The Hangover 2 Full Trailer!!

Hey guys!  Here we are with the brand new trailer for The Hangover Part 2.  Their is not much to say other than the films looks like it kicks ass!  In The Hangover Part 2, Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug travel to exotic Thailand for Stu's wedding. After the unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu is taking no chances and has opted for a safe, subdued pre-wedding brunch. However, things don't always go as planned. What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens in Bangkok can't even be imagined.  If you didn't like the first film odds are you probably won't like this one either.  My wife has already stated that their is no way in hell that their will be a "guys trip" to Bangkok like their was to Las Vegas.  Personally, I have been to Bangkok before and it is actually one of the creepiest places I have been to so no thanks!

Wrestlemania 27 Week!!

Ok folks.The mother of all mothers is here this weekend, Wrestlemania 27.  I haven't really covered much on the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) other than the return of The Rock. Why don't I?  Wrestling is such a massive entity on it's own that I think it would be hard for me to keep up on it.  Their also isn't really too much news out there other than the interviews the wrestlers already give to other sources and a crap load of gossip and most of the time lies. Perhaps in the future I will cover some of the weekly shows.  No matter what you say, fake or not, the shows are damn entertaining.

As a kid I used to watch wrestling every Monday with my dad and brother.  As I am now an adult I still enjoy watching the shows and now watch it with my own children.  I have been to many shows and pay per views and even met a couple of the wrestlers.  I also have a massive collection of memorabilia from signed t-shirts to action figures and movies.  The more and more you read this blog you begin to realize how much of a dork I am eh?  Luckily a lot of my close friends like wrestling also and this weekend we will have a BBQ and catch this years Wrestlemania!!!  I have embedded the preview below.

New Star Wars Lunch Boxes

If you read my earlier post I attended Shelby's Collectible Toy Show over the weekend and was able to purchase a couple of vintage Star Wars Saga lunch boxes.  A couple of months back I purchased an original 1977 Star Wars: A New Hope lunch box and thermos.  Since then I have been looking for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi lunch boxes to complete the set.  Their are a couple of problems with this. First of all these boxes were made in the early 1980's and released when the films came out.  Secondly, it is more rare to find boxes that are in good condition.  The boxes that you can find online and in antique stores are generally pretty worn and used and almost always never come with a thermos.  I bought my first Star Wars box in an antique shop and then bought the thermos from Ebay.

I was pretty stoked to find a vendor at the Shelby Toy Show was actually selling both lunch boxes with the original thermos in near mint condition!!  They even have the original instruction still inside!  When I saw them I thought "God these are going to be at least $50.00 a piece".  When I asked the guy how much and he replied "$25.00 each" I almost fell to the floor.  This find was a complete steal!  I could not believe it and feel very blessed to be the new owner of these boxes.  I think that these kind of lunch boxes are unique in the fact that they don't just appeal to fans of old lunch boxes but they also appeal to Star Wars collectors.  In fact the guy I bought them from said he got them from a lot of Star Wars collectibles he purchased from someone.  You can check them out below!

Shelby's Collectible Toy Show

My wife and I had the opportunity to visit Shelby's Collectible Toy Show in Portland this weekend. The toy show runs in conjuction with the Rose City Collectors Market Show. Saturday is the toys and then Sunday is the antiques. I have been collecting odds and ends with toys for a couple of years now but have just recently became serious about it. This seemed like a great chance to add to my now growing collection of toys and perhaps find some of the more rare toys that are unfortunately only available on Ebay. Since we live about 90 minutes south of Portland we decided to be there at 10:00am. General admission is at 10:00am for $4.00 but you can come early at 8:00am for $10. You can also bring a can of food and get a dollar off of admission. The show was located at the Airport Holiday Inn Columbia Conference Center. The venue was big and there were around 200 tables for all of the sellers.

There were many different kinds of sellers which made the show great. If you were a fan of Hot Wheels then you would be at home. I was surprised how many Hot Wheels sellers and then collectors that were buying. I was able to pick up a Ghostbusters Ecto-1 and a Delorean Back to the Future Hot Wheel car. Both cars I have only seen online and they sold for 2 or 3 times as much as what I paid. There was everything from classic children's books to old toy cars from the 1950's to movie models and Pokemon cards. Being a collector of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I was able to purchase 30 figurines plus a giant bag of accessories for $45.00. This was a killer deal. The local toy shop that I purchased other TMNT toys at sold them from $3.00 - $6.00 per figurine with no or little accessories.

I have also been collecting vintage lunch boxes. I had the original 1978 Star Wars lunch box and thermos but have always been looking for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi boxes to go with my collection. The hard part is finding them because they are nearing 30+ years old and then to find them not dented to pieces and full of rust is another story. On top of that good luck finding the thermos to go with the box. I have seen some at antique stores that sell around $45.00 - $60.00. I purchased both boxes in almost perfect shape with both thermoses for $25.00 a piece. I also found some rare vintage Real Ghostbusters toys and picked up a Ghost Zapper toy. Our older daughters were jealous when we told them about all of the cool stuff there. They are both big fans of Pokemon. My wife was able to purchase some rare Pokemon items for them as well.

Not knowing what to expect I didn't come with a ton of money. I think I will save my money for the next few months and be really prepared to buy some more cool collectibles and stick around for the Collectors Market Show also. I recommend this show for anyone that has an interest in toys or memoribilia from yesteryear. The vendors were great and the selection of many things to purchase was great also. Thanks for the great day Shelby!

Captain American Trailer!!!

Ok, so I am about 24 hours behind on this posting.  This trailer originally premiered on Entertainment Tonight then came online later last night.  I didn't see it until late and their still wasn't a high definition copy up yet either.  Then I worked today and am just now getting the chance to post Captain America: The First Avenger.  After seeing the 30 second spot for this film during the Superbowl I really wasn't that impressed.  My hope out of everything would be for that this film is successful for Chris Evans AKA Captain.  I have always enjoyed his acting and the guy deserves a big break!  Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith from The Matrix Trilogy) plays the baddy Red Skull.  I'm pretty pumped now that I have seen this trailer.  Amazing special effects to make him look like a weakling in the beginning.

Old School Review: Harold and Kumar

The past few weeks I have watched quite a few "buddy comedies".  My wife and I recently watched Paul.  I wrote a review of the film which you can read here.  I also recently watched one of the great buddy comedies of the past few years, Superbad.  I need to write an old school review of that film!  Tonight though, I bring you a review of one of the greatest buddy comedies to come to the big screen in a long time, Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle. You may be wondering why the photo above states that they get the munchies?  I'm not exactly sure why it says that other than that may be from when the movie was approved by the MPAA and perhaps it was changed at the last second?  Further reading revealed that this title was the European title.

The movie's tagline says "Introducing the Asian guy from American Pie and that Indian guy from Van Wilder directed by the guy that made Dude Where's My Car".  The Asian guy is John Cho and the Indian is Kal Penn.  John Cho has gained more fame since starring as Sulu on the newest Star Trek films and Penn was a regular on the tv show House and now works for the White House. Danny Lenier directed the film.  He also directed such shows as Arrested Development and Freaks and Geeks.  Also starring is Paula Garces as Cho's love interest Maria and Christopher Meloni as Freakshow.  I will not say anymore about Freakshow.  You will have to find out more for yourself. How could I forget.  The real star of this movie is Neil "Doogie Howser" Patrick Harris.

The story is simple.  You have 2 guys, Harold and Kumar.  Did I mention that this is a stoner flick? I think I have mentioned this before.  I do not and have never ever done any kind of drugs but I find the movies about that subject freaking hilarious.  Harold and Kumar are both 2 very smart guys. Harold is an accountant for a firm that crunches numbers all day and Kumar is a very smart student that could be a doctor if he wanted but chooses to sit around and smoke weed all day. After an evening of smoking weed they "get the munchies".  They decide to take a short drive to their local White Castle.  This is where all the fun begins.  If you've read this far into the review then you probably know where it is going from here.  They come across rabid animals, college students with diahrea, literally a freak show, beat up white trash rednecks and take a little ride on a cheetah for fun.  They eventually pick up a stranded hitch hiker, Neil Patrick Harris.  NPH takes the movie and adds nothing but pure laughter.  He plays himself high on crank and looking for nothing but women.  It's cool and surprising that an actor like himself would do a role like this but makes it even better.  You can decide for yourself and watch the film to figure out if they make it to White Castle or get mauled to death by a cheetah.

I never watched this film in the theater nor do I think many people did at all.  I think it was released at the wrong time when a lot of crappy low budget comedies were all coming out and unfortunately Harold and Kumar was flushed down the toilet with them.  From what I understand it really picked up when it was released on DVD.  It then began to have a cult following and even warranted 2 sequels, Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantonomo Bay and A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas to be released this fall.  Are these films crude and dirty?  Yes!  Are they funny as hell?  Yes but they are a good time to watch and relax and especially if you have the munchies, high or not!

Rise of the Apes is moving!

What is it about The Planet of the Apes that blew my mind when I was a kid?  I can remember being around 10 and catching a glimpse of the the movies that showcased talking chimpanzees and apes fighting against the animal like humans on a ravaged and war torn futuristic planet earth. Charelton Heston kicked major ass as the lead in the first 2 films.  All the films are considered classics but do lose the flavor that the first 2 carried so well.

In 2001 Tim Burton made a new Planet of the Apes but it didn't cater to the hardcore fans of the original.  I thought it was ok but overall didn't really do any justice to the cannon of movies.  Now it is 2011 and we have yet another Planet of the Apes film on the horizon.  This film is called Rise of the Apes and is being penned as an origin story.  From what I understand this takes place around Caesar played by Andy Serkis aka Gollum from Lord of the Rings.  We're talking nowaday and not in the future after all humanity has been destroyed.  Let's hope this film is successful and we can see that in future films!  Also starring is James Franco, Bryan Cox and John Lithgow.  Not much is known about this film and hopefully a trailer will arrive soon.  It was supposed to be released this summer then was moved back to November and once again has been pushed forward to August 5th.  I have posted some leaked photos and one official of Franco below.

New Your Highness Trailer!

This movie looks awesome!  James Franco is coming off his amazing performance in 127 Hours along with Natalie Portman winning the big award for Black Swan.  Wait, and then you have......Danny Mcbride.  Winner of nothing.  He might not have won anything yet but he has to be one of the funniest actors in the genre today.  Today a new red band trailer was released for this film with more hilarious scenes.  Be aware this is an uncensored trailer.  Their is foul language among other things that may not be suitable for work or younger family members.  The film is released on April 8th.

Attack The Block trailer and poster

Here you go!  The first poster premier and the trailer for the British film Attack The Block.  You will recognize Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz & Paul) in this film about an alien invasion on London.  There is only one problem.  The aliens picked the wrong block of town to invade......

