Gearing Up For Sundance 2009....

Now that a new week is upon us, I find myself trying to mentally and physically prepare for my grand return to the Sundance Film Festival 2009 in Park City, Utah. I have not attended this annual collection of Independent films since I made my Utah exodus in 2006. As you can imagine, I am more than excited to make my return. With two "fest rookie" friends at my side, Matt (NY) and Megan (LA) we are going to conquer a total of 7 screenings in 4 days. Since the festival is already well underway (has been on since Thurs. Jan. 15), we will be a little behind the buzz, which from my experience will be to our benefit.

Our indy film adventure begins on Wednesday, when we fly into Salt Lake City. Matt and I have the exact same layover in Las Vegas, and coincidentally will be on the same flight from Vegas to SLC. We couldn't have planned it better! Once we land we will meet up with Megan, somehow, some way and will head to my parents house in Park City (pictured right). We'll hit the sack and rest up for the next few days, which will be mad busy.

Our plan will be as follows, feel free to meet up with us at the following screenings:

Day 1 Thurs. Jan. 22:

8:30 am Peter & Vandy @ the Raquet Club. (Matt's Choice)3:15 pm Big Fan @ the Eccles Theatre. (Matt's Choice)
Day 2 Fri. Jan. 23:

6:00 pm Black Dynamite @ The Tower Theater, Salt Lake City (Kristian's Choice)



11:59 pm Død Snø (Dead Snow) @ The Egyptian Theater (Kristian's Choice)


Day 3 Sat. Jan. 24:

9:00 am Moon @ The Eccles Theatre (Kristian's Choice)


8:30 pm Shorts Program V @ Prospector Square Theater (Matt's Choice)

11:59 pm The Informers @ The Tower Theater, Salt Lake City (Kristian's Choice)



As you can see we have a lot to look forward to this year. Many of these films are already getting lots of critical acclaim. Some have already been picked up for distribution (Black Dynamite). Although, I must say that my Norwegian bias paired with my love for horror movies has made Dead Snow the must see film of the Festival for me this year. I will do my best to give my take on each of these flicks in blogs to come. Stay tuned and stay warm while we're freezing our asses off in Park City.

Indiana Jones goes science fiction...

Indy fans hold onto your Fedoras, I've got some news that will surely get you excited. A couple of new pictures have been released for the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and they give much more insight to the actual plot of the May 22nd release.

The first, which was released to MTV News.com a few days ago, shows Dr. Jones standing on a pile of crates (see right). It appears that Indy will end up right were he started - or, at least, right where he ended in Raiders of the Lost Ark, at the government warehouse where the Ark of the Covenant was stored. For all we know the archaeologist will be trying to locate the Ark once again. Or possibly need one of the Ark's contents: (The Ten Commandments, the Rod of Aaron, Manna from the Israelite trek). Who knows, I am just speculating, but it sure gets you thinking about where the story line can go.

Now, to my other point, I have read many an article and have had several conversations with people who think the whole underlying mysticism of the franchise will change a bit in this one. Let me explain a bit, to make my point easier to understand. All three previous films involve some sort of religious artifact that contains unexplained mystical powers. And Indy somehow gets pulled into an evil scheme by the Nazis, or a group of greedy Hindu extremists. Then he is forced to use his archaeological knowledge to fetch the powerful artifacts. You've seen the movies you know how the rest goes...

Each of the previous Indy films are set in the 1930s, the same time period that swashbuckling action serials were very popular. The popular trilogy is widely-known by fans to romanticize the serials' clichéd plot elements and devices. Thus, it only makes sense that these films are set in that time period. With that in mind, it is well known that "Crystal Skull" takes place several decades after Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Set in the 1950s, "Crystal Skull" is rumored to take a different approach. Similar to how the first three pay homage to early action serials, this one is rumored to pay homage to the film genre that made such a great impact during the 1950s, Science Fiction film. You ask how can Indy go from searching ancient cobweb-covered temples to flying saucers and robots? Well, this recently released photo of "the crystal skull" proves the point ... No word yet if this skull has any mystical powers, but something tells me there is bound to be bigger twists in this installment and more of a Sci-Fi flavor. This photo of the unearthly bone structure was originally posted on Movieweb.com, but was recently pulled from the site at the request of the studio. So this is now a Royal Journal Exclusive!! Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull arrives in theaters on May 22.

Life on Mars?

This still image, captured by NASA's Mars rover, "Spirit" in 2004, is stirring up a debate around the world these days. Check out the picture and decide for yourself what the controversy might be. A magnified version of the picture, appears to resemble a human form among a crop of rocks. Let's zoom in and see what all the fuss is about.Some say it looks like a rock, others say it looks to be a figure striding across the surface of the planet. This controversy has been all over the news this week and has reignited the debate about life on the Red Planet.

Personally, if you ask me, I don't think that it is an alien life form at all. In fact, I think it is just a rock structure that just happens to resemble a living figure. But, I do want to point out something funny that I noticed. Look at the position the so called "figure" is in. It looks awfully familiar, doesn't it? The picture above is a frame taken from the Patterson-Gimlin film. It was allegedly filmed on October 20, 1967 by Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin who claimed the film was a genuine recording of a Bigfoot. Many have called the film a hoax, but it is a unique and interesting piece of film. See for yourself...

There is a reason I have laid out all this info. I want to bring it back to the original subject. I say, if the world really wants to believe this picture is of a distant being, I just want to point out that based on past experiences (see above), it would be more likely that NASA has actually spotted Bigfoot on Mars and not an alien life form. I mean come on, it's a single photograph, it could just be a smudge on the lens (think about it, the rover traveled millions of miles through space before arriving. Something could have easily smeared). It could also be a strange pile of rocks, Jimmy Hoffa or even a piece of beef jerky. In fact, if you think about it, after all that pestering those mischievous hikers did to Bigfoot in those classic commercials I wouldn't be surprised if this picture was just Sasquatch's way of getting his revenge.


For more Messin with Sasquatch I HIGHLY recommend you CLICK HERE. Hilarious!

Is the end nigh, for REAL?

It seemed to be just another weekend, that was until a meteorite struck down near a rural village in Southern Peru. Officials are now reporting that many of the townsfolk that visited the impact site are falling ill with symptoms including headaches, diarrhea and nausea. Government Health Officials are trying to determine what is causing people to get sick and one has been sighted saying the illnesses were the result of a strong odor emanating from the site of the impact.

The Associated Press filed this report on the incident Tuesday, September 18 2007(see below).


Now this may not seem like a very big deal to any of you, but this little crash landing has me a little concerned. In fact, if you are not, you should be and let me tell you exactly why. There are multiple science-fiction/Horror movies that begin with an interplanetary meteor crash landing on earth. I can think of at least three that start exactly like that: The Blob, Slither and War of the Worlds (1953). All three of which begin with a meteor crash landing on earth unexpectedly. In all three, some curious villager(s) see the meteor flash through the night sky and crash in the woods nearby. They then proceed up to the crash site to investigate the crater. Of course this poor decision starts a chain reaction that leads to events that quickly spiral out of control and put the human race's very existence in jeopardy.

This 1988 trailer gives a brief summary of what we quite possibly have to look forward to..

*The Blob (1988)

I know my claims are a little far fetched, but wouldn't you rather be prepared for the worst case scenario. You never know just how accurate our imaginations can be. One moment it's a scary science-fiction horror movie, the next, reality.