Christopher Meloni Joins the ‘Man of Steel’ Cast

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.

Fondue Cheddar!

New to Blu-Ray/DVD this Week (March 8, 2011)

Jackass 3

Rated: R

Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O and Bam Margera

Director: Jeff Tremaine

Synopsis from IMDB:  Johnny Knoxville and company return for the third installment of their TV show spin-off, where dangerous stunts and explicit public displays rule.

Trailer:

Pac’s Take:  I guess now that this film is not in theaters anymore they dropped the “D” and are just calling it Jackass 3.  Without that added gimmick of 3D there isn’t much attracting me to see this movie right away, in fact I wasn’t that interested when I could see it in 3D.  I’m sure some of the stunts will be entertaining and the pranks could be funny but after 12 years of seeing these guys on-screen and on MTV since the first CKY came out, their once unique brand of humor is starting to wear thin.

Morning Glory

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton

Director: Roger Michell

Synopsis from IMDB: An upstart television producer accepts the challenge of reviving a struggling morning show program with warring co-hosts.

Trailer:

Pac’s Take:  I consider morning talk television to be sensationalized stories and banter that no one really cares enough about to watch when better programming is on.  Morning Glory appears to be exactly that, except on film.  With a $31 million gross it appears that I’m not the only person who feels this way.  However a 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, while not great, is much higher than expected. 

The Next Three Days

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks and Liam Neeson

Director: Paul Haggis

Synopsis from IMDB: A married couple’s life is turned upside down when the wife is accused of a murder.

Trailer:

Pac’s Take: I really do not know what to think about this film, which is probably why I didn’t make it to the theaters when it was released.  A 7.4 rating on IMDB, Paul Haggis as writer/director, and Liam Neeson all appear to be the elements of a very good film, but a %50 rating on Rotten Tomatoes is perplexing.  Also, while I’m not a huge fan of Russell Crow he does occasionally impress me and this seems like the type of role I might enjoy him in.  Of all the films released on DVD/Blu-Ray this week, this is the one that interests me most.

Inside Job

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Matt Damon, William Ackman and Daniel Alpert

Director: Charles Ferguson

Synopsis from IMDB: Takes a closer look at what brought about the financial meltdown.

Pac’s Take: Given the fact that I paid $3.50 for gas today and I’m privileged enough to live where gas is relatively cheap, this documentary about the U.S. financial meltdown would probably just infuriate me.  Aside from that displeasure all signs point to this being a great film.  Certified fresh with a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but probably best to watch on payday (if you’re lucky enough to have one).

Every Day

Rated: R

Starring: Carla Gugino, Liev Schreiber and Helen Hunt

Director: Richard Levine

Synopsis from IMDB: A comedy about a New York City couple (Schreiber and Hunt) in romantic crisis.

Pac’s Take: Though the description lists it as a romantic comedy, this film appears to be more of a family drama about a man’s mid-life crisis.  I consider Carla Gugino to be a very underrated actress (though her newest box office release Elektra Luxx is even more critically panned), and Liev Shreiber has good acting ability, just not good ability in choosing films.  The film is not marketed for my demographic and with a %41 on Rotten Tomatoes, it is one that I may catch out of convenience but not out of desire. 

Protect Ya Neck – Russell Crowe starring in RZA directed Kung Fu movie

News this bizarre has got to be true, doesn’t it?  Movieline is reporting this morning that the founder of the Wu-Tang Clan, the RZA, will be directing a kung fu film entitled The Man with the Iron Fist.  This news may not seem far fecthed(yet) for various reasons.  The RZA is as well-known for his love of the martial arts as he is for his music; the Wu-Tang Clan is named after the film Shaolin and Wu-Tang and many kung fu films are referenced in his musical works.  Additionally, the RZA has produced soundtracks for a few modern kung fu related films such as Kill Bill and Blade: Trinity.  This film, however, will be Robert Diggs’s, aka Bobby Digital, first directorial effort.

The film will be funded by Wu Tan Financial

 The RZA will have some experienced professionals at his disposal to guide him through his directorial debut as Quentin Tarantino and Eli Roth are producing the film (the script is also penned by Roth).  Tarantino is no stranger to the genre as he directed both Kill Bill films (in which RZA produced the soundtrack), and both his and the RZAs passion for the genre should permeate well to the big screen.

