So I haven't put up any reviews recently due to this being the holiday season and not being focused enough to get stuff done. So what I have decided to do instead is put up mini reviews of Oscar hopeful movies that I have seen. I will probably continue to do this until I have seen a majority of the films, and then I will begin to voice my opinion on what deserves which awards. So - here it is, the beginning of my Oscar reviews. This part will include Synecdoche New York, Australia, Slumdog Millionare, and The Curious Case of Benjammin Button.

Synecdoche New York



Overall, the film was pretty good. It was a really complicated film that kind of hurt my brain by the time I left the theater because I was trying to make connections and understand things all while taking in the visuals and plotlines. Philip Seymore Hoffman once again offers up a great experience, (I really think he is one of the better actors out there), and it is a pleasure watching him on the screen. Some of the other actors/actresses, I'm not totally convinced of. Knowing a bit about Charlie Kaufman, my mind just kept telling me how much this film felt like a self referential movie that was just explaining what it is like to be in his mind. This is good and bad. Bad, because it is almost too depressing and down-hearted to be in his mind, and good because deep down inside, the man is a genius. The film is very surreal and hearkens back to a time when directors were being more experimental with their storytelling and visuals (ie. Fellini or Bunuel). And the visuals, I believe, are the most stunning part of the film. I, for the most part, was actually convinced that this giant warehouse with all of these "actors" and buildings and locations, even though in reality it is physically impossible. Some of the effect shots were a bit wonky, and I'm not sure if it was unintentional, or intentional to help the surreal experience along a bit. The film also at times felt a bit like 2 separate films. The beginning, a dark comedy, much more similar to parts of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. However as the film progresses, it gets more depressing and mind-blowing (I think a bit more like Being John Malkovich). The film also felt a bit too long and I could see some scenes that I could have imagined not being there at all. Overall, another good film from Kaufman, but I think he really benefits from having someone like Gondry or Spike Jonze help him out along the way.


Australia



I must say right off the bat that I was a bit disappointed with Australia. I may have went into this film with a bit to much high hopes, but in the end, I think the film suffered a bit from an epic vision not quite delivered. The posters were great, the trailers were awesome, and I absolutely fell in love with the idea that someone was tackling the old school Hollywood style with new school fervor...but those dreams were slightly crushed when the film fell apart early on. Don't get me wrong, the film was still cinematically beautiful and surely had it's share of awesomely epic moments, as well as some great performances by Hugh Jackman and the new and young Brandon Walters who played the aboriginal boy, but some of the story killed that magic. SMALL SPOILER ALERT AHEAD: The film opens around a story of a ranch, Faraway Downs, that is almost done for and a cattle drive that desperately needs to take place to keep the business alive. Unfortunately, once that cattle drive is finished, the film looses it's epic scale sense and becomes a bit too much of a love story combined with Pearl Harbor - not a good combination. I felt like the first 45 min. to an hour was going great. I was gripping my seat, becoming interested in the characters, and admiring the landscape - then, as the film got longer and lost some of the more action packed moments, I felt the dialogue drawing on and the visuals becoming less impactful. Not all bad news though, as I said before, still gorgeous film and surely has it's shot at cinematography when it comes Oscar time.

Slumdog Millionaire



Easily on the top of my list SO FAR this Oscar season out of what I have seen. Not only does Danny Boyle deliver another stunning film (I've been a fan of quite a few of his films Trainspotting, A Life Less Ordinary, 28 Days Later, Sunshine, The Beach - so I'm all eyes and ears here), but he delivered this film with a cast of unknown new actors - who for the most part blew me away. The soundtrack was great, the colors were in keeping with Boyle's style, and the story won me over. I think what I liked most about this film was that despite how shitty this young boy's life was he came out on top and you definitely get the feeling that he deserved it. It was an overall, almost too happy, ending - and that is what made it great. I had a few issues with parts of the story - specifically with a few things that happen in the last 20 mins or so, but overall this film does best exactly what it set out to be - an escapist fantasy - something Boyle knows quite a bit about and delivers in excellent doses with this film.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button



Adapted from a 1921 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, this film about a man who ages in reverse is more a technical masterpiece than a perfect story, but the technical aspects of the film make it well worth it - even to the point of being able to ignore certain plot disasters. What impressed me most about Benjamin Button was certainly the CGI special effects that created the reverse aging Brad Pitt. While I have heard some complaints about the film being a bit too long, I can honestly say that at no point during this movie did I lose interest. I was captivated the whole time. You might be asking, if it wasn't boring, and you loved the effects, what was the problem? The problem was a myriad of tiny plot holes that made the second half seem less than perfect along with the fact that I could barely get past the fact that the movie seemed like Forest Gump Part II: With A Bigger Budget. I understand if these are the stories you like to write Eric Roth, but seriously?? Even down to some very tiny details that were almost EXACTLY the same between the two movies. I don't see much of the fault being on part of director David Fincher, who once again crafted a slick, technically perfect, and very smooth film, but more on part of the story writers. The movie was sadly beautiful, and highly emotional, but lacked enough conflict to put the film over the breaking point of being perfect. So if for nothing else, see this film for it's technical achievements which I am CERTAIN will come into play when the Oscars come around.


BONUS REVIEW

THE WACKNESS



I recently saw The Wackness, a film I have been interested in since I first saw the trailers and learned that Josh Peck, a great actor who delivered a phenomenal performance in 2004's Mean Creek was taking the lead - and looked amazing compared to how he looked in Mean Creek. Winning the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival this year, I still feel that this film may have some sort of a shot at something, what? I'm not sure, but the performances were pretty good and the story was pretty much awesome with exception of a few moments that left me rolling my eyes just a bit. Don't get your hopes up on this film being nominated for anything huge, but if you love early 1990's hip hop, you'll wan't to see this film anyway...plus it is quite hilarious to see a knighted Oscar winner (Sir Ben Kingsley) toke a bong and puff a joint.



So these are the Oscar films and hopefuls that I have seen so far. Keep your eyes peeled for reviews of other films as I see them. Other films I am going to see in anticipation of the Oscars: Frost/Nixon, Milk, Revolutionary Road, Gran Torino, Rachel Getting Married, The Wrestler, Doubt, Vicki Christina Barcelona and anything else that might cross my path

As many of you know, there has been a legal battle between Fox and Warner Bros. concerning the rights to who owns The Watchmen. Well, today, a judge ruled in favor of Fox...a huge surprise, at least to me. Here is some more info courtesy of The Movie Blog:

A U.S. federal judge has ruled that 20th Century Fox owns a copyright interest in Watchmen, which may jeopardize Warner Bros.’s plan to release the superhero movie in March.

Judge Gary Allen Feess issued the surprise ruling on Wednesday, Variety reported.

“Fox owns a copyright interest consisting of, at the very least, the right to distribute the Watchmen motion picture,” the ruling said.

Judge Feess advised both Fox and Warner to consider either a settlement or an appeal.

Fox acquired rights to the Watchmen graphic adventure novel in the late 1980s for producer Lawrence Gordon. After spending more than $1 million US developing the project, it eventually dropped its plan to make a movie based on the work written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons.

Gordon later carried out the project with Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures. The movie, about the underside of life for superbeings, was directed by Zack Snyder and stars Patrick Wilson and Jackie Earle Haley. Its release is scheduled for March 6, 2009.

In February, Fox filed a suit to prevent Watchmen from being released. It argued that Gordon’s option to acquire Fox’s remaining interest in Watchmen was never exercised.

Warner spokesman Scott Rowe has declined to comment on the ruling.

The Wall Street Journal says the ruling in favour of Fox comes as a surprise, “given that the studio appeared to have dropped the project more than a decade ago and was not involved in producing the film.”

This is absolutely HUGE news, and even if a deal is worked out, this film will almost certainly be delayed even more than it has been which will be devastating to fans of the novel and fans who just really want to see this film. I just hope that in the long run it doesn't hurt what seems to be a huge landmark event for comic films. Stay tuned, as I'm sure Derek will be voicing his opinion on this matter shortly.

Take a quick look at the Terminator Salvation trailer.



I know I'm excited! The only thing that can keep this from being perfect is the fact that McG is directing it. I'm not saying he cant make it perfect, its just that his resume is a little lame. But everyone has to get their foot in some real gritty action somehow, and this looks like the perfect opportunity. I'm sure he honed in some skills for directing action while making the Charlie's Angels movies. Here's to hoping he puts those skills to good use. Plus there is a Transformer in the clip!

A teaser trailer for Astroboy has made it's way online. Animated, set for an October 2009 release and featuring some heavy hitters in the way of voice acting: Kristen Bell, Nicholas Cage, Bill Nighy, Donald Sutherland, Eugene Levy, Nathan Lane. Too bad this teaser does not tease me at all. Not impressed.



What do you think?

This is a film I have been following for quite some time. Not only is it Aronofsky's first film in which he hasn't written, but is directing (except an older less known film called Fortune Cookie), but it also boasts the return of Mickey Rourke to the big screen in terms of serious acting.



Not only does this film look excellent, but Rourke seems to have knocked it out of the park. This trailer is so sweet I have watched it close to 20 times already. It's that good. I am eagerly awaiting this film.

On a side note, I haven't heard much Oscar buzz for this, or for Rourke's performance - but judging from the trailer, it may get some buzz once the full release happens.

A better quality trailer of the new Star Trek film (the trailer airs before Quantum of Solace) has found it's way online. Check it out if you haven't already!

I just found this really fun Back To The Future thing on youtube. It is kind of an alternate ending of sorts. Pretty funny.

Get hyped! if it isn't the best star trek movie ever at least it can say it had a sweet trailer.

John Williams is the shit.

We may have won the presidential race, but we lost a great author. According to CNN, which I got wind of through our friends over at The Movie Blog -

Michael Crichton, who helped create the TV show “ER” and wrote the best-sellers “Jurassic Park,” “The Andromeda Strain,” “Sphere” and “Rising Sun,” died in Los Angeles on Tuesday, his public relations firm said in a news release.

He “died unexpectedly,” the release said, “after a courageous and private battle against cancer.”

He was 66.

The man who created the genius plot behind one of the greatest books and one of my top movies Jurassic Park has passed on. The man brought dinosaurs back to life for crying out loud. Even if only in our minds. Steven Speilberg did him justice and we should be happy to have a visualization of such a great novel. I first read Jurassic Park in grade school and have since ready many of his books (other favorites include Lost World, Timeline, Congo and Prey). He was a master of storytelling and will surely be missed.

Vote Obama, Oscar winning Director Ron Howard is...



p.s. HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Go watch a horror film!

It looks good but it also looks like a joke. It seems like a modern day version of every other movie he's done. there is a ruckus in the town and he takes care of it while taking names. Plus he's sooo old. But hey, "I guess they're right. Senior citizens, although slow and dangerous behind the wheel, can still serve a purpose".... and that purpose is to kick ass!

I was lucky and got to see an early screening of Kevin Smiths new film Zack and Miri Make A Porno. "Lifelong platonic friends Zack and Miri look to solve their respective cash-flow problems by making an adult film together. As the cameras roll, however, the duo begin to sense that they may have more feelings for each other than they previously thought." That is the description according to IMDB - a description I feel is pretty accurate but it should tack on - "With Hilariousness!" Was the film a revolutionary new comedy - no. But did it serve its purpose - hell yes.

THE AWESOME

Let's just start out with some simple awesome things - Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Justin Long, Superman, and Craig Robinson (who steals the show I might add). The people cast for this film live up to what you would expect, and Seth Rogen, once again, knocks it out of the park. I just can't get enough of this slightly overweight, furry, Jew. He wins.
The film to me feels like a combination (and I hate to do this to films) of Knocked Up and Clerks 2. (This is also going to pop up in the not awesome category). Because of this, the movie has vulgar, offensive humor coming out of every orifice, literally, but also has a bit of heart which is nice every now and again. The "love story" isn't quite as played out as in Knocked Up, but it is there enough to give the film a little more soul. There isn't really much to say in terms of the awesome, which isn't a bad thing. The film delivers on everything you would expect from a Kevin Smith film - raunchy, sexy, dirty, funny, foul, offensive, etc. If you like his previous films, you'll surely like this one. If you like Seth Rogen, you'll like this one. Hell, if you like Judd Apatow, I'd venture to guess, you'd still like this one.
The key here is the dialogue, and it works its magic as much, if not more than some of Smith's last efforts.