The Last Starfighter Lunch Box 1984

Hey everyone!  Just made it to my local post office this afternoon and I had a package waiting for me. Low and behold it was my newest addition to my ever expanding vintage lunch box collection.  This time around it is a 1984 red plastic "The Last Starfighter" box.  The Last Starfighter was a sci-fi box office smash and continues to be a timeless classic. Did you say a plastic box?  Yes, yes I did.  This is actually my first plastic lunch box.  I have always kind of shied away from plastic because of how easy they can be broken.  I am also not really a fan because the plastic boxes are slapped with a sticker on the face and not lithographed into the tin like the old school ones. Although, I do have to say that for being made in 1984 I am pretty impressed.  I guess it all depends on the person and how well they take care of it.  The lunch box I got today is in good shape.  The sticker is starting to peel slightly on a couple of the edges but overall is probably 99.9% intact.  I expect this from a product that was produced 27 years ago.  Unlike the older tin boxes there is only an image on one side of the box.  Nothing on any of the sides or the back side. The plastic box itself is also in good shape  with no cracks or dings on it. The thermos is in fair condition.  It shows signs of use but not a big deal.  You can recognize the pictures on the side of the thermos with no problem.  I am altogether really happy about purchasing this box and adding it to my collection.  Perhaps in the future I will purchase a few other plastic boxes.  I noticed some of my favorite films such as Back to the Future and Ghostbusters were only made on plastic boxes so I may have to pick up those up sooner rather than later.  You can check out some pictures of my Last Starfighter lunch box below.

Movie Review: Paul

Finally I have a new post up!  Thanks again everyone for visiting the site daily even though I haven't been able to keep it as updated as I would like!  Now on to my newest movie review: Paul.  First and foremost I gotta say that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are amazing together and should do many more films with one another in the future. I loved Shaun of the Dead and Hott Fuzz kicked ass.  The only ingredient that was missing in this film was the director Edgar Wright.  Not to fear!  Greg Motolla takes the directorial lead.  Greg also directed a small film known as Superbad!  So, the big question is Paul any good?  Does the all star cast and many cameos help this film or does it fall on it's face.  Early box office predictions placed this film at #5 with about 13.2 million made in the states.


As I said earlier.  This film stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.  Simon Pegg is probably the more recognizable of the two to American audiences.  Pegg has been in such films as Star Trek and Mission Impossible.  Nick Frost plays the goofy sidekick of sorts.  I can't help but think of David Spade and Chris Farley when seeing these 2 guys work together.  It is true chemistry and something that you can't make up.  Watching these 2 on the screen whether the movie is good, bad or indifferent is truly fun!  Kristen Wiig also stars as a love interest for Pegg and the daughter of a crazy Christian Bible thumper.  Wiig is an amazing comedian.  She has numerous funny scenes and is very much a plus for this film.  Seth Rogen does the voice of the alien Paul.  He truly gives life to the character and did a great job in my opinion.  I think Seth does a great job as a voice actor in the many different movies he has been in.  Jason Bateman is the baddy in this film. He is essentially a M.I.B. (man in black secret agent) that is always on the tail of our main characters.  Bill Hader and Jo Lo Truglio play 2 bumbling agents that help Bateman but end up foiling most of his plans.  Hader and Truglio are another great addition and play the parts well. There are also many cameos in this film from actors Jeffrey Tambor, Jane Lynch, David Koechner, Blythe Danner, Steven Spielberg and the queen alien herself Sigourney Weaver. When you think about it.  This is really a pretty stacked cast!  How could this movie not go wrong?

Here is the story.  This is the downfall of the movie.  In 1947 a UFO crash lands on a farm in the mid-west.  The aircraft actually kills a little girls golden retriever named Paul.  Hence the name of the alien that crashes.  Fast forward to present day where we meet Graeme (Pegg) and Clive (Frost).  2 British nerds that are attending the San Diego Comic Convention.  After the convention they decide to go on a road trip to various sites in the southern USA that have to do with UFO's.  It is in this trip they come across Paul, the alien, who has somehow escaped from Area 51.  Paul is the inspiration for all alien propaganda that has been released to the American public over the years.  He is very intelligent and a wise ass.  He smokes weed, can turn invisible and likes to flash people when he can.  The group eventually picks up Ruth (Wiig) and is being relentlessy pursued by agents Zoil (Bateman), Haggard (Hader) and O'Rielly (Truglio).  Through out this crazy and zany adventure Paul is able to somehow "phone home" to the mother ship for a quick pick me up from earth.  Will he make it home?  Do they have weed on the planet he originally came from?  Are Simon Pegg and Nick Frost gay lovers in this film?

