“With fewer than 1000 left living in the wild, the Giant Panda is one of the most critically endangered species in the world.  Approximately 140 pandas live in zoos and breeding centers around the world, but most of them are in China.

In what is seen as a goodwill effort, the Chinese government authorizes a massive breeding plan to help get pandas off the endangered list, and furthermore, they are willing to donate their pandas to zoos across the entire United States.

Everything seems great until one day a small-town zookeeper (C. Thomas Howell) notices something is strange with the two pandas that his zoo received…”

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Fall Release Preview

CBS Films will kick off the fall movie season on Friday, September 7^th with the Bradley Cooper/Zoe Saldana-starrer THE WORDS, followed by the release of Academy Award-winning writer/director Martin McDonagh’s  (“In Bruges”) dark comedy SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS, starring Colin Farrell, Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson on Friday, October 12th. Already generating award-season buzz, SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS will make its debut in one of the coveted ‘Midnight Madness’ slots at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival.

Check out the CBS FILMS Fall Preview for plot synopses and a few publicity photos.

“Ringtones.  Everybody loves ‘em. Do you have a favorite tune or TV theme song?  Then chances are it has served as your ringtone at some point.  Yes, everybody in your vicinity wants to punch you straight in the face due to the fact that they’re forced to listen to Avril Lavigne’s Girlfriend every time you receive a call from your sweetie, but hey, don’t worry about it; as long as you think it’s absolutely adorable.”

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This is awesome.  It helps if you’re familiar with Gotye’s song Somebody that I Used to Know.  Star Wars fans should especially appreciate this.

“Considering that much of my youth was invested in films starring Sylvester Stallone, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, and Arnold Schwarzeneggar, I’m surprised at myself that I’ve never seen Arnie’s original Total Recall, nor have I read the Philip K. Dick short story (We Can Remember it for You Wholesale) that both films are based on.  Therefore, I have no frame of reference other than this film itself.  That’s good for the sake of this review because you’re getting a completely unbiased perspective.  However, if you’re a fan of the original and you want to know how this stacks up then I can’t help you.”

Read the rest of the review…

I don’t participate in “bad sweater” parties because I can’t bring myself to spend good money on a sweater with reindeer and snowflakes on it just so I can wear it once a year.  At most.  However, I would wear the bad boy you see pictured above EVERYWHERE.

In fact, it is now one of my life goals to become known as the guy who arrives at parties with his Nintendo and a copy of Contra who then hooks everything up, enters the UP-UP-DOWN-DOWN-LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT-RIGHT-B-A-B-A-SELECT-START code, beats the game, points to the sweater with both thumbs and says, “Who has two thumbs and just Contra-bombed your party?  This guy,” and then walks out.

That’s it!  Contra-bombing!  I’ve found something that will catapult The Movie Mark from 7 readers to 9.  You heard it here first, folks.  This is gonna become a thing.

I don’t know if the sweater is legit, but if it is then I’m begging someone to find it for me.  If it’s not then I challenge someone to make one for me.

Now if Wal-Mart will just get some more hot dog shirts back in stock…

Total Recall is this weekend’s big release, so let’s check out some exclusive film clips this week, shall we?

“Admit it.  This is just your way of being lazy and avoiding writing fresh material!”

How DARE you… so accurately pinpoint my true motivations.  Regardless, this is a pretty cool clip featuring Kate Beckinsale, Colin Farrell, and Jessica Biel firing off a few rounds at each other.  Enjoy.

And if it’s fresh material you want then stay tuned for my review on Friday.

“An irreverent, uplifting comedy about friendship, trust and human possibility, THE INTOUCHABLES has broken box office records in its native France and across Europe.  Based on a true story of friendship between a handicap millionaire (Francois Cluzet) and his street smart ex-con caretaker (Omar Sy), THE INTOUCHABLES depicts an unlikely camaraderie rooted in honesty and humor between two individuals who, on the surface, would seem to have nothing in common.  Directed Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, the film was nominated for a total of nine 2012 César Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars,  including Best Picture, and winning Best Actor for breakout star Omar Sy, and won the Grand Prize at the 2011 Tokyo International Film Festival.”

If you go see The Intouchables between July 27th and August 3rd then you will receive a card from participating theaters on how to redeem the free eBook You Changed My Life: A Memoir.

Read the press release for more details.

It’s been so long since I’ve seen the original Total Recall that I can’t totally recall (my sincerest apologies) if it’s a film that stands the test of time or not.  What I do know is that the Colin Farrell/Kate Beckinsale/Jessica Biel remake looks entertaining and action-packed even if Farrell seems a curious choice as Doug Quaid.  Doesn’t matter.  I look forward to screening it next week almost as much as you look forward to my review.

Until then, here’s a treat to all seven of my faithful readers.  In the following featurette, Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel, John Cho, and director Len Wiseman discuss the story, while Kate Beckinsale briefly talks about playing a villain for the first time in her acting career.  Enjoy.

Is this a remake that you’re looking forward to or is it one you could do without?

I saw The Dark Knight Rises this weekend, and it was an incredible movie-going experience.  My full review is forthcoming, but today I want to touch on something.  One of the big debates is which is better – The Avengers or TDKR?  Well, I’m here to provide you with the definitive answer…

The Dark Knight Rises.  And it’s not even close.

Don’t get me wrong; The Avengers is great.  After all, I gave it 5 boots out of 5, so don’t try to label me a “hater.”  But its greatness lies solely in its pure entertainment value.  It is carried by its wit and non-stop action.  TDKR, on the other hand, is so much more.  It’s a film with true purpose. The characters and story contain an emotional depth that The Avengers simply does not have.

Continue reading “The Dark Knight Rises vs The Avengers” »