A co-worker mentioned to me the movie, Chapter 27, and after getting a chance to watch it, I am very impressed by it.

Chapter 27 is the retelling of the events leading up to the murder of John Lennon by Mark David Chapman, with a look into the mind of the killer.

Jared Leto gives an outstanding performance as Chapman. His character is quirky and disturbed, and despite the seriousness of the situation, he gives us moments that we can laugh at, and oddly enough moments that endear us to him.

Lindsay Lohan has a small role in the movie, but not anything terribly memorable. Judah Friedlander turns in a good performance as well and has maybe a bit more screentime than Lohan, but in the end all the other actors in Chapter 27 are shadowed by Leto’s performance.

I also felt like the soundtrack was extremely well-done, and fit (or created?) the mood of the movie very well.

I understand that some people have a strong opposition to this movie, because they feel like it is giving Mark David Chapman what he wanted — fame. However, I feel like what he did brought him as much fame as an act like that can. This movie adds nothing to that. This is simply an interpretation of the events that transpired. We as humans are always asking “why” when tragedies occur. Chapter 27 seems to be nothing more than attempt to answer that question, but it does so with some great acting and filmmaking.

I highly recommend Chapter 27.

Memorable quotes:

“I swear to God I was the only normal bastard in that lousy dump.”

“You don’t have to be nervous. I’m not a weirdo.”

Directed by: J.P. Schaefer
Starring: Jared Leto, Lindsay Lohan, Judah Friedlander

Rated: R

Buy the DVD:
Chapter 27 (2007) DVD at Amazon.com
Chapter 27 (2007) DVD at Amazon.co.uk
Chapter 27 (2007) DVD at Amazon.ca

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Jason Statham returns as Frank Martin in Transporter 3 which is scheduled to open in the US on November 26, 2008. The poster for Transporter 3 is below.

On DVD and Blu-ray:
Shop for all Jason Statham’s Transporter movies at Amazon.com
Shop for all Jason Statham’s Transporter movies at Amazon.co.uk

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Here is the trailer for The Lucky Ones. Peña, Robbins, and McAdams look great together.

Directed by: Neil Burger (The Illusionist)
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Michael Peña, Tim Robbins

Release Date: September 26, 2008
Rated: R

Here is the trailer for what looks like it is going to be an awesome new animated movie from DreamWorks Animation, Monsters vs. Aliens.

When a meteorite from outer space hits a young California girl named Susan Murphy and turns her into a giant monster, she is taken to a secret government compound where she meets a ragtag group of monsters also rounded up over the years. As a last resort, under the guidance of General W.R. Monger, on a desperate order from The President, the motley crew of Monsters is called into action to combat the aliens and save the world from imminent destruction!

Directed by: Rob Letterman (Shark Tale), Conrad Vernon (Shrek 2)
Voices: Seth Rogen as B.O.B., Paul Rudd as Derek, Rainn Wilson as Gallaxhar, Reese Witherspoon as Susan Murphy, Kiefer Sutherland as General W.R. Monger, Hugh Laurie as Dr. Cockroach Ph.D., Will Arnett as The Missing Link, Stephen Colbert as The President of the United States

Release date: March 27, 2009

Can a movie be well-acted and still be dull and unsatisfying? The movie August gives us the answer to this question.

August centers around two brothers who are trying to keep their dotcom business afloat during August 2001. I had high hopes for this movie, both because I generally like Josh Hartnett’s work, and I’m also a geek. In the end I was ultimately disappointed by August. The trailer for August hyped up the movie in much the same way as Tom hyped up Landshark to the potential investors — a whole lotta hype with very little substance to back it up. Maybe that’s the point. Many dotcom businesses at the time were surviving solely on hype.

I continually had this nagging curiosity about what the Landshark company actually did. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who wanted to know, because Tom’s dad (Rip Torn) asked him, “What do you actually do?” Maybe we as the viewers aren’t supposed to know the answer to that question. But isn’t that what this movie is about? Or is this movie about the strain that a business puts on the relationship between two brothers? If that was the case, we should have seen more of Josh (Adam Scott) and Tom (Josh Hartnett) on screen together.

