Frickin' Eh Movie News 05.04.08: Fat-Free Edition
Posted by Matthew Motiuk on 05.04.2008
Two new trailers, Dusty Springfield, a new spy movie, and more!
Last weekend's Bull-a-rama adventure was alright, except that for a town of 1500 people, we sure had to wait in line a long time to get to the dance. I think there were a couple city girls behind us who were semi-amused by the stupid stories we were telling, and the way the group of us act in general. The actual bull riding filled to capacity in under an hour, so we held out for the dance. As with any event in Lamont, lots of drunk people, lots of country music, and not a lot of dancing. But hey, that's how it goes. Anyway, on with the show!
Lichtenstein is Relentless for 3D
Demian Lichtenstein is set to direct 3-D action feature Relentless for Baldwin Entertainment, says Variety.
The $25 million movie will star Kiwi actor Karl Urban. It will shoot this September in Puerto Rico, produced by Eric Mitchell.
It's the story of four extreme sports professionals who survive a plane crash in the Amazon jungle, and must use all their survival instincts as they are hunted by a group of homicidal natives.
Lichtenstein, best known for directing 3000 Miles to Graceland, has been shadowing James Cameron on Avatar, and has been trained in 3-D techniques by James Mainard and Phil McNally of DreamWorks.
"I am fascinated with the new 3-D technology and know that this script is a perfect match to take advantage of the unlimited potential of what 3-D can do," Lichtenstein said. "After being mentored by James Cameron on the set of his new 3-D film 'Avatar,' I knew that 3-D movies are no longer just a fad. It is the future of filmmaking."
This is hit or miss for me. I'm not completely sold if 3-D is the way to go, although I think it might be a little more reliable than this completely CG trend like Beowulf. The movie itself sounds like it could be pretty awesome. Karl Urban himself is hit and miss. I mean, Pathfinder was atrocious, and he's not a very charismatic star. That said, this movie should be a good fit for him, and hopefully it all works out in the end.
Hancock in Action
Columbia Pictures has revealed the full new trailer for Will Smith's superhero action-comedy Hancock, opening in theaters on July 2. Directed by Peter Berg, the film co-stars Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman.
Edgy, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood, Hancock's well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake. The public has finally had enough – as grateful as they are to have their local hero, the good citizens of Los Angeles are wondering what they ever did to deserve this guy. Hancock isn't the kind of man who cares what other people think – until the day that he saves the life of PR executive Ray Embrey (Bateman), and the sardonic superhero begins to realize that he may have a vulnerable side after all. Facing that will be Hancock's greatest challenge yet – and a task that may prove impossible as Ray's wife, Mary (Theron), insists that he's a lost cause.
I'm just not getting this one. It's too serious to be a comedy, it's too cheesy to be a drama, and it will probably have too much drama/comedy to make it an action movie. The comedy looks like it will get tiresome pretty fast; even watching the three-minute trailer I was hard-pressed to laugh once. Is it trying to be a touching human movie, is it trying to make fun of superhero movies, or is it trying to be its own superhero movie? I can't tell, and I'm not sure I want to find out.
Kidman to Become Dusty Springfield
Writer Michael Cunningham (The Hours) told New York Magazine that Nicole Kidman will play English pop singer Dusty Springfield in a biopic.
"She was a great artist who no one knew what to do with," Cunningham said. "She was coming into her full powers at the same time the Beatles were," he said, adding that she suddenly found herself the purveyor of a dying torchy genre. "But she is clearly going into history with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones."
Cunningham said the film would include the lonely years in exile from the U.K. in Hollywood, the drinking and the drugging, and the tortured bisexual/lesbian feelings that wove through her checkered career, which ended when she died of cancer in 1999.
I don't think the story of Dusty Springfield is that common of a story – the only reason I know the name is from Pulp Fiction, after all. However, even by this brief synopsis, you can tell there's enough there for a pretty good movie. Does Nicole Kidman have what it takes to pull off a troubled pop star? Well, I guess we'll have to see, won't we? I've never been entirely sold on Kidman's abilities, but I don't think she's that bad, either. This is going to depend on a lot of factors.
Martin Campbell Directs a New Spy Thriller
United Artists and Lakeshore Entertainment have set "24" co-creator-executive producer Joel Surnow to develop a contemporary spy thriller that will be directed by Casino Royale helmer Martin Campbell, reports Variety.
Surnow will write the film with Michael Loceff, a "24" co-executive producer. Lakeshore's Gary Lucchesi and Tom Rosenberg will produce.
"This is an original concept that both UA and I feel will have an impact creatively and commercially," Surnow said.
Campbell will next direct Edge of Darkness, a drama starring Mel Gibson.
I'm cool with this as long as he stays the hell away from James Bond and they fix that mess up. Which will never happen, but a man can dream. It's amazing to think the same man who made Goldeneye made Casino Royale. My soul dies a bit when I hear that. But anyway . . . it's a good combination, I think. Campbell has got experience in the spy field and clearly Joel Surnow does as well. As long as it's original and done right, maybe we'll have a new spy franchise on our hands.
