I ARE MOVIES

Top films of all time

2011-06-08T22:47:00.002-04:00

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Okay, so on my podcast, me and my co-hosts will be doing our 8 favorite films of all time. So that leads me here. I'm trying to whittle the list down to my favorites. Here are some.

Breathless

The Third Man

Fantasia

The Great Dictator

Grave Of The Fireflies

400 Blows

Shoot The Piano Player

8 1/2

Passion Of Joan Of Arc

High And Low

Sunrise

Rio Bravo

Girl Shy

The General

Virgin Spring

A Married Couple

Taxi Driver

Pulp Fiction

Dr. Strangelove

Shadows

Solaris

Le Samourai

Metropolis

Double Indemnity

Repulsion

Taste Of Cherry

Playtime

Tokyo Story

Brief Encounter

Dancer In The Dark

Mon Oncle

Rififi

Gerry

Elephant

Metropolitan

Ace In The Hole

Blood Simple

Annie Hall

Hannah And Her Sister

Vertigo

The Searchers

Some Like It Hot

Jules And Jim

On Sucker Punch: Zack Snyder, Pop Art, And The Title Of Auteur

2011-03-28T00:40:00.002-04:00

Pop art
Noun - A form of art that depicts objects or scenes from everyday life and employs techniques of commercial art and popular illustration.

Auteur
Noun - A filmmaker, usually a director, who exercises creative control over his or her works and has a strong personal style.

With SUCKER PUNCH limping through this weekend, ultimately not only losing to critical negativity but also the top box office slot, much has been said not only about the film, but about its director, one Zack Snyder.

However, I don’t quite think that the discussion has been framed correctly.

Formed in the ‘50s by the writers behind the iconic Cahiers du Cinema, Auteur has become the word with which many film critics and historians have connected with the highest quality of art, and the highest rank of artists. Placed alongside names like Bergman, Hitchcock, Fellini, and the like (or unlike, as the theory would be inspired to say), the title of “auteur” has not only signified an artist with a singular title, but also, one who makes the purest and highest quality of art.

Zack Snyder, as much as one person may appreciate his work, doesn’t quite live up to that billing.

That said, the title of auteur fits right at home next to his name, and in quite an interesting way.

Seemingly inspired by the iconic art movement, where as a name like Olivier Assayas may be the “Punk Rock Auteur,” Zack Snyder is the film world’s pop art iteration of the title.

Snyder embodies through his work, particularly SUCKER PUNCH, a film that for all intents and purposes distills Snyder’s style into a potent potion of misunderstood filmmaking, the idea of pop art. A movement started as a response to consumerism, pop art and pop art artists use previously used materials (and in Snyder’s case, genre tropes, more on that in a moment), removes it from its respective context, and subverts it, in whatever way the artist feels works best.

For Snyder, while he may not use previously used images (I’m thinking something like Godard’s LE HISTOIRE(S) DU CINEMA), he ultimately uses many concepts, tropes, or ideas from the public conscience or genre conventions. Take the first true action set piece in SUCKER PUNCH, particularly the trench sequence. Using almost Kubrickian-style tracking shots, the action is seemingly ripped straight out of a film like SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, where nameless and literally faceless villains are being shot in various ways, explosions surrounding the camera and the person it follows, and a claustrophobic sense of enclosure.

Snyder, in many instances, is the opposite of a Kubrick style filmmaker. The best signal of this dichotomy is this. While you can literally tell both a Kubrick and a Snyder film from its contemporaries, where a director like Kubrick is ultimately inspired by his own work, Snyder is the polar opposite. There is a moment within A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, where you see a copy of the 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY soundtrack sitting in the record store. This is a single that Kubrick had given up being influenced by the past, and instead is now fully his own filmmaker. However, Snyder appears to be the opposite. Even in his choice of source music, it’s rarely ever the original piece (even the Smashing Pumpkins track used in the trailer for WATCHMEN is a neo-rehash/remix of a previous track, with its own history, given its use in a Schumacher BATMAN film), but instead some sort of remix or cover.

Take the opening of SUCKER PUNCH for example. Using a cover of the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams,” the asylum where our lead is placed (The Lennox House) is named after the band’s lead singer, Annie Lennox. It’s little notes like this, that prove while Snyder may not be the world’s most gifted filmmaker, there is truly not a single filmmaker like him.

Overall, say what you will about his films, but director Zack Snyder is as true blue an auteur as there is around. Take a single frame out of any of his films (sans DAWN OF THE DEAD, a film that looking back now, is a much more intriguing film given Snyder’s follow-ups), and you will be hard pressed to name another filmmaker that could have shot them. SUCKER PUNCH is a wonderfully interesting distillation of not only concepts that the director has been working through throughout his career, but also his style. A visually arresting, if horribly paced, look at creativity, the freedom it instills, and free will as a whole, SUCKER PUNCH is also the cinematic manifestation of an artist working through his own mind, and everything that makes it up.

He may not be (and truly isn’t) the greatest of filmmakers, but when it comes to auteur theory, he holds the pop art flag proudly.

[REVIEW] - Sucker Punch

2011-03-25T03:28:00.004-04:00

While I’m not quite sure he’s the type of filmmaker the originators of the concept known as Auteur Theory dreamed would have fit the bill, it goes without saying that director Zack Snyder does just that.

At least it should, after sitting down and watching his latest film, the action packed fever dream that is known as Sucker Punch.

Chock full of every aspect of a Snyder film that makes up a Snyder film, ranging from empowered women to the discussion of free will, Sucker Punch is the cinematic manifestation of what in writing circles is known as the “vomit” draft of a piece. Getting down everything that Snyder’s 14-year-old brain could put down onto celluloid, it’s been polished into a visually striking, if not perfectly paced, look at free will and the ability that art has to truly free anyone and everyone.

Best described as the proverbial wet dream for director Snyder, Sucker Punch may seem like simple eye candy including dragons, scantily clad blondes and 20 foot tall metallic samurai, but it’s far, far more.

The film follows a young girl, Baby Doll, who is institutionalized by her awful stepfather after the death of her mother, and accidental death of her little sister. Shown a way to retreat to an alternate reality, she learns to not only cope with her past, but make it so her future is a lot more free. Teaming up with a foursome of fellow inmates in the asylum, they head out to attempt and escape the facility and the evil people who run it.

While he may not get any screen time, the film’s biggest star is the man behind both the medium and the message, Snyder.

Coming at an interesting point in the director’s career (after a relatively overlooked animated feature in Guardians Of Ga’Hoole, and before his take on Superman), Sucker Punch looks, feels, and even sounds like the manifestation of everything that Snyder stands for as a filmmaker. Visually, the film ooze’s Snyder’s style. Featuring copious amounts of slow-motion, the film is a candy colored piece of pop art that while it may seem a bit disjointed, is held together firmly by the duct tape that is Snyder’s direction. Using great editing and clever (if a tad bit overused) camera tricks, the viewer flows into and out of each specific world or reality without much of an issue or much confusion. Great action set pieces are all throughout this film, featuring some really well done action choreography, and more so, great use of geography during these set pieces. The viewer rarely feels confused within a fight sequence, and while there are a few brief flubs (particularly near the end), it’s overall really well done, and adds a lot of depth to the film.

Same goes for his use of themes, some new to the director, but some not so much.

At its core a film about free will, the themes of this film may shove a bit too hard into the viewer’s face come the film’s final moments, but it’s an absolutely thrilling look at both free will, and the ability for art to lead to freedom. Before retreating to her alternate universe, Baby must hear music, so that she can dance, which is her transport to this new world. From there, she’s as free as one can get. It’s this freedom through performance or art, that makes this writer think that this film is much more than just a candy coated fever dream with a penchant for short skirts and bullets. Also, the film as a whole plays very much like a personal film for Snyder, who as a filmmaker, comes off as one who simply uses the medium to free himself and the thoughts that he has. It’s a really interesting film that doesn’t harp on its themes too hard, leaving the door open for those to simply enjoy the action, or dig quite deep if one so chooses to.

And it helps when you get such entertaining performances as the ones Snyder has gotten here.

Primarily a female led cast, the on screen star of the film has to be Emily Browning, who may not ultimately be asked to do all that much (her performance comes off as a tad bit one note), but gives a really convincing, and ultimately emotionally engrossing performance. There is something about her and her performance that just truly draws the viewer in, and it has nothing to do with the style of dress that Snyder has her wear. It’s ultimately a really interesting narrative, and benefits greatly from the help of this really fantastic performance.

Being the only real bit of masculinity in the film, Oscar Isaac is enjoyably menacing and just downright despicable here as the evil Blue, the ring leader of things behind the scenes. He’s such an awful guy, that while it may seem like a chance for Isaac to Robin Hood-style ham it up, he gives it this slight level of brooding evil, that it really works. Again, it’s quite one note, but it works for the film as a whole.

And then there is Baby’s crew. Led by the second in command, Sweet Pea, the supporting cast here includes Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens and Jamie Chung. Cornish and Malone are the best of the bunch, playing the sister team of Sweet Pea and Rocket. Both give really fantastic performances, and play as the neo-emotional core for the film, particularly when the proverbial crap hits the fan. The final act is very much centered on their relationship, and it’s both believable, and really moving. Hudgens is wasted here, as is Chung, both of which are relegated to the closest versions of eye candy the film really has cast wise. Carla Gugino plays Dr. Vera Gorski here, and is arguably the film’s weakest link, giving a really cartoonish performance, one that didn’t necessarily have to be what it ultimately ended up being. Silly accent and everything, the performance just felt a bit too cartoonish, and for a film like this, that’s saying a lot. Finally, Scott Glenn and Jon Hamm both give tiny performances here, the former being the most charming, and the biggest breath of fresh air.

That said, the film isn’t without flaw.

Overall, while the film as a whole is one that works both aesthetically and intellectually, the film does have a few issues. A few set pieces here have some issues with pacing, which as a whole seems to be an issue with the film holistically. The film is not without engaging aspects, but it’s these brief lapses in overall pacing (I’m looking at you end of second act/start of third), that really takes the viewer out of the film. Also, near the end, the film’s themes begin to be told to the viewer, instead of simply shown through the narrative as a whole. Toss in a few poor performances, and the film is much more mixed than one would previously have hoped.

However, it’s tough to say that these flawed ultimately effected my experience.

Overall, while it may be so in spite of itself, Sucker Punch is an awe inspiring visually charged piece of filmmaking that is wholly original, and wholly Zack Snyder. From a soundtrack chock full of fantastic remixes and covers to a style that takes things like samurais and ogres, tosses them into a blend, and then uses the remnants as paint to toss on this canvas, Sucker Punch is a piece of modern pop art from the modern day pop art auteur. An interesting look at free will and art, the film may ultimately be deeply flawed, but to say that it’s not an engaging and truly deep piece of filmmaking would be to do this film a great disservice.

Far from perfect, Sucker Punch doesn’t truly try to be. It’s a rough, in your face piece of filmmaking, and one that, if you give it a chance, will leave you talking, not only about what the hell you just saw visually.

GRADE ------ B

[REVIEW] - Sanctum

2011-02-04T20:09:00.001-05:00

While there may not be a better combo of credits to promote a film with, economically, than the names James Cameron and AVATAR, apparently that doesn’t mean anything qualitative.

Receiving a producing credit on the film, SANCTUM marks the return, of sorts, to the film world for the man who this time last year, was basking in the glory of the highest grossing film ever made, the aforementioned blue cat person sci-fi film. And while AVATAR is ultimately a fun film, SANCTUM not only features a dreadfully cliché narrative like the film that made this one possible, but it ultimately fails on a wholly cinematic level.

Directed by Alister Grierson, SANCTUM follows a group of adventurers, as they attempt to explore one of the world’s last yet-to-be-accessed cave system. Featuring a cast of relatively smaller named actors, the film has all the makings of something really intriguing. The mixture of James Cameron producing, interesting visuals, and inherent tension from the fact that it takes place in a cave, should have meant easy cinematic math, resulting in an answer equal to or greater than a solid piece of cinema, right?

Yeah, this isn’t that.

Ultimately, the film’s biggest flaw comes within the narrative. Based on a screenplay penned by John Garvin and Andrew Wight (who also gets the story credit on the film), SANCTUM isn’t necessarily a poorly written film. There are a few great moments of character development here, and while it itself is also part of the film’s overall problem, the relationship between the father and the son, script wise, works.

That said, the relationship is completely trite, cheap and cliché, that while it may work conceptually, it does nothing to set itself apart from films of its ilk, and it also says nothing about father/son relationships or how they work. It’s a fine piece of writing structurally, but even there, you see the series of events, and after the first mishap, the film pans out like a quarterback screaming out to a receiver to prepare to catch a pass. You’ll be the cornerback more than willing to pick it off early, walk out, and feel much better for not having waited to see what you expected to happen come true (sorry, I’m in a Super Bowl type of mood).

Grierson himself does save a lot of this material. The inner cave shots, of which make up the majority of the film, are really breathtaking, despite some hackney CGI. However, it is the underwater shots that really save the film. They look absolutely fantastic, and have a great sense of depth and scope to them, ultimately making the film seem far broader and far more interesting than it actually and truthfully is.

The film’s cast dismantles much of his work however.

You know you are in a bit of trouble when Ioan Gruffudd is your biggest star, and he makes good on that very worry. He stars as the financier of the expedition, a free spirit named Carl, and gives one of the most laughable performances I’ve seen in some time. It’s tonally all over the place, but with his arch completely telegraphed by the writers, you feel no emotional connection to him or his plight. Alice Parkinson is completely cartoonish as his girlfriend Victoria, who gives line readings like she’s giving a sermon, just without the conviction. Richard Roxburgh and Rhys Wakefield play father and son Frank and Josh, and while they themselves give fine performances for what they are asked, their characters seem to come right out of a screenwriter’s text book. Dan Wyllie is ultimately the star, but is absolutely wasted here as the comedic relief, George. It’s a really fun performance, that gets no room to breath.

Overall, this film doesn’t do much cartoonishly wrong. However, it has no pretentions at doing anything of much at all. It’s a horribly cliché film that seems to be ripped right out of the pages of any Screenwriting 101 textbook. Cameron may have had his hands on the film, but if so, I’d really like to see his work, because he and this film’s crew botched a pretty easy equation of cinematic entertainment.

SANCTUM – 4/10

[REVIEW] - Black Swan

2011-01-30T16:45:00.000-05:00

In Darren Aronofsky I trust.

With only five films under his belt (Black Swan being the director’s fifth film), director Darren Aronofsky has both become the most viscerally interesting director of his generation, as well as one who seems to grow, change, and shift with each new picture.

Moving from the MTV-style punk auteur who created such energetic looks into obsession as Pi and the brilliant Requiem For A Dream, Aronofsky has not only made one of the decade past’s most epic and misunderstood masterpieces in The Fountain, but done much more.

His latest, the haunting look into the world of ballet that is Black Swan, sees the second film in this new, neo-neo realist, almost Dardenne Brothers-like cinema verite style that has now become his staple. Toss in a collection of top tier performances, and you have a film that’s not only the year’s best, but an absolute Masters class in style and genre.

Black Swan stars Natalie Portman, and follows a veteran dancer, Nina, who must come to terms with finally getting the role of her dreams, The Swan Queen. A “brilliant” ballet director, played by Vincent Cassel, has cast the dancer in a “real, stripped down, and visceral” take on the classic Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ballet. However, the “sweet girl” must ultimately come to grips with her inner “Black Swan,” which ultimately starts to slowly take a toll not only on the dancer’s body, but more so her mind, particularly after a new girl is brought into the company by the director.

A mixture of Roman Polanski style psychological horror, In My Skin style body horror, and the 16mm auteur style seemingly rooted with Aronfosky’s own essence, Black Swan is a visual treastice on the artistic experience. It’s also much more than that. It’s the best film of the year.

Part of the trilogy of films that I’ve deemed Aronofsky’s “Mind, Body (The Wrestler) and Soul (The Fountain)” trilogy, Black Swan is the quintessential psychological horror film. The atmosphere instilled here by the director is so perfectly realized, that while much of what happens on screen truly does happen, more times than not the viewer is left contemplating if they too have gone a bit off the edge. A simple look at a painting, a brief glimpse at a passing woman, or movement within the background of the stunningly grainy frame, you are never quite at ease within this world.

Featuring the director’s patented behind the shoulder tacking shot, Black Swan is seemingly a manifestation of many things that he attempted to touch on both thematically and visually within something like his previous film, The Wrestler. Very much about a person completely giving oneself over to his or her craft, Black Swan is a stunningly intense feature. However, it’s Nina who proves to be the most interesting piece of thematic material.

Inherently, this film is about the artistic experience and the ability for one to truly become lost within his or her respective art. That said, with our lead, the film also proves that to become a truly great artist, there must be a sense of self destructiveness, or at least an ease with that concept. Ultimately, without being at ease with the idea that this art may ultimately take more than your time, one can never truly touch either their inner most darkness, nor the precipice of true art.

It’s this sense of danger, and something being just a tad bit off, that keeps the viewer both inherently engaged within this narrative, but also engaged with what is taking place within the frame. Aronofsky never quite shows the viewer his complete hand, always leaving something off about each frame. Be it an operatic sound cue, or the sound of faint words being uttered somewhere within the depths of our troubled protagonist, this is a masterwork in both thematic depth, and the setting of true, haunting atmosphere.

Oh, and the acting here is really damn good to boot.

Giving a career defining performance, Portman plays Nina as not only a truly brilliant dancer (doing much of her own dancing as well), but as a girl so inherently unable to give herself over to life. Not darkness, but life in general. Still living with her mother, Nina is a frighteningly weak woman, looking for nothing more than cold, clinical perfection. There is so much depth within this role, and while it could have ultimately been played far more theatrically, there is a sense of truth given to this role, that makes it truly the year’s most raw and energetic performance. Oscar should be knocking at her door anytime now.

The supporting cast is also top notch. Barbara Hershey turns in an Oscar worthy performance as Nina’s trouble mother, who herself was a gifted dancer, until she ultimately had to choose her daughter over furthering her career. There is this off putting dichotomy between being an overbearing mother, and yet one so heavily steeped in jealousy that when the bomb under the table finally goes off, it’s one hell of an explosion.

Mila Kunis is equally as great here as the sexy and free-spirited Lily, and is absolutely on fire here. She’s not asked to do much thematically, but what she does perfectly is play the absolute polar opposite of our lead, which ultimately leads her to becoming the thing that pushes our lead over the mental edge. Kunis is absolutely stunning visually, which makes her role in Nina’s change all the more believable. This woman must be absolutely stunning to get such a worrisome woman to drink the night before her big day, and while that’s in the bag for the beautiful actress, the fire she gives this performance is absolutely pitch perfect.

Winona Ryder is great here as the aging Beth Macintyre, and rounding out the cast is Vincent Cassel, who becomes the film’s weak link. He isn’t asked to do much, but what he does is gives a performance that feels like a performance. In a film that looks and feels so visceral and raw, the performance is ultimately out of place in this neo-neo-realist thriller. He fits the role perfectly; just visually off-putting enough, and truly convicted in the dictum he spouts, but is undone by a script that doesn’t quite do the character justice.

That said, it’s truly Darren Aronofsky’s motion picture.

Drenched in Polanski-like dread, Black Swan is much more than a thriller, thanks to its director. With a frame that’s as visually alive as it’s stunningly choreographed ballet sequences, the film dances so poetically on the edge of ultimately becoming camp. Featuring absurdist moments of body horror, and equally jarring moments of true dread, Aronofsky’s hand is so intensely assured here, that one has to think that he himself has already come to terms with the artistic experience.

Darren Aronofsky’s sly re-telling of the ballet of the same name, Black Swan is a horror film unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Small and intimate, the film deals with themes ranging from what it means to create art and what that entails, to something far more minute like a mother-daughter relationship. With a claustrophobic cinema-verite touch, Black Swan is simply the best film of the year.

Aronofsky leapt off the artistic edge. And we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful landing.

BLACK SWAN – 9.5/10

Go see something good!

[REVIEW] - 127 Hours

2011-01-30T16:42:00.001-05:00

Sometimes, stories that are bred out of the headlines can be a mixed bag when being converted to the big screen.

With various biopics hitting on both the great side (Ali pops into mind) and less-than-great side (Walk The Line is a perfect example of this) of the quality spectrum, there may not be a single more difficult task within the world of film than attempting to make a single entities’ time on this earth interesting cinematically.

However, in the hands of someone like Danny Boyle, the life, or at least one moment within that very life, of canyoner Aaron Ralston has, conceptually, the makings for a film that would land on the plus side of that sliding scale. You have a single moment of one man’s life, a stunningly gifted filmmaker, and a harrowing tale of true human strength and perseverance, all with one of today’s more interesting actors, James Franco, as the top billed acting talent. How could this ever possibly go wrong one would think?

Well, despite becoming something of a pop culture entity, with various reports of patrons fainting during festival and theatrical screenings of the film (and even more reports of ambulances being placed outside of those very screenings), it has also become one of this year’s most upsetting disappointments of the year.

127 Hours, the latest film from director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Slumdog Millionaire), follows a mountain climber named Aron Ralston, who after heading out to the canyons outside of Moab, Utah, becomes trapped after his arm becomes stuck between a canyon wall and a boulder. Ralston, who neglected to inform those in his life where he would be during the trip, then must resort to whatever measure he possibly can to free himself. The film is based on Ralston’s autobiography, Between A Rock And A Hard Place, and has become one of 2010’s biggest Oscar players.

However, it’s also one of its bigger messes.

The real star of this film is James Franco, who not only gives the single greatest performance of his young career, but gives far and away the year’s best male performance, at least at this point. Ralston is a truly charismatic young man, who is not only an adventurous young soul, but one who doesn’t fit within the normal constraints of the real world. The rugged terrain of a mountain or canyon are the places this free spirit calls home, and those he comes across, like two perky young girls he meets during the extent of this film, are simply fleeting moments of social interaction.

Those very words are oozed out of every pore by Franco here, who brings a completely fleshed out take on this man, and in turn, gives us one of the most breathtakingly heartbreaking performances of the year. Drenched in so much energy, and yet so much regret and melancholy, the film may seem like your run of the mill Gatorade commercial at the outset, but with the film’s true narrative starting once the boulder falls, the film shifts into something holistically flawed, but performance wise, utterly stunning.

Rounding out the film’s main cast are a trio of actresses; Lizzy Caplan (Ralston’s sister Sonja), Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn, the latter two playing the hiking duo of Megan and Kristi, two young girls Aron meets before becoming trapped. While none of these three are given anything to do (particularly Caplan), both Mara and Tamblyn add a bit of life to a film that while it may not need it, definitely enjoys its company. Other than that, the film is the James Franco show, and for that, it’s wholly worth your time and money.

That said, the film’s other point of interest, director Danny Boyle, doesn’t quite live up to his end of the deal.

Following up his rather cliché and uninteresting pile of slop better known as the 2008 award winning film Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle continues his streak of MTV style filmmaking that while entertaining, does this film, much like it did Slumdog, a complete disservice. The equivalent of a Mountain Dew commercial on steroids put together by a doctor on acid, 127 Hours is a visual feast of a film, that is ultimately undone due to the overwhelming style that Boyle instills in this film.
The primary flaw in the filmmaking here is twofold, but falls under one deciding factor: artifice. Featuring a cavalcade of jarring cinematic staples like obnoxiously off-putting product placement, and the ever present dream sequence, the film ultimately feels just like that, a film, thanks to Boyle’s love for overbearing moments that are as cliché as anything that word’s ever helped describe.

127 Hours opens perfectly. You get a beautifully poetic coda, set to some lively music from Free Blood, looking at people going about their days, in the hustle and bustle world known as their lives. Then, we jump into that very same thing, but for Ralston, a man who doesn’t deem it important to hold himself to those boundaries that others do. However, from there we get a series of moments ranging from simply cliché dream sequences, to truly silly moments of premonition, that instead of adding to the overall experience, remind the viewer that yes, this thing that is in front of them is indeed a film. Toss in an equally intrusive score from composer A. R. Rahman, and you have the makings of a relatively mediocre mess of a exercise in hamfisted filmmaking.

That all said, the film is ultimately saved by not only a great, Oscar-worthy performance, but an equally fantastic script. The film is inherently about human nature and the extent to which any of us would go to not only live and see our loved ones again, but to try, in any way possible, save the relationships that make us human, and that comes across perfectly in this film. It may be the great performance, but the screenplay, from Boyle and writing partner Simon Beaufoy, is quite stunning. Dual cinematographers Anthony Dod Mantle and Enrique Chediak (the former continuing his career long streak of brilliant visual pieces such as Antichrist and In The Mood For Love) and while the film as a whole may be a mess, there are more than enough to warrant a viewing.

Overall, 127 Hours ultimately succeeds and being a stunning performance piece, but fails equally at being an interesting and visually compelling piece of filmmaking. Featuring a brilliant performance from Franco, and equally stunning cinematography and writing, the film isn’t a dreadful watch, just a true disappointment best saved for a rental. With all the makings in the world to be one of the best biopics cinema has yet seen, instead of leaving me thinking about what I had just seen, I was left thinking what could have been if it were in someone else’s hands.

Werner Herzog is calling, he wants the film he was born to make back.

127 HOURS – 7/10

Go see something good!

[REVIEW] - A Somewhat Gentle Man

2011-01-30T16:40:00.000-05:00

While many people may focus ultimately on the lower quality, Hollywood fair, that often clogs the drain that is the dumping ground known as January, it is often the world of indie or foreign releases that truly save the beginning of a respective year from being nearly unbearable.

One of those very films, at least conceptually, is Hans Petter Moland’s latest effort, the Stellan Skarsgard-starring neo noir, A Somewhat Gentle Man. I mean, it’s really just simple math: interesting filmmaker, plus great lead actor, has to equal a solid film, right?

Well, when it comes to A Somewhat Gentle Man, it does. But only slightly.

Gentle Man follows a recently released convict, named Ulrik, who is released after serving 12 years for murder. Coming out, his world has changed holistically. He must deal with his crew, an ex, a few new women, a snitch, his son, and his forthcoming grandchild, which all have decisions that must be made. Some decisions are easy, so are difficult. However, this film follows this somewhat gentle man’s return to what we all call life.

The film’s star is the man behind the camera, and the style and aesthetic he crafts here. Oozing a sense of noir style that would make the Coen brothers blush with flattery, the film is very much in the vein of films like Fargo or specifically something like Miller’s Crossing, in the best way possible. A very cold and seemingly sterile film visually, there isn’t much going on within the frame, except straightforward visuals, that revel in being lo-fi stylistically. Really a breath of fresh air for what has been so far a rather bloated and unbearable obnoxious first month of 2011. The violence is completely and utterly blunt in the best and most visceral way possible, as is every line within the film, and it is this Coen-esque style, from palette to framing, that makes the film utterly compelling on a solely visual level

That said, the film also has a flaw within its core, which is almost insurmountable.

Within this really compelling bit of pulp narrative, the use of sex is nearly offensive. Seemingly mocking the sexuality of one of its characters, it is this character that is ultimately used as nothing more than a glorified plot device, which instead of being funny, is nearly offensive. Thankfully, a relationship that isn’t dreadful also plays a part of the film, which is actually one of the film’s strongest suits.

The film’s true strong suit however, is its wonderful acting.

Spearheading the film are a trio of really great performances. Skarsgard is great as the brooding, and yet truly “gentle” Ulrik, in one of the more interesting performances he’s given in quite some time. He’s one of today’s most interesting thespians, and while he is often relegated to films like Mama Mia, it is his work in such films as this that truly prove that. Jannike Kruse is the film’s real star, giving a wonderfully sweet, warm, and truly compelling performance as Ulrik’s love interest, Merete. Rounding out a great cast is Jan Gunnar Roise, as Ulrik’s estranged son, Geir. The relationship between Ulrik and Geir is ultimately the film’s most compelling aspect narratively, as it’s one of the only relationships that truly feels fleshed out. There is a sense of undying love between the two, maybe a mutual respect, that when the action begins to fall within their relationship, it’s utterly heartbreaking.

That said, the film ultimately fails itself at the very outset.

While wonderfully deadpan, the film’s screenplay and overall narrative is the physical embodiment of mediocrity. There is a great sense of dark humor that only sees brief moments of life, with the film relying on its lifeless sense of sentimentality to truly move the plot and the characters forward.

There is something to be said for a narrative like this. We as humans have an inherent sense of control over our given lives. However, what happens when that life falls into the hands of outside forces? That is, at this films core, the main thesis being discussed here. And while there are great glimpses into a world like that, such as the relationship between father and son shown so brilliantly here, we are instead given this absurdly limp and thematically sterile noir comedy, which prays on simple and uninteresting plot points to draw attention and emotion out of the audience.

Overall, the film isn’t a poor one. Featuring a fantastic collection of performances, the film’s visual style is overly compelling, doing the film more than a fair share of favors. A great turn by Stellan Skarsgard spearheading this film, fans of noir and dark comedies will find quite a bit to enjoy here. However, as a whole, the film doesn’t quite hit the mark. Jettisoning its inherently existential premise for a series of sentimental moments connected by straightforward line readings and one nearly offensive female character, the film ultimately leaves you feeling as though you missed out on something. Or not that you missed out on something, but something is wholly missing. A heart. A brain. Something is missing from this limp, cold, lifeless corpse of a film. Something at all. Something to make this film more than a disposable piece of cinema. Something to give this film traction. Something.

A SOMEWHAT GENTLE MAN – 5/10

Go see something good!

[REVIEW] - Kaboom

2011-01-30T16:39:00.001-05:00

While he often finds himself compared to director’s like David Lynch, there are truly very few filmmakers quite like Gregg Araki.

Best known for his 2004 film Mysterious Skin, the filmmaker is back to his relatively dark and darkly comedic world after a brief departure into lighter fare with 2007’s Smiley Face, this time, with a tale of sex, corruption, more sex, and the occult.

Oh, and some more sex.

His latest film, Kaboom, has just hit theaters, and follows the story of an 18-year-old college freshman who, prior to his 19th birthday, stumbles upon a conspiracy in a Southern California seaside town. Written and helmed by Araki, the film has found comparisons to narratives like Twin Peaks, which, along with a top tier cast of up and coming thespians, definitely peaked my interest.

And for once, my high expectations were not completely shattered, as this may very well be Araki’s best film since his stunning masterpiece, Mysterious Skin. It’s an absolute mind-bending winner of a film.

The film’s true star is not quite Araki’s direction, but it’s the skill he has behind the pen. Like an interesting mix between a show like Skins and film like Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, the film lacks the off putting nature of angst that makes a show like Skins nearly unbearable for those who lack prescription drug problems, and while it may lack the creativity that makes a film like Fire Walk With Me the classic that I truly believe it to be, it’s the film’s sense of humor that makes this an absolute must see.

The film’s narrative itself isn’t all that new. A series of murders have been taking place in a seemingly innocuous town, and our lead, along with his right hand girl and his love interest, go on the trail to hunt down just what exactly is going on. However, the film is richly written, in both its darkly comedic dialogue as well as its low-key sense of science fiction, which makes this otherwise cliché narrative, truly out of this world. There is a sense of in your face, almost punk rock audacity that while causing for a few stale beats, particularly near the end when the exposition begins to truly set in, ultimately makes this film far more charming than your run of the mill indie film. Truly a punk rock science fiction thriller, the film is in your face, uncompromising, and an absolute blast.

However, all would be for naught if it weren’t for this film’s cast, which may feature three of my favorite performances of the past 12 months.

Thomas Dekker stars here as our ambisexual lead, Smith, in a revelatory performance. While this performance oozes emo angst that would make a Hot Topic patron blush in self referential disdain, the performance is also full of comedic moments, all of which are delivered with this wonderful sense of brutal bluntness that really adds this level of depth to an already deep acting picture. Not a world shattering performance, but he’s charming as all hell, and for a film like this, that really adds a lot.

However, it’s the ladies that have this writer fawning over this film.

Joining Dekker are Haley Bennett and Juno Temple as Smith’s best friend Stella, and his new “love” interest London respectively, and both give absolutely amazing performances. Temple is the perfect free spirit here, with a sense of confidence that even leaves the viewer willing to walk up to a stranger and make out, and the banter between Bennett and Dekker may be some of my favorite interchanges I’ve seen in a very long time. Bennett is a perfect opposite to our lead, and really shines in her subplot with a witch, Lorelei.

Araki’s visual sensibilities really allow the action on screen to shine as well.

The director's frame is definitely a loving one, llingering on our leads as if they were that person we eye from across the bar, and sly uses of editing, particularly near the end, really give hope that one day, Araki will reach outside of his comfort zone, which he is directly settled in with Kaboom. Kaboom is vintage Araki in both his blunt use of the camera, and his audacious use of narrative and narrative structure, that even though the things on screen seem absolutely bonkers, there is this lingering feeling that leaves you wondering if a conspiracy like this could actually exist. It’s a really compelling, if not all that inventive piece of direction, that is ultimately more audacious than it is creative. And I loved every minute of it.

A sci-fi fever dream of an ode to screwball comedies, Kaboom is more than just your run of the mill, brooding indie film. It is an audacious look at sex, sexual experimentation, and what it’s like to be a teen, searching for something to cling on to. Some may dismiss this film as nothing more than Araki being Araki, but Kaboom is much more than that. It’s fun, funny, full of an audacious heart, and one of the most compelling sci-fi films I’ve seen in a very long time, despite a final 20 minutes that seems to be more exposition than inventive explanation. Simply put, this is 2011’s first true must see film.

Kaboom – 8.5/10

Go see something good!

[REVIEW] - The Rite

2011-01-30T16:38:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, all that’s really needed to brighten up a relatively slow, uninteresting, or just plain poor slump of movies, is a good old scare. There is nothing quite like, cheap or not, getting your pants scared off you to make the January doldrums a little less hard to take.

And then there are films like The Rite. Films that not only have no true reason for existence, but also shove your face into the mud that is the pile of dung left in the wake of Hollywood studios giggling all the way to the bank after dumping a load of cinematic crap right onto the proverbial chest of filmgoers. Films that take admittedly interesting plots, and turn them into unwatchable pieces of celluloid so easily, that you are left thinking that the filmmaker and the people involved have it out for the public.

Films that just simply do not work, on even the campiest of levels.

Films like The Rite.

Directed by Mikael Hafstrom, The Rite follows a young American priest, who, despite is floundering faith, decides to travel to Italy to study with the hopes of becoming an exorcist. After meeting a wayward exorcist, the young man must not only battle his own thoughts on faith, but some shockingly cliché and trite moments of wannabe horror.

When talking about horror films, while most of the focus may be on the ability of the film to truly scare you, what makes a good horror film just that, is the ability for the film to be economic in every sense of filmmaking. From the use of plot and dialogue, to the nature of the scares, the more economical the film, the better, just ask someone like Wes Craven. Red Eye is the perfect example of this.

And The Rite is the worst.

The film’s biggest flaw is that most of the film is simply either wholly cliché, or simply superficial. From the use of subtitles in a very specific and jarring classroom scene (the scene itself is used as nothing more than a plot point to bring our two students together), to entire scenes (I’m looking at you whoever added a scene of our lead pissing while being gawked at by a religious statue), the film is hilariously long. Clocking in at 112 minutes, the film could have stood the loss of a good thirty minutes, without much of an issue.

However, the longer length would have been understandable had the film been narratively or thematically compelling. The film relies heavily on previous exorcism films, even mentioning a point from one of the genre’s most iconic, and then scoffing at it, showing the audaciously large balls that this film unjustly believes it has. Our lead is unconvincing in his wavering faith, particularly when the falling action begins, and he is shown truly behind the curtain and to what’s going on here. The film leaves no doubt as to what has happened, thus giving us a clean ending, which for a film focusing so heavily on the idea of what it means to have faith, and what faith itself means, is really uninteresting and neo-repulsive.

That said, the film’s biggest sin may be placed on the film’s cast as a whole.

Starring Anthony Hopkins, Colin O’Donoghue and Alice Braga, the film lacks any performances worth their weight in method preparation, and while Hopkins does bring it home near the end (particularly with a thrust of the back of his hand near the end of the film, which is one of the film’s first and only inspired moments), it’s far too little, much too late. O’Donoghue lacks any depth as our lead, and is about as convincing in this role as yours truly would be in the role of a wooden block. Actually, that is the perfect role for O’Donoghue, come to think of it. Alice Braga is fine here, as she’s always a joy to watch on screen, but her character as a whole has little reason to exist, thus making all of her moments seem wholly false, and entirely superficial.

Director Hafstrom does the film no favors either. Visually as cliché as the film is narratively, The Rite has poor set design, and this sense of sterility in both its visual style directorially, as well as its style cinematically that really leaves you at arm’s length from the film. Clinically framed, Hafstrom does very little within the frame to excite the viewer, and does even less to leave you on the edge of your seat. For a horror/thriller, this film lacked any terror both on screen, and in the viewer’s mind, which is ultimately a problem found at the film’s very core.

Despite a few choice moments near the film’s conclusion, The Rite is one of the most superficial and long winded horror/thrillers I’ve seen in some time. A horror film without much horror, and a thriller without a single thrill, a film so focused on the concept of the questioning of faith, did instill that very thought in my mind. However, instead of questioning my religious faith, I was left questioning my faith in the world of modern horror filmmaking. Hell, humanity seems a little less honorable after this damn thing.

THE RITE - 2/10

Go see something good!

[REVIEW] - Rage

2011-01-30T16:35:00.000-05:00

There are very few filmmakers that seem to bring with the simple addition of their name to a film, an automatic sense of credibility or inherent respect quite like the man himself, Guillermo del Toro.

Whether it be producing credits on films like The Orphanage, or his upcoming writing credit on Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit, del Toro has taken his insane amount of and truly turned it into something of a father figure, furthering on the careers of young, up and coming filmmakers.

The latest to get the del Toro bump, Sebastian Cordero, is back with his follow up to his well loved sophomore effort, Chronicles, and while it may seem to just have del Toro’s name attached as a producer, not only is this film covered in del Toro’s light touch, but it’s also a genuinely well crafted, engaging, and well acted thriller. Rage is shares quirks with films like Cronos as much as it does the erotic voyeuristic thrillers of Brian De Palma.

Rage follows the story of a construction worker who, after accidentally killing a man after confronting him about recently being fired, hides in a mansion where his girlfriend is working as a maid. A story of rage on the truest plain conceptually, the film is a romantic thriller that looks at what happens to a man who literally loses everything, ranging from relationships with his girlfriend and the outside world, to ultimately the sanity that makes you and I human.

However well conceived the film truly may be though, all would be undone if it weren’t for this collection of really fantastic performances.

Starring Gustavo Sanchez Parra as our film’s lead, Jose Maria, the film relies on his performance from the very outset. Thankfully, he knocks it out of the park. The film is drenched in this sense of melodrama that extends into the performances, but they as a whole, particularly Parra’s, feels so real within this given world. This man has literally lost everything that makes him human, and while it may be slight in the grand scheme of things, you get this great sense of true building rage within this performance, that is simply just lights up the screen. He himself is the bomb under the table in this film, and its one hell of a time watching it slowly tick down to zero.

Playing his love interest is the wonderful and beautiful Martina Garcia as the maid, Rosa. She is perfectly cast in this roll, and while it’s hard to believe that a woman like this would stick around for a man who had killed a man, there is a sense of truth within the performance (and a certain plot point definitely helps the plot move forward), that really gives way to a great counterpoint to the overtly brooding performance from Parra.

Rounding out the cast are four really great supporting performances from Alex Brendemuhl, Concha Velasco, Xabier Elorriaga, and Iciar Bollain. The four of them play the family that Rosa is the maid for, and they really give this sense of reality to this otherwise hyper-melodramatic story. Great supporting performances can really hold a film together, and these four are the general glue that keeps this film from falling into the realm of high class telenovela.

That said, the premise, and often the writing, don’t hold the film to that relatively high standard.

Written by Cordero, and based on a novel penned by Sergio Bizzio, the film is an inherently compelling narrative, the writing here doesn’t do it any favors. Often putting the film’s main thesis right into the ether that the film creates, Cordero doesn’t quite take the same sense of subtlety that he does with his frame as he does here in the script. A script ripped straight out of a Lifetime movie, the cast here has to pull more than their fair share of weight, and while it ultimately works as a campy B-thriller, Cordero doesn’t do himself any favors on the written page.

That said, he does save himself visually.

Seemingly taking cues from both del Toro and a filmmaker like De Palma, Rage has this sense of up front and real world brutality that gives the early films of del Toro their sense of raw filmmaking aesthetic. Pair this with a voyeuristic sense of thrilling eroticism, and you have a low-key thriller that takes more than its fair share of cues from the aforementioned filmmakers. In the dingy world of thrillers, the film gives the viewer a breath of fresh air both visually and thematically, bringing you a visually visceral look at a man losing his sanity and his humanity.

Overall, while the film may lack a screenplay that is worth its weight in pulp, the film thrives on a fantastic collection of performances, as well as an assured filmmaker at its core. A breath of fresh air in the world of feature film thrillers, Rage is a relatively single location film that makes the most of its creepy location and relatively intriguing themes.

While it may not be the strongest film ever made, but for fans of thrillers, this is definitely a must see picture.

Rage – 7.5/10

Go see something good!

MY APOLLO

2010-09-08T22:27:00.002-04:00

So, yeah, I don't do poetry.

However, for a creative writing class, I have been asked to write just that.

For an assignment, I was asked to take a piece of text, in this case my copy of the famous Batman trade, The Long Halloween, and take the text within, and create a poem out of the prose from within the piece.

That's where My Apollo has come from. I turned to a random page, in which Harvey Dent and his wife Gilda are talking. From there, I took a line from the discussion, and the idea of this piece came. It is basically a letter to Harvey, from Gilda, proclaiming that she's leaving him. I think it works, but hey, I'm not a poet, so whatever. Let me know what you think below! :D

- Josh -

MY APOLLO

We need to talk
Where are you?
What's happened to Harvey?
I knew
When you came home late that night
A secret no one will ever find out
Why Harvey?
Looking for something?
Trying to hide from one demon
Only to find another
I guess
Never ask a question
You don't want the answer to
What if I'm wrong?
I pray I'm wrong
We're moving
Enough of this already
Starting over in a new house
A second chance
You're insane
Married on a gray and grisly Wednesday
Couldn't we make it special?
How do I fix this mess?
Things woulda been differennt
Thought you'd wanna know
Have good dreams.
You are my Apollo.

REVIEW: The Last Airbender

2010-07-03T22:57:00.005-04:00

Coming into this weekend, you had two films that ran the spectrum of expectations.

First, there was The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which looked like a dreadful fang covered soap opera of a melodrama, and didn’t have much, outside of a great soundtrack and David Slade as a director, going for it. Then there was The Last Airbender. Based off of what I, and many, consider one of this generations most stunning television shows, the film looked visually striking, but coming from one M. Night Shyamalan, had all of us walking on eggshells going into the film.

Well I’ll be damned, expectations can really be a bitch some times, and this is exactly one of them, because I would never had expected the outcomes to be so vastly different than one could have expected. Never have I would have thought that a film could be so utterly disappointing as the one featuring the bald kid with the power of air, earth, water and fire.

The Last Airbender follows the story of Aang, the latest in a long line of people known as Avatars. These rare and special breed of people, all reborn from the same soul, are able to bend the four essential elements, of water, earth, air and fire. The Fire Nation is on the hunt, and enslaving any that get in their way in hopes of completely ruling the world. This is the story of Aang, and his two friends, Sokka and Katara, who will help him on his quest. However, it’s a story that has already been told, and this is definitely not a welcome addition to the series.

Personally, expectations were high for this film. First, I utterly adore Shyamalan and much of his work, particularly Unbreakable, Signs, Sixth Sense, and if drunk off my rocker, The Happening. Second, and more importantly, this story is based off of what I think may quite be the best animated television series ever put to television. It’s a basic heroes journey, but the sheer scale, style, and magnitude of the story, makes this a show that is not only a must see, but watchable like none other.

However, here, we get a horribly written, poorly paced, and thematically obnoxious piece of cinema that offers very few reasons to watch.

While many people have been calling this the worst film of the year, as it’s now the worst reviewed film of the year on Rotten Tomatoes, I do have to disagree. The film isn’t nearly as disgustingly vile as a horrible and utterly dreadful film like Grown Ups, or as boring and eventless as a film like Dear John, as this does have some solid aspects.

First and foremost, the film looks fantastic. Shyamalan is a master behind the camera, particularly in engrossing the viewer cinematically into either the world in and of itself, or a particular fight scene. The fight’s are visually impressive, ILM is doing fantastic stuff effects wise, and while the costumes are laughably cartoonish, almost Street Fighter-esque, I do believe, visually, that this world exists. Also, while the score is cliché and completely rehashed from previous adventure films, it does work for the film. It’s not the most original thing Howard Shore has done, but it isn’t anything dreadful. Just completely serviceable, which may be a bigger sin than if it were off, but I’ll let it slide.

That my friends, is where the positives stop, and they stop with a thud.

To me, the film’s major sin is something that Shyamalan has gone on record saying is a dream of his. Within the original series, the great thing about it was that it’s themes, while apparent, weren’t punching you in the jaw every moment. However, here you get lines like “I want to show the Fire Nation that we believe in our beliefs as much as they believe in theirs.” Not only that, but the themes as a whole are continually thrust into your face, which no matter if I agree with it or not, would be hard to take in. While I don’t believe in the overtly Christian themes that Shyamalan is verbally happy to give us, I would be fine with it, if it were far less obvious and hamfisted. It is simply too jarring that completely takes you out of what is best described as a classic hero’s tale.

Now, there has been much talk behind the changing of the lead character’s races, in the case of Zuko, Katara and Sokka. With Zuko being of seemingly Caucasian background, and Katara and Sokka of Inuit (apparently the ethnicity of the village in the film) or Middle Eastern decent, the races have been completely switched here, making it a story of good ole’ Caucasians being attacked by extremists of Middle Eastern decent. Sure, that in and of itself is horrible and really jarring when in Katara and Sokka’s village, but what is even worse, is that the three just don’t work.

Noah Ringer is fine here as Aang, however, both Nicola Peltz and Jackson Rathbone are really poor here. Peltz is as wooden as one could imagine, and Rathbone lacks any of the charm, comedic timing, or true character features that made Sokka such a watchable and loveable figure. Patel is menacing as Zuko, but also lacks any of the darker undertones that really made the character a powerful and dark figure within the original series. Appa is pretty much a none character here, which is a real shame, because as a fan of the series, some of the show’s best aspects come between Aang and his trusty six legged flying whatever-he-is.

Overall, while the film is definitely not the worst of the year, actually, it’s not even close, it is indeed one of the year’s biggest disappointments. It doesn’t fail on every level, but it also excels in very few, making this one of the year’s most underwhelming and mediocre films. It’s not challenging, not offensive, not fun, not dreadful, and it’s not inspiring. It’s simply a film that you will see, and then never remember the next day. It’s like that boring party that you simply go to for a free night of binge drinking. You won’t remember it the next day, and after you go through it, you’ll feel empty and used.

THE LAST AIRBENDER – 3/10

James Cameron Directing A Black Eyed Peas Concert Film In 3D

2010-07-02T12:14:00.002-04:00

Sometimes, a news story comes along that just punches you in the throat with its blatant randomness.

This is one of those times.

According to Pop Crunch (via Cinematical), James Cameron will be directing a 3D concert film for the Black Eyed Peas. Yup, there is no making this one up, as it’s far too random to be a joke. Leader of the group, Will.i.am said in an interview with VIBE magazine: “Right now, we are planning our 3D tour movie, and James Cameron is directing it – we have the biggest director, because we are the biggest group on the planet.”

While I don’t agree with the latter part of the statement, this news story is still one of the more interesting ones to pop up on my computer screen. I’m not at all a fan of the Black Eyed Peas, but the idea of James Cameron making a 3D concert film is really intriguing. He loves himself some documentaries, so this doesn’t really shock me, but it does definitely make me interested to see what the hell Cameron has in store.

The film is expected to hit theaters next year.

Go see something good!

So, The Straw Dogs Remake Will Be "Hard R." Makes It's Existence Easier To Take, Still Not Justified

2010-07-02T11:20:00.003-04:00

This news doesn’t justify the film’s existence, but it makes the pill a little easier to swallow.

According to an interview with Collider, the director of the upcoming remake of the massively brilliant, and massively controversial film, Straw Dogs, Rod Lurie said that “I keep reading blogs from people saying it’s going to be far less violent than the 1971 film [or that] the rape scene will be watered down. And those people are going to be shocked, because this movie is hard R, it’s a tough movie…It’s going to be very controversial.”

It damn well better be.

The film stars Alexander Skarsgard, James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, James Woods, Dominic Purcell and Willa Holland, and apparently takes a step away from the original, which followed a man who must defend his home from people who viciously raped his wife. The film reportedly features a love triangle and has been described as a “culture clash.” While that sounds far less interesting, I have to say, this news does make the film less of a travesty to me.

There are very few filmmakers that you just don’t remake. Kubrick, Scorsese, Godard, just to name a few. Well, Sam Peckinpah is directly implanted on that list. This being one of his more beloved and controversial works, I don’t necessarily understand why it’s being remade, but if this gets more people to see the original, then it served its duty. Also, the idea of the film staying as a hard R and controversial has me hoping that it works, as much as I don’t think it will. Also, there will reportedly be an action sequence that clocks in at 25 minutes long, so hey, this thing may very well kick all of our asses.

What do you think?

Go see something good!

Trent Reznor And Atticus Ross Scoring The Social Network

2010-07-02T11:02:00.002-04:00

While I like my music not quite this heavy, this could not be better news.

According to the blog for his band Nine Inch Nails (via Pitchfork), he and his long time collaborator Atticus Ross are currently working on the score for David Fincher’s hotly anticipated film, The Social Network. Apparently, Fincher himself began asking the NIN frontman about his interest in scoring the film, and after he read the script, Reznor asked Ross to help, and here we are.

This isn’t the first time that David Fincher has asked a non-conventional composer to score his films, as he has worked with people like The Dust Brothers on Fight Club, and even Trent Reznor himself on his serial killer masterpiece, Se7en. However, this seems to be the most random, and equally the most interesting of the bunch.

While I’m massively excited for the film, this both worries me, and makes me think that we don’t quite know what Fincher has in store for us. I really dug the script, that while rather long in the tooth, is one hell of an enjoyable story, and an even more fun of a read. However, I still don’t quite see how we’ll get Fincher’s stamp on it, which this sense of the unknown has me thinking this film is going to blow minds, and hopefully the score will be just the music that the film needs.

It stars Jesse Eisenberg, Spider-man, I mean, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Rashida Jones and Rooney Mara, and will hit theaters later this year.

Go see something good!

Trailer For Let Me In Hits

2010-07-01T20:34:00.002-04:00

One film that I have been oh so desperately trying to imagine didn’t actually exist just got a trailer, and while it’s not forcing me to find someone to go on suicide alert for me, it certainly doesn’t make this imagining any easier.

Thanks to Deadline, we now have our first look at the upcoming Matt Reeves directed remake of the masterful Swedish vampire flick, Let The Right One In. The new film, called Let Me In, follows a boy who discovers that his neighbor may be much more than just the new kid on the block.

Personally, taking my massive love for the original film out of the equation, this doesn’t look like the worst film ever. It visually looks striking, particularly knowing that the DP from last year’s brilliant Bright Star, Greig Fraser, is on board for this one, and looking to do some really top notch work. Also, the cast looks perfectly put together, which makes this film look quite promising, if only due to the massively low expectations.

However, I continue to lack any true evidence that this film should exist. The film looks far too faithful for it to me something wholly new, but isn’t shot for shot, so it’s stuck in some weird, creativity free purgatory. I’ll let you decide.

Go see something good

BREAKING: Andrew Garfield Is Spider-man

2010-07-01T20:28:00.003-04:00

Finally.

According to Heat Vision, Sony has made up their damn minds about who will be leading the cast of their upcoming Marc Webb directed and James Vanderbilt penned reboot of the Spider-man franchise, and it’s one hell of a choice.

The outlet is reporting that actor Andrew Garfield is set to portray Peter Parker, in what will no doubt be a complete world changer for the relatively unknown actor. Best known for roles in films like the Spike Jonze directed masterpiece of a short, I’m Here, as well as the first film in the fantastic modern noir masterpiece, The Red Riding trilogy, the actor is both the best of the group (which included thespians like Jamie Bell and Logan Lerman), but he’s also one of the oldest, clocking in almost 27 years old, and will be 10 years older than the character which he’s rumored to portray.

This reboot will see Parker reportedly returning to high school, which no matter how baby faced he may be, he definitely doesn’t quite look the part. That said, to me, this is the best they could have done really.

While most of you might not have seen him previously, he is far and away one of his age’s most gifted actors, which truthfully, is something that the role has really been missing, no matter how much of a fan of Maguire I really am. Throw in Marc Webb, and hell, you have one film that I can’t wait to check out.

What do you think?

UPDATE: Now, we have video of the announcement, and apparently Garfield was promoting The Social Network, and literally found out 30 minutes before it was announced. This guy has no idea how his world just changed. Congrats to Garfield, and Sony, you better not mess this one up.

Go see something good!

Mark Ruffalo To Join Ryan Murphy's The Normal Heart

2010-07-01T20:16:00.001-04:00

If there is one thing that I’m glad Glee has done, it’s the fact that now Ryan Murphy will be able to do much better, and much more interesting work.

The show’s creator has now, according to an interview between Mark Ruffalo and MTV, cast the actor in an adaptation of the Larry Kramer penned play, the HIV drama The Normal Heart. Ruffalo will play the lead, Ned Weeks, which according to the actor, will follow a "story of when the AIDS outbreak happened in New York. It wasn't really taken seriously, I think specifically because it was 'the gay cancer,' they called it. I think it's a really interesting time in America. I think to see someone who really does change the world by his commitment and he's even totally by himself at times, there's still a real power in that. I love that it's a people-powered movement that actually changed the way our government looked at this epidemic. I think there's a real powerful message to that and something that we forget."

Sounds interesting.

Now, while we don’t have confirmation as to just how involved the Glee and Nip/Tuck creator will be, it has to be something rather influential. With films like Running With Scissors and the upcoming Eat Pray Love, the director is definitely in the mood for a new project, and this could be one hell of a gig to really jump onto. Throw in Ruffalo, and you have a project that I can’t wait for. He’s a fantastic actor, and Murphy is definitely a gifted filmmaker, so hopefully this is one that sees the light of day sooner, rather than later.

Go see something good!

Kevin Smith Shooting Red State This August

2010-07-01T20:09:00.001-04:00

Coming off of the rather lackluster/awful buddy cop comedy, Cop Out, it looks as though Kevin Smith is looking to get that taste out of his mouth, this time, with one long gestating project that many film geeks, including yours truly, have been waiting for.

According to an interview with E!Online, the filmmaker will begin shooting his long talked about dream horror project, Red State, this August, and yes, he still plans on using a cast full of unknown actors:

"It's a political horror movie, essentially. We're still casting right now, but I don't want to cast anybody that anybody knows because that takes you right out of the flick. The idea is what's going to sell the movie."

Personally, while I’m not a fan of Cop Out, and Smith’s work has been diminishing returns as of late, the idea of the filmmaker getting back into the world of smaller, unknown actor filled projects, let alone an interesting horror film like this, has me more than excited. I love Smith’s writing, which was missing from Cop Out, and his style is really suited to the lower key nature of the horror film. Horror films don’t all have to look like the visually obnoxious fare of films like Nightmare On Elm Street, and would work really well with Smith’s point and shoot style.

All in all, my hopes are high for this one, so Smith, don’t mess this one up. I may lose all faith in you.

Go see something good!

Meryl Streep To Play Margaret Thatcher

2010-07-01T00:16:00.001-04:00

This hasn’t already been the case?

According to THR, actress and all around badass Meryl Streep is in talks to portray famous British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in an upcoming biopic. The film will be directed by Phyllida Lloyd, director of Streep’s musical outing, Mamma Mia, and will star Jim Broadbent as Thatcher’s hubby.

The upcoming Damien Jones produced film will be penned by Brian Fillis, and will follow Thatcher during the crisis between England and Argentina over the control of the Falkland Islands, which became a war.

Personally, while Thatcher in and of herself is one hell of a character that could easily jump to the realm of caricature, but after seeing Streep in Julie and Julia, I think that the character is in the absolute perfect hands. She looks like a carbon copy of the legendary political figure, and being one of the most decorated thespians of her generation. Sure, the character could be a massive stretch for even the most gifted of actresses, but I would trust Streep with a role in a big screen adaptation of Everybody Poops, so this is utterly amazing news in my book.

Go see something good!

REVIEW - The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

2010-06-30T20:20:00.004-04:00

So, over the past few years, the film world has had a brand new punching bag to join the side of easily mocked video game adaptations and toys who jump from the toy room to the big screen, like Transformers and G.I. Joe. That fang adorned emo wet dream of a punching bag is better known as the Twilight franchise, and it has become the biggest thing on the planet.

Literally, it caused theaters to show 3 a.m. showings. It’s that big.

However popular the series may be with the I-hate-my-parents-so-I-wear-black-clothes-and-right-sad-poems set, it has seemingly gone over the heads of the critic set. Hell, even the franchise’s fans realize that they are fans of lesser than type of material. However, it keeps them coming back.

It’s like crack for pre-teens and creepy neo-pedophile moms.

That said, for some reason, I still had hopes for the third film in the franchise, Eclipse. Maybe it’s the cast, which I think is a really gifted collection of actors, or maybe it’s the film’s director, David Slade, who got my ass in the seat. Hell, the soundtrack is one of the best I’ve heard in years, so maybe it’s that.
Frankly, I don’t care, because for some reason, this film didn’t fail like I had expected.

Eclipse finds our lead, Bella Swan, again caught in the middle of her awkward and horribly misguided love triangle between Jacob and Edward. An army of new born vamps have been sent out by the villain Victoria, who wants to avenge the loss of her former lover, James. A bunch of brooding looks, whining, and poorly done special effects shots ensue, making this the epitome, no, the physical manifestation of mediocrity.

Personally, going into the film, I had my mind set. I have had a long and storied history with the franchise, which I find not only boring and a butchering of the vampire mythos, but also a really deplorable statement to the young, impressionable pre-teens and 40 something cougars around the world. However, I was shocked to find that while that message was still here (which I go in depth on here), what seems to be put in its place is a film that ultimately fails, but has moments that didn’t want me to put bullets in my skull. That is this film’s true success.

The great thing that this film is able to do is instead of making this a boring and turgid three way between a homoerotic glowing vampire, shirtless werewolf, and a girl torn between them, and makes it a semi-watchable film with true stakes that gives you a payoff that makes the free ticket I used to see it somewhat worth it.

The cast here is solid. The three stars have solid chemistry, with Lautner, who plays Jacob, actually showing a bit of an arrogant side that makes his character seem a bit more human, and much less of a caricature. Pattinson is fine as Edward, but is about as lively as a piece of wood he’d use to kill himself, and Stewart is actually kind of solid as Bella, who while being given absolutely nothing to do, keeps your attention on screen. However, it’s people like Jackson Rathbone and Ashley Greene who really shine here, as does the entire supporting cast, which seems to be a constant theme throughout the films. Always the more interesting characters, the supporting cast get a rather massive chunk of on screen presence, giving us fans of them a lot to really chew on.

David Slade is also impressive here, as he’s been given nothing to really do here, but has instead crafted a stunning visual piece, and again proves that he’s far better of a director than this material really deserves. The film looks utterly breathtaking, particularly when he gives us a visual glimpse of the world we are dealing with, and the landscape that it covers. I adore these moments in the film, that are way too few and far between. Also, the action is well done here, which is quite the shocking surprise.

Oh, and this has to be one of the best collections of source music collected in recent memory. Seriously, this is one of this year’s most fantastic soundtracks. Pick it up. You won’t be sorry.

However, that’s where it all stops, as this is remarkably unforgettable.

Personally, the film fails just about as fast as it starts. The film’s ultimate sin is that no matter how high the stakes are here, you have no need to really care. You don’t care about these characters, particularly the three leads, which we are supposed to have so much invested in. There is no narrative or dramatic weight here, which leaves you simply wanting to watch this stunning landscape that Slade has crafted. He and his crew do what they can with the material, but those who aren’t fans of the books really won’t have much to dig into here. It’s visually impressive, but for a film to have such little keeping you glued to the screen, this all seems to get lost amongst a bunch of uncalled for angst and emo bullshit.

Overall, the film does what it can with the awful source material. If you love your films without any narrative or emotional weight, and with a copious amount of unfounded whining, then this is your masterpiece. However, for those of you like me, who like our movies engaging, then maybe this is one to let your girlfriend and her friends go see on a girl’s night out.

ECLIPSE – 4/10

Trailer For Paranormal Activity 2 Hits

2010-06-30T04:37:00.002-04:00

Like your horror films in the form of franchises who lose their luster after the first viewing?

Well then this trailer will be right down your ridiculous and turd covered alley.

In the year that was 2009, one film seemed to take the world by storm, with that film being the rather fun and shocking first-view-only horror film, Paranormal Activity. Pretty much, after that film hit theaters and made massive amount of bank thanks to one hell of a promotional machine, talk of a sequel hit the scene. Well, now, a year later, we have a trailer for the upcoming sequel, Paranormal Activity 2, and I must say, while it looks like the epitome of a carbon copy, there are a few points in this thing that are actually creepy, and make me think happy thoughts about the first time seeing the first film.

However, this looks to be doing absolutely nothing new, making this one of my least anticipated films of the year. It looks exactly the same both stylistically and scare wise, and while it is a great example of “it ain’t broke don’t fix it,” it also doesn’t nothing to improve on it. This will make a ton of money, but this is definitely one I’m not looking forward to.

Go see something good

Bobcat Goldthwait Confirmed For Kinks Musical, Dominic Cooper Is Captain America's Howard Stark

2010-06-30T04:02:00.004-04:00

Well, today seems to be a day full of old rumors and confirmations of them.

According to THR, a rumor connecting World’s Greatest Dad helmer Bobcat Goldthwait to a musical adaptation of the famous album Schoolboys In Disgrace from the band The Kinks. The film was up against an “ass kicking Western,” when it was first announced, but apparently, after getting the blessing of the band’s founder Ray Davies, it looks like it is actually happening.

It has been announced in the form of a press release, and will follow a schoolboy who turns into a bitter young man who tries to go against the establishment which has kept him down. “It’s the genesis story of a super villain set to music.” Awesome.

In other confirmation news, Marvel has confirmed that Dominic Cooper will indeed play the role of Howard Stark in the upcoming Captain America film. The rumor is a rather old one, and was previously confirmed by Cooper himself, but this is the first thing that we’ve heard from the studio themselves. It’s great news, because he not only looks the part, but is one hell of an actor to boot. Double awesome.

Go see something good!

Marvel To Start TV Production Wing

2010-06-30T04:02:00.001-04:00

It’s about damn time!

According to reports, Marvel is looking to make the leap from comic book page to the big screen, and now to the small screen. Apparently, the studio has created a new arm, Marvel Television, which is looking to bring series ranging from live action to animated, all to your homes.

No details have been released as to just what they plan to push out, but with news coming that the studio is looking to make projects revolving around lower tier characters, one can’t help but think that this would be the perfect outlet for that. Personally, I absolutely adore this news. For one, this is a perfect step forward for the studio. Also, this is an amazing way for the studio to really make an impact with the characters in shows like Heroes and Smallville. While I’m not the massive fan of Smallville that I know a lot of people are, I have been waiting for something like this to come from the Marvel universe, and who better to front it than the studio themselves. This could not be better news.

Go see something good!

Bono And The Edge To Score Pixar's Brave?

2010-06-30T04:00:00.003-04:00

This could be intriguing.

According to Bleeding Cool (via The Playlist), both Bono and maybe even his right hand man, The Edge, are apparently writing some new tunes for Pixar’s upcoming film, the film formerly known as The Bear And The Bow, now called Brave.

While nothing is confirmed, or even close to it yet, this does seem like a possibility. The report says that Bono is working on a score for a Pixar film, that is most likely Brave, but with only Cars 2 really confirmed to be on the way out of the Pixar camp, it looks like Brave is most likely the film in question. The film follows a royal daughter who hopes to become a legendary archer, and one day unleashes a new terror amongst her kingdom, which she must stop.

The film is being directed by one of The Prince of Egypt helmers, Brenda Chapman, and is currently looking at a June 15th, 2012 release. Personally, not only am I a rather massive U2 fan, but the idea of the dynamic duo of Bono and Edge getting behind the music of a Pixar film just screams amazing. Hopefully this isn’t an unfounded rumor; as this would be too good of an idea to really waste.

Go see something good!

Banshee Cast For X-Men: First Class

2010-06-30T03:56:00.003-04:00

Wow, it seems like with each day comes a new cast member for the upcoming Matthew Vaughn film, X-Men: First Class.

Just a day after the casting of Alice Eve in the role of Emma Frost, it looks like another classmate has been cast. According to Latino Review, the role of Banshee, an Irish mutant who has the power to disarm and even harm baddies with his voice, which can reach subsonic frequencies, will be played by the 21 year old actor Caleb Landry.

Best known for his turn on Friday Night Lights, the actor hasn’t had a ton of work, but definitely looks the part, especially for what they are doing with the film. However, like the character of Emma Frost, the character of Banshee isn’t quite the most beloved or well used character in the history of the X-Men franchise. The film will feature characters like Beast, Mystique, and Cyclops, but this also means that smaller, really poorly colored characters like Sunfire and even Banshee will also be used, which may very well spell doom for this film.

Sure, I’m not one to think that this film will fail, particularly with Vaughn at the helm, but if a film is set to become a giant clusterfail of a film, it’s this one. All still remains to be seen, but lets just say that this is a perfect example of cautious optimism.

Go see something good!

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs Duo To Helm Lego Film

2010-06-30T03:54:00.005-04:00

While I utterly hate the idea of an actual film based in the world of or surrounding the famous child toy known as the Lego, you really couldn’t ask for a better group to get behind it.

According to Heat Vision, writer/directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord, the same mind behind last year’s surprisingly solid animated comedy, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, have signed on to bring this legendary toy to the big screen.

The duo have given pitches to executives involved with the project, and while this films sounds completely and utterly dreadful, as most films of this nature due, I can’t help but think that this could be the rare occasion where it may truly succeed. The two of them are truly talented comedic filmmakers, and while the source material doesn’t seem to be able to make for much of an interesting story, neither did the story for Meatballs, so really, this could be just as big of a surprise. My breath isn’t being held, but hopes are a little high for this one.

Go see something good!

10 Film Facts About Yours Truly

2010-04-17T21:34:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Julian Stark for the mention, but now it’s my turn. Here are 10 film related facts about yours truly, that you may not have known:

1. Film I’ve Never Seen That I Am Most Ashamed About – Tie between Grand Illusion and North By Northwest

2. Favorite Film – Jean Luc Godard’s Breathless

3. Favorite Director – I’ve got a few. The Coens, Godard, Kurosawa, Ozu, Tarantino, Early John Woo, Gus Van Sant, Werner Herzog, Spike Jonze, Kubrick, Leone, Bergman, Fincher, Aronofsky, the list goes on, and on, and on. And on.

4. This blog’s namesake, I Are Movies, comes from the show Cow and Chicken, a cartoon I used to watch all the time, which featured a character called I Are Baboon. Thus, I Are Movies

5. For those who don’t know, the twitter name isavedlatin89 comes from the film Rushmore, where Max Fisher says that “I saved Latin, what have you done?” Oh, and I was born in ’89.

6. I don’t cry during a lot of films, but when I do, it’s all out weeping. Last film I cried during…Where The Wild Things Are.

7. Favorite film genre? Probably horror or film noir. Throw in French New Wave if that can be a genre, instead of just a movement/style

8. I started writing film reviews/essays my Freshman year here at Grand Valley, and from that lonely little LiveJournal blog, sprung my blogger site, which has been up and running for over 2 years now. From that, I have now moved on to writing for DVDSnapshot, as well as Gordon And The Whale, where I co host the site’s newly formed podcast.

9. First film I ever reviewed was Halloween, the Rob Zombie remake

10. My favorite actor: Daniel Day-Lewis
Favorite Actress: Zooey Deschanel

Now, it's Danny King and Marc.

Go see something good!

EDITORIAL: Blockbusters Have Only Become Dumber

2010-03-31T19:07:00.002-04:00

Moviegoers are becoming dumber, and dumber, as the years go by.

In what has been a pretty buzz-worthy piece of writing, Slate’s Tom Shone posited the idea that modern day blockbusters, the films that make the money in the box office, have become far too intellectual for his liking, or their own good.

Going on to give examples like David Fincher’s The Social Network, Aronofsky’s Black Swan, and Christopher Nolan’s upcoming mind related thriller, Inception, the idea is stated, discussed, and then given examples of films that fit the style of blockbuster Shone is craving, all in a tight and fun little read.

However, it’s one that comes at it from the wrong mind set.

Big budget, action packed, blockbusters, the very thing that keeps this industry going, have not only gotten dumbed down over the past years, but are being intoxicated by stupidity, and the illness is only getting more and more extreme.

Network, Swan, or Inception are not truly considered blockbusters. Yes, Inception had a huge budget, and with name power like Fincher and Nolan attached, they are sure fire hits. However, they are the exception to this ever growing, and ever distressing rule.

Look at last year’s highest grossing films:

1. Avatar
2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
3. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
4. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
5. 2012
6. Up
7. The Twilight Saga: New Moon
8. Sherlock Holmes
9. Angels and Demons
10. The Hangover

Wow, my brain is numb from how taxing those films were.

Avatar may be the biggest example of a film fitting Shone’s hypothesis, but the following nine films have the combined cinematic I.Q. of an Abercrombie and Fitch model. They don't have the highest of mental wave lengths, with Transformers and New Moon being the best example of the growing stupidity of box office juggernauts. Both are complete gender based wish fulfillment, and strive to be nothing more than that. Throw in a pair of racist robots, a dumb and incomprehensible group of teenagers, and then cut to shots of dogs humping, and you have the most intellectual of modern blockbusters.

Oh, and 2010 doesn’t look to be much better.

Featuring such films as The Expendables, Predators, The A-Team, and Piranha 3-D, not only is Hollywood attempting to lower the already ground level mental state of films and filmgoers, but they are being intoxicated by the ever growing sense of masturbatory nostalgia for a decade that brought us cheesy action films, dumb one liners, and Ahhhhnold; the ‘80s.

Ever since films like Rambo began hitting theaters, the collective I.Q. of film goers, according to studios, seems to be less that Kate Moss’ weight. And like the model, it’s only going lower. The newest trailer for The Expendables shows that while it may be fun, it’s not striving to make Stephen Hawking punch himself in the balls for fear of being out shined. It’s not that these films are not enjoyable; it’s that they are becoming dumber and dumber than even their ‘80s counterparts.

The problem with these films is that, instead of fitting within the genre of meathead action fare, it becomes what Planet Terror, Robert Rodriguez’s addition to Grindhouse, was to 70’s exploitation films. A complete and utter pastiche. It’s what MacGruber is to MacGyver. It’s not a film meant to be taken seriously within the likes of Predator or Die Hard, but as a film playing off of those same beats. It’s like a cover band of a ‘80s hair metal group. Not quite good to start off with, but even worse when it’s covered.

And smart action has been done well recently. Look at the Bourne Trilogy. Not the biggest world shakers in terms of brain waves firing, but at least it’s there. The films are balls to the wall action, and have some rather interesting things to say when it comes to American foreign policy. However, people don’t go out to see these types of action films, just look at Green Zone. Yes, it’s an Iraq War film, but the trailers were making it seem like a kick-ass action film, which it was, and people avoided it like a Blockbuster rental shop. Even some dumb action films have at least tried to take the genre forward. Crank and Crank: High Voltage, may very well be the dumbest of the dumb when it comes to action films. However, with the team of Neveldine/Taylor, the films have been able to push the genre of action films forward, introducing more guerilla and seemingly verite filmmaking tactics to the genre. Yes, they are live action video games, but they work, where films like Transformers: ROTF are not only dumb and lazy, but they also offend those of us with a multiple digit I.Q.

Every year we get our occasional blockbuster with actual balls to try to be something more. Avatar, The Dark Knight, Bourne Trilogy, Inception, but again, these are the exceptions to this disgusting and truly depressing rule. Blockbusters have not become more intellectual. Blockbusters have been exponentially been getting dumber and dumber.

KREATIV BLOGGER AWARDS

2010-01-10T23:14:00.003-05:00

The greatest thing about being a film blogger/critic/journalist, is the family that I am so happily a part of. Aside from a few squabbles here and there, it has been a great time becoming what I like to consider a semi well known writer.

I started this very site about a year and a half ago, and while I've moved most of my work over to DVDsnapshot, I fully plan on getting more content back here (maybe not me completely, but hopefully with some new writers). Why you may ask? Because some people, althought I truly can't tell you why ;), have decided that this blog was worth nominating for a Kreativ Blogger Award.

So, now it's my turn. Here are my Kreativ Blogger Award nominees:

Now let's get down to my Kreativ Bloggers shall we? Seven criteria must be met upon receiving this honor:

Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.
Here goes!

1. Thank you so much Julian Stark. It means a lot to me to know that you feel as though my blog is worth checking out.

Seven Things:

1) I am a BIG fan of costume dramas and romance films. Probably more than I should be.
2) I'm a closet geek. Film, Music, Comics, and even sports, if it has some element of geekdome, I probably fall under that category.
3) My favorite book is Requiem For A Dream
4) I once wanted to be a Political Scientist prior to film journalist
5) My favorite film is Jean Luc Godard's Breathless
6) I've walked out of a movie once. Good Luck Chuck...
7) I play the ukulele

Now my nominees:

The King Bulletin
Reel Talk
Marc's Movie Blog
Dain's Movie Reviews
Drinkable Films
Kenz Talks About Movies
A Life In Equinox

These are all just really fantastic reads, and should be staples amongst your daily search for film news and discussion.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stay tuned, there might just be a few changes to this place, but I'll still be here and most of my work can be read at DVDSnapshot.com.

Go see something good!

5 and 6. The blogs that I'm nominating are...

Common Sense Movie Reviews

The Film Experience

I ARE MOVIES

The King Bulletin

Life of a Cinephile and Bibliophile

Reel Talk

Stale Popcorn

Honorable Mention: Again, Univarn's A Life in Equinox. The reason I give honorable mention is because I have absolutely no clue if you're allowed to mention the one who nominated you in your seven blogs

Everyone nominated... remember to pass the awards on! Thanks again to Univarn for nominating me!

Some Thoughts On Avatar

2009-12-30T19:16:00.003-05:00

HEY! I'm back here for a little post I just put together. I decided to post this here, because it does voice a political opinion of mine, so I figure a personal blog post would be a little better. HOWEVER, please go over to DVDSnapshot for my real work. Thanks, and enjoy!!!

In the current world of cinema, the new trend amongst film goers and/or critics is to simply justify a film as good, simply by following the idea that if you “shut off your brain,” the otherwise pointless, often big budget film is something worth your time.

However, when it comes to Avatar, the box office monster of the past couple of weeks, is both big budget actioner, as well as thought provoking conversation piece.

That said, not all political and religious thoughts are the most sane examples of cinematic criticsism.

First, the ludicrous.

Big Hollywood has released a little piece discussing the film in terms that believe that “the bad guys in the movie are the U.S. Marines:

The glee with which the American Marines participate in this massacre is appalling and does not show the true feelings and concerns of the real United States Military. James Cameron should apologize to the American Military and should make a statement that he does not truly feel this way about them. He should also apologize to the American public for painting our young men and women that defend this country as cold-blooded killers.

The reason that I feel as though this piece is quite ludicrous, is that the main thesis of the piece is off. Avatar posits the idea that these characters, ex-Marines, are hired by a private group/company, to simply force the natives of Pandora out of their homes, to attain monetary gains. Far more Blackwater than Marines, the film is at it’s most blatantly obvious, a poorly timed blast against the past presidential administration.

However, there is one bit of analysis that I think comes off loud and clear.

Via The AV Club:

The movie’s most seditious act is to evoke the specter of September 11, only with the terms reversed…Cameron’s willingness to question the sacred trauma of 9/11 is audacious, and his ability to do so in a $300 million tentpole movie is nothing short of shocking. If Avatar has a claim to revolution, that is where it lies.

This could not be more true.

Personally, the tone of the scene that I believe the excerpt was written about, is so starkly different from the rest of the film, and the shot and scene structure is a different take than throughout the film. It’s far more handheld, and the shots simply linger on the devastation caused by the films villains, the closest thing the film has to Blackwater soldiers, a.k.a. justified terrorists.

The idea of terrorism in this film isn’t a far fetched concept either. At it’s core, terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. Avatar’s main story follows a group of natives, who are forced to leave their native land, simply for the monetary gains of a group of privatized soldiers. Unsurprisingly, right-wing bloggers have had a bit of a field day with this idea.

Via The Movie Guide:

For hundreds of years, the pagan, communist ideas expressed in this movie circulated among a threadbare group of outcasts with dirty fingernails and greasy hair, who shared their obtuse, occult ideas amongst themselves with manic, alienated glee. Now James Cameron has made these insane views the major bulwark of a very spectacular movie, but the spectacle does not make the views any more coherent, rational, or uplifting.

Sure, the views are not uplifting, as they are distinctly anti-capitalistic, but to call them communist and pagan ideas are just as irrational and antagonistic as the concepts themselves. What makes them not uplifting isn’t the ideas themselves, it’s that we all, no matter political viewpoint, know that this both happens, and is true at it’s very core. We have seen people be slaughtered or forced to leave a general area for nothing more than dollar gains, and calling the film “anti-human” as The Movie Guide does is just as irrational as Cameron putting these quite obvious and poignant concepts in his film.

Then the guide goes truly off the deep end, saying the film has an “abhorrent New Age, pagan, anti-capitalist worldview that promotes goddess worship and the destruction of the human race.”

Well, we all aren’t sane when it comes to big budget action films that actually have a meaning. I'm as left wing as anyone can be, so I agree with much, actually all of what Cameron was saying here, but as left as I am, I'm equally open to legit critiques and questions that the film raises, or could be raised in discussion of the film. I just have yet to see a rational take from someone against the films main thesis, that capitalism is the root of evil.

Maybe it's just because it's true.

Go see something good!

2009-12-16T14:49:00.000-05:00

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

2009-11-20T21:17:00.003-05:00

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!

VIDEO: Fight Club PSAs...

2009-11-19T22:45:00.001-05:00

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...

2009-11-19T21:47:00.002-05:00

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...

2009-11-19T21:16:00.002-05:00

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...

2009-11-19T20:45:00.003-05:00

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...

2009-11-19T18:44:00.003-05:00

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...

2009-11-19T17:49:00.004-05:00

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...

2009-11-19T00:53:00.002-05:00

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...

2009-11-18T23:06:00.004-05:00

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...

2009-11-18T15:29:00.003-05:00

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...

2009-11-18T15:09:00.004-05:00

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...

2009-11-17T22:39:00.003-05:00

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?

2009-11-17T19:55:00.002-05:00

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...

2009-11-17T14:00:00.001-05:00

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!

POSTER: Second And Third Alice In Wonderland Poster...

2009-11-17T13:42:00.003-05:00

Last week the first new Alice in Wonderland poster was released, and now two new posters have followed suit. Enjoy!

Go see something good!

NEWS: Richard Linklater's Liars (A-E) Officially Dead...

2009-11-17T13:25:00.002-05:00

This has not been the best of years for Mr. Slacker, Richard Linklater.

First, his new film Me and Orson Welles has now FINALLY found some sort of distribution, albeit limited, and has been taking blows from critics, who have not been too fond of the Zac Effron starrer. The semi-sequel to Dazed and Confused, That’s What I’m Talking About, never left the ground, and now his new Miramax project, Liars (A-E), has become one of the new Miramax casualties.

Hell, even School of Rock 2 has gone nowhere.

Movieline now reports that Liars (A-E) has become a new victim of the much publicized downsizing of Miramax. Here’s the synopsis for that film via /Film:

Announced in July, the film quickly attached Rebecca Hall and Kat Dennings to a story that would have seen the two on a road trip to retrieve stuff from Hall’s ex-boyfriends, with Obama’s inauguration in the background. The picture seemed ready to go at Miramax, with the mighty Scott Rudin producing. Now it isn’t going anywhere.

So here’s the scoop. First, the good news.

Recently, Collider has had the chance to talk to Linklater about his spiritual sequel to Dazed and Confused, TWITA. According to their interview, Linklater does hope to bring that film back to life somewhere down the line:

I carefully called it a spiritual sequel to Dazed cause it’s not the same characters. If Dazed was my High School, this is my college . It’s about a weekend in college in that time period. It’s funny…I think it’s the funniest thing I ever wrote.

This is easily the biggest piece of news, personally, that has risen from the ashes known as Linklater’s 2009. I love Dazed, and hearing this premise, while a bit cliché, does sound like perfect stomping ground for Linklater and his distinct and esoteric style. Sure, there is some lack of interest amongst distributors, but when names get attached to the project, there shouldn’t be much problem finding some sort of funding.

Now the bad.

First, in the Movieline interview, he confirms that there have been no movement on School of Rock 2, which all in all, I think is a good thing. Linklater hasn’t been to up on the project, so the death of this, at least at the moment, is a bit inspiring, particularly when taken in the context of Linklater’s upcoming slate. More time on TWITA is always a good thing.

However, the overall story here is the death of Liars (A-E), which in and of itself is quite saddening. The project sounding interesting, and starred Kat Dennings, an actress I think could burst off the screen within the environment of a Linklater film.

What do YOU think?

Go see something good!

NEWS: Rob Marshall Confirmed For Pirates 4...

2009-11-17T13:11:00.004-05:00

Singing Pirates? I think that sounds like a great idea, don't you?

All the way back in July, rumors began circulating that Chicago director Rob Marshall was at the top of the list of directors to take over the vacant directors chair for the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which had been left by original trilogy director, Gore Verbinski.

Well, it appears those rumors have been verified, and we can now say that Pirates 4 will be directed by Rob Marshall. At the recent DGA screening of Nine, Marshall indeed confirmed that he is now slated to direct Pirates 4. Here’s what he had to say:

“ya’know, it’s something that I was offered and never in the world thought I would do but then I was like ‘why not?’… I’m doing ‘Pirates of the Caribbean….”.

This is all according to a report from AICN, which also states that Johnny Depp, rumored to be out of the project, was excited to get to work with Marshall. Interesting news indeed.

Now, aside from this news, the only other thing that we truly know is that the film will be based on a pirate novel written by Tim Powers, called, you guessed it, On Stranger Tides, which had been picked up by Disney a few years back. Here’s the synopsis:

Puppeteer John Chandagnac, bound for Jamaica to recover stolen money from his uncle, becomes Jack Shandy after pirates attack his ship and force him to join their crew. Shandy’s struggle to accept his new life grounds the story for readers, even as Blackbeard and vodun magicians whisk everyone away to dreamlike lands where the Fountain of Youth itself awaits. The chaotic sea battles sing, though at times key events happen so quickly that they get lost in the shuffle as Jack tries to comprehend where he’s going and what’s at stake.

Most people may shake their heads at this idea, but personally, I love the choice. While I’m not the biggest fan of Chicago, I think Marshall has a very distinct style, one that could be interesting when put in context of a pirate film. He also has made his money in costume/style heavy fair, which this is definitely a part of. Sure, it won’t be a musical, but I think Verbinski, while a fantastic director, was beginning to feel stale in the directors chair of that film, and I’m very excited to see that Disney is set to shift to a very different style. It at least gives me hope that Disney is going to try to do something interesting with this film, which about a month ago, I would never have thought.

What do YOU think?

Go see something good!

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: The Fox From Antichrist...

2009-11-17T01:52:00.001-05:00

THIS is an award push I can get behind.

Go see something good!

OPINION: Twilight From Virgin Eyes...

2009-11-17T01:02:00.005-05:00

I love lazy Monday nights.

I love redundant, over asked questions even more.

For about a month now, I have a certain tradition, that must be met, or else it’s just not a legit Monday. First, I get back from my Media Literacy class (tonight’s discussion was on Fringe, so yeah, I was in a pretty good mood). Then, I hop in my car, get some Chinese food (Honey Chicken combo from China 1, like you all care), and then I feast upon some television. However, tonight has been different. Tonight has been awful. Tonight has featured Twilight.

I hear the screams of all of my readers (yeah, Mom and Dad, I’m looking at you), all the way back here.

What I found on TV tonight was an MTV Special, entitled Twilight: Love Bites.
Have you ever sat there and picked at something on your body, even though it hurt you to the bone. Yeah, that’s about the feeling that I felt during my viewing of this retardation inducing piece of television this evening.

Twilight: Love Bites basically covers the life and times of “Robstin”. I can’t believe I just f***** said that. Hold on one sec.

Alright. The bleach that I just drank is now fully in my body, so I’m going to make this fast.

T:LB takes a look at, instead of you know, Twilight, or even the on-screen romance between Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart’s characters in the film, but instead focuses on Pattinson and Stewart’s off-screen emo-fest (although I would love to say that Stewart is looking ever so foxy in that black hair. Just saying.) This brings me to my major thought coming out of this Twilight inducing coma.

What the f*** is going on with Twilight?

I love me some romantic films. Before Sunrise/Sunset, Casablanca, or even Pillow Talk are all fantastic films, which stand wholly on their own. Seriously, does it get any better than Bogart and Bergman? This kid says not. However, it’s not Bogart and Bergman’s relationship off-screen that makes me want to watch that film. I want to sit through Casablanca because their onscreen chemistry is so brilliant, that it’s just a compelling watch.

I am sitting here, just a mere 10 minutes post viewing, and I am still wondering, why do people love these films? Well, here are the positives that I think are coming from these films.

First, the soundtracks are amazing. That is a given. When you put a group together that consist of St. Vincent, Bon Iver, and Grizzly Bear, you have my heart, and my soul. Summit has created the epitome of a soundtrack in their two Twilight discs.

Second, they have talent behind the camera. I have a soft spot in my heart for both Catherine Hardwick and Chris Weitz, and think that David Slade is one of the best up and coming directors, particularly when involving female leads (Hard Candy anyone?), so they do have cinematic talent working on the projects. That said, the first film was garbage, and the second one doesn’t look much better. Here’s why.

The fans don’t like this book, or really any of them for that matter.

This is ultimately the most puzzling thing about the film and book series in my eyes. I have not met a single person, male or female, who say that the books are truly well written pieces of literature. I’ve actually heard damn near the opposite, with some fans calling them down right shit. So why the hoopla? Sure, the guys are hot, the girls ooze sex (seriously, Kristen Stewart, hot), but only if you are like me and like your girls freshly squeezed out of your local boutique shop like little hipster infused oranges. However, they can’t act, minus Stewart. Not only that, but the source material is not worth its weight in pulp. I haven’t read the book, so I can’t personally talk about it, but from people who think it’s the Hot Topic Bible, it’s not as hot as the rabid fans would have us think.

The female lead is the antithesis of a modern female. This is personally the most troubling. I cannot tell you how many conversations I have had about this subject, and about my personally outrage about this aspect. Sure, I understand the reasoning behind it. Stephanie Meyer is a Mormon woman, and in that faith, a man is nearly worshipped. Therefore, in Twilight, Bella is willing to not only do anything, but jump off a f****** cliff to get the attention of a man who would kill her if he had the chance. Yeah, I love my girlfriend, but if I knew that she deep down wanted to kill me, I would probably not stick around to get my penis destroyed by a piece of wood (Antichrist reference anyone?), and I damn sure hope that my daughter(s) don’t think that this is what they should strive to be. People have said that I’m taking this far to serious, and that it’s just a female wish fulfillment, like a Prince Charming, but that in and of itself is a bit screwed up. I’m not knocking fans, I’m basically writing this in hopes for some clarity.

Really, if you think about it, not only is the relationship between the three lovers a bit screwy, but it’s horribly cliché. You have the standard trope of girl who must choose between the reliable, sweet dude, and the badass, effeminate, and super creepy douche who runs away when the heat turns up. Oh, and what does she choose, yeah, the guy who sits in her room while she sleeps, before even meeting her. Yeah, that’s the ideal guy. THAT is who I want my children dating.

In conclusion, I guess I just don’t get why Twilight fans put themselves out there, by supporting a show that is about the film that they are a fan of, but instead, spends 30 minutes on interviews with 50 year old crew members talking about how the two leads were caught cuddling off-screen one afternoon when it was cold. Not only is that slightly disturbing on an overall level, but really, being a film guy, I would hope that others would get behind a film that they can you know, get behind, instead of getting behind gossip brought on by the film. You know, now that I think of it, I may have to go see 2012 just so I know what to expect this Friday, when New Moon hits theatres.

That all said, you may just see me snapping photos of Twilight moms come this Friday. Who knows.

Now excuse me, I have to get back to watching my Criterion copy of Godard’s Made in the U.S.A. Yeah, I’m a pretentious film snob, f****** deal with it.

Go see something good!

TRAILER: Crazy Heart...

2009-11-16T23:45:00.003-05:00

Wow, talk about coming out of nowhere!

About two weeks, Fox Searchlight boosted their Oscar weight by pumping up their film, Crazy Heart, by giving it an early December release date. The film, directed by Scott Cooper, stars Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal, and has been a much talked about contender in the Best Male Lead Oscar category for Bridges, as well as a few rumblings that Gyllenhaal may be able to sneak her way into either female acting category.

Now, not many people have seen the film, but it is already garnering comparisons to The Wrestler (for the strong and physical male lead and the overall look of the film) or Once (for the look and take on music), and is a perfect storm for Fox Searchlight. No more than a month ago, no one had even heard of the film, outside of CMT fans (it was originally created by the channel).

Well, now we have a trailer for it. Late last week a stunning poster was released, and now Searchlight has one upped themselves, by pumping out a fantastic trailer. It’s poetic, warm, and yet gives you a stark look into what looks like the core story of the film, and is exactly everything that a trailer should be, particularly for an independent film. It’s not brilliant, but for a small film, this definitely makes me want to get my ass in a seat when this hits December 11th. And I HATE country music. Go figure. Here’s the trailer:

Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) is a broken-down, hard-living country music singer who's had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks way too many times. And yet, Bad can’t help but reach for salvation with the help of Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a journalist who discovers the real man behind the musician.

Go see something good!

NEWS: What Will Wes Anderson Do Next?

2009-11-16T18:01:00.002-05:00

With the limited release of Wes Anderson’s newest film, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, now under way, two things are happening. People are starting to sing the films praises (currently a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes), an people are also starting to ask “what’s next?” for the film’s director.

Well, a light has been shined on that exact subject.

Over a year ago, word came out that Anderson was going to work on a remake of the French film, My Best Friend. It looks like that project hasn’t been scrapped (like some rumors were proclaiming), but instead, was going to be his next film. A script has been drafted, and is now titled The Rosenthaler Suite. Here’s the scoop from /Film (via The Playlist, who attained a draft of the script):

The Playlist got a copy of the script and runs down some of the differences between it and the original film. The French My Best Friend is a comic meditation on the nature of friendship. It follows François (Daniel Auteuil), an arrogant and unpleasant antique dealer who was challenged by his business partner, Catherine (Julie Gayet), to produce his best friend (not believing that he had one). If he succeeds, he will be able to retain possession of a valuable Greek vase he purchased using company money. François sets out to look for a best friend and finds Bruno (Dany Boon), a gregarious cabbie, who will hopefully help him win the bet.

In Anderson’s version, transplanted to New York, the primary character is Nicolas, an art dealer. The plot is kicked into motion by rival art dealer Lucinda, and Bruno becomes a Polish cab driver named Zbigniew. (The Playlist notes that George Clooney seems like a lock for Nicolas, that Angelica Huston or Meryl Streep would be ideal Lucindas, and that Adrien Brody could be Zbigniew. For the latter, I’m envisioning Eugene Hutz, were it not for his similar role in Everything is Illuminated.)

Could this be his next project? My hunches are no, as he has been reported as saying that he wants to simply do something wholly original, so while it’s not out of the question, I highly doubt it. A rumored Fantastic Mr. Fox comic book could be on the horizon, but honestly, I don’t even think Anderson knows what his next project is, but I think that’s a good thing. I haven’t seen Fox, but it looks similar to his previous films, and I think doing something, even script wise, wholly original, could be good for him. I’m with The Playlist in hoping that Roman Coppola could pick up Suite, but who knows.

What would YOU like to see Anderson do next?

Go see something good!

NEWS: The Road To Move Release Dates...Again...

2009-11-16T17:50:00.002-05:00

So, the bastard son of John Hillcoat and the Weinstein Company (or as the latter makes it seem like), The Road continues to have a tumultuous release, even though it has garnered quite a bit of buzz coming out of Toronto, and fellow festivals.

A few months ago, the dystopian-end-of-the-world drama was set to hit theatres across the country on November 25, the Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving. However, it appears as though those plans have once again changed, and not for the better.

The Playlist is reporting that “according to a email we received about local theater chain markets, the film has reverted back to a limited release roll-out plan.” It looks as though the November 25th release date is now simply a New York/L.A. release, instead of a wide one, at it would appear that, hopefully at least, the film would expand in the following weeks.

Sure, it’s gotten mostly mixed reviews, but with Oscar support behind star Viggo Mortensen, those chances are slowly shrinking, especially with fellow TWC film, Nine, hitting wide on the 25th, and getting much of TWC’s Oscar bank.

The Playlist also points out that TWC has been having some/ much publicized money problems, so with the brunt of marketing going to the big time musical, Nine, look for The Road to get the short end of the already minute TWC Oscar stick.

What do YOU think? Does The Road still have a shot, even though Rob Marshall, director of the Academy Award winning Chicago is also hitting theatres with Nine, another TWC film?

Go see something good!

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: Up For Best Picture...

2009-11-16T17:42:00.003-05:00

Pixar recently purchased the front cover of Variety for a full cover ad asking Academy members to nominate Up for Best Picture. Check out the ad below.

(Via Awards Daily)

Go see something good!

NEWS: 20 Films Chosen For Animated Film Oscar Consideration...

2009-11-15T17:45:00.002-05:00

So, I was a little bit late on this one, but I'm still trying to wrap my skull around some of these nominations.

First, the news.

It appears as though the list of animated features that will be up for consideration at this years Academy Awards, for Best Animated Feature, has grown from the rumored 15, to a giant total of 20. Here's the list:

9
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Astro Boy
Battle for Terra
A Christmas Carol
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Coraline
The Dolphin -- Story of a Dreamer
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Mary and Max
The Missing Lynx
Monsters vs. Aliens
Planet 51
Ponyo
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure
A Town Called Panic
Up

Just a few things, that are still bugging me, and some that make me happy.

First, what in the HELL is Alvin and The Chipmunks 2 doing in the animated film list? Sure, I get that some of the film, well, only the Chipmunks, are animated, but really now? A live action hybrid being nominated for best animated feature leaves a horrible taste in my mouth, and one that the Academy needs to explain away.

If Alvin and The Chipmunks can get nominated, why not Avatar? I haven't heard much about this amongst the websphere, so maybe I'm just dumb, but I think that this is an interesting statement by the studio, Fox.

Could this lack of a nomination be Fox's f*** you to the Academy, in that they think that if it comes up on an animated list, that it will have less of a chance to be nominated for Best Picture? This critic thinks yes. Not only is the film going to be vastly superior to AatC2, but I think it's far more animated. I mean, just look at the trailer!

That said, it IS something nice to see, as with their help, the list is now up to 20 films, and therefor leaves the list of nominees from the expected 3, to a full category, of 5. However, that's a gift and a curse, at least for us film journalist/bloggers, as it was tough to come up with three nominees, and now we need five.

Here are my expected nominees:

Coraline
Up
Ponyo
Princess and The Frog
Fantastic Mr. Fox

Now, the only real stretch that I think I am making here, and the only real spot where I think the Academy may go another way, is in the case of Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox. I haven't seen the film, but just the idea of a director who really isn't part of the animators club (as opposed to Miyazaki, Sellick, Disney and Pixar), and the massive rumor that Wes Anderson was directing the film from Paris, while it was being shot and animated in London. While I do think that this has been a stacked year (you could easily replace Fox with say, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs or any of the indies, like Mary and Max, a film I'm seeing this week), I do believe that this may be as close to "the five" as anyone will get.

What do YOU think?

Go see something good!

POSTER/BUZZ: Crazy Heart...

2009-11-15T16:06:00.004-05:00

Originally built with the help of the CMT network, Crazy Heart is a film that has burst out of nowhere (set for a spring 2010 release originally), and has gathered MASSIVE buzz for both the film as a whole, as well as the films male lead. Well, add a poster to that buzz.

What the hell is Crazy Heart you all may be asking? Here's the films synopsis:

Bad Blake is a broken-down, hard-living country music singer who’s had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks way too many times. And yet, Bad can’t help but reach for salvation with the help of Jean, a journalist who discovers the real man behind the musician. Bad also becomes the mentor to a contemporary country star, Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell), while simultaneously struggling in the rising young crooner’s shadow.

The film stars Jeff Bridges, who is getting Mickey Rourke size buzz for his performance as the lead, Bad Blake. Bridges isn't only a strong performer in the film, according to those who have seen it, but he also sings in the film, a bonus that the Academy truly loves. It's not a super strong year for male leads, so so far this year, it looks like Bridges and Colin Firth, for A Single Man, look like the Rourke/Penn double team for this year.

Along with buzz from critics, Bridges is going to get not only nominated, but be put right in the forefront, because the man has been pumping out performance after performance for 40 years now. Seriously, this a performance the Academy jerks itself off to in their golden coked out daze.

Just saying, watch out for this film come Oscar time.

Go see something good!

VIDEO: Watch Wes Anderson Direct Fantastic Mr. Fox...

2009-11-14T11:20:00.004-05:00

Go see something good!

NEWS: Thor To Go Into Production in January...

2009-11-13T11:30:00.002-05:00

Oh Twitter, how easily you break news.

So, basically, over on their Twitter, Production Weekly said that Marvel Studios is set to begin principal photography on Thor, sometime in January. Hopefully, in the run up leading up to principal photography starting, we may be able to get a hold of some production materials, and maybe even a script. However, all we know now is this.

- Kenneth Branagh is helming the project

- Script is written by Mark Protosevich (with alleged revisions by Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz

- The movies plot is basically this: The movie’s story sees the god of thunder Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions re-ignite an ancient war. As punishment, Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans. Once here, he learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends dark forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

- Chris Hemworth is starring in the titular role

- Odin will be played by Anthony Hopkins

- Natalie Portman is Jane Foster, nurse to Thor’s alter-ego, Donald Blake

- Loki will be played by Tom Hiddleston

- Jaimie Alexander and Stellan Skarsgard are also in the cast.

- Production will kick off in L.A. in January, and then will move to New Mexico in March, and should be in the can by April, if all goes well. Expect SOMETHING to be seen at Comic Con, if not earlier.

What are YOUR thoughts on this project?

Go see something good…

VIDEO: Making Of The Box...

2009-11-12T19:34:00.003-05:00

Here's a special little video from Making Of, that shows a bit of behind-the-scenes footage from the recent Richard Kelly film, The Box. Enjoy!

Go see something good!

NEWS: Release Dates Galore..

2009-11-12T19:29:00.002-05:00

Early this week, we all got our first look at what will be Noah Baumbach’s new comedy, Greenberg, which stars Ben Stiller, Rhys Ifans, and Greta Gerwig. Well, today, we have officially found a new release date for the film as well.

The film, which was created by Baumbach and his wifey, Jennifer Jason Leigh, stars Ben Stiller as Roger Greenberg, who is a man in his 40’s at the crossroads in his life. Here’s the synopsis from The Playlist:

The film is about a man in his 40s at a crossroads in his life, Roger Greenberg (Ben Stiller) ends up housesitting at his brother’s home in Los Angeles. There, he strikes up an unlikely friendship with his brother’s assistant Florence (Greta Gerwig), an aspiring singer. Florence and Greenberg’s encounters lead to an uncertain and wonderfully vulnerable courtship. Rhys Ifans plays one of Stiller's old best friends. The film also co-stars Brie Larson, Juno Temple, Chris Messina and Mark Duplass.

The release date you ask? How does March 12th, 2010 sound to you all?

I’m not the biggest fan of Margot at the Wedding, although I do see merits below that films sort of mumble-core surface. However, with his two previous films, Kicking and Screaming and The Squid and the Whale, Baumbach is a truly fantastic film maker. Full of fantastic music and some of the most true to heart moments on screen in recent memory, Baumbach is a film maker who is willing to go out on a limb, and take chances. With Stiller in the lead, this will hopefully work on a better and higher clip than Margot, as Jack Black was that films true weak link. Stiller is a far better actor, and has proven that he can do something a bit more serious, or at least something a bit more dry, as is a staple in Baumbach’s films.

We also found out that Focus Films will also be releasing the Jamie Bell vehicle, The Eagle of the Ninth in the third quarter of next year, the new Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck film, It’s Kind of a Funny Story in November, and finally, Sofia Coppola’s new film, Somewhere, arriving sometime, most likely fall, of 2010.

Finally, The Playlist also reports that Anton Corbijn, who hit the film scene with the brilliant Joy Division film, Control, will have his new George Clooney star-er, The American, on September 1st. Interesting spot, for an interesting film.
What are your thoughts on these films?

Go see something good!

NEWS: Richard Ayoade Goes Underwater With Submarine...

2009-11-12T17:59:00.005-05:00

So, I am a big time fan of music video directors becoming film makers. Just look at some of the best like Mark Romanek, Spike Jones, and of course, Michel Gondry. Now, one of the hottest young music video creators is looking to take that jump to the big screen, and is joined by one hell of a lead cast.

Richard Ayoade, director of such music masterworks like the videos for Vampire Weekends “Oxford Comma”, The Last Shadow Puppets “Standing Next to Me” as well as the video for Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Heads Will Roll”, which I think may be his best, and is embedded below, is that director. His debut feature, an adaptation of Joe Dunthorne’s novel, Submarine, has begun filming about a month ago, and with a cast that includes Noah Taylor, Sally Hawkins, Paddy Considine, and newcomer Craig Roberts in the lead.

