Perhaps the most overused word when describing fans is “passionate”, but that is the best way to describe all those who attend the behemoth convention that is Comic-Con.

Morgan Spurlock has taken on the task of telling the story of Comic-Con 2010 in the documentary Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope–not an easy feat due to the plethora of characters that attend this convention.  Comic-Con is a unique experience for everyone who attends, but Spurlock chooses to zero in on a few specific characters: The Geek, The Designer, The Soldier, The Survivor, The Collector and The Lovers. The film takes these characters from Comic-Con prep time in their hometowns to Comic-Con go time on the convention floor and anyone who has attended can find a piece of their experience in these characters.

The Geek, is a bartender from Missouri, whose parents met at the first Star Trek Convention in Kansas City, his geek-ness apparently passed down in his DNA.  He is passionate about drawing comics and attends because he sees this as the ultimate job fair. We follow him and his portfolio through the masses and see him pitch his wares to Dark Horse and others.

The Designer is a talented, determined girl who makes elaborate costumes in San Bernardino, which she describes as “the place where people stop to go to the bathroom before they go skiing.” Her passion is costume design and she longs to be noticed by the illusive industry for her stellar skills.  She sees the Con as the platform to make or break her and invests all she has in a “Suicide Mission” to win the Comic-Con Masquerade.

The Survivor, owner of Mile High Comics in Denver, is one of the most intriguing characters, because from his interviews, we see the evolution of Comic-Con from the 1970s to present. We meet him in his gigantic warehouse from which he distributes over 8 million comic books. In the warehouse he unlocks a safe and delicately removes “Red Raven #1” which he intends to sell at the Con for $500,000.  He also packs up a store’s worth of inventory, as he has for the past 38 years, and sells comics on the convention floor. He admits times are more difficult for comic book dealers at the Con, because electronic arts are such a draw for fans these days.  He goes on to say that although the word “comic” is in the name of the convention, very little is truly about comics anymore.

The Collector is a man passionate about his toys. We meet him in his “Room of Doom” with wall-to-wall toys. His Holy Grail at the Con will be to purchase the 18-inch Galactus. He will stand in line for two days and navigate through the gauntlet of people in hopes of buying this illusive toy before they sell out.

The Soldier from Minot, North Dakota is in the military and is passionate about drawing.  He leaves his small town to the hustle and bustle of the Con with his portfolio in hand and tries to get the attention of a publisher he can draw for.

The Lovers, who met at Comic-Con the year before, plan to take their relationship to the next level in front of Kevin Smith and the thousands at his sold out panel in Hall H.

There are many brief interviews with Robert Kirkman, Eli Roth, Corey Feldman, Guillermo Del Toro, Harry Knowles, Todd MacFarlane, Frank Miller, Grant Morrison, Joss Whedon and even Trashwire fave Gerard Way to name a few and, of course, we get some added insight from the Comic Con guru himself, Stan Lee.

Through all these characters and interviews we get a taste of all things Comic-Con, but not a full meal although we get a good understanding of the level of fan camaraderie, the uniqueness of those in attendance, how the entertainment industry will tap into it, and of course, the passion of fanboys and fangirls who make the Con what it is.

If you’ve ever been to Comic-Con you will see this movie more than once, like a professionally produced home movie, just to pick out some of the people and the things you saw when you attended. If you have never been to Comic-Con, you might not fully understand the magical and all-encompassing world Spurlock is presenting here, but the doc should intrigue you enough to want to attend.

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope is playing in select cities and is also available On-Demand.

Check out Trashwire.com Comic-Con coverage (including photos and video) here.

Attack The Block thrilled crowds at Comic Con, and it’s not hard to see why. A film produced by Edgar Wright, who directed Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, about aliens attacking a council estate in the hood in South London is an instant draw for geeks looking for a witty turn to alien invasion movies. But it’s not just for geeks. ATB also boasts an impressive cast of young actors on the level of Super 8 and a fast-paced script filled with comedy, suspense and heart.

Trashwire had the chance to sit down with writer/director Joe Cornish and star John Boyega at Comic Con to talk about the film.

The performances from the kids are so impressive and they have such natural chemistry. Can you tell us about the casting process? 

Cornish: We saw about 1,500 kids and there was a huge amount of talent to choose from. We have 11 kids in this film from the ages of 10 to 17 and almost none of them had ever had any on-camera acting experience before. I was really excited to put new faces on the screen. The wonderful thing about pop culture is there’s a new generation coming all the time and they want their own generation of stars. I wanted to give an opportunity to young actors who hadn’t had much experience and also, because the film was set where it was, it seemed like a great opportunity to give kids a break who maybe wouldn’t necessarily find themselves with the support and background to do this. I was the least experienced guy on the set, so to have this group of kids who were as naive, passionate and enthusiastic as I was was really comforting. Whenever I felt insecure or doubted it, I could just feed off their passion for the idea.

Boyega: It was amazing and it was great hanging out with the boys. We had amazing energy, I don’t know where that energy came from. I’m a guy that likes his sleep, but at 5am, you’d be rapping and singing songs and having a Pokemon competition. It was fun-filled, kidish energy and we just had fun. We drove the crew crazy.

John Boyega (center) stars as Moses in Attack the Block

Having a first-time feature film director and so many first-time actors, were Wright and the studio heavily involved in every aspect?

Cornish: There was a lot of faith required for this movie. We had monsters, we had explosions, we had stunts, we had effects, there were night shoots, we even had a dog in it! Edgar said to me, “Joe, you’re doing everything you’re not supposed to do. You’re making this hard for yourself.” But I thought I would only have one shot at making a movie, so why not aim high. Edgar was busy working on Scott Pilgrim, so had had no choice but to have faith in me. He couldn’t get involved too deeply, and that was quite useful because he could step into the process with complete objectivity. He’s been a friend for 12 years or something crazy like that and I’m amazingly loyal to him. It’s a testament to sticking with your friends.

How was it for you transitioning from being a theatre actor to being in your first movie?

Boyega: With stage, the audience is right in front of you, so it was hard to imagine how people were going to react when you’re on the set with just the camera in front of you. I have so much respect for actors that do film because sometimes you may be shooting a scene and they call cut, but you still have to stay in it. I have huge respect for the crew. The amount of work that goes into films is amazing and that’s what took me back. I have no right to be a diva in the future. Not only would my mom knock me off the block, but the amount of work these guys do is amazing. I just love cinema and the way it works.

When you go to screenings, are you pleased by the audience reaction?

Boyega: I’ve watched various screenings back in the UK and it’s been very lovely, but in the USA, you guys are very proactive when you’re watching a film, you’re very much involved. The audience makes you feel like you’re watching something, like it’s real. I remember watching a screening at the ArcLight and [my character] Moses is talking about how he’s going to go out and face the aliens and how it’s his fault and the audience was like, “You tell ‘em, Moses! You tell ‘em!” There was cheering when I walked into the Q&A. I get tweets about it. I love that! I love being in a verbal audience and that surprised me entirely.

What was the most exciting new experience for you?

Boyega: It went down to little things like having a sausage on the set and everything being technically marked. I’ve always been a movie buff, the guy that buys the two-disc special edition and watches the second disc more than the first. I’ve always wanted to be that guy–like Shia LaBeouf sitting there with a scratched up hoodie and blood on his face talking about the film in an interview–and when I got that opportunity, it felt like “Yes! This is going to be great!”

The tough kids of Attack the Block find out just how tough they really are when aliens invade their South London estate.

The dialogue is really authentic, did the kids help shape that part of the script?

Boyega: There were certain parts where I was like, “no, kids don’t say that,” but I have to say, being a British actor, I’ve read a lot of urban scripts in my time and this is the closest to reality, the closest point blank. I liked it because I’ve been in those situations where you see kids being scared–it’s not an alien, maybe it’s a dog or something–and the fear just makes them say something like “it’s too much madness to explain in one text” or “I feel like going home and playing FIFA.” That felt really, really natural to me.

The creature design was different from most alien invasion movies. How did you come up with the concept of how you wanted these aliens to look?

Cornish: When I first came up with the concept for the film, the response was, “well, it’s a good idea, but you can’t do it for less than $30 million because you have to have CGI creatures and you can’t afford CGI creatures.” But I had an idea of how to do it without that. Basically, the core idea is using a rotoscope technique to actually removed detail and flatten the creature because I had this crazy theory that rotoscope is almost like primitive motion capture, because it’s based on human movement. I figured it would blend better with action than CGI does because, however brilliantly CGI is done, it’s animation and animation never really sits realistically. It works in Mary Poppins or Roger Rabbit where it’s heightened and stylized, but the physics aren’t there. Ralph Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings was very big to me as a kid an I thought, “hmmm, there could be something here.” We had no idea how audiences would respond. We knew we were trying to appeal to audiences who were used to CGI stuff who had learned to be satisfied with that aesthetic.

Was it easier to perform with the rotoscope method instead of a CGI monster that isn’t really there?

Boyega: It was fantastic because Attack the Block is an homage to 80s movies where it would be a practical effect and the alien would be on set. Joe is a big John Carpenter fan and Steven Spielberg fan, so we had the aliens on set.

What were some of the biggest inspirations for the movie?

Cornish: All these 80s monster movies: Gremlins, Critters, Tremors, Predator. In Predator, you think it’s a war movie and then it reverses itself. And then the other big influences were gang movies. I’m a huge fan of The Warriors, Rumble Fish and The Outsiders. That links to the whole Carpenter thing with Assault on Precinct 13 and Halloween. I’ve wanted to make a movie since I was 13, I’m 42 now, so there’s a lot of stuff inside me waiting to come out.

Attack the Block is out now in limited release, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed it comes to more cities soon. Everybody deserves a chance to see this awesome film! Boyega and Cornish may have been first-timers, but we’re looking forward to seeing a lot of great films from both of them in the future.

One of the cool parts of Comic Con that wasn’t housed inside the Convention Center was MoCA: Museum of Conan Art. Also dubbed the Flaming C Gallery, it was filled with Conan O’Brien inspired art. Pieces ranged from balloon figures to giant paintings. Plus, the Team Coco gang knows how to treat fans and gave out free t-shirts, hors d’oeuvres and even let you take a green screen picture so you could fight crime with the Flaming C. Check out these photos of some of the awesome artwork on display at MoCA.

We’re doing Comic Con recaps here, but the Comic Con coverage runneth over on our blog. Today, for example, we’ve got LL Cool J, Vivica Fox, True Blood’s Ryan Kanten, the cast of Lost, Lou Ferrigno, oh yeah, and two guys you might have heard us mention before, Gerard and Mikey Way. Check out the pics on the blog and stay tuned for more Comic Con updates including our interview with Attack the Block director Joe Cornish and star John Boyega.

Continue to the Comic Con section on the Trashwire blog here and check out the galleries of pics from Friday and Saturday below:

Fright Night press conference

Friday on the floor with Rob Corddry

Sautrday pics with Ryan Kwanten, LL Cool J, Vivica Fox and Lou Ferrigno

Gerard and Mikey Way shopping on the floor

Wednesday was for media, but the real fans flocked to the San Diego Convention Center on Thursday for the real kick off of Comic Con.

The cast of Napoleon Dynamite signed autographs at the FOX booth and we grabbed pics of Tima Majorino, Aaron Ruell, Jon Gries and Dedtich Bader.

Next, we hit up the Beavis & Butt-Head panel where Johnny Knoxville lead a conversation with Mike Judge about the upcoming new series. Judge talked about Beavis and Butt-Head taking on MTV shows like Jersey Shore and 16 and Pregnant and even showed fans some sneak peek clips from the new season.

After that, Elijah Wood, Jason Gann and the cast and crew of Wilfred previewed the latest episode for fans at their panel. Wood talked about playing Ryan and interacting with a dog–er, well, an Australian guy dressed in a dog suit. Gann decided to start calling Wood “The Big E.W.” and the audience carried it on into the Q&A session. Wonder if it’ll catch on.

Of course, the fans are what make Comic Con and they were in it to win it this year. From a centaur to a ninja to a bunch of Transformers, there were a lot of elaborate costumes. This year, there was a lot of movie memorabilia too. We have pics of C3P0′s glove, Catwoman’s mask and, my personal favorite, Khan’s shirt. Check out all the pics from Thursday in this extended gallery:

Rock of Ages made a huge splash on Broadway and is already being adapted into a film with a star-studded cast including Tom Cruise, Paul Giamatti, Russell Brand, Mary J. Blige, Malin Akerman, Bryan Cranston, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Alec Baldwin. The musical recently kicked off its run at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, wowing crowds with its rock songs and fun vibe. Trashwire recently got the chance to chat with producer Matt Weaver about bringing Whitesnake to Broadway, adapting the show to film and man-love set to REO Speedwagon.

Rock of Ages is certainly not your traditional Broadway musical. Instead of show tunes, it uses the music of bands and artists like Journey, Pat Benatar, Poison, Twisted Sister, Styx, Bon Jovi and other huge ‘80s rock stars to tell the story of aspiring-rocker Drew (played to perfection by American Idol’s Constantine Maroulis) as he falls in love with small-town-girl Sherrie (Elicia MacKenzie in the Denver run) on the Sunset Strip in 1987 Los Angeles. Audiences are encouraged to sing along and are given LED lighters to wave during the ballads—definitely not what you’d think of when you think of Broadway.

“We came into Broadway wanting to be in the club—we didn’t want to come in and be rebels and mix things up,” Weaver says. “We were developing what we thought was a traditional musical, it just happened to have Whitesnake and Poison.” He jokes, “There’s Kander and Ebb, there’s Sondheim and now there’s Whitesnake.”

That kind of pop culture savvy, combined with funny dialogue and some spot-on costumes, is what makes ROA so appealing to a whole new crowd of theatre-goers. “We’re getting people who don’t like theatre coming in and going ‘Wow! This is a Broadway show?’ and we’re getting the theatre-goers who came in begrudgingly with their arms folded and ended up really respecting what we did.  The theater people are coming in kicking and screaming, but end up loving it,” Weaver says. “If you hate musicals, you’re going to love Rock of Ages and if you love musicals, you’re going to love Rock of Ages.”

Even the bands themselves were surprised to have their music in a production playing on the same block as classics like Phantom of the Opera. “Do you think Bret Michaels ever thought his song was going to be on Broadway?” Weaver jokes. In one amusing scene, REO Speedwagon’s ‘Can’t Fight This Feeling’ is used as a love ballad between two rock dudes. “Kevin Cronin from REO Speedwagon came to the show and saw the man-love number and he could not believe it,” Weaver says proudly. “He said every time he sings that song at a concert now, he stops and laughs and tells the audience ‘This song has a whole different meaning for me now.’”

The live experience is what really sets ROA apart. At the opening night show in Denver, people in the audience were fist-pumping and singing along in their seats like they were at a concert instead of musical theatre event.  “That was all very calculated,” Weaver says. “I always love compliments about what’s up on stage, but when people talk about the vibe in the theater, I love that too.” That vibe is cultivated in every aspect of the show all the way down to the staff in the venue. “I worked at Disney for a long time,” Weaver explains, “and I share the motto that ‘you guys are cast members, you’re part of the show’, so we throw a dinner party for the ushers before we open up the production.”

Weaver is sure that the live experience will translate well to film. “It could turn into this Rocky Horror thing where there are midnight shows and people are coming dresses as the characters,” he says. “I think it’s going to be a movie that you’re going to want to get up and dance and sing to.” Weaver attributes most of that to Hairspray’s Adam Shankman, who is directing the film. “He’s the best in the game,” Weaver says, “so I can’t imagine that’s it’s not going to have the same feel. I don’t know that people will be drinking Jack and Cokes in the movie theater, but it’ll be fun.”