I loved the acting in this film.  Pegg and Frost pretty much played themselves.  I think in reality they are not far from who they are in this film.  That feels genuine and comes out in this movie a lot. Great, Great, Great!!  In fact all of the actors in this film were awesome!  I'm not a big Blythe Danner fan but she did fine as the old version of the little girl that lost her dog originally.  Jo Lo Truglio stole the film as the stupid agent obsessed with alien balls.  It's an inside joke and you will have to watch the movie to get it.  I just felt the film lost it in the story.  The story wasn't all too original and felt like it was thrown together all too fast.  For American audiences only seeing Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz it is a bit of a let down.  Edgar Wright has a certain way of making films and this film is very different from that.  Is that a bad thing?  No, not at all.  These are 2 totally different directors.  It should be that way.  Back to the story.  It just felt lagging about 3/4 of the way through and many different points weren't explained to the audience the way it could have been. As far as the computer graphics go they were great!  Paul didn't look all computery and weird. They did a great job on him.  I wasn't going to say this and hate to admit it.  I fell asleep and started snoring.  It couldn't keep me reeled in like Battle: Los Angeles did the week before.

Is this a good movie?  Yes!  I liked it.  I really did.  Their are a ton of great one liners that sci-fi nerds will get a kick out of.  I was kinda surprised that their were no references to Shaun or Hot Fuzz at all.  Would I recommend people to go watch this in the theater?  Probably not.  Perhaps a cheap early showing or on the day where you can get $1.00 popcorn and soda.  When the night was finished and I was $40.00 in the hole it didn't really seem worth it.  I love to watch Pegg and Frost.  I really do.  I'm not bashing them at all.  In fact, I will probably buy this movie when it comes out and put in the library with all the others.    

Fast Five Trailer 2

Holy crap balls!!  Saw this trailer along with Super 8 Friday night at the theater before Battle: Los Angeles.  I tell ya. This year is going to have some pretty kick ass movies! Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Tyrese and practically everyone that wasn't killed, with the exception of the main guy from Tokyo Drift, returns for an all star studded cast in Fast Five.  I think the coolest thing about this movie is the addition of Dwayne The Rock Johnson.  That guy looks ripped in this film and it could totally be his biggest film yet! Look, I was sold when I watched the first trailer for this film and about sharted in the theater after watching this.  If your not pumped about Fast Five yet then get ready to step on the gas!!  Fast Five is released in June.  I think I will see it in IMAX!

Super 8 Full Trailer

I just saw this trailer at the theater before Battle: Los Angeles.  What can I say?  It looks awesome!  I read that this film pays an homage to Steven Spielberg and the many great films he made like E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  Even after watching two minutes you are still left wondering what exactly is going on?  Like the kid at the end says, "What the hell?"  Exactly!  What the hell is the question of the day kiddos! Oh, in case you didn't know.  This film is made by J.J. Abrams of Cloverfield and the newest Star Trek fame.  By the way, it is also produced by Steven F'in Spielberg!

Battle: Los Angeles Review!!!

If you read this blog at all you will know that I don't make to the theater all too often.  My wife and I were discussing what the last movie we saw was and I think it was The Expendables.  All too many times I will see a trailer and get all hyped up.  Tell the wife we are going to see that and then eventually just wait for the dvd release.  This was not one of those movies!  If you don't know what Battle: Los Angeles is then you can watch the trailer here.  I will do my best to keep this review as spoiler free as possible.  To sum this movie up in one sentence I would have to say, "It kicks ass all over the place!"

If you have ever seen the trailer or any of the commercials being played on tv recently you know that this is about an alien invasion of Los Angeles.  The movie stars Two Face Aaron Eckhart, Lostie Michelle Rodriguez, Ne-Yo, and Transformer 2 alumni Ramon Rodriguez.  The film was directed by Johnathan Liebesman.  Johnathan also directed Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning and Darkness Falls.  Battle does not fall anywhere near the previous two films thank God!

