Ummmm. I’m hoping this isn’t some sort of sick joke.
The folks at the very reliable MarketSaw have insider news that Peter Jackson has not only signed up to direct the long debated The Hobbit but that the story will actually be broken up into two parts. If that’s not enough, there’s also news that both films will be shot in 3D. Need more? Apparently New Line and Jackson will also be converting the Lord of the Rings trilogy into 3D for re-release in theaters between 2012 and 2014.
I’m not quite sure what to make of all this. Jim over at MarketSaw has always been very good with his news and I can’t imagine him posting this if it wasn’t true but I find it extremely difficult to believe that Jackson and New Line have buried the axe so quickly when, it seems like just months ago, they were at each other’s throats.
No mention on whether this will be live action, motion capture or animation though my money is on live action, especially if they intend on tying the second of the movies with LoTR but we’ll have to wait and see. I assume the studio will be making the big announcement soon.
OK. So maybe this isn’t completely movie related but it does involved one of those directors that around here, is highly regarded.
Michel Gondry is currently working on a music video for Björk’s “Declare Independence” and the guys over at Paste dug up a behind the scenes video for our viewing pleasure. In the short clip (it’s only about 5 minutes long), Gondry talks about what it’s like to work with Björk, how he approached the project and you get a cool look at the video. All in all, not a bad way to kill a few minutes on a Friday afternoon. Enjoy!
One of the things that pisses me off most is when I call (insert company name here) and I get some guy (or girl) who’s obviously not in the same country never mind who speaks the same language. I put blame on the (company) for outsourcing the jobs to people who may not be qualified to deal with the problems which are coming up and though I sometimes get angry at those poor folks thousands of miles away I do, in the back of my head, know that they’re just doing their job. But in the heat of the moment, I can’t help but flare.
And then someone comes along and makes a comedy about the whole experience – from the other side of the phone line. Outsourced sees a typical office dude’s job being outsourced to India and to make matters worse, he’s sent out there to train his replacement. Craziness ensues, he finds himself and falls in love, The End. But it still looks damned funny and this was one of the films they kept adding screenings for at VIFF – Vancouverites simply couldn’t get enough.
We in the third row, make it our credo to sort of avoid the big budget, special effects movies that lack any true depth. Sometimes however, we can’t help but excited about certain things… or at least I do. Case in point, one of the movies that I’m realy looking forward to this holiday season is I Am Legend. Apocalypic stuff is most definitely on my favorite genre list. Big budget, well done, apocalyptic stuff is even better. The marketing thus far has intrigued and impressed me and today I’m even more impressed.
Up until now, we’ve known Will Smith’s character is all alone in New York City and it appears no one is left… except for some blood thirsty vampires. All of the marketing has revolved around NYC. Well I found some banners today that broaden the scope of the apocalyptic devastation. Each banner showing images of various cities aorund the globe. Damn cool.
Click any of the image for a hi-res version:
Hong Kong:
London:
Lisbon:
Sydney:
Paris:
Madrid:
Tokyo:
Osaka:
Reykjavik:
I Am Legend opens in wide release on December 14th
SOURCE: Movie Poster Addict
This Saturday night, according to New Line Cinema, special, sneak previews of their fantasy/adventure film, The Golden Compass, will be screening in 800 theaters nationwide. The film’s official release date is not until next Friday, December 7th.
Based on author Philip Pullman’s bestselling novel, The Golden Compass tells the first story in the “His Dark Materials” trilogy. An exciting fantasy adventure, the film is set in an alternative world populated by talking bears who fight wars, witches, Gyptians, and daemons. In the world of The Golden Compass, a person’s soul lives on the outside of their body in the form of a daemon, an animal spirit that accompanies them through life. At the center of the story is Lyra (played by newcomer Dakota Blue Richards), a 12-year-old girl who starts out trying to rescue a friend — and winds up on an epic quest to save not only her world, but ours as well.
Oh dear god. If you want to see me get squealing excited for a movie this is certainly the way to go about it.
When Neil Jordan’ Interview With a Vampire came out in 1994, I was at the peak of my Anne Rice obsession. I’d discovered “Interview with a Vampire” a few years before and had been devouring her catalog like it was the only sustenance that would keep me alive. I was young but not so young that I couldn’t appreciate the richness of language and character that she brought to her books. That all changed a few years later but in ’94, I was in heaven.
I went opening night. I clearly remember not being allowed into the movie (I was 15) but I’d started a good conversation with a much older lady in line and she was kind enough to be my guardian for the night. And it was a glorious night. From the opening credit sequence with the soaring music to the closing scene on the bridge, it was and continues to be one of my favourite films.
