Synopsis from IMDB: Following the death of his father, Britt Reid, heir to his father’s large company, teams up with his late dad’s assistant Kato to become a masked crime fighting team.
Trailer:
Pac’s Take: Though I thought The Green Hornet was a disappointment, I certainly believe this film is worth at least a rental. The 3D in the film was extremely lacking, Cameron Diaz’s performance was typically lacking, and I was expecting more from a Michel Gondry film. Despite its flaws, however, there was a lot to enjoy about The Green Hornet. The chemistry between the two leads, Seth Rogan and Jay Chou, provided the film with a lot of charisma, the story was unique for its genre, and Christoph Waltz was great in his role.
Synopsis from IMDB: A man discovers that his best friend’s wife is having an affair.
Trailer:
Pac’s Take: If you like either of the two leads in their previous work you’ll probably enjoy The Dilemma. Though neither Vince Vaughn or Kevin James reach beyond their comfort zone, the direction of Ron Howard gives this film an endearing quality that at times makes it seem so. The biggest surprise of this film, however, was Channing Tatum. There isn’t much on Tatum’s body of work to praise, but he seems much more natural in a comedic role than he ever has as an action or romance star.
Synopsis from IMDB: A wheelchair-bound singer and her best friend embark on a roadtrip to Memphis.
Trailer:
Pac’s Take: I had never heard of this film before just now, and after viewing the trailer it doesn’t seem like I’ve missed much. Featuring two Academy Award winners, I’d at least expect this film to feature some strong performances. However, the plot of the film doesn’t interest me much, and one of the aforementioned Academy Award winners (Renee Zellweger) has never been an actress I particularly enjoyed. I’ll probably skip this one.
Synopsis from IMDB: A Hollywood-set romantic tale of a guy who is content to live his life without a job yet with the love of his life, a young actress.
Pac’s Take: This week’s romantic comedy release, Waiting for Forever stars Rachel Bilson and some guy with an earring. “Romantic comedy” seems to be used in the loosest of ways here, however, because there is nothing funny about this trailer. The synopsis from IMDB also seems to be more about the two leads real lives than the plot of the movie itself, but even that doesn’t interest me. The director seems like a pretty awesome guy though, considering Johnny Cash and Christopher Reeve are the Godfathers to his two sons.
Though my first choice would have been Marlon Brando
Chris’ Take: Well, my most anticipated films of 2011 did not get off to a very auspicious start. As some of you know, The Green Hornet ranked #5 on my most anticipated films of 2011, not so much because of the subject matter or its leads, but because I had lofty expectations for director Michel Gondry. While the film as a whole is not necessarily bad, as a Gondry film, it was a disappointment.
Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) led a wandering existence, living off the wealth of his strict father’s large newspaper company. But, after his father dies, Britt is left in charge of the empire and realizes that his wayward life might need a change. Britt strikes up a friendship with the mysterious genius Kato (Jay Chou), his father’s mechanic, and decides to strike back against the criminal underworld, that had been the thorn in his father’s side, as masked vigilantes posing as criminals.
First off, I want to address the most obvious problem with the film, the 3D (or lack thereof). Michel Gondry is one of the most visually inventive directors on the market today (if you get a chance watch any “Behind the Scenes” features on his films) and when I heard that this film was in 3D I thought, “Finally, someone will do it right.” The problem that I have with the 3D in the film isn’t that Gondry used it poorly, he didn’t use it at all. Why even put it in 3D in the first place?
Oh....yeah.
On top of that, I convinced Pac and his girlfriend to go to the IMAX 3D version with me. Pac, the voice of reason sometimes, questioned my decision. He pointed out the difference in ticket price for the IMAX 3D and regular 3D was $4.50. This film had even less right to be in IMAX than it did being in 3D. The cinematography was very plain, very standard, nothing so spectacular that required a larger screen or 3D effects. I bought Pac a beer after the movie to make up the difference in ticket price.
Now that I have that out of the way, I can address the rest of the film, which wasn’t that bad. The film was written by the same team as Superbad and Pineapple Express, and they were able to keep a pretty jovial tone throughout, which is what made it different than other hero films, and it worked. However, I think because they had to tone down the humor from their usual “R” rating, it didn’t have the biting humor of their other films and peaked in the first 5 minutes with a hilarious cameo by James Franco. I also think the film would have been funnier about three years ago, when seeing Seth Rogen’s rambling “every man” character was still fresh.