As far as other actors in August besides Hartnett, they received very little screen time and character development. I would have loved to see more of Adam Scott, Naomie Harris, Rip Torn, Robin Tunney, and David Bowie, but instead we get a movie consisting almost exclusively of Hartnett.

If you are a Josh Hartnett fan, you will want to see August for his commendable performance, but otherwise, I can’t really recommend it.

Buy August on DVD:
August (2008) DVD

20th Century Fox is claiming that Warner Brothers is infringing on their copyrights for the Watchmen movie in which Fox owns the rights to the graphic novel that the movie is based on. Fox plans to block the release of the Watchmen, which is one of the most highly anticipated releases for next year.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I would hate for this movie not to make it to the big screen, if an agreement cannot be met.

[via The New York Times]

Here is the trailer for the crime drama Pride and Glory.

A saga centered on a multi-generational family of New York City Police officers. The family’s moral codes are tested when Ray Tierney (Edward Norton), investigates a case that reveals an incendiary police corruption scandal involving his own brother-in-law (Colin Farrell). For Ray, the truth is revelatory, a Pandora’s Box that threatens to upend not only the Tierney legacy but the entire NYPD.

Directed by: Gavin O’Connor

Starring: Edward Norton as Ray Tierney, Colin Farrell as Jimmy Egan, Jennifer Ehle as Abby Tierney, Noah Emmerich as Francis Tierney, Jr., Lake Bell as Megan Egan, Jon Voight as Francis Tierney, Sr.

Release date: October 24, 2008
Rated: R

Stills from Pride and Glory below:
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Here is the longer theatrical trailer for Ridley Scott’s Body of Lies.

A CIA operative is sent to Jordan to track a high-ranking terrorist. The spy is aided by the head of Jordan’s covert operations in an uneasy alliance that leads to cultural and moral clashed between the men. Based on the novel “Body of Lies” by David Ignatius.

Directed by: Ridley Scott

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Carice van Houten, Oscar Isaac, Vince Colosimo, Michael Gaston

Rated: R
Release date: October 10, 2008

Stills from Body of Lies below:
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On August 26, 2008, Brotherhood of the Wolf (Pacte des loups, Le) will be released as a Director’s Cut edition with 10 extra minutes of footage.

Directed by: Christophe Gans
Starring: Samuel Le Bihan as Grégoire de Fronsac, Vincent Cassel as Jean-François de Morangias, Émilie Dequenne as Marianne de Morangias, Monica Bellucci as Sylvia, Jérémie Renier as Thomas d’Apcher, Mark Dacascos as Mani

Buy:
Brotherhood of the Wolf Director’s Cut at Amazon.com

Brotherhood of the Wolf Director’s Cut at Amazon.co.uk

PRELIMINARY BONUS FEATURES:
— DELETED SCENES: Watch over 40 minutes of additional footage from the
film.
— MAKING OF “BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF”: THE GUTS OF THE BEAST: Explore
the creation of the movie from its unlikely genesis to the breathtaking
fight scenes and daring digital effects.
— DOCUMENTARY: Go on-location with the cast and crew as they deal with
everything from fight choreography to costume decisions and weather
challenges.
— THE LEGEND: Uncover the chilling historical facts behind the legend of
the vicious Gevaudan Beast.
— STORYBOARDS: See extensive storyboard galleries from some of the
film’s most memorable scenes.
— THEATRICAL TRAILER: Watch the theatrical trailer from the film.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION:
Street date: August 26, 2008
Selection number: 61104683
Price: SRP $19.98
Running Time: 2 Hours 31 Minutes
Layers: Dual Layer
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Rating: Not Rated
Languages/Subtitles: English, French, English SDH, French and Spanish
subtitles
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

MGM has announced that Valkyrie will get a release date of December 26, 2008.

Synopsis:

The “July 20th Plot” on Hitler’s life is one of the most heroic, but least known episodes of World War II history. Severely wounded in combat, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise) returns from Africa to join the German Resistance, and help create Operation Valkyrie, the complex plan that will allow a shadow government to replace Hitler’s once he is dead. But fate and circumstance conspire to thrust Stauffenberg from one of many in the plot to a double-edged central role. Not only must he lead the coup and seize control of his nation’s government–he must kill Hitler (David Bamber) himself.

Directed by: Bryan Singer
Starring: Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Carice van Houten, Eddie Izzard