OPINION: What Exactly Does NINE Have In Store For Itself?...

This is a question that I have been pondering for just about a week now.

Earlier this week, the cast of the upcoming musical Nine joined Oprah on the stage of her talk show, to talk about the film. However, what they also did was spark the idea in my head, that this film has all the makings for a huge Oscar run.

However, in what categories, and for whom?

First, here is the film's synopsis, for those who don't know:

Nine tells the story of Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis), a world famous film director as he confronts an epic mid-life crisis with both creative and personal problems. He must balance the many women of his life, including his wife (Marion Cotillard), his mistress (Penelope Cruz), his film star muse (Nicole Kidman), his confidant and costume designer (Judi Dench), an American fashion journalist (Kate Hudson), the whore from his youth (Fergie) and his mother (Sophia Loren).

The film is a pseudo adaptation of the brilliant and legendary Fellini film, 8 1/2, and features one of the years most star studded casts. Featuring the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Judi Dench, Penelope Cruz and even Sophia Loren, the film is easily one of my most anticipated films yet to see, if not the most. It's also one of "the four" that critics have yet to see, in regards to Oscar talk (the other three being Avatar, The Lovely Bones and Invictus).

However, some critics finally got to see the film, and shockingly, to much much applause. Here's the scoop from In Contention:

One guy even said the film was better than “8 1/2” (make of that what you will) before asking a question about Fellini when the session was turned over to questions from the audience. And everyone was certainly in awe of the stars (or their careers, at the very least — gee, I’m cynical.) It seemed that nary an opportunity to applaud was missed.

The biggest closing credit ovations, by my ear, in order of, I don’t know, loudness: Sophia Loren, Judi Dench, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz and Nicole Kidman.

So what to make of this, other than, this film is going to be huge come March of next year? Well, I have a few thoughts on this.

DISCLAIMER: I haven't seen the film. There. Now lets go.

First, I think Daniel Day-Lewis is a sure fire lock for Best Actor, for a few reasons. The biggest reason, being that, aside from being you know, Daniel Day-Lewis, the role looks to be really showy, and he does sing. It's like the performance of Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart, just a truly theatrical role, not a more naturalistic and raw performance like I think Bridges delivers. It's a true lead performance, in a film based on a classic film, that for all intents and purposes, is fantastic, being that that's just my hunch having DDL in that role.

So that category, Best Director, and Best Picture I think are three sure fire locks, and I think that they are prettmuch non-issues right now.

Then there are those pesky female categories, that are really often times hard to tell, as not only are there very few good meaty roles for females, even less being true lead turns, so these are often found from the indie realm.

That said, I think this film is chock full of possible Best Lead and Supporting Actress nods, with two truly sticking out to me.

First, Marion Cotillard, who is being pushed as a lead, I think fits perfectly as the 5th actress in the Lead category. Last week I posited the idea that there are 4 actresses that we can book in the category (Sidibe from Precious, Mirren from The Last Station, Mulligan from An Education, and Streep from Julie and Julia), and I think that we can maybe make that 5. From the footage I've seen, she looks amazing, and even, at least in one scene, out acts Lewis, which I have rarely if ever seen. She's a proven Oscar winner, so I think that it's fair to say, if she gives as strong of a performance as she seems to, I think she will round out that list.

Then there is the true reason I wanted to write this. The Best Supporting Actress category is going to be the most interesting to see where the academy goes with regards to this film, as there are 3 true roles where they could go.

In Contention has them going with Penelope Cruz, and I would have to second that notion. That said, the film, if the Weisteins just completely dump The Road's Oscar push, I think that two could fit that bill. So where would the second one come? My personal vote, I wouldn't be shocked if they went with Hudson. From all the footage I've seen, she seems great, as does Kidman, but I think that Kidman has her awards, and the academy may want to go a seperate way. That said, Kidman could easily steal her thunder. This is just a thought, as it would have to have a lot of things happen to get done (namely Susan Sarandon NOT be fantastic in The Lovely Bones which she is rumored to be), but who knows.

This is the academy we are talking about after all.

What do YOU think?

Go see something good!

REVIEW: Precious...

