Review: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012) Four Bores and Seven Years Ago!

What the hell are the film makers going for with Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter? That’s the question that kept running through my mind as I watched the film. Scene after scene went by, and I still hadn’t a clue as to what the film’s focus was. Is it a refresher on American history? Is it supposed to be scary? Is it supposed to build up the legend of Abe Lincoln? I’ve seen the film and I’m still not sure what it’s supposed to be, but I can tell you what it isn’t: a good movie.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter follows the life of Abe (Benjamin Walker) from a small child, through his presidency, to his death. There are a few deviations from the facts, like the addition of being a vampire hunter and the occasional flubbing of historically accurate details. Now, Abe being a vampire hunter may sound really cool in theory, but it wasn’t translated well onto the big screen. Like I said earlier, the focus was all over the place, leaving the audience feeling nothing about the movie. There was no horror, no joy, nothing to laugh at, no investment in anything. You recognize a few of the cool effects or events happening on the screen but it doesn’t evoke any emotional response from you.

There were a few decent action scenes, and the finale delivers more than a handful of thrills. Abe and his right hand men Wil (Anthony Mackie) and Joshua (Jimmi Simpson) embark on a journey by train to deliver silver bullets and weapons to the Union army, and along the way some vampire no-goodniks decide to crash the party. The action was fast and interesting, utilizing the setting, a moving train, to do some very cool things. The story even took a slightly interesting turn, but at that point it was too little, too late. That was the only few minutes of the whole film I found myself actually entertained by the movie and not bored or confused as to where it was going. If only the whole film had been more like that finale, it would have been much better. This is one vampire film that should’ve stayed in its coffin.

Action rating: two barking picnic baskets out of five.

This is the Action Chick, and you’ve just been kicked in the ass!

Twitter: @ActionChick
Facebook: Action Flick Chick
Cross-posted: GeekNation.com

 

Share
Posted in * all movie reviews *, 2.0 kabooms | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Comic Book Divas Interview: The Chick Speaks Geek

KAT HILLFrom ComicBookDivas.com:

Comic Book Divas sits down with the queen of action, the maven of movies, the woman that makes comic book books cool and makes all the geek guys drool…”The Action Flick Chick” herself Katrina Hill!

We sit down with Katrina Hill about her perspective as a woman in all things geek-dom and what she thinks about women and their role in comics, movies, gaming, and what she loves about being a geek girl.

Q: For those that are not hip and cool, tell us about Katrina Hill.

KH: I am the Action Flick Chick, lover of all things action. Seriously, I’m obsessed with action films…and Sylvester Stallone! I started my own website, ActionFlickChick.com, where I review action movies, talk about all the most recent news (geeky news as well as film), cover comic conventions, and interview various celebrities and stunt men/women. I am the author of Action Movie Freak (due out November 8th, available for pre-order on Amazon now), and recently joined forces with a new website, GeekNation.com to provide the world a one-stop shop for all geeky news, videos, and podcasts.

Q: When did you discover that you liked all things geeky, like action movies, comics, gaming?

KH: My love for action movies started when I was extremely young. As long as I can remember I was sneaking into the living room while my dad and brothers watched various action films. They had to run me out since technically I wasn’t old enough to watch them. After a few years of persistently invading their movie nights, they finally just let me stay. My love for action movies continued to grow after that.

My love for gaming and comics came later when…

(full article continued at ComicBookDivas.com)

 

Share
Posted in interviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Taken 2 New Trailer Released!

Here is a prime example as to why bad guys always lose: After Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) infiltrates and kills tons of Albanian Mafia members in order to save his kidnapped daughter in Taken, the remaining mafia members decide it’s time to “get revenge” in Taken 2. What the hell, dudes? What makes you think you can pull one over on Daddy Mills when he just destroyed your underground human trafficking operation by his lonesome?

Oh well, one bad guy’s stupidity is an action freak’s entertainment! Check out the amazing new international trailer 20th Century Fox just released for Taken 2 due out in theaters October 5, 2012.