Cameron Diaz managed to stay off the screen for the first 45 minutes or so and appeared sparingly, so she didn’t have a whole lot of opportunity to ruin the film. Christoph Waltz was a little bit of a disappointment as well. He was decent, but I thought it was a waste of his talents.
It will definitely be difficult topping this.
Jay Chou, as Kato, was really what kept the film interesting. Despite his thick accent, he kept up a quick repartee with Rogen, and they really did have great chemistry as a comedy-action duo. I liked how they addressed the issue Kato had being dubbed as a “sidekick”, even though he was the more talented and smarter one of the crew. But, they did take a little bit too long showing that about 2/3 of the way through the film, and there could have been a good 5 minutes cut to keep a good pace up.
Overall, while I enjoyed the film, it was a disappointment for me because of the wasted use of 3D and IMAX by Michel Gondry. It is by no means a good film, merely an entertaining diversion in the cold winter months. Wait for the small screen for this one, people.
Characters: B+
Cinematography: B-
Directing: B-
Plot: B-
Performances: B
3D: D
OVERALL: B-
Pac’s Take:
Even good directors stumble from time to time, here are a few of my favorite directors and some of their films accompanied by their Rotten Tomatoes percent rating: Brian DePalma (Carrie – 97%, The Black Dahlia – 33%) Martin Scorcese (Raging Bull – 98%, Boxcar Bertha – 45%), Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street – 95%, My Soul to Take – 9%), and Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather – 100%, Supernova – 10%). So it is expected for a fantastic director to stumble from time to time, especially when they feel like they have no control over the film. All that being said I can understand why Chris put this film on his most anticipated list for 2011, but I don’t hold any remorse toward him for convincing me to see it.
I still owe you a few beers for this one
I don’t need to restate the complete lack of 3D or IMAX in the film as Chris already covered it and I plan to write a separate article on the use of 3D and IMAX all together (check back for that please), but at least they used it in the credits. The only thing the 3D accomplished during the entire experience was that I may now go see Sanctum in 3D after watching that trailer. The biggest disappointment for me leaving this film, besides the ticket price, was that I may have enjoyed this film more than Chris did. I didn’t approach The Green Hornet as a Michel Gondry film; while I liked Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, it isn’t one of my favorite movies (I may go as far to say I liked Be Kind Rewind better). I went to see a mixed reviewed Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg action/superhero film…
Like if these guys went all Boondock Saints on everybody
…And that’s exactly what I got. There was nothing special about the direction or the cinematography, some of the slow motion fight scenes were pretty cool, but that’s about all. Sure I wanted some awesome 3D, incredible cinematography, and ground breaking special effects; was I expecting it? No. Here is exactly what I was expecting:
Annoying Seth Rogen everyman character that somehow works for the plot (check)
Good chemistry between Rogen and Chou necessary to drive a “bromance” comedy (check)
An interesting and charismatic villain played by Christoph Waltz (check)
Cameron Diaz to annoy me (check)
At least one awesome cameo from one of the following: Danny McBride, James Franco, Jason Segal, Paul Rudd, Bill Hader (check)
I’m not disappointed by the film. I had fun watching it, never lost interest in what was going on, had a few good laughs and left the theater satisfied. I wish there was more Christoph Waltz because he and Jay Chou were the highlights of this film, but that may just be nitpicking. At a matinée price or a rental The Green Hornet is a great value, just don’t bother seeing it in 3D.
Even though Nic Cage thought he had the box office all to himself during the first week in January, he fell short to not one, but two films, True Grit ($15.0 M) and Little Fockers ($13.8 M), who were in their third week of release, and raked in a measly $10 million.
Nic Cage spent his salary on booze and a better cardboard box.
I think we can expect to see that significantly drop next week, maybe (hopefully) off the Top Ten, especially since it received an atrocious 4% Tomatometer at RottenTomatoes.com.
This week promises to be a little better, with two great directors putting out some wide releases. Here is what is on the docket for this week:
The Green Hornet
Rated: PG-13
Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz
Director: Michel Gondry
Synopsis from IMDB: Following the death of his father, Britt Reid, heir to his father’s large company, teams up with his late dad’s assistant Kato to become a masked crime fighting team.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: While it looks a little corny and Mythbusters already beat up its plausibility pretty well (which can be seen here), I have a lot of faith in Michel Gondry. Enough faith that I put The Green Hornet on my 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2011. I really hope Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep, and the really cool White Stripes music video) doesn’t let me down on this one, but with his visual innovation and dedication to making good films, I don’t think he will disappoint. If nothing else, it should be entertaining.