Here’s the curveball folks, the star of The Man with the Iron Fist… none other than Russell Crowe.  I find this bizarre for a number of reasons, most obvious being that Russell Crowe will be starring in a kung fu film.  Crowe has never really ventured into the territory of being an action star and his method style of acting (which at times has been the butt of a hollywood joke) does not seem to translate well to a movie in the hands of the three men mentioned above.  Crowe has worked alongside the RZA before in American Gangster and with RZA co-starring as well as directing, hopefully he can get the performance out of Crowe that he needs.  One thing is for certain though…

It is guaranteed that we will be entertained.

I have high hopes for this film, it is great to see film makers take on passion projects and be great fans of their subject matter because they usually handle those works with extreme care.   If nothing else this movie will be a fun romp through the minds of some pretty quirky individuals, and maybe we’ll even get a cameo from the 7 other members of the clan.  What do you think, are you excited to see Russell Crowe take on Kung Fu?  Do you think the RZA can handle directing this kind of passion project?  Can RZA, Tarantino, and Roth work well enough together to produce a finely polished product?

Opening This Week (Nov 15 – 21, 2010)

Despite what you may think, there are other films coming out this weekend besides Harry Potter. Will they pose any box office threat? Nope. Will they be any good? We’ll see. Here are the wide releases for this weekend:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Helena Bonham-Carter

Director: David Yates

Synopsis from IMDB: Voldemort’s power is growing stronger. He now has control over the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Hermione decide to finish Dumbledore’s work and find the rest of the Horcruxes to defeat the Dark Lord. But little hope remains for the Trio, and the rest of the Wizarding World, so everything they do must go as planned.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: I started out, despising the Harry Potter series. Especially, when the first film came out and I thought it was pretty lame. Overcoming my prejudice took the help of my brother, Jerome, who told me to give the second film a chance and I was very surprised at the increase in quality and the series keeps getting better. I look forward to the final installments and hope that when I see this film on opening weekend, I won’t be surrounded by a throng of people, from middle school to adults who peaked in middle school, with lightning scars and coke bottle glasses.

The Next Three Days

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson

Director: Paul Haggis

Synopsis from IMDB: A married couple’s life is turned upside down when the wife is accused of a murder.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: Russell Crowe, at one point he was one of the best actors around and seeing his name on the marquee was something worth noting, but in the last five years, it seems like while the movies he is in are decent, his performances are rather boring. I think I would enjoy this film a lot more if Liam Neeson was playing the lead since he has proven he has a knack for kicking people’s asses to get his family back. Plus, Neeson is  a better actor in general. Even with Paul Haggis (Crash, Casino Royale) as writer and director, I think this will be a film that will be exciting to watch, but easy to forget.

Heartless

Rated: R

Starring: Jim Sturgess, Clemence Poesy, Noel Clark

Director: Phillip Ridley

Synopsis from IMDB:  Jamie Morgan, a young man with a large heart-shaped birthmark on his face, discovers that there are demons on the streets of East London.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: This is a film I didn’t know about until about 20 minutes ago, which is odd considering it is a wide release. This was released in the UK last year to moderate critical acclaim and has pretty good reviews in the U.S. so far. If you are not into Harry Potter and Russell Crowe’s increasingly haggard looking jowls are not enough to entice you to the theater, this might be something for you to see.

Limited Releases

White Material

Rated: Unrated

Starring: Isabelle Huppert, Isaach De Bankole, Christopher Lambert

Director: Claire Denis

Synopsis from IMDB: Denis revisits Africa, this time exploring a place rife with civil and racial conflict. A white French family outlawed in its home and attempting to save its coffee plantation connects with a black hero also embroiled in the tumult. All try to survive as their world rapidly crumbles around them.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: French film is some of the most beautiful out there, at least the stuff that makes it to the States and this film looks like no exception. It received great reviews and critical acclaim at several festivals. Obviously, this isn’t one that really needs to be seen in the theater and will probably be just as good if seen on DVD.