 

This is the Action Flick Chick, and you’ve just been kicked in the ass!
Share
Posted in Coming Attractions, trailers | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

James Marsters Q&A at Wizard World Philadelphia

James Marsters is probably best known as Spike, the super sexy villain turned good guy…ish on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series; but he has also racked up a long list of other geeky shows and movies on his resume such as Dragonball: Evolution, Torchwood, Caprica, and Smallville to name a few. His presence at the Wizard World Convention in Philly sent many hearts a-fluttering as he signed autographs, took pictures, and did a couple of panels.

James is an extremely thoughtful individual who took time to really think about every question before he answered. He also surprised the hell out of the audience by giving an in-depth, intelligent breakdown of the Dragonball series as a whole. What does he think the theme of the Dragonball series is? “What is it to be a man?” He says that the series shows viewers that a man is peaceful and humble, as exemplified by hero Goku and his approach to raising his kids, whereas Vegeta, Goku’s rival, is not a man but an overgrown boy always looking for a fight to prove his masculinity. Huh? Never really thought of it that way!

He also shined some light on what it was like doing “Once More, With Feeling,” Buffy the Vampire Slayer ‘s musical episode. That was his favorite from the series “for the reason that we were terrified.” He explained how, at first, everyone though Joss Whedon had gone insane: “We spent half a week trying to talk Joss out of this. ‘You are flushing our careers down the toilet with this.’ Someone said, ‘I’d rather juggle a chainsaw because I can heal from that.’ Joss was like, ‘Nope, you gotta do it.’ At some point, we all figured out we weren’t going to get out of it, and we buckled down and worked hard on it.”

All the hard work paid off too. That was such an amazing episode and many fans’ favorite. James said he was never more proud of them as a company at that point “when we were completely faithless and yet trying our best.”

Other interesting tidbits:

  • Some of his favorite musicians include Johnny Cash, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, and Weezer.
  • When asked about the most embarrassing thing that happened to him, he replied with, “I’m not really aware of when I’m being embarrassed!” Then he managed to get the questioner to tell her most embarrassing moment that she had never told anyone ever before.
  • Favorite comic is Frank Miller’s Batman treatment.
  • He was never approached by Joss Whedon to play Wash in Firefly.
  • Revealed secret about Buffy and Angel: “I was a fan of the shows myself, so I did not read the scripts. I wanted to watch the shows as a fan. And I played a character that did not know or care what happened beyond his own story line, so I decided why read the scripts and have to pretend I don’t know all that stuff. I never told Joss.”
  • Is Spike evil? Joss wanted to kill Spike from the very beginning. Joss backed James up against a wall and said, “I don’t care how popular you are, you are dead, you are dead, dead, dead!” James explained to the audience his thoughts on Spike: “As long as he doesn’t kill me, I’m just going to play this like a person. By the end of it, he [Joss] started to come over to my side and saw Spike not as just a metaphor for problems, but as a character that could be explored. I didn’t see him as evil at all actually.”

  • James’ thoughts on Spike and Buffy’s first kiss: “When Sarah and I first kissed, she was playing Faith. It was the body switch episode. And I’d never done a film kiss before. We had to have like 14 takes because I kept acting it, and she kept saying, ‘No, James. I mean it’s nice, but in film it’s all about the look of it.’ It became a very technical thing. By the 14th take I just stopped caring, I just wanted to go to the bathroom, and that’s when they were like ‘that’s it!’”
  • James’ thoughts on his kiss with John Barrowman: “Kissing John was a great experience. I don’t enjoy sex scenes. I don’t like to be ordered by contract to have sex with someone…but John is a great guy and I trust him. I would kiss John again any day of the week. In fact, I bit him on the first take. He was afraid I’d be holding back but I went in [makes biting noise] and bit him. I haven’t seen you for 300 years, dude, come on! My fiancé directed the kiss. She was on a bar stool five feet away. She kept going, ‘Oh, that was goooood. We need another take.’ She got five takes out of it. We usually only get two takes. But she still talks about it being one of the hottest moments of her life. Kissing John was one of the most fun experiences.”

