My favorite director, Ridley Scott, seems to be rebooting his resume by revisiting his previous films – starting at the beginning (never mind The Duellists). Ridley’s next film, Prometheus, was originally a prequel to one of my favorite films Alien, and once he’s finished with that he’ll apparently be revisiting Blade Runner. It is unknown whether the film will be a remake, reboot, prequel, sequel, or whatever else Hollywood is asking for these days, and it is also unknown whether Harrison Ford will be involved.
Well, I have to say that I was a bit surprised that Rise of the Planet of the Apes was the box office winner again this week with a domestic total of $27.8 million. Apes became only the second film this summer season to take home top box office honors two weeks in a row (Thor was the other back in May). Finishing in 2nd was The Help with $26.0 million, and in third, Final Destination 5 with $18.0 million. The other major releases last week finished dismally. The action-comedy 30 Minutes or Less finished in fifth with $13.3 million, and Glee 3D finished in 11th wiht $6 million. With positive word of mouth and positive reviews, I think Rise could take the box office again this weekend since there isn’t a whole lot of competition again.
Starring: Jason Momoa, Ron Perlman, Rose McGowan, Stephen Lang
Director: Marcus Nispel
Synopsis from IMDB: The tale of Conan the Cimmerian and his adventures across the continent of Hyboria on a quest to avenge the murder of his father and the slaughter of his village.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: I guess you could do worse for summer fare. Jason Momoa was great in Game of Thrones, but that may have been because he didn’t really talk, he just kind of stared menacingly and towered over everyone around him. I kind of lost interest in the trailer as soon as he opened his mouth. Anyway, if you’re looking for mindless action, this will definitely be your best bet this weekend. The early reviews are mixed (57% on RT), so it is difficult to say where this will land, but my guess is in the 30% range.
Starring: Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, David Tennant
Director: Craig Gillespie
Synopsis from IMDB: A teenager suspects that his new neighbor is a vampire.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: The original 1985 Fright Night is one of the best horror-comedies ever. While I want to be excited about the film, especially since I think Colin Farell is a great pick as Jerry, it is hard to imagine that this film will re-capture the perfect combination of genres that the first one did. I also noticed that all the trailers are keeping Peter Vincent (David Tennant) pretty close to their chest, and he was an integral part of the original. Anyway, I will probably try to see this one and am holding on to hope that it will be decent.
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Tom Mison, Jodie Whittaker
Director: Lone Scherfig
Synopsis from IMDB: After spending the night together on the night of their college graduation Dexter and Em are shown each year on the same date to see where they are in their lives. They are sometimes together, sometimes not, on that day.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take:One Day looks like a mix of Friends With Benefits and A Lot Like Love, except they’ve thrown in British accents to make it seem different. However, as much as I’m not one who usually is interested in chick flicks, I do like Focus Features and I did like what director Lone Scherfig did with An Education, so I am somewhat intrigued by this film. I’ll probably put it down on the Netflix queue, but I won’t watch it alone, I will have to put it under the pretext of “date night in”.
Starring: Jessica Alba, Joel McHale, Jeremy Piven, Alexa Vega
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Synopsis from IMDB: A retired spy is called back into action, and to bond with her new step-children, she invites them along for the adventure to stop the evil Timekeeper from taking over the world.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: I can’t say I’ve seen any of the Spy Kids films, but I still have no desire to. The 4D Aromascope really sounds like a cheap gimmick. I read an article on it and it is just scratch and sniff. Yup, they give viewers a card of different scents and when you are prompted on the screen, you are supposed to scratch the appropriate one. I wonder if they will charge extra for that…..
Starring: Carlos Areces, Antonio de la Torre, Carolina Bang
Director: Alex de la Iglesia
Synopsis from RT: 1937, Spain is in the midst of the brutal Spanish Civil War. A “Happy” circus clown is interrupted mid-performance and forcibly recruited by a militia. Still in his costume, he is handed a machete and led into battle against National soldiers, where he single handedly massacres an entire platoon. Fast forward to 1973, the tail end of the Franco regime. Javier, the son of the clown, dreams of following in his father’s career footsteps.
Trailer (Caution: Red Band Trailer-disturbing content):
Chris’ Take: Wow, this trailer did nothing to help me get over the fear of clowns that I developed after watching It and Poltergeist, but for different reasons. This is a mix of comedy and disturbing drama and is receiving great reviews (90% on RT). The trailer alone is unsettling and unforgiving. Anyway, this is probably something that I will have to be in the right mood for, but I am definitely interested.
Starring: Ryan Kwanten, Maeve Dermody, Marshall Napier, Heather Mitchell
Director: Leon Ford
Synopsis from IMDB: Griff, office worker by day, superhero by night, has his world turned upside down when he meets Melody, a beautiful young scientist who shares his passion for the impossible.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: It looks like this is trying to be a deeper look at the Spider-Man and pretty much any other superhero love story. I don’t know how I feel about it. The reviews are positive (83% on RT) which makes me want to give it a chance, but I am growing tired of superhero and superhero knock off stories.
Starring: Patrick Dempsey, Mekhi Phifer, Ashley Judd, Tim Blake Nelson
Director: Rob Minkoff
Synopsis from IMDB: A man caught in the middle of two simultaneous robberies at the same bank desperately tries to protect the teller with whom he’s secretly in love.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: The trailer makes this film look very entertaining, I like pretty much everyone in the cast, especially Tim Blake Nelson and Pruitt Taylor Vince, but the reviews are kind of vexing (25% on RT). So, I might add this to Netflix, but apparently there is a good chance that it won’t be good, although the reviews aren’t the final say.
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Frances McDormand, Peter Cullen
Director: Michael Bay
Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a Michael Bay masterpiece. That should only mean something significant to 14 year old boys….and Pac. I’ll let him explain himself later.
