411 Movies Roundtable: November 2007 (Part I)
Posted by Chad Webb on 11.02.2007
Check out the staff's thoughts on the month of October, and their most anticipated film of November!
Welcome back to the monthly roundtable discussion over at the movie zone. Halloween is over, and we look ahead to Thanksgiving. Some surefire Oscar worthy performances and films have landed in theaters already. We should be prepared for many more in November. In this issue, everyone is anticipating American Gangster, no one but me cares about Margot at the Wedding, James McGee writes a letter to Santa, and the majority discuss how video game adaptations blow.
This month the theme is old men to go with The Coen Brothers upcoming release, No Country for Old Men. This month, do yourself a favor and take a chance on an obscure sounding title you may have no interest in. You never know when you'll get surprised, and during the Fall months, it is the best time to take risks at the movies. Enjoy!
The Month That Was
Arnold Furious
Biggest Winner of the Month:The Rock. Regardless of how good his latest film is, and generally said opinion isn't erring on the positive side, it's been another big box office success for him. It went against expectation to remain at #1 at the box office for several weeks and is still raking in the money somehow oblivious to the fact it's not supposed to be doing that well. Well played Mr Johnson.
Biggest Loser of the Month: David Copperfield. Accused of rape and then raided by the FBI. Not the best of times for the guy who used to knob Claudia Schiffer. Does anyone else think it's unusual for a guy to have $2M in cash? Does that seem like a lot of money to have lying around?
Biggest Movie News of the Month: George Clooney dropping out of White Jazz. The film had every potential to be successful but now Clooney has become somewhat sceptical because Michael Clayton didn't make a lot of money and regardless of how good his films are he needs a hit. White Jazz could have been up there with LA Confidential but if the cast keeps being re-hashed it's more likely to end up like the Black Dahlia and that's a shame. Obviously George needs to keep his career on the up so he can keep pushing for stuff like Good Night and Good Luck and Syriana. Two sides to every coin.
Your Most Anticipated Movie of the Month: Geez, I never get this right. I'm going with Beowulf because Bob Zemekis tends not to let me down. Plus it's about time Angelina Jolie actually did something worthwhile again. Casting Ray Winstone as the lead is inspired and he's guaranteed not to let anyone down. Check out Sexy Beast for evidence of that.
Recommended DVD Release of the Month: 40th anniversary edition of the Jungle Book is out this month. That has to be an essential for anyone's collection.
Classic Movie of the Month: High Fidelity. I was reminded of how much I love this movie after a friend of mine was quoting Jack Black's lines from the film constantly the one day. I sat down to watch it last night and other than skipping over the scene with Catherine Zeta-Jones in ("she's in the fucking phone book") it still holds up.
Movie Quote of the Month:"Tonight will be different! I am the ripper, the terror, the slasher. I am the teeth in the darkness! My name is strength! And lust! And power! I AM BEOWULF!" – from this month's release, natch.
Ben Moser
Biggest Winner of the Month:Tyler Perry, as much as it pains me to say it, had a great October. Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married not only had a big opening weekend, but stayed strong against some pretty stiff competition, including a pretty good trouncing of Ben Affleck's much-hyped Gone Baby Gone. Poor, poor Ben Affleck.
Biggest Loser of the Month:Tyler Nelson. Ever heard of him? If you haven't don't expect to. He's in it pretty deep for leaking information about the new Indiana Jones flick. No less than Steven Spielberg's spokesman announced that this guy "may never work in Hollywood again." The moral of the story? Don't piss of Spielberg.
Biggest Movie News of the Month:The upcoming Writers' Guild strike. Even the threat of a strike has TV and Movie studios greenlighting anything they think is even remotely passable. This is going to have some serious effect on the quality of our viewing in the near-ish future.
Your Most Anticipated Movie of the Month:As tempting as Beowulf looks, No Country for Old Men looks too good to pass up. The Coen Brothers have yet to let me down.
Recommended DVD Release of the Month:Waitress was surprisingly amazing, and I can't wait to see it again. It was quirky, funny, and Keri Russell really deserves some kind of statue for her performance in this one.
Classic Movie of the Month:I recently watched Rendition and came home so drained that I wanted a good, brainless comedy. So I popped in Wet Hot American Summer, which gets funnier every time I watch it. So there's my pick.
Owain J. Brimfield
Biggest Winner of the Month:It has to be The Rock, who not only scored another surprising box office success with an average film (you have to wonder what he could do with some truly good material), but also sensibly turned down a reprise of his role as the Scorpion King in a mooted sequel-to-the-spinoff-of-a-sequel. The man can do no wrong. Well, alright, except The Scorpion King.
Biggest Loser of the Month: That guy… what's his name? You know, the one who pissed off Steven Spielberg by leaking details of the new Indy movie. I just can't remember who he is…
Biggest Movie News of the Month:The progress made on Terminator 4, which now looks to begin a new trilogy's worth of installments in the franchise, concentrating on the future war with Skynet. The setting and premise are already there and already solid gold, so I'm surprisingly optimistic about this. It would some real hacks to screw it up.
Your Most Anticipated Movie of the Month: It has to be American Gangster - the Scott / Crowe combination is 1 for 2 at the moment, with A Good Year being as disappointing as Gladiator was fantastic. Add Denzel into the mix, though, and I think there's a real chance this could be a barnstormer of a motion picture. Wonder Emporium should be quirky enough to gain my attention too.
Recommended DVD Release of the Month:Family Guy season six has just been released here in the UK, so that's my one truly essential viewing purchase for this month. It may not be quite as funny as it used to be, but it's even more brilliantly offensive, and the DVD episodes are thankfully uncensored.
Classic Movie of the Month:Desperado, which is still Antonio Banderas' finest movie and is just as entertaining as I remember it being. The opening sequence where Steve Buscemi instills the fear of the Devil into the patrons of a seedy Mexican bar is superb, and the action just ratchets up from there. Anyone who doesn't appreciate the guitar cases of mass destruction in the final shootout shouldn't be watching action movies.
Movie Quote of the Month:"Can't you people see that we are FUCKING closed?" - Joaquim de Almeida sends the tourists packing, as if the dozens of bloody corpses lining his bar weren't enough incentive, in Desperado.
James McGee
Biggest Winner of the Month:
Horror movie fans! 30 Days of Night won out at the box office, and it's actually a very good, old-school type of monster flick. Hopefully it will help usher in similar films and drive the nail in the coffin of "torture porn."
Biggest Loser of the Month:
Britney Spears. I know the girl makes an easy target, and her actions are getting increasingly impossible to defend, but the whole thing is just a sad, sad mess. The girl is headed for a very ugly (and young) end.
Biggest Movie News of the Month:
With Justice League apparently on the fast track (for better or worse), it seems like the Superman Returns sequel is taking more and more of a back seat. The screenwriters on the last film politely said "No thank you" to working on a sequel, and one of comics' current geniuses, Mark Millar, was rejected for being a "Marvel guy." He apparently had a slew of ideas to reinvent the series, and I think that's just what it needs. I enjoyed Returns, but it wasn't much more than a rehash of the Christopher Reeves years. It's time to come at this thing with some new eyes, Warner Brothers.
Your Most Anticipated Movie of the Month:
Truth be told, this is a very ‘blah' month as far as I'm concerned. I guess I'd have to go with The Mist, just because it's one of my favorite Stephen King stories, and his past team-ups with Frank Darabont have been ridiculously good.
Recommended DVD Release of the Month: Live Free or Die Hard hits selves on November 20th. Stuff explodes. People get shot. Bruce Willis and Kevin Smith act in the same scene. How much convincing do you people need?
