The Big Screen Bulletin 08.18.08: Monster Mania Running Wild

Posted by Chad Webb on 08.25.2008

A report of Monster Mania 2008, a nightmare with "The Wizard of Gore", the box office results, thoughts on the "Superman" reboot, release date changes, new DVD releases, new trailer ratings for "Frost/Nixon", and much more!

Monster Mania 2008

This weekend I attended the 11th Monster Mania-Con in Cherry Hill, NJ. I was only available to go for one day, but it was entertaining nonetheless. Some of the guests, as well as the prospect of buying rare DVDs, beguiled me to be present. I arrived and immediately remembered how difficult it is to find a parking place within a mile radius of the building. Upon entering the hotel, I observed two long lines. "These can't be lines to get in?" I said to Steph. No, one line was for Corey Feldman, and the other was for Robert Englund. While I was there, those lines barely moved. Apparently, those two did not arrive while I was around. Oh well.

I did meet Jeffrey Combs, a.k.a Herbert West, a.k.a the Re-Animator. I was excited to meet him. I love the franchise. Of course, I had to wait for 15 minutes until he returned from a break. He was pleasant, but strangely, he acted a lot like Herbert West, you know…minus the operations on dead bodies. Derek Mears was one of the nicest people there. He will be Jason Vorhees in the upcoming remake. He even tried to look thankful when people pushed their own products onto him. Tyler Mane was there as well. He was Michael Myers in Rob Zombie's Halloween. He was kind of quiet, but enormous, nice, and resembled Grizzly Adams. Unexpectedly, I was able to meet and get a picture with Jason Mewes (Mallrats, Clerks). He looks so much different than he used to. He had 3 Red Bulls by his side. Say no to drugs kids.

We then proceeded to walk around the dealer room. I bought The Wonder Years and Celebrity Deathmatch complete series sets. Steph bought two Nickelodeon shows I never watched, Hey Dude and Salute Your Shorts. I saw two young girls dressed like Britney Spears from her "Baby One More Time" video. That was funny. They weren't famous or anything, yet guys ran to them for photo ops. Lots of girls went out of their way to flaunt cleavage. It was distracting since I was with the girlfriend and all. Nobody was at Jake Busey's table, and if they were, it was people who shouted "You are Gary Busey's son?" John Kassir (voice of Crypt Keeper) was really nice, and even offered to record messages on cell phones in his famous voice. Lin Shaye (Kingpin, There's Something About Mary) had a steadily crowded table, as did Heather Langenkamp (A Nightmare on Elm Street/3) who arrived as I was leaving.

It was a fun time, and I'd recommend any horror fan attending if they are near the area.

Straight to Video Nightmares

The Wizard of Gore







Starring: Kip Pardue, Crispin Glover, Bijou Phillips, and Jeffrey Combs
Directed By: Jeremy Kasten
Written By: Zach Chassler
Release Date: August 19, 2008
Rated R for bloody violence, sexuality/nudity and language.

One of my clumsier blind buys in recent memory was the original 1970 cult film, The Wizard of Gore, directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis. Why did I buy this? Because I am movie geek, I decided to pick this up after I watched the scene in Juno. I thought to myself, "Hey, I haven't seen that, and it looks interesting." The violence was neat, but the story was repetitive, dull, and too long. The ending tossed a random twist, one which the filmmaker himself probably couldn't explain. 38 years later, a remake has surfaced, and although it offers a new vision, it suffers the same problems as the original.

The tale picks up in present day L.A., and 5 minutes in, I notice it is trying to be a film noir, specifically recalling Double Indemnity. Why, if this is present day, is the lead character Ed Bigelow (Kip Pardue) always sporting a 50's gumshoe suit and hat? We flashback one week where Bigelow is scanning an underground freakfest with plans to write articles in his small paper on any hot acts. He spots "Montag the Magnificent" (Crispin Glover) with his girlfriend Maggie (Bijou Phillips). The twisted magician impresses him by performing realistic stunts where he slaughters a stripper volunteer, then heals them back to normal in seconds. He returns regularly to see the show, and soon finds himself deep in a police investigation when Montag's volunteers end up dead.