  • Teasing by Sarah Michelle Gellar: “Sarah was a great person but she was merciless in season six when I was naked a lot.  We jumped networks, and when we went to UPN they were a new network and didn’t have a standards and practices office yet…so we realized, at least for one season, we could do anything we want! Sarah said she’d do the love scenes, but she wasn’t going to show anything. So I’d have a sock as my wardrobe, and she’d say, ‘James, you like my gloves, and I got a jacket today. Have a nice day.’ She’s a wonderful person but she likes to mess around.”
  • Would you rather play a villain or a hero? “Artistically the hero, because it’s much more complicated. But on shooting day – the villain! It’s much more fun. Plus when you play a hero you’re always feeling guilty you didn’t do better and beat yourself up; but when you’re a villain, you wait in the corner, pop out and fight and then go home. You just have to be willing to lose the last fight. As an artist, I’m more proud of playing the hero.”

I’m sure I’ll be seeing more of James Marsters at Q&As. What else would you like to ask him?

This is the Action Chick, and you’ve just been kicked in the ass!

Twitter: @ActionChick
Facebook: Action Flick Chick

Original Post: GeekNation

Share
Posted in convention | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Review: Roger Corman’s Piranhaconda on Syfy

It seems like only Roger Corman and Syfy could come up with something as ridiculous as Piranhaconda and make it so craptastically amazing! Imagine the teeth of a piranha added to the body of an insanely large anaconda (yes, large even for an anaconda). Throw in the horrible special effects Syfy original movies for which are famous and you’ve got Piranhaconda, a film determined to make you have a good time rolling in the floor laughing.

I would usually explain the plot of the film here, but it’s Piranhaconda. The title tells you all you need to know. If you somehow feel like you need to know more anyway, this ought to do it: It’s a Syfy original film where a big piranhaconda goes around eating people. The end.

I have been truly blessed in that I received a screener copy of the film and, lo and behold, not all of the special effects had been added yet. Watching Piranhaconda without special effects is freakin’ hilarious, as I’m sure it will be with the effects as well. It’s like watching an insane psychological film: You see people freaking out, running, and flailing at something, but when the view shifts to what they’re looking at/fighting, there’s nothing there! It’s up to you and your imagination to fill in the blank spots. Now I have to watch the film when it airs just to confirm what the hell is supposed to be happening! Don’t worry, I’m sure all the SFX will be in place by the time it airs on TV so you’ll get to see every fake blood squirt, splat, and body parts flying around.

Not all Syfy original films are winners, but Piranhaconda is. The threadbare plot, corny acting, and beautiful monster come together nicely to form an entertaining crapfest. It’s full of cheesy fun best shared with friends. Hopefully we’ll see a sequel in the future… maybe a Boacuda?

Piranhaconda will air on the Syfy channel this Saturday, June 16, 2012 at 9pm ET/PT.

This is the Action Chick, and you’ve just been kicked in the ass!

Twitter:@ActionChick
Facebook:Action Flick Chick

GeekNation.com

Share
Posted in * all movie reviews *, TV | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Falling Skies Season 2 Premiere Review!

TV’s second most popular post-apocalyptic drama, Falling Skies, aired its season two premiere last night on TNT. The first season’s finale ended with Tom (Noah Wyle) going aboard an alien ship to talk to the invaders, and that’s exactly where season two picks up. The two-hour premiere mostly answers the question of what happened while Tom was on the ship but still leaves a few tidbits of mystery to keep the audience wondering.

Falling Skies is one of the more action packed television shows, thus leaving it in good graces with me. There were a few nice firefights mixed throughout the premiere and it ended in an explosive face off between the aliens and humans, all coming together to make a first-rate premiere. It looks like the rest of the season will keep up the drama and action as well. As with the first season, the second season will have ten episodes, so tune in every Sunday night at 9/8c on TNT to keep up with who is surviving the alien invasion.

Warning: Spoilers Below!

Here’s what happens:

A small group from the 2nd Massachusetts is fighting off the aliens, both the insectoid aliens (skitters) and their robo-drones (mechs). (I’m just going to refer to a mixed group of skitters and mechs as aliens.) Ben (Connor Jessup) shoots at a skitter, but when it falls over it reveals Ben’s own father, Tom, standing behind it with a gunshot wound courtesy of his sonny boy. Fortunately, Dr. Glass (Moon Bloodgood) works her magic and heals him.

