This creepy guy thinks he's Darth Maul. (Flickr/sjmck)

As a movie lover, this isn’t something I should admit in such a public forum. But it’s true: Until two years ago, I had never seen any of the “Star Wars” movies. I knew it was a problem and the time had come to take care of it. So I filled my Netflix queue with all six films, took a month or so, and took very, very good notes. It was settled quickly: I was a “Star Wars” convert.

Over the past two years, I think what’s amazed me the most is how ingrained the franchise is in American culture and everyday life– and what’s more, how I never realized that before I watched the movies. So since I had probably missed a good deal the first go-around, I decided the time had come to rewatch the entire series. Star Wars in Concert visited Washington yesterday, and I kicked-off my epic rewatch in its honor.

This time, I’m doing it in story order, so with “Episode I,” I got to re-meet the young and super cute Anny, and Padme with her clever decoying, and my favorite, Obi-Wan, as an apprentice. And I have to say, I’ve missed them, and I’m looking forward to watching their story unfold.

Again…

Flickr/hfb

It’s been exactly one year since The Take Three kicked things off, and oh how much has changed in that time. Back then we lived in Chicago, but we’ve since moved this operation to Washington, DC. Our love of movies has always remained strong though, and despite having been terrible, horrible, no good, very bad bloggers these past few months, our one-year anniversary is helping put us back on track. When we started The Take Three, we pledged to be your source for movie reviews, online resources and communities, release dates and anything free and fun, with a special flair for local coverage. With another summer movie season upon us, we’re prepared to be your go-to site once again. Thanks for being such loyal readers– we love you!

Flickr/saganss

You may not catch it on a regular basis, but movie quotes are a part of our regular culture. Tonight at dinner, the following lines were all said by a guy with a certain boom boom pow, if you know what I mean:

“He called the sh*t poop!”
“First rule of Boys Club is you don’t talk about Boys Club.”
“This seat’s taken.”
“You can’t triple stamp a double stamp.”
“T-t-today, junior!”

Granted, this particular friend has a thing for “Billy Madison,” but that’s okay, because so do I.  But it got me thinking…how often are people quoting movies in regular conversation and you’re just not catching it? (Not to sound arrogant, but I usually catch it. But then I do have a movie blog.) I’ll never forget (and neither will @laurabelle44) this one time a few years ago when someone said, “Well, see ya,” and I exclaimed, “That’s from a movie!” Because clearly, it’s from “When Harry Met Sally” when Helen Hillson says goodbye to Harry and Sally in The Sharper Image, after their embarrassing karaoke moment. And my friend looked at me and said, “That’s from a movie?!” (Emphasis on “that’s.”) Yes, @andreaLynn_DC, that’s from a movie, and thanks to me, you’re a more informed movie lover now. But that’s not the point. The point is, it’s time to start paying more attention, and it’s time to start quoting Adam Sandler more often. I think we can all agree on at least that.

Flickr/LiGado em Série

Memorial Day is fast approaching, which means you have exactly 30 days until the box office explodes with summer blockbusters. But this year we’re in for a treat, because there are at least four sure-to-be hits out before Memorial Day; consider them a warm-up for good things to come. You now have exactly 10 days until “Iron Man 2,” so get out your sunscreen and get out your calendars– it’s time to take note of this summer’s releases.

May
Iron Man 2
Robin Hood
MacGruber
Shrek Forever After
Sex and the City 2
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

June
Marmaduke
Get Him to the Greek
Killers
The Karate Kid
The A-Team
Toy Story 3
Grown Ups
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

July
The Last Airbender
The Kids Are All Right
Inception
Dinner for Schmucks
Salt

August
The Other Guys
Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World
The Expendables
Eat, Pray, Love

Flickr/www.chicagofabulousblog.com

The reviews for “Death at a Funeral” are beginning to roll in, and let’s put it this way: They’re not good. We may have to wait until this weekend to know for sure if this flick is worth it or not, but with Danny Glover, Martin Lawrence, James Marsden, Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock, Zoe Saldana and Luke Wilson, could we really expect a box office bomb? Uh…yes.

So this got us thinking… What are the movies you most expected to be big hits, but then they turned out to be nothing but big disappointments? We wanted to give this one thought before just throwing together a top five list, and we need your input. So please, share your thoughts, share your feelings and most importantly, share your bad movie experiences. And stay tuned for more on this topic…

Big news in Carrie Bradshaw Land today: The full-length “Sex and the City 2″ trailer hit the web, and fashion lovers and Middle East enthusiasts were all over that. What could the Middle East possibly have to do with the SATC ladies, you say? Well, the city is no longer New York; the city is now Abu Dhabi. Er, the city is an emirate. It’s confusing, and neither one of us is in the mood for a geopolitical lesson, but dude, my sister works for the Abu Dhabi International Bank, so I HAD to shout out.

Let’s just move on to the shoes and watch the trailer in silence.

