What better way can BabbleOn 5 wish you a Merry Christmas but by some of the best movie Christmas scenes ever- we hope you enjoy and we hope you have a very merry Babble Christmas! 
Archive for the 'Fun' Category
25
Dec
09
Merry Christmas from Babble0n 5!
17
Dec
09
Behind the scenes of AVATAR
We are on the eve of the highly anticipated James Cameron film, Avatar. BabbleOn will be attending the midnight show tonight as well as Friday morning. Reviews to be posted soon. If you are not sure about seeing this, check out this ‘behind the scenes’ featurette about the making of Avatar.
Check out our other posts on Avatar.
As we approach the release of the highly anticipated and long waited AVATAR on December 18th, I thought it would be great to be reminded of some of James Cameron’s other achievements over his lifetime. AVATAR marks the grand return of Cameron to the big screen after 12 years. If you are a younger, you might not appreciate the genius of Cameron and how he shaped an entire generation of film goers. His creations became not only are some of the most profitable films in history, but some of the most iconic films in the sci-fi genre. So in honor of Cameron, here are the original trailers from my top 5 films that made him a legend.
#5 The Abyss (1989)
#4 Titanic (1997)
#3 Terminator (1984)
#2 Aliens (1986)
#1 Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
Our latest podcast is up! In this episode we review New Moon and the overall Twilight phenomenon that is sweeping the nation. In this podcast, we not only discuss our critical review of the movies but it’s impact on pop culture, the next generation, and morality. Since none of the Babblers are big fans, we brought in two experts, or ’Twi-hards’ to help us understand what all the hype is about. Check it out and leave us your thoughts.
05
Dec
09
My top 5 Christmas Movies
Here are my top 5 Christmas movies for ‘09. I made two different lists, one for the kids and one for the grown ups. These movies are timeless classics and sure to get you into the holiday spirit. Have a Babble Christmas!
Comment about what you think or add suggestions of your own.
03
Dec
09
Twilight Poll
In light of the ridiculous traffic and comments we received about our latest Twilight posts, We were Twi-curious to what team our Babble readers are on. I know it’s sad that our worldview has been reduced to these few categories but humor us
Feel free to leave comments on why you support your team. Thanks and babble on!
Listen to our podcast on New Moon and the Twilight phenomenon
01
Dec
09
The Twilight Zone
What are fans in love with, the actors or the fantasy?
Unlike the typical BabbleOn movie review post, I am going to get on my moral soapbox and rant a little about my thoughts on Twilight and it’s effects on culture. If you are interested in our official movie reviews, check out our past posts.
If you are a 13 year old girl, parent to one, know one, or just plain conscious, there is no way to escape the world-wide phenomenon known as Twilight. The first novel was the biggest selling book of 2008 and, to date, has sold 17 million copies worldwide, spent over 91 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list, and been translated into 37 different languages. The first film adaptation has grossed more than $382 million worldwide. It’s fan base appeals to pre-teens (or Tweeners) all the way up to suburban moms (read this funny review). The legion of ‘Twi-hard’ fans has grown with the release of New Moon like a vampiric epidemic that has been released onto the planet. What is the source of this outbreak? What is the irresistable contagion and what are the potential side effects? Are we all doomed?
Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of otaku and love fanatics in all shapes and types. In fact, I grew up as a ‘nerd-core’ fan to Star Trek standing in line for countless number of hours for all the movies throughout my lifetime. However, my questions are what are kind of fans is Twilight producing? For this post, I will affectionately refer to this epidemic as the T1N1 (for Twilight and New Moon). So as the legion of those affected by the T1N1 virus spreads, here are my potential concerns if this goes untreated…
- Selfishness: My biggest concern is that the central character Bella (the original host of T1N1), is quite simply not a nice person. She is completely self-absorbed, apathetic, and manipulative. She is an unfaithful friend and a disconnected daughter. I am fine with ‘anti-hero’ types but I find nothing redeeming about her character. She leads a self-destructive life oblivious to consequences. Bella’s character is clearly designed to be the one that identifies with the target audience and I don’t think the next generation need any help to be more narcissistic. The effect of T1N1 is the redefinition and retardation of protaganism.
- Superficial beauty: A huge theme of this movie is the preservation of youth. Ultimately, Bella motivation to be turned into a soulless, bloodthirsty vampire is simply to retain her teen beauty. It’s not about sacrifice or for the greater good, she just wants to ‘look’ young as she stands next to the immortal Edward. Which leads me to another issue…
- Morality: Edward is 108 and Bella is 17. Just because he looks young, is it OK that they are together? What would have happen if they made his character 40 or 50 years old instead of 108, would it have been the same? It’s a clever device, making Edward beyond a mortal age to help gloss over the fact that their relationship is grossly immoral- and illegal! The scary message is that it’s OK two people to be together as long as they look about the same age and connect on an emotional level.
- Death: The loss of life is treated so flippantly in these movies. The towns people and tourists are being preyed on but no one seems to really care. The humans are basically cattle and have no real value but to move the plot along. Bella isn’t remotely conflicted about the fact that her new associates are causing the demise of her own kind. It’s the development of a consequence-free world that says killing is OK. T1N1 is a killer.
