The Film Projector is now Opening Night Review

Dear Readers,

I’d first of all like to thank all of you for reading this blog.  You have no idea how it feels to know that this blog has recieved hundreds of hits over the past months, and I appreciate everyone who’s taken the time to read this blog.

With that said, I’m leaving wordpress  as a blog host and transfering this blog, and the entirety of its contents over to blogger.  There are a few reasons for this, but mainly I was no longer happy with wordpress as a host site.

The Film Projector will now be known as Opening Night Review.  I’ve spent hours transfering almost every single post from this blog over to Opening Night Review, so that you can still view some of the older films that I’ve reviewed over the past months.  Opening Night Review is now live.  The URL address is below:

http://openingnightreviews.blogspot.com/

Thank you all for your readership, I hope that you will continue to read my reviews at the new blog!  I’ll see you at the movies!

Defiance

Daniel Craig gives perhaps his most memorable performance as Tuvia Beilski, one of three Jewish brothers who escape from a Nazi-Occupied Poland and take up residence in a Belarussian forest.  Once there, Tuvia and his brothers Zus (Liev Schreiber) and Asael (Jamie Bell) find several Jews in hiding.  Tuvia, Zus, and Asael take in these Jews, giving them their first taste of true freedom.  Zus, however, has some problems with Tuvia’s leadership ability, so for most of the movie, Zus is with a group of Russians who are preparing to fight against the Nazi.  Tuvia and Asael however, stay behind to help the Jews that they have taken in to rebuild their lives.  As the movie progresses, the brothers soon find out that above all, that which you can not afford to lose is hope.  This movie, in a word, was excellent.  My analysis is below, here is the theatrical one-sheet from the film:

The Theatrical One-Sheet for Defiance

I believe that based on your interest level in certain subjects, there are some films that you need to see.  For instance, if you like action movies, I’d venture to guess that you’d like films like the Transporter series, the Terminator saga, or any James Bond film.  If you are a history buff, however, this movie, which is based on a true story is, for history buffs, a must see.  I believe that Daniel Craig’s performance is going to solidify him as an actor, as opposed to the man who just does a Bond film every four or five years.  Furthermore, I think this is a must see for the sheer fact that it is a story of determination and survival.  The only negative thing that I’d say about the film is its length.  At 2 hrs and 17 minutes, it is a bit long.  I will say however, that in a historical period movie, as this one is, its often necessary for the film to be this long, because how does a director choose what parts of the true story to cut out?  All in all, I think this is one of the best films of 2009, and I’d give it 4.8 out of 5 stars.

Frost/Nixon

I have been waiting to see Frost/Nixon ever since it was first advertised months ago during the 2008 Summer blockbuster season.  Unfortunately for me, and for many other moviegoers, the film was on limited release, today was the first chance I had to go an hour out of my way to see the film.  Granted, the theater in which I saw the film was possibly one of the best theaters in the country, but still, I wish the film would have been in full U.S. release.  Frank Langella and Micheal Sheen do a wonderful job portraying President Nixon and British talk-show host David Frost.  They portray the inner struggle that plagues both characters as each man has their own separate agenda for the interviews.  In the end, one man is rocketed to fame, while the other is denominated further into darkness, but what impressed me the most, is the way both of the actors portrayed that neither Frost nor Nixon was made a better man by the interviews.  I felt by the end of the film that Frost now carries the guilt of kicking a man when he was down, while Nixon finally admitted his wrongdoing in Watergate.  Overall, I’d have to say that this film was excellent, and another shining gem in the collection of Ron Howard’s body of work.  I’d say that if you are fortunate enough to live near a theater that happens to be carrying Frost/Nixon, that you should definitely see it.  I’d give the film 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Exciting Upcoming Movies for Spring 2009

The Summer and Winter months are often thought of as big time movie seasons, and why not?  College students are home from school, and the general public tends to take it easy during the holidays, while they take vacations in the Summer.  From an economic stand point, it makes sense to release highly anticipated films in the Summer and Winter seasons.

For me however, I don’t really think there is ever a time when movie are out of style.  In fact, movies to me are a form of escapism from daily life, as I’m sure they are for many people.  There are some pretty heavy hitters that are set to come out in the months of February, March, and April as we all patiently await the beginning of what I like to call “blockbuster season,” which traditionally begins in May.

The Theatrical One Sheet for Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th: 2/13/09

From the initial theatrical trailer, it might look like this is yet another flop remake of a one-time horror classic.  It might seem like this will be just another scary facade with no actual substance, but allow me to boost your movie going confidence in this film.  First, this film is a remake of a classic, which means it has the possibility of making a lot of money, for the simple fact that people will flock to see it, based solely on its name.  Secondly, this film pairs two heavy hitters together again.  Producer Micheal Bay and Director Marcus Nispel worked together on the 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a film that did relatively well and was, for many, extremely terrifying.

