Dearest Denizens of Doom,

We here at Geeks of Doom are throwing caution and political correctness to the wind and wishing you all a very Merry Christmas today! We hope you and your families are blessed in the coming year with every geeky little happiness that your heart desires*.

An extra special wish of good cheer goes out to all of our consummate contributors, congenial commenters, convivial contest winners (we’ve got three contests running RIGHT NOW… do you feel lucky, punk?), and kindred colleagues in chaos from around the ‘net!

The very best,
Dave3 and Empress Eve
and our Crüe O’ Doom

Fear Doomers!

Yet again Dr. Royce Clemens has sallied forth unflinchingly into the ever enchanting world of Hellraiser. The end is so close now that its foul taste drips from each and every word. Succor. Sweet release… we give you The Hellraiser Project Part VII.

Follow us down the dark path and bear witness to the efficient evisceration of Hellraiser: Deader — now available exclusively at our festering fiends, Fatally-Yours.com:

The Hellraiser Project, Part VII: Hellraiser: Deader

You can follow the trail of blood and gore all the way back to the very beginning with Dr. Clemen’s previously penned perception pieces on these perversions of Panovision… [breath] … here:

Robin-B-Hood (2006)
Directed by Benny Chan
Written by Jackie Chan and Yuen Kam-Lun
Starring Jackie Chan, Louis Koo, Michael Hui, Yuen Biao, Charlene Choi, Conroy Chan
Dragon Dynasty
Available Dec. 25, 2007

Master thief and compulsive gambler Thongs (Jackie Chan) along with his womanizing criminal partner Octopus (Louis Koo) find themselves smack in the middle of Three Men And A Baby when their boss kidnaps a newborn that will be passed on to the grandfather for a fee of seven million dollars! Thongs and Octopus, who have no experience with babies, must watch over the tyke for a week until the arrangement is all sorted out, during which time the pair have to take a crash course in caring for an infant, avoid the suspicion of the local authorities, and deal with pesky triad debt collectors. But when it is finally time to turn the baby over, will Thongs and Octopus be able to put aside their newfound parenting instincts in return for the big payday?

Jackie Chan’s latest Hong Kong film effort, which he co-wrote along with first time writer Yuen Kam-Lun, is a mixed bag of classic Chan marital arts hi-jinx and physical comedy with some more heavy-handed issues of familial responsibilities that haven’t been seen since some of his drama-oriented Eighties fare. Chan’s martial arts and acrobatics are on minimal (yet still impressive) display throughout this babysitting epic, and instead favors two-man comedic bits with co-star Louis Koo, with assistance from Chinese comic legend Michael Hui as their boss.

Focus Features has released two new clips from the upcoming action comedy In Bruges, in theaters February 8, 2008.

In Bruges (pronounced “broozh”) was written and directed by Martin McDonagh and stars Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, and Clémence Poésy.

Video Clips

HIDEOUT

QT High; QT Low
WM High; WM Low

REVIEW

QT High; QT Low
WM High; WM Low

Charlie Wilson’s War
Directed by Mike Nichols
Starring Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Rated R
Release date: Dec. 21, 2007

“My constituents know they’re not electing a constipated monk.” — Charlie Wilson

“These things happened. They were glorious and they changed the world. And the people who deserved the credit are the ones who made the sacrifice. And then we fucked up the endgame.” — Charlie Wilson

Charlie Wilson’s War: Good Times before the Blowback

Charlie Wilson’s War eradicated the sour taste in my mouth left by such dry polemics as Rendition and Lions For Lambs. Watching these films, the filmmakers’ heart is in the right place, but the execution was bland and off putting. I even found the films to be insulting at times. The real-life story of Texas Congressman, Charlie Wilson, and his involvement in the largest CIA covert operation is anything but dry. Thanks to Mike Nichols‘ effortless direction and Aaron Sorkin‘s witty screenplay based on the late George Crile‘s book of the same name, the film never goes off the rails into misguided pandering.

Nichols does this kind of film very well. Primary Colors was a decent adaptation of that favorite inside the beltway bestseller back in the mid-nineties. Sadly, the film could not compete with the real life inside the beltway shenanigans at the time. Charlie Wilson’s War owes more to films like Primary Colors, Wag The Dog, Children Of The Revolution, and this year’s The Hunting Party. It helps that Nichols has a strong comic background with films like The Fortune, Working Girl, Catch-22, and especially The Graduate. Aaron Sorkin has a great ear for politics as pop culture; he understands it very well. The West Wing was a testament to his special talent. His script for The American President displayed that he had a keen sense of humor when it came to politics. His adaptation of Crile’s book is an excellent lesson in how to bring a book to the screen and not lose the core essence — a slim and vibrant history lesson. Nichols and Sorkin understand that politics is really a comic mission despite the seriousness that surrounds it. The film is the flipside to this year’s The Kite Runner. Charlie Wilson’s War is the perfect film for the Wonkette and Huffington Post crowd.