This is where I usually put the plot synopsis. However, the plot was almost non-existent and only served as a backdrop to start the next fight, since the studio probably told Bay he had to have one somewhere and he couldn’t just do two hours of robots fighting through exploding nonsense. So, he probably walked out of the room mumbling out of the room under his breath, “Fine, I’ll do it, but I won’t make it logical.” “What was that, Michael.” “Nothing.” Anyway, if you really care to know something about the plot know that apparently the moon landing in 1969 was in response to alien robots crashing on the moon. They’ve been waiting there to come to earth to apparently prepare it for a huge robot invasion and now it is too late for the incompetent secret government agency behind the moon landing to realize that. Now, it is up to Sam Witwicky (Shia Labeouf), his cardboard cut out girlfriend, Optimus Prime and the Autobots to save the day.
There were numerous problems with this film, the plot being the one that bugged me the most. When I say plot, I also mean character development. I kind of liked how Sam, even though he had saved the world twice, was struggling in the economic times as well. Since unless you have numerous commercial deals, probably doesn’t pay well. However, this was the only time Sam or anyone else was a relatable character. I guess I feel bad putting it this way, but it was like a bad cartoon (which may have been what Bay was going for). Every character seemed static, they were either good or bad, nothing in between. Sure there may have been characters that you thought were good and then turned bad, but the reveal never felt compelling, it was more like a sneering man twirling his moustache instead of making even an attempt at showing us three-dimensional characters. I am not saying that I expected a whole lot from Bay in that regard, but at least try.
"Okay Shia, your character's motivation in this scene is to be...good....and...action!"
Speaking of three dimensions, the 3D for this film was decent, which is actually not a compliment considering the fact that this was touted as the ultimate 3D film this year. I was excited to see how Bay used this technology, and this was really the reason why I wanted to watch the film. However, I was a little let down. That is not to say that it wasn’t better than the other 3D films that have come out this year, but it just wasn’t as good as I expected. I am not really going to criticize though because I think the theater Pac and I watched this in, might not have been suitable to get the optimal experience. The one scene in particular I was looking forward to were the squirrel suits. I thought it was a really cool idea to use the 3D technology to show people skydiving and flying around the city. That scene did not disappoint at all, it was just far too brief.
The action scenes overall were very spectacular, but the key to make them interesting and intense is to have characters that you care about, and as I mentioned earlier, that was wasn’t there. Instead, at least for me, there seemed like a disconnect and I did not even have the slightest interest in what all these explosions meant or what was happening to the characters.
Some of them I just wished would die already.
On top of that, I think the 3D added to the discord in the action sequences as well. Not only did I feel disconnected from the characters, but from the actual screen itself. I was very aware I was watching a movie because the glasses create not only a physical, but a subconscious barrier between me and the film. I couldn’t feel engulfed in the action. All I could feel was a headache.
When all was said and done, the dust and explosions settled and I was staring at the screen in awe. Not because I was impressed, but because I didn’t expect it to be that bad. Even with the negative critical response, I went into this film with an open mind. Part of me wants Bay to succeed because I really am impressed with his passion for film. He truly loves what he does, but I can’t say that this film was in any way “good”.
If you’re here to find out if it was better than the second film, the answer is yes, but come on…is that saying much?
OVERALL: D
Pac’s Take:
If you went to see Transformers: Dark of the Moon to see great character development, story, and emotional conflict then you must not know Michael Bay very well. I went to Transformers: Dark of the Moon with the anticipation of seeing some really cool action scenes, spectacular 3D, and some more really cool action scenes. In those regards, this film delivered to about 75% of my expectations; but as most of my report cards from school will tell you, 75% is still passing.
The movie is about 2.5 hours long, and the first hour and a half is bad, I’m talking about laughably bad. The only bearable part of the first half of the movie was Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, however not for her acting capability (though it was not a step down from Megan Fox).
Chris touched base on all the flaws of the film, and for the most part I agree with them so there is no point to be redundant; however once the city of Chicago was introduced on-screen the movie really took off. I didn’t care anymore that there was no plot, or there was no depth of character, all I cared about was watching the Autobots & humans battle the Decepticons while simultaneously destroying the windy city. The last hour of the movie was awesome. Two scenes stood out significantly in my mind, one being the squirrel suit skydiving sequence:
and the falling skyscraper sequence:
Remember, the first two Transformers film where you couldn’t tell which were Autobots and which were Decepticons. This time around Michael Bay had an interesting and economical way to help the audience out.
The Walmart car was probably a Decepticon.
I did not have a similar experience to Chris with the 3D, in fact I didn’t really notice it unless there was an intentional in-your-face shot. I still contest that 3D is a waste of money, but if you’re going to see a movie in 3D regardless, this isn’t a bad choice. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a good movie, but the last hour of the film was a very enjoyable experience.
There is a lot we’ve yet to post this week and will be coming to you soon (New to Blu Ray, 2 Take Two’s, and a WFR), we promise. However, I thought that this took precedent as a lot of new trailers have been released on the internet, one making quite a buzz. Here’s a look:
I’m not too familiar with the series of novels from which this film is derived, but there have been a lot of people petitioning for this film in one way or another for about 8o years. There seem to be a lot of elements from other films and stories including: The Book of Eli, Prince of Persia, and Avatar. The director/writer, Andrew Stanton has had a pretty succesful run of animated films for Disney/Pixar so it will be interesting to see if he can translate that success to live action.
I’ve been waiting for Guy Ritchie’s follow up to 2009’s Sherlock Holmes since I first saw it in theaters and we finally get a first look here. In fact, I look forward to anything Guy Ritchie directs. Though Daniel Day Lewis won’t be appearing as Professor Moriarty as originally rumored, Jared Harris seems suitable as an alternative, and the cast still remains stellar. One face that is featured prominently in the trailer is Noomi Rapace, who seems to be making her breakout in America with Sherlock Holmes and Prometheus after her turn as Lisbeth Salander in the Sweedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and its 2 sequels (Rooney Mara will play the same role in David Fincher’s American version later this year).
