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BEYOND OUTRAGE

Release Date: January 3, 2013

What it’s about: A police crackdown on organized crime triggers a yakuza gang war.

What it’s got working for it: Writer/Director/Actor Takeshi Kitano.

What’s it’s got going against it: Occasionally, his films can veer off into the ridiculous.

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THE ADVENTURER: THE CURSE OF THE MIDAS BOX

Release Date: January 10, 2013

What it’s about: A young boy’s search for his vanished missing parents and brother leads him to a realm of magic and steam-powered curiosities.

What it’s got working for it: The potential to follow in the footsteps of the Harry Potter big screen franchise.

What’s it’s got going against it: Personally, I didn’t love the last couple of Harry Potter instalments.

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DIVORCE CORP.

Release Date: January 1o, 2013

What it’s about: A documentary that focuses on the 50 billion dollar a year American divorce industry.

What it’s got working for it:  An eye-opening account of an unjust system.

What’s it’s got going against it: Narrated by Dr. Drew?  Dr. Drew?

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KNIGHTS OF BADASSDOM

Release Date: January 21, 2013

What it’s about: A group of role-playing gamers conjure up a mess of trouble in the form of a deadly succubus.

What it’s got working for it:  What looks like plenty of jokes, inside and otherwise, for fans of the genre.

What’s it’s got going against it: A tepid trailer.

23 thoughts on “December 23, 2013: Upcoming under-the-radar movies to look forward to! Or not!

  1. Hmm. Not really liking the looks of any of those. Sunday afternoon Netflix fare, I suspect.

    I’m currently watching a movie “Timeline” on Space. It involves what seems to be a wormhole generating fax machine that they are using to send people back to the 15th century. Or something. It is really rather terrible, but stars several fairly well known actors. It always amazes me how these people end up in movies like this. Crappy agents? I guess you have to put dinner on the table somehow.

  2. Yeah, no. 🙂

    Have a wonderful Christmas, everyone! I’ll be sick in bed again courtesy of Anakin. Have been seriously sidelined due to a herniated disc (no idea how I did it) for two weeks, to add to it. 🙁 On a happier note, the kid is walking and will be celebrating his first birthday next week!

  3. Hi Joe
    That Knights of Badassdom looks good. Have to watch for it.
    Going to your moms for Christmas this year?

    Elminster

  4. Watching “Jiro Dreams of Sushi”, an “INDEPENDENT LENS” offering on PBS. I think you’ve blogged about Sukiyabashi Jiro?

    “JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI is the story of 85-year-old Jiro Ono, considered by many to be the world’s greatest sushi chef. He is the proprietor of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a 10-seat, sushi-only restaurant inauspiciously located in a Tokyo subway station. Despite its humble appearances, it is the first restaurant of its kind to be awarded a prestigious three-star Michelin Guide rating, and sushi lovers from around the globe make repeated pilgrimage, calling months in advance and shelling out top dollar for a coveted seat at Jiro’s sushi bar.”
    – See more at:
    http://www.magpictures.com/jirodreamsofsushi/

    As a linguist, I’m fascinated by the agreement between literal vocal tone /physical expressions and the virtual tone of the translation captions. Perhaps my next language SHOULD be Japanese. 😃

    @Deni–Sorry to hear of your spine problems. Hope you will only need physical therapy and not surgery. You can find me on Facebook (Gilder Anne McCarroll) if you want to chat with a veteran spine patient.

    Celebrated my birthday with PT session on shoulder and quiet dinner out with in-town relatives. (No Festivus jokes, please.). 🎂

  5. That thing with Ioan Gruffudd (a.k.a. Horatio Hornblower, Mr. Fantastic) looks interesting, as long as it’s more Indiana Jonesish and less Harry Potterish.