THE NOT SO AWESOME

The movie looses steam in the 3rd act. The setup is great, the rise to the peak is great, but the 3rd act, complete with resolution, leaves you wanting just a bit more.
As I mentioned before, I hate to do film comparisons, but I did. I chose Knocked Up and Clerks 2 and then stated that it is also a problem. The problem is just that. The film is foul enough to remind me of Clerks 2, and emotional enough to remind me of Knocked Up. But if a film is reminding me of two other films and not being completely itself, it takes me out of the picture a bit. This isn't meant to be a harsh criticism, but with all the connections going on here (Kevin Smiths world tied together with Apatows crew) we get exactly what is expected a combination of a Kevin Smith film and a Judd Apatow film. I also thought the Jason Mewes and Jeff Anderson of ViewAskewniverse fame were a little bit on the lame side over all (Although it was nice to see Jay play someone other than a burnout). They both kinda felt a little like tacked on characters.

OVERALL

Overall I think the film delivered on everything I expected, maybe even a bit more. As a fan of Kevin Smiths previous work (ALMOST all of it actually - NO, NOT JERSEY GIRL) and a fan of pretty much everything Seth Rogen or anyone else from his crew touches - this film delivers both. My complaints are small, but large enough to make it not the best comedy I've seen over the past couple years. But it keeps it's pace and steps right up to join the ranks of recent comedy kings. Overall, I give this film a 7 out of 10.

Find the Underworld: Rise of the Lycans Trailer here on apple.com

or watch it here...

My Dads first car was a Gran Torino. My First Car was a Gran Torino. This is the first poster for the movie Gran Torino!
Found at usatoday

By the looks of it, Clint Eastwood will kill you.
Found at USA Today.

James Marsden is gold. Plus the rest of it is pretty funny too.

I have these sporadic spurts of becoming a moderate Star Trek enthusiast from time to time, and right now is one of them. This tends to happen when I've been hanging out a lot with my all time Star Trek enthusiast friend Jim Hysell. It also happens when I am at the theater watching a Star Trek movie. Its been known to happen when I am flipping through the channels and a Star Trek movie begins to play. It happens most when I'm watching an episode of Star Trek that has Q in it, played by John de Lancie. Man those are good episodes!
Anyway, see if these photo's do the same for you and get you hyped for all things Star Trek.

These photo's are exclusives for websites all around the net, but I found them posted on TheMovieBlog.

Avatar, James Cameron's upcoming 3D epic, is a film that is getting alot of buzz even though it is still a year off. The film is supposedly going to feature CGI characters that are perceived to be real humans. It will also be 3D. Let's just say the expectations are high and I really hope he pulls this off so that my eyes can melt out of their sockets when I watch it's glorious-ness.

Recently, the director appeared on CBC's program The Hour and gave some info about his past career as well as a few insights into the world of Avatar. If you are as pumped as I am, you will want to see this clip.

I have been compiling a list of some of the slightly older and more recent news about George Lucas and the the Indy business. After the disaster that was the last film (I still like it for what it was, but it IN NO WAY compares to the other films), I knew they would be making more when it made a bumload of money. Here is some info that has developed over the past couple months.

First, back in June after the film was released was quoted saying in the New York Times about Indiana Jones 4,

“I mean, why do we have to make another Indiana Jones? There was no point to it, other than, gee, this might be fun.”

Basically admitting that the film was pointless to make was a HUGE mistake on Lucas' part and let the fans know that maybe his dedication wasn't all that huge. (And maybe his sausage fingers just wanted more money).

Then, about a month later, Lucas was talking again, this time to the Times Online. He said a few more shoddy comments about Indy 4 and the possibilities of an Indy 5.

“If I can come up with another idea that they like, we’ll do another. Really, with the last one, Steven wasn’t that enthusiastic. I was trying to persuade him. But now Steve is more amenable to doing another one. Yet we still have the issues about the direction we’d like to take. I’m in the future; Steven’s in the past. He’s trying to drag it back to the way they were, I’m trying to push it to a whole different place. So, still we have a sort of tension. This recent one came out of that. It’s kind of a hybrid of our own two ideas, so we’ll see where we are able to take the next one.”

“Indiana Jones only becomes complicated when you have another two people saying ‘I want it this way’ and ‘I want it that way’, whereas, when I first did Jones, I just said, ‘We’ll do it this way’ — and that was much easier. But now I have to accommodate everybody, because they are all big, successful guys, too, so it’s a little hard on a practical level.”

Seriously, what is this dudes problem? The movie made a shitload of money, and he is still talking about how he and Spielberg didn't get along. I mean sure, the movie wasn't that great, but it worked (at least in his money hungry eyes) so why talk down the film and then blame it on someone else?

And now, Harrison Ford is speaking up about the possible Indy 5 and offering his points of view (which make sense, but in my opinion seem kinda like he's been smoking too much weed and dropping LSD with hippies).

Harrison Ford said Friday that momentum is building for a fifth movie in the "Indiana Jones" franchise and that George Lucas is already cooking up a suitable plot for a heroic senior citizen with a penchant for whips and fedoras.

"It's crazy but great," the 66-year-old Ford said. "George is in think mode right now."

"It's automatic, really, we did well with the last one and with that having done well and been a positive experience, it's not surprising that some people want to do it again," Ford said.

When asked if this was more of a Lucas of Spielbergian idea to bring the franchise back one more time, he gave this crazy response,

"Really, it comes from the ethos, from the ether. It's natural. It's a way of nature, of course, success breed opportunities ... also we don't stay as closely in contact as have in the last year, that's part of it."

I give up. And I fear for the worst. I get the feeling Spielberg will get sick of dealing with Lucas' terrible ideas and hand off the project - then Lucas will poop on it - then Ford will go along for the ride because he doesn't want to see the character go to anyone else. What will we be left with? Another Lucas "masterpiece". I guess all we can really hope for is that it isn't done in that animated Clone Wars style. Woof.

Thoughts?

[Edit]
Derek 8-Track here,
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was NOT a disaster.
It ruled... minus the extremely lame CGI.

Guillermo del Toro recently spoke up about two of his upcoming projects that I am pumped for, The Hobbit and Frankenstein. Here is what he said at the Director's Guild of America in midtown Manhattan as part of The New Yorker Festival series of talks. (Or some of the best parts)

"Essentially, Smaug represents so many things: greed, pride ... he's 'the Magnificent,' after all. The way his shadow is cast in the narrative you cannot then show it and have it be one thing, he has to be the embodiment of all those things. He's one of the few dragons that will have enormous scenes with lines. He has some of the most beautiful dialogues in those scenes! The design, I'm pretty sure that will be the last design we will sign off on, and the first design we have attempted. It is certainly a matter of turning every stone before figuring out what he looks like, because what he looks like will tell you what he is."

And as for Frankenstein, del Toro promises an adaptation that does not leave its director shirtless. "I'm not doing Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. I'm doing an adventure story that involves the creature. I cannot say much, but it's not the central creation story, I'm not worried about that. The fact is I've been dreaming of doing a Frankenstein movie since I was a child."

I am really pumped for his Hobbit because I really do think he is one of the best fantasy directors EVER, especially today. I also think he has an unbelievable talent for combining CGI with practical special effects and it produces some of the best results since Jurassic Park.

In any case, you can check out more of the article here if you choose.

There is a new Australia trailer out and it is simply AMAZING. I am so pumped for this film and really think it has a shot at winning some sort of Oscar come the awards. Cinematography? Maybe even, dare I say, Best Picture? I am pumped. It is films like this (and Titanic) that make it easy for dudes to enjoy love stories. It is over at MSN Video which means I can't embed it here. So go take a look until I find a decent youtube version.

[UPDATE]



It is better quality still over at MSN, but watch it here if you don't want to link it up.

TMZ is reporting that Shia LaBeouf has once again injured himself. Stitches were required below his eyebrow, after he sustained a cut from a prop on the set of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The actor supposedly went right back to work.


Let's hope this dudes luck improves in the near future or he might not make it until Transformers III.

(On a Transformers side note, we just recently got some information that at least 3 of Transformers big action sequences in IMAX. Get ready for your eyes to hurt).

And someone set up a hilarious Twitter blog as a fake Michale Bay. It's AWESOME. Check it out here.

Recently, Director Ridley Scott told MTV that not only will Russell Crowe play The Sheriff in his upcoming revisionist take on the Robin Hood story, but the actor will be doing double duty as Robin Hood.

Nottingham is a 180 degree spin of the Robin Hood story-line where the Sheriff is the protagonist and Robin Hood is the bad guy. The Sheriff finds himself caught in the middle of a situation which pits an outlaw named Robin Hood who “who threatens to rouse the public in popular anarchy” and a corrupt and unpopular king who demands the arrest of the outlaw.

After this news came out - CHUD clarified the entire casting story with the news that Robin Hood and The Sheriff are actually the same person.

As a side note, I saw Crowe on Letterman last night where they briefly mentioned this topic, but more importantly, Crowe had EXTREMELY long hair. I'm talking couple inches below shoulder length. It was interesting to say the least and I kinda hope it is for this role.

I do have some issues with this casting decision which at this point in time seemed like a gimmick until CHUD clarified with the news that The Sheriff and Robin Hood are ACTUALLY the SAME person. Now the story thickens, and I am more than all ears for this one.

What are your thoughts?

This isn't really movie related, but totally bad-ass. Mean Magazine, a pop culture/music/film magazine recently had a video shoot in which Sir Ben Kingsley portrays the legendary singer of Minor Threat, Ian MacKaye. As a huge Minor Threat and Ben Kingsley fan, I feel it is my duty to provide you this benefit of viewing pleasure. Without further ado:

Sir Ben Kingsley: Oscar-winner. Knight of the realm. Sexy beast. Stars for MEAN…in a tribute to our hardcore heroes, Minor Threat.

Directed by Kashy Khaledi
Still Photography by Kurt Iswarienko
Cinematography by Byron Shah
Band portrayed by ANAVAN and Jackson Fledermaus
Styled by Ilaria Urbinati
Hair and Makeup by Lina Hanson
Mean Logo by Casey James
Editing by X1FX


Sir Ben Kingsley STOMPS into the shoes of Minor Threat's Ian MacKaye from Mean Magazine on Vimeo.

That's right ladies and gentlemen, The salad dressing extraordinaire has passed away. he died yesterday, September 26, 2008 aged 83. He will be long remembered for his legendary line salad dressings. Newman founded Newman's Own, his line of food products, in 1982. Starting with salad dressing, Newman's Own eventually expanded with lines pasta sauce, lemonade, popcorn, and salsa, and wine among other things. All proceeds from Newman's Own products were donated to charity. I just hope his death doesn't result in an end to his tasty salad dressings.

Plus he was in some good movies.

Here's the poster...


Here's the Trailer...


So, what did you think? I found it moderately interesting.
Will I watch it?
Yes.
Why?
2 words, "Bryan Singer."
The man is amazing. He's made The Usual Suspects, Apt Pupil, X-Men, X2, and Superman Returns. I consider 3 of those to be some of my favorite movies of all time. Lets just hope this doesn't suck.

The song choice alone is laugh out loud funny. oh, Talking Heads, thank you for existing.

I agree, Screw Depp as the Riddler. I vote Jude Law!
Just look at these photos of him in Road to Perdition...

Interesting (and lame), isnt it.

Today, according to our friends over at IESB.net, Johnny Depp has been confirmed to play Tim Burton's Mad Hatter in ALICE IN WONDERLAND!

The film is currently in pre-production after Burton inked a deal with Disney last November.

The film is due out in theaters March 5, 2010.