Kip Pardue, in case you were wondering, played Sunshine in Remember the Titans. He has done random stuff since. Pardue plays the role straight, too seriously, and without spontaneity. This means he is difficult to connect with. Crispin Glover is Montag, and the delivery of his lines resembles that of someone having an orgasm while speaking. He steals every scene he is in, but not in a good way, since his overacting is jaw dropping. Suicide Girls models step in as all the volunteers, while Bijou Phillips is the girlfriend for Bigelow. She is pretty forgettable. Brad Dourif and Jeffrey Combs appear in minor roles, but unfortunately are not involved enough to save the picture.

The best qualities of the original Wizard of Gore was the uniqueness of the magician torture stunts. It had a smashing punch-press, sword swallowing, a burning tank, and sawing someone in half. This takes a few of those and manipulates them for this day and age. Not one of the new segments is all that cool, and the fact that they occur behind a screen makes them worse. Plus, with the "torture porn" genre in full swing, how can this be shocking? You can barely see the blood and guts at times. In both films, these magical tricks become monotonous, and the story hobbles along so we see enough of them prior to the climax.

The Wizard of Gore is Director Jeremy Kasten's fourth film, and will certainly be his most well-known to date. If studios dig this remake, they will probably hire him for more. I appreciated his ambition, and the gutsy writing of Zach Chassler in attempting to explore a new angle, but they failed to adjust the ending, which was the worst part. The original had ample room for improvement, but here, Kasten and Chassler unleash a confounding conclusion that is not worth following. It can make some sense, but feels like it's trying too hard to be smart.

The boobs, blood, endless nightmare scenarios, not to mention the fact that almost every scene is shot with underground dark lighting, do not make this a tolerable remake. The acting is embarrassing, the gore is hackneyed, and the rest is inane. The DVD has a hefty amount of extras, including outtakes, deleted scenes, and behind the scenes mini-docs. Check this out if you loved Lewis' splatter extravaganza, otherwise, pass it by for something else.

Final Rating = 3.0/10.0

The News Bulletin

Feel the Thunder
"Tropic Thunder," a farcical combat movie within a comedy, was the No. 1 film at the North American boxoffice for the second week in a row, narrowly beating sorority-themed comedy "House Bunny." "Tropic Thunder," which stars Robert Downey Jr., Ben Stiller and Jack Black, had an estimated weekend total of $16.1 million at U.S. and Canadian theaters, bringing its total domestic take to $65.7 million, according to boxoffice tracking firm Media by Numbers. In "Tropic Thunder," Downey, Stiller and Black star as a group of self-absorbed Hollywood actors caught up in a real-life battle with narco-terrorists while filming a war movie in Southeast Asia. The film was directed, co-written and co-produced by Stiller and was distributed by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom.

"House Bunny," from Sony Corp's Columbia Pictures unit, debuted in second place with a weekend take of $15.1 million. Written by Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah Lutz of "Legally Blonde" fame, the college comedy stars Ana Faris as a former Playboy playmate who becomes house mother to socially inept sorority sisters. "Death Race" charged into third with weekend boxoffice of $12.3 million, according Paul Pflug, a spokesman for Universal Pictures, a unit of General Electric Co's NBC Universal. The film, loosely based on the 1975 movie "Death Race 2000," stars Jason Statham, as a former Nascar champion and ex-con who is framed for his wife's brutal murder and forced by the warden of a notorious prison to compete in a brutal winner-take-all race of weaponized monster cars. Joan Allen stars as the icy prison warden. The blockbuster Batman sequel "The Dark Knight" slipped to the fourth position with $10.3 million in ticket sales.

I was correct about Tropic Thunder retaining the #1 spot, but I certainly did not see The House Bunny at #2, knocking The Dark Knight to #4, while Death Race debuted at #3. The Dark Knight is still raking in the cash, but I do not envision it topping Titanic, domestically or internationally for that matter. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is unfortunately still in the top 5, Pineapple Express is still doing good, and The Mummy III will fall off the top 10 just shy of $100 mill. The Longshots did not shine this week. The Fred Durst directed flick came in at #8. EDIT: The Rocker actually did the worst flopping at #12. The rest of the top 10 are holdovers. I really don't know who to bet on next week. I will remain positive, and say that enough people will avoid Disaster Movie, but one never knows. My money is on Tropic Thunder again, because none of the other releases stand a chance.