- Boys are animals: There is a general sense that all boys are predators and girls are helpless victims. As a recovering teen boy, I am fully aware of the animalistic desires that are raging in all teen boys. The problem is that when you see someone as an animal you treat them like one. Bella’s manipulation of the boys in her life is inhumane. Edward even refers to their relationship as the Lion and the lamb. Again, it’s fine if we see unhealthy or co-dependant relationships on-screen, but you have to show the painful side effects that accompany them. Segway into next point…
- Love: Ultimately, Twilight is a visualization of a fantasy. It’s immature infatuation at best. It promotes a ‘Romeo and Juliet’ forbidden love and we all know where that lead to. In both characters, death is a better alternative than life with out each other. Heaven forbid that there are any Twilight inspired suicides that come from this. I can also see why it appeals to the older ‘desperate housewife’ audience since it’s less about sex and more about emotional passion. That’s fine if it was reality, but this is fantasy boys we are talking about- or T1N1 boys.
I don’t dislike the series. I would actually consider myself open-minded or ‘Twi-curious’. I am hopelessly fascinated with new pop culture movements regardless of my personal interest in them. I find the tension between the wolves/vampires/humans more interesting then other fantasy incarnations like Underworld. But as I stand on moral soapbox, I can’t help but be bothered with what the T1N1 virus celebrates. To me it’s less about a guilty pleasure and more about creating a culture of self-absorption. It’s about being in love with being in love.
Has Twilight replaced Star Wars for this year's Christmas list?
I have to give mad props to the level of fanaticism all around me. T1N1 is making the Swine Flu look like it’s standing still. I have not seen anything cross the generational lines and polarize the sides as much as Twilight. You rather love it or hate it. I am a bit of a controversialist so the dilemma is entertaining. Will it reach the cult following that lasts for decades like Star Wars, well only time will tell. Let’s just hope that you don’t have to be immortal to survive the negative consequences that could result from the T1N1 epidemic. Let us know which team you are on (and I don’t mean Edward or Jacob).
Listen to our podcast on New Moon and the Twilight phenomenon
01
Nov
09
The Hi-5 Podcast
In leu of any big recent blockbusters, the BabbleOn crew decided to podcast our top 5 movies of this past month. Reviewed in this ‘hi-5′ podcast are Zombieland, Trick R Treat, Invention of Lying, Couples Retreat, and Where the Wild Things Are.
Listen to the Hi-5 reviews by going to our podcast page.
Happy Halloween from the crew of BabbleOn 5. In honor of the ‘day of the dead’, we wanted to list the top 5 horror movies of all time. The classic beast movie, Jaws has been at number one for over 30 years! Jaws reminded the world that it was not safe to go back in the water. With the exception of Mummy Returns, the top movies are all classics in their own right. Personally, I was relieved that ‘McMovies’ like the SAW franchise did not earn its way past a masterpiece like Exorcist. So if you are looking for a good scary movie to watch tonight with friends, you won’t go wrong with one of these. Have a scary and safe Halloween!
| Rank | Title | Studio | Adjusted Gross Domestic Box Office1 | Gross Domestic Box Office |
| 1 | Jaws (1975) | UNIVERSAL | $795,369,426 | $260,000,000 |
| 2 | The Exorcist (1973) | WARNER BROS | $686,631,452 | $232,671,011 |
| 3 | The Sixth Sense (1999) | BUENA VISTA | $357,566,366 | $293,506,292 |
| 4 | The Mummy Returns (2001) | UNIVERSAL | $221,650,716 | $202,019,785 |
| 5 | Jaws 2 (1978) | UNIVERSAL | $215,603,340 | $81,766,007 |
08
Oct
09
My favorite costume at Comic Con
Here is my favorite costume from the Long Beach Comic Con- Lela from Futurama. It was simple and fun. She could actually see out of her one eye. As a bonus she had a cartoon ray gun and power wrist band. Funny, she was wearing a Yoda backpack too. Thanks whoever you are- you had a good ‘eye’ for detail! Click here for the rest of the costumes.
Location: Memphis, TN
Code Name: UrbNerd
How does one know a good film when one sees…one? What makes for a good movie? Phenomenal actors? A dream cast? A fantastic story? A brilliant director? The absence of Ben Affleck?
The truth is, all films have value. From the Best Picture Winner to the made-for-TV docudramedy that goes straight to DVD, no feature goes completely hated or, for that matter, completely loved. Every film is precious to someone (amazingly, even ones with Ben Affleck).
With that as my mantra, I’ve seen scores of bad movies:
But the bad movies help me distinguish the great ones. It’s like wading through a river of sewage, when even the faintest whiff of fresh air comes, you savor each microscopic molecule of O2 bliss! Consider this summer’s big budget films. Sure, you left Star Trek thinking, “What a great movie!” But after dropping ten on X-Men Origins: Wolverine, GI Joe, Transformers 2, Terminator-Salvation and Public Enemies you probably thought, “Star Trek was unbelievably awesome!” Sometimes it takes a second or third installment of a franchise to unearth the shear greatness of the original (think Jaws 3D, Superman 4 or the Clooney Batmans).
My consumption of cut rate cinema has rarely benefited anyone but me to this point. Now, I bring my fondness for flawed film to the BabbleOn5 team, in hopes of offering insightful analysis of current films…which will almost never involve Ben Affleck.
Tony
Jeff
Johnny
Scott
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