The prequel to arguably the greatest horror movie ever made (though I’d argue against it, but not strongly), 2011’s The Thing chronicles the expidition of the Norwegian team that’s heavily referenced in John Carpenter’s 1981 film of the same name. It appears from the trailer that they stayed true to Carpenter’s version and made sure the details of this film matched the references from his film. One subtle not I noticed from the trailer, they even made sure to keep the old school flamethrowers that Carpenter featured. Even though it’s sure to be heavier on the blood and gore to appease the new generation, this film looks like it could be a worthy successor to the original.
BONUS:
If you haven’t heard by now, the first teaser for the highly anticipated The Dark Knight Rises will preview prior to screenings of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. So far only bootlegged versions of the teaser are on the net and the quality of them are poor, so I won’t include it here. Nothing about the plot of the film is revealed the teaser but it does include brief glimpses of Bane, Selina Kyle, and Commisioner Gordan in the hospital.
Christopher Meloni, of Law & Order: SVU fame will be joining the increasingly impressive cast list for one of next years most anticipated films Man of Steel. Meloni recently relinquished his longtime role on NBC’s popular drama and looks to be making a smooth transition back into full length features. Accompanying Meloni in the next Superman film will be Henry Cavill, Michael Shannon, Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Russell Crowe, and Julia Ormond.
While Deadline announced the news on Friday, they did not have any insight into which role Meloni would play. This of course lead to various speculations, the most obvious being that he would possibly play Lex Luthor. However, Latino Review is now reporting that Meloni’s role would be as a general. No other specifics were released about the role, like whether this general would be Human or Kryptonian, but that does suggest that the role of Lex Luthor is either absent from this film, or still up for grabs.
Meaning Mad Men fans will still be petitioning for this to happen
As far as Christopher Meloni’s role is concerned, I have my own speculation. There is one military General already well established within the Superman lore, General Sam Lane. In addition to being a high ranking military officer, Sam Lane also happens to be Lois Lane’s father. His involvement in a fight against a Kryptonian invasion led by General Zod (Shannon) would provide more conflict and emotional depth to the Lois Lane character (Amy Adams) and possibly also provide emotional conflict for Superman (Cavill). With every casting announcement I get more and more excited to see this film, and it is closely battling Ridley Scott’s Prometheus for my most anticipated movie of 2012. Man of Steel is directed by Zack Snyder and is scheduled for release in December of 2012. Now excuse me, I’m gonna go fondle my sweaters.
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong
Director: Martin Campbell
Chris’ Take: Green Lantern is the latest film to delve into the superhero genre, whose returns seem to be diminishing with every reboot and reimagining, especially when it comes to some of the lesser known heroes. While Green Lantern is one of the most intricate of comic book series, and is popular among comic book fans, it never really gained appeal outside of that, and Warner Bros. did their best to bring it to that wider audience.
Ryan Reynolds stars as Hal Jordan, a hot shot pilot whose father died flying test planes when he was younger. When an alien life form crash lands on earth and hands him a mysterious green ring and lantern, his life is turned upside down. He is whisked away to the planet Oa and is inducted into the Green Lantern Corps, a group of intergalactic peace keepers, who inform him that the ring allows the wearer anything that they can imagine and that the ring chooses someone without fear to carry it. Hal is placed as protector of Earth and soon has to deal with the rising threat of Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard), a professor who was infected by yellow energy found in the crashed aliens’ body, and also the greatest threat the entire galaxy has ever faced, Parallax, a mysterious lifeform that preys on fear.
Kind of like Fox News.
The writers certainly tried to cram as much as they could in the two hours or so that the movie ran. They tried to squeeze as much mythology and background about the Green Lantern Corps and the rest of the galaxy as possible in before actually being able to tell the story of Hal Jordan. Then, with what time they had left, they tried to build an extra villain into the story to occupy some time before Hal had to fight off Parallax and save the world. The structure felt very uneven and it seemed like there were gaps of time that were unaccounted for which made for a flimsy story when it could have been enriched.
Going into the film, I thought that the previews made the CGI look distracting, and while there times when it seemed overbearing, once you enter the world of Green Lantern, it is much more acceptable. While the graphics for the film were stunning, I thought that the extent of the ring’s power wasn’t portrayed to its full potential. Martin Campbell (Goldeneye, Mask of Zorro, Casino Royale) is an accomplished action director, and while he shot the scenes with visual flair, he failed to live up to the expectations that I had for him. With Goldeneye he had a knack for using over-the-top action sequences to entertain an audience, and Green Lantern seemed like a great opportunity for him to return to that and get away with it a bit more, but he seemed to rush each action scene as opposed to taking his time and putting his excessive budget to good use.
Ryan Reynolds did a formidable job as Hal Jordan, bringing a little bit of humor to the role as well. Peter Sarsgaard really let his freak flag fly as Hector Hammond, and it was enjoyable to watch him finally completely let loose, but he was in the movie less than I anticipated. They didn’t introduce him until 30 minutes into the film, and then when it came time for him to realize his superhuman powers he hardly got to use them before he had to make way for the even bigger villain, making his role seem unnecessary. Blake Lively, while I praised her work in The Town last fall, I have to say that they probably put a cardboard cutout of an attractive woman in there and there would’ve been the same amount of sincerity to the love story between her and Hal.
"Oh Hal, I like love you and stuff." "Get off me, woman."
All in all it wasn’t as bad as I was led to believe going into it, and maybe that’s why I was able to sit back and enjoy it a little bit more. It certainly is not among any of the greatest superhero films, it is distinctly average in just about every aspect, but I wouldn’t call it “bad” either. If anything, it left me hoping to see more of this series to see if they can move on from back story to make a richer story, which they set up extremely well by already making Sinestro (Mark Strong) a developed character, and handing him a yellow ring. I think since I was more interested in seeing the conflict between Sinestro and Hal develop, I will be more interested in Green Lantern 2 (already greenlighted) than I was in watching this film.