Ben gets all snippy and upset that he shot dear old daddy and gives attitude to everyone in their camp. He then challenges older brother Hal’s (Drew Roy) authority by teaching youngest brother Matt (Maxim Knight) how to shoot a gun. The two older brothers have words, an exchange that ends with polite grunting.

While Tom lies unconscious from his gunshot and Dr. Glass rummages around in his intestines looking for a bullet, he dreams about what happened on the alien ship. Basically, the big mamma alien tells Tom to surrender, give up on fighting them, and they will provide the humans sanctuary camps where they can live in peace. Tom says screw you, gets dumped back on Earth, and walks/rides a bike back to the 2nd Mass. where he then gets shot by his own son. Fascinating, I know. Tom wakes up and everything is peachy keen…except that there’s still an alien apocalypse going on.

The second episode starts with Tom talking to Dr. Glass and wondering if the aliens have messed with his mind. He tells Captain Weaver (Bill Patton) that he shouldn’t trust him, and the captain says he’ll decide who to trust. While Tom talks to Hal, he starts bleeding from his eye, has a seizure, and falls over, leading Dr. Glass to discover a parasite taking a vacation in Tom’s eyeball. They remove it and store it in a glass jar because killing it would be too logical. Tom freaks out and has them put him in restraints in case there are more parasites inside him that want to make him do bad things.

Meanwhile, aliens destroy the only bridge that gave the group a way across the river, so the 2nd Mass. devise a plan to rig it long enough to cross and then blow it up. While they work on that, the parasite pulled from Tom’s eye escapes its jar, grows wings, and flies out of the bus.

2nd Mass. patches up the bridge and starts moving across, so of course the aliens find them and attack. Tom has Matt cut him loose from his restraints so he can fight while a half-dozen nameless extras get mowed down around him. Just when the aliens look ready to take out Tom, Matt comes through for him and shoots the looming skitter. Everyone makes it across the bridge but Tom, and the others have to blow the bridge with him on it. Oh well, scratch one Tom. Is Matthew Fox available to replace him? Oh wait, never mind. Looks like Tommy Boy is okay after all.

The show ends with the escaped parasite flying back to a skitter and crawling into its eye.

Likes:

  • Great action opening.
  • Ben pwning Hal by easily grabbing his arms and pushing him down like a bully on the playground.
  • Good representation of what the world is like when Tom burns money to stay warm.
  • Love the scene where they remove the parasite from Tom’s eye. Ewww!
  • Intriguing ending.

Dislikes:

  • Slows way down after the opening.
  • Butt ton of commercial breaks – or do I just not watch cable TV enough to know that’s the usual amount of commercial breaks?
  • Not a whole lot of character development. Just soldiers planning their next battle – which would work for a movie, but I’d like to see a little more character growth…or regression…or something.

What are some of your likes and dislikes about the premiere?

This is the Action Chick, and you’ve just been kicked in the ass!

Twitter: @ActionChick
Facebook: Action Flick Chick
GeekNation.com

Share
Posted in TV | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Twitter’s Favorite Action Hero Dads!

In celebration of Father’s Day, I posed the question on Twitter, “Who are some of the best action hero dads?” Overwhelmingly, the top three choices were John Matrix from Commando, John McClane from Die Hard, and Harry Tasker from True Lies. In addition to those three whom hundreds suggested, here are some more best action hero dads people on Twitter came up with:

(continue reading)

Share
Posted in social networks, twitter | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Action’s Most Ass-Kicking Dads!

Father’s Day is Sunday, and before you say, “oh, crap,” and rush out to buy a gift hoping that you can magically get it to your father in time, I’ve got a better idea for you. Does your dad like action films? Of course he does! Why not spend a little time with good old pop watching the best action films featuring the best heroic fathers. These action dads don’t sit around helplessly when something happens to or threatens their family; they get out and start kicking ass!

(continue reading)

Share
Posted in family | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments