The new Rolling Stones concert movie, Shine a Light, was released to theaters on April 4th. It is also in IMAX! I absolutely had to go. This Monday, Laura and I went and saw it at the IMAX theater in Raleigh. I was very excited about seeing this since I am a huge Stones fan, and I’ve never seen an IMAX concert movie before.

It was absolutely fantastic. I loved every minute of it. If you like the Stones, it is nothing short of a must-see. It is a stunning production. The picture and sound were simply incredible. We sat directly in the middle of the theater, and the sound was nothing short of out of this world. Amazing quality and clarity.

I have been to five Stones concerts, and I have several DVDs from their past tours. Even considering that fact, the setlist played for Shine a Light was incredible. They played a lot of rarities in this movie. Several of them I have never heard them play live. Not anywhere. “She Was Hot” from the early eighties was a fun choice, which they’d never done before on stage, to my knowledge. “Some Girls” and “Far Away Eyes” were both extreme rarities, too. “Loving Cup” was so great to hear them play live, which I think they have rarely ever done. That one was a duet with Jack White, which sounded quite interesting. But the magic moment for me was when they played “As Tears Go By”. Superb!

Still, I wish they played one or two new songs. At one point, I heard them rehearsing the chords for “She Saw Me Coming” from their last album. I was hoping they’d play it, since it is one of the best from that album. They didn’t include it in the set, though. Bummer. Also, I wish they hadn’t played “Satisfaction” or “Tumbling Dice”. They were both unnecessary, considering they are so played out, and this concert was performed at the Beacon Theater, not a stadium. They should have replaced those with something a lot less played. Still, they were solid performances.

The band puts on a great show for this movie. Their age is no secret, and the shots in this movie leave nothing hidden about their wrinkles. In my eyes, their wear and tear are a testament to how long they survived. Even in their 60s, the Stones put on a show that you’d expect to see of someone half their age.

A tip of the hat to Martin Scorsese for directing this masterpiece. I’ll surely buy the DVD when it comes out. If you plan to see it, you must see it in IMAX! Accept no substitute. Trust me.

If you are a Rolling Stones fan, like myself, you have probably already heard about the upcoming movie Shine a Light. It’s a concert movie directed by Martin Scorsese, filmed over two nights in late 2006 at the Beacon Theater, in New York City. The movie is going to be released at IMAX and regular theaters on April 4, 2008! A double CD movie soundtrack is also available!

At the recommendation of a friend, I rented the 1991 movie Drop Dead Fred. I hated it. It was absolutely horrible throughout. Phoebe Cates is okay, but the plot, mood, and characters are all terrible. And Fred himself in the movie is a super-annoying hyperactive man who generally acts like a spastic lunatic. I wasn’t amused by his antics. Watching it felt like I was watching something on Nickelodeon. The tone was very kiddish and the story was just plain stupid. It is very rare on Netflix that I rate a movie with one star. But this one deserved it, and so Drop Dead Fred joined my short list of terribles.

I watched The Simpsons Movie on DVD a few nights ago. I should preface by saying that I haven’t actively watched the show in some time, but have always loved it when I have. Today, it isn’t as funny as it used to be in its prime, but it still has a classic Simpsons charm.

The movie was just okay, I thought. It was funny here and there, but overall it felt like an extended episode that I’d just as soon watch on TV. The plot wasn’t anything magnificent to separate it from a regular episode that would air on FOX. In contrast, when South Park came out with a movie, it had a lot more punch. That punch was to be able to say and do even crazier things than they already did on TV. It was a success. The Simpsons isn’t edgy like South Park, and has far less reason for a movie in the first place. That said, I admit the Simpsons movie scene with Bart skateboarding without his clothes was quite a scream. The movie was very short, I should add. The disc quoted 87 minutes, but I reached the closing credits after a puzzling 77 minutes.

I would imagine that the movie was packed end-to-end with subtle jokes that only die-hard fans would pick up on. For some of those laughs, I guess I missed out. But after all these years of speculating over a possible Simpsons movie, I think that overall, they could have done a little better.

Me and Laura watched Superbad this week! I had heard great things about this movie and couldn’t wait until it was released on DVD. That day finally came, and after watching it, I have to say I agree with the hype. It was hilarious! I just loved it. The content will probably appeal most to high school and college kids, but anyone with the right sense of humor will love it too. The story was great, the jokes were funny, and the casting was superb. The casting was what really made this movie. The actors chosen for these roles were perfect and absolutely spot-on. While watching this movie and rolling with its hilarity, I felt I was watching what would become a cult classic, whose magic could never be recaptured in a sequel. Bravo to the makers of this movie. It was the funniest film of 2007 for me.