Here’s the scoop from The Playlist, who had this story a while ago, I just happened to miss it, and this is too good of a story to skip:

The novel, published when author Dunthorne was only 25, is a coming-of-age story, following 15-year-old Oliver Tate, as he tries to save his parent's marriage, and lose his virginity to his pyromaniac girlfriend Jordana. Other than Roberts, there's no official news on who's playing who, but, taking an educated guess, we'd say that Taylor and Hawkins will play Tate's parents (Taylor replaces Michael Sheen, who was previously attached to the project), and Considine will probably be Hawkins' Capoeira teacher, who Tate is convinced his mother is having an affair with. Doing a little digging, we've also found information suggesting that Yasmin Paige, star of the "Doctor Who" spin off "The Sarah Jane Adventures," is playing Jordana.

I haven’t read the book, but after seeing his work in the above videos, as well as with buddies The Mighty Boosh, I can’t help but be overly interested in this project. He’s a fantastic director, with a distinct style, and one that I think will translate well to the big screen.

Here’s his video for the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Heads Will Roll”. Enjoy!

Go see something good!

VIDEO: Oren Moverman Talks The Messenger...

2009-11-12T17:20:00.004-05:00

One film that has gotten huge buzz, that I haven't seen yet, is Oren Moverman's new film, The Messenger, which stars Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster. Below is a special video with Moverman, taken by MakingOf (via Incontention), in which he discusses his film. Find the film and synopsis below!

A US soldier struggles with an ethical dilemma when he becomes involved with a widow of a fallen officer.

The Messenger is directed by first-time filmmaker Oren Moverman, who previously wrote the screenplays for I'm Not There and Married Life. The screenplay was actually co-written by Moverman and producer Alessandro Camon. This first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and was eventually bought by Oscilloscope. The Messenger will open in limited theaters starting on November 13th this fall.

Go see something good!

VIDEO: South Park Avatar Spoof...

2009-11-12T16:47:00.003-05:00

This video is taken from the newest episode of South Park, entitled Dancing With Smurfs. During the episode, as /Film (who had the heads up on this video, as I don't readily watch South Park) puts it, Cartman becomes a Glenn Beck /Bill O’reilly like character, and at one point recalls a tale about spending time with the Smurfs. He became “one of them,” falling in love with Smurfette, and leading a revolt against the humans (led by Wendy) who have come to pillage and ruin smurfland.

I'm not the biggest fan of the show, but it IS a slow news day after all, so enjoy!

Go see somhing good!

VIDEO: James Franco On General Hospital...

2009-11-12T08:56:00.002-05:00

Uh, this is kind of brilliant. Just enjoy. The title of this post says it all.

Thanks to Collider for the heads up.

Go see something good!

NEWS: The Monopoly Film Is Exactly What We Thought It Would Be...

2009-11-12T01:28:00.003-05:00

One would hope that, with Ridley Scott at the help, the upcoming Monopoly film would at least sound a tad bit interesting, and could somehow be solid, but nothing, and I mean nothing, could have led anyone to believe that the film would be as George-Lucas-esque bad as the recently discussed premise is. Here’s what Frank Beddor, the man behind the mustache (well, at least the film and its concept), had to say.

[H]e’s in this very vibrant place, Monopoly City, and he’s just come out of a Chance Shop. As it goes on, he takes on the evil Parker Brothers in the game of Monolopy. He has to defeat them. It tries to incorporate all the iconic imageries - a sports car pulls up, there’s someone on a horse, someone pushing a wheelbarrow - and rich Uncle Pennybags, you’re going to see him as the maître d’ at the restaurant and he’s the buggy driver and the local eccentric and the doorman at the opera. There’s all these sight gags.

Uhh, yeah. I honestly have no idea what to say.

Hero Complex, who had the scoop on all of Beddor’s verbal vomit, goes on to discuss the character who we will follow, who happens to be a “comedic, loveable loser, who’s not so hot at his job in Real Estate.” Comparisons to Jumanji and Zathura have run rampant throughout the web, and honestly, those comparisons are for the hopeful. This thing sounds beyond “Indiana Jones 4” style stupidity.

That said, /Film brings up a good point, that this guy, Beddor, is NOT penning the final screenplay, and Pamela Pettler is. Throughout a films production, screenplays change, stories shift, and movies grow and change equally. This needs that to happen, and fast. We don’t know what will be the final story, but how awful the story sounds, and how corny all of the iconography is, just leaves me even more worried about the project than I previously was.

All in all, this is not a project that I have too high of hopes for. Ridley Scott is showing that he may (doubtfully) be losing a step, at least with Body of Lies, but overall, I still have faith in him. But only when the source material works, and this is the polar opposite of that. Chance Shop? That should kind of spell out what the f*** for those out of the 1st grade.

What do YOU think?

Go see something good!

POSTER: Kick-Ass...

2009-11-11T15:12:00.004-05:00

Now THIS is what I want to see from my Kick-Ass promotional material!

As anyone who follows me on Twitter or has read this blog would know, I am both insaney excited for the upcoming Matthew Vaughn adaptation of the hit comic book, Kick-Ass. However, with the trailer that premiered last night, I can't help but wonder how marketable, in a PG sense of the word, this film is. Sure, the red band stuff is bound to be great, but for those interested based on what the green band trailer is, are going to be in for an interesting throat kick when they get into the theatre. That said, the new poster which premiered on Myspace, is amazing. Enjoy!

As any good superhero would, he chooses a new name — Kick-Ass — assembles a suit and mask to wear, and gets to work fighting crime. There’s only one problem standing in his way: Kick-Ass has absolutely no superpowers. His life is forever changed as he inspires a subculture of copy cats, is hunted by assorted violent and unpleasant characters, and meets up with a pair of crazed vigilantes, including an 11-year-old sword-wielding dynamo, Hit Girl (Chloë Moretz) and her father, Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage).

Kick-Ass hits theaters on April 16th 2010.

Go see something good!

TRAILER: Kick-Ass...

2009-11-11T00:47:00.003-05:00

Finally! Today, Lionsgate finally released the first teaser for Matthew Vaughn’s adaptation of the renowned Mark Millar comic book Kick-Ass. Having not only read the script, but I, like many of you I hope, had a chance to see the bootlegged version of the ComiCon trailer for this film. The film, which was produced purely through independent sources, and was beyond a hit when the afformentioned ComiCon footage, and then some, played during the event.

However, the new trailer leaves me, wanting more. Personally, knowing that this was released through the films website, has me wondering why it was a green band trailer, instead of a more viral, at least red band trailer, similar to the one shown at the Con. I think the trailer itself works as a whole, but having seen all of this other footage, it really has me wondering how marketable this film truly is. Here’s my point. This trailer, while fine, makes it seem almost like a Wanted-style spoof film, instead of the truly kick-ass film that the script and footage have proven that it is. I know this film is getting released, but I just hope that the upcoming promotional material, much like the amazing teaser posters, will make this a bigger hit than I think it’s going to be.

That said, I do like the trailer, for what it is. The opening is fun and a great kick in the face, and sets the tone for what you really should expect. I love the cast, and the use of Hit Girl in the trailer is as much as one could expect. That said, one should expect a whole lot more violence and almost comically so. This has the potential to be a massive hit, and as test screening buzz will have you think, the best comic book film ever made. Hope it lives up to it.

Kick-Ass

Trailer Park | MySpace Video

Here's the stories synopsis:

As any good superhero would, he chooses a new name — Kick-Ass — assembles a suit and mask to wear, and gets to work fighting crime. There’s only one problem standing in his way: Kick-Ass has absolutely no superpowers. His life is forever changed as he inspires a subculture of copy cats, is hunted by assorted violent and unpleasant characters, and meets up with a pair of crazed vigilantes, including an 11-year-old sword-wielding dynamo, Hit Girl (Chloë Moretz) and her father, Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage).

Go see something good!

TRAILER: Clash of the Titans...

2009-11-10T20:50:00.003-05:00

So, this is a shocking, and ever so glorious surprise.

Today, Warner Brothers has released the first official trailer, albeit a short one, for Louis Leterrier’s new film, a remake of the classic Clash of The Titans. The film is set to star Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, and Pete Postlethwaite, and looks to be beyond badass. The trailer is indeed a short little teaser, but what it teases is a film that looks to pack a Mike Tyson size punch. It looks pitch perfect in its scope and style, and is exactly why I think that the original, while being great, is a great idea for a remake. The tone looks different, the style is updated, and those effects look superb. Really, I can’t say enough good things about this thing.

I also really love this cast. Worthington is a fantastic actor, and in Terminator Salvation, proved that he could even act a certain superhero (Yeah, I’m looking at you Bruce Wayne) under the table. He’s exactly the guy I think could lift this potentially cliché material to something truly great. Leterrier has proven to have a fantastic eye for action with films like Unleashed and last year’s Hulk. Many will find this a weird style change, at least for those, like me, who find the original to be great, but I guess it just worked for me. Yes, it’s far more Lord of the Rings than Clash of The Titans, but I think it works. Could just be me though. Just watch and enjoy!

Follows Perseus and his quest to battle Medusa and the Kraken in order to save the Princess Andromeda.

Clash of the Titans is directed by French filmmaker Louis Leterrier, of Unleashed, Transporter 2, and The Incredible Hulk previously. The screenplay was originally written by Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark) then later revised by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi (both of Crazy/Beautiful, The Tuxedo, Aeon Flux). This is a remake of Desmond Davis' original 1981 classic movie of the same name. Warner Brothers will be bringing Clash of the Titans to theaters everywhere starting on March 26th, 2010. Is everyone excited?

Go see something good!

TRAILER: A Single Man...

2009-11-10T13:41:00.005-05:00

I know I am a little late on the release of this trailer, but really, I haven't posted this because I haven't had time to turn it off and write something up. That said, I don't have a whole lot to say about this, except that not only has the buzz for this thing be HUGE, calling it a dark horse Oscar contender, but I think that this trailer is beyond stunning. It should come as no surprise, as this is the same guy behind it, Tom Ford, is a well renowned fashion designer, so you could expect this film to look gorgeous. And it does. The film stars Best Actor contender Colin Firth and Julianne Moore, and is now squarely at the top of my most anticipated from the rest of the year. Enjoy!

A Single Man in HD

Trailer Park | MySpace Video

A romantic tale of love interrupted, the story centers on an English professor (Colin Firth) who, after the sudden death of his partner, tries to go about his typical day, struggling to find any meaning to his life.

A Single Man is both written and directed by American fashion designer Tom Ford, who is making his directorial debut with this film. David Scearce also help co-write the script, which is based on Christopher Isherwood 's novel of the same name. This first premiered at the Toronto Film Festival a few months ago. The Weinstein Company is finally bringing A Single Man to limited theaters starting on December 11th.

Go see something good!

NEWS: Oldboy Remake is Dead...

2009-11-10T13:16:00.003-05:00

I know, for once, Hollywood is answering the prayers of fanboys and girls, as well as just sensible people from across the globe, by officially deep sixing the alleged remake/comic book adaptation of Oldboy.

Latino Review is now reporting that Steven Spielberg’s Old Boy starring Will Smith is officially dead. It looks like Dreamworks and original Korean production studio Mandate were working together to get the rights to the manga from which the original Park Chan-wook film was based, but the two couldn’t reach an agreement, and Dreamworks left any negotiations. Spielberg’s film was to be an adaptation of the original manga by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi, and not a direct remake of Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy.

I just placed the Chan-wook film right near the top of my Top 15 Films of The Decade, so this film is intensely close to my heart. As part of his lauded "revenge trilogy" I, unlike many, feel that this is his best, but not by much, which is saying something for that trilogy as a whole.

Now, the remake wasn't intent and was in no way going to be some sort of direct remake of the Chan-wook film. At the outset, it was discussed as a possible remake, but as reports started to come out, we found out that the film would be based on the manga, from which Chan-wook got the idea for his film. That said, it didn't make the pill any easier to take. It's like wrapping up a spike covered ball in paper and thrusting it down your throat. It doesn't do much to soften the blow of this rather brilliant piece of cinema being remade.

It didn't help that two people were behind it, who were completely wrong for the project. I LOVE Spielberg. He's given me one hell of a childhood, and with films like Jurassic Park and Schindler's List, he's also made some of the most memorable films of the past 20 years. That said, with a film like Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Shitty X-Files Episode, I think that he is much better off sticking to something along the lines of his Abe Lincoln project, which I think is set to be brilliant, especially with him at the helm, instead of this. I also think that with a big name like Will Smith, while I do think the guy has a huge cinema I.Q., the film would probably lose a lot of it's brutality and intensity.

Overall, I'm glad to see this film die a brutal death, like a man getting dropped from the top of a building. Here's the original films trailer:

Go see something good...

FORUM/OPINION: Who Is In/Out of Oscar '09...

2009-11-09T17:44:00.004-05:00

So it's finally here. Oscar season '09. We are currently in the middle of the much hyped season, and there are many big films yet to be seen, that have a massive implication as to what films should and will be nominated for the ever important Best Picture.

However, more questions than the quality of those films are confounding all Oscar bloggers.

What will Avatar do?
Where will Up be placed?
Is Precious the current front runner?
What about late bloomers like Crazy Heart?
What's more manly, being Serious or Single
What kind of effect will 10 films being nominated have on the overall scheme of the group? More blockbusters, or more of the same?
Finally, who is in right now?

Hopefully I can voice a bit of an opinion, and give you my respective outlook on the upcoming season.

First, when one goes into the awards discussion, one must clarify what films he or she sees as getting in. At this point in time I see 9 sure-fire locks.

Up In The Air
Precious
Nine
Invictus
The Lovely Bones
The Hurt Locker
A Serious Man
A Single Man
An Education

Coming out of all the major film festivals, Precious looks to be the film that everyone will be getting behind, particularly with the soon to be huge push from the likes of Tyler Perry and Ms. Oprah, who are both presenting the film. If they pump this puppy up, as I am sure they will, by at least dedicating a full show of Oprah's to the film, this one is arguably the front runner at this point for the overall prize.

However, after listening to some true Oscar prognosticators, people I trust, it appears that many people are predicting that The Hurt Locker may in the end, take it from Precious, it what I think would be a great win. I haven't seen Precious, but Hurt Locker being the highest of any film on my list on this list, I would have to lean my hat on that rack. And what an action packed, brilliant rack it is.

That all said, I only have 9 films on this list, and even two of those, A Serious Man and A Single Man, may be a bit of a stretch. Although everyone is calling for the two to be nominated, I'm not to sure that it will happen, with the ultimate casualty most likely being A Single Man. Do I think both will be nominated, yes. Would I be surprised if one wasn't, not in the slightest.

So simply leave my list intact, and leave the one slot open. What gets in? What doesn't? That in and of itself may be more interesting than who would win.

The biggest question, both potentially and monetarily (since the budget is rumored at $500 million) is where is Avatar going to place. Incontention.com, my go to website for Oscar news has it listed in the top 10, so one should assume that there is at least a chance. No one has seen the film yet, so no one truly knows how well the film will play to both audiences and academy members. Me personally, I don't see it happening. I wouldn't be shocked if it did, but I would find the tech awards a perfect and probable place where the film is going to get it's awards, and I think quite a few are in it's sight.

Then there is Up, the fantastic new Pixar film. This one also made the list over at incontention.com, and I think that this is where the academy may go for its 10th spot. While it IS an animated film and I do believe that the Academy has a vendetta against the form since relegating it to a separate category, but I think Up is far less out there than Avatar, and will also most likely be far more critically acclaimed. I'm not the biggest fan of the film, but it is just out of my top 10 of the year, so I wouldn't feel to bad about seeing this one take the spot.

Also, something has to be said for the shift to 10 films. While I do believe that the shift is an awful idea and will probably be changed back by at least 2011, if not next year. There had to have been a reason behind it, and while I for the most point think that it will just be more of the same, Oscar bait type films, I do believe that the academy will nominate at least one larger blockbuster, and Up is by far the best.

Inglourious Basterds is out of the hunt, even though some people, particularly just fans, think that both the film and Tarantino will be nominated for their respective awards. Yes, Christoph Waltz will most likely get a nomination for best supporting actor, but even there, a win is a little far fetched. Cinematography and Best Original Screenplay are two categories that I also see a possible nomination for Basterds.

Amelia is dead, Capitalism: A Love Story is out, and District 9 is too, and same goes for personal favorite Where The Wild Things Are. Which brings me to the next and last possibility, my best film of the year, Bright Star.

At this point, I have two films to film at least one spot. Bright Star and Up are both vying for that 10th spot, and personally, I wouldn't be surprised if both get in, and one of the Man films don't get nominated. Bright Star is beyond a soft lob for the academy. Luscious, a biopic, full of costumes and period drama, and from a director, Jane Campion, who is one that the academy has an affinity for. Currently it's between that and Up, but if I have to place a bet on what the 10th film on that list will be, Bright Star is getting my vote.

For the other main races, I think that both the Mal and Female lead categoriesar down to two frontrunners. For the guys, I think the race is directly down to Colin Firth for A Single Man and Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart. My personal pick is having to lean more towards Bridges, primarily in that he both sings in the film, and the guy has been pumping out performance after quality performance for going on 40 years now. I haven't seen either film at this point, so who knows, but from the buzz I've been hearing, and what it appears that the academy likes in their leads and their films, I think these two guys are squarely in the hunt, and everyone else is catching up. Clooney and Freeman should round that category out, with the wild card probably being Daniel Day Lewis for Nine or Hal Hollbrook for That Evening Sun.

Best Actress is also down to two frontrunners, Carrey Mulligan and Meryl Streep, with the lead squarely on the shoulders of Mulligan. Two other surefire locks are Gabourey Sidibe and Helen Miren, with the final spot most likely going to Saorise Ronan for The Lovely Bones. This has been a somewhat above average year for women in film, so this is definitely a race to be on the look out for.

All in all, I think we can pretty much knock the top 10 films squarely into their places. I can put up a list of 8, maybe 9 films that I think are surefire locks to be there come Oscar time. With a lot of time left, and not many of the films getting a release yet, no one can truly say what is in or out, but all in all, when it comes time I think you can take these to the bank.

What films do YOU think will be nominated for Best Picture? What will be out?

Go see something good!

AWESOME: Tauntaun Sleeping Bag...

2009-11-09T14:26:00.001-05:00

Buy the Tauntaun sleeping bag HERE (ThinkGeek via Geekachicas)

Go see something good!

OPINION: Top 15 Films of The Decade...My List...

2009-11-09T14:07:00.004-05:00

Yeah, this may be the most pretentious post ever placed on this site. However, with the year coming to an end, I feel as though it is time for me to chime in with my list of my 15 favorite films of the past decade. This list could be changed on a daily basis, so really, I have no right in doing this, but I'm pretty set on 15 films that I could put in here, so this list is about as close to my top 15 as I will get. That said, it's a good conversation starter. Let the firestorm begin...

15. In The Bedroom
14. Tripletts of Belleville
13. Children of Men
12. Mulholland Drive
11. Shortbus
10. Brick
9. Brokeback Mountain
8. Kill Bill Vol. 2
7. Requiem for a Dream
6. Amores Perros
5. Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind
4. City of God
3. In The Mood For Love
2. Oldboy
1. There Will Be Blood

Go see something good!

POSTER: Alice In Wonderland...

2009-11-09T13:31:00.003-05:00

The Facebook page for the Mad Hatter has released a new poster for the upcoming Tim Burton reboot/remake/adaptation/emogasm of Alice in Wonderland. I love the style of it all, and this is one film that I really can't wait to see. This is the story that Burton was born to film. Enjoy!

Go see something good!

NEWS: Avatar Has a $500 Million Budget?

2009-11-09T12:18:00.002-05:00

Recently, a New York Times article raised the question asking if a film like James Cameron’s Avatar, which as The Playlist points out, is a film that features no superstars, is an original idea, and is not based on a franchise, and if it will be able to rcoup it’s large budget.

How large you say?

How about $500 million large.

Shit, that's shocking enough just to type.

According to published reports, the production budget was listed at just above $230 million, however, the price tag doesn’t include financial contributions from Cameron and other contributors. With everything added, Avatar is set to cost those who backed it, roughly $500 million.

Now, that may seem like a big number for studio Fox, but they have a few backup plans.

First, the studio has brought in a pair of equity partners, Dune Entertainment and Ingenious Media, who are going to essentially take up almost two thirds of the budget, and while that means lower profit for Fox, they also have a second ace up their sleeves, in the form of a trio of chipmunks. Here’s from the NYT article:

Taking no chances, Fox is backing up Mr. Cameron’s movie with what an executive recently called the studio’s “secret weapon. That would be “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel,” set to open just a week after studio marketers get “Avatar” into theaters. It is the relatively safe sequel to a chipper family comedy that cost about $60 million and took in $217 million at the domestic box office when it was released two years ago.

