Don’t you get tired of people talking on their cell phones and texting at the theater? Don’t you get annoyed when two people are whispering to one another, or even talking constantly? Don’t you get annoyed when a lady stays in the theater during Paranormal Activity 3 with a crying infant? The latter happened to me, at the press screening actually, ruined the “quiet” horror flick. Crying. The mom still had the baby in the theater. Someone sternly asked her to leave (#mightHaveBeenMe).

Theater etiquette could almost be considered an ancient virtue standing up against today’s theater goers. Here at The Movie Mash, we stand to speak out against it — this time around in the form of a Mortal Kombat inspired short video. Haven’t you ever imagined having this type of a brawl with some of those more annoying movie patrons?

Check it.

Hats off to the very talented Rajiv Weliwitigoda for helping me out with this video. Many may remember Rajiv also starred in the iPhone 4s ‘Siri Thought’ Video I made — look for the two of us collaborating on a few more ‘Theater Etiquette” shorts over the Summer. If you enjoyed this video, go to my YouTube Channel. Subscribe. It helps. (let’s go viral) Spread this post on Facebook, etc., etc. Let’s stop the cellphones from killing our theater experience.

Did You Like This Video’s ‘Message’?

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

Neil Blomkamp’s District 9 started as nothing more than a short film titled Live From Johannesburg. Then it became it’s own major motion picture. It dominated the box office and was even nominated for Best Picture. Now it seems that we are going to get another Sci-Fi epic that started out as nothing more than a short film on YouTube turned into something much more after 20th Century purchased the rights to a short titled Archetype.

Archetype is about a combat robot named RL7 that has glitches in its programming — those glitches turn out to be memories. Check it out.

There is a lot of potential for a movie here. The whole idea of a robot having issues due to memories of a lost life has been done before. But this has a much more gritty look and feel to it, and the graphics are pretty sick. Initially, I found it interesting how much RL7 is convinced of its memories. But then there a was a profile of Dr. Patrick Stevens shown, leading me to think there’s a person in the suit. They left that pretty open. It felt like an audition for a motion picture. Where 20th Century will take the full story is anyone’s guess. But with this short being so awesome, there is a good chance the movie will be awesome as well. The short was released online in late January, so it didn’t take the studio too long to see the potential of a feature length film in this.

The creator of Archetype is Aaron Sims. He has worked on many of Hollywood’s biggest movies over the last few years, mainly in the art department. He’s worked on such films as Rise of The Planet of The Apes, Transformers: Dark of The Moon and Clash of The Titans to name a few.

There really is no other information on this film right now, other than the fact that it’s going to being made. But I think this movie will be worth watching. Watching the District 9 short didn’t leave me with much hope that the movie would be any good, but after that first trailer came out, I was proven wrong. Archetype leaves me with a ton of hope; not only that the movie will be kick-ass, but that it will be deep and have real feeling to it. Which can be hard to come by in the Sci-Fi genre. When ever it comes out in the theater… I’ll be there opening night.

What Did You Think Of The Short?

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Two reasons that made Inception such a polarizing film is because of a) the complex nature of the plot/narrative that subsequently b) made the ambiguous ending open to interpretation. This lack of concrete resolution didn’t sit well with a select few critics and audience members (most of which are too embarrassed or stubborn to say that they just didn’t “get it.”) I would also say this same resentful attitude towards Christopher Nolan’s intelligent blockbuster applies to Academy voters, who famously snubbed Nolan in the Best Director category two years ago. Which is why I wanted to share this presentation to you. It’s a video of the author of the book Inception and Philosophy (Kyle Johnson), passionately arguing why the film should have won Best Picture to Google employees, spurring some seriously interesting thoughts on the film’s clever and DELIBERATE subtext, within subtext, within subtext. Check it out after the break.

I speak of “resentment” because of the insecurity SOME people felt, because a summer blockbuster made them think. A lot. Maybe so much so, that they were overthinking every aspect of the film, dissecting every moment of when reality turns to dream, and vice versa. This aspect of the film had a, as I stated, “polarizing effect.” Group A loved the ability to think and interpret and try to figure it out for themselves. Group B  called the film “pretentious bullshit” as a defense mechanism. Not because of anyone being “stupid,” but simply for their laziness and/or lack of an ability to accept the fact that not everything is explained in full, as is the case with 99.9% of summer blockbusters

For those of you who didn’t like Inception because it was ambiguous: Do you think it would have made the film better if, at the end, we knew FOR A FACT that Cobb was dreaming or not? If so, I’d love to hear your arguments in the comments below.

In the meantime, watch the wonderful presentation by Kyle Johnson below.

What Do You Think? Discuss.

It’s no secret that my favorite movie from 2011 was Alexander Payne’s The Descendants. Not only was it my favorite, but the film also took home awards for Best Picture and Best Actor (George Clooney) at the Golden Globes this past Sunday. If you haven’t made time for this film, take my recommendation, as well as the recommendation from judging body of the Golden Globes, and get out and see The Descendants. The purpose of this post is not simply to rant about the greatness of this film, but to spotlight the cinematography and the editing from the project. After the jump you can check out a behind the scenes look, which features interviews with members of the production crew.

