The Big Screen Bulletin 05.29.06: Memorial Day and Other Stuff
Posted by Chad Webb on 05.29.2006
Nightmares with "Hollow Man 2", Angels & Demons the movie?, Marlon Brando's lost film, the Bob Dylan biopic, Ang Lee's new project, Ben Affleck's directorial debut, new releases, trailers, hotties, and much more!
Intro: Straight to Video Nightmares
Hollow Man 2
Starring: Christian Slater, Peter Facinelli, and Laura Regan
Directed By: Claudio Fah
I'll admit that I enjoy watching the firstHollow Man every now and then. It was a silly action movie that had a decent plot, quality special effects, and an average cast. The ending got pretty ridiculous, but the first ¾'s were terrific. When heard about this straight to video sequel, my eyes rolled. The original film certainly did not have a huge following, but somewhere along the line, it must have been popular enough to generate a sequel. Hollow Man 2 does not even work as a B-movie. There is only one teasing scene of nudity, but no one-liners, and absolutely no interesting action sequences. Watching this film is the equivalent of eating the old McDonalds chicken nuggets. You are looking forward to it, and you hope it will be satisfying, but when you bite into it, it is not white meat, but all sorts of disgusting colors that are anything but fulfilling. That was a weird sentence, but I like it.
The plot goes like this. Michael Griffin (Christian Slater) was made invisible because he is a top assassin for the military. At some point he became crazy, and started killing random people. The problem is this: He heeds something called a buffer so he can stay alive. If he does not obtain this buffer, the invisibility stuff will kill him. He is chasing Dr. Maggie Dalton (Laura Regan) to get this. Maggie gets two detectives to protect her, led by Frank Turner (Peter Facinelli-Mike Dexter from Can't Hardly Wait). When Frank's partner is killed by hollow man Griffin, Maggie and Frank end up being targeted by Griffin and the government forces who created him. If they know too much, they must be disposed of.
This film is absurd from the very beginning. At one point Frank goes against the instructions from his superior, and helps Maggie escape a police station to avoid the wrath of the evil government clan. They play a stupid camera trick on us where Maggie escapes by running along the wall while the bathroom door is held open by Frank. You see, we can't see her running away, and apparently neither can the cops even though they are in the same room, and would be able to hear someone walking away. Also Michael Griffin, horrendously played by Christian Slater, is superhuman and indestructible to every type of damage due to being invisible. He survives glass, getting hit by a car, getting stabbed by a pen, and falling out of a 3 story window. And when gets a hold of someone, basically all he does is knock them around. The action sequences are retarded and so incredibly predictable that I could go insane. When we see someone go invisible, it sounds creepily like an orgasm.
Thankfully, the film has one of those gigantically idiotic segments where the man hero and the woman hero avoid detection by the authorities by embracing in an uncomfortable kiss with each other. I was falling asleep by this point. This could have been a much more intriguing and surprising movie. One part shows the side effects of one hollow man, whose transformation went terribly wrong. I would have liked to hear more about him, but he is killed off in no time at all. A few random parts of this film were ok, but they do not explore anything new. In the end we are given a fight with two invisible men clashing. Of course to make this and the special effects work, they need constant rain. The fight is beyond dumb. The ending has no resolution, but if you dare, I will not spoil it. You can suffer the torture on your own. This is definitely a straight to video nightmare that deserves to be put to rest.
Final Rating= 3.5/10.0
The News Bulletin Dissection
With the box office success of "The Da Vinci Code," Sony/Columbia wants to bring Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons" to the big screen. "Angels and Demons" is Brown's third novel and also focuses on Robert Langdon, the character played by Tom Hanks in "Da Vinci Code." "Angels and Demons" introduces the character of symbologist Robert Langdon before Brown's fourth book, "The Da Vinci Code." It tells the story of Langdon's brush with another shadowy secret society, the Illuminati, and his frantic quest for the world's most powerful energy source, in the company of a beautiful Italian physicist whose father, a brilliant physicist, has been murdered. Sony/Columbia also wants Tom Hanks back to play Langdon and Ron Howard back to direct. Akiva Goldsman has already agreed to write the screenplay. She adapted "The Da Vinci Code."
I think this is a good idea if two things happen. 1)Tom Hanks returns, and 2)Ron Howard returns. If only one of those things occur, this movie should not be made. There are other directors who could make a decent film out of this, but not like what Ron Howard did with Da Vinci. On a side note, I'm really getting tired of all the negative comments about Da Vinci. It was a fabulous film, and unless you have actually seen it, be quiet. Anyway, the one thing that worries me about filming Angles and Demons is the location. Most of this story takes place inside the Vatican. I highly doubt anyone would be able to film there. Howard was lucky enough to film inside the Lourve. A lot of people think this book was better than The Da Vinci Code. I am anxious to hear more about this story in the future though.
Clearly Woody Allen gives a bleep about his films, even if his onetime producer and friend Jean Doumanian, does not. Under terms of an earlier settlement he reached with Doumanian, the two agreed to submit any disagreements about how the films they developed should be edited for TV and in-flight versions. The films include "Mighty Aphrodite", "Everyone Says I Love You", "Deconstructing Harry", "Celebrity", and "Sweet and Lowdown". Allen wanted to replace words that TV and in-flight executives might object to with bleeps. Doumanian wanted to replace them with different dialogue. In the end, the judge agreed with Doumanian's argument that TV networks prefer her approach.
Too bad for Woody. You know what though, the changing of dialogue shit really alters the films effect, especially if you are a first time viewer. Sometimes the words make absolutely no sense when they come out of the characters mouths. It is obvious that networks prefer altered dialogue to bleeps, but bleeps would keep the integrity of film in place.
"Brando and Brando", the last film Marlon Brando was making at the time of his death in 2004, is being revived by its director, Ridha Behi. Now retitled "Citizen Brando", the film will reportedly be part fiction, part documentary. Behi told reporters at the Cannes Film Festival that he resumed shooting at the festival and plans additional shooting in Britain, the U.S., and Tunisia. The original film concerned a Tunisian boy who travels to the U.S. in hopes of meeting Brando, his hero. Behi said that Christopher Walken has been added to the cast.
Part fiction, part doc…hmmm, I'm not sure about this. Since Walken has joined, it is automatically intriguing, but I am kind of skeptical about this. It was apparently not finished enough to complete when Brando died, so I hope Behi knows what he's doing.
Director Sofia Coppola has hit back at critics who mauled her new movie "Marie-Antoinette" as an attempt to Americanize French history. Coppola's film chronicles the life of the tragic French queen during the revolution in the 1790s. It has been criticized for its American pop video feel, but Coppola insists she wanted to accentuate the youthful slant to the story. She says, "I wasn't making a political movie about the French revolution, I was making a portrait of Marie-Antoinette and my opinions are in the film. We modernized certain things that were relate-able to me and a modern audience. The story is about teenagers in Versailles, so I wanted it to have that energy of youth and teenage feeling to it."
I thought this looked kind of weird anyway. I'm not a big Kirsten Dunst fan to begin with. I think hardcore fans of Sofia Coppola will enjoy this no matter what. I wasn't as crazy about her previous offering ofLost in Translation like others were, but then again, I have not seen it the entire way through, so I'll shut up. I need to watch that and get prepared for this one.
Morgan Freeman is in final negotiations to join the cast of "Gone, Baby, Gone" for Miramax Films. Ben Affleck is making his feature directorial debut on the film, which is based on the fourth novel in Dennis Lehane's Kenzie and Gennaro detective series. Freeman will play a police captain in the Boston-set crime drama that revolves around two private eyes who investigate a missing child in a working-class neighborhood. Michelle Monaghan, Casey Affleck and Ed Harris already have boarded the project, which is shooting in Boston. Oscar-winning scribe Ben Affleck penned the screenplay.
I am interested to see how Ben Affleck does as a director, but this plot sounds a bit like Along Came A Spider to me. Maybe I'm crazy, but, Freeman played a similar role in that film. The cast looks to be pretty good, and what do ya know, Casey Affleck will be in his brother's film. What a shock. I do think Affleck bad reputation is a wee bit unjust. We know that Affleck can write a good screenplay, but he will still have a bunch of challenges ahead of him.