Also coming out on 2/13/09 is The International.  To learn more about the film, please visit the Upcoming Movies page, as it is the featured movie on that page.

The Theatrical One-Sheet for Watchmen

Watchmen: 3/6/09

This has to be the most anticipated film of the Spring.  When the theatrical trailer for Watchmen first hit theaters, I could hear an audible gasp of excitement from the audience members, and magazines, along with the rest of the media have been giving this upcoming film a lot of attention.  I’m sure theaters will be packed on March 6th, as well they should, in case you hadn’t heard, this film is based on the most popular graphic novel of all time.

Also coming out in March is the film “Knowing,” starring Nicolas Cage as Ted Myles, a man who’s son finds a piece of paper in a time capsule.  On the paper are the dates of every major disaster in world history.  To make matter’s worse, Myles family plays a role in every disaster that has occured.

The Theatrical One-Sheet for Fast and Furious

Fast and Furious: 4/3/09

The fourth installment of the Fast and Furious franchise looks to be a high-octane thrill ride that reunites Paul Walker and Vin Diesel.  I view this as a great move by casting execs because everyone I’ve talked to says that the franchise basically kicked the bucket when the two were separated.  Furthermore, they rejoin their female counterparts Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster for what’s being called the “ultimate chapter” of the series.  When Agent Brian O’Conner and Ex-con Dom Toretto find out that they share a common enemy, a shaky truce, and with it, a shaky trust is born.  Together they will blast through L.A. and the Mexican Desert in search of revenge.

Also coming out in April is The Soloist, which pairs heavyweights Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx together in the story of a former Julliard Music Student named Nathanial Ayers (Foxx) who falls long and hard, finding himself on Skid Row.  In a series of articles, reporter Steve Lopez (Downey Jr.) exposes Ayers’ story and hopes to help Ayers revive his dream of a grand performance at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Gran Torino

Clint Eastwood shines in his latest directorial, acting, producing hat trick Gran Torino.  Eastwood stars as a tired, jaded Korean War veteran named Walt, who, by all accounts, is on his last legs.  When a Vietnamese neighbor named Thao tries to steal his 1972 Gran Torino, Walt decides to set him straight.  As the story unfolds, however, Walt learns that Thao is trying to avoid a gang led by his cousin.  Walt therefore decides to take matters into his own hands, in part to protect Thao, and in part, to save himself from a lifetime of guilt that he’s carried around since his time in war.  My analysis is below, here’s the theatrical one-sheet from the film:

The Theatrical One-Sheet for Gran Torino

Eastwood really did a nice job with this film.  One of the things I liked the most about this film was the fact that the film itself wasn’t centered around the car, but rather the car was more of a symbol, or a central theme.  One thing that this film proved, was the Eastwood is still awesome, and can still be considered the epitome of cool.  A fair warning to adults, better not take the kids to this one, as Eastwood, playing a jaded old man, uses just about every racial slur in the book.  Put it to you this way, in eight years or so, this film definitely won’t be on TBS, there would be far too much dubbing.  With that said however, I really think that for adults, this Eastwood flick is a must see.  I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

The Year Ahead for The Film Projector

I’m really looking forward to going to the movies in 2009, with some great movies set to release in the coming year.  I fully intend to keep this blog, but I’m not sure that I want to keep it with wordpress.  Here’s my dilemma:

My family and friends recently got me into Google’s AdSense application.  Up until this point, I hadn’t really thought about this blog making any money for me, but I realized that it would be a possibility if I added this application.  There’s only one problem, wordpress does not allow Google AdSense ads on their blogs, which, I understand, is probably for good reason.

I really want to start making money with this blog, but I don’t want to leave wordpress.  The main reason I want to stay is because of the traffic.  I love the fact that I get hundreds of views a day, and furthermore, your comments keep me going.  I’ve talked to several friends of mine who use Blogger, or other blogging agents, and they say they don’t get nearly the traffic that I currently have.

So here’s my question to you, the readers of The Film Projector.  Should I leave wordpress, transferring this blog, and all of its contents, to Blogger, or another agent that allows Google’s AdSense app.  Or, should I stay here, where my traffic is awesome, and keep getting paid through my actual job, not receiving any extra funds, (which I could use, being a broke college student)?

As always, your comments are appreciated, and thank you for reading The Film Projector.  Regardless of what happens to this blog, the fact remains that it will continue to exist.  It might be here, it might be at blogger, or it might be some place else, but where ever it ends up, you can be sure that you can still get movie reviews from The Film Projector.