OVERALL: C+/B-
Pac’s Take: D.C. comics doesn’t bring their comics to the big screen nearly as much as Marvel does, and as a fan of their work more so than Marvel, I’m always excited to see a new film. This is the first time in the history of cinema where we’ve had the technological capability to bring the Green Lantern to live-action movies and as a first effort, it wasn’t terrible. The biggest concern that I had coming into the film was that the focus on the visual effects would hinder the development of the story of Hal Jordan becoming the Green Lantern. I don’t think that I was wrong about that this assumption either, while there were times that the film impressed me with its story development, I often felt cheated by its lack of depth. Hal Jordan didnt’ seem to be any different from many other superheros we’ve seen hit theaters recently, but his comic book character is one of the more complex.
As Chris mentioned above, I took issue with some of the time gaps, suggesting there may have been some very important scenes left on the cutting room floor. For instance, there was one scene where Hal, as the Green Lantern, showed up at Oa coincidentally at the perfect time to talk Sinestro down (I won’t go into further detail). More importantly, the movie suggested a friendship between Hammond and Hal Jordan, as well as a love triangle between them and Carol Ferris (Lively), but the relationships were never explained beyond a passing hello between the characters. For the general public who is not a fan of the comic, these relationships are foreign and needed to be developed better, I actually thought the film could have benefited from 15 more minutes and this was most likely a case of the studio trying to keep the run time under 2 hours.
In the first scene of the film I was a little put off by the graphics, but once actual human actors were introduced the film began to feel more grounded and my concerns were put to rest.
Like gingers, animated lifeforms have no soul.
Ryan Reynolds did a fine job as Hal Jordan, however his face and character may be oversaturating the superhero market because at times I had a hard time seeing the character and not the actor. Peter Sarsgaard was definitely the most entertaining to watch on-screen and it is a shame that Hector Hammond didn’t get more screen time. While Chris’s least favorite casting decision may have been Blake Lively, I was extremely distracted by the casting of Tim Robbins as Senator Hammond. There’s not enough movie magic in the world to make me believe that Tim Robbins (52) could be the father of Peter Sarsgard (40). While this disparity in age may work in an episode of Teen Mom, the disgruntled father-son relationship between the two did not work.
This seems like as good a time as any for a paternity test
On a final note, the fanboy in me was geeking out to see Angela Bassett as Amanda Waller. For those of you unfamiliar with the character (potential future spoiler alert), Amanda Waller is a major villain in the D.C. universe and becomes the leader of both the Suicide Squad and Checkmate (as the White Queen). Hopefully we’ll see her in future installments of the Green Lantern and possibly in other D.C. franchises.
Green Lantern‘s light was powerful enough to take the #1 box office spot this past weekend, bringing in $52.1 million. While this was apparently below studio expectations, especially after the extensive marketing campaign, it is right about where I thought it would end up, especially since Green Lantern is not one of the better known superheroes. Super 8 ($21.5 million) beat out Mr. Popper’s Penguins ($18.4 millioin) to take the #2 spot. Here’s what we got opening this week:
Starring: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Emily Mortimer, Michael Caine
Director: John Lasseter, Brad Lewis
Synopsis from IMDB: Star race car Lightning McQueen and his pal Mater head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix race. But the road to the championship becomes rocky as Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: I was never really interested in seeing the first Cars, and this one looks even less interesting to me. Pixar films are usually great quality, and the first Cars did receive a mid-70% on RT. This one is at 80% on RT right now, and I’m sure it will be enjoyable, but it looks a lot like Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift meets Cars, which doesn’t really appeal to me.
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake, John Michael Higgins
Director: Jake Kasdan
Synopsis from IMDB: A comedy centered around a foul-mouthed, junior high teacher who, after being dumped by her sugar daddy, begins to woo a colleague — a move that pits her against a well-loved teacher.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: While I normally take exception to Cameron Diaz, I am willing to give her a chance because this preview is pretty funny. Justin Timberlake has proven his comedic chops as well, so they might be a humorous duo to watch together. The early reviews have been mixed (50% on RT), but I am still willing to give it a shot because some of my favorite comedies (Step Brothers in particular) are right around that percentage.
Starring: Demian Bichir, Jose Julian, Dolores Heredia
Director: Chris Weitz
Synopsis from IMDB: A gardener in East L.A. struggles to keep his son away from gangs and immigration agents while trying to give his son the opportunities he never had.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: Looks like it has the potential to be a little bit more than the run-of-the-mill “father wants a better life for his son” story. The performances appear subtle and heart moving, and the 86% on RT, seems to echo those sentiments. While it might not be a theater viewing, it could be a good Netflix choice.
Synopsis from RT: After a much-publicized departure from hosting NBC’s Tonight Show – and the severing of a 22-year relationship with the network – O’Brien hit the road with a 32-city music-and-comedy show to exercise his performing chops and exorcise a few demons. The “Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour” was O’Brien’s answer to a contractual stipulation that banned his appearance on television, radio and the Internet for six months following his last show. Filmmaker Rodman Flender’s resulting documentary, Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop, is an intimate portrait of an artist trained in improvisation, captured at the most improvisational time of his career. It offers a window into the private writers room and rehearsal halls as O’Brien’s “half-assed show” (his words) is almost instantly assembled and mounted to an adoring fan base.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: Conan O’Brien has a very dedicated fanbase, and this seems like the film for them; a rare look behind the curtain. I think the trailer looks intriguing, equal parts comedy and drama. The reviews are fairly good, 75% on RT, but it might be hard finding it in theaters, so check it out on Netflix.
Come on, you all knew this was coming as soon as Osama Bin Laden‘s death was announced the other night. Paramount greenlighted a project about the special forces mission that resulted in the historic event on Sunday, and Kathryn Bigelow is attached to direct. However, what you might not know is that Bigelow was working on a Bin Laden thriller for a while, except she is now being told to re-write it with Mark Boal as a historic re-telling of the actual mission.
