion DVD set includes screen tests, outtakes, commentaries, and much more on the 2 disc set. I enjoy the replay value of this movie a bunch. It's "totally boss" cover art is a tribute to the styles of the era showcased in the movie, complete with macrame designs drawn by bored students on their notebook.

Film Reviews - Watchmen

2009-03-15T01:50:00.000-07:00

*possible spoiler alert*

WATCHMEN

12am showing in order to see it first?...I'm so there!

Your first question will be, "Did she read the novel?"
Answer: No. Now that we've got that settled, I give you my P.O.V.

You know that pre-movie "turn off your cell phone & no texting" sign that flashes on the screen?...Well, to that JACK-HOLE who was in my theatre, one row behind me & 4 seats to my left: Dublin, CA Hacienda Crossings, Theatre #20...you must have MISSED that obvious message since you were so friggin busy on the phone & texting! ASS! Last thing I need to hear in the middle of a sex scene is your stupid phone saying, "message sent". Again, I say it: ASS!

Okay...I've vented & I feel better now.  **Beware of spoilers**  The movie trailers had me wanting for the main event of the much coveted midnight release. It was impressive showing of graphic delight, however the movie was (after so MUCH hype) mostly just LONG & BORING!!!! Yes, there I said it. It really sucks for me to say that too. Especially because there's an awesome preview & movie poster of the sexy lighting-the-cigar-with-a-flame-thrower bit by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. (No, it's NOT Robert Downey Jr., but it's a really easy to confuse the two).

I was bored by over-narration, over-CGI, over-dramatic, under-acted, over-the-top...ugh! Where do I begin? Every time I thought the movie could be ending at this pivotal moment, it kept going...and going...and going. It was a helluva long movie to be bored at! The fight scenes were bass-filled, to where my seat vibrated...that became a little less boring. Hmmmm....  The effects were done to death and the monotone narration made me feel like the movie was dead. And it just kept dragging from there. It was missing the kick-in-the-head that I was expecting. I was looking for that edge-of-my-seat anticipation, but was stuck leaning on the arm rest with my arms folded in disappointment.

*sigh*

Know that there is a LOT of naked bootie in this movie…and not of the female persuasion! The costumes were fun. The numerous story lines were hard to follow. The sex scenes were convincingly good and sexy (not like in the crappy Underworld Evolution where it looked like the guy was screwing her belly button!). The character relationships were flimsy and hollow. I hated the fact that I never really cared enough for any character, to where their death actually bothered me.

One of the best things I can say for this movie is that is had an AWESOME soundtrack! One of the worst things I can say is that it did the neat little 5 minute wrap up, where things were just TOO perfect & completely absurd in an "aw shucks" kinda way. Not even Hallmark would have condoned that cutsie family-feel ending that would make anyone dry heave.

Film Reviews - Fanboys

2009-03-15T01:43:00.000-07:00

*special limited release*
*possible spoilers*

I just saw "FANBOYS" this evening and no, I didn't go kicking and screaming. I had higher expectations than I should have, but it's probably my inner-geek that was hoping and wishing.

Though there was suppose to be a touching underlying story, it never came through. In full feature length, it looked the same as in the previews: road trip to Lucas Ranch and toss in some poignant (and totally random) characters that all geek freaks know of; mix in a little misunderstanding, escorts and mayhem and POOF!...Let there be “FANBOYS”. I enjoyed how this was a Star Trek vs. Star Wars movie. What can I say, I’m a Shatner fan! (And that’s PRE-Priceline.com!)  This had underdeveloped subplots that I unfortunately tried to pay attention to, and they got completely lost in the shuffle. It was a cute ending, but a little too easy of a wrap-up.

I’d recommend renting this one with friends (who will share in the laughter and cringing) rather than travel to pay full price. I can’t say whether I laughed more or cringed more, but in the end, I was amused and amazed that they were able to get so many big actors to cameo. (Moreso, I think I was amused that we traveled over 40 miles round trip to check out this special release.)

May the force be with you as you live long and prosper!

DVD/Videos Reviewed - The Goonies

2009-03-15T01:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm a fan of the 80's movies. Good, bad, or otherwise. With that, I share with you "The Goonies". I saw this in drive-in movie theatre with my parents. Seeing the pirate ship on a big screen had me awestruck. I wanted to be there & to be them!

