Well, this is kinda funny (from 2012, below, in italics). And now Big Ears is featuring 3D movies - at the Regal Riviera, no less - using digital 3D projection ...

Finally got around to watching Beasts of the Southern Wild. Highly recommended.

"Chasing Ice" is a movie detailing climate change in the Arctic. The photography is supposed to be awesome. It is playing at the Downtown West, and tomorrow evening the director/producer and several ORNL scientists will hold a panel discussion after the show.

Details here (link...)

I didn't think it would be possible to make a fun and entertaining movie about bird watching, but The Big Year mostly pulls it off. And I guess it's not really about bird watching.

It probably helps that it has Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, and Jack Black. But, they aren't playing their typical roles, so don't expect the usual wacky, over the top comedy. It's both funny and sweet, and there's some amazing scenery.

Here's the trailer....

A new movie is coming out in January (January 21 maybe) called The Way Back. It is based on the memoir of Slavomir Rawicz, The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom.

The movie stars Ed Harris and Colin Farrell. It is directed by Peter Weir. All looks good.

Slavomir Rawicz was a Polish Army lieutenant who was captured by the Russians in 1939 and sent to the Siberian Gulag. A year later he and six others escaped the gulag and walked 4,000 miles to British India. As one reviewer said, the book "chronicles perhaps the most extraordinary true story of human endurance in recorded history."

If this topic is of interest, I highly recommend you read the book before seeing the move. It is an excellent read.

Roger Ebert runs down the business, technical, aesthetic, and artistic reasons why he hates 3-D movies.

Four Christmases (**1/2 out of ****): Dysfunctional family fun for the holidays with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughan.

Julie and Julia (***): Cooking, blogging, and romance (with food and the men in their lives) starring Meryl Streep (as Julia Child) and Amy Adams (as Julie Powell), who cooks her way through Julia Child's cookbook in one year and blogs about it.

Taking Woodstock (***1/2): A struggling small town entrepreneur saves Woodstock, and his town.

Outsourced (***): Call center manager's department is outsourced to India, where he's sent to train his replacement. Hilarity and romance ensue.

Sunshine Cleaning (***): Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, and Alan Arkin star in this dark comedy about letting go of the past and finding your way.

Management (**1/2): Jennifer Aniston stumbles in to an unlikely long-distance romance with unlikely romantic lead Steve Zahn who steals the show.

The Taking of Pelham 123 (remake, ***): Denzel. Travolta. Action. Any questions?

The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Tennessee Theatre, 11pm Saturday, October 24th. (No toast allowed.)

Two thumbs up, especially for fans of the original.

Joe Powell has made a list of his top ten movie characters and tagged some other bloggers to list theirs. As Joe says, it's pretty much impossible and he already picked a couple I would have picked, but I'll try anyway. Here is my list of (not necessarily "top") ten memorable characters, in no particular order:

The Visitor: Bittersweet romance with immigration and the "War on Terror" as a backdrop. Good acting, but with a slow pace and a story that sort of fades away at the end. Which is actually kind of appropriate given the metaphorical circumstances. Rating: **1/2 (out of 4)

War, Inc.: I almost gave up on this as being a one joke, five minute SNL skit stretched out into a movie, but it turned in to a pretty good story with dark humor and some decent tough guy action scenes. Almost too cynical even for me, but a scary look at where our government is headed if we're not careful (not to mention a scathing indictment of where we've been lately). Almost a Catch-22 for Gen-X, but not quite. Rating: *** (upgraded from ** because it gets a lot better as it goes along.)

Get Smart: Every bit as good as most of the reviews. Steve Carell was born to play this part, but they make him smarter and more competent than the original. Folks old enough to remember the TV show will appreciate the classic gags and one liners, and kids today may find them amusing. Looks like a satirical Bond-antidote franchise for Carell. Rating: ***

Iron Man: I haven't been a big fan of comic book character movies lately, so I wasn't expecting much. It was great! Great casting and acting, and spectacular special effects with a conscience. Rating: ***1/2

Young at Heart: In the "now for something completely different" department, this best of the bunch is a touching, heartwarming, and uplifting true story about Stayin' Alive, so to speak. It's guaranteed to put a big smile on your face, when you're not choking up a little. More background here and here. Rating: ****

Jake Jost at Knoxville Talks has the details...