Talk about great timing for her. She is coming off the success of the 2008 film, and Best Picture Winner, The Hurt Locker, and it looks like her career just took another turn for the better.
So far, the highlight of her career is rubbing her Best Picture victory over her ex-husband's "Avatar" in his face.
This will obviously be fast-tracked to try to take advantage of the high that America is living off of right now. The question is whether the pressure that this project will obviously come under, will actually produce a film worth watching.
What are your thoughts about this? Should Hollywood wait a bit longer? Will this be a film you would go see?
Late last year we kicked off a flurry of The Dark Knight Rises rumors with speculation on who the villain would be for Nolan’s third installment. We now know for sure that both Bane (Tom Hardy) and Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) will both be involved in the plot, but at the time the popular rumor was that Hugo Strange might make an appearance. These rumors have since fallen off with the announcement of Bane and Catwoman, as well as additional rumors of Talia Al Ghul, The League of Shadows, and Alberto Falcone. However, the Hugo Strange rumors ramped back up this past week thanks to My Entertainment World.
An unconfirmed plot synopsis for the next Batman film hit the internet including a plot line for Hugo Strange. In this synopsis, Dr. Hugo Strange, a villainous psychiatrist, concocts a a plan to destroy Batman and ultimately replace him. Though Strange will appear as a villain with similar motivations in the upcoming video game Batman: Arkham City, this plot line seems to fit nicely into Nolan’s universe and gives the film a more intellectually formidable villain opposite Batman. It could also explain Bane’s presence in Gotham as he was created by Hugo in the comics.
This, however, can never be explained
I’m still not convinced that Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard’s characters are as advertised and I think it’s possible Nolan and Co. could be intentionally leading us astray with some of these announcements and/or rumors. I’d personally like to see Gordon-Levitt play a villain like Strange as opposed to an “ambitious cop”, as Strange appears to be a character with much more depth and importance. However, we’ve seen villain over-kill in superhero films before so the inclusion of a third opposition to The Dark Knight must be handled with care.
What do you think, is everything “as advertised” with The Dark Knight Rises or are we purposefully being fed false rumors and announcements? Would you like to see Hugo Strange in this next Batman film given what we already know about Bane and Catwoman? The Dark Knight Rises is slated for release July 20, 2012.
Starring: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Hayden Panetierre
Director: Wes Craven
Pac’s Take: The day finally came, after all the anticipation and build-up leading to the Scream 4, I can’t say I was disappointed. Scream 4 picks up 10 years after the events of Scream 3 with Sidney Prescott returning to Woodsboro on a book tour for her new self help book “Out of Darkness”. Expectedly, upon her arriving in Woodsboro, the Ghostface Killer returns and the bodies start to pile up. Among them is a new crop of teens who revel in the infamy of their town and celebrate the anniversary of the Woodsboro massacre with a “Stabathon”, a movie marathon of the “Stab” films based on the events of the actual Scream films (a film within a film). Now it is up to throwbacks Gale (Courtney Cox), Dewey (David Arquette), and Sidney (Neve Campbell) as well as Woodsboro’s new teens to survive and track down the identity of Ghostface.
I can’t say that someone who hasn’t seen the first three Scream films won’t enjoy this movie, but as a die hard fan of the franchise I can say that I felt this film was written for me, and others like me. Most of its brilliance is in the film’s ability to recapture moments and emotions from the first film and reboot them into this film. While Scream 4 is a sequel and not a reboot, it’s self-awareness and satire of the horror genre, particularly the reboot craze, allowed it to blend the two forms of franchise installments almost effortlessly. This film was a lot like Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, where Craven’s intention was to return the franchise to its original state by being self-satire.
Thank God Scream didn't get to this point first
Not unlike any other Scream film, Scream 4 had its flaws. A lot of the critical reviews I read before the film indicated that the film was overlong, and at 108 minutes I completely disagree. The pacing of the film was great but I felt like there were 15, or so, minutes missing from the film. While the characters were developed to the point the audience was able to connect and care (some more than others), some of the relationships between the characters seemed to be lacking. Since a certain character’s death in Scream 2, the franchise has suffered from this, never being able to recapture the charisma he/she brought to the screen (though Hayden Panetierre’s character Kirby comes close). Some of that missing fifteen minutes was lost in the kill scenes as well. One thing most sequels always forget is the concept of quality over quantity. Sure the absence of drawn out chases and killings made the film a bit more realistic, but a lot of the suspense is lost by removing the dramatic irony of the audience seeing the killer stalk its victims.
If I'm the killer I'm definitely stalking these two
What Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson created with Scream 4 was a love letter to themselves and the throwback slashers, as well as a big middle finger to the modern horror genre (particularly the Saw franchise). Also, Scream 4 seems to acknowledge the below-average to mediocrity of Scream 3, something I particularly enjoyed in hindsight. Scream 4 seems more like the concluding chapter of the original trilogy much more than Scream 3 ever did, and in a way (being Kevin Williamson’s third effort in the franchise) it is. In time, I think Scream 4 will stand out as the best sequel in the franchise, second only to the original. If you’re a fan of the Scream films be sure to see Scream 4 in theaters.
Characters: B
Cinematography: B+
Directing: B+
Plot: A-
Performances: B
Script: A-
OVERALL: B+
Chris’ Take: There are a lot of people recently who have decided that the theater experience is not worth it anymore. With all the new advancements in Video On Demand and Home Theater Entertainment, combined with the rise in ticket prices, people seem to be more inclined to wait for Netflix, or just pay the $5 a couple of weeks after the movie comes out to enjoy film without the ever present distractions and talkative jerks in the theater. I for one, still enjoy going to the theater, mainly because I am impatient to see new films, but also, if the crowd is right for the type of film, they can add something to the experience as well, and there is a sense of community. That’s how I felt last night as I sat in the packed theater for the newest installment in the Scream franchise. Slasher films don’t require the type of thought or attention span that a “good” horror film requires, and I think that’s why all the buzz going on in the theater didn’t bother me. It really felt more like a communal gathering that brought back the nostalgia of the experience of watching the first film. It was just plain fun.
