EftRou 147: The Triple Threat….

EftRou 147

Greetings were back in action this week with another jam-packed episode of entertainment goodness!  We start with some boobtube babble about J.J. Abrams’ next tv adventure Alcatraz then switch to a double feature of red tails and Haywire. Kick back and enjoy this weeks episode!

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JJ’s next big thing….

So shortly after Alias and LOST hit the airwaves, J.J. Abrams became a household name and Hollywood powerhouse almost overnight. In the last few years he has produced many shows and movies including FRINGE, Person of Interest (Golden Globe winner best new drama) and the 2009 reboot of the once thought dead Star Trek franchise and the fantastic Super 8 this last summer. This latest adventure has us diving into the lore of “Alcatraz” which puts a twist onto one America’s most famous prisons. The idea is that Alcatraz never shut down but instead an event occurred that made all the prisoners and staff simply vanish. Fast forward to 2012 and now those same criminals and staff are starting to appear unannounced with no signs of aging or how or why they have come back. The crew chats about what they like and didn’t like from the 2 hour premier event.

Feature flicks: Red Tails & Haywire

Q and I both decided to see different flicks this week. Q went with Red Tails, which is the story about the Tuskegee airmen.  The story follows the famous fighter pilots’ struggle to gain respect and equality from fellow Airmen of the time.  The movie showcases how well he Tuskegee airmen did in protecting many valuable bombers during the war. The airmen also proved that they were the best of the best despite what many had said about them.  The film stars Terrence HowardCuba Gooding Jr.,and David Oyelowo.

I choose to go with the latest film from famed director Steven Soderbergh called haywire which has been touted by others as the female version of the Jason Bourne series. Instead this movie is much, much more than that it’s a launching pad for MMA fighter Gina Carano‘s new found fame and potential career in Hollywood. The premise is surrounding a job that Gina’s character does for her employer and the state department,  covertly of course off the books. As with any thriller the typical betrayal and duplicity are present but not in the same formula as we have seen before. Soderbergh works his magic with flashbacks and scenes woven into the story that give you a sense of history with the various characters.  This film has a stellar set of actors that make this even more fun to watch including: Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Channing Tatum and a great as always Michael Fassbender (who has a great bare knuckles fight with Carano).

EftRou 146: In the desert…

eftrou 146

This week the crew is back talking two action movies Killer Elite and Contraband.  We had a lot of fun with these movies and make some interesting observations of both movies both good and bad.

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DVD Pick

Killer Elite 2011 - We went back and picked up this movie that was released in fall but saved it for a DV-Debrief.  This one stars Jason StathamClive OwenRobert De NiroDominic Purcell and the lovely Yvonne Strahovski.

Killer Elite with Killer Stache's

Killer Elite with Killer Stache's

This movie is based on a true story of a group of Britain’s Elite Special Air Service members coming out of retirement to save De Niro’s character, Hunter, from a Sheikh who wants revenge on a secret society that is responsible for killing his 3 sons.  Listen in to see what we think as to the some questions that left us scratching our heads (At least Mike and Square).

Feature Flick

Mark Wahlberg and Giovanni Ribisi

Mark Wahlberg and Giovanni Ribisi

Our feature flick this week is Contraband, which stars Mark WahlbergBen FosterLukas HaasKate Beckinsale and the always fun to watch Giovanni Ribisi. This movie centers around a blue-collar family that happen to be the best smugglers in the business.  When Mark Wahlberg’s character gets out of the business and try’s to make a fresh start his wife’s (Kate Beckinsale) brother keeps going with the smuggling and makes a mistake by dumping a “shipment” that was intended to be delivered to mobster Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi).  After making the decision to try to fix the problem himself Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg) gets his old crew together and the race begins to get $700,000 into the country in order to make things right before it’s too late.

We always hope you enjoy listening and we would love to hear back from you. Feel free to join the conversation on twitter via @entfortherest you can also find the crew on twitter: Q (@aka_q) and me SquareRoss (@SquareRoss) and Mike (@cb_robinson).

Until next time stay safe and enjoy your entertainment!

EftRou 145: That girl with the tattoo

EftRou 145

Sorry for the late in the week post folks, life has been busy for me.  Wanted to get this one up before it became a lost EftRou episode.  This ones a short one as it was just Q and I.  This week we talk about the American adaptation of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”.   I’ve seen all the original movies and Q just started off with the Trilogy with this one, it was an interesting discussion.  We also talk about the results from the Fall 2011 Media Mogul Fantasy league and crown the winner (virtually of course).

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Feature Flick

Many of you may have read or seen the original Swedish versions of the Millennium trilogy which became a critically acclaimed book and movie series around the globe.  This typically means that a major US studio is sure to secure the rights and remake/reboot/redo it into an American franchise and ditch most of the source material.  However this is not one of those times, in fact I was very surprised with how true to the original the movie stayed.  Q although had never read or had been exposed to this prior to the US remake.  Listen in and see if you agree with both our takes on this new franchise.