Finally, according to reports, Fox has made a part of Cameron’s contract that, if the film reached or exceeded $300 million, the film maker would have to wait to get paid, so that those funding the film, got a return first. It’s not that big of a deal since this IS the guy who did Titanic, so I’m sure money isn’t an issue for the guy, and it’s kind of interesting to see how Fox actually used their brains for a change.

However, what does this do for the film? Hell, back at $300 million, the film needed to be a MONSTER hit make it’s money back, but now, it looks like while I know over time that it will most likely make a few dollars back, it needs to break all kinds of records to get positive. However, it could very well do that, as not only do the TV spots look great, but I think along with a bit of Oscar buzz, at least from people I hear talking, I think this is going to be a bigger hit than people are thinking. It helps that it’s mainly going to be seen in 3-D, with ticket prices almost double that of non-3D screenings.

All I know is this is a risky project, and one that Fox seems to have known about before they picked it up.

Go see something good!

NEWS: Fincher's Next Project...

2009-11-09T02:54:00.002-05:00

There may not be a single film maker working today that, if a film of his is being released, I will be waiting in line before the script is even written, bigger than David Fincher.

The guy is a genius.

Now, currently shooting The Social Network, the much talked about adaptation of The Accidental Billionaires, a.k.a. the Facebook Story, it appears as though he has signed up for his next project, and Fincher fanboys rejoice, he’s going back to thrillers.

According to THR, Fincher has signed on to adapt The Reincarnation of Peter Proud, based on a script written by Andrew Kevin Walker, who also happened to pen the script for the essential serial killer film, Fincher’s Seven. Here’s the scoop:

‘Proud’ centers on a college professor who begins having recurring dreams and nightmares and, realizing they are images of a past life, decides to search out the source of the visions. With his girlfriend in tow, he discovers a woman and her grown-up daughter who are keys to his past life.

This is beyond fantastic news. This is like Darren Aronofsky actually getting his Noah’s Ark project off the ground. Not only will it be great to see Fincher and Walker back together on the big screen, because as I said above, Seven is easily the first serial killer film any knowing cinephile will come up with when asked their favorite serial killer film. Also, Fincher has made his name on dark thrillers, and this seems to be familiar territory. I’m a massive fan of Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but I do reckognize it’s faults. However, you look at what Fincher has done in the thriller genre, and you have a long list of fantastic entries, ranging from the aforementioned Seven, to Zodiac, Fincher’s deconstruction of the genre.

While I’m insanely interested The Social Network, based on Fincher, the cast, and the Sorkin script (one of many collecting dust on my desk at the time being), but I do think that this is a more intriguing film, simply because it’s something that I think Fincher can truly knock out of the ballpark. I do think Social Network is going to be great, and a fantastic film, because minus Alien 3, that’s all Fincher makes, but I am personally more interested in this than Network.

What do YOU think?

Go see something good!

NEWS: Battleship To Feature Boats. Fighting Aliens...

2009-11-09T02:28:00.002-05:00

So yeah, board game to film adaptations are set to be the new remake in the eyes of Hollywood, and to kick it all off, will be Battleship directed by Peter Berg.

However, one can not help but be intrigued at the idea of the man who brought us The Kingdom, The Rundown, and Friday Night Lights taking on a title like Battleship, for many reasons, the main one being that this, unlike a remake or sequel, has no previous canon or story to deal with.

Just two people, some pegs, and sinking battleships.

Well, you can add aliens to that list.

According to Latino Review, it appears as though the villain(s) in Berg’s upcoming adaptation of the legendary game will not be a warring warship, but instead, you guessed it, aliens.

This has depressing and low expectations written all over it. First, the script is being written by the brother duo of Jon and Erich Hoeber, who recently gave us the Citizen Kane of our era (I really hope you all can taste the sarcasm dripping off that statement) Whiteout. Second, it’s based on a Hasbro board game, and looks to be as equally over the top dumb as this year’s G.I. Joe, and possibly as racist as this year’s Transformers 2 (okay, that I have no idea about, but it’s bound to be as stupid as that pile of drek anyways).

Third, and most sad, is that recently Berg left his Dune adaptation, and from the looks of it, looked to be going full steam ahead. While I am glad to see Neil Marshall and Neil Blomkamp in the hunt to pick that film up, it just makes me sad that instead of getting an interesting adaptation of Dune out of Berg, we are going to get this loud, over the top, explosiongasm the likes of possibly nothing we have seen so far, that will feature boats. Fighting aliens. Hopefully not starring Robert Pattinson.

What do YOU think?

Go see something good!

NEWS: Three More Join Black Swan...

2009-11-09T02:22:00.002-05:00

It looks like one of the first scripts I’ve ever reviewed, Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, is not only brilliant in and of itself, but the cast being assembled around it is one of the most interesting I can remember.

Add three more huge names to that list.

Black Swan, which is going to begin being shot in New York City in a matter of weeks, is set to star Natalie Portman as Nina, a veteran ballerina who is locked in a battle with another, hot shot dancer Lilly, which is going to be played by Mila Kunis. According to /Film and his faithful spies, three more top notch actors are going to join up. Here’s the scoop, straight from the horses mouth:

So what other actors and actresses will join Portman and Kunis in the new Aronofsky film? Vincent Cassel, Winona Ryder, and Barbara Hershey (The Portrait of a Lady). There are three Academy Award nominations within the credits of these three new additions.

One can assume, and this appears to be correct according to sources, that Ryder will portray Beth, Nina’s “friend” who is running right into the end of her illustrious career. The ballet’s director, Yevna, will be the role that Cassel will portray, and Hershey will most likely play Nina’s mother, which is interesting, because at one point in time, Meryl Streep was rumored to be in the hunt for this role.

This all could not be better news. I’m on the record as calling the script brilliant, and “like a slow burn that leaves you with a scar for days.” The script really stuck with me, and some of the images in the film, just the script itself, haunted me for more than I would have liked. It’s a dark, dark tale, one that I think is going to be damn near impossible to truly market, but one that I think will be something that NO ONE is going to want to miss. Now with a cast like this, it’s just even more anticipated by me, particularly in the addition of Cassel. I love Ryder, and think that she is perfect to play this dancer on the tale end of her career (hopefully with a Mickey Rourke-esque supporting role turn), but I don’t think Aronofsky could have gotten a better or more pitch perfect actor for this role. It’s a charismatic character, one that sexy, violent, and controlling. I love Cassel as an actor, and I think he is perfect for not only this dark film, but also the role itself.

I don't want to go too deep into the plot right now, but if you want, click the link below to head over to my script review of Black Swan.

CLICK HERE FOR MY REVIEW OF THE SCRIPT
What do YOU think?

Go see something good!

NEWS: Boyle's Next Film To Feature An Hour of No Dialouge?

2009-11-08T17:29:00.002-05:00

I love silent films.

One thing I love even more, is when a modern film incorporates the idea of silent cinema, and brings it to modern audiences.

Triplets Of Belleville, my favorite animated film of all time, is a perfect example. The opening 20 minutes of Wall-E, or even the tear jerking 5 minute montage in the opening of Up (the best part of that film), are all great examples as well. However, it’s not often used, outside of There Will Be Blood (which may be the single best use of this idea), in the realm of live action films.

That said, Danny Boyle is about to throw his hat in the silent ring, and with more than one could have expected.

About a week ago, it was reported that Danny Boyle would not be doing sequels to 28 Weeks Later or Trainspotting as his next film, but instead, 127 Hours, the story of Aron Ralston. Who is Aron Ralston? Well, he’s more of a man than any of us could ever be, as he is a famous mountain climber who, after being trapped by a boulder for nearly five days, had to amputate his own arm to free himself. Balls? F*** yes.

Indiewire recently had a chance to talk to the film maker, who confirmed that Slumdog Millionaire scribe Simon Beaufoy is tapped to pen the screenplay, but has not yet started a draft, which will be adapted from Boyle’s treatment. However, that’s not really the news. The biggest chunk of news is that Boyle intends for the first hour to be completely dialogue free. In the actual story, Ralston WAS completely alone, and stuck in a canyon, so one could imagine that there wouldn’t be much talking. The film will rely solely on the acting ability of whatever actor is cast (Ryan Gosling has been rumoured).

Boyle continues and says the film has no green light or budget right now, but after winning an Oscar, that shouldn’t be too hard to attain.

This is beyond good news. The story itself is full of drama, and the idea of having a Castaway type story like this, without the horrible plot device that was the volleyball, is intriguing. I think Boyle is a brilliant film maker, as much as I didn’t like Slumdog, and I think if they get the right actor, this thing could be beyond fantastic. The story is inherently interesting and full of intensity and drama, and throw in the idea of being completely alone, the film could not only be a great piece of cinema, but a true horror film. Imagine the Decent, but featuring only one character, and no monsters.

This actually reminds me a lot of the upcoming Ryan Reynolds indie, Buried, which is a script that I still have to get through. In that film, he plays a man who was buried alive, with only a cell phone, and is allegedly getting a release sometime next year. Both of these films sound fantastic.

But what do YOU think?

Go see something good!

POSTER: The True Fantastic Fox...

2009-11-08T00:29:00.004-05:00

(VIA INCONTENTION)

Go see something good!

REVIEW: Bright Star...

2009-11-07T00:07:00.005-05:00

I think I’m secretly a woman.

As the cinephile that I am, I am a big fan of a few different genres. Science Fiction, Film Noir, and dark comedies are just a few different genres and styles of films that catch the eyes of this guy. However, one genre that you may or may not expect to hear come out of my mouth, or typed from these fingers when discussing favorite genres, is costume drama. That said, I still believe that it’s one of the most interesting genres, and it’s just one that hits me in the right spot. That little pit right somewhere in your gut, that when tapped, automatically gets your attention, and ultimately, your tears.

Bright Star is easily the best costume drama I have seen, since at least Pride and Prejudice, and is arguably the best film so far this year. I know it’s my favorite.

Following a secret love affair, Bright Star tells the tale of legendary Romantic poet, John Keats, as he aims to win the heart and affection of his ultimate muse, one Fanny Brawne. The outspoken student of fashion is at once smitten by Keats’ ways, and the unlikely pair, who started at odds, are drawn together by the illness and death of Keats’ brother. Touched by her efforts to help, he agrees to teach her poetry, and from there on, the relationship gains unstoppable momentum, as they are intensely and helplessly absorbed into each other’s lives. However, troubles come, and seemingly insurmountable odds stand in their way.

Arguably the biggest problem that film goers have with costume/period dramas are how stuffy and seemingly uninteresting the dialogue, characters, and stories can be. However, Bright Star could not be any more opposed to that sentiment. Not a whole lot happens during the film, as it’s basically the story of boy and girl meet, fall in love, quibble, and then the ultimate conclusion. It’s a breezy film about John Keats, and yet is all the more powerful and effective for that.

The film is light and airy, and fits the style and ideal of Keats and what the Romantic poets stood for so perfectly. Director Jane Campion, whose film The Piano is one of my favorites, paints a stunningly beautiful frame, one that is as dreamy and gorgeous as the words that Keats put to page. It’s an intimate look at a love that knows no boundaries, money included, and one that is so pure, that it makes the average romance film look like a porn in comparison. Sure, it’s a period film, but this film doesn’t rely solely on period staples like films like The Dutchess do.

The true star of this film however is the cast, particularly the two leads. Given a script full of poignant dialogue with some of the most beautiful and lyrical poems ever dreamt, Ben Wishaw and Abbie Cornish make this a romance that one can believe in. Wishaw has previously done a poet character, albeit a bit more cynical, in I’m Not There, and here, he pulls in one of the best lead performances of this year. Abbie Cornish is great here, and is a true treasure as the wide eyed, yet sarcastic Fanny. Another surprising turn from Paul Schneider, best known as the brother in Lars and The Real Girl, and you have one of the best ensemble casts this year, and one that sure hope gets some sort of recognition come Oscar time.

Most costume dramas get accused of being turgid and soulless self masturbatory production design manifestos, yet Bright Star seemingly falls as far from that stereotype as possible. Full of life, not only in the lead roles, the film absolutely jumps off of the screen. It’s an elegant film, with the poetic touch and dreamy style that made Keats the fantastic poet he was. It doesn’t bash the viewer in the face with production design, but instead, takes that design, which is easily the most elaborate and stunning this year, and simply make it secondary to this love story. As all romance films do, Star relies on the chemistry of the two lovers, and that ultimately may be the films biggest strength. The two do not fall for each other right away, but as they do, you begin to see the fire between the two, come on the faces of the respective actors, via a look, a smile, or a nod. Also, Campion lets the camera linger, and often times randomly pop up to show something as simple as a young girl walking in with a cat, and it just forces the viewer to dig deeper and deeper into this world that she has so beautifully crafted.

As a film, and as a biopic, I feel as though this is the blueprint for how to create one that truly works.

Star, instead of following the entire span of Keats’ life, it simply follows three years, the final three years of this poets life. It encapsulates Keats’ at his most prolific, most loving, most cold, most frail, and most tortured, which allows the viewer to simply dig into the subject, for that period of time. There is no need to show Keats’ when he is young, as that is not directly important to the viewer, in any meaningful way. It allows the film to live and breath on it’s own, without being lagged down by any back story. It’s almost like a superhero origin tale. One can only see so many of them before they begin to play as if they are all too similar. This one simply plants us in this time, and forces us to fill in any back story that we may or may not want. That choice is far to important, and one that I am thankful Campion gave us. If you want to know more, read up on him. If not, enjoy what may be one of the best films of ’09.

All in all, this is the opposite of a blockbuster, and opposite of a film that will work for everyone. This isn’t an explosion filled action fest, nor is it a melodrama heavy soap opera style romantic drama, what this film is however is a poetic look at three years, and one wonderful romance, that, instead of forcing you to tears, or scaring the shit out of you, simply asks you to think about love, life, and the art of words. It’s also leaves you, at least I hope it does, saying you were glad to see it.

I almost wish we were butterflies and liv’d but three summer days—three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain.

BRIGHT STAR – 9/10

Go see something good!

REVIEW: The Box...

2009-11-06T22:18:00.004-05:00

I hate Donnie Darko.

Southland Tales, even moreso.

So, one can postulate that I wasn't to keen on seeing The Box, Richard Kelly's newest film. However, for some random reason, I still had a bit of anticipation for his adapation of Button, Button, a Richard Matheson tale. Starting with Darko, which is a grossly overhyped and overrated little cult hit, which is the case for any mediocre genre film, and then going to the bombastic and voistrous trainwreck that was Southland, this should be easily his worst film yet, right? Well, that pleasure I didn't have. What I got was a slightly above mediocre little film, that missed about as much as it hit.

The Box follows Norma and Arthur Lewis, a suburban couple with a young child, who receive a simple wooden box as a gift, which bears fatal and irrevocable consequences. A mysterious stranger, delivers the message that the box promises to bestow upon its owner $1 million with the press of a button. But, pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world; someone they don't know. With just 24 hours to have the box in their possession, Norma and Arthur find themselves in the cross-hairs of a startling moral dilemma and must face the true nature of their humanity.

I normally don’t talk much about music, but I think this films score is almost a perfect replica of the problems the film has.

Scored by The Arcade Fire, a brilliant and creative band of which I am a devout acolyte is not as sonically stellar as one would hope. Sure, it’s fine, and it fits the film, but it’s simply ok. It’s neither good, nor bad, and is in some spots even cliché in its tone and it’s even more depressing of a standard thriller score, when you realize who is behind it all. It’s a perfect microcosm for the film as a whole.

Based on a short story, Button, Button, which was also adapted into a Twilight Zone episode, Kelly shows that yes, he is quite a creative film maker. While I don’t truly enjoy either of his previous efforts, I understand just what level of creativity goes into creating those tales, and particularly his interesting visual style. However, while it’s not truly a commercial film, this is far more commercial than either of his previous efforts, and is almost as intellectually dull.

The true star of this film is the visual style in which Kelly paints his looping tragedy. A modern riff on ‘70’s sci-fi, Twilight Zone-esque tales, and the film fits perfectly in that world. While there isn’t much physically in the way of ‘70’s era style, outside of costumes of course, the style and shot structure would be right in that world. The blocked off frame, slow zooms, and the morality play of a premise, this would be a perfect fit as a new episode of the aforementioned Twilight Zone.

However, outside of that, the film falls more than flat. For most of the film, the story is somewhat coherent, and equally as straightforward. It’s a morality play that is basically a riff off of W.W. Jacobs’ The Monkey’s Paw, and yet is neither as good as this short story, nor as interesting as its direct source material. Full of Arthur C. Clarke, Christmas, child and adult abduction, and Sartre’s No Exit (my personal favorite play), the film attempts to have some weightier themes, yet revels in its own mediocrity.

The cast also don’t truly help Kelly out in any respect.

James Marsden is fine here, but is equally the biggest disappointment, as he is simply mining similar territory. As the father in the household, one could imagine that this would have been his character from any of his numerous romantic comedies, just if he was set in the ‘70’s. He’s fine, but is simply sitting comfortably in his recliner of a character type. Cameron Diaz trumps him however, as a wooden porn star version of the woman we once saw with jizz in her hair. She delivers her lines with such dry and soap opera style emotion, that it lies flat on the dingy frame painted ever so creatively by Kelly.

That said, the film does have a few shining moments. The main star of this piece is Frank Langella as the man with the box, Arlington Steward, and is a true joy to watch on screen. He fits the role like a glove, and is truly fun to see chew up the scenery. Gillian Jacobs, who plays Britta on Community, is a nice addition to the cast, and so is Sam Stone, who plays Walter, the couple’s son.

However, when the film goes into creep mode, the atmosphere set by Kelly is beyond solid. There are a few motifs within the film that, when the falling action begins to head to the floor, have set up the tension so well, that it’s all the more compelling. That said, when the climax does come, it’s so utterly preposterous, that not only is it uninteresting, horribly cliché, but it’s also rather boring.
That is ultimately this films main sin. The ending hits the viewer in the face, and then proceeds to tell us that everything will be okay, as if we were sitting on a hospital bed during an episode of a Spanish telenovela. It’s a television episode stretched 4 times the 30 minute length, and just as good as that sounds. Ending with a do-or-die situation, a similar situation from where we started, we see that this is simply a looping tragedy, which, due to human nature, is doomed to repeat itself. That, in and of itself, is inherently intriguing, and an idea that I would more than like to sit down and sift through. However, what Kelly gives us, is an overly emotional scene involving these two lovers, completely ditching the cynical idea of human nature, in hopes of a more commercial ending. Full of declarations of love and tears, instead of wrenching the gut, the performances are so unengaging, that it fell completely flat.

All in all, this film is neither good, nor horrible. This has been a primarily negative review, but it is only because I know that everyone involved with this film has more up their sleeve, and could have made this film much more interesting. The film is neither the fun-to-hate, hard-to-find-something-to-appreciate fever dream that was Donnie Darko, nor the shockingly bad and hilariously insane schlock fest that was Southland Tales, but instead, it’s simply a convoluted and anticlimactic thriller, with a few golden moments. The film is well made, is slightly interesting and compelling, and while being a tad bit frivolous and almost downright preposterous, it still makes sense. It’s just not a worthwhile puzzle to put together, at least in theatres.

This is a great step forward for Kelly however, and if this film does do one thing, it gets me insanely interested into what he does next.

THE BOX – 5/10

Go see something good!

TRAILER: Salt...

2009-11-05T13:14:00.004-05:00

I'm currently sitting in my News Reporting II class, and instead of listening to a boring lecture on AP style (of which I know my fair share about), I am about to dig into the screenplay for the upcoming spy actioner, Salt. What spurned this drive to read this long released screenplay? Well, a little trailer released yesturday definitely helped that.

On Wednesday, Sony released the teaser trailer for their upcoming film, Salt, which stars Angelina Jolie, and is directed by Phillip Noyce. The film, due out next July, sees Jolie as almost the female Jason Bourne, which is an interesting concept. We have seen Jolie do action, I mean, she starred in Wanted for Christ's sake. However, there are a few shots in here, particularly that last wall jump, that come off as really almost laughable. Sure, it looks quite badass, and Jolie is the opposite of hard on the eyes, so visually I'm interested, especially with Noyce at the helm, but I feel like this type of movie has been done before. That said, the film looks like a perfect fit for it's July release, and is a script I'm excited to get through

Salt is directed by veteran Australian filmmaker Phillip Noyce, of Echoes of Paradise, Dead Calm, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, The Saint, The Bone Collector, and Catch a Fire previously. The script was co-written by Kurt Wimmer (Equilibrium, Street Kings, Law Abiding Citizen) and Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential, Conspiracy Theory, The Postman, Mystic River, Man on Fire, Taking of Pelham 123, Green Zone, Robin Hood). Sony is bringing Salt to theaters everywhere on July 23rd, 2010 next summer.

