Hello Hulu....

Why download movies with the fear of uncle sam knocking at your door? Well my friends the good old folks over at NBC have created something that seems too good to be true.
Hulu is the first of its kind, a site where you can watch full movies, full shows for the hefty price of...on the house. You may ask yourself 'how can this be'? Well there is a catch. Commercials are implemented through out each film or show that can not be skipped. The commercials however are only about 30-45 seconds in length. This is a crucial turning point in the battle between the internet and hollywood. Instead of suppressing something that will never be stopped, hollywood has decided to use the internet as a tool to their benefit. Only a few networks and studios have joined the bandwagon, but hopefully with time more will join the hulu-hoop and give way to the future of entertainment.

Clip of the Day: Road to Perdition

I'm glad its you

Clip of the Day: Almost Famous

Cameron Crowes best film

Review: Into the Wild

Sean Penn's epic film of a young man's, Christopher McCandless (played by Emile Hirsch), journey across the country and eventually into the Alaskan wilderness is a very deep and resonating film. The story unfolds as McCandless graduates from college and gives away his life savings and begins his journey across country. Along the way he meets many different and complex characters which mold who he becomes.
Sean Penn has always wowed me on the screen but he really surprised me behind the camera. This film is an astounding journey of finding a true identity within one's self. The character development is deep and dynamic. Acting is top notch with Hirsch commanding a leading role supported by the likes of Vince Vaughn and William Hurt. The real gem of the movie is the cinematic scenery. The Alaskan wilderness captures the desolate isolation and at the same time peaceful serenity that McCandless confines himself in. The plot flow was a little untypical, always switching from his journey across the country back to his final weeks in the Alaskan wilderness. It was at times a little confusing but more so effective. The score was top notch and really complemented the evolution of McCandless and his journey.
I found this a very touching and emotionally stirring journey of a man searching for himself, forgiveness, and an Alaskan adventure. I give it four out of five chomps.

Michael Bay....Conspiracy Theory Extraordinaire

HD DVD has always used the tagline "the look and sound of perfect", well since Toshiba officially dropped its beloved HD DVD there has been nothing perfect about it except its death. Now that Blu-ray has officially won the format war, the world can unite under the blue umbrella. Despite the apparent victory a new opponent seems to be lurking in the shadows, HD downloadable movies as seen on Xbox live.
Director turned high def conspirator, Michael Bay believes that this all has been in the cards of Microsoft. Bay wrote the following statement on his website:

"Microsoft wants both [HD DVD and Blu-ray] formats to fail so they can be heroes and make the world move to digital downloads. That is the dirty secret no one is talking about. That is why Microsoft is handing out $100 million dollar checks to studios just [to] embrace the HD DVD and not the leading, and superior Blu Ray [sic]. They want confusion in the market until they perfect the digital downloads. Time will tell and you will see the truth."

Bay, a Blu-ray backer, has many other conspiracies which involve asteroids, alien robots, and not to forget Japaneese sneek attacks; but you can check out these at your local video store.

Clip of the Day

With March madness about to kick off, I felt this clip from Hoosiers would only be appropriate.

Clip of the day: Dr. Strangelove

Oscars 2008

As the first ever post of Cinematic Gator, I will recap the grand daddy of them all. Of recent years, the Oscars have become a celebrity hoopla for fashion and other pointless garbage. The awards themselves have played backseat, but I myself still watch for the true movie magic. This year's show was of course long with John Stewart adding a few jokes in here and there. Lets get to it and recap the winners.



Best Picture: No Country for Old Men
Best Director: Coen Brothers
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis
Best Actress: Marion Cotillard
Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem (above)
Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton