Movies/TV's 3R’s 11.24.09: New Moon, Jackass 3D, Eddie Murphy, Scream Queens, Joss Whedon, More...
Posted by Shawn S. Lealos on 11.24.2009
From the insane success of New Moon, Jackass going 3D, Couple's Retreat being called racist, and Joss Whedon winning the Vanguard Award to Oprah Winfrey signing off, Jon and Kate being sent off, and more, 411's Shawn S. Lealos breaks down the Right, wRong, and Ridiculous from the week in Movies/TV!
Welcome to Week 21 of The 3 R's for the Movie/TV world.
Without any further ado, here is...
The Right
Never Sleep Again: I reviewed the DVD for an amazing documentary called His Name Was Jason, detailing the wonderful history of the Friday the 13th franchise (read it here). Also, check out this page as well where you can learn more about the movie and see 411mania getting a mention as well! Anyways, this post is about a new documentary with my favorite slasher killer of the eighties, Freddy Krueger, called Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy. It is being directed by Daniel Farrands and Andrew Kasch, the director and editor of His Name was Jason. The documentary is going to be set up differently than the Jason one and will be more of a chronological look at the series. It is being co-produced by Heather Langenkamp and will be talking to just about everyone involved in the series. They even went out and found Mark Patton, from Nightmare 2. Just last week they also interviewed Jason himself, Kane Hodder. This documentary is going to rock!
Oscar Season is just around the corner: The shortlist for the Documentary Film nominations has been released for the upcoming Academy Awards and there are fifteen titles that need to be whittled down to five. The movies are the following: The Cove, Food, Inc., Valentino: The Last Emperor, Every Little Step, The Beaches of Agnes, Burma VJ, Facing Ali, Garbage Dreams, Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders, The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, Mugabe and the White African, Sergio, Soundtrack for a Revolution, Under Our Skin and Which Way Home. A very notable omission is Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story but my biggest gripe is there is no love for Anvil: The Story of Anvil. Keep your eye out because I will be reviewing at least three of the nominees in anticipation of the upcoming Oscar season: Food, Inc., The Beaches of Agnes and Burma VJ. - Source
Chris Weitz is retiring but first...: I have always liked Chris Weitz and feel he is a talented filmmaker. He co-directed American Pie with his brother Paul but has fallen on bad times recently with his ultra big budget efforts A Golden Compass and New Moon. Now, these are bad times if you consider $700 million box office from two movies to be disappointing. But critical reception to both movies has been pretty cold. Of course there are a lot of people who like crap and there is no better place to look then the people who defend 2012, a complete crap movie. But, back to Weitz. I don't think he likes his movies too much because he is taking his ball and going home. This is not a Right because Weitz is quitting the business, though. This is a Right because he is making one more movie before he leaves. The Gardner is a much smaller effort, which I feel brings out the best in the director (see: About a Boy). The movie is about a hard-working Mexican immigrant who lives in L.A. and endeavors to protect his son. It is being called an homage to Vittorio De Sica's Bicycle Thieves, making me excited to see it. - Source
3D Anal X-Rays Coming Soon: This is a Right to me. Guess what movie is on Paramount's 2010 schedule. If you said Jackass 3D you win a personalized matchbox car! Yep, Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera and Steve-O are going to be putting their testicles in danger for your amusement in GLORIOUS 3D! Sure, the second movie was just a series of gags but that first movie was EPIC. Now, this movie will have to be carefully staged because just telling the boys to jump on a bike and jump a pit of alligators can't really achieve the perfect 3D look the medium promises. There has to be some way they are planning on doing it though because it is coming. And I cannot wait. - Source
I like Paul W.S. Anderson, sue me: The reason I like Anderson is because he has a true, geek love for the movies he makes. Unfortunately for him, he faces the wrath of fellow geeks who hate the movies he makes from their beloved properties. They hate him because he did not make Resident Evil exactly like the videogame. They hate him because he dared take the director chair for the Alien vs. Predator movie, "raping their childhoods." I like the guy. He has fit in nicely in his niche and makes movies that are decent popcorn fun. Mortal Kombat is one of the better videogame adaptations, Event Horizon is a great horror movie and both Resident Evil and AVP are fun movies. I also like Death Race. Watching the features on his DVDs, I get the feeling he is a guy who loves the properties he takes on and wants to make a movie that he believes displays what he loves about the franchises. When I see him behind-the-scenes, I like him even more. The guy is not Uwe Boll and he doesn't deserve the hate he receives. His next project (following Resident Evil: Afterlife) is going to be a 3D adaptation of The Three Musketeers. It will be based on the novel, set in the 18th Century, and be very playful with lots of action. Sounds good to me. - Source
The Plot for Lost Boys 3 is...: Edgar Frog (Corey Feldman) is destitute and almost friendless. He thinks his life has hit bottom, but wealthy vampire-romance novelist Gwen Liebling offers him a small fortune to go on the vampire hunt of a lifetime and rescue her son Peter from the Alpha Vampire D.J. Dusk. With the help of his friends Zoe, Lars, and Blake, Edgar heads into a bloody battle to exterminate evil. And just to make sure you understand, yes this is awesome! Check out who plays the wealthy novelist who hires him: - Source
The wRong
The Werewolf is the new Vampire: Who saw this latest vampire craze coming? With everything from Twilight's new movie breaking all kinds of records to True Blood and Vampire Diaries tearing up the airways, the vampire has been reborn once again. Next up might be the rebirth of the werewolf. Already on tap for release in the first quarter of 2010 is the Wolf Man reboot, starring Benicio del Toro. While I have been outspoken about the addition of a lot of CGI replacing Rick Baker's practical effects, it is set to make a lot of money when it hits theaters since the only movies to make money early in the year are horror films. New Moon might also be responsible for some of this love since new hunk Taylor Lautner is a wolf boy. Now news comes that they are rebooting the Howling franchise and that is where this veers into wrong. You know, they rebooted Freddy and Jason but those movies continued to be successful franchises through the good and mostly bad times. The first Howling movie, directed by Joe Dante and starring the lovely Dee Wallace is a classic but its SIX sequels were not only crap but half were straight to video. What's next? American Werewolf in Madrid? - Source
** If you are someone who wants to know what Vampire Diaries is all about, or someone who loves it and just wants to see it again, from Dec. 14 through Dec. 18, all ten of the first episodes will be aired in order, with back-to-back episodes each night on the CW. **
*** For people looking forward to The Wolfman, the movie getting pushed back may have really meant there are problems with it, despite the studio claiming otherwise. Other than the effects work of Rick Baker deemed poor enough to warrant CGI implementation, there also have been rumors test screenings don't like the pacing of the film. To fix this movie's ever growing list of problems, Mark Goldblatt (The Howling) and Oscar winner Walter Murch (The English Patient) were brought in to rework the film. Word is they worked wonders and the new version of the film tested positive. The picture opens Feb. 10.
Eddie Murphy to talk to animals. Children not allowed: Ok, Eddie Murphy has officially lost his freaking mind. I understand he chose to stop making R-Rated comedies and started doing kiddie fare, I suppose for his kids. I can live with that. Everyone jumped on the Murphy-hate bandwagon because he wasn't making movies for them, but I withheld from judgment because the movies he was making (The Nutty Professor, Dr. Doolittle) were not bad, they were just aimed at the youngun's. Well, Murphy started making shit like Norbit and I stopped defending him. Now, his latest effort is to produce (and maybe star) in The Misadventures of Fluffy, an R-Rated comedy about talking animals taking a road trip in New York. Eddie, it is little kids who love your talking animal movies. This movie has the chance of flopping like Pluto Nash. I was excited about Eddie saying when he retired from acting he would return to standup. Now I am dreading that because the guy has lost touch with reality. - Source
This is here for my wife's pleasure: George Strait is making a Pure Country sequel called A Pure Country Gift. The movie will see its original director Chris Cain returning and he calls this not exactly a sequel but more of "a movie in the Pure Country genre." Cain's son Dean Cain (Lois & Clark) is co-writing but the movie sounds atrocious. My wife loved the first movie but she said the title alone makes this sound like holiday crap. She might be right. Country Gift is about three angels who give the gift of a beautiful singing voice to a baby girl. In her climb to fame and fortune, she breaks some of the angels' rules, so they take away her big voice. Life has rules; if you follow them, life works. That's the moral of the story. Country singer Katrina Elam will be starring but I have no idea what role Strait will play. - Source
The Ridiculous
People are Dumb: A lawsuit was filed by Daphne Hereford and her German Shepherd breeding company Rin Tin Tin Inc. against Nu Image and First Look Studios. The lawsuit alleged the studios are guilty of trademark infringement for their kids flick Finding Rin Tin Tin: the Adventure Continues. The lawsuit asked for all profits from the movie and destruction of all DVDs. Well, thankfully, Hereford and her company were commanded to heel when the judge explained to her that Rin Tin Tin was a real dog. Just a quick history lesson: The original Rin Tin Tin was a Shepherd puppy found on a French battlefield by U.S. soldier Lee Duncan during WWI. The dog, who learned tricks and could leap great heights, became a major star during the 1920s as he appeared in more than two dozen films that helped save Warner Bros. Well, apparently Hereford's grandmother purchased several descendents of the original Rin Tin Tin making Hereford believed she owned the exclusive rights to the original dog's name. The judge explained that the case was being dismissed because the film actually tells "the story of the original historical dog Rin Tin Tin." - Source
More Special Interest Fun!: Individuals in the UK are saying Universal is showing racism for not including Faizon Love and Kali Hawk on the poster for Couple's Retreat, instead only showing Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn and Jason Bateman's couples. Universal apologized for offending anyone. Do any of these groups actually do anything publicly that matters or do they just look for meaningless, trivial items to bitch about? Here is a copy of the "offending" poster and then a one shot of one of the character posters to make up for the slight. - Source
Demonic Toys 2: Personal Demons: Wait, what? Watch the trailer. Laugh at the toys as they "run." Wow...
You know What is Worse Than Twilight?: I am baffled. I knew that New Moon was going to be huge but I never dreamed it would have a $141 million opening weekend, third highest in movie history. Despite its horrible reviews, there are enough fans to make it a successful movie on the level that only The Dark Knight and Spider-Man 3 reached before. This of course means teenage girls and wannabe teenage girls are just a rabid as comic geeks, just higher pitched. Of course, I have heard people bemoan that does not reflect inflation but, seriously, shut up. The number one movie of all time, adjusted for inflation, is Gone with the Wind and the rest of the Top 10 has five Disney animated classics. Different times, still an amazing feat. But this is not about the Twilight movie making a ton of cash. This is about The Vatican who has stated that people who go see New Moon are going to Hell! Monsignor Franco Perazzolo says the book series is "nothing more than a moral vacuum with a deviant message." What is funny is the series was written by a Mormon with a pro-abstinence message. With the box office receipts, over 1.4 million people are going to Hell! - Source
Scream Queens is coming back for another season: This is a good news/bittersweet situation for me. While it is awesome that Scream Queens is getting renewed, it will return without director James Gunn. Gunn is setting out to start production on his next film Super, starring Rainn Wilson, so the new season will go on without him. Just as in the first season, this year's Scream Queen winner will get a role in the next Saw film. The host for the season 2 will be actress Jamie King (My Bloody Valentine 3D) and the other judges will be director Tim Sullivan (2001 Maniacs) and acting coach John Homa. In a world of shitty reality shows, Scream Queens is a refreshing change of pace. - Source
The best place for Stephen King is cable TV: I liked the television adaptations of The Stand and It but imagine how much better they could have been on cable TV. The Stand disappointed me only in what it had to leave out and those omissions (the military slaughter of a gym comes to mind) might have been avoided without the restraints of network TV. Stephen King's latest novel (barely two weeks old) is Under the Dome, and as I mentioned in a prior column, it has already been optioned. This week news comes that Steven Spielberg will produce a miniseries of the novel, likely for a cable network. I have not read the book yet, it is sitting in line waiting for me to finish reading Let the Right One In, but it is King's third longest novel behind The Stand and It, meaning a miniseries has to be the way to go. Whether or not this comes to fruition is another thing because Steve and Steve were working together before to bring The Talisman to TNT as a miniseries but it was shelved for budgetary reasons. - Source
You take the good, you take the bad...: Last week I mentioned how Joss Whedon's Dollhouse has been cancelled but the producer doesn't have a lot to time to mope about his bad luck. While his latest scripted movie The Cabin in the Woods is in post-production, Whedon has been selected as the recipient of the Vanguard Award from The Producers Guild of America which recognizes achievements in new media and technology. He joins George Lucas, Jim Cameron and the guys who created MySpace and YouTube, all former winners of the award. I assume much of this acclaim comes from his Emmy award winning Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. This gives me yet another chance to pimp the film! - Source
Not all good shows get cancelled: Psyche has been renewed for a fifth season, a sixteen episode order that will debut in summer 2010. Chuck is returning to TV on January 10 with back-to-back episodes and Season 3 will feature guest stars such as Angie Harmon, Brandon Routh, Robert Patrick, Kristin Kreuk, Armand Assante, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vinnie Jones. And finally, Lost is returning on its new night, Tuesday, Feb. 2 for a two-hour premiere as it begins its final season.
The wRong
Ken Ober died last week: I guess I missed this for last week's column but Ken Ober, the host of MTV's Remote Control, died at the age of 52. I loved, loved, loved this show when it was on. For those who don't know, Remote Control was a game show that quizzed its contestants on pop culture television trivia. It helped kick-start the careers of Adam Sandler, Colin Quinn, Kari Wuhrer and Dennis Leary. Recently, Ober was a writer and producer for Mind of Mencia and The New Adventures of Old Christine. I don't believe the cause of death has been determined yet, but he was complaining of headaches and flu like symptoms the Saturday before he passed away. - Source
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Oprah Winfrey is Signing Off: I didn't know where to put this news, so I chose wRong because now who is going to tell middle aged women what books to read? Sarcasm aside, Oprah Winfrey has been a staple of daytime television for a very long time. Now, after 25 years of talk show domination, the diva is going to say goodbye to audiences. The show will end at the conclusion of her 25th season on Sept. 9, 2011. I don't find Oprah's shows to be as entertaining as Ellen DeGeneres and have always accused the host of manipulating audience's emotions in unnatural ways. When John Travolta was asked on the show to talk about the fire fighters who lost their lives and he broke down in tears, I sat astonished, not because of the tribute to the firefighters (which was beautiful) but because EVERYONE cries on Oprah's show. Except Tom Cruise, who just jumps around like a maniac. I think back to Jerry Maguire when Rod Tidwell starts crying on the ESPN show. Anyways, rumor has it that Oprah is ending her show not because of the 25th anniversary but because she wants Dr. Oz to be able to slide into her timeslot and that is when he can take over. I actually think she wants out then because she has already bought a ticket on that big ass ark in China so she can live while the rest of us die in 2012. - Source
The Ridiculous
Ok, this is really a Right but I am a creature of habit: In what I pray is an end to the couple's longstanding placement in this column, Jon and Kate Gosselin are hopefully going away for good. The couple whored their eight children out for five years will finally go off the air tonight. Yes, it is true. Our prayers have been answered. These attention whores are finally being sent out to pasture. Hopefully, there is still time for these eight kids to live a normal life and not end up in a rehab center like most kids pushed to the limit of stardom by their overbearing parents. Now, I don't know if we have seen the last of Jon and Kate because they will probably remain on the tabloid covers until the world eventually forgets them and, never forget, Kate has the "gift of gab" and knows that the public wants to hear what she has to say. Thank you for ending the show, now please go away.
Honestly this guy needs to get a reality check on what constitutes hating a movie. 2012 special effects are top notch (not the best! but pretty damn good), nothing better or worse than THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW. you wanna talk about characters not worth caring for? why don't you watch FIGHTING or then new version of PROM NIGHT, terrible characters, unlikeable to the core, shittier stories on both movies and there isn't really a positive thing to say about either of them. again! CHECK YOURSELF, stop bitching and enjoy a popcorn flick every once in a while. and do us all a favor be prepared to reference somenthing better than your opinion what constitutes shitty special effects, or did you already forget that shit like Van Helsing has been thrown into a movie screen? - Posted By: jic (Guest) - Just because there are movies that have worse acting, worse special effects and worse stories does not mean a bad movie should get a good rating. "Oh, Norbit is a much worse movie so give 2012 a 7/10." Nope, a bad movie gets a bad score and 2012 is a really bad movie. And, besides, I never said it had bad special effects. You're just making that up.
You didn't like Albino Farm? Well you sir are and idiot. Go suck on Brad Pitt a little more - Bradealos. That is your new name. You have taken the role of Angelina Jolie. - Posted By: puba516 (Guest) - Speaking of bad movies. There is only one thing good about Albino Farm and that is Jason Barnett's fantastic special effects. Even some people who worked on the movie were disappointed with it. I assume the Brad Pitt statement refers to Inglourious Basterds being my number one movie of the year. If you disagree with the quality of that movie, then your opinion about any film is invalid. Wow, that was easy. I can act just like you.
Why does something that happend in someone's past make them hypocritical? Can she not be repentant for her actions that happened years ago and still have an opinion? Granted, it's a shame she made a bad decision years ago, but it's not as if she made these tapes last week and is still saying these things. Forgive her, and respect her courage for standing up and making a statement about a very controversial topic. - Posted By: Jeff (Guest) - She isn't standing up for anything. She shouldn't have even been on Larry King because other than her statement about a very controversial topic she's nobody. The fact that a person asked about her views on gay marriage and she took off her headphones and threatened to leave means she has nothing to offer the interview and isn't standing up for her beliefs. She didn't make "a bad decision" years ago, she made EIGHT bad decisions. Still, the problem is she took the money to go on Larry King and then didn't want to answer any questions that matter. Her fifteen minutes should be up soon and then she can appear in Playboy or maybe make a ninth film, this time at Vivid.
So you hate 2012 because you "find the movie to be preposterous. The dialogue is horrible. The action sequences are unrealistic to the point of absurdity. The characters are poorly developed.", yet you are okay with a Charlie's Angels remake? Okay, you lose cred points. 2012 is a fucking movie. It wasn't supposed to win Oscars or anything. And looking at your list of top movies...you lose more cred points. - Posted By: RobertMenn (Guest) - Charlie's Angels was fun. 2012 was not. And your opinion seems to be in the minority as 2012 is ranked as 38% rotten on Rotten Tomatoes, and 25% by the Top Critics there. People act like since "the movie was supposed to be bad" it should get a better ranking and that is ridiculous. If it was "supposed to be bad" it should not have been made. As for my Top 10, there is not a bad movie on that list. I won't give 2012 a recommendation because it doesn't deserve it.
Why are you offended unless your gay yourself? Gay marrage is wrong and disgusting. I respect her for saying that in front of the world. And her actions have not been disturbing. She did those tapes in the past. Obviously she has learned from her past. Stop being a Hypocrite yourself. People can't express there opinions anymore because people too easily get offended. Yet your on here a couple of weeks ago making front of groups who got mad at the office. But your doing the same thing to her. - Posted By: Guest#4304 (Guest) - I'm not ripping her for expressing her opinion and her beliefs do not offend me. I said in the write-up that I did not mind her being honest at the pageant. It is the fact that she is keeping in the public eye but hiding behind a confidentiality agreement because she backed down from her convictions. If she can't and doesn't want to talk about it she needs to stop putting herself in positions where she is expected to talk about it. She looks like a petulant child in those interviews. I am surprised at how many people think I am mad because of what she said at the pageant when I clearly said I wasn't as offended as the rest of the world when the former Miss California said she was against gay marriage at the Miss USA pageant because the other alternative would have been lying and pretending to be someone she wasn't. It is her beliefs and she should stand by them. Reading comprehension is key, people.