We'll start off with the story.  Honestly, another generic storyline that we have seen over a hundred times in the past ten years.  Nothing really new and original here.  Aliens show up in our atmosphere out of nowhere and begin to attack earth.  There you go.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.  Through out the film you are given a short answer to why and are left at that.  No deep dwelling into the physics of this thing.  No major explanations and common sense scheme to the film.  Plain and simple.  Aliens are here and we follow a platoon of soldiers on a rescue mission in Santa Monica to extract civilians from a local police station.  This film is a nerd's eye candy.  I read another review saying it was a cross between the video games Call of Duty and Gears of War.  I can see that.  It is filmed half the time from a first person perspective.  It's gritty and you are in the middle of the action and explosions with the aliens shooting at you from all different angles.

Aaron Eckhart is SSgt. Michael Nantz.  We find him at the beginning of the film ready to retire from 20 years of being in the marines.  Having lost his platoon in an earlier tour of Afghanistan he wants out.  He is haunted by the memories and is ready to move on.  The day before the alien invasion he finishes training his last group of freshman marines to be deployed to Afghanistan.  When the invasion begins he is forced come back and serve under a young, brand new 2nd Lt. William Martinez played by Ramon Rodriguez.  Tension plays into the situation because rumors surround Nantz about his earlier platoon.  One of the marines that is in the new platoon has a brother killed with Nantz in Afghanistan and holds resentment to him.

As you can probably see where I am going with this.  There is tension between Nantz and the young Lt. who is always second guessing himself through the film and the final showdown between Nantz and the brother who is still grieving over his loss.  Is this movie shallow in the emotional and human aspect of the story.  No, I think it gives us enough to care about Eckhart and the young marines.  Granted most of the other characters are just there to fill in the roles and not really that good.  Your watching this movie for Eckhart, Ramon briefly, Michelle Rodriguez and Michael Pena who plays a civilian dad stuck at the police station with his son.  Your not going to cry your eyes out but you will most likely feel some emotion to what is happening.

What really blows this movie out of the water is the special effects.  I haven't watched a movie that looked so real.  The aliens looked alien and not of this world but they didn't look cheesy either. You see them up close and they look cool.  Everything from the major destruction of LA to the alien head quarters looked absolutely amazing!  There were so many explosions in this film.  90% of the film was total non stop action and mayhem.  This is a film that you want to see in the theater because I don't think their is a home theater stereo system that could keep up!

Overall, I left the theater feeling like I watched a good movie and my money wasn't all wasted. That $14 for one drink and a popcorn left a bad taste in my mouth.  Ever wonder why people just pirate movies instead of going to the cinemas?  There ya go people!  Ok, Ok....getting off of my subject. Battle: Los Angeles is a great movie to start the year off with hopefully a ton of good movies.  I recommend it over and over!  Go see this movie for a good time!

The SUPER Trailer has arrived!

Today must be the big day for all of the new trailers out there!  This time around we have the preview for director James Gunn's Super.  James Gunn also directed a very cool film called Slither.  If you have not seen Slither you should totally watch it!  Super stars Rain Wilson, Kevin Bacon, Liv Tyler and Ellen Page.  Rain Wilson seems to really be growing up into a very cool actor and not just the psycho from The Office.  IFC is releasing this film and odds are it will also be on-demand on your cable or satellite provider in the near future.  Enjoy!

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night Trailer

Hey peepz.  Here is a brand spankin new trailer release today.  The film is called Dylan Dog: Dead of Night.  It is based off of a comic book and stars Brandon "Superman" Routh as Dylan.  Kinda cool to see the old school movie monsters with some new age baddies but not really swayed either way on this one.  Also a relief to see Mr. Routh not be tied down to Superman and branching out doing his own thing.  Any thoughts? Post em below!  PS: Be aware you have to sit through a stupid commercial before the trailer loads.