The film is loaded with megastars, but the musical didn’t start out that way. “When we opened on Broadway,” Weaver explains, “everybody told us we needed a star or we wouldn’t last, but we just said ‘our songs are our stars.’” Now that he has a group of huge stars, he said the experience is surreal. “It’s Bizarro World!” He says. “We’re sitting here with Alec and Tom and Russell and it’s like ‘Woah! I don’t feel worthy!’” Even stars that aren’t in the show are fans. “We had a surprise appearance from Def Leppard today,” Weaver recalls. “We don’t even have their music in the show, we have it in the movie, so we just had this surreal Tom Cruise/Def Leppard moment on the set.”

The story of the production parallels the rags-to-riches story of its main character. From underdog to rock star, the entire journey has been loaded with well-deserved success for the cast and crew. “I’m really proud of my group,” Weaver says. We were 4 or 5 people who had never done it before, blinded by passion for the music and naïveté and we created an international brand.”

Mel Gibson has lost his mind. At least his character, Walter Black, has lost his mind in the film The Beaver. Walter has been battling severe depression and has lost his will to live. After a failed suicide attempt, he stumbles upon a beaver puppet in a dumpster and begins to live vicariously through his new buck-toothed friend.

His wife, Merideth (played by Jodie Foster, who also directs) thinks he’s gone crazy, but begins to accept his new form of expression when Walter seems to become a better person. Porter (Anton Yelchin), Walter’s oldest son, thinks his dad is the worst person in the world and vows to never be like him. Walter’s youngest, Henry (Riley Thomas Stewart), thinks his dad is just playing a fun game and enjoys bonding with him through The Beaver.

At work at his failing toy company, Walter’s employees think his newfound insanity is rooted in genius and that he’s just breathing new life into a stagnant industry. They embrace The Beaver and soon, their top selling toy is based on the furry guru.

The film seems to drift back and forth from the idea that Walter knows what he’s doing and the idea that he’s gone completely insane. There are several laughs at Walter’s Beaver-related antics, but the root of it all is dark and a bit unsettling, so you’re never sure if you should really be laughing.

The side plot involving Yelchin and his more-than-just-a-cheerleader love interest, Norah (Jennifer Lawrence) could come out of any indie movie. They’re two teens from different cliques. She’s the valedictorian and she’s pretty and popular. He’s dark and dangerous, probably stemming from his wildly unstable home life. Yet, somehow they over come all the teen social boundaries and form a real connection. You’ve heard it before, but I must say, Yelchin and Lawrence pull it off in a way that doesn’t feel rehashed.

Of course, the elephant in the room–or should I say the beaver in the room–is Gibson’s own mental state. Gibson’s performance is great and he really embraces the character, but you can’t help but wonder about his own mental state while you watch. Like Walter, his off-screen antics can be crazy and amusing, but there’s always that threat of danger running through his bizarre behavior that keeps it from being funny. Charlie Sheen might be nuts, but he seems to be navigating his own craziness and turning it into more fame and fortune. Gibson, on the other hand, threatened to kill his baby momma and bury her in the rose garden, so… you know, there’s that.
Flirtation with total psychotic insanity is the running theme in The Beaver and it makes it difficult to determine just how the audience is supposed to react. Unlike Lester Burnham in American Beauty, this is no mid-life crisis, but a legitimate mental problem requiring therapy and medication. So, is Walter’s behavior funny? Is it sad? Is it disturbing? Most of the time, we’re not completely sure.

Making a sword and sorcery comedy with Oscar-caliber actors can be a blessing and a curse. On one hand, you know you’ve got the best, most talented, and highly acclaimed cast available, but occasionally, they can make silly lines sound a little too professional. David Gordon Green’s Your Highness benefits and suffers from talent.