It's a shame about Dollhouse, and I hope Joss isn't giving up on the show entirely. I'd like to see him get a shot on a cable network, where the pressure is less, and he might get more freedom. There have been some very solid shows to appear on TNT and USA, and even ScyFi, and Dollhouse could be one of them. Fox (and other networks) are clearly in the "do it now" mentality that would have gotten Seinfeld and Cheers canceled long before they became hits. I'm just glad Flash Forward is doing well right now. - Posted By: Michael L (Guest) - Man, Joss would be a great fit for Scy-Fy. Firefly might be a huge hit if it debuted on Scy-Fy right about now. Dollhouse could have found life there as well. I am curious because Whedon said he has a five-year storyline plan for the show but now we may never get to see it (unless he goes the comic book route he did with Buffy and Angel).
2009, MY YEAR IN RANKINGS
** Click on movie to read the review **
Once again, Chuck sucks and should have been cancelled, and Journeyman should be midway through season 3 instead. Maybe if NBC weren't so ADD about their shows, they wouldn't be last place.
Posted By: Steve307 (Guest) on November 23, 2009 at 11:15 PM
Jackass 3D? I can't fucking wait!!!
Posted By: The Great Capt. Smooth (Guest) on November 24, 2009 at 12:24 AM
"...a $141 million opening weekend...With the box office receipts, over 1.4 million people are going to Hell!"
Man, ticket prices have sure gone up.
Posted By: Eric von Erich (Guest) on November 24, 2009 at 01:55 AM
Sean, I respect your opinion on many things but what in the bluest of blue hell made you rank Defiance under garbage like T2:RotF and mediocrity like Wolverine and Miss March? Do you hate Daniel Craig that much? It was a great film which I'd have considered Oscar material.
Posted By: Gefracht (Guest) on November 24, 2009 at 02:23 AM
This of course means teenage girls and wannabe teenage girls are just a rabid as comic geeks, just higher pitched.
But far less nasal and prone to quoting 4chan.
Posted By: Q:? (Guest) on November 24, 2009 at 06:04 AM
Anyone who sees New Moon and supports Twilight SHOULD GO TO HELL!
Posted By: The Dutch (Guest) on November 24, 2009 at 07:09 AM
I have one question after reading this weeks feedback. Exactly how many cred points does a writer start out with?
Secondly, Thank you for the piece about Paul WS Anderson. I agree with what you said about him. I find his movies usually entertaining, so thanks for making me feel like I am not alone. Lastly, I want to thank you for Tanit Phoenix. She is glorious!
Posted By: Todd Vote (Registered) on November 24, 2009 at 09:49 AM
I'm black and I wasn't offended by the original poster. They showed the better known actors on the poster, and the characters weren't married. I'm more offended that they put out a separate poster rather than rework the original to include them. It only tends to make any'racism' more obvious.
Posted By: Steve (Guest) on November 24, 2009 at 10:15 AM
I was just watching the Jackass tv show set the other night. Weird
Posted By: AG Awesome (Guest) on November 24, 2009 at 01:40 PM
"Oprah is ending her show not because of the 25th anniversary but because she wants Dr. Oz to be able to slide into her timeslot..."
Yeah she does.
Posted By: Talon (Guest) on November 24, 2009 at 11:22 AM
I saw Katrina Elam as an opening act a few years back, not a bad singer. Dunno how she'll do acting... And hooray for Psyche!!! Love love that show!!! I agree with the first commenter about Journeyman should be in it's 3rd season...
Posted By: Guest#4942 (Guest) on November 24, 2009 at 02:49 PM
"The reason I like Anderson is because he has a true, geek love for the movies he makes"
Is that why (MK1 excluded) none of them are ANYTHING like the source material? Ever?
Resident Evil would've written itself but Paul WS "loved" it so much that he had to "geek out" by turning it into an unrecognizable generic blandfest.
Posted By: Dewey Cox (Guest) on November 24, 2009 at 06:56 PM
Jackass 3.....D? that would explain all the workings going on over at jackassworld.com I WILL be first in line however when it comes out 3D, 2D, or w/e
Posted By: Ojj (Guest) on November 24, 2009 at 05:22 PM
I don't know, if there is any horror franchise that needs a reboot it is definately "The Howling." It's like you said, one good movie, with the rest being straight-to-video junk. It's practically a forgotten franchise now, as even horror fans don't even talk about it like they do with other minor franchises like the Puppetmaster series.
Posted By: JLAJRC (Guest) on November 24, 2009 at 09:07 PM