It's many years later now, but I can still identify with the same adventure that came from the muffled-sounding speaker box that clipped to my parent's car window. Today on my much smaller screen, I love it for both the thrill of the adventure and the wonder of the "what if" that exists in all of us. It's a rush. The little kid inside of me is fascinated every time I pop open the CD.  This is an adventure story for several kids who have lived in their neighborhood all their lives, but a realtor is trying to buy the land out from under their parents, which will ensure the tearing apart of their families and lives. After a chance find of a treasure map in an old attic & in a desperately hopeful adventure, 4 kids take off to try & find the treasure of "One-Eyed Willy". It's an amazing adventure for our main characters & their friends, Mikey (Sean Astin), Brand (Josh Brolin), "CHUNK" (Jeff Cohen), "DATA" (Jonathan Ke Quan), "MOUTH" (Corey Feldman), Andy (Kerri Green) & Stef (Martha Plimpton).  Just like any good treasure-hunting kids' movie, it's only appropriate that they jump over every hurdle that gets thrown at them. From the Fratelli family who wants to kill them, to the (un-credited) policeman (Director Richard Donner) who wants to call these kids a liar for "supposedly" finding the famed treasure & pirate ship, these kids showed them all! And that's when the pirate ship that came out of nowhere, floated across the horizon & had me completely awestruck. It's a Hallmark ending that I'm not going to go into, but I'm sure you can predict.  In case you couldn't tell, I'm a bit of a fan.

And I give you all this without demanding that you do the truffle shuffle first!

DVD/Videos Reviewed - Severance

2009-03-12T06:48:00.000-07:00

*limited release*

I'm going to start this DVD review section with a movie I almost didn't get to see in the theaters at all. The movie is called "Severance" directed by Christopher Smith, written by Mr. Smith and James Moran. When I got the chance to see this movie, it was on the last day of it's limited local release in Berkeley.

From the beginning of the film there is a mysterious feeling of a horror film. Once the credits are over it takes a turn for the comedic side for a while, then for the rest of the film we switch between the two rather nicely (in my opinion). I will do my best to describe the movie without giving it away. There is a group of weapons manufacturers that work together in an office go on a team building weekend and end up having to test their skills outside the office.

DVD extras include behind the scenes, deleted scenes, and some other features on some special, or "Not-so-special" effects. As well as the movie, the special features are pretty good and worth checking out more than once.

Check out the trailer from IMDb.com: http://pro.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi746717465/

DVD/Videos Reviewed

2009-02-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

Okay,

So when we can't make it to the movies, my partner and I will be reviewing the movies that we own as another outlet to demonstrate what tastes we have or what inspires us to do what we are doing.

Also, any movies that are out on DVD that you may want to recommend to us to view, by all means, let us know.

Film Reviews

2009-01-30T19:46:00.000-08:00

Having no full length films of our own, Can Be Directed will begin our site reviewing movies that we have seen, giving you a taste of what we like. We are a non-partisan reviewing group, not getting paid by any companies to promote their films over another. Just what we like (or get the chance to see). So this weekend we are going to see Liam Neeson's new film, Taken. From the trailer this looks to be an awesome story of revenge.

Now, Andrew has been known to spoil a few films for friends. So we will do our best to warn ahead of time if you don't want to know details about the movies watched. Mostly our posts will be an overview of what Kanya or I liked.

So many sites, so little time

2009-01-29T21:28:00.000-08:00

Hello,

This site is for the company Can Be Directed, LLC that was started by two partners, Andrew Nevis and Kanya Yoshihiro, to be a motion picture production company. Starting with work from competitions they have entered, working on short commercials, we are ready to continue with work on music videos and onto short films. Ultimately, the idea is to become a feature length film company, as Andrew and Kanya have been collaborating on several scripts that would be ready for todays film going public. This is the first of many blogs telling a little about ourselves.

Now let's here from you, the public. What types of films would you like to see from an emerging film company? Are you hungry for action or do you crave a good mystery? Tell us. Your idea, your script, your life, Can Be Directed.

Andrew Nevis