Sometimes a film can do something more than just entertain. Sure, there are thousands of Transformers or other explosion spewing action films for frat guys and Republicans to ooze their sadistic loins with, but there are also films that do more.

Some make you think, some scare the hell out of you, some make you laugh, and some move you in every possible emotional way.

Some are also a little overhyped.

This is where Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire lies.

Precious follows the story of Claireece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), a 16-year-old Harlem born African American girl born into a life that really, no one would ever want. She is pregnant for the second time by her absent father, at home her mother (Mo’Nique) abuses her both emotionally and physically, and in school, she has reached the 9th grade yet is unable to read or write. However, she is still full of life. She is a passive young woman, yet has unshakeable dreams of being a model and making a name for herself in this otherwise kind world that she has found. Then she joins the alternative school, Each One/Teach One, and has finally gained a second chance in this world.

The film, produced in association with Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, has become the critical darling of ’09. Garnering top honors at both the Sundance and Toronto International film festivals, this is easily one of the year’s Oscar contenders, both for acting, and the film as a whole.

However, the real star of this film is Precious herself. The two leads here, Gabourey Sidibe and Mo’Nique (yeah, Phat Girlz Mo’Nique) are excellent, with both heading for Oscar nominations, especially Mo’Nique. She is both violent and abuse, yet also tormented and truly shaken by what not only she has done, but what has been done to her and her daughter, and in this she is able to bring many more layers of true awfulness that goes far beyond anything that Daniels could have thought. However, she gets truly lost in what is one of the most awe-inspiring performances from a new-comer I have yet to see, especially this year. Gabourey Sidibe deserves everything that she has coming to her this year, which should be at least a nomination for Best Actress. She is so lost in this role that you think you are simply watching a film about Precious, with Precious staring at you right in the face. There is more pain, love, passion, and strength in this role and actress than I have seen in a performer all year. She is thrust into this world, the closest thing to Hell one can imagine, and oh, it gets worse, and yet she still has this power and drive to make something out of it, that it’s not only powerful, but it’s beyond inspiring.

The supporting cast is also fantastic, particularly Mariah Carey. She plays a social worker, and while she is in it for only a few scenes, three to be exact, these three scenes are ultimately some of the most powerful, particularly the final confrontation between her, Sidibe, and Mo’Nique. She is so restrained in these scenes, and yet has this air about her (in her performance, and particularly her warm and receptive eyes), that its really a shocking turn. She gives Precious an outlet, and you believe that this otherwise subdued girl would talk to this receptive social worker. The film also stars Paula Patton as the horribly named Blu Rain, who while having an awful name, is an interesting take on the inspiring teacher. Sure, she is basically every teacher in any “Dangerous Minds” style class room, but instead of being this standard or cliché role, Patton gives a sense of truth behind it, culminating in arguably the films most powerful moment, involving her, Precious, and a shocking plot turn.

That said, while the people in front of the camera are the stars, the true problem with the film comes from the man behind it.

Lee Daniels, a sophomore director, is not good here. There are instances where a directors style can directly help a film. David Fincher, David Lynch, or Darren Aronofsky are all great examples of film makers who have a certain style, that inherently helps there films. However, Daniels is not on that list.
The director’s ultimate sin is that instead of letting this dark and raw story lay there on the screen, he strives to make this film a “film by Lee Daniels”. Instead of letting this film sit with you, he rips you out of the film with his almost cartoonish sense of style. Sure, the dream sequences are fine, and they work with the characters that the film sets up, but there are moments that truly just jar you so far out of the film that without the performances, I don’t think anyone could get back in.

There is one scene in particular, that sees Precious and her devil of a mother sitting on chairs in her living room, while they watch a scene from an Italian Neo-Realism film, “Two Women”. Now, why these two illiterate people would partake in the viewing of this film, beats me. Oh, wait, that’s right. It’s so Daniels is able to have his characters express their depression in a poorly shot, horribly stylized black and white scene that has no point in the overall arch of the plot. It was comedic to my audience instead the sense of sadness it intended to give off, and there are ample amounts of moments that are just like this.

Hell, the opening credits, done in illiterate chicken scratch, are jarring, setting up a film that while being deeply powerful and moving, would have been better left in the hands of a more experienced, or an equally raw film maker (Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden anyone?). Often times, instead of heightening the mood, or lightening it up, it simply falls flat on its face. It’s schlocky, and just really takes a lot of the steam out of this emotional locomotive. He is given performances that any other film maker would die for, hell, Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz steal their scenes, and yet he tries to obnoxiously disrupt these powerful turns with “HEY GUYS! I’m HERE!” style directing. It does the film a total disservice, and genuinely left me with a sour taste in my mouth, even after watching this truly inspiring film.

The film as a whole though does have a certain visual style that I do think works. It's a grungy and dirty looking film, and so is the setting, and there are scenes, mostly involving a sweaty and angry Mo'Nique, that you feel like taking a shower afterwards. However, it's not because you feel as though you are there, because what follows is often times a horribly shot, pretensiously concieved sequence, but because Daniels simply throws anything he can in the frame to let you know that this is truly hell. The Devil lives in Harlem, and her domain is a dirty and grease filled apartment.

The thing Daniels doesn't understand is that, it's not the fact that you just saw Precious dream about being a model with a light skinned boyfriend, it is because she is a singularly powerful and yet also distinctly softspoken female, who does have dreams just not the rescources that is thrown into this situation. This powerful young woman, going through the roughest of rough lives, is what this film is about. Not a masterbatory film maker who wouldn't know subtlety if Paul Haggis were to punch him in the cock with a brass knuckle covered in it.

That said, the film does deliver on the promise of it being one of the years most powerful. No matter how hard Daniels tries, and he tries his damndest, to take away from the film, it preservers, much like its subject matter. It’s not the years best, not nearly so, but it is one that needs to be seen by anyone who can stomach some genuine drama, and some pretentious film making. That and two of this years best performances.

PRECIOUS – 8/10

Go see something good!

VIDEO: Fight Club PSAs...

In honor of the 10th Anniversary Blu-Ray, here are some hilarious PSA's that ran before the film when it was in theatres. Enjoy!



Go see something good!

VIDEO: New Avatar Featurette...

IGN UK has a new featurette from Avatar, which looks at the hardware. Yeah. Giant f****** mech suits. Just watch it.

Avatar Movie Video - Exclusive Featurette: Human Hardware

Go see something good!

NEWS: Worthington Picks Up Last Days of American Crime...

When you hear about a big budget action film being produced, it seems like one can almost guarantee that certain things will come along with it, one of those things being the attachment of Sam Worthington. After Terminator 4 and Avatar, Worthington is not only a name in film circles, but he is also set to become a pretty big house hold name.

We can add another film to his long list.

Mania’s Comics2Film is now reporting that Worthington has been attached to appear in The Last Days of American Crime. The film is going to be a feature adaptation of the comic series of the same name, which was created by Rick Remender, who also leaked the news to the afformentioned site.

Here’s the plot synopsis:

In a near-future America, news has broken that, in a matter of weeks, the government is set to roll out mind-control technology that will kill the criminal impulse in all citizens. Chaos descend on America’s cities as the country braces for the new order. Career criminal Graham Brick is forced to accelerate the heist of his career with an untested new crew in order to beat the deadline.

I must say, I haven’ t read the comic book, but personally this sounds like a really interesting take on the heist genre. Also, it’s nice to know that, instead of say, having the criminal join up with some organization to help out the government, the criminal we are going to follow is just going to have this deadline as the setting for his heist. It should make for one hell of an interesting film, and one that I think should fit Worthington perfect. This guy is not only a bonafide action star, but he can out act Christian Bale. Seriously? The guy has skill, and given the right director (Louis Letterier anyone?), this could be one great piece of action cinema.

What do YOU think?

Go see something good!

TRAILER: Remember Me...

So yeah, I am of the belief that Robert Pattinson is actually in some way, under all that diamond skin, there is somewhat of a good actor. Yeah, this doesn’t show it at all. I would come up with some really witty thing to say here, but it’s just kind of sad.

The film is called Remember Me, and while I love this cast, and the film visually looks at least watchable, not a single performance or shot in this trailer sparked my interest, and for a film that sounds this cliché, it needed to do something for me. I will see anything that has Chris Cooper in it though, so who knows. Could very well be a fine film, but this trailer doesn’t show any of that.


Remember Me in HD

Trailer Park | MySpace Video

Here's the synopsis:

Robert Pattinson plays Tyler, a rebellious young man in New York City who has a strained relationship with his father (Pierce Brosnan) ever since tragedy separated their family. Tyler didn’t think anyone could possibly understand what he was going through until the day he met Ally (Emilie de Ravin) through an unusual twist of fate. Love was the last thing on his mind, but as her spirit unexpectedly heals and inspires him, he begins to fall for her. Through their love, he begins to find happiness and meaning in his life. But soon, hidden secrets are revealed, and the circumstances that brought them together slowly threaten to tear them apart. Remember Me is an unforgettable story about the power of love, the strength of family, and the importance of living passionately and treasuring every day of one’s life. Remember Me also stars Academy Award® winner Chris Cooper (Adaptation), and Academy Award® nominee Lena Olin (Chocolat).

Go see something good!

NEWS: Orphanage Remake Has A Problem...

It appears as though the U.S. remake of The Orphanage is in a little bit of turmoil, much to the appreciation of yours truly.

Arrow In The Head had a chance to talk to Larry Fessenden, who was as of August, attached to the project, but has since said that he has left:

THE ORPHANAGE was two years of waiting. Working on the script with Guillermo was a very exciting experience, but then I got into a casting miasma and that’s where the thing is; I think they’re gonna do it another way, actually. So I think I’m out of it. Hopefully they’ll still use my script, but I’m not sure I’m directing it anymore. That’s Hollywood for ya.

So back in August, Fessenden was attached, and casting had begun, searching for the female lead. However, it appears as all of that has been scrapped, at least as we all are aware. I’m sure the project is still looking to get made, but without Fessenden at the helm, it’s looking for a leader. Also worth noting, it will be kind of interesting to see just how much time del Toro has to give to this project, as he’s doing this little film called The Hobbit. I don’t know if you have heard of that one yet, but yeah, it’s going to suck up a bit of his time.

Personally, I want this film to die, but I know it won't. That said, if I had a choice of director, my hand would have to lay firmly on the shoulder of Ti West. I know he's not the type to do it, and I never want him too, but The Orphanage is a slow burn, and he is good at that. I've just seen an earlier film of his, Trigger Man, and while it's not a similar film to House of the Devil, it does have a similar sense of tension, which I think would be perfect for this film.

What do YOU think?

Go see something good!

FIRST LOOK: Paprika Director's Dream Machine...

One of the best modern animated films I’ve seen in the past 10 years, is sadly something that not many of you have seen, at least if the buzz around it is any statement. Hell, I can only find the thing at ONE local rental shop.

Paprika is the name of the stellar film that I am speaking of, and comes to us from the insane dome of Satoshi Kon. I’m not the biggest anime fan, at least it’s not something I’m to versed in, but this is what truly got me back into the mood of watching anime, when I first saw the film back in 2007. It’s basically an animated version of what David Lynch dreams of in one of his coke induced benders, so if you know me, that is something that I would dig. That said, I also think it’s weirdly accessible, so if you have a chance, see it.

So one can expect any news on Kon’s new film, The Dream Machine, to be something I write about. Well, make that a gaurentee, especially after seeing these stills from the films official website (via Twitch Film).





Now, I know, you are saying, what the hell? Well, here’s a little insight from Kon himself, from an interview he gave last year:

On the surface, it’s going to be a fantasy-adventure targeted at younger audiences. However, it will also be a film that people who have seen our films up to this point will be able to enjoy. So it will be an adventure that even older audiences can appreciate. There will be no human characters in the film; only robots. It’ll be like a “robot movie” for robots.

This film, while being one of the most anticipated of yours truly, looks rather underwhelming. Sure, the pictures themselves are beyond gorgeous, but personally, when a director has made a film like Paprika, and then to do something this seemingly gentle as /Film put it, really looses a bit of the intrigue. Sure, these are simply photos, and outside of that I don’t have much information, but it still leaves me wanting more.

However, I don’t that Kon will make something as light and soft as these pictures hint at. Don’t be surprised if my thoughts on this change. I know I won’t be.

Go see something good!

NEWS: Oscar Doc Short List Down To 15...

Last week, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences released their short list of Animated films that would be up for the five spots. Well, now the Documentary side of the Academy have gotten there list up, and it’s quite the list, that has sparked quite the discussion.

It appears as though, while locks like Food, Inc and The Cove have gotten their spots, other highly talked about documentaries have been left off. Casualties like Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story, Tyson, and Anvil! The Story of Anvil, have been left off, as well as my personal favorite so far this year, It Might Get Loud.

Now, what did get nominated you may be asking? Well, here’s your list:

• The Beaches of Agnes

• Burma VJ

• The Cove

• Every Little Step

• Facing Ali

• Food, Inc.

• Garbage Dreams

• Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders

• The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and The Pentagon Papers

• Mugabe and the White African

• Sergio

• Soundtrack for a Revolution

• Under Our Skin

• Valentino The Last Emperor

• Which Way Home

However, the story here isn’t who DID get nominated, it’s who didn’t. I have seen more than a few documentaries this year, and all of which have been snubbed, along side hyped fair like We Live In Public. I thought for sure Tyson, Anvil, and Capitalism would not only make the 15, but make the final five when it was all said and done, along with The Cove and Food, Inc.

All I know now is that I guess I need to get on the ball.

Go see something good!

POSTER: Gorgeous Poster For Loss Of A Teardrop Diamond Comes Out Of Nowhere...

Well this is a shocker.

The first poster for the upcoming Jodie Markell film, The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond has been released, and it’s one of the most stunning one-sheets I’ve seen in a long, long time. I had not even heard of the film about 30 minutes ago, and I must lean on The Playlist for a little description of how this poster lives up to the film. I must say, it sounds amazing:

The one-sheet for Jodie Markell's "The Loss Of A Teardrop Diamond" is out and it's stylish, gorgeous and perfectly captures the aesthetics in the film which are almost equally beatific.

The look, costumes, cinematography and music in the film are quite beautiful and gorgeous.

The film is set to release in December (the 30th to be exact), and stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Evans, and Ellen Burstyn. It’s also based on a play by Tennessee Williams. Here’s the synopsis:

THE LOSS OF A TEARDROP DIAMOND is a new drama based on a recently rediscovered original screenplay by legendary writer Tennessee Williams. Starring Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Evans, the Paladin release will open in New York and Los Angeles in late December, with expansion to major markets following in early 2010. Academy Award-winner Ellen Burstyn, Academy Award-nominee Ann-Margret, Mamie Gummer, and Will Patton co-star in the film which was directed by award-winning short filmmaker and stage and screen actress Jodie Markell, in her feature debut.

The poster looks absolutely stunning, and while word hasn’t been too kind to then film as a whole, the poster and trailer (embedded below) look amazing.



What do YOU think?

Go see something good!

NEWS/POSTER: French Avatar Poster, And The Soundtrack Listing Spoils The Film...

I love film scores/soundtracks. I love them long time.

However, many times a films plot can be spoiled, almost completely, by simply revealing the titles of the tracks. Many times, a composer will list a song with some sort of thematic title, that instead of revealing plot points, simply posits the films theme/style. Take The Dark Knight’s Joker Theme, “Why So Serious?” for example. Instead of being called “The Joker Takes Control of Two Boats For A Social Experiment”, it simple plays off the films theme and style. That said, James Horner, composer of the score for Avatar, didn’t decide to do that, and instead decided to ruin much of the films plot.

But first, some unspoilery news.

First, a new poster has been released, and looks beyond gorgeous. Sure, it’s a split head poster, something that I have never really been a fan of, but honestly, there has yet to be something released about this film that has hindered my anticipation for this thing. Sure, it has been curbed a bit, particularly when seeing the human aspects of the film (which are beyond lackluster), but I’m still really excited to see what Cameron can do with this pet project of his.

Here’s the poster. Enjoy!



Also, in a ReelzChannel interview, Horner confirmed that the film would clock in right at three hours.

Now, for those who don't mind Avatar slightly spoiled for them, check out the following score track listing.

1. “You Don’t Dream in Cryo…”
2. Jake Enters His Avatar World
3. Pure Spirits of the Forest
4. The Bioluminescence of the Night
5. Becoming One of “The People”
Becoming One With Neytiri
6. Climbing Up – “Iknimaya – The Path to Heaven”
7. Jake’s First Flight
8. Scorched Earth
9. Quaritch
10. The Destruction of “Hometree”
11. Shutting Down Grace’s Lab
12. Gathering All the Na’vi Clans for Battle
13. War
14. I See You (Theme from "Avatar")

(VIA THE PLAYLIST)

It was also recently announced that, I See You, the theme from the film, was set to be sung by Leonna Lewis, so expect a big Oscar push for that track.

What do YOU think about all of this news?

Go see something good!

NEWS: Justin Theroux To Pen Space Invaders...

This week has been a week full of WTF moments. Hell, the past few months have left me uttering those three words more than I would like to admit.

Well, add another instance of the famous three letter acronym to the book, and this time, it may actually end up being the rare instance where a project may ultimately make a well made film.

It appears as though Justin Theroux, Tropic Thunder and Iron Man 2 scribe, has been hired to pen a new draft of the astronaut rom-com, Space Invader. The actor-turned-screenwriter is taking over the project which had the original draft penned by Mike Lisbe and Nate Reger, for 20th Century Fox. According to sources, the concept is actually interesting and sounds pretty decent.

Here’s the concept from an early scriptshadow review of the first draft:

Doug, the space shuttle janitor, watches helplessly as his astronaut girlfriend heads off on a 3 month International Space Station mission with Stamp Majors, all-American astronaut superstar and philanthropist (think a cross between a real life version of Buzz Lightyear, and the character Owen Wilson plays in Meet The Parents ). He begins to think that the two are getting it on and decides to…um…intervene. Really liked this one. It’s pretty broad but there are some great touches. We’ve all been in that position where our boyfriend/girlfriend is going to be in close quarters with some attractive dude/chick for a weekend trip or something and in the back of our minds are thinking, “Should I go there?” Of course we never do (well, ahem, most of the time we don’t) but in this case Doug takes it to the extreme, and decides to actually fly his way up to the International Space Station to make sure his girlfriend doesn’t bang Stamp.

With Will Arnet still attached, the project seems to still be on the ground, but instead of being a Fox Atomic production, it’s shifted to the father studio, which could be a good sign. I do like the premise, and like ScriptShadow points out, the story seems pretty relateable.

This is what makes projects like this, Risk, and Battleship intriguing. NO ONE thought of this style of story when playing the original game. This lack of any basic story allows the screenwriters, Theroux being a favorite of mine, to really just go off into any tangents that they want, and while this one just sounds like a rather broad rom-com, it also sounds rather interesting.

At least it’s not off the deep end like Battleship, and not completely crazy stupid like Monopoly, so this is easily my most anticipated board game/old video game adaptation announced yet.

What do YOU think?

Go see something good!

NEWS: Wolfman Getting New Editing Crew...

Talk about a film that just can’t get an honest shake in this world.

It appears that the long-troubled Wolfman remake that Universal is set to release, is broken in more ways than one. The film, a big-budget remake of Universal’s classic monster staple has gone through director changes (Mark Romanek leaving weeks before the start of principal photography), composer changes (Danny Elfman leaving due to delays) and release date shifts (I can’t even come up with a legit number to describe how many release dates this film has had), and now it looks like it hasn’t been edited to the level of quality that the studio would like.

According to an article from Variety, editors Mark Goldblatt and Walter Murch have been picked up by Universal to replace original editor Dennis Virkler, in hopes that they will “recut” the film.

This does not bode well for the already floundering project, one that no matter how interesting the trailers look, and they do, I just can’t get fully behind. Through all of the reshoots and delays, I have somewhat stayed open minded about this film, but honestly, I’m losing more and more hope as the days pass. Not only that, but while the trailers are interesting, it doesn’t look like they are doing anything particularly new with the project.