Rewinding Superman
Warner Bros. Pictures Group President Jeff Robinov has revealed to The Wall Street Journal that the studio has made up its mind about the future of not just the Superman franchise but much of the DC superhero line-up which it owns the rights to develop. Rather than doing a sequel to 2006's disappointing "Superman Returns", the studio plans to reboot the feature much like Universal rebooted the "Hulk" franchise this year. Robinov says "'Superman' didn't quite work as a film in the way that we wanted it to, it didn't position the character the way he needed to be positioned. Had 'Superman' worked in 2006, we would have had a movie for Christmas of this year or 2009. But now the plan is just to reintroduce Superman without regard to a [previous] Batman and Superman movie at all."

The studio has also nixed the "Batman vs. Superman" and "Justice League" projects for now as they plan to adopt the same model Marvel Studios is doing right now - releasing a single film for each character, and then using those movies and their sequels to build up to a multicharacter film a few years down the line. Also like Marvel, the aim is for the DC Comics label to supply two of the 6-8 tentpoles per year that Warners releases by 2011. The studio is aiming to release four comic-book films in the next three years, including a third Batman film, a new film reintroducing Superman, and two movies focusing on other DC Comics characters. They presently have Green Lantern, Flash, Green Arrow, and Wonder Woman projects in development. Unlike Marvel though with its lighter and more fantasy based approaches (ala "Iron Man," "Spider-Man"), the aim here is the dark realistic tone of "The Dark Knight" for all their heroes - "We're going to try to go dark to the extent that the characters allow it" says Robinov. Official plans and hopefully dates of these projects will be announced in the next month.

Everyone will have an opinion on this announcement, so why should I be any different? Overall, I thought Superman Returns had pros and cons. However, it opened up a can of worms that it could not clean up, and without a sequel to address unanswered questions, it can only age badly. That is a fact. In 30 years, the placement of that adventure will confuse those who are unfamiliar. My rating was **1/2 stars. Moving on, a reboot at this juncture is simply poor timing. Personally, I do not think they should do a movie at all. Superman is better on a television format. History has proven that. If they must do a film starting from scratch, for God's sake, wait a decade. I realize the Superman fanatics would hate that, but isn't this an overly confusing time to bombard the world with yet another actor portraying Clark Kent? I do like the "dark" tone they want, but how dark can you go without abusing the attitude of the character? I would like to ask Bryan Singer if it was worth it. The way I see it, the longer it takes for this to be made, the better off we all are.






Release Date Changes!!
Role Models
The Universal comedy starring Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott has moved up from November 14th to November 7th, to fill up the hole left by "Quantum of Solace".

Flash of Genius
The true life drama starring Greg Kinnear has moved up two weeks from October 17th to October 3rd. As of now, including the wide expansions of Blindness and Appaloosa, October 3rd will feature a whopping seven wide releases.

The Express
The Universal sports drama has moved back a week from the crowded October 3rd to October 10th.

Bandslam
The Summit Entertainment musical teen-drama starring High School Musical's Vanessa Hudgens and Aly & AJ's Alyson Michalka will debut on April 10th 2009.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The much-anticipated David Fincher-directed fantasy drama will now come out Christmas Day 2008. Curiously, this means that the film is in competition with Paramount's own Revolutionary Road, which comes out in limited release the day afterwards on December 26th.

Sex Drive
The Summit Entertainment teen-comedy has moved back one week from October 10th to October 17th.

Appaloosa
While the New Line western's wide release of October 3rd remains the same, its limited release has moved up two days from September 17th to September 19th.

The Brothers Bloom
The crime-romance starring Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz, Mark Ruffalo, and Babel's Rinko Kikuchi, has moved back from October 24th to apparently Monday October 13th.

Delgo
An animated fantasy adventure from Fathom Studios will come out December 12th 2008.

Youth in Revolt
The MGM ensemble teen-drama starring Michael Cera and Ray Liotta has moved from December 12th 2008 to February 20th 2009.

My Life in Ruins
The rom-com starring My Big Fat Greek Wedding's Nia Vardalos will come out May 8th 2009, acting as counter-programming to Star Trek.

Amelia
The Mira Nair-directed biopic of Amelia Earhart starring Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, and Virginia Marsden will release on October 23rd 2009 against the Joss Whedon-produced Cabin in the Woods.

Role Models has an easy pass without Bond to contend with. Otherwise, Flash of Genius is committing box office suicide as it tries to compete with 6 other releases. Who will notice the windshield wiper movie know? I am a bit peeved that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is coming out on Christmas. That means I will have to run all over the place trying to see movies before year's end. Youth In Revolt is moving from late 2008 to early 2009, which is never a promising sign for quality. My Life in Ruins is set for the same day as Star Trek. It stars Nia Vardalos. That was a fortunate date grab. All the women will see that in order to avoid the science fiction. Amelia is a film I had not heard of until now. It should be interesting.






Sherlock Holmes vs. Sherlock Holmes
"RocknRolla" writer/director Guy Ritchie tells USA Today that his upcoming Sherlock Holmes feature will be "a very big production, visceral and intellectual." Based on Lionel Wigram's comic book, Robert Downey Jr. plays the new Holmes who is expected to be more adventuresome and will take advantage of his skills as a boxer and swordsman.

"His brilliance will percolate into the action. His intellect was as much of a curse as it was a blessing. He was a deeply layered character" says Richie. The story will be period specific and there will be a love interest based on the Irene Adler character who only appeared in one story - "A Scandal in Bohemia".

It's unknown if the plot will rely much on this story, though the character was famous for being one of the few people to actually outwit the great detective. Casting is expected to be finished by the end of September for filming early next year. As for Judd Apatow's competing Holmes comedy with Sacha Baron Cohen? "They don't even have a script yet. We are way ahead" says Ritchie.

Gotta love Guy Ritchie's attitude. I was unaware that it was a race. I can bet a month's pay that the Apatow version will be rated better, and will obtain the most money, regardless of what finished first. Ritchie still seems to think people care. After he married Madonna, his films became horrendous. Now, I have faith in Robert Downey Jr.'s acting ability, but not Ritchie, not anymore at least. I am enticed to see both the drama and the comedy, but for Ritchie to scoff at Apatow's project seems absurd.

The 20 Second Sermon

Lots of release date changes and shifting are occurring right now, and expect that trend to continue as studios scramble to figure out how they can stay in the positive from the writer's strike backlash. Quantum of Solace is moving to November 14, about a week or so from its original date. No biggie. Warner Bros. says to expect Batman 3 by 2011. Well duh. The question is whether or not the cast and crew we want will return. Let's cross our fingers. President Alan Horn of Warner Bros. responded to the Half-Blood Prince petitions. Basically it was a nice way of saying that they're not caving on any angry fans demands, but to look forward to the last installment a bit sooner? Ummm, ok, because that will make everyone happy. Jon Favreau is already hard at work on Iron Man 2. I am excited for a sequel, but we all know what can happen when projects are rushed. Even Jon Favreau's efforts can suffer. Poltergeist is getting the remake treatment without the aid of Tobe Hooper or Steven Spielberg. Ghost story films commonly blow, so a remake of a ghost story film will undoubtedly blow hard. The original was ok, but this is not necessary. Vin Diesel will direct a Fast and Furious 20 minute prequel. I don't care how good Diesel is at directing, have we forgotten that this franchise is an atrocity? A rumor is floating around about Boondock Saints 2. I have even heard that Troy Duffy is a source. Hopefully no one takes him on his word.

What's Coming to DVD….Buy or Avoid?

DVD Headline of the Week



The Nightmare Before Christmas (2-Disc Collector's Edition) - The original DVD had quite a few extras, so hopefully this is a big improvement if it wants to be superior. Still, the film is amazing, and well worth buying any day of the week. Preorderable

What Happens in Vegas - I have no desire to see this. To keep from writing anything overly cruel, I will stop there.

Entourage – The Complete Fourth Season - I own all the existing DVD releases of this series, so of course I'll buy this, but I have heard mixed opinions about this season.

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning - This is the third installment, and yet another Disney DTV sequel. Most are extremely generous with these offerings because it's a cartoon, and it's Disney, but let's face it, most are trash.

Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom – Criterion Collection - An odd title for Criterion, but then again, we can expect anything from that company nowadays. It has been called nauseating, shocking, depraved, pornographic . . . it's also a masterpiece.

Errol Flynn Westerns Collection - Flynn is a star that has eluded me for years. Whenever I start watching his films, I'll have at least half a dozen box sets to get through.

Warner Home Video Western Classics Collection - A set of 6 films, all released individually as well, including the remake of the dated Best Picture winner Cimarron.

Redbelt - It contains all the facets of a David Mamet movie experience, including the intelligence of his screenwriting, and his ability to expose the strengths of any performer as a director. This was terrific. Buyable

Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? - A documentary from Morgan Spurlock that was a limited release in theaters. I don't know what it is, but Spurlock bothers me. I just always avoid his material.

Purple Violets - Edward Burns writes, directs, and even stars in this sappy iTunes romantic comedy about writers and former relationships. The problem is this movie has no personality. It acts like a toss up between "Chasing Amy" and "Before Sunrise/Sunset". The acting is fine, but it is predictable and lackluster when it shouldn't have been. Borrow

Brotherhood of the Wolf (Director's Cut) - The original was 144 minutes. This is 151 minutes. Not much of a change, but then again, I haven't seen this, so I could be wrong. I will add this to my Netflix.

Virgin Territory - Hayden Christensen stars as a guy in the 14th century who deflowers women regularly. Geez. What is young Anakin thinking?

Chicago 10 - I remember when this docudrama was released in NYC, but missed the opportunity to see it. I will definitely be renting this one soon.

Phantasm IV: Oblivion - This sequel was from 1998. Maybe Anchor Bay could work on Phantasm II for DVD so some of us could actually see it.

The Critic's Quickee

Tropic Thunder - Tropic Thunder surprised me quite a bit. I expected to laugh, but not nearly as much as I did. This is definitely one of the funniest films of the year, and it does not involve Judd Apatow. You watch this cast, and it is obvious that everyone involved is having a blast, and that augments the hilarity. The story satirizes Hollywood in an uproarious way with exaggerated directors, agents, CEO's, and so forth. The opening trailers are terrific. I'd go see "Scorcher." No member of the lead cast overstays his welcome. Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Danny McBride, and Jay Baruchel all have juicy opportunities to provide laughs. Downey Jr. almost steals the movie, but the others are funny as hell also. This could be called the summer of Downey and The Dark Knight equally. I must say that Tom Cruise made a good choice in accepting this supporting role. He needs to do more films with this size of part. He needs to show the world that he cares about more than just a paycheck because he is marvelous as Les Grossman. The action and humor are well positioned and paced throughout. The ending goes a little too nuts with the action much like Pineapple Express, but that's ok. It was effective and the throwing of the Vietnamese kid made up for it. This is easily Ben Stiller's finest effort as a director. Zoolander and even The Cable Guy were good, but not on this level. A lot of scenes poke fun at older movies like "Platoon", but this is also eerily similar to Hearts of Darkness, the making of "Apocalypse Now" documentary with Francis Ford Coppola. This was a lot of fun, and I hope people take time before the school year starts to go see it. Final Rating = 9.0/10.0

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - As time goes by, I care less and less about the Star Wars universe. I think a lot of people can sympathize with that. Few franchises are perfect, but you can tell when the creator of that franchise cares about the fans. George Lucas doesn't seem to care about them at all. For starters, it's hard for a saga to age well when it has undergone so many transitions. You had the original trilogy, then the altered original trilogy on VHS, then the CGI heavy prequels, all the DVD releases, a hand drawn Clone Wars, and now this, the total CGI Star Wars. That might sound exasperating, because it is. Lucas is killing his creation. How can we continue to love this galaxy, when it seems to persistently change for the worse? Lucas had one task for this film. I don't blame the writers, or Director Dave Filoni either. They are pawns. This rests on the shoulders of Mr. Lucas. Since we have seen 6 previous films, he needed to show why The Clone Wars is relevant. He didn't do the job. This is dull, pointless, and not meant for the big screen. Now, if this was a made-for-TV movie set to launch the series, I might be inclined to be more generous. But it wasn't, so I'm not. When one pictures the Clone Wars, you think battles right? Well, we have a couple of those, but the bulk of this snoozefest centers around Anakin and his new Padawan Asoka rescuing Jabba the Hut's son to help treaty negotiations. That's it. My first thought is, who cares? Many critics are comparing this to a video game, and who could blame them? This has few sequences, save for one or two, which stand out. I imagine Lucas saying to himself "Who needs human actors when I have CGI." The voice acting is wooden, the dialogue is preschoolish, many of the actors do not voice their live-action parts, and it is plainly obvious. The new characters make me want to say "meh", the light saber battles are nothing fancy, and the structure struck me as lazy. This is obviously aimed at children, and normally that would be fine, but when the product hits the big screen, especially if it is an installment of a series with this popularity, it should appeal to everyone. This was a bad idea. It will be interesting to see how this franchise is viewed when the influence of those who grew up with the originals fades out for those who grew up with the prequels. A few more random grumbles. Yoda talks in his standard dialect too much. I don't recall it ever being irritating. Jabba's uncle? A ridiculous character. And every time you see an enemy droid, he must be doing something for a laugh. This was just horrid. 4.0/10.0

I also saw Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Brideshead Revisited instead of Mirrors this past week. I plan on reviewing them both soon.

Based on the Trailer…

Newest Trailers

Frost/Nixon - Wow. I was glued to my seat. This is an amazing trailer that shows right away how brilliant the performances are. Ron Howard is a superb director, and I really hope this is a hit for him. Trailer Rating = 10.0/10.0

Transporter 3 - I know George's buddy is looking forward to anything Statham, but this franchise has never been all that outstanding to me. Statham is hit or miss. I'll see this I guess, but only out of curiosity. Trailer Rating = 7.0/10.0

August Releases

Hamlet 2 - I heard a lot of positive things about this comedy, plus I'm a huge fan of Steve Coogan, who is the star. Catherine Keener and Amy Poehler also star. It is about a high school drama teacher who writes a musical called "Hamlet 2." Trailer Rating = 9.0/10.0

Babylon A.D. - I had almost forgotten about Vin Diesel. I was happy about that. This has the standard trailer music (which I love), but the plot does not win me over just yet. I'll give it a chance. Trailer Rating = 6.5/10.0

Traitor - Jeff Daniels in a thriller…with Guy Pearce and Don Cheadle? Sign me up. The story seems average, but the acting will be brilliant. Trailer Rating = 8.0/10.0

Disaster Movie - I realize all the bitching about these putrid films has been done, but what really bothers me is that some of the flicks it is parodying are not even out yet. These people have no souls. Trailer Rating = 1.0/10.0

September Releases

Bangkok Dangerous - Nicolas Cage continues his "Next" phase with this assassin story. Ehh, Cage is starting to piss me off. He's such a talented actor, and he does this junk. Trailer Rating = 6.0/10.0

Nights in Rodanthe - An adaptation of a novel from Nicholas Sparks, so this might not be too bad for a romance. It has Richard Gere and Diane Lane reuniting from Unfaithful, so I'm in. Trailer Rating = 8.0/10.0

Burn After Reading - The new comedy from the Coen Brothers looks funny as hell. I am not totally sure where the plot goes, but then again, that is why I am so fascinated by it. The cast looks great, and I am definitely seeing this one. Trailer Rating = 9.0/10.0

Choke - A new adaptation from author Chuck Palahniuk, and that gets me excited. I love his books, though I haven't read this particular one. I will before the movie comes out though. This has Sam Rockwell in the lead, so it should be funny. Trailer Rating = 8.5/10.0

Tyler Perry's the Family That Preys - Kathy Bates and Cole Hauser in a Tyler Perry film. That certainly surprised me. This looks to be fairly ambitious for Perry, and might not be as bad as his previous efforts. Trailer Rating = 7.0/10.0

Righteous Kill - The new crime thriller with Pacino and De Niro! This looks average at the moment, but it should be fantastic with the two of them as a duo on screen for most of the film. The supporting cast looks excellent as well. Trailer Rating = 7.5/10.0

Lakeview Terrace - Patrick Wilson and Samuel L. Jackson star in this thriller about an insane neighbor who is also a cop. This seems sort of like Cape Fearto me, but not nearly as good. Ehhh. Trailer Rating = 6.5/10.0

Eagle Eye - Mr. LaBeouf surprises me with every passing role. I'll start giving him more credit. This thriller teaser has me intrigued for sure. Trailer Rating = 7.5/10.0

Igor - The concept has potential, but I can't see this being anything more than a couple laughs. John Cusack does not sink into the character well. I'll see this for Steve Buscemi‘s contribution, but I'm not all that impressed. Trailer Rating = 6.0/10.0

The Duchess - This is a goofy trailer. You wonder who could be introduced, and then the title "The Duchess" comes up, and you wonder why all the hassle of building it up. Knightley is to period pieces as Seagal is to B-movie action. Trailer Rating = 6.0/10.0

Miracle at St. Anna - I get annoyed by some of Spike Lee's comments, but he is a fabulous filmmaker, and this new war epic looks marvelous with Derek Luke and Joseph Gordon Levitt. Trailer Rating = 10.0/10.0

Blindness - This is a movie that proves how I have changed. It stars Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo. It involves an infection. That sounds rather bland right? Well, it's directed by Fernando Meirelles, a brilliant filmmaker, so I'm in, even though it doesn't sound outstanding. Trailer Rating = 7.5/10.0

October Releases

Quarantine - For weeks I have been told this is a remake of a decent Spanish flick called .REC. I get the picture. I will rent it at some point. I still think this remake will suck big time. That is all. Trailer Rating = 4.0/10.0

Zack and Miri Make a Porno - Kevin Smith's new comedy looks hilarious. I'm anxious to see this because I know he is a great filmmaker that can flourish outside of Jay and Silent Bob. Note: This may not be online anymore. Trailer Rating = 8.5/10.0

Regilulous - Well, Bill Maher is always one to stir up controversy, and I'm sure this documentary will do the trick. I think it looks funny personally, so I'll give it a shot. Trailer Rating = 8.0/10.0

City of Ember - Here is a film that could end up being pretty neat. The cast alone is worth the price of admission. You have Bill Murray, Saoirse Ronan, and Tim Robbins, among others. Gil Kenan is a decent director and the plot is creative, so I'm in. Trailer Rating = 8.5/10.0

High School Musical 3: Senior Year - Oh boy the teaser has arrived. Why do I have the feeling that this will be exactly like the first two, both in plot and level of suckage. Ms. Tisdale is the only tolerable character. Trailer Rating = 6.0/10.0

Pride and Glory - A nifty looking cop thriller with Ed Norton and Colin Farrell. Should be ok. And if we're lucky, we will get some commendable work from Jon Voight. Trailer Rating = 7.5/10.0

Max Payne - This trailer kicks major a** with the song in the background and Marky Mark as the main character, but then again, so did the Hitman teaser, and it ended up blowing. Remember, this is based on a video game. Trailer Rating = 7.5/10.0

W. - You're lying if you say you're not curious. Josh Brolin looks the part with white hair, but as the younger Dubya, he looks like himself. I will definitely see this because it is Oliver Stone, but I have serious doubts since its being rushed for the election. Trailer Rating = 6.5/10.0

RocknRolla - The new thriller from Guy Ritchie. It can't be as bad as Revolver right? He needs a comeback badly, and I hope this is it. Trailer Rating = 7.0/10.0

Saw V - This is just a teaser, but it gets the same point across. I am a fan of the series, so I'll certainly be seeing this one. Trailer Rating = 7.0/10.0

November, TBD, and Beyond Releases

Body of Lies - The new Ridley Scott pic featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe. It looks phenomenal, but that should be expected with such brilliant talent. Trailer Rating = 8.5/10.0

Yes Man - A new Jim Carrey comedy where he must say yes to everything. Sounds a bit like Liar Liar, but this is the Carrey humor I have missed for years. It looks pretty funny to me. Trailer Rating = 7.5/10.0

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - This is some sort of weird DVD trailer, but we see the basic layout of the plot, and it is not very funny or interesting. I could care less about this one. Trailer Rating = 4.5/10.0

The Escapist - A British prison break film starring Brian Cox. This is my favorite genre, so I can't wait for this, but in order for this to make a splash, it will have to be something special. The critic quotes being from random guys worries me. Trailer Rating = 8.0/10.0

Terminator Salvation - I love Christian Bale, and the Terminator franchise, but I have serious doubts about this. I believe it will be terrible, but I must admit, this teaser was well constructed. Trailer Rating = 8.0/10.0

Watchmen - This was the best trailer attached to my Dark Knight screening. Hopefully Zack Snyder can continue to improve his skills after 300. I must read this graphic novel soon. Trailer Rating = 8.5/10.0

Star Trek XI - The teaser was superbly placed before Cloverfield, and this causes me to be amped for the next installment despite my doubts about the cast. I hope it's as good as we deserve. Trailer Rating = 9.0/10.0

Australia - The new epic from filmmaker Baz Luhrman seems to have left out his usual exaggerated flair. Kidman and Jackman will make a fine team. I think this looks rather good, and the trailer has a splendid piece of music accompanying it. Trailer Rating = 8.0/10.0

Defiance - This new Edward Zwick film looks outstanding with Daniel Craig leading the cast in World War II story. This gave me chills. I can't wait. Trailer Rating = 9.0/10.0

Che - Granted, this is in Spanish, which I do not speak fluently, but this trailer looks amazing nevertheless. Soderbergh's epic should be fantastic. Trailer Rating = 8.5/10.0

Wolverine - Not the finest quality of trailers, but you can still seen and understand it. Gavin Hood is directing, so that is intriguing. The preview is ok, and I am still unsure. Can the character carry a whole film on his own? Trailer Rating = 7.0/10.0

The Perfect Game - Though I'm not a baseball fan, I always enjoy watching the Little League World Series. The problem with this film, despite a bad title, is that the preview reveals way too much, so hopefully it has more going for it besides the story, which I'm sure is inspirational. Trailer Rating = 6.5/10.0

Punisher: War Zone - This is only a teaser, but I get the impression I have seen all I need to. This sequel (or whatever is in relation to the previous film) looks like an comic action nightmare with cliches up the wazoo. I'm not a fan of the Punishers movies thus far, and this does not look to change that. Trailer Rating = 5.0/10.0

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - This film looks amazing. David Fincher is the man, I will be waiting to purchase my ticket. A plot about someone who ages backwards has all sorts of possibilities. Trailer Rating = 10.0/10.0

The Spirit - This is the new adaptation from Frank Miller. I'm anxious to see this, but from this teaser, it looks a bit too similar to Sin City. Oh well. I loved that film, so maybe this will be just as entertaining. Trailer Rating = 7.5/10.0

Quantum of Solace - I saw this weeks ago, but forgot to rate it here. The new Bond movie looks to be just as awesome as Casino Royale. I can't wait. Trailer Rating = 10.0/10.0

The Day the Earth Stood Still - This teaser illustrates how a classic sci-fi film will probably not update well for this era. I am curious because Keanu Reeves is a suitable choices, but I noticed too much CGI just from this, so that's not a good sign. Trailer Rating = 6.0/10.0

The Tale of Despereaux - This new Universal CGI film has some cute lines and some exquisite animation, but the plot strikes me as dull. You never know, at least it isn't filled with poop jokes. Trailer Rating = 6.5/10.0

Bolt - It takes exactly two seconds to decipher the Disney CGI to the Pixar Disney CGI. This has John Travolta as the lead voice. The hamster seems funny, but the rest doesn't impress me. Trailer Rating = 5.5/10.0

Repo! The Genetic Opera - They keep the music clips to a minimum in the trailer, which was wise. While this certainly intrigues me, the praising quotes from random websites worries me. It could be really bad, but check out the cast. That alone is worth the price of admission. Trailer Rating = 7.0/10.0

Outlander - Hmm, I'm not sure about this, but the cast alone is enough for me to buy a ticket. James Caviezel is so talented, but his script choices continue to boggle me (not in a bad way mind you). The idea is shaky, but the effects and acting look good, so I'm in. Trailer Rating = 7.0/10.0

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - This was a great book, the darkest of the set, and this trailer rocks. I'm anxious to see this. The franchise has not decreased in quality, and here's hoping this continues that trend. Trailer Rating = 9.0/10.0

Other Stuff to Read

The Best Movies of the Alphabet
411 August Roundtable - This month Owain J. Brimfield takes the reigns and compiled the thoughts of the movie zone staff on the summer releases for August!
The MeeThinks Friday FreeThinks - Thanks again to John Meehan for providing my banner here, and for the Alphabet feature.

Also, keep an eye out for more comic book character timelines in the future. Here are the first two:

The Ultimate Batman Timeline
The Ultimate Daredevil Timeline



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