Flickr/Randy Son Of Robert

Oopsie! We’ve forgotten to blog for the past three weeks– our bad. We promise we’re back in the game starting now. And to get us all in the mood, just a little something about the 3D revolution that seems to be taking over movie theaters these days…

We learned from our friends at Film Drunk a couple weeks ago (and tweeted) that AMC, Regal and Cinemark have all announced they’ll be increasing 3D ticket prices by 20 percent. Is it really worth it though, considering the effects are sometimes added after the film is shot, like with recent releases “Alice in Wonderland” and “Clash of the Titans”? Here’s what The Movie Critics at EW.com have to say about it:

When I think about every single 3-D movie that’s been released over the last few years, I now tend to place them in one of two categories: (1) movies in which the 3-D was an absolutely vital, exciting, and essential element of the experience; and (2) those in which it was essentially window dressing — where I would have been just as happy, and felt as though I was having the same basic experience, if I’d watched it at home 4 months later on non-3-D DVD. And when I think about those two categories, especially in the wake of Avatar, which whatever misgivings I may have about it as a movie set the bar stunningly high for 3-D imagery, I discover that the number of films I can place in that first category, where the 3-D was completely integral to the experience, is very, very small.

Agree, disagree or have no feeling, as my sister would say? Well go on and read the whole article before you jump to any conclusions. And yes, we promise to blog a bit better from here on out.

If you have any clue who these people are, then you can guess our #2 movie. (Flickr/Up Your Ego)

What’s the best way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Other than with green beer? That’s right: Irish movies. It doesn’t have to be about the holiday to get you in the mood. And in honor of my parents, who are in Ireland today, I present to you the best Irish-themed movies for your watching pleasure. Go get your Irish on.

5. The Boondock Saints (2000). Believe it or not, this movie was shown in five (that’s FIVE) theaters and ran for only three short weeks, grossing a measly $30,000. This ultra-violent, Boston-set crime thriller about twin brothers (Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus) as vigilantes was panned by critics but fast took on a cult following. And good news for fans: The sequel, “The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day,” comes out in October. Shout-out to @designer_tracyP for the recommendation on this one.

4. Leprechaun (1993). So it’s not really a “good” movie per se, or one of the “best” Irish movies, either…but we couldn’t resist adding this one to the list. And it probably deserves a lower billing, but we wanted you to read after the jump, after all. It’s a “horror” movie that spawned five equally bad sequels (including one called “Leprechaun 4: In Space”), but it’s also one of Jennifer Aniston’s first roles (she runs scared from a leprechaun the entire film), which makes it hilarious. It’s a must-see about those mischievous little Irish fairies, just to reflect on how bad it is.

3. Finian’s Rainbow (1968). A Fred Astaire musical directed by Francis Ford Coppola equals Irish classic gold– no pun intended. Finian McLonergan (Astaire) leaves Ireland with a pot of gold, hoping to bury it and make it multiply, but with a leprechaun following him, trouble ensures. It started as a Broadway production in the 1940′s, and Coppola adapted it for the silver screen in the 1960′s. Today, it remains an Irish classic.

2. The Commitments (1991). The 1987 novel was written by the Irish Roddy Doyle, but it was the film adaptation a few years later that became a critic and fan favorite alike. After all, what’s not to love about a bunch of unemployed Dubliners who start a soul band? It went on to be Golden-Globe-nominated for best comedy or musical, and Oscar-nominated for film editing, but what we most remember is the band’s rousing performance of “Mustang Sally.”

1. The Departed (2006). Hands down, one of our favorite movies ever, and not just for the Irish families and traditions featured heavily in this Boston-based film. Martin Scorsese finally won the Oscar for directing with it– and the movie also won best picture and best adapted screenplay. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Billy Costigan, an undercover cop in Frank Costello’s (Jack Nicholson) Boston Irish mafia; to say the plot is thrilling and suspenseful is an understatement. Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen and Vera Farmiga round out this all-star cast, making this our very favorite Irish movie of all.

]]> http://www.thetakethree.com/2010/03/17/the-five-best-st-pattys-movies/feed/ 2 http://www.thetakethree.com/2010/03/14/alice-crushes-new-releases-in-weekend-box-office/ http://www.thetakethree.com/2010/03/14/alice-crushes-new-releases-in-weekend-box-office/#comments Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:40:13 +0000 thetakeonmovies http://www.thetakethree.com/?p=1617

For the second weekend in a row, Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” has taken the box office top spot, earning $62 million, more than four times second-place finisher “Green Zone” ($14.5 M). Other newbies this weekend, “She’s Out of My League” ($9.6 M) and “Remember Me” ($8.3 M), finished third and fourth respectively, and “Our Family Wedding” debuted in sixth place with $7.6 million. All in all, it was an “Alice” kind of weekend. Not familiar with the other movies out in theaters lately? Read up on this weekend’s top five.