Are you old enough to remember a movie from 1981, starring Lily Tomlin, called The Incredible Shrinking Woman? Well, I am. Me and my brother watched it several times when it aired on HBO long, long ago. I am bringing this up because I found this movie playing on the Encore channel the other night! I just love it. It is a classic in my eyes, but that is probably only because I grew up seeing it.

What I can’t figure out is: Why hasn’t this movie been released on DVD? Yes, it is fact. This movie has never been released on DVD. What gives? I see old forgotten westerns shot the 1940s in the bargain bin at Wal-Mart all the time. Who decided to make DVDs of those ridiculous films? I am asking the powers-that-be to get The Incredible Shrinking Woman out on DVD! And include some director’s commentary!

I have seen many of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies, including the last version made in 2003. The newest movie, The Beginning, released in 2006, had good reviews on Netflix, so I decided to rent it. I watched it two nights ago, withholding any expectations.

I really liked it! It is only an hour and a half, but it that plenty enough. The movie is very twisted and gruesome, leaving you cringing in your seat for nearly the entirety of the film. Some of it is almost hard to watch, which is a lot for me to say. To me, the best element of this movie was the casting of R. Lee Ermey as the madman sheriff. He steals the show. He may not be a household name, but is probably best known for his role in Full Metal Jacket. I was pleased to find that the chainsaw wasn’t necessarily the centerpiece of the movie. It didn’t make an appearance into well into the film. Still, it ripped through plenty of bodies by the end.

A user comment on the IMDB page says it well, “Very Good…Full-On Chainsaw. Lots of gore. Very little cheese.” Well said! If you like this kind of movie, then certainly watch it. This one finally gets it right.

About five years ago, I wrote a quick list of movies that I believe to be the worst ever made. This isn’t a complete list, but rather some that I jotted down one day. I found this file on my computer recently, and found that I still completely agree with the movies I had listed. Bear in mind that this list is my sole opinion. I am not going to go into detail as to why I absolutely loathe each of these movies, but rather only present the titles to you. The list is reads as follows:

1. Willow
2. Legend
3. Parenthood
4. Natural Born Killers
5. Deliverance
6. The Shining
7. Hackers
8. Beatstreet
9. James and the Giant Peach
10. I Spit on Your Grave
11. Dogma
12. Eyes Wide Shut
13. Blazing Saddles
14. Ghost in the Shell (Anime)
15. The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert
16. Bladerunner
17. Halloween III
18. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

I watched the movie Memento with Laura, back when it was released in 2000. I remember loving this movie. I had largely forgotten it until I saw the title while browsing Netflix. I added it to my queue and just tonight, we watched it again, all these years later. It is about a man with no short term memory who follows notes in order to try to find the man who killed his wife. The plot is so tangled, so twisted, and so misleading at times, that you are left questioning your own memory after it is over. Although I’d seen it before, it was like watching it again for the first time tonight.

This movie is absolutely spectacular. So much so that I felt compelled to write this post almost immediately after the credits rolled. It is an incredible piece of cinema. The movie basically starts at the end and then gradually rewinds, bit by bit, until you eventually find yourself at the beginning. Anyone can reach their own conclusions as to what is actually the truth. I know that this movie will be on my mind for days to come.

This movie deserves the highest rating possible, and then some. It is a must-see. It is imperative that you pay attention the entire time to as many details as possible. You’ll need as many memories as you can remember to even begin to piece this one back together after it is over. Outstanding!

This post may be out of the blue, but I was just thinking about how much I love this movie. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is one of my absolute favorite 80s movies. I went to the theater with my brother and saw it the summer it came out, back in 1986. It is hard to believe this movie is now 21 years old. It is on TV all the time and I always enjoy seeing it again. Recently, AMC had it on their network with popups at the bottom of the screen with facts about the movie. Perhaps the DVD has this as well, but I am not sure. The fun tidbits about the movie were really interesting and made sit and watch it all over again. This movie contains some of my favorite movie quotes, including the greatest movie quote of all time (made by principal Ed Rooney): “I did not achieve this position in life to have some snot-nosed punk leave my cheese out in the wind.”