The Incredible Hulk Trailer
Universal Pictures has debuted the full new trailer for director Louis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk at Apple in standard and High Definition QuickTime formats!
Opening June 13, the action-thriller stars Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell and William Hurt.
Good cast, looks to be good action, but the Hulk is questionable ground. Lest we forget the last time someone stepped in Hulk territory. Norton has the acting chops to make this decent, along with the other actors involved, but I can't help having reservations. Or else this time they will pull it all together and blow everyone away.
MGM Goes to Zametherea
MGM has bought "Executive VP David M. Murch's Adventures in Zametherea," a comedy spec script from the writing team of Michael M.B. Galvin and Peter Speakman, reports Variety.
The project -- seen as a modern-day "Wizard of Oz" -- has been set up with Rick Benattar (Shoot 'Em Up), Jim Wedaa and Rick Alexander.
"Zemetherea" centers on a hard-charging, cold-hearted investment banker who gets a chance to revisit the forgotten, magical land of his childhood imagination and must turn for help to his estranged 10-year-old son.
Sounds completely underwhelming and a waste of time to me, but done right, I suppose this could be a solid kids movie – as they say, a modern-day Wizard of Oz. The problem there is that they're setting themselves up for a pretty big tumble when the movie turns out to be nowhere near Wizard of Oz in quality, scale, and popularity. I doubt this will be much of anything to watch out for.
Iron Man 2 Will Strike in 2010
Entertainment Tonight attended the Iron Man premiere and got a chance to speak to Viacom and CBS Executive Chairman Sumner Redstone and Paramount Pictures CEO Brad Grey who said that if the movie does as well as expected, the studio will be looking to release the sequel in 2010.
What's interesting is that The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader has already "claimed" the first weekend of the summer that year (May 7, 2010), but if you look at the calendar, Iron Man 2 could easily open on April 30, which is a Friday, essentially giving it almost a similar release date as the first film.
Oh! And while press screenings did not have a certain scene after the credits, when Iron Man is released in theaters tonight, it IS expected to have it... so, be sure to stay after the credits!
Barely out of the gate and they're already announcing the second one. Hollywood doesn't like to waste time, do they? Granted, Iron Man does look like it's going to be a big draw and could very well be one of the top movies of the year (popularity wise, not artistically, of course; the artsy crowd has a whole 'nother set of guidelines for themselves). Does anyone care about the intense battle for the first week of summer in 2010? I sure don't.
Apple Taking a Hit for Digital Content
Apple will be paying Hollywood's leading film studios $16.00 for every movie that it sells online for a dollar less, the Wall Street Journal reported today (Friday), following Apple's announcement that it will begin selling new films on its iTunes store that can be downloaded on the same day they are released on DVD for $14.99. The price disparity was described as a "loss leader" -- an effort by Apple to entice consumers to buy more of its video iPods and its Apple TV, a device that beams movies from a personal computer to a TV set wirelessly. "This is a game changer," Universal Studios Home Entertainment President Craig Kornblau told the Journal. "For all the studios to offer all their movies [on the same date] as DVD, with the most influential marketing company in the digital space, is a very exciting development." (Ironically, Universal's corporate sibling, NBC, recently removed its television shows from the iTunes store.)
I always liked Apple because of stories like this. While I'm sure it's not entirely true, Apple seems to be the only company that actually cares about consumers. They level music downloads at 99 cents, and now they do this. Is it a simple grab to sell Apple TV and video iPods? Maybe, but it's nice to know Apple isn't going to gouge the consumer to try and sell their wares.
Rapid-Fire: Blow (2001, starring Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Paul Reubens)
This week, we'll be taking a brief look at the movie Blow. Going into this movie, I expected the same as other similarly themed movie: an emphasis on drug use, violence, and in the end, the hopeless crash of our protagonist into oblivion, with ‘good riddance' ringing through my head. I was pleasantly surprised.
Blow handles itself far better than most drug movies. This isn't a drug movie; it's a story, which is a pleasant departure. The actual drug use is cut back, and more time is given to develop the relationships of the characters and the story. The movie looks good and is handled well, especially in the changing eras. You actually buy that Depp has let himself go at the end of the movie, after years in jail, with the gut and the silly jacket; you believe he's a young punk with the sunglasses and flamboyant clothes in Colombia.
By far the most pleasant part of the movie is the emotions it brings out. At first it's fun and carefree. By the end you're almost brought to tears in the last scene with his daughter (I'll not give anything away to those of you who have yet to see it). You hate Cruz, and you feel desperately sorry for Depp; you want to see the bad guys get their dues and for Depp to get some good luck. That's the joyous part of the film. You don't really care when Al Pacino gets gunned down in Scarface. You care when Johnny Depp is.
Closing Time . . .
The job hunt continues this week. Despite the supposedly booming economy here, getting a summer job is not as easy as you would think. But never fear, Safeway is always hiring. I recently acquired the three Indiana Jones movies and am looking forward to watching those again - it's been a while. I also will be grilling Miama Vice in the upcoming weeks, because I swiped my dad's copy of that movie, and intend to give it what it deserves. But until next week . . .