• The Bucket List (*** out of ****): Two great actors in the twilight of their careers show how it's done in this humorous and poignant take on the road trip/buddy movie for geezers. Somewhat predictable, but I liked it a lot better than I thought I would.

• Juno (***): We kept skipping over this one, but I'm glad we finally watched it (on Tivo/Amazon Unbox download). It's a thought-provoking, modern day take on a complicated teen/family problem, with some great acting as a bonus. I really liked some of the simple, fun, but strangely compelling songs from the soundtrack, too.

• Nanking (**1/2): A (sort of) docudrama about atrocities committed in the Chinese city of Nanking by the invading Japanese army during the early days of WWII before Pearl Harbor, and a group of missionaries who saved 200,000 residents of the city by setting up a "safe zone" in defiance. Original film, newsreels, photos, and current day eyewitness testimony from survivors and Japanese soldiers are historically significant, shocking, and heartbreaking accounts of a story I had never heard. Points off for having contemporary (and inappropriately cast in at least one case) actors reading the diaries and journals of the missionaries, which detracted from the story in my opinion. Professional voice overs would have been more effective, I think. I suppose the "star power" was intended to raise awareness, but the eyewitness accounts are far more compelling.

• Mad Money (**1/2): Some great performances by three outstanding female leads in this highly unlikely but entertaining and slickly produced crime caper. (Guys, this one counts as a "chick flick," just don't admit you enjoyed it even though you will.)

• The Grand (**1/2): If you like gambling, casinos, poker, etc. you'll like this. Better than expected, but I wasn't expecting much. Some highly entertaining performances by some great comedy actors who are better than this script, especially Cheryl Hines who rocks this one. The Spinal Tap of poker?

• The Darjeeling Limited (**): Three great young actors in a reconciliation road trip movie that doesn't quite click. Bonus points for exotic locations and beautiful cinematography, plus droll humor and a tragic but touching episode. Tip: skip the alternate opening hotel scene. It's a movie maker's indulgence that doesn't add much, and instead makes you wonder if you should bother with the rest. You should.

• Rambo (**): Go ahead. You know you want to see it. Warning: extreme violence, off-the-shelf characters, and stupefying plot devices. Be sure to check out the DVD extras on the situation in Burma. Also, the alternate outtakes of Rambo attempting sensitive dialogue illustrate why they were left out in favor of the strong, silent performance. (Ladies, this one counts as two "chick flick" credits.)

SEE ALSO: Domestic Psychology's weekend movie reviews. (Was Steve Carell born to play Max Smart, or what?)

From Special Ops Media, Magnolia Pictures presents Gonzo: The Life and Times of Hunter S. Thompson:

Hunter S. Thompson was never one to stand down in the face of this country’s politics. Too often, contemporary journalists play the politicians’ game, taking them seriously with a balance they don’t deserve. Thompson never stood for that. He understood that he had the right to speak his mind, especially during the tumultuous times of the late 60’s and early 70’s.

On behalf of Magnolia Pictures, we are pleased to present Gonzo: The Life and Times of Hunter S. Thompson, the new documentary (narrated by Johnny Depp) chronicling the unbelievable life of the legendary journalist. Witness first hand Thompson’s amazing journey as he creates his seminal works on politics, culture, and the American dream. In select theaters July 4th!

Synopsis:

From Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney and producer Graydon Carter comes a probing look into the uncanny life of national treasure and gonzo journalism inventor Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. A fast moving, wildly entertaining documentary with an iconic soundtrack, the film addresses the major touchstones in Thompson’s life—his intense and ill fated relationship with the Hell’s Angels, his near-successful bid for the office of sheriff in Aspen in 1970, the notorious story behind the landmark Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, his deep involvement in Senator George McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign, and much more. Narrated by Johnny Depp.