The list of stars in Wong Kar Wai's English-language debut "My Blueberry Nights" continues to grow, with Ed Harris in final negotiations for a role and Kevin Spacey also circling. "Ed Harris will be in the film. We are talking to Kevin Spacey," Wong said late Wednesday at a party hosted by French distributor StudioCanal, which is selling the film internationally. Norah Jones toplines as a young woman journeying across the U.S. in an attempt to resolve her questions about the meaning of love. Along the way she encounters some quirky characters.
I just recently watched his 2000 film In the Mood For Love, and I must say it was amazing. I have not seen 2046 yet, but I would like to. The fact that he is making an English language debut sounds fascinating to me. The cast looks a bit odd, but with his master stroke, I think anything is possible. The title sounds good also.
Lionsgate has acquired North American and U.K. distribution rights to the thriller "Slow Burn," written and directed by Wayne Beach and produced by Fisher Stevens, Sidney Kimmel and Bonnie Timmermann. The big-city suspense thriller marks Beach's directorial debut, and it stars Ray Liotta, LL Cool J, Mekhi Phifer, Jolene Blalock, Taye Diggs and Chiwetel Ejiofor. The film's multicultural perspective on modern-day urban politics centers on an ambitious district attorney (Liotta) who finds himself in a bad situation when his assistant district attorney (Blalock) confesses to killing a man in self-defense. Her story is contradicted by a stranger named Luther Pinks (LL Cool J) and becomes further complicated by record store clerk (Phifer) and a gang lord.
Wayne Beach has written two Wesley Snipes films, Murder at 1600, and The Art of War. This plot sounds right up his alley. Since the films he has been associated with have been average or less depending on your opinion, I cannot expect much more from this new project. It has some good talent in the cast, but it doesn't jump out at me yet.
Danny Glover is in final negotiations to star in Michel Gondry's "Be Kind, Rewind" for New Line Cinema. Gondry wrote and will direct the story about a man (Jack Black) who becomes magnetized at a local power plant. He accidentally erases all the videotapes at the local video store owned by Glover's character. Instead of telling the stubborn, old-fashioned store owner what happened, Black and his friend decide to re-create the films using the townspeople as actors.
This is by far the most bizarre sounding plot I have read about in quite some time. Is this serious? He erases all the tapes, and tries to recreate them with people he knows that live in his town. This will either be really dumb or really funny. Jack Black and Danny Glover are a unique combination. It almost sounds like a terrible straight to video release. I loved Eternal Sunshine though, so maybe this will be good.
As the festival pulls into its closing weekend, the Directors' Fortnight is basking in the glow of arguably its best edition for years. The sidebar has included several of the standout films in Cannes, including "The Host," "Azur and Asmar" and "Princess," and has provided a rich hunting ground for buyers, in contrast to the Competition where many of the titles arrive in Cannes pre-sold. Many on the Croisette consider that the Fortnight has come up with the most exciting selection in town. "Absolutely," said one French critic. "It's the most coherent selection. The films seem to respond to one another, or tackle similar issues from different viewpoints." Audiences have been flocking to screenings at the sidebar's main theater in the Hilton Hotel, and some films have received rapturous receptions. "I'm very satisfied with the result," said Olivier Pere, head of Directors' Fortnight who is currently overseeing his third line-up. "This year has been really good, and is exemplary of what the Fortnight can do. There are lots of first films, a wide mix of countries, and some surprises with the more experimental titles."
The Cannes film festival has been in the news all week, from films that have been praised to films that have been knocked. I felt as if I should include something about this festival in my news report. I hope if any of these films come to America, that they're as good as this news article says.
Cineclick Asia's monster festival hit "The Host" has concluded major deals after packed screenings of the film in the Directors' Fortnight sidebar. New York-based Magnolia Pictures has picked up rights to the U.K., U.S. and Australia. Ocean Pictures has picked up French rights to the film, about a lake monster that rises from the depths of the Han River in Seoul to terrorize the city. Producer Chungeorahm Film hired U.S.-based the Orphanage, New Zealand's Weta Workshop and Australia's Creature Workshop. The creature design was by Jang Hee-chul, and the digital and special effects were supervised by Kevin Rafferty and Jon Cox. Screenings for the film were so packed in Cannes that Cineclick had to add an extra screening Wednesday night to cater to other buyers. South American territories rights were snapped up by Providence Films, while Gussi Films picked it up for Mexico. Thailand rights went to J-Bic, while Discovery Film picked up for the former Yugoslavian states. Cineclick Asia will continue doing direct sales for China, Singapore and Malaysia.