In this Pineapple Express meets Princess Bride mashup, Danny McBride is Thadeous, a lazy and cowardly prince who lounges around and gets wasted all day. He’s insanely jealous of his dashing and heroic brother Fabious (James Franco) who is unanimously praised by everyone in the kingdom. Fabious’ perfect life is shattered when an evil wizard named Leezar (Justin Theroux) kidnaps his bride-to-be, Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel) and re-imprisons her in the very tower that Fabious had just rescued her from. The noble prince embarks on a quest to save his lady love. The king see this as a good way to force his lazier son to straighten up and orders Thadeous and his servant Courtney (Rasmus Hardiker) to go along.

Along the way, they encounter a fierce and extremely beautiful female warrior named Isabel (Natalie Portman) who is also on a quest to kill Leezar. They fight witches, wizards and a well-hung minotaur along the way to the grand finale at Leezar’s lair.

As much as I love McBride, I’m just not sure that he can stand up as a leading man in the same film as Franco. He’s brilliant in Eastbound & Down because his character, Kenny Powers, is the sole focus of the series. Here, the film is lead by a trio of heroes. The only problem is that two of those three are world-renown superstars, which makes it hard to keep focused on our main character, Thadeous. I’ve spent many movies wishing for more McBride, but I’m a little disappointed that Your Highness is his first mainstream foray into leading man territory. I know he could be so much better in something less silly.

Franco and Portman dominate their scenes, both because of their exquisite looks and because they can turn Robin Hood: Men in Tights dialogue into Lord of the Rings–even if they’re not trying to. Both are best as the straight man to McBride (it is his movie after all) but their funny lines can occasionally shift the comedic focus away from our star.

The film feels wholly ad libbed. Improvisation is great when there’s still a central focus and direction for the story. Actors can throw in a funny line or two, but you can’t Curb You Enthusiasm your way through a feature film. I’m sure it was a joy to work on the film, but this free style means that Your Highness feels a bit too loose.

In no way would I categorize Your Highness as a bad film. There are tons of laughs and the cast obviously has a natural chemistry. It just seems like the bar was set too high for this film. All the elements are there, but the whole doesn’t equal the sum of the parts. I’m sure I’ll get some added appreciation for it when I see the special features on the inevitable unrated DVD.

Let’s just say you’re on a flight from LAX to JFK. You’ve got 5 hours and your laptop battery is halfway dead. Then the flight attendants hand out the headphones and tell you your in-flight entertainment will be the remake of Arthur, starring Russell Brand. Or maybe it’s late on a work night and you just can’t fall asleep, so you flip on HBO and you see Helen Mirren and Jennifer Garner in this light rom-com, so you stick around and watch the rest of the film. In those scenarios, you’d be happy with Arthur and feel satisfied as the credits rolled. You might not feel the same if you plunked down $20 plus parking to see a movie that’s rather mundane, despite it’s talented stars.

Brand is Arthur Bach, an immature playboy whose wealth has allowed him to indulge his every fantasy, from crashing the Batmobile to shutting down Grand Central Station to impress a girl.

When Arthur’s crazy antics get to be a little too public, his cold and distant mother (Geraldine James) threatens to cut him off if he doesn’t agree to settle down and marry successful businesswoman Susan, played by Jennifer Garner. But, oh no, Arthur doesn’t love Susan. He loves Naomi (Greta Gerwig), the poor aspiring children’s book author from Queens whom he met on one of his money-hemorrhaging jaunts about town.

With the help of his best friend and long-time nanny Hobson (Mirren), Arthur must learn to grow up, take on responsibility and take care of himself for a change before he can get the girl.

It’s no secret that I love Russell Brand. He was absolutely perfect as Aldous Snow in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek and he always brings his unique swagger to every role. If he weren’t so quick and charismatic, Arthur would barely be watchable. His scenes with Mirren are some of the funniest in the film and his obvious ad libs make the writing seem a little less cliche.

Praise is also due to Gerwig, a relative unknown in this cast of familiar faces. Maybe it’s because, unlike with Garner’s character, they actually gave Naomi a bit more of a personality. She’s quirky and awkward, but caring and easy going as opposed to the one-dimensional Cruella DeVille caricature they handed to poor Garner.

