The UBS Evening Movie News 03.22.07
Posted by George H. Sirois on 03.22.2007
The “I Got a Bone to Pick with IMDB” Edition…
Welcome everyone to the latest chapter of The UBS Evening Movie News. Before I get started, I got a bone to pick with IMDB (hence the title of this edition). Since I was rushing a bit to get my report up in time last week, I talked about how M. Night Shyamalan's new movie The Happening was going to be a return to the aliens plot that he already used in Signs. How did I know this? Because IMDB.com had this as the summary of the plot: Aliens take control of the Earth's animals and plants in order to take control of the planet. Less than 12 hours after my report was finished and posted, I later discovered that they were wrong. This movie won't be about aliens, but will be about "a family on the run from a natural crisis that presents a large-scale threat to humanity." IMDB was nice enough to change their plot outline once they realized what it was really about, but that didn't help me much last week. So consider this a retraction of last week's report on The Happening, and I wish Shyamalan well on the film.
By the way, this is kind of an abridged version of the UBS Evening Movie News. Sooner or later, I'll figure out my schedule so I can give you the best possible report. In the meantime…
TOP STORY
Famed director Francis Ford Coppola - winner of five Academy Awards – has returned behind the camera for the first time in a decade. He is currently in talks to bring his already finished film "Youth Without Youth" – an adaptation of a 1976 novel – to Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner's United Artists. Coppola wrote the screenplay and produced the film in addition to directing it, and on February 22, he screened the film for his friends in the Bay Area, including his old friend and college rival Carroll Ballard and his old business partner George Lucas.
While reaction to the film is mixed, several distributors are pursuing the film, which marks the first time Coppola has directed a film since 1997's The Rainmaker. (He did contribute to the Walter Hill film Supernova, but was uncredited.)
The success of his daughter (and fellow Oscar winner) Sofia inspired Coppola to create a small, low-budget, personal film. The inspiration reminds me of when Coppola dared George Lucas to make a "warm and fuzzy" comedy, which resulted in American Graffiti that saved Lucas' career. So I'm looking forward to finding out if Coppola still has it.
SYBIL THE SOOTHSAYER
UPCOMING MOVIES
TMNT: The continued adventures of the four adolescent mutated turtles gifted in the art of the ninja, as they attempt to stop a mysterious evil that threatens to end the world. Now, they say that these are the continued adventures, so does that mean it's an unofficial sequel to the New Line Cinema live action films? (They can feel free to ignore 3. I know I have.) Either way, this is the first time the Turtles have been onscreen in almost fifteen years, so it's a brave move to not go for the sure thing and have the Shredder as the villain. If this film works, it'd be great to see him in the sequel. However, early word isn't very encouraging.
Rotten Tomatoes Score (as of 3/21/07): 13% - Rotten
Reign Over Me: Adam Sandler plays a man, who after losing his family on 9/11, rekindles a friendship with his old college roommate (Don Cheadle).
I consider myself an admirer of Mike Binder. I enjoyed the movies of his that I've seen, and I got a kick out of "The Mind of the Married Man." The reviews I've read of this look promising and it feels like everyone involved is really putting forth a lot.
Rotten Tomatoes Score (as of 3/21/07): 86% - Fresh
The Hills Have Eyes 2: A group of National Guard trainees find themselves battling against a vicious group of mutants on their last day of training in the desert.
Wes Craven Meets Aliens! Sorry Wes, the first film was a mean-spirited piece of crap, so I'm not looking forward to this one, even though you worked on the script yourself.
No Rotten Tomatoes Score (as of 3/21/07)
Credit: themoviebox.net, rottentomatoes.com
UPCOMING DVD'S
The "Dream" Comes Home
The Academy Award-winning film Dreamgirls will be hitting stores on May 1, with five different versions of the film coming out on DVD, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. The movie's HD-DVD and Blu-Ray versions will both come as 2-Disc Special Editions with Dolby Digital Plus language tracks in English, French and Spanish.
On these 2-disc editions you will find Alternate Scenes in high definition along with the Listen music video. The second disc includes a 9-Part Documentary and 4 Featurettes all in 1080p high definition, along with Screen Tests and Pre-visualization Sequences. If you just want to get the regular DVD, you'll have 3 versions to select from: Fullscreen and Widescreen versions, sold separately with no mentionable extras. Plus, there will also be a 2-disc Special Edition DVD containing all the extras found on the high definition counterparts - though in standard definition, of course. All releases will be in stores on May 1. If you want to get the 2-Disc Special Editions, be prepared to shell out at least $39.95.
Someone Hates Paris More Than Me?
Those who know me know that Paris Hilton and her socialite clan are at the very bottom of my "People I Could Give Two Craps About" list. But while checking out DVDReview.com, I discovered that someone out there hates her more than I do, so naturally I had to read his review for the DVD release of National Lampoon's Pledge This!I know this DVD's been out for a while, but this makes for a fun read.
CASTING COUCH OF THE WEEK
Emile Hirsch is now the front runner to play the lead character in the film adaptation of "Speed Racer." Generally, I have no problem with Hirsch. I think he showed a lot of potential in The Girl Next Door. (Yes, I was watching more than Elisha Cuthbert in that movie.) The really interesting aspect is that this film is being written and directed by The Wachowski Brothers, and that they are pushing for a G rating. Yes, the creators of The Matrix want to make a family picture, and I say, more power to them. With the current state of the film industry, it's refreshing to see guys like them trying something different, even with a familiar property.