Well it seems like companies were going crazy for this, but it's about a lake monster. That I didn't anticipate, but I think the world is in need of another monster movie after the success of the King Kong remake. I'm looking forward to seeing this, and hearing more about it. Unusual, yet creative ideas such as this are very much needed these days.
Ckrush Entertainment, a subsidiary of Ckrush Inc., has joined forces with National Lampoon Inc. for the new comedy "National Lampoon's TV: The Movie." The project -- developed by Ckrush and National Lampoon, produced by Ckrush and internationally distributed by recently formed Ckrush Distribution -- features several of the famed members of the "Jackass" crew, including Steve-O, Wee Man and Preston Lacy in a spoof about the increasing depravity of television in society. Sam Maccarone is writing and directing. Ckrush Distribution also is handling foreign sales for two other Lampoon titles, "Totally Baked" and "Jake's Booty Call."
It seems like every film with the "National Lampoon" name attached to it lately is total crap. They keep releasing straight to video titles that do nothing. It makes no sense to me. They must be out of quality ideas. While the plot does sound interesting, I am certain that it will be shit.
John Malkovich is set to star in "The Great Buck Howard" for director Sean McGinly. Malkovich will play Buck Howard. Kevin Kline was originally set to play the character of Buck Howard but backed out of the project. The cast also includes Tom Hanks and his son, Colin Hanks. Malkovich will play a luckless magician and his assistant (Colin Hanks) as they struggle to reignite his career. Tom Hanks will play the assistant's father.
This will mark McGinley's mainstream debut, and who better to do it with than Hanks, Hanks, and Malkovich. Since Tom Hanks is in it, I of course cannot wait until it comes out because the legend does very few bad roles. The Ladykillers was an exception, but The Terminal was a phenomenal film, and even though it wasn't a box office success, it was very critically acclaimed.
Ang Lee is set to direct "Lust, Caution," a new thriller for Focus Features. The film will take place during World War II and is set in Shanghai. The film will be shot in Chinese, with production aimed to take place this fall. The screenplay will be adapted from Eileen Chang's short story by screenwriter Wang Hui-Ling ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon").
Ang Lee's projects always gain attention in some form, and I'm sure this will be no different. I'm curious as to the plot of the film since it takes place around WWII.
Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams have joined the cast of "I'm Not There," the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic. Ledger will apparently be one of seven actors to portray Dylan at different points in his life. Christian Bale, Julianne Moore and Richard Gere have also been cast in the feature. Williams will play Coco Rivington, a model with whom an androgynous folk star (Cate Blanchett) is taken. Todd Haynes is writing and directing the feature.
I think it is a humongous risk to cast multiple mainstream actors as the same person in the same film. It raises a lot of questions. Which person will we connect with, if any? Will audiences be bothered by different actors playing the same person? This is almost certain to have flaws, but the question how many, and how noticeable will they be?
By the way, X-Men 3 slaughtered the competition at the box office this week by achieving the fourth biggest opening in history, and the biggest memorial Day weekend opening. I must say I was surprised that it did that good. I knew it would do well, but I didn't expect that.
What's Coming To DVD…Buy or Avoid?
Date Movie (Unrated) - Yeah, this was one of the worst movies of the year. Avoid at all costs. Avoid
ALF Season 3 - This show was ok, but it doesn't seem like something I would buy, unless I was a super hardcore fan of ALF. Avoid
Platoon - My personal pick for all time best war film. It was just amazing. I will be buying this. Buy
Freedomland - For as much as this was hyped, it sure sprinted out of theaters fast. I didn't see it, and I really don't want to. Avoid
Joey- The Complete First Season - As hot as the chick from Sopranos is, this show was doomed to failure. Sorry Joey. Remember what happened to the cast of Seinfeld when they attempted their own shows. Avoid
The Riddick Trilogy - This is only $15, and it is still not worth buying. Avoid
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? - If you are a Bette David fan, this week will be a dream come true as many of her films are being released on DVD, and she has a box set. I suppose this is the most recommended one. Buy
WWE Backlash 2006 - I'm sorry, but I cannot honestly recommend a WWE PPV DVD until they spice things up a whole lot more. Avoid
Will & Grace Series Finale - I'm glad this is over. And by the way, what a stupid cover for this DVD. Avoid
See No Evil - No quickee for this because my review is all you need, and you can read it by clicking here.
