It’s finally here! I’ve been psyched about this film since I first heard about it. Aranofsky disappointed me a bit with The Fountain, but one bad film isn’t enough to completely write him off. He did give us Pi after all. The Wrestler is the story of washed up wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson and his attempted comeback both inside the ring and out. I smell an Oscar nod for Rourke and possibly a best picture nomination for the film. Watch the trailer below and give me some damned feedback!
Marissa Tomei just keeps getting hotter. How is that possible?
Oscar season is upon us! Sadly this weeks releases have no signs of being contenders in any category. First up is the highly anticipated by frequent Hot Topic shoppers Twilight. Twilight is a teen-set Vampire romance which, with it’s PG-13 rating, will likely be a hit with anyone void of a driver’s license, but won’t appeal to a mass audience. I won’t be wasting my hard earned dollars on this pile of rancid dog feces. I’ve got a better idea, if you want to watch a Vampire movie go pick up Kathryn Bigelow’s Near Dark, or better yet get your hands on a copy of Let the Right One In. Skip this mess.
I’ll probably lose all credibility after saying this, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Bolt. I’m not usually one for animated films, but this one has me intrigued. Bolt is the story of the canine star of a hit TV show who is accidentally shipped from his Hollywood soundstage to New York City. Armed only with the delusions that all his amazing feats and powers are real, and with the help of two unlikely traveling companions: a jaded, abandoned housecat named Mittens and a TV-obsessed hamster in a plastic ball named Rhino, Bolt discovers he doesnt need superpowers to be a hero.
Yes it’s formulaic, but damn it all it looks mildly entertaining. I’m not recommending anyone rush out to see this film, but I might catch a matinee. Scratch that, too many screaming brats at a matinee. I’ll throw down the extra couple of dollars to see a late evening show and avoid the germ carrying little mongrels.
I’ve liked Michael Rapaport since Zebrahead and True Romance. When I saw the trailer for Special I wasn’t quite sure what to think, I just knew that I had to see it. Special is the story of a lonely meter maid who enrolls in a drug study for an experimental anti-depressant. An unexpected side effect of the drug convinces him that he is developing super powers and must quit his job and answer a his new calling in life…to be superhero. A premise oddly similar to Bolt, but obviously targeted at a more adult audience. If your a fan of independent cinema and are lucky enough to be in one of the selected cities this movie is screening in go and see it. Check out the trailer below to get an idea of what you’re in for.
Tomorrow, November 19th, is the official launch date of Microsoft’s massive overhaul of the Xbox 360’s interface, and one of the most interesting features is the ability to stream Netflix’s “Watch Now” films straight to your tv without the need for extra hardware (i.e. the Roku player). Joystiq has reported that unfortunately, mere hours before the launch, all movies owned by Columbia Pictures have been blocked from playing on the Xbox.
The reason? Columbia is owned by Microsoft rival Sony.
Quantam of Solace director Marc Forster has been tapped to direct the much anticipated by geeks like myself, World War Z adaptation for Paramount Pictures. WW:Z is based on Max Brooks best selling novel about a worldwide zombie infestation. “Changeling” scribe J. Michael Straczynski is writing the screenplay, and Brad Pitt’s Plan B is producing. Brooks who is the son of legend Mel Brooks, wrote a story in which a researcher for the U.N. Postwar Commission interviews survivors from countries all over the world, 10 years after the crisis, to gather a first-person account of a war that decimated every country on the map. If you haven’t read the book, it’s amazing. It’s a must read for fans of the genre.
I’m not quite sure what to make of Thomas Jane. Sometimes I like him (The Mist), sometimes I don’t (The Punisher). The teaser trailer for Give ‘Em Hell Malone, which you can watch below, has the potential to be seriously ass kicking good time. Director Russell Mulcahy, however, hasn’t really done a good film since Highlander…and that was 1986.I will say that Mulcahy has delivered some aesthetically pleasing films even amongst his direct-to-dvd drivel.So there is a ray of hope for this film, even if it is a small one. Check out the “teaser” below and let me know what you think.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company, Appian Way, is in the process of adapting the Japanese animated classic Akira into an American live-action movie. Fortunately it’s still in the script stages and hopefully will stay that way.
I want to take a moment here to ruefully shake my head at the prospect of one of the most important movies of my life being desecrated any further. I’m still pretty sore at the lack of the original English dub on the dvd release (and I own the really nice version!). I know the Japanese is superior and the re-recorded English is more accurate but I miss Cam Clarke’s voice and the version I grew up with.
DiCaprio said that he won’t star in it and I believe him when he says he’s a real fan- many males our ages are- but it’s still not a good idea. The animation is still gorgeous today and I can find no flaws with the film itself (it’s better than the manga, I don’t care what anyone says).
He also wants to do Ninja Scroll but that’s not even in its infancy of preproduction at this point.
Marvel announced yesterday that it had signed a director, Joe Johnston, for it’s upcoming Capt. America project…I wasn’t that excited. Not only am I not really a fan of the shield wielding sissy in spandex, I actually loathe the comic books. For any of you who do actually like Captain America I hate to rain on your red,white,and blue parade, but Joe Johnston sucks. Jurassic Park 3? Hidalgo? I know he has The Wolfman “remake” coming out, but I hardly see that as a film that will garner him any redemption. I can only hope that the film will be mercifully short because no matter how much I dislike the Captain I’ll still get suckered into watching it. Damn you Marvel.
How is it that all significant news that comes up lately is either about sequels or remakes? And it’s almost never something to get excited about.
So I guess what Brett Ratner does when he’s not looking in the mirror telling himself how awesome he is, is to decide what movie franchise to screw up next. Turns out he had to make a choice between a new Beverly Hills Cop movie or a new Conan movie. Of course he chooses the one that I would actually want to see if made by another director: Conan. $5 says he briefly considered taking the starring role himself.
I mean, it’s not even like the X-Men movies were fantastic or anything, but there’s really no excuse for how bad 3 was, and those horrible CG “young” versions of Patrick Steward and Ian McKellan give me nightmares. Zak Penn has shown a modicum of talent in the past, he should retroactively make his participation in that pile of crap an Alan Smithee project.
Park Chank-Wook’s Oldboy is a near perfect revenge thriller. The thought of this movie being remade here in America makes my physically ill. The thought of Spielberg and Will Smith collaborating on such a project makes me even more so. While I think both parties are capable of making good films I’d have to say that the subject matter of this film isn’t really fit for mass consumption and with those two names attached it would be difficult to sell Oldboy without losing a lot of what made the original great. Do we really need to remake this movie? It is currently just in the developmental stage and hasn’t been given the green light yet. So lets cross our fingers and hope they find something else they’d rather do. What say you?