The 2011 remake includes a pretty amazing cast which the title role of the Girl with the Dragon tattoo (Lisbeth Salander) being played by recent new star Rooney Mara The Social Network (2010) and the male lead of Daniel Craig whom plays discredited journalist Mikael Blomkvist.  The film also stars Christopher Plummer, Joely RichardsonStellan Skarsgård and Robin Wright.  David Fincher whom helmed some amazing movies in recent years: Fight Club (1999)Se7en (1995)The Social Network (2010). Fincher takes this movie and runs with it but at the same time seems to have done so while staying true to the original novel and movie while putting a unique twist to the storyline that fans of both the book and movie will not expect.  The soundtrack has been highly publicized recently as it’s not your traditional score that you would find in similar movies.  Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross create an amazing soundtrack and especially the during the opening sequence that definitely clues you in that the movie  you’re seeing is not your typical thriller/drama fair.  Much like the TRON: Legacy soundtrack done by Daft Punk it’s mostly electronic music but done by musicians normally never associated with movies scores. They both do a fine job with this film’s score and helping drive parts of the movie through the music.

Definitely a word of warning though for some movie goers.  The movie has some very intense scenes that may not sit well for all viewers.  Definitely keep this in mind when going to see this.  To find out more check out the following link, keep in mind some of the contents of this page do include potential spoilers:  Parental Guide

We always hope you enjoy listening and we would love to hear back from you. Feel free to join the conversation on twitter via @entfortherest you can also find the crew on twitter: Q (@aka_q) and me SquareRoss (@SquareRoss).

Until next time stay safe and enjoy your entertainment!

EftRou 144: 2011 Thoughts and 2012 Predictions

EftRou 144

Another short one for all of you to enjoy.  Tonight its just Q and myself (SquareRoss) as the rest of the crew is wrapping up the holidays.  Q & I look back on 2011 topics that caught our eye and look forward and share what we think is going to be some highlights of 2012.  Enjoy and as usual share your thoughts with us.

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2011 Look Back

American Chopper Live: The Buildoff

American Chopper Live: The Buildoff

So Q & I wanted to kick off 2012 aka Season 3 of EftRou by taking a look back at the highlights of 2011 and sharing with you a few things that stood out for us as interesting moments in entertainment and beyond.  Q has some TV/Movie highlights as well as some thoughts about the Live special of American Chopper.  I happened to go with my Geekier side talking some video games as well as sharing my thoughts on TV and the business of entertainment, including news that caught a lot of people guard this past year.

2012, To infinity and beyond!

Fringe On Fox

Fringe On Fox

Next up Q and I attempt to prognosticate about what will be the big highlights of 2012, including that pesky end of the world rumor.  Q thinks a certain comic book movie will be big.  Square plans on seeing a trio of movies including the last Dark Knight Saga movie, A Ridley Scott film and the return to the Shire (Which Q is now on the bandwagon with).  I managed to find 2 Movies that cause pause as the fact that Q hasn’t heard of either of them. Q thinks he’s found the stinker of the year remake movie.  Lastly I stick with 1 returning favorite TV show, Fringe and another new one from the mastermind of J.J.Abrams & Company.

We always hope you enjoy listening and we would love to hear back from you. Feel free to join the conversation on twitter via @entfortherest you can also find the crew on twitter: Q (@aka_q) and me SquareRoss (@SquareRoss).

Until next time stay safe and enjoy your entertainment!

EftRoU 143: Just add sugar…

EftRou 143

Well the Christmas holiday is over, Q and SquareRoss along with the Moderator are back with a short episode full of spies  and an impossible missions.  Sit back and enjoy as this message will self destruct in 5 seconds (not really but we could pretend, right).

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Feature Flick

Ethan Hunt Scales Burj Khalifa

Ethan Hunt Scales Burj Khalifa

Our feature flick this week sees the return of beloved action hero Ethan Hunt in the fourth installment of the Mission Impossible series which has been very successful over the last 10+ years.  In this latest adventure we find ourselves along for the ride with Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), Jane (Paula Patton) and IMF Chief Analyst, Brandt (Jeremy Renner) racing against the clock to stop a plan of starting a nuclear war with the US, put in to motion by Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist).  The team also faces the challenge of having no help from the IMF division of the US Government after being blamed on the bombing of the Kremlin.  The film takes us on a wild ride across the world in and out of some amazing scenes including possibly the craziest stunt to save the day that Ethan Hunt has ever done.

The Rogue IMF Team

The Rogue IMF Team

Brad Bird does a great job with his first live action film after having done such great films as UP, The Incredibles and many other animated films and tv shows.  J.J. Abbrams (Alias, Lost, Star Trek), Bryan Burk (Lost, Star Trek) return to produce the latest installment of the franchise along side Tom Cruise.  After seeing this movie the EftRoU Crew cannot wait for another as this was well paced and had a fun story which has injected new life into this franchise.

We always hope you enjoy listening and we would love to hear back from you. Feel free to join the conversation on twitter via @entfortherest you can also find the crew on twitter: Q (@aka_q) and me SquareRoss (@SquareRoss).

Until next time stay safe and enjoy your entertainment!