Classic Movie of the Month:
John Carpenter's The Thing. Trap a bunch of guys in an isolated location, crank up the tension, and watch them slowly start tearing each other apart. I've always been a sucker for set-ups like that. The effects hold up remarkably well in all of their disgusting glory, and the anniversary edition DVD has a pretty cool little reflective documentary.
Movie Quote of the Month:
"This job would be great if it wasn't for the [flipping] customers"—Randall Graves, Clerks
Jason Chamberlain
Biggest Winner of the Month:I also have to say The Rock. To the best of my knowledge, The Game Plan has been the biggest success of his career thus far, and I'm sure it's opening more doors for him in La La Land. Good for The Great One.
Biggest Loser of the Month:Tyler Nelson, former star of 'Indiana Jones and The-don't-give-the-fucking-plot-away-or-Steven-Spielberg-will-destroy-your-life'.
Biggest Movie News of the Month:This potential writer's strike. I am downright horrified at the prospect of scribes everywhere packing up their pens and saying 'fuck you' to the TV powers that be. Hey I'm a writer, so more power to them for demanding a bigger piece of the pie, but the thing is.... no writers, no TV shows. Goodbye fantastic new shows like Chuck and Reaper. Goodbye fantastic old shows like Lost and Heroes.
And hello....god help us.... to every single piece of fetid reality TV garbage you could possibly imagine. If you're one of the people that needs their 15 seconds of fame, start lining up outside the studios, cause your time is coming.
Your Most Anticipated Movie of the Month: There's nothing I'm holding my breath for, but I think American Gangster will be pretty cool.
Recommended DVD Release of the Month: Shrek The Third. I dug this movie and its heartfelt message about self acceptance. That's right, I'm calling a Shrek film heart felt. Big whoop, wanna fight about it? I'm not saying it wasn't a money grossing corporate machine, but hey man, doesn't mean it can't have a heart.
Classic Movie of the Month: Clerks. This movie is required viewing for everyone who has known the pain of working a mundane job, convenience store or otherwise. Yep. Just because we serve you, doesn't mean we like you.
Movie Quote of the Month:"When was the last time you listened to popular music? Just give me a decade. The 70's? Was Michael Jackson still black? I'll go ten years with you, Pearl Jam..... twenty years, Cure. Nothing?" Matt Farrell (Justin Long) gauges John McLane's (Bruce Willis) knowledge of pop music in 'Live Free or Die Hard'.
Bryan Kristopowitz
Biggest Winner of the Month: Tyler Perry. The man knows how to deliver a movie audiences will respond to and spend money on. And Ben Affleck's debut as a director with "Gone Baby Gone" did okay, too. Kudos to him.
Biggest Loser of the Month: Hugh Jackman, for being associated with the first real bomb of the fall 2007 TV season, "Viva Laughlin." It lasted two episodes over four days, which I guess is as good as could have been expected for that awful, awful show.
Biggest Movie News of the Month: George A. Romero is going to make a sequel to his yet to be released zombie flick "Diary of the Dead." It's always cool to hear that Romero is doing something.
Your Most Anticipated Movie of the Month: "American Gangster" looks awesome, "No Country for Old Men" looks good, as does "Fred Claus." "The Mist" should rock. This is looking like a great November.
Recommended DVD Release of the Month: Big, fat, evil homosexual liberal Michael Moore's latest documentary, "Sicko," about the U.S. health care industry, is out November 6th. And later in the month an "unrated" version of "Live Free or Die Hard" is out.
Classic Movie of the Month: "Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence" (1993): The third and final flick in the "Maniac Cop" franchise see the Maniac Cop himself, Matt Cordell (Robert Z'Dar) ressurected by a voodoo guy (the great Julius Harris), out to prove that a tough as nails lady cop is innocent of shooting an "innocent" woman during a pharmacy hold up. The awesome Robert Davi is back as Detective Sean McKinney, and we get hilarious bits from Paul Gleason as a douchebag DA, Robert Forster as a doctor (watch this man die), and Jackie Earle Haley as a drug addict lunatic. The great Frank Pesce also returns once again as a different character, making him three for three in "MC" movies. The movie sort of flakes out at the end, but we do get Matt Cordell on fire again trying to kill people. Even when it's completely ridiculous it's still thrilling.