The Playlist also posits the idea that this may, if the film bombs as I think it will, be the death blow, at least for the time being, for all of Universal’s upcoming monster slate:

"The Wolfman" is supposed to kick-start another cycle of Universal Horror movies, with remakes of "The Bride of Frankenstein" (to be directed by "The Illusionist's" Neil Burger), "The Invisible Man" (courtesy of "Dark Knight" co-screenwriter David S. Goyer) and "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" (for "Sahara's" Breck Eisner).

If "The Wolfman" bombs as bad as it looks like it will, then all of these movies will be stalled indefinitely, for sure, and the studio will find itself in the same place it was in 2004, when the lackluster commercial performance of Stephen Sommers' "Van Helsing" cancelled similar plans for its all-star monster line-up.

I could not agree more. That said, the two editors that they brought in, do hold their own.

Murch has edited such great pieces as Apocalypse Now and The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Goldblatt has done films like The Howling and T2, so you know that these two men can hold their own in an editing room. That said, this whole film just doesn’t seem like it was truly meant to be. Not all of my hope is gone, but honestly, I just don’t see this film making much of a splash critically or monetarily. Where am I proved wrong? Nothing has gone right for this film so far, and while I hope it does come out of that and gives us something worth while, but it looks less and less likely.

That said, who knows.

Go see something good!

NEWS: Young @ Heart Remake?

So we all know that remakes are here to stay, and have not yet stopped to make their way into cinemas across the planet.

Now even the elderly are getting the remake treatment.

Earlier this week, trade sources reported that the Fox Searchlight documentary, the fantastic film Young @ Heart, was going to be remade into a feature length, narrative feature. Yeah, I’ll let the wave of WTF’s come over you. It’s not the only piece of news here that will leave you with that feeling.

The doc itself was a deep look into a group of senior citizens who formed a choir, and performed versions of contemporary songs from bands ranging from Coldplay to The Talking Heads. The doc was a fantastic film, and one that really tugged at the heartstrings, leaving yours truly inspired, while also being a beyond uplifting piece of cinema.

So you would think that this would be a great film to you know, simply watch on DVD? It’s in English, it’s uplifting, and it’s a quick and brisk viewing, so why remake it? Well it is, so here’s the story.

“I’m With Cancer” scribe Will Reiser is in talks to pen the screenplay for Working Title, and there has not been a director named yet. However, that doesn’t stop having a director be “attached” to the project. Who is that director?

It appears that Stephen Daldry, yeah, the director of The Hours and The Reader, is attached to direct the film. Also, the studio, Working Title, is hoping that Daldry will join, as well as Steve Carell, as the lead. I know you all must be saying that this is just a rumor, but that may not be the case.

The news today comes from Pajiba, who have recently had two of their reports, Peter Berg off Dune and Chris Pin starring in The Blade Itself, confirmed. So taken at face value, this appears as though Working Title may just be shooting for stars right now, with a list of actors that would fit if Carrel is out, but it sounds like this may indeed be happening.

I have two different feelings about this film, personally.

First, I hate remakes, so the fact that not only is this film going to be a remake, but a remake of a fantastic and really recent film, that is available at any and all rental stores. It’s beyond excessable, so really, everyone ranging from tween to geriatric can enjoy Young @ Heart without much worry.

That said, I do like Daldry in the directors chair, if it does happen. The Playlist brings up a fantastic point, in that he has had great experience with mixing in inspirational material without going into complete sentimentality, especially with his 2000 film, Billy Elliot, a film I do truly love. However, as much as I love Daldry, the idea of this film, along with the possibility of Carell in the lead leaves me wondering that, instead of a heartwarming look at this group, it’s going to be a Hollywood remake, and that I really can’t get into. Hopefully I will be wrong, but this is on my no hope list.

What do YOU think?

Go see something good!

POSTER: Full Alice In Wonderland Character Banner...

Thanks to The Disloyal Subjects of The Mad Hatter, we now have the full Alice in Wonderland Character Banner to gawk at, which is basically the three released posters, just in one full banner. Pretty sweet actually.



Go see something good!