I think critics’ reactions to this film will be based on their expectations. Scream is a horror movie, that isn’t a horror movie. That’s what was so fresh about the first one, it was parody and serious slasher film combined into one; in the same vein (but not quite on the same level) as Shaun of the Dead. Scream 4 returns that freshness to the slasher genre, even if it does it in a self-referential and predictable way.
Hmmm...it's a movie within a movie.
Kevin Williamson’s script was really the backbone of the film. While it wasn’t anything deep or super intelligent, it seemed like he took care in making sure that it didn’t feel like a lackadaisical sequel that was forced into production. Wes Craven only seemed to build on that, using his skill behind the camera to make the scares come to life. Craven’s last written effort, My Soul to Take, made him sound disconnected from the younger audience, and I’m glad that he wasn’t the one to pen the Scream sequel. Williamson kept the playfully gory tone consistent with that of the first two films, and fortunately polished up the tarnish left by the third one.
While the acting was only mediocre, it fit the film. I don’t think anyone has come to expect Oscar Winning performances from horror films, just that the actors at least try, and they did that. I thought that the younger talent in the film, the new faces in Scream, were more interesting and charismatic than the returning cast of Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette, who just seemed to deliver their lines to get their paycheck.
I thought the pacing of the film was perfect. The slasher scenes came fast and frequent, but they never felt like overkill, and they managed to keep the tension consistent. I actually thought they improved some of the slasher scenes as well. In some of the other films, the chase scenes seemed to drag on and became more and more ridiculous. This time, they were shortened and that made them a little bit more realistic, even if the characters still have the combined intelligence of a 1st grader.
Actually, I think even 1st Graders would be smart enough to follow the buddy system if a killer is on the loose.
I cannot say that this film was spectacular, but it was certainly entertaining and very enjoyable. Like I said earlier, I think the vibe in the audience really said a lot about it as well. A midnight showing is usually comprised of die hard fans, and there was no one that seemed disappointed. However, I think for anyone else who isn’t in on the self-referential humor, it would probably seem mediocre at best. Since I am in the former crowd, I thought it felt like Kevin Williamson had taken a look at what slasher films had become in the last ten years, shook his head saying, “Come on guys, really?” then knocked out a killer script in an awesome fit of spite.
I would’ve never thought that a franchise inspired by the idea that intelligent apes take over the planet would spawn so many sequels and prequels. I thought Tim Burton‘s reboot would’ve killed the interest for another one, but here we are, except this time we’re going back in time even further. James Franco stars in this installment about the apes, where they came from and how they started to rule the Earth. While the trailer looks like it will be a decent and entertaining endeavour, I am hesitant to get excited about this film after the last one. Let us know your opinion after you watch the trailer:
Joaquin Phoenix in Talks With P.T. Anderson for Upcoming Religious Drama
It is still up in the air how crazy Joaquin Phoenix had to be to even just pretend to be that insane for his faux documentary I’m Still Here. Whatever the case, it was quite a performance and he is now back on the market looking for work. The latest buzz from Entertainment Weekly is that he is in talks with Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia, There Will Be Blood) to be part of what is being called a “religious drama” revolving around Scientology.
Phoenix seems like a good fit for Scientology.
While nothing is confirmed yet, if Phoenix got a role it would probably be that of an alcoholic named Freddie Sutton who befriends Lancaster Dodd, the leader and founder of Scientology, who will be played by Philip Seymour Hoffman.
I think this sounds like a project worthy of note. P.T. Anderson, when he isn’t getting frustrated by people confusing him with Paul W.S. Anderson, puts out consistently great films.
"For the last time...I did not direct Showgirls or Resident Evil."
He manages to work with strong scripts and many of his films are darkly beautiful and profound. He seems to already be assembling a solid cast, so I look forward to the release of this film.
Tom Hanks to Star in Wachowskis’ Cloud Atlas
After drowning their financial woes after Speed Racer, the Wachowski siblings are back to bring another sci-fi film to the screen and according to Deadline they already have Tom Hanks onboard to star. The name of the film is Cloud Atlas and is based on a 2004 book of the same name by David Mitchell.
The book is known for its layered structure, telling multiple stories that are interconnected from 1850 to a post-apocalyptic future. There are several main characters, whose stories end up affecting the next story in the future some way. The book won multiple awards and sounds like it also has some anti-establishment sentiment that the Wachowskis seem to love.
Our backwards hats show our rebellion against "The Man".
It is unclear what part Tom Hanks will play in the film, but it is confirmed that he will be one of the main characters in the stories. Since there are so many different main characters, I am interested in seeing who they get to round out the rest of the cast.
I have gone on record on this site as a defender of the remake/reboot/prequel craze. While I understand why many people are upset with Hollywood’s infatuation with turning the movie-goers nostalgia into a quick buck, I also believe that, when done right, a rebooted film can be much better than any “original” work. However, with the most recent rumors being that there is a The Crow reboot in the works potentially starring Bradley Cooper, I may have finally reached my boiling point.
I am a fanboy of many franchises so I can understand supporting a film despite its obvious flaws. However, it is my personal belief that The Crow is a terrible movie. The product of the popular grunge scene in the mid 1990s and the untimely death of star Brandon Lee while filming; The Crow is not a film that transcends the era in which it was made. With a 7.6 user rating on IMDB and an 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes I may go as far to say that The Crow is one of the most overrated films I’ve ever seen. Somehow, the original spawned a series of sequels as well as a television franchise and is now going to be rebooted; but will it be a success, I doubt it.
Not to mention one professional wrestling career
Let me again point out that the success of the original film was catapulted in large part due to the popularity of grunge in 1994 and the death of the film’s star. Consider The Dark Knight as a modern day example, yes the film was infinitely better than The Crow, but the untimely death of star Heath Ledger made his dark and destructive portrayal of the Joker seem all that more eerie (not to say Ledger did not deserve the acclaim he received).
CAPTION DELETED: Still too soon
It is worth noting that the film, The Crow, was adapted from a comic book written by James O’Barr and that source material does not dictate the “reinvention” remain stylistically similar to the first. In fact, script writer Stephen Norrington has stated that he wants his version of The Crow to be “realistic, hard-edged and mysterious, almost documentary-style.” Still, given the tradition of most franchise reboots, I imagine the studio would rather stay true to the original film and not anger the franchise’s cult following.
One of the greatest masters of cinema, Sidney Lumet (Dog Day Afternoon, The Verdict, 12 Angry Men) passed away this morning from lymphoma. He was 86. It was fitting that our blog’s last two weekend film recommendations were Lumet films. To read more about this incredible director, follow the link below:
CinemaCon brought several sneak peeks at upcoming releases, including Super 8and Thor. Now, Todd Phillips released a full length trailer for his highly anticipated comedy, The Hangover: Part II. Take a look:
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While I am glad that we get to see some familiar faces, I am wondering how it will all play out. I like the addition of the monkey, and the fact that they aren’t rehashing the story of Doug being the missing guy, but I think a lot of the material will seem redundant from the last film. I just hope it is fresh enough to get some good laughs out of it.
This film was premiered at the Toronto Film Festival to mixed reviews, but I am excited to see Will Ferrell return to a role that seems very similar to what he had in Stranger than Fiction. The trailer looks decent and touchingly humorous, but the mixed reviews make me a little bit skeptical about it. Here’s the trailer:
Earlier this week, several sources reported that the fifth season of AMC’s award-winning, period drama Mad Menwas delayed until March 2012 due to some disagreements in the negotiations of creator Matthew Weiner‘s contract. The rumor was that Weiner was being offered $30 million for two years, but that AMC had the following stipulations that did not suit Weiner:
– Each episode would have to be cut by two minutes to allow for more commercials.
– Weiner had to cut up to six cast members over the next couple of seasons.
And we're guessing he wouldn't cut the women.
These statements were all true, but it was unclear whether or not Weiner had accepted these terms when the announcement that the 5th season finally got the green light.
Weiner finally spoke up to a couple of different sources about exactly what is going on with the show now. Deadline reported that Weiner had claimed to have walked away four or five times over the last couple of days because he was objecting to some of the terms. Weiner said, “It was never about the money. I wanted to do the show I wanted to do and that the audience has come to expect.”
So, Weiner’s artistic integrity managed to come to a compromise with AMC for two more seasons, as well as an additional seventh season that Lionsgate, the production company, offered him (which will be the last season). While he conceded that the show’s episodes will be cut from 47 to 45 minutes, the full “director’s cut” will be available eight days later on Video On Demand (which is how I usually watch it anyway), and on the DVDs. He also managed to talk AMC down from having him cut cast members, which I’m sure the actors were relieved to hear, and he no longer has to add more product placement in the show.
He told The Wrap that, “I would have walked away from the show if we didn’t reach the deal we did. I’m very happy with the way things are going to be.”
I am proud of Weiner, who consistently makes great, quality television, and holds true to the heart of the show while keeping his audience in mind. Props to you Matt! I can’t wait for Season 5!
Your bald head shines a bright light of artistic integrity for others to follow.
Mobster films are usually a decent bet for Hollywood. Fans of the genre flock to them with hopes that maybe this will be the next Godfather or Goodfellas. With that in mind, Warner Bros. is trying to attract some big names to a new organized crime film, Gangster Squad. Last December, the studio got Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) to sign on to direct the script written by Warren Beall. Now, they are moving on to find some A-List actors to complete the bill.
According to Deadline, a formal offer to play the lead role of boxer-turned-gangster Mickey Cohen has been extended to Sean Penn, and the role of one of the two cops trying to bring him down has been offered to Ryan Gosling. Penn is a silver screen staple, usually good for a great performance and Gosling is one of the hottest actors right now in the business, coming off a solid performance in the critical darling Blue Valentine.
I think this could be a decent effort. I am always in the mood for more mafia films and there hasn’t been a decent one since The Departed, and even that didn’t live up to Scorcese’s best. This sounds more along the vein of The Untouchables, with a better cop actor than Kevin Costner.
Sean Connery ponders shooting Kevin Costner in the back on the set of The Untouchables.
The film will probably hinge more on the performance of Penn more than Gosling though. Penn did show hints of the complex cruelty required to play this type of role in his Oscar Winning turn in Mystic River.
Ruben Fleischer could be a good pick as a director, but the only thing I have seen him direct is Zombieland. Also, Warren Beall, even though his script made the 2010 Black List of best unproduced screenplays, I don’t know much about his writing. Hopefully, this project will deliver on its potential and this relatively new writing and directing talent will bring some refreshment to the genre.
Most of you already know my stance about Justin Bieber, so i will not beleaguer your eyeballs with what you can find pretty much anywhere on the internet that isn’t patrolled by teenage girls or grandmothers. This has to do with Hollywood, not necessarily Justin Bieber. In Bieber’s mind, he is probably doing the right thing, trying to make the transition from being a teen pop singer to being an actor.
We all know how the last attempt turned out...
Sony Pictures is making a film called What Would Kenny Do?, a film about a high school kid who is visited by a 30-year-old version of his future self to help guide him through high school. The film will also be produced by Overbrook Entertainment, Will Smith‘s production company, and already has Bieber and Kutcher signed on to star.
With Will Smith involved, we can be pretty sure this annoying kid will stop by as well.
Apparently, Kenny was drafted up as an R-Rated comedy and made the 2008 Black List, which is a list of the best unproduced scripts. So, it definitely had something going for it, until Hollywood decided that instead of making a better movie, we could make a worse one that would make us some bank in the process. Sony Pictures decided that it needed to tone down the vulgarity, probably to the point of being PG, and then hired two actors that they knew could cover the demographic of the female box office. Bieber would attract the tweens and Kutcher would cover the older crowd.
I think I could’ve just settled that Hollywood was trying to do the smart thing for them, I mean not every movie is going to end up being something that I would want to see. I think what bothers me so much about this is knowing that the movie probably was better and might have been something I would want to see, if placed in the right hands, but instead Hollywood probably (can’t fully judge it if I haven’t seen it) watered it down and made it cutesy just to make a quick buck. Plus, while Kutcher may seem like he will be someone to bring the money in, his last couple of films have been box office disasters, so they are pretty much banking on the teen girls to want to see Bieber. This could end up being a lose-lose all around.
It seems these days, in the age of the reboot, that a franchises last film isn’t even able to make it to the network television circuit before it is already being rebooted. Tobey Maguire hasn’t even been able to live down his future “Dancing with the Stars” audition tape in Spiderman 3 before Marvel cast Andrew Garfield to play The Amazing Spiderman in 2012.
Actually he may never live this down
If that wasn’t bad enough, Warner Bros. has announced that they are already interested in going back to Bruce Wayne’s origins and rebooting Batman. Not only is interest in the caped crusader at an all time high due to the success of The Dark Knight; but Christopher Nolan’s third and final film in the franchise, The Dark Knight Rises, hasn’t even begun shooting. However, Christopher Nolan and his producing partner/wife Emma Thomas will remain attached to the Batman reboot as producers, suggesting that Warner Bros. is interested in maintaining some continuity with the saga, or at least maintaining the quality that we’ve come to expect from the current Batman franchise.
If it weren’t for Nolan and Thomas’s involvement in the reboot I would find this announcement extremely disrespectful to Nolan and all those involved in the current Batman trilogy, instead I find it just mildly obnoxious. With the upcoming release of Thor and Captain America, it seems that Warner Bros. is attempting to keep the potential of a Justice League movie in its sights; and with this being the last Batman film for Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale, the WB needed to be prepared. Regardless, it would be appropriate for the company to be more focused on the current Batman film in production than looking past it for a potential reboot. The Dark Knight Rises is possibly the most anticipated comic book movie of all time, and with fans of the series chomping at the bit for next summer’s release, you’d think Warner Bros would concentrating all Batman efforts on making this the best (fiscally and critically) film possible.
They should just use this film's title and make a double reboot
Executive Jeff Robinov has stated that they are aiming for a 2013 team-up of the Justice League on-screen, and if this were a realistic goal then it would make sense for them to be considering a new Batman at this point. However, The Green Lantern is just making its debut this summer, and Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot won’t hit theaters until December 2012; additionally, Justice League members The Flash and Wonder Woman have proposed motion pictures but aren’t yet in development. To go the marketing route of The Avengers, Warner Bros would have to release a motion picture for each of these four superheroes and reboot Batman into a new film before releasing a Justice League movie in 2013, impossible.
As a final thought, here’s a suggestion for following up the current Batman trilogy. Rather than reboot the franchise with a new Bruce Wayne and a re-telling of the origin story, why not pick up where Nolan leaves off. With Christian Bale not returning for a fourth film either; you’d have to re-cast Batman, but not necessarily Bruce Wayne. At two separate instances in the Batman comics Dick Grayson, formerly Robin and Nightwing, has taken up the Batman mantle. Once after Bruce Wayne’s “death” and once after his back was broken by Bane (a villain in Nolan’s upcoming film). It might anger a lot of fans of current and past Batman films to see someone other than Bruce Wayne parading as the Caped Crusader, but it would maintain continuity within the franchise and eliminate some of the stigma of a reboot.
What do you think? Do you find it justifiable that Warner Bros. is already considering a Batman reboot a year before TDKR is released? Do you want to see a Justice League movie in 2013? How would you like to see the Batman legacy carried on in film?
Negotiations for AMC’sMad Men have pushed the release date for the highly anticipated 5th season until March, 2012. This is coming from Deadline, who reported that the final arrangements in show creator Matthew Weiner’s contract and an already full Fall show line up for AMC, caused the show to be delayed.
Weiner was set to make $30 million over the course of three years, which would make him the highest paid show runner. However, the negotiations hit some snags when AMC said that his contract would then force him to cut two main cast characters, cut two minutes off each episode and add more product placement. Weiner, was apparently not willing to budge about that, wanting to maintain the integrity of the characters, storyline and each episode. He probably also saw the irony that a show about an advertising agency would be plagued with product placement.
While the show has already been greenlit for production of the 5th season, there is no word yet as to whether Weiner conceded to the terms of the contract. I hope not, because I like the show the way it is and wouldn’t want it to become obvious about product placement to the point where it is distracting.
I'm looking at you "Dexter"
Also, that additional product placement would have to be tailored to the 1960’s which might prove tricky.
As for cutting two characters, that would be difficult right now, since most of the main characters have already survived one downsizing in the show and it would be hard to watch more of them leave. I can’t even imagine who they might be, but my guess would be that if it came down to it Lane Pryce (Jared Harris) and Ken Cosgrove (Aaron Stanton) would be the prime candidates to leave, even if it would painful to watch them go.
I am disappointed that AMC is being so stingy with their most prestigious show. They seem to be coddling their new baby, The Walking Dead, even though it is much lighter fare. They could probably afford to cut at least four minutes off each episode because most of the time ther commercials end up being smarter and more entertaining. Whatever happens, one thing is for sure, I can’t wait for more Mad Men.
My favorite director, Ridley Scott, seems to be rebooting his resume by revisiting his previous films – starting at the beginning (never mind The Duellists). Ridley’s next film, Prometheus, was originally a prequel to one of my favorite films Alien, and once he’s finished with that he’ll apparently be revisiting Blade Runner. It is unknown whether the film will be a remake, reboot, prequel, sequel, or whatever else Hollywood is asking for these days, and it is also unknown whether Harrison Ford will be involved.
Brian Pac Sostak
Chris Petersen
Sarah Higgins
stjerome03
Chris and Pac Take on Hollywood 