The Dilemma
Rated: PG-13
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum
Director: Ron Howard
Synopsis from IMDB: A man discovers that his best friend’s wife is having an affair.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: I am on the fence about this one. Vince Vaughn and Kevin James always seem to play the same people, just transported into different films with different premises, so I am inclined to think that this will be more of the same. However, the trailer was pretty humorous and Ron Howard rarely disappoints.
Emphasis on "rarely"
This one would probably be a pretty safe bet for this weekend.
Synopsis from IMDB: Ong Bak 3 picks up where Ong Bak 2 had left off. Tien is captured and almost beaten to death before he is saved and brought back to the Kana Khone villagers. There he is taught meditation and how to deal with his Karma, but very soon his arch rival returns challenging Tien for a final duel.
Foreign Trailer:
English Trailer:
Chris’ Take: If you watch both of the trailers, they look like two completely different films. If you watch the English one, which is more than a minute shorter, you will think that the whole film is a fight scene involving two elephants and a lot of people, not much a story. The foreign trailer makes a lot more sense and I can’t even understand what they are saying. Apparently, there was an Ong Bak and an Ong Bak 2, but I did not have the privilege of seeing those. If you’re in the mood for some martial arts shenanigans, check out Ong Bak 3, it will deliver the goods.
Synopsis from RT: A Harvard Medical School graduate (Brian White) arrives for his internship at a hospital in South Florida. When the Chief Resident (Wood Harris) discovers that the Intern has actually come to recapture the girl that got away, he and his girlfriend (Zoe Saldana) conspire to teach a lesson not just about medicine but about true love.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: Um…..I think I’ll be skipping this one. Considering it was actually released in 2006 only to be silently panned before Zoe Saldana blew up in Avatar, it looks like they are trying to re-release it, hoping to bank a bit on her name recognition now. I couldn’t find any pre-reviews, but out of 63 votes on IMDB, it received a rating of 3.5…..so, view at your own risk.
Barney’s Version
Rated: R
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver
Director: Richard J. Lewis
Synopsis from IMDB: The picaresque and touching story of the politically incorrect, fully lived life of the impulsive, irascible and fearlessly blunt Barney Panofsky.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: This film has a great cast, headed up by the underrated Paul Giamatti and looks like it is beautiful and humorous. I think out of the limited releases this week, this should be the one to try to track down.
2011 is here, and with that comes a slew of sequels, remakes, etc., but also the promise of some truly fantastic films. Unfortunately, as I wrote this list, I realized that there are very few independent films on here for me to generate some buzz about. This list is comprised of films that I know of that are coming out this year and it is pretty scant so far. I have my reasons for each of them, most of them having to do with the directors, so if you all disagree with me, feel free to express your opinion in the comments.
Synopsis from IMDB: Two British comic-book geeks traveling across the U.S. encounter an alien outside Area 51.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: It is good to see Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, one of the best comedic duos, back on screen together. Plus, you add Greg Mottola (Superbad) to the director’s chair and a dash of Jason Bateman playing a sardonic government agent and it looks like it will be comic gold.
Synopsis from IMDB: An American priest travels to Italy to study at an exorcism school.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: Yeah, I know, it looks like another exorcism movie.
But wait I thought....
But, with Anthony Hopkins playing a dual role as both teacher and possessed, I hope he can recover from his appearance in The Wolfman. I am really only looking forward to this to see what he can do as someone possessed by the Devil. My hope is that it will be an even more disturbing Hannibal Lecter-ish character, but that is aiming really high.
Synopsis from IMDB: A young girl is institutionalized by her wicked stepfather. Retreating to an alternative reality as a coping strategy, she envisions a plan which will help her escape from the facility.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: This was my first reaction to the trailer:
Whaaaat?
But then I let it settle a bit and came to the conclusion that Snyder is one of the most visually inventive directors out there and it looks like he will have a field day with this one. Since its source material is critically acclaimed, I am not that worried about the story either. I think this will be an exciting film to see in the theaters, but I will probably only need to see it once.