Check it out.

This video exhibits the beautiful cinematography within The Descendants which takes advantage of the breathtaking lush landscapes of Hawaii. Many of the great shots are on full display in the video, reminding me that I should see this film again. Shooting with the purpose of capturing realism is one reason I loved the way Payne presented his film.

I also like how the Editor Kevin Tent talks about his decision to let the important emotional scenes run long, which helped the moment to strike a stronger chord. Tent had clear intentions with the way he pieced it all together, and this allowed the characters to carry the film with their emotions.

This short behind the scenes look just shows how carefully this great film was crafted. Don’t waste anymore time, and find a date for The Descendants.

What Did You Think Of The Video?

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery 

It’s no secret, that here at the The Movie Mash, we are big fans of Christopher Nolan. Barrett and Mike each have The Dark Knight, The Prestige, and Inception among their top ten movies of all-time — I have Batman Begins amongst my ten favorites. Nolan is a cinematic genius, and has yet to fail as a blockbuster filmmaker. Many montages have been made showcasing the director’s work, but I think this latest rendition is definitely one of the best. Hit the jump to watch it.

Kees van Dijkhuizen is the man behind the video. He has worked this year on creating a video montage of his favorite directors which include: (my personal favorite) David Fincher, Tim Burton, Ridley Scott, Wes Anderson, Pixar, and more. After creating the previous entries, van Dijkhuizen said he got, “hundreds, literally hundreds of requests” to mash up the work of Nolan. Well, why wouldn’t there be hundreds of requests? Nolan is a visionary with strengths in structruing breathtaking beauty in all his shots — especially his landscapes. We all want to see a man with van Dijkhuizen’s editing talents praise our favorite snippets from Nolan’s films. Without further ado…

What Did You Think Of The Video?

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

If you haven’t seen X-Men: First Class, you really are missing out — it is without a doubt the best X-Men film to date. If you are one of the few who still have not seen it, don’t go pass go, i.e. the jump, to see this behind the scenes featurette. The video isn’t really anything special, but I really loved this film, and the extra peek at this cameo is worth the view for any fan.

This Hugh Jackman cameo as Wolverine is one of the best I’ve seen in a movie, and that is another reason why I thought this short video was worthwhile — especially considering his awesome and very brief lines. Check it out.

What Did You Think Of The Cameo?

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The question posed above might not be serious, but the video after the jump has your answer. Star Wars might not have worked with a black guy voicing C-3PO, but it would have been a whole lot funnier — that is clearly shown after watching the ghetto droid talk back to Uncle Owen. Hit the jump to see.

Ready to do some laughing?

What Did You Think Of A Black C-3PO?

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Game of Thrones second season seems like it should be coming out now, because in reality, “winter is coming” right around October’s end. We all know that will come more quickly than we would like in Minnesota. However, HBO wants to tease us normal folk who only dream of fantasy land by reminding us, Game of Thrones will be back next season. Unfortunately, no actual footage from the second season is available yet, but hit the jump for a cheap quick thrill to chill the bones of the fantasy lovers longing for the return of Westeros.

Check out the teaser.

Are You Excited For Game Of Thrones Season 2?

To keep the readers entertained over the weekend, I thought I would pass along some cool videos I encountered while trolling Twitter. The first is a fun Star Wars short where stars like Emma Stone, Ken Jeong, Seth Rogen, and Aziz Ansari reenact our favorite scenes from a galaxy far, far away to raise cancer awareness. The second video should make any FPS — first person shooter — fan feel at home. Imagine watching a Jason Bourne-like figure destroying the suited opposition to escape an office with a high value confidential object. Seriously, hit the jump and watch these videos.

First we can start with the comedy in a Star Wars setting.

Don’t miss this. I had a great time watching this short video. The action is well staged, the camerawork and editing are superb, and it features plenty of elements that make a good chase — like a legion of suited minions on the chase, high flying jumps, and an amazing payoff at the end. The short was produced by and the music is from an indie band called Biting Elbows. Check them out if you like the video.

What Did You Think Of The Videos?

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @matthewdeery

Webisodes are a great opportunity for amatuers and professionals to get short production work online. Perhaps, people are less interested in webisodes because they think that quality is compromised in things like acting, the narrative, and overall production. What it really comes down to is that sometimes a webisode series sucks, and sometimes the series is amazing–just like regular television. The best part about it, you only waste about 20-30 minutes coming to the realization that a series is garbage rather than putting hours of viewing into a television series that you decide you hate at episode 7 of 10.

Save your time, check out some webisodes online. As a suggestion from a professor, I began exploring the website http://funlittlemovies.com/. If you have not taken the time to indulge in webisodes, the site is a great place to start with some webisode comedy. There are three main categories in entertainment on the site called Funnies for Fellas, Funnies for Females, and Funnies for Kids.

Here are two series that I have enjoyed so far:

Mr. Gadget



Unreal Housewives

Are You Guys Watching Any Web Series?