Frickin' Eh Movie News 5.11.08: Mother's Day Edition

Posted by Matthew Motiuk on 05.11.2008

An Indiana Jones trailer, Fruitcake, Buck Rogers, Bioshock and more!



This past week saw the end of the season for 30 Rock and Scrubs. Luckily, it was not the permanent end of Scrubs, because the finale was completely underwhelming. Hopefully it gets picked up at ABC for a final season, but any way the final episodes get out, it will definitely be enjoyed. As for 30 Rock, the show is still brilliant, and it was a good way to wrap up the season. Although it leaves me really wanting to see the next season, because I want to know what happens! But anyway, this is a movie column. So, as for movies . . .


GreeneStreet Likes Boomsday

GreeneStreet Films has teamed with Das Films to option "Boomsday," a satirical novel by "Thank You for Smoking" author Christopher Buckley.

Ron Bass has been set to write the script.

The protagonist is a D.C. lobbyist who casts herself in the center of a firestorm after she half-jokingly blogs a solution to the stress that retiring baby boomers will place on the Social Security system: a voluntary suicide program for the aging.

GreeneStreet Films will next finance and produce The Invisible Woman, to be directed by Cloverfield helmer Matt Reeves.

Now I loved Thank You for Smoking and thought it was brilliant, so I'm hoping they do this the same way. Reading the description, it doesn't sound like something that will work that well, but I'm willing to bet it comes out a lot better than it sounds. Maybe not as good as Thank You for Smoking, because that was just the perfect subject, but this has promise.


Hill Drops Transformers

Entertainment Weekly says that Transformers 2 negotiations between Jonah Hill and DreamWorks have broken down, and the Superbad star is no longer expected play a sidekick to Shia LaBeouf in the upcoming sequel from director Michael Bay.

Word is that he will, however, appear in a cameo role in Ben Stiller's "Night at the Museum 2" for director Shawn Levy.

Do we care? Not really, I think. I'm sure they'll find someone capable to play the comedic relief, even though I always thought LaBeouf usually pulled his own weight in the comedy department. There are plenty of actors out there, and I don't think Jonah Hill was the make-or-break point for this movie.


Deschanel and Gordon-Levitt Will Have 500 Days of Summer

Zooey Deschanel (upcoming The Happening) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (upcoming G.I. Joe) will star in the Marc Webb-directed romantic comedy 500 Days of Summer for Fox Searchlight, reports Variety.

Clark Gregg, Minka Kelly, Matthew Gray Gubler and Rachel Boston round out the cast of the film, which centers on a man (Gordon-Levitt) who falls hopelessly in love with a woman (Deschanel) who doesn't believe in love.

Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber wrote the screenplay. Mark Waters, Jessica Tuchinsky, Steven Wolfe and Mason Novick are producing.

Shooting began Tuesday in Los Angeles.

I'm not usually one for this kind of movie, but I think this sounds pretty neat, actually. Not in a particularly cool way or anything, just different and quirky, and that's good. Both of them can pull off that style too, so it's the right fit. As much as I hate to say it, this is one to watch out for, I think.


Knoxville and Posey Like Fruitcake

Johnny Knoxville and Parker Posey are attached to star in John Waters' Christmas film Fruitcake, says The Hollywood Reporter.

The plot is officially under wraps but is said to center on the title character, a boy named after his favorite dessert. He runs away from home during the holidays after he and his parents are caught shoplifting meat, then meets up with a runaway girl raised by two gay men and searching for her birth mother.

This Is That Productions and Killer Films are producing.

. . . What?! That sounds absolutely ridiculous! I like how they lead in saying the plot is under wraps, and then go on to detail the entire thing. But seriously, what the hell? Are we just trying to make the stupidest sounding description in the world or something? I mean, seriously, let's throw a unicorn in there or something, just to round it out. I'm not exactly convinced of Knoxville's acting abilities, either, but for something this silly sounding, yeah, I guess he's probably a good fit. Fruitcake. My god . . .


Foster and Quaid Join Pandorum

Constantin Film and Impact Pictures are heading into space. The companies jointly announced today that actors Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster are in final negotiations to join Pandorum, a sci-fi thriller set aboard an abandoned pioneer space vessel. Overture Films will release the film in North America.

Developed at Constantin Film and Impact Pictures and written by Travis Milloy, Pandorum is a dark and claustrophobic tale about two crewmen who awaken aboard their spacecraft, unaware of their mission or their identities. As they piece things together, the men make a harrowing discovery that threatens the survival of mankind.

That article was paraphrased, because it was ridiculously long and said nothing especially interesting. Now, this could be pretty good. Quaid and Foster are both good actors (despite Quaid's crazy eyes) and they could both pull off the necessary drama of being the only two men trapped on a ship of some kind. This will be one deep, dark tale, too. It'll be interesting to see how they go about unwinding the story, since obviously the majority of the movie will be finding the information, before they have to make a decision on what to do with it. I'm looking forward to see how this one shapes up.


Indiana Jones In Action . . . Again

Paramount Pictures has revealed a second full trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, hitting theaters in less than two weeks on May 22. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the action-adventure stars Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone, Karen Allen, John Hurt and Jim Broadbent.

Well, it still looks pretty good. Definitely Indiana Jones, there's no question about that. This will definitely be worth the price of admission, I think. Looks like they've gone a little over-the-top in a couple of scenes, but hey, it's Indiana Jones! Check out the trailer and enjoy.


Buck Rogers to Visit the 21st Century?

Do they, or don't they have the rights? Nu Image/Millennium Films told IGN that no deal is in place yet, but now Variety says that Nu Image/Millennium Films has acquired film rights to "Buck Rogers," and will develop a live-action feature about the venerable pilot who awakens in the 25th Century and battles evil.

IGN also reported that Sin City and The Spirit director Frank Miller was attached to helm the pic, but the company later told them "they are still mulling over director contenders."

Buck Rogers has enjoyed incarnations in books, comic strips, movies, radio and television, a run that began in the 1920s. That included a feature serial from Universal in 1939 that starred Buster Crabbe, and a short-lived NBC series that starred Gil Gerard.

Nu Image/Millennium will search for a studio partner, just the way it did after gaining the movie rights from Paradox Entertainment to "Conan," which is now being developed with Lionsgate.

The problem here will be with the rights, and it's entirely possible that either IGN or Variety simply misinterpreted something someone said, and made it sound like they did or did not have the rights. As for the director, I seriously doubt they've already got Frank Miller. Now, this is a pretty old property, so there's going to be a lot of updating involved, I think. Whether they try to preserve the source material and modernize it, or go in a completely new direction, we'll have to see. The only thing I know about Buck Rogers is from Duck Dodgers, and that may be a slight problem for them. The current movie-going audience probably doesn't know much about this. I'm very curious to see what they do with it.


Verbinski to Take on Bioshock

2K Games announced today that it has reached an agreement for "BioShock," the universally acclaimed smash-hit video game, to be developed as a feature film by Universal Pictures. 2K Games, whose 2K Boston and 2K Australia studios developed "BioShock," is a video game publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.

The prospect of bringing this blockbuster game to life has attracted not only a major studio, but top Hollywood talent. Gore Verbinski, director of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy, is slated to direct and produce the BioShock movie. John Logan, Academy Award-nominated writer of Gladiator, The Aviator and "Sweeney Todd," is in talks to do the screenplay.

Considered to be one the finest games in the history of interactive entertainment, "BioShock" unfolds as a deep and exciting adventure. Barely surviving a plane crash, the player lands in icy uncharted waters and discovers an undersea city called Rapture, a failed utopia whose citizens had embraced genetic engineering before the city descended into pure anarchy. Power and greed have run amok and the city has succumbed to civil war. It is a gripping game that forces the player to make complex moral choices. Fans have embraced "BioShock's" mysterious world filled with powerful technology and fascinating characters. "BioShock" is also renowned for its rich visual detail depicting a gorgeous Art Deco world set deep beneath the sea.

Alright, Bioshock did very well as a video game, and obviously it's going to be attacked by Hollywood to milk its popularity. To be attacked by such impressive names, though, is surprising, and promising. Verbinski is a great director, and if anyone is going to do this right, it's going to be him. Now, the problems. First, it's still a video game adaptation. The track record has not been the best. This has the chips in place to join Resident Evil as one of the few success stories, but still. Second, I'm always wary when something that hasn't even been out for a year is labeled as ‘one of the finest games in the history of interactive entertainment.' There's no doubt this is a good game, but I've got my reservations. However, if they are going to do this right, they've got a hell of a good start.


Donnie Darko Gets a Sequel

Screen Daily reports that UK-based sales company Velvet Octopus will be launching sales in Cannes for S. Darko, billed as the sequel to the 2001 cult hit Donnie Darko. Fox has already taken North American rights for the $10 million-budgeted film.

Chris Fisher, who previously made Nightstalker and Rampage: The Hillside Strangler Murders, will direct.

Daviegh Chase reprises her role as Donnie's younger sister. The cast for S. Darko also includes Ed Westwick (Son of Rambow, Gossip Girl), Briana Evigan (Step Up 2 the Streets) and Justin Chatwin (Dragonball).

The story picks up seven years after the first film when little sister Samantha Darko and her best friend Corey are now 18 and on a roadtrip to Los Angeles when they are plagued by bizarre visions.

Producers have spoken to Richard Kelly about the project but he is not involved in any official capacity at this stage.

The project starts shooting May 18.

I have not seen Donnie Darko, save for one scene in my high school English class. However, from the reaction on the Internet, I'm willing to bet that this is not exactly a popular move. It sounds like a shameless milking of the original, quite frankly, but without having seen the original, I can't say much on the subject. For those of you who vehemently despise this project (and, by the sounds of it, there are a lot of you) then I'm going to suggest you just forgot this little blurb and ignore this movie, because it might not be exactly what you're looking for.


Rapid-Fire: Miami Vice (2006, starring Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Li Gong)

I am not a fan of Michael Mann, but I can admit when a movie has more problems with style than anything else, and that such a problem is more opinion than anything else. Unfortunately, this week's Rapid-Fire does not simply suffer from Mann's style. This week, I present:

Movies like this are the reason TV shows to movie adaptations are dreaded. The funny thing about this one in particular is that Michael Mann was a producer of Miami Vice, so you would expect him to have a more intimate knowledge of the show, and create a modernized version that goes to its roots. Instead, he creates something that does not even remotely resemble the original work.

I'm going to set aside the style argument for today, because I'm sure you know it. The problems run deeper than the fact that the movie could have been shot by a ten-year-old. The story is convoluted and, quite frankly, a mess. For most of the movie you don't know what is going on, and even worse, you don't really care. In the back of your mind, you have an idea of what the main goal here is, but it's lost along the way with bad (and lacking) dialogue, almost no character development, and pointless side adventures.

The acting can't really be torn apart, because it's not the actor's fault what they were given. Farrell and Foxx both perform fine in what they were given, but the problem is what they were given. For a movie whose description stresses personal and professional lives, you know almost nothing about the characters, and nothing much is ever revealed. You could venture a guess that Crockett is more aggressive and Tubbs might be the cooler head, but really, all you know is their names, that Tubbs has a relationship with Trudy, and that Crockett just kind of swings. As for their dialogue, the lines you can understand (some are lost with thick accents, others with meaningless overly technical chatter) are poor at the best. Lines like "You don't negotiate with gravity" would normally be a moment of slight humour, but in Miami Vice, it just comes off as cheesy and ridiculous.

I expect the goal of Mann going into this was to create a nitty-gritty, real representation of the underside of society. The product might be genuine, but it ends up being a disappointing mess with weak characters, a poor story, and that ever-annoying homemade look to it. Even if this had been a completely new movie not under the name of a successful television show, this would have been a big disappointment. Don't waste your time with this one.


Closing Time . . .

Well, I'm home for Mother's Day, and will probably be spending at least part of the weekend putting together a swing for my mom. Well, enjoy the ever-increasing temperatures, and treat your mother well! Until next week . . .


[All news, images, and other stuff from www.comingsoon.net, www.imdb.com, and www.youtube.com.]