As a side note, and I have spoken to Derek about this already, I'm actually kind of getting sick of Johnny Depp. I never thought I would say it - and I don't think it's actually him, rather the roles he is choosing. I am sick of these quirky, dark, crazy, hat wearing weirdos that he seems to be obsessed with playing. I have no problem with someone having a favorite role to play (and he does to a good job at them for the most part), but seriously, again? Haven't we already seen this character a bunch of times? I get this weird feeling it will just be a fusion of Jack Sparrow, Willy Wonka, Hunter S. Thompson/Raoul Duke etc.
I also mentioned before to Derek that I really hope that he is not offered the role of The Riddler in any version of Batman. Once again, it will be the same thing we have all seen before. Maybe it's just me, any thoughts?

We have what I believe to be a new trailer for Charlie Kaufman's upcoming film, Synecdoche, New York. I think that this is the best trailer I have seen so far for this movie and I'm totally pumped.

This is the man that has written some extremely compelling films, Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Now he is writing AND directing his upcoming masterpiece that is sure to show it's face somehow at the Oscars.

Check out the awesomeness.



Also, if you are interested,

Wired Magazine recently did a 2 and a half hour long interview with Charlie Kaufman, who is known to be a bit shy, and maybe even a bit of a recluse, that is up for download on their website.

You should listen to it here if you care about being awesome in my book.

We get the trailer and poster for upcoming movie Inkheart starring Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany and Helen Mirren, and Andy Serkis opens in theaters January 9, 2009!

As per IMDB, Inkheart's plot is as follows, A young girl discovers her father has an amazing talent to bring characters out of their books and must try to stop a freed villain from destroying them all, with the help of her father, her aunt, and a storybook's hero.



The poster is pretty sweet, standard, but sweet, and the trailer looks pretty awesome, but is also a bit difficult to follow exactly what happens. I look forward to most fantasy films and this one seems to be shaping up nicely

To get you hyped for Oscar season I have compiled trailers from four different movies that are receiving Oscar buzz.

First we have Australia...

I think SX0T posted this trailer a while back but I thought it would be nice post it again so its fresh in everyone's mind. I think the movie looks like its going to be triumphant. It also looks like some sort of Gone With The Wind. You may be asking yourself "How can Derek be excited for something like Gone With The Wind, he hates that movie?" Well, I don't know. Maybe because its modern and will benefit from today's technology. Maybe its because I am familiar with the work of the actors who play in the film. Maybe it's because I'm curious to see a movie about Australia. Maybe I hate Gone With The Wind because I saw it when I was in High school and I need to watch it again because I might like it the second time around (doubt it). Look, I'm just excited to see it.


Second is Changeling...

Based on the trailers, I think Changeling, Australia, and Milk (you can find the Milk trailer here) may be the strongest contenders I've seen. If I had to pick one for best picture based on the trailers I'd pick Changeling based solely on the fact that Jolie says "Illinois." REPRESENT!
Could this be the Best Actress year for Angelina Jolie?
Is Clint Eastwood a Zombie?


Here we have Revolutionary Road along with an intro by ET and voice over material that I wish ET would quit doing when they show their exclusives...

I'm just glad to see Kate and Leo back together again. Will this be Kate's 6th Oscar Nomination?


And Finally, we have The Soloist...

Even though Robert Downey Jr. is the man, Jamie Foxx won an Oscar, and the music will most likely rule in this movie, I'm not looking overly forward to it as much as I am the others. Which is a good thing! With all the buzz surrounding it, it must have something going for it, so I'm sure I will be pleasantly surprised when I see it. I guess my problem is seeing famous people play street people. It's really hard for me to believe in them. I feel that way with Robin Williams in The Fisher King. But who knows, maybe Jamie can make it work for me.

Ron Howard's new movie Frost/Nixon has been getting quite a bit of Oscar buzz, and since we love Oscar Season here at Rewind & Adjust I thought I'd give you a look at the trailer.



I think the trailer starts off strong, gets a little weak and then gains steam again once Baba O'Riley by The Who starts playing. I'm looking forward to see how the Academy responds to the movie. Plus I love playing "Where's Clint Howard" while watching Ron Howard films. Look for him in the trailer.

Here's a clip of the real Nixon spouting some genius.

Harold Ramis gives Chicago Tribune's Pop Machine the skinny on Ghostbusters 3 through an E-Mail.

Here's what he said...

yes, columbia is developing a script for GB3 with my year one writing partners, gene stupnitsky and lee eisenberg. judd apatow is co-producing year one and has made several other films for sony, so of course the studio is hoping to tap into some of the same acting talent. aykroyd, ivan reitman and i are consulting at this point, and according to dan, bill murray is willing to be involved on some level. he did record his dialogue for the new ghostbusters video game, as did danny and i, and ernie hudson. the concept is that the old ghostbusters would appear in the film in some mentor capacity. not much else to say at this point. everyone is confident a decent script can be written and i guess we'll take it from there.
best,
harold

This sounds great! and knowing this is coming from an actual Ghostbuster makes it even better news. I'm glad to hear that Murray is interested. He was the only one I was skeptical about whether or not he would come back. It at least sounds as if he is willing to participate in some way. I still think, however, if they throw new guys into the mix they have to make sure that it's the original cast who saves the day in the end. I'm cool with the new guys being there helping the original Ghostbusters save the day, but I feel the final battle needs to be finished by the original Ghostbusters. After all they have the knowledge and the experience on their side.

If you missed it from my earlier post, This is how I would write the movie if I was given a shot to do so...

The original Ghostbusters have retired because they have cleansed the city by catching all the bad ghosts. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, something terrible comes, for now lets say its Satan (Satan isn't a ghost so that might be a bad idea, im just using him as a name for the evil force in my plot synopsis). They realize they are too old to take on Satan and they hire young guys for help (Frat pack or Judd Apatow's crew). The young guys do pretty well putting up a fight and catching the petty henchmen of the terrible evil force. When it comes to Satan they don’t have the knowledge or experience to do it on their own. The original cast suits up to bail out the young guns. The original team and new busters bust the unstoppable evil force together with the help of Louis Tully (Rick Moranis). I thin someone should die in the process of the story and joins the team as a ghost. Maybe a new guy.

If they don't kill off a new guy, maybe one of the original cast members is already dead and a ghost from the start of the film working as a Ghostbuster. Murray would do well in this role. Think about it, so many "I'm dead" jokes.