    With the price of movies these days I usually wait for Red Box or something, that way I don’t feel like I wasted my money if something turns out to be horrible.

    das

  6. And the fact that I can still spell Ioan Gruffudd (Yo-wan Griffith) without looking it up testifies to just how much I loved the Hornblower miniseries back a decade or so ago. I still have a signed photo of Horatio and Archie (Jamie Bamber) – in full dress un-NEE-form – displayed here in my ‘ship room’, next to a bottle of Pusser’s Rum and right under a reproduction of an old British navy recruitment poster. I believe in keeping with a theme. 🙂

    das

  7. Joe, what did you end up getting your mom? Come on, we won’t tell and she doesn’t read your blog, does she? Surely you’re not waiting until the 24th to buy something.

  8. Not to mention the fact that Knights of Badassdom has been ‘about to release’ for… oh like 1-2 years now.

  9. THE ADVENTURER: THE CURSE OF THE MIDAS BOX – I just love Sam Neill. He doesn’t always pick his movies wisely, but he plays a great villain when he gets it right. I think this is the most promising film of the lot. I also think that, had the producers chosen you and Paul to write it, it would have been amazing.

  10. Well, I might try The Adventurer, but I’m not quite sure what the MacGuffin is. Is it the Midas Box? The weapon? Is the Midas Box the weapon? I’m not entirely sure from the trailer. I agree with Das, if it’s more Indiana Jones like, I think it has a shot. We’ll see.

    @Deni and Baterista9:

    Is everybody doing physical therapy this Christmas? I’ve been enduring it on my knee for three times a week (even this week). It really has been helping with my range of motion and mobility (even if the price is a bit of pain and stiffness). Still not off the crutches yet though.

    Sorry about your back Deni, and for your shoulder Baterista9; I’m hoping and praying you’ll all feel better soon.

  11. @DAS Have you seen “ARTHUR”? — Plenty of great Ioan in there! And some Clive! yumm! 😀

  12. Eh, none of these movies interest me that much, not even Chris Pine’s. I, Frankenstein particularly bothers me. And these all just look boring.

  13. Divorce Corp is a great idea. lol My cousin is going through an awful divorce right now and i know first hand how unjust the system is. He is living in my camper, beside my garage because he can’t afford to do anything. It’s amazing at all the money he has had to pay in just to turn around and have nothing done. lol

  14. @Das: Remember how you had my yard on fire with the nanny bucket brigade a couple of weeks ago? Today, I read your post 3 times and my mind kept insisting that “testifies” was “testicles”. It’s going to be a long day. 🙂

  15. So sorry Deni! I hurt my back once opening a window, so it could have been anything that triggered it. Hope you feel better soon!

    Movies, these days, must be geared towards a different audience than myself. All of these just look like rentals. We did go see the new Hobbit movie. It was good but they did deviate from the book more than the other ones. If you’re a purist, then you might not like the movie.

    Today the boys (son & hubby) are going with me to the humane society to clean the catteries. Such good boys! They gave up X-box to help me get home faster.

    Say hi to your mom from us please! Also, if she could post recipes with any pictures? She seems like a fantastic cook. Next Christmas maybe you could get a cookbook written by her printed?

    I’m sure she will love whatever you give her. Moms are like that.

  16. @Randomness
    @ everybody

    Did anyone of you see the Michel Bublé Christmas Special?
    Was that Patrick Gilmore and Leah Gauthier at the 20 minutes mark, or am I crazy?

  17. @ Ganymede – Alas, after Hornblower I discovered that it was the character – more than the actor – that I loved, and so didn’t go chasing after Ioan’s other flicks. The draw for me with Arthur would have definitely been Clive…but, alas (again), I just never was in the mood to watch it.

    @ Deni – Now I’m seeing testicles, too! Oy!!!!!!

    😛

    das

  18. Knights of Badassdom looks fun. I’d like to see DivorceCorp would be interesting to see when it comes to TV.

    @JeffW Count me in the physical therapy department. I’ve been seeing one once every 2 weeks since 2005. I’ll write more current stuff (as in how are you doing) in a later blog in case you don’t check these.

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