As a fan of Brand, my concern with Arthur is typecasting. We always see him playing eccentric British celebrity who can get any girl and does everything to excess until he finally learns a life lesson in the end. And that’s ok–Brand is great in those roles–but will audiences grow tired of these similar characters? At least the Aldous Snow movies are made by filmmakers who know how to appreciate some good improvisation. These movies follow the Kanye West philosophy of “let me be great!” and let their stars come up with killer jokes in the moment. A comedic mind like Brand’s is wasted on a weak and cliche script.

Basically, you’ll be content about the movie while you’re waiting for your luggage at baggage claim, but if you’re walking to your car from a movie theater, you might feel a bit shortchanged.

Nicolas Cage is one of those actors that doesn’t nearly get the respect he deserves. He’s an actor people like to pick on or make jokes about, but those are usually people that only know one side of Nicolas Cage. They only know Cage as the guy from National Treasure, The Rock, Con Air, or Ghost Rider. Few experience the other side of Cage with movies like The Weather Man, Vampire’s Kiss, Adaptation, Red Rock West, or The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans, and that’s quite unfortunate.

I, for one, am I a HUGE fan of Nic Cage. In fact, he’s probably my favorite actor. I love all the aforementioned films, all for different reasons. In a great movie, Cage can be great. Raising Arizona and Leaving Las Vegas are prime examples. In bad movies though, Cage really shines. The man can go over the top without even trying and that’s what makes him such a joy to watch. Movies like The Wicker Man and Ghost Rider are pretty awful but Cage is superb.

Cage can tell when a movie is going to be bad or when it’s going to be good and he acts accordingly. Either way, he’s sure to entertain the hell out of you.

The toughest thing to gauge with a Cage film is whether the filmmakers are trying to genuinely make a good film that turns out bad, or if they’re trying to make a purposely-silly B-type film. With a movie like The Wicker Man, I believe they honestly were shooting for a good movie but ended up with crap, which allowed Cage to go nuts with it. His newest film though, hits exactly what it aims for.

Drive Angry 3D has one purpose and that’s to make an over the top, grind house B-movie, that’s a throwback to classic 70’s car films like Vanishing Point and that pushes the limits of decency. Boy does it succeed. Drive Angry 3D is 100% outrageous and it’s wants you to know it. The goal is to offend and offend well. Mission accomplished.

The first thought to pop in my head after viewing this film was: “holy crap, that was freakin’ awesome!” Cage is a total BA in this movie as he carries a shotgun and barrels down the highway is a ’69 Charger chasing down the leader of a cult that has kidnapped his granddaughter with plans to sacrifice her to Satan.

Along the way Cage teams up with a sexy waitress played by Amber Heard who is more than capable of holding her own. Heard is sure to quickly become a favorite of fans of the horror genre as she’s previously starred in All the Boys Love Mandy Lane and she’s currently the star of horror legend John Carpenter’s newest film, The Ward. General audiences are more likely to remember her as Seth Rogen’s high school girlfriend in Pineapple Express.

On their chase they encounter a few road bumps, mainly from the Accountant, played by William Fichtner, who is out to bring Cage back to where he escaped from. As great as Cage is, Fichtner steals the show while being cool, calm, and collective, but still effing things up.

Usually I’m not a fan of lots of 3D or CGI, but this movie excels in both categories. The 3D is actually great and enhances the movie going experience. The car chases and crashes are epic and the dialogue is so beyond ridiculously cheesy that I can’t help but love.

Drive Angry 3D is the best movie going experience I’ve had since Inglorious Basterds. If you’re a fan of films like Death Proof or Vanishing Point, I highly suggest that you check this out. You won’t be disappointed.

Drive Angry 3D is an instant B-movie, car film classic that most people won’t see, but they should. If a guy like Quentin Tarantino directed it, the masses would love it. Give it a chance and know what to expect and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.