Synopsis from IMDB: A veterinary student abandons his studies after his parents are killed and joins a traveling circus as their vet.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: I do not like Robert Pattinson, but I really like the other two starring actors. I also think this film will have visual flair and will be one of the more beautiful films of the year.
6. X-Men First Class
Release Date: 3 June, 2011
Starring: James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, January Jones, Kevin Bacon
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Synopsis from IMDB: Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-MEN.
Trailer:
No Official Trailer Available
Chris’ Take: I was completely disappointed with the last two X-Men films, but there is hope yet again for the franchise with Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, Layer Cake) taking control of the director’s chair and Bryan Singer, the man who made the first two films some of the best superhero adaptations, producing. I think this film will return to some of the grit that made them so likable in the first place.
Oh yeah, and Kevin Bacon.
5. The Green Hornet
Release Date: 14 January, 2011
Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou
Director: Michel Gondry
Synopsis from IMDB: Following the death of his father, Britt Reid, heir to his father’s large company, teams up with his late dad’s assistant Kato to become a masked crime fighting team.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: When I first heard about this, I didn’t give it a second thought. Seth Rogen transports his vulgarity spewing every man character, whose charm is rapidly wearing out, into another vehicle. But, a little comment from Michel Gondry after Comic-Con got me thinking I might want to see this. Apparently, at Comic-Con the die hard Green Hornet fans didn’t think it stuck to the source material close enough and Michel Gondry essentially said that it was because he wanted to make a good movie. I have a lot of faith in Gondry, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of my all-time favorite films, so I hope he can inject his skill into a flimsy idea.
4. Sherlock Holmes II
Release Date: 16 December, 2011
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Jared Harris
Director: Guy Ritchie
Synopsis from IMDB: Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson try to outwit their fiercest adversary, Dr. Moriarty.
Trailer:
No Official Trailer Available
Chris’ Take: The first installment was witty and the pace was perfect. I really enjoyed that it got past the cartoonish version of Holmes and spent some times showing some flaws. Guy Ritchie is a great director for this as well and while I am disappointed that Daniel Day-Lewis won’t be playing Moriarty, I am interested to see what Mad Men’s Jared Harris does with the role.
3. The Muppets
Release Date: 23 November, 2011
Starring: The Muppets, Jason Segel, Amy Adams
Director: James Bobin
Synopsis from IMDB: Kermit the Frog and his Muppet pals put on a show to save their theater.
Trailer:
No Official Trailer Available
Chris’ Take: I grew up with the Muppets and one of the few Christmas movies that I can struggle through is A Muppet’s Christmas Carol. I am glad to see someone like Segel taking this over, since he has a great respect and love for The Muppets, as witnessed in this clip from Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
James Bobin is a great pick to direct as well and he is teaming up with Bret McKenzie from Flight of the Conchords to make the music, which should be a good combination as well. There have been a lot of rumored cameos as well. Here are just some of the names that might be attached to the project: Emily Blunt, Jane Lynch, Jack Black, Ed Helms, John Krasinski, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mickey Rooney, Billy Crystal, and Lady Gaga.
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Release Date: 15 July, 2011
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes
Director: David Yates
Synopsis from IMDB: The end begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione go back to Hogwarts to find and destroy Voldemorts final horcruxes, but when Voldemort finds out about their mission, the biggest battle begins and life as they know it will never be the same again.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: I almost fell asleep during that last one, but I am sure this one will keep me awake as the series comes to an end. There really isn’t much to say about this that most of you don’t already know, except for why this isn’t #1.
1. The Tree of Life
Release Date: 27 May, 2011
Starring: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain, Fiona Shaw
Director: Terrence Malick
Synopsis from IMDB: The story centers around a family with three boys in the 1950s. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: I don’t think I have ever seen a trailer as breathtaking and captivating as that was. Based on that alone this is my most anticipated film of the year. I just hope the emotions captured in the preview can be stretched out for the duration of the film.
Some of you might notice a distinct lack of some superhero films on here, which based on the rumors flying around the web, you might think I would put on here. While I do look forward to seeing some of them, namely Green Lantern and Captain America, I think that the Marvel films will be more of a bridge to the Avengers project and will lack focus and direction. I hope I am wrong since I am a sucker for superhero films, but I can’t say that I expect much from them.
Because this is all they expect from me.
What are some of your most anticipated films of the year? Share them in the comments.
Brian Pac Sostak
Chris Petersen
Sarah Higgins
stjerome03
Chris and Pac Take on Hollywood 