The Da Vinci Code - Despite what you may have heard, this has gotten some good reviews. This is a good film, and so is my review on it. Read my review here.
Over the Hedge - This was a cute little CGI flick (based on a comic strip) that can appeal to both kids and adults at one point or another. The voices are all beautifully matched with the characters, and the film has a good atmosphere to it with bright colors, captivating visuals, and so on. This is a step in the right direction for animated films as of late. The problem is that the some scenes are way over the top in terms of wanting to get our attention. The other flaw is that the plot unravels rather predictably. I must say however, the dialogue was sharp, clever, and witty with some great conversations about the way humans eat and live. This is well worth a trip to the theater, and should make for a fun family night. Final Rating = 7.0/10.0
Movie Dictionary: Word of the Week
Plot Hole - A plot hole is a gap in a storyline that goes against the flow of logic set-up by the plot. Plot holes are usually seen as weaknesses and flaws in a story, and writers try to avoid them (except in certain deliberate circumstances, usually for humorous effect) to make their stories seem as realistic and lifelike as possible.
The viewing or reading audience notes a plot hole when something happens during the story that seems highly unlikely, or would be impossible to imitate in real life. If a bank robber's car is being chased by five or six police cruisers, and the bank robber successfully evades capture simply by making a left turn down a dark alley, this is seen as a plot hole. It is usually seen as a mark of good writing or directing when a storyteller presents a story in such a way that the audience does not notice plot holes, or willingly chooses to overlook them in favor of enjoying the story.
Spoilers Follow
One famous plot hole is in "Superman II": Superman mysteriously regains his powers without explanation even though his mother told him the process was irreversible. No explanation is given due to scenes involving Marlon Brando being cut.
In 'Independence Day' Jeff Golblum's character uploads a computer virus into an invading alien mainframe using an Apple Powerbook laptop. Apple computers of the time were incompatible with most of the computers on earth, yet he was able to upload the virus into a computer designed and built by aliens from another part of the universe.
Based on the Trailer…
The Break Up - This just looks ok. The jokes in the trailer are getting old to me already. I will go see it, but I am not expecting much. Vaughn can do better. Trailer Rating= 6.5/10.0
World Trade Center - A wonderful trailer in every way. This will not be like United 93, but it can still be good. I can't wait to see this trailer in the theater. Trailer Rating = 10.0/10.0
The Omen:666 - The teaser trailer was great, but this new trailer is a bit weak. It appears to be another disappointing remake. Trailer Rating=5.0/10.0
Miami Vice - Normally, I think remakes of TV shows are bad ideas, but Michael Mann looks to have cleared out the cobwebs, and used his own vision. I think this looks good. Trailer Rating = 8.5/10.0
Nacho Libre - The newest offering from the director of Napoleon Dynamite. Yippee. I generally enjoy Jack Black's films, but this looks so stupid. Trailer Rating= 5.0/10.0
Lady in the Water - I loved the teaser trailer to this with the music in the background, but this is much different. This movie still looks pretty interesting though. Trailer Rating = 7.5/10.
Superman Returns - This film will be huge at the box office, but I am not sure it will be that great. The more I see this preview, the more doubts I have. Trailer Rating = 7.0/10.0
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift - Another sequel with none of the original cast. These movies were all completely horrible, and this will be too. Trailer Rating=3.0/10.0
Cars - I can't wait for this film. It looks great and when its Pixar and Disney, you can expect good things. This is the better trailer. Trailer Rating = 9.0/10.0
Clerks II - I look forward to any Kevin Smith film. This looks very funny, but I have doubts. Trailer Rating = 8.0/10.0
Click - Adam Sandler's new movie looks pretty good after watching this. The song in the trailer is good, and the plot looks intriguing. Trailer Rating= 8.5/10.0
Casino Royale- I had my doubts, but this Bond film looks to be damn good after looking at this. Trailer Rating = 8.0/10.0
Forgotten Hotties
Beth Ostrosky
Tatyana Ali
Alicia Silverstone
Other Stuff to Read
411 May Roundtable - Matthew Craggs gathers the readers thoughts on the May releases and more!