Here's the list of opening cities and playdates. (Opens July 11th in Nashville at the Belcourt Theatre).

Official website: huntersthompsonmovie.com

I am really looking forward to seeing this. HST is one of my favorite writers, obviously, and he lived an amazing, terrifying, outrageous, important, and charmed life. Hopefully we can get Regal Downtown West added to the list of theaters.

(Photo and trailer courtesy of Magnolia Pictures)

Across the Universe (****): Rent, download (legally, of course), or go see this romantic musical right away. Especially if you like the Beatles, and especially if you are old enough to remember listening to them on the radio. (Note, it's not about the Beatles, but there are amazing covers by some amazing talent and interesting interpretations of their songs to tell the story, which is thin but the music more than makes up for it.) Watch for some cool cameos, too.

Walk Hard (1/2*): Possibly one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Memo to screenwriters: if you have to explain every joke they probably aren't funny. I guess youngsters who like the "new" SNL comedy will get this. I didn't. One-half star for some pretty good musical performances.

Got tired of waiting for some of the recent "blockbusters" to appear on Amazon/Tivo Unbox and stopped by the Blockbuster store...

We recently saw American Gangster (the "uncut" version which is too long by about 45 minutes to an hour but great nonetheless because it has Denzel so how could it not be great?).

In one scene, the Vietnam War is over and American Gangster's Southeast Asia drug supply is about to be cut off.

The Southeast Asia drug lord tells American Gangster:

"Quitting while you're ahead is not the same as quitting."

That's some interesting advice, context notwithstanding. Regardless, it's a great movie line.

If you have a Tivo Series 3 or other Amazon Unbox capable unit, they are running* had a 99 cent special for Live Free or Die Hard.

It was way better than I expected, especially for 99 cents. Nonstop explosions, action, stunts, and great special effects, totally incredible (in the literal sense of the word) plot, and excellent geek factor. Bonus: Silent Bob as uber geek.

(*Oops. I see the 99 cent special is over and it's $3.99 now.)

This is a reminder of the plans for this week's grand opening celebration of the Regal Riviera theater. More detailed information including the sweepstakes prizes. Monday night I will be juggling on Gay Street from 5pm-6:30pm for the Opening Ceremony street party. Michael Messing will be performing magic and there should be other entertainers. Come down and participate in the festivities!

I read the garnishness comments and I have to disagree. This is how theaters are supposed to appear. I think it complements Gay Street, the Bijou and the Tennessee. I think the only thing wrong with the Turkey Creek theatre is that they don't regularly have giant batmanesque spotlights out in the parking lot sending crossing beams of light into the sky. Turkey Creek (and all future supershopping areas) should be designed like The Irvine Spectrum Center. Visiting the Spectrum is like going to Disney for the day! If you are ever in Los Angeles (Orange County), try to get by the Spectrum!

UPDATE: All tickets have been spoken for. Thanks for the tremendous response. See y'all Friday!

Want to see Sicko this Friday night courtesy of KnoxViews? OK, then, here's the deal:

• RSVP to this email address, put "Sicko Tickets" in your subject, and tell us how you want to be listed on the VIP list.

• Show up at the Regal Downtown West Cinema 8 by 6:30 PM, Friday, June 29th to claim your ticket. We'll be out front with the VIP list and the tickets. Tickets not claimed by 6:30 PM subject to be given away to random passersby.

• We have 30 tickets 25 more tickets, first come first served. Limit two tickets per request. Valid while supplies last, void where prohibited by law or Dick Cheney. No scalping, must stay and watch the movie!

The showing is at 7:00 PM, Friday, June 29th. Hope to see you there!

IMPORTANT NOTE: I have sent confirmations to everyone who reserved tickets. If you have not received a confirmation, it means I did not get your e-mail for some reason.