Movie Quote of the Month:
"You can walk from here to Los Angeles and it won't make any difference." - Colonel Yin (Soon-Tek Oh)- "Missing in Action part 2: The Beginning" (1985)
Jerome Cusson
Biggest Winner of the Month: The Transformers… Despite lukewarm reviews and some fans not liking the movie so much, DVD sales have been very good. It may have saved the HD-DVD brand and has helped overall sales considerably.
Biggest Loser of the Month: The Farrelly Brothers and Ben Stiller- They're movie wasn't even number one in the box office their first weekend. This is a sad statement about how both have fallen. Reviews and the terrible campaign couldn't have helped. Not to mention people most likely being cold to Farrelly brothers' movies after Stuck on You and Shallow Hal
Biggest Movie News of the Month: The Star Trek franchise's various announcement… I'm not big into Star Trek, but they've certainly created some buzz with these latest cast decisions. It's a lot of unknowns and lesser known actors. We'll see how well these actors can portray characters that are so burnt into peoples' minds. Even I can't deny my curiosity at seeing a redux of this once proud franchise.
Your Most Anticipated Movie of the Month: Easy one here, Lions for Lambs. I hate Tom Cruise. Robert Redford hasn't made a good movie in quite some time. Yet, this movie looks so important and great. I'm not quite sure about the plot, but the trailers have made me very interested in seeing what three great actors can do in a politically relevant film.
Recommended DVD Release of the Month: Ratatouille on November 6th. I loved this movie a lot when it was in theaters. I don't care what the box office numbers said, this was one of the best movies PIXAR has ever made, especially the mediocre Cars from last year.
Classic Movie of the Month:Psycho… It was Halloween and this might be the best horror movie of all time.
Movie Quote of the Month: From South Park, Bigger, Longer, and Uncut Mr. Garrison: I'm Sorry Wendy, but I don't trust anything that bleeds for five days and doesn't die.
Chad Webb
Biggest Winner of the Month: Anyone associated with The Game Plan, especially The Rock, who can draw an audience with no trouble. I hated the film, but this has been making money each week, so they have to be winners.
Biggest Loser of the Month: Tyler Nelson for pissing off Steven Spielberg and leaking plot details of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. He really should have known better than to mess with a filmmaker like Spielberg. Poor guy. So much for his career.
Biggest Movie News of the Month: Well, Nicolas Cage supposedly playing a pro-wrestler is big news for me, and this site as well. It should be neat. Otherwise, the Pablo Escobar projects, and the fact that Daniel Craig is going to be Bond for awhile is also great news.
Your Most Anticipated Movie of the Month: It was American Gangster, but since I saw that, I'm going with Beowulf from Robert Zemeckis. I can't wait.
Recommended DVD Release of the Month: I have two: Bender's Big Score marks the return of Futurama, in Direct-to-DVD form at least, and Paris, Je T'aime, one of my favorites of 2007 finally hits stores.
Classic Movie of the Month: My choice this month is for Gojira, the original 1954 classic with Godzilla terrorizing the country of Japan. Many famous critics have bashed this film, calling it ridiculous, but I thought it was expertly constructed by Director Ishiro Honda with a compelling storyline, proficient effects for the period, and top-notch pacing. The appearances and angles in which Godzilla was captured were fantastic, and increased the suspense. Most of all though, people need to remember that Godzilla's offerings are B-movies. They are designed to be a bit cheesy, that is the point. This is a more straightforward one, but that statement still applies.
Movie Quote of the Month:Here is a funny one from 1985's Summer Rental with the late John Candy. Scully: "Hey mate! Good to see you. What can I get ya?"
Jack Chester : "How about... drunk."
