If there is one thing we know about Transformers 2, it's that we can't believe what we read and here. Michael Bay has come out and said that he will be reporting fake news about the movie to throw fans astray. How will Rewind and Adjust report on Transformers 2? The best we can. The only thing I can say is that until the movie actually comes out and we are able to see what was ans wasn't real, every post has a "Possibly Not True" disclaimer. On that note, Superherohype has posted that,

The "2008 ShoWest Edition" of the Dolby newsletter (in PDF format) has a list of upcoming 3-D releases and includes Transformers 2 (as well as Steven Spielberg's Tintin). We're hearing that, although it's on the list, the sequel is not a lock yet for a 3-D release. A final decision will be made based on the availability of Digital 3-D and IMAX 3-D screens. The big problem facing the Transformers sequel is that Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs comes out just five days later and would rule out a majority of the Digital 3-D screens.

This is and isn't exciting for me. It is exciting because glimpses of my childhood will be flying right at me in the theater when I go to see this movie fore the first time. Putting the movie in the 3-D adds that extra boost of excitement you want at a movie theater. This isn't exciting for me because when the movie hits DVD, Blu-ray, and movie channels we will have to sit through compositions that were clearly set up for 3-D viewing but wont appear 3-D on our television screens. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. Watching movies like Jaws 3-D, Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, Beowulf, and Spy Kids 3-D on a movie channel where you don't have the luxury of watching them in 3-D causes you to notice every scene meant to be viewed in 3-D. I find it very distracting to the natural flow of the movie. Those scenes ALWAYS stand out like a sore thumb.

[EDIT]
If I had to voice my opinion, I would say that this totally reeks of fake news to me. Like Derek said, we will do our best to report on Transformers 2 (and be sure to voice our opinion), but everything about this film comes with a disclaimer since Mr. Bay has assured us that he is going to be a fake news leaking bastard when it comes to his baby.

One of the things I would like to begin here at Rewind and Adjust is a section were me and Derek 8-Track can review a film that we have recently seen on DVD. I am apprehensive to call it a DVD review (so I may be changing the title), because we are not in fact reviewing the DVD (although a review may include info about the special features). Rather I would like this to simply be a review of a DVD we have recently watched. There are thousands of great films out there and I would like to be able to bring some of that to you instead of just the most contemporary up-to-date info about films in theaters and film news. Now this is not saying every DVD review will be of an old film, but maybe just a film that we finally got to see on DVD. We'll see how this goes, but as always, feel free to offer advice and opinions! With that, I present to you the first DVD film review:

Burden of Dreams - A Film by Les Blank.



WHAT THE MOVIE IS ABOUT

Burden of Dreams is a documentary capturing the behind the scenes look at Werner Herzog's nearly 5 years in the making film Fitzcarraldo. Fitzcarraldo is one of Herzog's most well known and beloved films, and was also his most challenging - the story of one man's attempt to build an opera house deep in the Amazon jungle. Les Blank documents all of the energy and insanity that went into this production, which was made perilous by Herzog's desire to shoot the film without the use of special effects or models - including a sequence requiring hundreds of natives to pull a full-sized, 320-ton steamship over a small mountain. The result is an extraordinary document of the filmmaking process and a unique look into the single-minded passion of one of cinema's most fearless directors.

AWESOME

I'm not the biggest fan of documentaries, but when a good one comes along, I usually LOVE it. This documentary was very interesting and captivating. Just being able to get a glance into the mind of Werner Herzog is something that remains a difficult task, but also an interesting one. We see him direct with passion and fervor and we see him almost abandon his dream of completing the film. This documentary really makes a hero out of Herzog who speaks to the camera with such conviction that we fully believe him when he says there is no other possible way to shoot the film than the way in which he is doing it. The film is compelling, gorgeous to look at, but also challenging in the ideas put forth by Herzog. There is also a few great special features such as the short documentary "Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe" about a bet made between Herzog and budding film maker Errol Morris. It is definitely worth a watch as well.

NOT SO AWESOME

Most of my complaints come simply from the fact that I wish I knew more of the story of Fitzcarraldo. I found myself wanting to know more of that story so that I could find parallels between the actual film and the documentary. I also wish there was a little bit more of Herzog in action. Some of the best moments of the film come when we see Herzog frantically directing a crew of hundreds of natives. I also wish that we were told a little more, by Herzog or Les Blank, about Herzog's connection to the film making process and specifically the jungle. He mentions once that he feels tied to the jungle, but we don't get much information about why. It would be nice to hear a bit more so we can fully understand Herzog's thought process when going through this harrowing film shoot. The film does jump around a bit, but it doesn't really bother me because it is so captivating.

OVERALL

Overall I really enjoyed this film. Maybe because I can see parallels between Herzog and other directors and maybe because I enjoy the way Herzog talks about fulfilling dreams and making dreams become reality. I think Herzog is a fantastic person although slightly crazy, and I'm glad that comes through in this film as well. I do however wish that Criterion Collection would make a package that includes Burden of Dreams along with all of it's special features, and also include Fitzcarraldo. I feel like the two films should be together to fully understand what everything was about. Overall, I give this film a 7 out of 10.

I got to see Speed Racer as a screening the Tuesday before it came out. Now I will admit, seeing movies for FREE, BEFORE they come out does sway my opinion slightly, as it would most people. With that in mind, I would also like to state something that will remain true for EVERYTHING that I post here on Rewind and Adjust - It is just my opinion and you are by no means supposed to agree with everything I say. Discussion is good. With that said, here it is - my Speed Racer review.

THE AWESOME

First of all, the film is visually stunning. It is faced paced and colorful. This aspect of the film made me a little nauseous at first, but once my eyes adjusted I realized how great the film really looked. The action was great, races were tense, and the visuals were gorgeous. Not only were the visuals great, but the characters were nearly dead on to their cartoon counterparts (especially Racer X who was a complete bad-ass). I think that all of the actors did a pretty good job at keeping the film interesting and moving along. There was quite a bit of humor in the film which helped make the realization that this is a cartoon and not a realistic drama. I think that the sooner you accept the fact that this really is a live action cartoon, you will appreciate the film a bit more. My absolute favorite thing about this film was that I really felt like I was watching a cartoon.

THE NOT SO AWESOME

The dialog really isn't very good. It is pretty cheesy and ridiculous at times, but once again, given the fact that it was almost exactly like the cartoon, it doesn't bother me so much. As I said earlier, parts of the film did make me feel a bit uneasy due to their constant swirl of colors and fast paced motion. The story overall was a little bit thin, but I wasn't expecting much in that department. Some of the humor was not funny at all.

OVERALL

One of the things I was surprised at was how hard of a PG rating this was. They swear multiple times, throw poo, and even have a middle finger make an appearance. While I understand times are changing and these things are becoming more and more acceptable, I was still quite shocked by some of the things that were in this PG film. I have said this before about this film, but I think it is a real great summer popcorn flick. If you are looking for a good time, not anything more, surely not anything less in terms of visual entertainment, look no further. This film is no Oscar winner, but it will go well with a bag of popcorn on a summer night. And I do give credit to the Wachowski's for trying something new and re-inventing aspects of this 'genre'. Visually stunning, fast paced, cartoon acting and fun - Overall, I give Speed Racer a 6.5 out of 10

I've caught wind of another promising film that I am really looking forward to. The poster was released today courtesy of Cinematical. The film is titled City of Ember and is due out October 10th. According to Cinematical,

City of Ember was written by Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands) and directed by the very talented Gil Kenan (Monster House). Oh, but the talent doesn't stop there -- check out this cast: Bill Murray, Saoirse Ronan, Tim Robbins, Martin Landau, Toby Jones and Harry Treadaway. And did I mention it was produced by Tom Hanks?

And here's a synopsis for ya: "For generations, the people of the City of Ember have flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights - underground. But Ember's once powerful generator is failing . . . and the great lamps that illuminate the city are starting to flicker. Now, two teenagers in a race against time, must search Ember for clues that will unlock the ancient mystery of the city's existence, and help the citizens escape before the lights go out forever."

Early buzz tells us the film looks gorgeous, so that's definitely a good sign. We've also been told that the first trailer for City of Ember will debut in front of Prince Caspian this weekend.

This looks like a film that cannot lose in my book. I love things that are visually stunning but aren't overly unnecessary in their CGI use. It kind of reminds me (at least I think) of films like Children of Men and The Island, and certain scenes of The Matrix. It may not be as action packed as those films, but that is the environmental vibe I'm getting from these pics and the description. If you think of a better comparison, let me know.

A film that I have had growing interest in called Synecdoche, New York has some new images courtesy of /film.

Synecdoche, New York stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as a theater director named Caden Cotard, whose life in Schenectady, New York is looking bleak. His wife Adele has left him to pursue her painting in Berlin, taking their young daughter Olive with her. A new relationship with the alluringly candid Hazel has prematurely run aground. And a mysterious condition is systematically shutting down each of his body’s autonomic functions. Worried about the transience of his life, he moves his theater company to a warehouse in New York City. He directs them in a celebration of the mundane, instructing each to live out their constructed lives in a growing mockup of the city outside. Catherine Keener, Michelle Williams, Samantha Morton and Tilda Swinton co-star.





What makes me even more interested in this, other than the interesting plot is that it is Charlie Kaufman’s (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation., Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind) directorial debut. This dude rocks and so do his films (screenplays). I'm certain that when taking the directorial reigns he will deliver.

Hollywood Reporter is saying,


The 2009 and 2010 editions of ABC's "Lost" will be 17 hours each -- not 16 as previously planned, says The Hollywood Reporter.

"We were supposed to do 16-16-16," "Lost" co-creator Damon Lindelof said. "But we ended up doing 14 this season, so we owe two."

"The finale this year will not be as tricky as last year," he said. "Hopefully, this year it's a little bit more of a straightforward action-adventure narrative. But the ending of the episode will hopefully engage and intrigue people looking forward to the next season of the show."

I'm O.K. with that. If you owe me episodes, you better pay up.

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Matthew Vaughn is no longer directing Thor (currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on June 4, 2010, not July 4 as previously reported -- unless HR made a typo). According to HR, Vaughn's holding deal expired. In the meantime, Marvel is waiting for a script polish from writer Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend).

On what we should expect from Thor, Feige says, "It's very much a Marvel superhero story but against the backdrop of nothing you've seen before. " He then described the flick as a "period fantasy in the vein of The Lord of the Rings." Sounds pretty cool to me. Who do you think they should get to direct Thor? Heck, why not throw Peter Jackson on it -- I'm sure fans would freak over that one.

Additionally, and this is just a rumor right now, HR also claims that Hulk might be featured in Iron Man 2 (due out April 30, 2010). They don't go any further than that except to say we should expect cross-referencing in all these films now that Marvel has control over the movies its characters are in.

The last I heard, and I don't know where I heard this, Brad Pitt was who Marvel wanted to talk to about playing Thor. Sounds like a good idea to me (reference Troy). Thor, if in the hands of the right people, could turn out to be a great film, and at this point Marvel seems to be doing a great job with their films courtesy of Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios.