Hey Remember Us!

So we have been away for a while and I can't say when we'll definitely return to active blogging and podcasting, but I hope it's soon.

With that being said, I have started writing weekly television power rankings for my friends and thought I should share them with the masses of 3R fans who are clamoring for any content we can provide for them.

I am gonna put up all four right now so you can go back and see where my thought process has gone. I have to believe you're interested in things like that or my self esteem is just going to go in a nose dive and I don't have your weekly calls to the podcast to bring me back up.

Hope everyone's doing well and enjoy the rankings!

What's next for Megan Fox

Last night we reported on the podcast how Megan Fox will not be in the third Transformers movie (I almost wrote film and then I realized that's like calling the Twilight books novels). As Fox normally found herself in skimpy outfits and compromised positions in the two previous movies, this is terrible news for perverts everywhere. Now I won't lie and say I don't find Megan Fox attractive, unless my girlfriend is near me. She isn't, right? Now it's 11am, she's at work, we're good. Instead I am more interested in discussing where both of these franchises, Transformers and Megan Fox's body, go from here.

Megan Fox's career

Ever since Fox burst onto the scene it's painfully obvious she wants to be Angelina Jolie. However, you can't just get similar tattoos as someone and think that will also translate their talent. If that were so, I'd have arm sleeves like LeBron, and maybe a tramp stamp like Parvati from Survivor just for the added sex appeal. Sadly for Fox all that she shares with Jolie is an ability to stir a hatred among everyday women to the point they ignore Fox's obvious beauty (saying it's trashy) and holding it against anyone who does find the starlet attractive.

As for her career, well it hasn't really flushed out yet has it? Aside from starring in the two Transformers movies she's only starred in two other films, as the titular character in "Jennifer's Body" and a supporting role in "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People". Now think about that for a second. For the past three years, how long have you gone without seeing a magazine cover or something on the internet with Megan Fox? A couple days? And yet she's been in four movies in three years!

Her next two roles are in "Jonah Hex" with Josh Brolin and "Passion Play" with Mickey Rourke. You know what those two movies sound like five years ago? Straight to DVD. Take away "No Country for Old Men" and "The Wrestler" and those movies are winding up in the $5 bin at a gas station.

Whether it was Fox's decision to leave or not, I think her comments about Michael Bay kind of sealed her fate. I don't think she would have ever been a long term star if she'd stayed, but it would have been nice to pick up one more paycheck. Now I think we've just gotten closer to Fox and Brian Austin Green starring in Mr. and Mrs. Smith II. What a film that will be.

Transformers

As I already stated, the first "Transformers" was great in theaters, but the movie really declined after additional viewings. The second movie picked up right where it left off as it was almost as bad as "Batman and Robin" and the second "Pirates of the Caribbean" combined. So far on this third movie they are batting .500 by getting rid of the racist Transformers (RRR Award Winners) but also cutting Fox loose. I don't see where these movies can go from here and I fully expect to skip this next venture. However, as a marketing tool, I think Fox was the biggest live action star attached to these movies and losing her could prove to be a lot worse for these movies than Michael Bay thinks.

I don't know or care who to believe in this rift. Either Megan Fox quit or she was fired. But the end game is going to be bad for both parties in my opinion.

5 Reasons "UP" Should Not Be Nominated For Best Picture

For a list of the nominees for Best Picture or any other category, click here. And make sure to email us so you can take part in our Pick 'Em Oscar Tournament where you can win great prizes!

Alright, enough PSA. Let's get into this...

1. Lack of Imagination: So Up is about widower Carl Frederickson who is forced to leave his home. Instead, he ties a bunch of balloons to his house and sets flight to the mystical and mysterious land of Paradise Falls. Early in the movie this is supposed to be the land from another time, almost like stepping into Jurassic Park if you will. But when Carl gets there the “beast” he encounters is an overgrown emu with the features of Toucan Sam. I mean seriously? I bet if we went to the home of director Pete Docter we’d see this lackluster beast on his fridge.It’s probably some KinderCare color-by-number concoction of his kid. I can’t believe this is the best they could come up with. Even in movies like Bee Movie or A Bug’s Life there is a since of greater imagination and creativity; the viewer is presented with much a more interesting world…and those movies aren’t even that good!

2. One Trick Pony: I’ve said on our podcast before that there is nothing wrong with a one trick pony as long as that pony does the trick very well. Up is a pony that needs to be put down. Ugh, this movie – which is supposed to be comedic, especially for children – isn’t very funny. Sure there are the classic physical humor spots where the character gets whacked in the face or flung across the jungle, but isn’t that what bad movies like Deck the Halls and Christmas with the Kranks are for? Comedically speaking this film falls flat. And it’s not unfunny because it’s overly dramatic; it is unfunny because the writing team decided to put their eggs in one basket. And that basket was this punch line by the talking dogs: Squirrel! Ok, 1st time = funny. 2nd time = a little forced. 3rd time on = what the hell are we doing here?

3. Best Animated of the Year: Since Up is the only animated movie nominated the first question you naturally ask yourself is “is up the best animated movie of the year?” If you saw The Fantastic Mr. Fox or even the somewhat confusing, mildly disturbing Coraline then you would expect Up to be sensational. It isn’t. You know how rollercosters make you wait 60seconds while they trudge you up the track and then you get that 3minutes of awesome? Yeah, this movie is the exact opposite. The first 5minutes are amazing, beautiful, uplifting, and heartbreaking. The rest of the movie is a slow crawl to the city of Boredomstanzia. But I’m glad that the Academy is deciding to recognize animation among the year’s best movies, however that recognition should have gone to “Mr. Fox”…now if we could only convince them that comedies and Superhero/villain movies need to be considered as well.

4. Dug: First, I don’t know why his name is listed and spelled like this, but whatever. Second, I can’t stand this dog. Dug is the….well….let’s just say that he makes Jessica Simpson look like Einstein (are Jessica Simpson jokes still funny?). You know how Ashton Kutcher as Kelso on “That 70’s Show” on can be stupid and it’s somewhat funny. But then Tommy Chong came on as the exceptionally dumb stoner and got more and more airtime and it was just unfunny and sad? Yeah, that’s Dug. He’s too dumb and annoying to be funny...and his voice! He’s the pits.

5. Seriously?!: Did anyone in the Academy see Away We Go???!! I know I’ve talked about that movie way too much (and it won my 2009 Really Reels for favorite movie of the year), but I will defend it as one of the best movies of the year until someone can convincingly prove otherwise. Watch it. Even if you think I give it too much credit you’ll agree that it could take down Up 9 days a week.

I know people may say I am judging this movie too harshly because it’s a children’s movie. Ok, I get that. But if there is a guy who loves these “children’s” movies it’s me. I see most of them and in the last few years some of my favorite MOVIES include: The Incredibles, Wall-E, Over the Hedge, and pretty much any Wallace & Gromit out there. C'mon, I think we can all agree Up is overrated and does not deserve to be be nominated for Best Picture...even on a list of 10 nominees.

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Fanmail!: Avatar & Sherlock Holmes

In our show reviewing Leap Year we decided to respond to a recent fan e-mail disputing our reviews of Sherlock Holmes and Avatar. Where we saw the former to be a much more enjoyable and respectable film, our loyal fan saw the overused and mundane. This fan felt Avatar was a bold and daring film that needed to be made and seen.

In our show we address this email as we felt it would not be done justice by replying in written word. On our podcast we read portions of the email, but it too was not given due justice. So, we have posted it here on our blog for you to read the points and counterpoints. Agree, disagree, or have thoughts of your own...it doesn't matter. Read. Listen. Respond. Email or Call In to discuss LIVE.


--------------------BEGIN SUBMISSION-------------------

I have to admit that I've been harvesting some negative thoughts...since your Avatar show for thinking Sherlock Holmes was better than Avatar.

Sherlock Holmes.....more like Borelock Holmes!

Borelock Holmes was like every movie E-V-E-R made!! Avatar was new and daring in soooo many different ways and touched on a lot of social issues that made people think.

What did you get from Borelock Holmes?

2 and a half hours of boooooring ***t we've already seen before although I will say that the character of Sherlock Holmes was new and fresh......oh... a ...no, wait, nope he's been around since EIGHTEEN-EIGHTY- SEVEN! I get it, I get it, he's really good at solving problems and his narcissism and self-destructive behaviors get him and his side kick doctor into trouble over and over blah blah-blah, blah-blah...I'd rather watch an episode of "House" at least I know he'll actually solve the mystery and it'll be over in an hour...And on top of boooring us with old plots and fight sequences they have the audacity to set it up for a sequel!!

Now Avatar, talk about a movie with balls.

Avatar was new and exciting, the fact that it was in 3-D alone make it SOOOO much better than Borelock Holmes. Avatar took risks, provoked thoughts and feelings. Not to mention, it touched on a lot of social issues our society is struggling with TODAY.

The technology was not just a gimmick but genius. The Na'vi Avatars resembled so much like the humans that it wasn't a far leap to Pandora. You didn't have to be a Trekkie or Si-Fi nut for the movie to take you there. Well done, James.

Let's talk about risks, the scene when Na' vi chick picks up Jake Sully's cripple human body instantly takes where Benjamin Button was too scared to go.

Now talk about a plot! Simple I know but powerful none the less. The Sky People destroy their own planet of natural green resources so they set out to find Pandora, and they bring death and destruction to people that they've deemed primitive, inferior or just plain different than them because they stand in the way of their riches. They set out to destroying cultures, sciences, and knowledge (secretly more advanced than their own) all because they are too greedy and too stubborn to come together on their own planet to fix their own problems! ....sound familiar? I know, I know it was not a subliminal correlation but that is the genius in it all; is it based on our past, present or Future? In the movie we - I mean the sky people - can see their flaws but we still can't seem to fix it. It made me angry, it made me frustrated, it made me think. On Pandora where all is connected, loved, and respected; Over laying themes of cycles of energy; not only choosing but being chosen, you find yourself thinking that the Na'vi made sense and it made me feel good and right, so much so that every time Sully went back to his human body you instantly felt down and agitated and couldn't wait to get back to Pandora. It was intended and it worked.

You call it simple; I call it art imitating life....

I don't want to be the Sky People anymore, do you?

2009 Really Reels!

In case you missed last night's podcast, Really Reel Reviews gave out its 2009 Really Reels for some of the best performances and movies of the year. (Listen to the award show here)

But for all the lazy fans of Really Reel Reviews, here's a list of the big winners from last night!

Best Female Performance

ERIC - Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe as "Precious Jones" in Precious






TERRY - Monique as "Mary Jones" in Precious





Best Male Performance

ERIC - Robert Downey Jr. as "Sherlock Holmes" in Sherlock Holmes




TERRY - Christoph Waltz as "Col. Hans Landa" in Inglourious Basterds



Most Memorable Line/Best Catchphrase

ERIC - "Your father was captain of a starship for twelve minutes. He saved 800 lives, including your mothers and yours. I dare you to do better." said by "Christopher Pike" in Star Trek


TERRY - "Classic" said by "Alan Garner" in The Hangover




Best/Worst Adaptation

ERIC (Best) - The Blind Side








TERRY (Worst) - Angels and Demons







Favorite Cameo

ERIC - Eminem in Funny People




TERRY - Tyler Perry in Star Trek






Worst Movie

ERIC - The Girlfriend Experience








TERRY - The Collector







Worst Sequel

ERIC & TERRY - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen






Biggest Disappointment

ERIC - Surrogates








TERRY - Bruno







Weirdest Sex Scene

ERIC - Tabloid picture in District 9

TERRY - Jake and Neytiri in Avatar

(Pictures omitted due to us not wanting to wind up on any lists after googling "Avatar sex" or "Human/Prawn beastiality")

Golden Bullet (2009's Most Hated Character)


ERIC - "Melissa" in The Hangover





TERRY - "Skids" and "Mudflap" in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen



A Shot of Jack (2009's Favorite Character)

ERIC - Summer and Tom in (500) Days of Summer







TERRY - Alan Garner in The Hangover







DRUMROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Best Movie

ERIC - Away We Go













TERRY - Inglourious Basterds










So there you go, Really Reel Reviews first Really Reels awards show. As always, if you have comments/concerns about the winners please email us at reallyreelreviews@gmail.com and we'll gladly post your feedback or read it on the next podcast.

And also feel free to nominate your favorite 2010 movies throughout the year and maybe they'll walk away with some hardware next January!