Wolverine moves closer.......

The Dack just heard today that Wolverine will be hitting the big screen a few days earlier..... April 29th is the new opening day.

In case you haven't seen it, here is the trailer. Lots of appearances of characters we didn't get to see in the X-Men films.

Loving a creepy kids story in 3D.......

The Dack ventured off on his own yesterday in hopes of finding some magic on the big screen and he was not disappointed with his destination..... Until yesterday, I had no plans to see this movie but upon checking out a review online and discovering it was from the creators of "Nightmare Before Christmas" and having a couple hours of time that would have otherwise been totally wasted..... I took a chance.

To be honest the 3D was the thing that got me in the theater, risking a saturday afternoon theater full of kiddies was an enormous leap..... The Dack does not believe in the idea of kids in the theater mainly do to a long history of children running around the movie theater ruining my movie experiences.... strolling into the theater I thought I had made an epic blunder... talking children everywhere... my first thought was even if this movie is the best thing ever I won't find out with all the talking but as soon as the Dolby Digital 3D icon flew off the screen all the talking was silenced.

Over the next hour and a half I was transported to a world of wonder.... I am sure this film would hold up even not in 3D but having that component made the experience all the more amazing. When it comes to any type of animation the Dack only really looks for one thing.... being taken to a world that is not mine but that feels real and boy did this movie deliver. The story was very tight not having any extra fluff that seems to have become so prevelant in moving making today.... this is probably due to that fact that when you are aiming a film at children you cut all the fat because let's face it, kids get bored..... so does the Dack.

Even as the credits rolled and people started filling out... the Dack could not help but sit there and enjoy every last thing flying past in 3D while the credits rolled.... I was even treated to an extra 3D section after the credits finished... I know this review told you nothing about the film...... here are the 2 questions you should ask yourself before deciding whether this a movie for you to go check out... do you like animation and do you enjoy the transporting experience of seeing a film in 3D.... As for the Dack, affirmative is the answer and that's why Coraline lands eightDacks.

He's Just Not That Into You.......... Or He's just a Stupid Guy...

In the spirit of togetherness the Dack traveled to the cinema Friday night with the Dackette to check out the latest Hollywood chick flick.... While the Dack can honestly say that he went into this film thinking little enjoyment would be had. Did this movie prove me wrong... well, not really, however there were several preformances that did give the Dack something to enjoy.

Justin Long proved yet again that he is ready to take the lead of a film, he was by far the best male performance. The other male characters were so flat, I wanted to reach into the screen and slap them because they were insulting to the Dack as a man. Playing men that care only of big breasts and tight butts..... sure I know men like this but I tend to make fun of them even in real life. Ben Affleck's character who, on principle breaks up with his girl friend of seven years that he loves dearly just because he doesn't believe in marriage.... all I was thinking through his entire performance was, if you love this woman so much why wouldn't you marry her if it was something that she felt she needed.

As for the women in the movie.... well, they didn't fair too much better. Besides Ginnifer Goodwin giving a wonderful performance as a woman wanting more than anything to have Mr. Right sweep her off her feet, the remainder of the female cast gave little if anything more than just a one note character. Scarlett Johansson who the Dack used to think was enough of a reason to see a film gave such a sad performance as a misguided home wrecker that the Dack has decided she has given up on actually acting and is now content to shake her goodies (which seem to have grown recently... I am thinking of looking into the concept that as an actresses breasts get larger her acting becomes equally worst) on screen. Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly, Drew Barrymore who are all ladies the Dack normally finds delightful on screen did nothing other than collect a pay check in this one.

The Dack admits that most of the poor acting was probably due to the story trying to cram to many interweaving plots together. This idea can be pulled off but in this film it just ended up cutting any kind of character development out of all but the story of Ginnifer Goodwin's character which is probably why the Dack enjoyed her storyline the best. Cutting out at least one of the five different stories being told in the film would have allowed the other stories to be developed properly.

If your lady is getting irritated that you haven't taken her to see a girly movie you could probably do worse.... The Dack is giving this one fourDacks mainly because I am such a big fan of Justin Long.

Winter Movie Dulldrums......

The Dack is officially sick of hearing about great films from last year..... Sure it's nice to go see a well crafted film but the Dack loves the escapism of the multiplex and most of the time your standard Oscar fare isn't going to cut it......they might have been good but it's time to look forward toward the new year and all the awesomeness we have waiting for us. although for the next couple months things look pretty bland, so you might want to check out Slumdog Millionaire, The Wrestler, Curious Case of Benjamin Button, or perhaps even The Dark Knight in IMAX because you know that would be sweet!

Here are some movies to look forward too.

Fanboys (February 6) - After several years in the can, Fanboys finally gets released.... well, at least we hope so. The basic premise centers around a group of friends who decide to break into George Lucas's Skywalker Ranch to sneak a peak at Star Wars Episode One when one of their friends becomes seriously ill. Yes, this movie would have been awesome way back in 2000 closer to when Phantom Menace actually came out but this is worth checking out for any star wars fan.



He's Just Not That Into You (February 6) - It's a chick flick I know. But it feels like months since any halfway decent movie came out that I could actually get the Dackette stoked for. I hope this one lives up to my Dackxpectations and if not, rest assured you will be hearing about it.

Watchmen (March 6) - I just caught the latest trailer for this one when I went to see Gran Torino and I was totally hooked... If you are a fan of comic book movies this is what will tide you over until Wolverine hits... but don't be surprised if this one is the superior film. Director Zack Snyder has bitten off a lot with this one translating the most famous graphic novel ever to the big screen let's just hope he's up to the task. I'll be honest I found the Watchmen a little to slow for my tastes on the page. With a reported 3 hour running time this movie better be something special.

I Love You, Man (March 20) - The Dack is a huge fan of Paul Rudd and Jason Segal and this duo looks to make me laugh enough to wet myself.

Fast and Furious (April 4) - The last few sequels have been decent but nothing special...... let's hope that bringing everyone back brings the quality back too. Vin Desiel has never really made the jump to huge action star that most people expected him to after the first Fast and Furious. I think it has more to do with his poor choice of roles that his ability... hopefully he can prove me right.

X-men Origins: Wolverine (May 1) - The Dack has made his love of comic book films very clear so it should not come as a surprise that this one lands on the list. My excitement continues to grow with recent news that the character of Deadpool is going to have a significant role. The fact that Ryan Reynolds is playing the "Merc with a Mouth" has the Dack thrilled!!

Star Trek (May 8) - Who says you can't enjoy both the world of Star Trek and Star Wars.... not the Dack. I like JJ Abrams but he has never put a compete package together. I am excited for the return to the Star Trek universe but I am also preparing for total disaster.


If you haven't see it yet..... here is the first trailer for G.I. Joe... more on this one when I drop my list of summer movies to see later this year but enjoy the trailer.

Clint's Ends Tough Guy Acting Career with Bang...

The Dack had heard all the talk about the launguage and racist comments going into seeing Gran Torino.... So when the F bombs started dropping and the most racist slurs I have heard in a 2 hour period hit I was totally prepared...... As a film Gran Torino worked only because of the skill and status of Clint Eastwood. His performance wasn't to far removed from his tough guy Dirty Harry character but a grity realistic take on what Harry Callahan would be like after the world forgot about him. To me it was a well executed morality tale about how racism is still plaguing this country because people are still hung up on the idea that what you look like or where your family comes from has something to do with who you are as an individual. But I am afraid that what most people are going to take from the movie is a bunch of new racist terms. I do agree that this movie was defiantly unapologetic in not being politically correct but that wasn't enough for me. The one thing I was bothered by the most is how can a person become friends with someone and yet still continue to use racist slurs at them..... and I know Eastwood was staying true to the character but couldn't he have grown just a little...

Besides Eastwood's brilliant performance most of the supporting cast is simply getting by with scenes that Eastwood is not in suffering. The good news is those are few and far between.... When he is on screen his presence lifts the entire casts performance.

As for what the Dack thought, well, it wasn't great and it wasn't terrible and if you are at all a fan of Clint Eastwood than this is a must see. It ends up with sixDacks just because even knowing that all the language and racism was in there I was still a little shocked by it.