Old School Review: Dreamcatcher

Every once in a while I re-visit a film and it becomes even better than what I had originally remembered it being.  This rings true with Dreamcatcher.  I believe I first saw it when I was living in China then my wife and I watched it a few years back and then last night it came up in line on the Netflix cue.  I could go on forever on how much better the content on Netflix is getting.  I feel like the $10 a month fee is actually worth it.  My only complaint is how random the movies are that are high definition.  You would think that most new releases would be in high def but it is so random that it get's frustrating for people that have high-def televisions.  Fortunately for me this was presented in high-def and looked great at that!  Kuddos to Netflix for what their doing.  Just get everything in HD!  Now, in the voice of the Crypt Keeper, shall we move on to the review?


First and foremost.  This is another one of the countless films that was derived from a Stephen King novel.  I am by far not a big reader of any novels and have never read a King book.  My wife on the other hand is a big fan of his books and I think it is fair to say the films or countless mini series never really stand up to the original material.  Now their are absolutely some of the films that have been made off of his books that have been great.  I personally love Sleepwalkers, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Stand By Me and many others.  I am very much excited to see Ron Howard take on the series The Dark Tower in the near future.  With all of this in mind.  My wife has not read the Dreamcatcher novel so this is coming truly from a movie point of view.

This film was made in 2003 and stars Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane, Jason Lee, Damian Lewis, Timothy Olyphant, Tom Sizemore and Donny Wahlberg.  The film is directed by Lawrence Kasdan whom also made such films as Silverado and Wyatt Earp.  Interestingly he wrote the screenplays for such films as Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.  It was made for about 68 million only garnering back about 33 million.  I think those estimates would consider it a dud at the box office.

The story is what is so great and gripping about this film.  I am not going to spoil it but I will give you the main points of the film.  Four friends back in the 1970's come across another boy who is mentally handicapped being beaten up by bullies.  The four friends help the boy out and form a special relationship with him.  Duddits, the handicapped boy, has powers unlike anyone has seen and eventually shares them with the boys.  The boys are able to read one another's minds and are able to use their powers to do miracles like find missing children lost in the woods.  Time goes by and the boys are now all adults and Duddits is in a home for the mentally unstable.

With their lives all taking different paths the men still get together once a year at a cabin the backwoods of the northeast to catch up and reminisce.  None of them can ever forget Duddits and seem to be almost obsessed with him and the amazing impact he had on their lives as children.  It is during this time that things seem to take a interesting turn.  Two major snow storms are headed their way.  They begin to notice all of the animals in the woods running past the cabin.  Everything from deer to bears to squirrels and birds.  Things begin to get crazy when the men come across hunters that have been stranded in the woods.  Not only are they sick from the cold but seem to have blood blotches on their skin and something rumbling in their stomachs.  What does all of this have to do with a special boy named Duddits?  Why do the men lead their lives with these special powers not knowing what to do with them?  Is their a bigger purpose?  Why in the middle of the forest are there military helicopters flying around?

The cast is great for this kind of a story.  Each boy/man is their own person from the smart mouth Jason Lee to the more serious Damian Lewis.  Thomas Jane is your lead along with the great Morgan Freeman as the antagonist of the film.  We're not talking break out performances but great for what you are expecting.  I believe this would have to be one of Tom Sizemore's last semi-big films before he completely broke down and let the drugs take over his life.  On a side not, Mark Wahlberg aka New Kid On The Block.  Marky Mark's brother plays the adult version of Duddits and you will not recognize him.  This being my third time and I forgot that he had played that part until I read the credits.  The special effects are cool.  Not too cheesy but not blow you away amazing either.

This is one of those films that you can watch once every six months or share it with a friend and still enjoy it over and over.  It is a unique story and along with fine acting and a great story I would recommend anyone purchase this flick for their film library.  It is suspenseful and has some scary scenes in it so it is not for the kids.  Teenagers should be fine watching it.  I'm interested in hearing how it stands up to the book.  I told my wife I was going to buy it for her.  I am going to embed the trailer below for you to see.  Check it out sometime!