MOVIE TRAILER OF THE WEEK
In honor of the second Fantastic Four movie coming out (which I'm sure I'll be mildly enjoying when I see it on DVD), I found the trailer to the unreleased 1994 Roger Corman version that we could have been given. All of a sudden, even Julian McMahon's "performance" doesn't look too bad by comparison…
JIM WEBBING AND HIS IT'S-THE-HONEST-TRUTH-DEPARTMENT
This week's issue of Film Music Weekly will be spotlighting the following reports:
* Score Interview of the Week: "Nomad" by Carlo Siliotto
* Technology: Major Developers Move to Sample Player Format
* Robert Barone to manage BMI's BlueArrow Tracking Technology
* Young Film Composers Competition Deadline March 31
* Ray Evans Memorial Service Announced
* Goldsmith Award Returns to Spain
* Canadian Copyright Board sets Performing Rights Hearing
* John Rodd Presents Seminar on Scoring Technical Issues Mar 25
* Signings and Projects by Craig Armstrong, Mark Isham, and Douglas Pipes
* Soundtrack Review: "300" vs. "Nomad - Epics Done Different Ways"
* Spotlight on the Classics: "The Thorn Birds" by Henry Mancini
Download This Week's Issue at: www.filmmusicweekly.com.
1. Casino Royale
2. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
3. The Holiday
4. Stranger Than Fiction
5. The Departed
6. Babel
7. The Prestige
8. Man of the Year
9. Let's Go to Prison
10. Flags of Our Fathers
SPECIAL FEATURE OF THE WEEK
I have to go with the 45 minutes of Deleted Scenes from the 3-Disc Collector's Edition of Titanic. So many different moments that are shown reveal to the audience that this really was a film about the infamous vessel and the fates of the people onboard, not just a love story that happened to take place on the Titanic. I'd say about 35 minutes out of the 45 that make up this feature should have gone into the film, and considering that this December is the 10th anniversary of the most financially successful film of all time, you think there's a chance for a Director's Cut soon? This 3-Disc set is now available at Best Buy for $14.99 – over 50% off from its original price – and usually they drop their prices that low if they want to make room for a new version…
The latest word in the Hot or Not section is speculation over who the hell the girl in the RGX Life commercial is. If you're not familiar with the commercial, here it is for your viewing pleasure:
We're still in the midst of the "remake fever" in Hollywood. As I mentioned last week in my report, Gerard Butler has been linked to a remake of the John Carpenter classic Escape from New York. This now makes four Carpenter remakes (two already out there and two being made), and it's really starting to leave a bad taste in my mouth. There are two questions, however, that have floated around the 411forum that I feel that I have to address. One is, does a remake lessen your enjoyment of the original? And the other is, is there anyone forcing you to see these remakes?
My answer to the first one would be, no it doesn't. I stated this same case with a friend of mine when he was worried about Batman Begins and how Warner Bros. was trying to replace the 1989 original film. I told him that WB isn't coming to your apartment to confiscate your DVD of the Nicholson/Keaton classic, and besides, the 2005 film was an original story, a whole new take on the character. But I digress.
No, remakes don't take away my enjoyment of the originals. A lot of them add to my enjoyment since most remakes come off as bland imitations, and there are several remakes that actually find a way to improve on their originals. (Ocean's Eleven comes to mind; my dad and I conflict on that one.)
But to answer the second question, no, nobody's forcing me to see the remakes. I know I can always pop in my DVD of Escape from New York and lose myself in that. I'm not worried about my enjoyment in this case. I'm worried about the industry in and of itself. By depending on past films, filmmakers aren't flexing their creativity muscles like they did in the past. They're just trying to give a different take on the same story and the same characters instead of coming up with their own. And the more those creative muscles sit, the more they shrink and wither away.
Way back when, John Carpenter, Nick Castle, and Debra Hill would take different elements of their favorite movies and create their own characters and situations around them. They would say, "I want to make something like that." Nowadays, Hollywood execs are watching Escape from New York, Assault on Precinct 13 and The Fog, and they're just saying, "I want to make THAT!" What's wrong with someone thinking afterwards, "Too late. Someone else made that. Try to come up with something different."
And I also feel bad for the fans that rush out and see the new version of Escape from New York. By supporting that version, they're passing up on a very quirky, unique tale that has a lot of out-there moments. Those cyber-punks making their way through the empty streets. The drag queens performing for Ernest Borgnine in the cabaret theater. The Duke of New York setting up a Roman Gladiator-esque match between Snake Plissken and Ox Baker. And of course, there's the undoing of the President when he plays the secret cassette tape for his summit meeting and getting the theme to "American Bandstand" instead. When the new version comes out, it's safe to say that none of these elements that made the original film so special will be there. We'll get another basic polished-up shoot-em-up flick that will come and go like all the rest and will eventually be forgotten. So the way I see it, if you're gonna just come up with an unoriginal action flick, what's so bad about injecting some originality into the film with a brand new hero and a brand new storyline? It'll help Gerard Butler's career and the careers of everyone involved if they just get their own damn movie and leave Snake Plissken alone.
When I read an interview with Kurt Russell, he already had his comments ready for this project. He winced, because he knew that way back in 1981, he and John Carpenter created something truly special. Kurt loves this character just as much, if not moreso, as we love him. And that's why we love Kurt. He's a geek in badass clothing, and it's that kind of love and respect for this character and this movie that will keep the original film superior to the remake. Plus, I'm sure that Kurt Russell will know exactly what Good Old Jack Burton would say about a time like this.
And that's a wrap for Chapter 5 of The UBS Evening News. I'm George H. Sirois, and I'll see you next week!
