Deleted Scenes 10.08.09: Looking Moderately Ahead - October
Posted by Robert Sullivan on 10.08.2009
September was good, and so far October's been pretty great thanks to one trip to Zombieland. For the rest, come on in.
Hey, everybody. Hey, people. I'm Rob, this is Deleted Scenes, and here's a welcome back to this new edition. Our cinematic offerings have only gotten stronger as the year wears on, as cinematic offerings are wont to do, so let's see if that typical trend continues in the coming weeks.
And after you read all that content, go ahead and make 411Mania YOUR official homepage. You're good people, I know you will.
The Column
Well, we've already seen how the first week of October has played out, and I have to say something.
This is the number one film in America.
Great fucking job, everybody. Everyone on the floor. Really strong stuff. By getting behind films like this, we can only expect more such efforts to be produced by Hollywood in an attempt to be The Next. And sure, while this without question guarantees us some rather craptastic attempts to be The Next, we also might see some actual quality in other subversive pictures.
Beyond that, fuck. Zombieland 2, anybody? I know I'm right there on opening night. And by opening night, I obviously mean the midnight showing. What a wonderful ride it was - basically everything the over hyped Shaun of the Dead promised to be and wasn't. I say that knowing that I came into the film after the megahype explosion had happened, and while that may have colored my experience with the movie, I'm going to insist it did not. Aside from some clever jokes, mildly interesting set pieces, and surprisingly strong sentiment in the third act, I didn't really feel a strong whole. While similarly episodic in nature, Zombieland seemed to be a more natural fit for a scattershot narrative.
Also, England didn't have any sidetrips to the palace of a certain BM, that's for sure.
Other than that, what else did October 2nd have for us?
The Coens strike again with weirdness aplenty in a story about a Jewish professor in the 1960s under quite a bit of pressure...then a bit more...then a whole lot more...and then his head starts getting bounced like a basketball against a blackboard. The trailer was a little off putting and more than a little overbearing in its COENS!!!11 motif, but I figure it's still worth giving a shot.
Yes, I agree with the man's politics. Yes, uninformed morons who continually insist Moore doesn't make documentaries due to a fundamental misconception that a documentary is inherently unbiased make me want to scream. The critics have gone relatively mild over this one, but there's enough in the subject matter to interest me.
And seeing as how I've already spoken of The Invention of Lying, let me be brief and say I'll check it out on a random weekday.
October 9th
Lots of beaucoup Oscar buzz here, and while I haven't yet seen it, it does excite me simply out of being a fan of Peter Sarsgaard. As AMPAS seems to be in the make-do nominations business, and they ignored Sarsgaard's exemplary work in 2003's Shattered Glass...how about it, Academy? Of course, let's see how quality the film is first, so let's just consider that a reminder.
I'm always interested in seeing actors and actresses stretch themselves on screen, trying to tap into unseen talents that will take their careers in whole new directions. Michelle Monaghan might just be one of the success stories at this, should the advance notices bear true. Trucker could apparently be simply baldfaced Oscarbait (pretty girl + brusque attitude - makeup = gold), however I'm really hoping that it isn't. A few of Monaghan's previous efforts, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Gone Baby Gone among them, have hinted that there's more to the actress than the ravishing looks...let's hope that's the case.
Yeaaaaaaaaaahno. Just as I once got tired of Adam Sandler's schtick, I'm now exhausted by Progressively Expanding Motormouthed Fat Guy.
October 16th
A remake of one of the best and most criminally under appreciated horror films of the 80s? Count me as interested here. The Stepfather was a terrific view into the skills of Terry O'Quinn that even subpar sequels couldn't ruin, and hopefully Dylan Walsh of "Nip/Tuck" fame can measure up. Don't watch the trailer if you don't want the film 90% ruined, if the remake follows the original at all. However, do watch if you can't get enough of Amber Heard's hotness and don't mind hearing the best line of the film before seeing it.
Where the Wild Things Are is a film that inspires great trepidation in me. I'm constantly going back and forth between "hooked" and "too look-at-me-look-at-meeeeeeee" by the TV spot. While the long, tumultuous studio drama surrounding the film can be seen as a bad thing, you can be like me and take heart in what allegedly started the fight - it's "too adult," "too intelligent," "too scary," etc. Let the booger eaters riot, for all I care.
Yeah, I'll just go ahead and use the phrase that the creative staff behind Law Abiding Citizen probably used to sell their screenplay to the powers that be - it's Saw meets Death Wish. At least to me, that sounds very interesting. Something else that's quite curious - the idea that Gerard Butler might have actually made a movie people want to see again. That would be really impressive.
October 23rd
Oh yeah.
I filled the cup.
Hmmm, do I want to see Willem Dafoe's erect penis ejaculate blood in Antichrist...pass. Would I be interested in Hilary Swank's efforts at winning a third Oscar for playing a man....not really. See you at the Saw marathon this week, ladies and gentlemen.
October 30th
Yeaaaaaaaaaah...HELL to the no. If I wanted to go see a movie that glorified a disgusting pervert, I'd go watch that shitty documentary about Roman Polanski.
For this week...Hell, go see Saw VI, people. As much as you might hate torture porn, the real torture porn is whatever floated Michael Jackson's boat.