Ray Parker Jr. needs to return with a slightly updated version of the Ghostbusters theme.

I have been a big fan of Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain) for quite some time. When I found out he was doing a film that wasn't written by him, as the others were, I was interested. When I found out it was about a washed up wrestler to be played by Mickey Rourke, I was even more interested. Now that the film has been screened a few times, it seems that Aronofsky knocked it out of the park with a very true story about a very true person (interesting how Mickey's career almost mimics that of the character of the film). Here are some things being said about the film:

Here is a small excerpt from Variety’s review: “Talk about comebacks. After many years in the wilderness and being considered MIA professionally, Mickey Rourke, just like the washed-up character he plays, attempts a return to the big show in “The Wrestler.” Not only does he pull it off, but Rourke creates a galvanizing, humorous, deeply moving portrait that instantly takes its place among the great, iconic screen performances. An elemental story simply and brilliantly told, Darren Aronofsky’s fourth feature is a winner from every possible angle, although it will require deft handling by a smart distributor to overcome public preconceptions about Rourke, the subject matter and the nature of the film.”

The Hollywood Reporter: “Rourke dispenses with all vanity to plumb the depths of this well-meaning but severely damaged man. Tomei delivers one of her most arresting performances, again without any trace of vanity. Wood’s part is smaller, but she captures the scalding anger of a woman neglected for most of her life.”

AICN: “Brooklyn-bred Darren Aronofsky has gone to New Jersey and made his NEBRASKA. As spare and haunting as Bruce Springsteen’s acoustic masterwork, Aronofsky’s THE WRESTLER is less reinvention than refinement: the relentless self-destruction of mind and body depicted in PI and REQUIEM FOR A DREAM has merged with THE FOUNTAIN’s search for spiritual grace, while his audacious technique has been abandoned for a naturalistic approach that recalls the independent American cinema of the 1970s and 80s. This mostly suits Robert Siegel’s straightforward narrative of a past-his-prime professional wrestler’s fumble for redemption, but it emphatically agrees with Mickey Rourke, who owns the film as the breaking-down Randy “The Ram” Robinson.”

Here also is a video that has some footage as well as some bits of conversation with Aronofsky and Rourke.


Interesting.

Great news! It looks like we may be getting closer to a Ghostbusters sequel with Office writers Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg penning the project.

We get this from Yahoo! News...

The studio has recruited "The Office" writer-producers to work on a new installment of the 1980s franchise that starred Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Harold Ramis as bumbling ghost-hunting scientists.

The original filmmakers, including director Ivan Reitman, and cast are aware of the project and involved in its development. Some original cast members might be involved, but not in central roles.

Stupnitsky and Eisenberg, who are nominated for an Emmy for the NBC sitcom "The Office," already have the support of one Ghostbuster in Ramis. The duo penned with Ramis the biblical comedy "Year One," which is produced by Judd Apatow and directed by Ramis, and scheduled for release in 2009 by Sony.


The fact that something is at least being written is great news. Now all we need is for the script to be written right! I think the only way to do it right is to make the original cast central figures in the movie.

This is how I would do it, This is my Ghostbusters 3...

The original Ghostbusters have retired because they have cleansed the city by catching all the bad ghosts. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, something terrible comes, for now lets say its Satan (Satan isn't a ghost so that might be a bad idea, im just using him as a name for the evil force in my plot synopsis). They realize they are too old to take on Satan and they hire young guys for help (Frat pack or Judd Apatow's crew). The young guys do pretty well putting up a fight and catching the petty henchmen of the terrible evil force. When it comes to Satan they don’t have the knowledge or experience to do it on their own. The original cast suits up to bail out the young guns. The original team and new busters bust the unstoppable evil force together with the help of Louis Tully (Rick Moranis). I thin someone should die in the process of the story and joins the team as a ghost. Maybe a new guy.

If they don't kill off a new guy, maybe one of the original cast members is already dead and a ghost from the start of the film working as a Ghostbuster. Murray would do well in this role. Think about it, so many "I'm dead" jokes.

Ray Parker Jr. needs to return with a slightly updated version of the Ghostbusters theme.

what are some of your own ideas for a Ghostbusters 3?

We get the recent news courtesy of Nikki Finke over at deadlinehollywood.com that not only has director Sam Raimi, but also star Tobey Maguire signed on to do Spiderman 4 and 5.

Here's the good stuff,

...I'm told that both star Tobey Maguire and director Sam Raimi will be returning to make Zodiac screenwriter Jamie Vanderbilt's script of Spider-Man 4. Sources tell me that Sony has recently locked in both veterans of Spider-Man 1 through 3...

...There's no deal yet for Kirsten Dunst but Mary Jane Watson will be featured. I'm told Sony "would never recast her" despite her rehab problems...

...Sony is taking its time officially hiring the movie's villain since principal photography doesn't start on Spider-Man 4 until next fall because of the recently postponed May 2011 release. I am told, however, that "once you find out who the villain is, you'll know who's playing it..."

...I'm also told that, right now, the studio is trying to figure out if it can feasibly shoot Spider-Man 4 and 5 at the same time because doing that is so cost effective and "it wasn't so easy to get everybody back together"...

Derek and I are some of the what seem to be few people that are pumped about this. I admit that Spiderman 3 was a bit of a let down, but I also think that if the studio truly lets Raimi do what he wants again with this film that it can be brought back up to the same par as the first two films. I have much faith in Sam Raimi and wouldn't want to see anyone else other than Tobey play Spiderman. This is franchise I have grown to love even if the last film let me down a bit. Also, judging from what was said, it looks like The Lizard will probably be the main enemy of this film if I were to guess correctly. Dr. Curt Connors (human Lizard) has already made his appearance multiple times played by Dylan Baker and it was said that "once you find out who the villain is, you'll know who's playing it..." which is what leads me to believe this. Until more news develops, I'll just continue to be stoked that this is happening under the terms that I am excited by.

This is one SX0T and I have been looking forward to. We aren't gay or anything. Not that there's anything wrong with that. We just love Oscar season and this looks like a definite Oscar contender. Plus Scott is one of the biggest Gus Van Sant fans I know. Plus we both like James Franco's work.

Here it is. The trailer for Milk...

The news of Don LaFontaine passing away has been buzzing around the internet for a about a day now. He died Sept. 1st at age 68 from lung complications. Let me tell you, this is some sad news. The man hyped me up for an endless amount of summer blockbusters. He was the guy who peer pressured audiences into going to the movies. He was a great man with a great voice.

Here is one of my favorite clips featuring Don LaFontaine. The video also includes other famous voice over artists...


And who could forget Pablo Francisco's impressions of Don...

Here's the juicy bits

“A director approached me about three months ago,” Millar said. “and he said ‘look, [Bryan Singer's] The Man Of Steel might not be happening. If that doesn’t happen, it has been spoken about the possibility of me coming in, would you like to write it?’ And I was like Yeah.”

“I’ve had this plan for like 10 years for a big three-picture Superman thing, like a big Lord of the Rings epic, starting over from scratch again with a seven-hour Superman story. And hopefully release them one year after another,” continued Millar. “If it works out, we’ll have to start shooting next summer.”

He also talks about Matthew Vaughn, who will direct Millar's Kick Ass, as already raised about 70 million dollars (previously a 30 million dollar budget for the film was reported).

I must say, Millar is an EXCELLENT writer and if anyone should get Superman, I think he deserves a shot (although I'm still rather sour that Singer/Routh won't be given another shot).

I also think that a 3 film epic is what Superman needs. Let's cross our fingers for pure awesomeness. Check out the interview below.

After all the struggles this film has recently been through with the review boards to get an R rating rather than the NC-17 one that it was given at first, it is nice to see that a Red Band has been released to give us a better taste of what the film has to offer.



I think that this trailer is weaker than the teaser that got taken down a while back. It still seems pretty decent, and I'm still kind of shocked this film is getting made. It is also great to see some of the other "View Askewniverse" actors (NOT CHARACTERS) returning for cameo (or maybe more) roles. I have pretty high hopes for this film, but we'll just have to wait and see what it can truly offer.

The full new Max Payne trailer has made it's way online.

20th Century Fox has revealed the full new trailer for Mark Wahlberg's action-thriller Max Payne, opening in theaters on October 17. Directed by John Moore, the video game adaptation co-stars Mila Kunis, Beau Bridges, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges and Olga Kurylenko.

Wahlberg plays maverick cop Max Payne who is hell-bent on revenge against those responsible for the brutal murder of his family and partner. His obsessive investigation takes him on a nightmarish journey into a dark underworld. As the mystery deepens, Max is forced to battle enemies beyond the natural world and face an unthinkable betrayal.


Quite a few people seem to be raving about Max Payne and feel that it may be the first successful and dare I say, good video game film (I'm kind of a fan of Resident Evil, but then again, I love zombies so I may be a bit biased). I think that the trailer looks good, but I also think it suffers from one major flaw - it still feels like a video game movie. Until video games that are turned into movies ACTUALLY convince me that I am watching a movie and not a video game adaptation, they will never work.

According to Latino Review,

Relativity Media is now backing the property with a more moderate budget, utilizing the type of cost-effective technology employed in films like 300. A director was going to be attached in a week.

Now, Latino Review has learned that Max Makowski will take on the directing duties for the project, which was written by Justin Marks.

Makowski directed 2005's One Last Dance, rewrote the screenplay for the Hawaii Five-O feature, and is attached to the direct the big screen adaptation of 1970s TV series Kung Fu and the Shinobi remake.

Voltron: Defender of the Universe is described as a post-apocalyptic tale set in New York City and Mexico, where five survivors of an alien attack band together and end up piloting the five lion-shaped robots that combine and form the massive sword-wielding Voltron that helps battle Earth's invaders. It is based on the popular 1980s Japanese animated TV series, comic books and toy line.


I was a bit worried about Voltron at first. I have always been a Voltron fan but was a bit worried that if not given the proper budget and respect it may come off as a ripoff Transformers for those who aren't familiar with the franchise. If they give the film a big enough budget, good actors and some sweet technology it would be possible that it could be a very respectable film. Now let's just hope they handle the source material with respect.

After the recent news of the next Harry Potter film shifting release dates - tons more films will follow suit to readjust their schedule as not to open against Harry Potter. Now, we hear that because Quantum of Solace moved, it is causing Australia to move it's release date as well.

Variety says that Fox has decided to move Baz Luhrmann's Australia, starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman, away from the recently moved Quantum of Solace. The studio will go out with the pic in North America on November 26 instead of the previously planned November 14.

All this shifting is going to get messy, but when the end of the day comes, SOMEBODY is going to have to open against Harry Potter - right now it's looking like it will be Four Christmases and Transporter 3.

I find this matter of shifting films around quite an interesting business to make sure that you are releasing a film at the proper time. Many films have been complete success stories or have been destroyed just by when a film chose to open and who it was against.

NEXT AVENGERS: HEROES OF TOMORROW comes to DVD on September 2! Check out a "Making of" video plus concept art from the show below!

Previously known as Avengers Reborn, NEXT AVENGERS follows the children of the Avengers (the son of the Black Widow and Captain America, the son of the Wasp and Giant-Man, the son of the Black Panther and Storm, Thor's daughter, and Hawkeye's son) join Iron Man and the Hulk to combat Ultron.

This, is according to Marvel, the fifth film in the "Marvel Animated Features" is what they are calling it. (To my knowledge, this includes, Ultimate Avengers, Ultimate Avengers II, Invincible Iron Man, and Doctor Strange).

I haven't seen any of these, but have heard mixed reviews of some of them. Derek has seen a few of them and maybe he will have something to add to this post about the movies (from what I remember he likes Ultimate Avengers but HATES Invincible Iron Man).

I really wish Marvel would just get on the ball about these animated things and release some high quality animated films, because this looks like garbage. Check out the trailer below.



Maybe I'm just jealous that I'm not Hawkeye or Captain America's son.

Check out trailers for other Marvel animated business over at Marvel.com

New poster for Ridley Scott's upcoming Body of Lies.



The poster is little bit standard. Not much that we haven't seen before - and actually, Leo looks a bit plastic on the poster - kinda Ken doll-ish. I'm pretty excited for the film actually. I wasn't a huge fan of Scott's last directorial effort, American Gangster, but the man also has some great films under his belt (Gladiator, Alien, Matchstick Men, Black Hawk Down etc.) I am also excited for his next effort, Nottingham. Russell Crowe is, as I have said, one of the most talented actors we have right now (one of...not THE MOST). And I am a huge Leo fan so I will definitely be checking this film out.

Hello Readers,

SX0T and I are sorry for being away for a while. As you may know the two of us are currently engaged in earning our Master of Fine Arts degree, and its a busy job. Plus SX0T is currently in a month long stay at my place which means all we are doing is watching movies and talking about them, so it gets a little difficult to get to the important things like posting about movies on our blog. Plus the news about the Superman reboot has caused me to slip into a major depression and wallow in a bed of misery. (Expect a post about my feelings on that issue in the near future).

Regardless, here is a video showing some filming action for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen featuring the Transformers.

This is an old trailer that has been out for a while, but I thought I'd share because I really enjoy it. It is called Brothers Bloom. Not much to say about it - it kind of remind me a bit of a Wes Anderson film but with a different sort of quirkiness behind it. Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo usually rock the house, so it should be entertaining.

I just got wind of the trailer for the upcoming "sequel" if you want to call it that, for a relatively unknown film that came out a while ago called Paris, je t'aime. If you haven't seen Paris - it is a film in which a whole bunch of iconic directors wrote and directed small stories about love in the city of love. It had about 1 billion famous people in it and lots of different styles. (I thought parts of the film were excellent and other parts, not so much, but still a fun journey).

In any case, there is now going to be a thematic sequel about New York City done in the same fashion. Numerous directors and about 5 billion famous people. Among the interesting directors are Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, and Brett Ratner. Interesting. In any case - here's the trailer and let's hope it's good.

Been away for a bit (just been slacking a bit actually). I have seen some new Australia posters.





What I really like about this film is the entire vision behind it. The trailer, the colors, the look. They all feel so "Hollywood during the Golden Age". It really makes me have a sort of respect and high regard for the old Hollywood. These posters just top that feeling off. I especially like the fact that they have this little logo in the bottom corner that is just the A and Australia. The film so far looks different from Baz's other films, but I think this is really great. I hope that just like he made his "Red Curtain Trilogy" that all had a similar feel - I hope he makes a new trilogy of films that all have this old Hollywood epic feel. That would be pretty exciting.

Just in case anyone missed the trailer for Appaloosa here is.


I'm basically posting this because my Step Dad is a huge Western fan. Give him the title to any spaghetti western and he'll give you a quote. This movie looks interesting to me. We haven't seen to many good Westerns lately. 3:10 to Yuma and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford have paved the way for Westerns to have a strong come back. While movies like Seraphim Falls and The Missing have let me down, I am starting to see a light for Westerns with future movies like Appaloosa and Australia . Plus my Cousins band is named Appaloosa

I just had a chance to see a screening of American Teen, the new documentary about high school students in a small town in Indiana by Nanette Burstein, most well known for directing 2002's film festival highlight called The Kid Stays in the Picture. The film follows the stereotypical cliques of high school, jock, geek, rebel, princess - you know...The Breakfast Club. Was it more than just a Breakfast Club knockoff? Sure. Was it worth a watch? Absolutely.

The Awesome

This film is more than just a Breakfast Club ripoff. If you have any memory of high school, you will most likely identify with this documentary. You will feel for some, if not all of the characters at some point during the film. The film does an excellent job of providing characters that are interesting and fun to watch. High School at times can seem so trivial to someone that is past it, but for some reason you want to watch what happens to all of these people.

The film also has a fair amount of humor to back it up. I found myself laughing out loud a few times during the film. Sometimes with the characters, sometimes at them. It's no Judd Apatow production in terms of laughs, but it helps and makes the film a little more fun to watch. This movie has heart - that's for damn sure.

The Not So Awesome

The movie pretty much IS The Breakfast Club, so minus some points for not being as awesome. There are some animation things that take place every once and a while that feel completely unnecessary and out of place. I really don't know why the little animations were in the film. They just distracted me. The film has a certain MTV quality that will surely turn off documentary purists. This could be seen as a negative, or a positive.

These next few comments are not really negatives, more neutrals. Things that could be seen as good or bad depending on who is viewing the film. If you are looking for some sort of social commentary or for the "secret life of high schoolers" to be exposed here. You won't find it. It is simply an honest look at what it is to be a teenager. Not trying to make them look bad or good. It feels like a super long episode of MTV's Made that features 5 or 6 characters. And while this may be offputting to some, it seemed to work for this film.

Another thing that bothered me slightly was the fact that the "rebel/outcast" girl seemed to be the central character of the film. While she certainly was the most interesting of the characters, I couldn't help but think the filmmaker spent more time on her character simply because of some sort of "artistic" connection to a story such as hers (hates her small town, likes art, wants to go to Cali to be a filmmaker).

There is also word floating around that much of the film was staged, ala Laguna Beach/The Hills or whatever the hell those shows are. If this is the case, I'm sorely disappointed that the makers of this documentary went to those lengths for a story, but until I hear otherwise, I'll just take this as rumors.

OVERALL

Overall I think that this film is an important addition to the documentary genre, even if a little shallow in terms of it's social impact. It was enjoyable to watch with highly relative characters that were easy to relate to (even though they graduated something like 4-5 years after I did). The film has it's small share of issues, but if they can be ignored for the enjoyment of the film, they are things that can easily be overlooked. I've seen better, but I also left smiling. In this media obsessed world we live in, it must have been difficult to get some true emotion out of these students who are ever aware of the present camera. And they do. At times you can see they are faking for the camera, but the moments that slip through that and some the real side are the moments that count. Overall I would give this film a 7 out of 10.

As a side note, I really hate the marketing for this film. They decided to go with a spoof of The Breakfast Club poster. There is actually a really great yellow poster (which I am having trouble finding a good picture of because they stopped using it for marketing) - but instead they are doing this dumb Breakfast Club spoof poster. All this says to me is "we have no faith in our film and need to attach it to something respectable" what a shame.