• Two-disc Special Edition DVD (read my review here)
• Poster
• T-shirt

THE GIVEAWAY: Two (2) Prize Packs that include the above DVD, poster and T-shirt.

HOW TO ENTER: To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on this post by midnight on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009. Be sure to include a valid email address. Winners will be drawn randomly. I’ll email the winners for their snail-mail address after the contest ends. Good luck!

Check out the fun “Transformers” content, including personalized phone calls from Optimus Prime/Starscream and the “Robotize Me” app. And take a look at the special features:

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Movie: Fame * Trailer * Official Site	In Theaters: Sept. 25, 2009
Runtime: 107 minutes	Directed by: Kevin Tancharoen
MPAA Rating: PG for thematic material, including teen drinking, a sexual situation, and language	Gecko Rating:

The original 1980 movie “Fame” was rated R, and while I understand the desire to make this one PG (to appeal to the “High School Musical” crowd), it loses a lot in translation.

This modern version could have benefitted from a PG-13 rating; then they could have included more intense material, without trying to dilute it for the younger crowd. As it is, the movie is a little boring and the characters really aren’t fleshed out that well. It’s like “High School Musical,” only with more intense scenes (too intense, really, for a PG rating).

As with the original, this movie follows the lives of several students at the New York Academy of Performing Arts. The original has a famous line from Debbie Allen (who played a dance teacher in that movie and plays the principal in this movie; different character, though): “You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying … in sweat…” That line is said over the opening credits in the new movie.

The only problem is, we don’t really see a whole lot of sweat. We see a kid who doesn’t seem to have much talent in any of the arts (Kay Panabaker’s character), a not-very-good dancer from Iowa who manages to make it past the audition process, and various other talented and non-talented kids. This IS a pretty prestigious school, after all. You’d think most of the non-talented kids would be weeded out in auditions.

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The kids include Alice (Kherington Payne), a dancer from a rich family; Malik (Collins Pennie), a Harlem kid who dreams of a career on the stage; Denise (Naturi Naughton), a classical pianist whose real talent is hip-hop singing (despite the objections of her parents); Victor (Walter Perez), a budding music producer; Kevin (Paul McGill), the aforementioned dancer from Iowa; Joy (Anna Maria Perez de Tagle), an entertainer who scores a gig on “Sesame Street” in her junior year; Jenny (Kay Panabaker), an uptight actress who needs to loosen up; and Marco (Asher Book), a sweet boy who attempts to loosen her up (but in a good way).

The standouts are Book and Naughton, both of whom have beautiful voices and are a pleasure to listen to, even through the movie screen. The teachers include Kelsey Grammer (music), Bebe Neuwirth (dance, and yes, Frasier and his wife!); Megan Mullally (musical theater); and Charles S. Dutton (drama). They all have their moments of tough-love, pep talks and drama.

Despite the promising premise, this movie falls flat in just about every way – even the obligatory lunchroom number which we’re expected to believe is spontaneous (I didn’t believe that with the original movie either). Still, if you want to see something that changed pop culture, see the original 1980 movie. Since it’s rated R, kids can check out the more family-friendly TV series; seasons one and two were just released on DVD.

NOTE TO PARENTS: Some of the dances are sensuous, and there are several kisses between major characters. In one scene, an actor tries to take advantage of a female teen by pretending to film an audition scene in his trailer. (I couldn’t help but think she should have known; even the girl in front of me at the theater said, “Even my grandmother could have seen that guy coming.”)

Violence includes references to a character’s violent past, including his little sister being hit by stray gang-related bullets. A depressed character seems like he’s going to jump in front of a subway, but is stopped in the nick of time. There’s a lot of profanity for a PG movie, including “sh*t,” “a**hole,” “hell,” “goddamn,” and bullsh*t.”

Images: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

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Movie: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs * Trailer * Official Site	In Theaters: Sept. 18, 2009
Runtime: 90 minutes	Directed by: Phil Lord
MPAA Rating: PG for brief mild language	Gecko Rating:

Based on the popular children’s book by Ron and Judy Barrett, “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” is a cute movie, but rather forgettable in the big scheme of things.  The graphics and animation are interesting, not to mention the idea of being able to order up whatever food you want and have giant amounts of it fall from the sky. So there’s that. But truth be told, it was more boring than I thought it would be.

Despite the impressive voice cast, there’s really only a couple of voices you’ll probably recognize. Mark Mothersbaugh, the lead singer of Devo, is the composer, but I never would have known that unless I looked at the credits. The music seemed somewhat canned.

The story follows a kid named Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader), who’s always been sort of a misfit. He’s a nerd who’d rather spend time in his makeshift lab inventing things than develop relationships with people. The kids at school make fun of him, and his bushy-browed dad (James Caan) would rather he work in his bait shop than on all his goofy inventions. Flint’s mom is more encouraging, but she passes away when he’s a kid, so he’s left to his own devices, so to speak.

Meanwhile, the town of Chew and Swallow is surviving on a steady diet of sardines, so Flint spends his time working on a device that will create food out of water. It isn’t going well, and Flint suffers through many embarrassing defeats. But the town makes news when his invention actually begins working, and an ambitious young weather girl named Sam Sparks (Anna Faris) is there to document it. If you saw “The House Bunny,” you’ll recognize her voice. She has just the right voice for a cartoon character – fun and enthusiastic.

Turns out that Sam is a nerd just like Flint, only she doesn’t want anyone to know it, so she hides her true self in order to make it as a weather girl. But she’s fearless and ready to help her new friend when his invention goes horribly wrong. It’s an adventure that takes them into space!

Other voices include Andy Samberg as Baby Brent, a bullying kid who has a change of heart; Bruce Campbell as Mayor Shelbourne; Mr. T. as Earl Devereaux, an over-enthusiastic cop; as well as Benjamin Bratt, Neil Patrick Harris, Al Roker, and Lauren Graham.

The best part of this movie is the creative ways food can be, well, created. Cheeseburgers fall from the sky, kids have snowball fights with ice cream, and Gummi Bears frolic like so many cute creatures. One of the best scenes is when Flint creates a giant Jello mold for Sam, who loves Jello, and the two make a giant bounce-house out of it.

But things quickly get out of control, as the machine starts making bigger and bigger food, until one pancake covers the entire school (the kids don’t mind). So action has to be taken, and a crew heads for space, where they encounter jagged peanut brittle (Sam’s allergic) and zombie-like chickens out to get them.

I would say to read the book instead, as it offers more bang for your food buck, but this movie is ok-fun, especially for kids in the 5- to 9-year-old age range. It’s offered in both 3D and conventional formats. I saw the conventional, although I would imagine this might be one of the rare movies that is actually better for being in 3D.

Note to Parents: Most of the PG rating comes from language such as “jerk,” “knuckle scrapers,” and “stupid,” as well as “hell hole.” There’s some flirting, and a kiss plays into the storyline throughout the movie. Violence includes a “perfect food storm” which threatens to wipe out Chew and Swallow, as well as other cities. Some peril involving a trip into the clouds to stop the storm, including Flint being lowered into a cavern by a string of licorice, as Sam tries to avoid being stuck by brittle (but fails, sending her into anaphylactic shock until she receives a shot). Flint creates “rat-birds,” which are creepy but don’t hurt anyone.

Image: Sony Pictures Animation

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The big screen version of Ron and Judi Barrett’s classic children’s book features the voices of Anna Faris, Bruce Campbell, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, James Caan, Tracy Morgan, and Mr. T. Looks like good fun! Check out the trailer here, and watch the stars on the red carpet. 

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The movie is set in futuristic Metro City, where Astro Boy (voiced by Freddie Highmore) is a young robot created by a brilliant scientist named Tenma (Nicolas Cage). Powered by positive “blue” energy, Astro Boy has super strength, x-ray vision, unbelievable speed, and the ability to fly.

The young robot goes on a search which eventually leads him back to Metro City to save everything he cares about. Kristen Bell, Bill Nighy, Donald Sutherland, Nathan Lane, and Eugene Levy are also featured in the movie. Check out the trailer and see what you think. The animation looks fantastic.

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The story follows sassy cheer captain Lina Cruz (Milian), whose world goes all topsy-turvy when she moves with her family from the urban streets of East L.A. to the sunny beaches of Malibu. At her new school, Lina clashes with Avery (Rachele Brooke Smith), the competitive all-star cheer captain, while also falling for Avery’s cute brother, Evan (Cody Longo).

Plenty of snappy tunes, fierce competition and teen fun continue in this all-new movie from Universal Home Entertainment. And you can enter to win a DVD right here!

THE GIVEAWAY: Two (2) DVDs of “Bring It On: Fight to the Finish.”

HOW TO ENTER: To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on this post by midnight on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009. Be sure to include a valid email address. Winners will be drawn randomly. I’ll email the winners for their snail-mail address after the contest ends. Good luck!

Visit the film’s My Yearbook page, which includes a widget, wallpapers, mall event listings, and lots more. Watch the trailer, and more clips after the jump!

Trailer:

More after the jump…

Confrontation:

Behind the Scenes:

Image: © Universal Studios

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Here, Bradley Cooper, her co-star in the upcoming “All About Steve,” talks about how tyrannical she is to work with, while Sandra explains that it’s impossible to explain the movie in 10 seconds. Makes sense to me. Go see the movie instead. It looks like good fun.

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Willis and Radha Mitchell star as FBI agents investigating the murder of a college student linked to the man who helped create a high-tech surrogate program that allows people to create “perfect” versions of themselves. These remote controlled machines assume the person’s life roles, which means they never have to leave the comfort and safety of their own home. How boring.

Check out all of Film Gecko’s “Surrogates” coverage here. The movie hits theaters Sept. 25, 2009. What do you think of the trailer?

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Movie: Bandslam * Gecko Preview *  Official Site	In Theaters: Aug. 14, 2009
Runtime: 111 minutes	Directed by: Todd Graff; Produced by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas
MPAA Rating: PG for some thematic elements and mild language	Gecko Rating:

I take back my earlier thoughts about "Bandslam." If, like me, you were expecting something akin to "High School Musical," you’d be dead wrong!

Yes, there’s a teensy bit of sap in this movie, but nothing like the volume offered up in Disney’s HSM. This is Summit Entertainment, after all, which automatically kicks it to a different level. The soundtrack includes Lou Reed’s "Femme Fatale" and Steve Wynn’s "Amphetamine," and David Bowie is an integral part of the story. You wouldn’t get that with Disney.

Vanessa Hudgens is the known star here, but it’s really an ensemble cast, all revolving around Gaelan Connell’s character, Will Burton. In the opening scene, Will is being kicked around and made fun of at his high school. He’s the class nerd and the target of bullies and jocks. And right away, we learn that he has a secret, only we don’t get to know what it is until the end of the movie.

Will and his mom Karen (Lisa Kudrow) move to a new town and a new high school, where he falls in with former cheerleader Charlotte (Aly Michalka). The fact that she befriends a nerd is another mystery, which we learn more about later in the movie.

Will also befriends a sullen Vanessa Hudgens – her name is Sa5m (the 5 is silent) –  who tries to warn him about Charlotte. But he gets ever more friendly with her and ends up managing her band, made up of other nerds. The main story revolves around a "battle of the bands" contest called Bandslam, with the winner getting a recording contract.

Charlotte’s band includes a rag-tag group of kids, including Charlie Saxton (Ray Drecker’s son on HBO’s "Hung"), Tim Jo, Ryan Donowho, Elvy Yost, and Lisa Chung.

Competing against Charlotte’s band is a band fronted by her former boyfriend Ben, played by Friday Night Lights’ Scott Porter.

How to sum up "Bandslam"? It doesn’t break any new ground in cinematic history, but it’s a good movie. I think of it as "Napoleon Dynamite" meets "The School of Rock" meets "The Breakfast Club." Funny, heartfelt, dramatic, engaging.

Music lovers will appreciate the soundtrack, which includes the aforementioned tunes, as well as David Bowie’s "Rebel Rebel" and Rick Nielsen’s "I Want You to Want Me." Nerds will appreciate the nerdy-boy-makes-good storyline. And parents will appreciate the fact that there’s more to these characters than meets the eye – something you don’t often get in a movie about teens.

Images: TM and © 2009 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Joel (Jason Bateman)
Jason Bateman plays Joel, the big boss at Reynolds Extract. If Joel hasn’t reached his front door by 8 o’clock, he’ll find his wife, Suzie (Kristen Wiig) cinching up her sweatpants – and about as interested in him as he is in her mastery of supermarket coupon design.

Sexually frustrated, Joel confides in his best pal, Dean (Ben Affleck), a barkeep, and soon finds himself wrapped up in a convoluted scheme to make Suzie cheat on him first with a dim-witted gigolo (Dustin Milligan), thereby allowing him to pursue beautiful new employee Cindy (Mila Kunis) with a clear conscience.

More after the jump…

Cindy (Mila Kunis)
Cindy, played by Mila Kunis, is a life-long con artist and sociopath who’s just one step away from having her parole revoked. Cindy relies on her whiles and good looks to ensnare unsuspecting men. Before the end of the film Cindy has managed to scam, con and play most of the characters.

Suzie (Kirsten Wiig)
Kirsten Wiig plays Suzie Reynolds, Joel’s unfulfilled and downright bored wife. “She designs coupons, which I’m sure was her lifelong dream, and she’s been married to Joel for a handful of years and things are getting a little stale,” the actress explains. “I don’t think I know what’s going on for him at work, because I’m having an affair, and that takes up a lot of time. You don’t really ask your husband about his work when you’re sleeping around. You’ve got other things on your mind – like sleeping around.”

Dean (Ben Affleck)
Joel’s best friend Dean, played by Ben Affleck, doles out advice (and illicit substances) to Joel from behind the bar. Thanks to Dean, Joel finds himself getting into all sorts of trouble.

Step (Clifton Collins)
Clifton Collins plays Step, who aspires for nothing more than to one day be floor manager at the factory. A bizarre factory accident leads to Step losing one of his “boys,” and shenanigans ensue as Cindy manipulates, Joe Adler (Gene Simmons) represents, and Joel tries to make everyone happy. Read my interview with Clifton Collins – one of the hardest-working guys in Hollywood! — here)

Brian (J.K. Simmons)
Rounding out the workplace ensemble is Factory Supervisor Brian, brought to vivid life by omnipresent character actor J.K. Simmons. He loves the business and the company, but he doesn’t know anybody’s name. Everybody’s “Dinkus” or “What’s-His-Name."

Nathan (David Koechner)
Perhaps no character in "Extract" feels more like a signature Judge creation than the Reynolds’ neighbor, Nathan, a man who could challenge Milton from “Office Space” in the category of “singular focus.”

Mary (Beth Grant)
Mary (Beth Grant) is a fanny-packed, bitter slouch at the end of the assembly line who’d rather fold her arms and shake her head than keep life at Reynolds moving along. That’s exactly what she’s doing when a bottleneck occurs on the line, resulting in a chain of accidents that cost poor Step a portion of his manhood.

Rory (T.J. Miller)
On the line with Step is Rory, a bona fide indie rock geek with a face full of piercings and body covered in ink. “I’m sure it wasn’t a progressive thing,” says his alter ego, actor T.J. Miller, of Rory’s tattoos. “He was, like, ‘I finally have $800 – I’m getting eight tattoos.’”

Brad (Dustin Milligan)
The final complicating factor in Joel’s life is Brad, the dull-headed gigolo Dean hires to seduce his wife. In a scenario right out of a 70’s porn flick, he poses as the new pool guy, and finds his advances all too welcome.

Images: Miramax

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