Hijinks Inc.

Category: Movies

  • Hijinks Movie Reviews: Black Dynamite

    Black Dynamite embodies everything that was great about the blaxploitation 1970’s cinema. However, it also relishes all the flaws of 1970’s cinema, and laughs with us all the way till the end. The film was released on October 16, 2009, in the United States, for only two weeks, and was released on home video on February 16, 2010.

    Michael Jai White wrote and stars in this movie as Black Dynamite (a Vietnam veteran, former CIA agent, and professional bad ass) who vows to clean up the streets after his brother Jimmy is killed by a shady organization. The film’s director, Scott Sanders, describes the movie as “It’s just a little too badass. That’s the tone of the movie. Our humor comes from the fact that the movie is just a little too badass.” It’s one cheesy quote (“Your knowledge of scientific biological transmogrifications is only outmatched by your zest for kung-fu treachery.”) and crazy scene after another in this well done spoof. (more…)

  • Saturday Shenanigans: Recent Entertainment News

    Here’s a little peak at the entertainment world now that Comic-Con has passed.

    Shark Week starts tomorrow night on Discovery. My favorite quote about Shark Week is Tracy Morgan’s from 30 Rock when his character, Tracy Jordan, is teaching Kenneth how to live life to the fullest. “You need to live every week like it’s Shark Week.” There’s something about that that is so simple and yet, so true.

    I guess Ellen Degeneres quit American Idol… if you care about that sort of thing. I hope that show dies a painful death, soon. (more…)

  • Entry Level Geek: Rumors, Leads, and First Looks

    The next few years will bring us the possibility of some of the greatest Superhero movies of all time, or it will all be an enormous letdown. Whether they turn out to be successes or flops, we’ll have to wait and see, but with all of them coming out within 2 years of each other, this leads to many rumors and possibilities floating around. So this is an exciting time for fans of these franchises. Comic-Con just wrapped up, so LOTS of details are being released about all these movies, so we have plenty to cover, let’s not waste anymore time.

    We’ve got our first look at Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern! Cinematical says:

    One of the more interesting things about Reynolds and this Green Lantern costume is that the entire get-up is being created with computers and placed on Reynolds after the fact. If you’ve seen images of Reynolds on set, the guy is covered in all sorts of dots and whatnot (see an image here) so that they can work their movie magic in post-production and provide the guy with his magic superhero suit. Will this help or hurt the production in the end? That we don’t know … yet.

    I just don’t really get into the Green Lantern as a character, seems like one of the dumber superheros to me. The guy just puts on a ring and can become things… I guess it’s not the lamest idea for a super dude, but it doesn’t trip my trigger. I love Ryan Reynolds though, so I’m looking forward to the movie anyway. Some great tidbits about the movie after the jump with possible spoilers, plus info on Superman, Batman, Captain America… and more.

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  • Hijinks Reviews: Listal.com

    Do you have a large collection of DVDs, video games, books, or music and you wish there was a an easy way to track it all, preferably online so you can access it anywhere? Well, you could take the boring route and use a google spreadsheet, but what’s the fun in that? What if you could manage your collections, have all the information that IMDB offers, have user feedback and reviews similar to Rotten Tomatoes, have an enormous collection of images to sort through, and have Facebook integration to boot? Welcome to Listal!

    I’ve tried many of the collection tracking websites to catalog my substantial DVD collection, and I found something I really didn’t like with every website. Listal will track your collections, and complement it with a nice layout, both visually and for ease of use. It also incorporates a social network aspect, which excites some people, whereas it can be a total buzzkill for others. There’s pros and cons to this website and guess what, we’ll cover those after the jump! (more…)

  • Hijinks Movie Reviews: Away We Go

    Away We Go was recommended to me by a friend quite awhile ago. I finally got around to watching it recently, heading into it without any expectations, and I came away fairly impressed with it. Starring John Krasinski (as Burt) and Maya Rudolph (as Verona) as young adults in love, Away We Go is a tale about love, friendship, family, and the trials of growing up from a slightly older vantage point than your typical teen comedy. Instead of being in high school or college, these are two people in their early 30’s who are enjoying life and each other, but also have jobs and real life issues to deal with.

    Released in theaters on June 5, 2009, and on DVD and Blu-ray on September 29, 2009, this movie has probably recently been moved off your local Blockbuster’s wall display (does anybody still go to Blockbuster anymore?), and it’s not any sort of ground breaking comedy, so it’s the type of movie that can fall between the cracks. Here’s the quick plot description from IMDB:

    A couple who is expecting their first child travel around the U.S. in order to find a perfect place to start their family. Along the way, they have misadventures and find fresh connections with an assortment of relatives and old friends who just might help them discover “home” on their own terms for the first time. (more…)