Go see something good!

NEWS: Oren Peli's Area 51 Gets Some Leads...

2009-11-04T19:15:00.003-05:00

During their coverage of the American Film Market, Bloody Disgusting came across the names of the three leads for Paranormal Activity director Oren Peli’s next film, Area 51. The names are all unknowns, which is a great relief, as for most film makers, after a hit like PA, they would easily go Hollywood and look for standard lead actor picks. The three actors are Reid Warner, Darrin Bragg, and Ben Rovne.

The only one to really see the screen is Warner, and hasn’t been in much besides guest spots on The Unit and Eli Stone. The budget of the film is also a hint at what to expect, as it is somewhere right around $5 million, and can be expected that the majority of that will be put to effects.

Here is what /Film has to say on the upcoming film:

Peli began shooting Area 51, another found-video thriller which is described as a “claustrophobic terror”, last month in Utah. Peli is trying to keep details under wraps, saying “I’d rather not say anything about ‘Area 51′ except that I am very pleased to be working with the same team who stood by me for the two or three years it took ‘Paranormal Activity’ to get into theaters.”

Sure, I’m not the worlds biggest Paranormal Activity fan, but honestly, the idea of a found footage horror film set in Area 51 sounds like a film straight out of my dreams. Alien films have been scarce lately, and it is about time that this generation gets their Fire In The Sky. The idea of this film interests me like very few have, and I can’t wait to get a chance to find out more about it. Here’s the full press release:

PELI TO EXPLORE “AREA 51” WITH INCENTIVE AND IM GLOBAL

LOS ANGELES, October 6, 2009 - Writer-director Oren Peli is set to start production next week on AREA 51, his follow-up to the supernatural chiller PARANORMAL ACTIVITY which after creating exceptional underground notoriety since its production in 2007 is now in the early stages of its US release by Paramount.

The AREA 51 storyline is a closely guarded secret but is reputedly centered around three teenagers whose curiosity leads them to the legendary and mysterious Area 51 Air Force base deep in the Nevada desert. AREA 51 will, like PARANORMAL ACTIVITY employ a “found footage” narrative strategy. Though Peli will enjoy a significantly larger budget than the $11,000 he spent to make PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, he will continue to work with undiscovered actors.

AREA 51 is produced by Jason Blum under his Blumhouse Productions banner, with Room 101’s Steven Schneider and IM Global chief Stuart Ford serving as executive producers. The film was co-financed by Aramid Entertainment Fund and Incentive Filmed Entertainment, with IM Global handling worldwide sales and CAA co-repping the title in the U.S.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY has enjoyed sell out midnight screenings in 33 cities over recent weeks and Paramount is set to expand the film to around the clock screenings in 40 cities this weekend.

Said Peli: “Actually, I’d rather not say anything about AREA 51 except that I am very pleased to be working with the same team who have stood by me for the two or three years it took PARANORMAL ACTIVITY to get into theatres.”

Said Blum: “Oren has already proven that he has a unique gift for using technology and our inherent fear of the unknown to tell simple yet emotionally compelling stories. In this case his canvas is just a little larger.”

Said David Molner, Chairman of both Incentive and Aramid Capital Partners:” Not since ‘Blair Witch’ has such innovative film-making set off such a stampede among young movie audiences. We are proud and privileged to be in business with Oren and Jason and our longtime partners at IM Global.”

Said Ford: “We’ve already had a crazy ride with Oren and Jason on PARANORMAL ACTIVITY that looks set to get even crazier. It’s exciting to be launching into AREA 51 with Oren just as a worldwide audience is discovering his thrilling debut.”

Go see something good!

REVIEW: The House of the Devil...

2009-11-04T17:51:00.004-05:00

There are a few things that I love in this world. Two of them happen to be horror films and sports analogies. Oddly enough, when discussing what makes a good horror film just that, good, the same thing can be said for what makes a sports game compelling.

Few things in this world are as compelling as a close and down to the wire sporting event. Same goes for horror films. When a horror film is good, it gives you a close game throughout, or in a films case, a good horror film gives you a films worth of tension and suspense. Then, when the games finale comes, a team has seconds left on the clock, only to drain a last second shot to win the game, and send you flying up and high fiving your buddy next to you. Then there is the great horror film ending, which is a continuous set of intense falling action, ending with a close that sends you jumping out of your seat and saying "Oh my god!" Then there are bad horror films, that are suspenseful, jut like a sporting event, and yet end inconsequential, or to end the sporting analogy, with one team shooting foul shots to win by 10.

That is why, after watching The House of the Devil, one can't help but think that this is one of the year's best games. It's the Game 7 of horror films, and to much success.

Set in the 1980's, The House of The Devil follows young college sophomore Samantha Hughes, as she picks up a babysitting job she found whilst looking for a way to make rent on campus. Much to the opposition of her best friend, Sam takes a job babysitting for a creepy yet soft spoken elderly man, in what can be accounted for as one of the creepiest houses you'll see this side of Hill House. The job however, also coincides with a full lunar eclipse, and as she slowly realizes that her clients harbor a horrifying secret, she discovers that there is something much more evil, and much more satanic at the heart of this job.

With films like Paranormal Activity, Grace, and Drag Me To Hell, this has been one of the better years for the horror genre. Minus Drag Me To Hell, the overarching similarities between these films is that PA, Grace, and House of the Devil are all slow burns. The lull the viewer into being not just full of tension, but also truly make the viewer uncomfortable, by creating a true world. This world just happens to be an homage of '70's and '80's horror, and also, the ending actually delivers on the films promise, unlike the buzz kill of a horror film, Paranormal Activity.

This isn't just a Scary Movie style pastiche however. This is full blown homage, and hits the viewer in the nuts making them gasp for a true breath of fresh, painful air. Intensely low-tech and stunningly so, the film is not your splatter stick style horror film. It's like putting your hand on a burner and slowly raising the heat until your hand bubbles as you realize your hand is melting like a Nazi who hangs out with Indiana Jones on a daily basis. The first true jump scare comes about 20-30 minutes in, and it's one hell of a shock, and from there, sends you on a journey straight from the canon of people like Roman Polanski.

The film stars Jocelin Donahue, in what can be accounted for as a secondary performance to the films overall atmosphere. Not truly a protagonist, as not a whole lot happens during the course of a majority of the film, but she still is a compelling lead. She completely sells her role, and seems to be directly ripped off of a frame from a '70's horror film, even down the feathered-do that she is sporting. However, the true star of the film, is Tom Noonan as the elderly homeowner, Mr. Ulman. He is so brilliantly soft spoken, that you aren't sure to be creeped out by him, for fall oddly in love with his quiet demeanor. Mary Woronov is also great as Noonan's wife, but is in it for far to little of the film.

The film is also stunning to look at. As a homage to horror films of the past, the film is shot stunningly on 16mm, the direction from director Ti West, is so "inspired-by", yet instead of seeming like a Planet Terror style pastiche of films past, West has fashioned a potent, almost poetic horror film that would fit right in with films from the era of his inspiration. And sure, the ending is a storyline we have seen before, but the way it is handled still had me saying "what!?" as I turned off my XBOX 360.

That may be the films biggest let down, as this is one film that I truly sh could be seen by a large group of people, in a theatre setting. The film works as a whole to set a story and mood, that I think this film could do gangbusters at the box office, given a solid, Paranormal Activity style marketing campaign. Where that rather stellar horror film failed, the horrible and completely buzz-kill of an ending, this one makes up for in spades. It seems ripped straight out of the trailers for Grindhouse, and in fact, would have played brilliantly as the true film shown before Death Proof. It's Don't Tell Mom The Babysitters Dead, but if it were shot by William Freidkin as a pet project while on a bender post Exorcist.

However, this film is not for every horror fan. If you are like me, and fans of films like Repulsion, Rosemary's Baby, or The Exorcist (which I am in no way comparing this films quality too) then this is the horror film for you. Even the score sounds directly ripped out of the music for The Exorcist. Short on Saw like gore porn, but deep with atmosphere and mood, this film is for the horror fan who has had enough with gorno, and wants some thought with his or her horror. However, for those who are salivating at the thought of Saw 49403021, skip it.

HOUSE OF THE DEVIL - 9/10

Go see something good!

NEWS: Paranormal Activity 2 Coming Soon?!?

2009-11-04T00:07:00.003-05:00

It seems like one train that just can’t be stopped is the train driven by Oren Peli, and it consists of his $15,000 indie, Paranormal Activity. With the film reaching $85 million in domestic gross, his film is easily one of cinemas biggest stories from this year, and it may be one of the biggest stories of next year too, if the film maker has his way.

Shot in a week at Peli’s home, PA has been scaring the shit out of audiences for about two months now, in what has been called one of the most inventive and impactful release patterns in cinema. Now it looks like Paramount hopes to feed off of that huge buzz, and bring it over into the much rumored and talked about sequel. Here’s the scoop from The Hollywood Reporter, via The Playlist:

It appears that the success of the film - it has grossed $85 million to date and is Paramount's biggest profit maker this year - has earned the attention of Viacom (who own Paramount Pictures) CEO Philippe Dauman. In an earning's call on Tuesday, while smartly noting that the breakout success of the film can't be duplicated, Dauman said, "Our team will come up with the right creative and marketing approach to make sure that we benefit from a sequel."

Translation? You can probably bet on "Paranormal Activity 2" being ready in time for Hallowe'en 2010. The "right creative and marketing approach" probably boils down to: don't spend a lot of money, do a lot of low-cost viral marketing and advertise to the core audience. It's a process that Lionsgate already has down to a science with the "Saw" franchise.

So, as many of you know, I hate remakes, and in many cases, sequels are equally as bad. This is one of those cases in my eyes. Instead of coming off of the success of this film and say, getting his area 51 film done by next year, we will see a useless sequel, which will probably tread the same ground as the first film. I have had my respect for PA grow over time, but overall, I don’t see the need for a sequel, particularly with how the first film ended. If the ending was a bit more ambiguous, sure, but it seemed to close a bit more Hollywood and a bit more solid, that it really doesn’t leave much room for a sequel. Sure, the marketing is going to be great and fun, but really, take a look at the Saw franchise for why I don’t think this will work really at all.

The report continues and mentions that Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick are set to pitch Blair Witch 3, and it is an interesting comparison between PA and Blair Witch, one that I think, with the 10 year anniversary of BW here, I may have to revisit and do an editorial on. It’s also going to be interesting to see what other micro-budget horror films get pushed into production to play off of PA’s success. Could this be the new fad, taking the place of torture porn?

Go see something good!

NEWS: John Hillcoat's Next Project, and It's One Hell Of A Project Indeed...

2009-11-03T23:42:00.004-05:00

It looks like rumors are indeed true, and John Hillcoat is already eyeing a new project to follow up his soon to be hit and probably Oscar contender The Road, and it’s one hell of a project indeed.

Back at the beginning of October, the trades have been circulating a rumor stating that Hillcoat was looking at filming an adaptation of Matt Durant’s novel, “The Wettest County In The World”, which, as The Playlist puts it, is a “depression-era crime drama about three brothers who ran a bootlegging gang during Prohibition.” Now, with the fact that the novel was written by a grandson of one of the men that the book is based on, this is a project to put on your must watch list, right? Well, you can add a screenwriter and leads to that mix too.

Talking to Atomic Popcorn, Hillcoat confirms that Shia Labeouf and Ryan Gosling are both attached, but that he “shouldn’t talk about it”, which basically means that it’s not all done yet. However, one thing we can be sure of is that Nick Cave, who also penned Hillcoat’s brilliant western, The Proposition, will be penning the script. Honestly, if the two rumored leads pick up their roles, the film is easily going to launch into the top 10 of my most anticipated for whatever year the film is set to be released in. The Proposition is a fantastic western, with one hell of a script, and both Gosling and LaBeouf are two of the best young actors of their generation, at least in the discussion (Gosling more so).

Here’s the books synopsis:

This family saga follows the Bondurants, bootlegging brothers runnin’ stills, runnin’ loads, and runnin’ from the law in Depression-era Virginia. The book is mainly narrated through the experience of the youngest Bondurant, Jack (in truth, a grandfather of the author), and his family’s moonshine enterprise supplies the action in a plot that evokes the culture of distilling and distributing white lightning. To optimistic Jack, bootlegging is both a bond to his older brothers, Forrest and Howard, and a means to make cash to impress a girl. Forrest, by contrast, is taciturn and suspicious: the world is violent, and he meets it on that ground. Tender of the stills and imbiber from same, burly Howard is always ready to take on the Bondurants’ enemies, corrupt law officers. Wending through this conflict in flash-forward mode is novelist Sherwood Anderson, who plumbs the Bondurant story a few years after the brothers’ climactic confrontation with the county sheriff. Descriptively gritty and emotionally resonant, novelist Bondurant dramatically projects the poverty and danger at the heart of the old-time bootlegging life.

Also, in smaller news, according to The Playlist, Hillcoat will be taking Nick Cave’s newest novel, The Death of Bunny Munro, and will be adapting it for television, as something in an HBO style, so probably a few serialized chapters as a Generation Kill style miniseries. Can’t wait.

Go see something good!

NEWS: Baldwin and Martin to Host Oscars...

2009-11-03T20:13:00.003-05:00

Well, it appears as though I may have spoke too soon.

About a week ago, I posted some news, reporting that Neil Patrick Harris would be the host of the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony. However, the sources must have been wrong, as it appears he will not be hosting, but instead, the dynamic duo of Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.

Coming hot off the heels of Robert Downey Jr. and Ben Stiller declining hosting duties, Martin and Baldwin have officially been named hosts of the 2010 ceremony. Rumors had been circulating that Martin may be hosting either alone or with the help of Tina Fey (as was proposed by anyone who saw the two tear up the stage last year), but it looks like he will be teamed with Alec Baldwin in what should be one of the most interesting and in my own eyes, hotly anticipated award ceremony that I can remember.

Not only do I think Steve Martin is a comedic genius, and always has been, but Baldwin has hosted more episodes of SNL than 99% of celebrities, with increasing results. Both of these guys have insanely strong comedic chops, and it should make for one hell of a fantastic show when it airs in March of next year.

Here’s the news straight from the horses mouth, via their press release:

“We think the team of Steve and Alec are the perfect pair of hosts for the Oscars,” said Shankman and Mechanic. “Steve will bring the experience of having hosted the show in the past and Alec will be a completely fresh personality for this event.”
“I am happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy Alec Baldwin,” said Martin.
“I don’t play the banjo but I’m thrilled to be hosting the Oscars – it’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Baldwin.

Couldn’t have said it better.

The duo star in “It’s Complicated”, alongside Meryl Streep that will hit theatres later this year

Go see something good!

NEWS: Clooney Joins The Descendents...

2009-11-03T00:45:00.003-05:00

A little while back, news came out that I Are Movies favorite, Alexander Payne, had ditched his midget, uh, “little people” comedy, “Downsizing”, and instead shifting his efforts to his adaptation of “The Decendents”, a novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings. Fox Searchlight owns the rights, and purchased them in hopes of getting it done by Payne, based on a script by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. Here’s how The Playlist sums up the novel:

The novel is a tragicomedy that centers on the story of an attorney who finds himself at a crossroads in his life after his wife dies and takes a trip with his two daughters to find the man she was having an affair with.
Scheduled to start shooting in January of next year, it looks like Payne is getting a bit of a cast lined up. Well, at least a leading man that will definitely get the film a tad bit of buzz, because, the guy happens to just have the last name of Clooney.

Yes, that is right, George Clooney, who is currently over in Italy working on Anton Corbjin’s “The American”, is looking like he wants to stay a bit busy over the upcoming holiday season. Currently in talks to take the lead, Clooney would not only give a ton of clout to this already anticipated film, but also make this much more of a mainstream film, particularly in combination with the tagline “from the director of Sideways,” a film which I think is much more widely seen than many people think. Getting HUGE buzz out of Up In The Air, Jason Reitman’s new film, Clooney is not only at the top of his game, but he’s also in the ever important Oscar race, and barring 5 roles that NO ONE is talking about, should at least be nominated for Best Actor this year. I’m a huge Payne fan, and really, I don’t think there are many actors that can stand up to Clooney when he is on his game. Also, it’s nice to see the only real Hollywood star, continue to help smaller projects get made. Can’t wait. No way to better wash down horrible news of a remake than with a tall glass of Clooney. Delicious.

Go see something good!

NEWS: Cast Joins Let The Right One In Remake...

2009-11-03T00:08:00.003-05:00

As much as we all don’t want this film to be made, really, there is no stopping this freight train from the bowels of Hollywood Hell.

“Let Me In”, the American remake of the brilliant Swedish film, “Let The Right One In”, has officially started shooting, as principal photography began Monday in New Mexico, according to Overture Films’ press release regarding the film. The film, directed by Cloverfield helmer Matt Reeves, is a remake of the indie hit from 2008, which landed squarely on many critics top 10 list, including being right near that mark for yours truly. However, this recently birthed film really needed to have a late term abortion. That said, it didn’t so I guess it’s left up to The Playlist to let you in on a new update:

Talented character actor and familiar face Elias Koteas ("Zodiac") has been cast as the investigating police officer, but even film fans might have to Google the other additions: Cara Buono and Sasha Barrese. Buono's resume boasts a recurring part on "The Sopranos," and she'll play the boy's mother. Meanwhile Barrese was the (rightfully) panicky fiancée in summer sleeper "The Hangover," and here she takes on the role of Virginia, a part we're not even sure was in the original, outside of maybe a school teacher.

The cast, which previously included Kodi Smit-McPhee, who is getting great reviews out of his first major role in The Road, as well as Chloe Moretz, or Joseph Gordon Levitt’s smarmy little sister from 500 Days of Summer, as well as brilliant character actor Richard Jenkins. All in all, while I do think the cast is shaping up to be a rather solid gathering of actors, and it’s heartwarming to know that they are avoiding A-List talent in what really should be a low key production, but I can’t get over the fact that this film should not exist.

I know I say that a lot about remakes, but honestly, this film should. Not. Exist. Let The Right One In is one of the best films from last year, and easily the years most impressive and truly strong horror film, and no matter how strong the cast and crew is, there is no possible way that a film produced by a major Hollywood studio will have the same stark style that made the original so damn powerful. Honestly, I don’t know what scares American’s more. Pubic hair, gays, or subtitles. Take your pick, and you will freak out 99.9% of mainstream America. Sure, Cloverfield was a great time, if you are a fan of waiting in line at Universal Studios to get on a ride, but I highly doubt that Matt Reeves will dig into the same well of depth that Let The Right One In called home.

Enough with the venting, the film is going to get made, which is the ultimate sadness in this story.

Go see something good!

VIDEO: Steven Soderbergh Talks Piracy

2009-11-02T18:52:00.002-05:00

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TRAILER: How To Train Your Dragon...

2009-11-02T18:28:00.003-05:00

This is why I hate Dreamworks a little bit. Right down at the pit right by my gut, there is a little spot of hatred for the casting directors over at Dreamworks, and How To Train Your Dragon is a perfect example.

First, the reason I would see this film, and his name is Chris Sander's. Best known for coming up with the really great animated film, Lilo and Stitch, as well as the original idea for Bolt, aka American Dog, this guy is a really interesting up and coming animation film director, and one that will hopefully have a long career. Except this may set him back a bit, at least in my eyes.

Not only do I think Dreamworks is throwing it's sphere of influence all around this project, but I also think that instead of casting voices that work for the characters, they go right back to casting simply on name, which makes for a really jarring and horrible trailer. People on Twitter are all up in arms over the Prince of Persia trailer, but I think this trailer is the one that you all need to avoid veiwing. Sure, the film look fine, but hat makes Pixar so great, heart and great voice work, are nowhere to be found on this abortion of an animated trailer.

Here's that synopsis:

From the studio that brought you “Shrek,” “Madagascar” and “Kung Fu Panda” comes “How To Train Your Dragon” — an adventure comedy set in the mythical world of burly Vikings and wild dragons, based on the book by Cressida Cowell. The story centers around a Viking teenager, who lives on the island of Berk, where fighting dragons is a way of life. Initiation is coming, and this is his one chance to prove his worthiness to his tribe and father. But when he encounters, and ultimately befriends, an injured dragon, his world is turned upside down. The voice cast includes Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Craig Ferguson, Kristen Wiig, and America Ferrera.

Go see something good!