The follow up, 2002’s Queen of the Damned, wasn’t nearly as good, in all honesty it was pretty damned bad, and I’d pretty much given up all hope of ever seeing another big screen adaptation of Rice’s vampire saga.
But this morning, the guys over at Bloody Disgusting posted a rumour that United Artists is looking to buy the rights to the fourth entry into Lestat’s saga “Tale of the Body Thief”. Yes, it’s a rumour and as much as I’d like to hold off on getting excited until there’s confirmation or denial, I simply can’t help myself. The thought of seeing the story of Lestat trading bodies with a human is too good to pass up.
Documentaries aren’t my thing. Most of them start off interesting then lose me after about 30 minutes; or they try to shove some political agenda down my throat that I have no interest in listening to. Urban Explorers looks totally different though.
As the trailer opens, I thought, “oh God, here we go;” another movie about terrorist suspects who aren’t really terrorists and the homeland security and the FBI tortured them and blah blah blah. But no, it turns out these guys just sort of appear terrorist-like with all their bad ass equipment and supplies. This neat intro to the film makes these guys just that much more interesting. What I can gather from the trailer, is that these thrill seekers just explore abandoned mine shafts, construction yards, castles, sewers, etc. “Exploring our environment…anything that’s man made,” explains one explorer.
Check out the trailer below. I think it looks pretty wicked. Or interesting and fun if nothing else. Apparently I’m going to get a chance to see this next week some time, so I’ll drop back in with my review.
After the Credits Episode 01 - December 2007 Preview[ 42:34 | 0.01 MB ]Play Now | Play in Popup
Dale, Colleen and I look ahead to the films opening in the month of December. Not quite as crowded as I first thought but still a fairly busy holiday season.
No iTunes link yet, but if you go into iTunes, click “subscribe to podcast” and then enter in this URL: http://www.rowthree.com/category/podcast/feed, you will get all the Third Row Cinecasts through iTunes.
No doubt about it, Edward Norton has one of the finest minds in Hollywood today. While I admit I’m a little more than weary over his choice to star in The Incredible Hulk (although hey, he gets some credit for going in and taking over the script, right?), I’m glad that he has other promising projects lined up, like the political thriller State of Play (which it was just officially announced yesterday that Russell Crowe will replace Brad Pitt, if you haven’t heard). I’ve also been waiting eagerly over three years now for his adaptation of the detective drama Motherless Brooklyn to get off the ground, which he has been planning to direct himself.
I’m not entirely sure what’s holding up Motherless Brooklyn, but I know I’m going to have to wait even longer for it, because I found out today browsing Coming Soon that Edward Norton is going to star in and direct a comedy titled Leaves of Grass that will also have his Hulk co-star Tim Blake Nelson in it. In the film, Norton will play two characters that are twin brothers. The one is a bright philosophy professor and the other is a career criminal who gets his straight-laced brother mixed up with some “murderous potheads.”
Well… I love the idea of Norton playing two very different characters in the film. If nothing else, I’m sure his brilliance will be even more apparent when the two very different Nortons are acting on the screen at the same time. You might remember that the only other time he was in the director’s chair was with another comedy, Keeping the Faith, which was an above-average comedy, but one I still felt was a little lacking and below what I like to think Norton is capable of as a director. Acting-wise, he has no problem with the comedy thing though, that’s for sure, and I am glad that he is willing to take on such risky and diverse projects.
Really though, Norton can’t seem to do much wrong so I’ll always keep my faith in him until he gives me a reason not to. Yeah, there was The Italian Job, which sucked pretty bad, but I give him a pass because he had to fulfill a contract he signed with the studio from back when he did Primal Fear. He gets a free pass for The Score too, which oddly enough I enjoyed for Norton’s hilariously great work, because who in their right mind wouldn’t sign on for a film that already had De Niro and Brando aboard? A sane man wouldn’t even need to read the script first. I’ve enjoyed all of his other films (yes, even the widely debated Ratner infested Red Dragon), many of them being among my very favorites, and the man just lights up the screen every time he’s on it. He’s one of those actors that are just on a completely different level.
Which is why I’ll be keeping my eye on Leaves of Grass like a hawk, which begins shooting this March in New Orleans.
In a recent Time Magazine article, the elusive Cormac McCarthy and the Coen Brothers sat down for a little chat. At one point in the conversation, McCarthy praises The Coen’s 1990 Miller’s Crossing by saying simply “I don’t want to embarrass you, but that’s just a very, very fine movie.” To which Joel Coen replies, “Eh, it’s just a damn rip-off.” And McCarthy concludes, “No, I didn’t say it wasn’t a rip-off. I understand it’s a rip-off. I’m just saying it’s good.” A pastiche of modern and classic gangster conventions, film noir and even Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo set to the rhythm of the Coen’s mighty gift for good gab, to say there is a lot going on in Miller’s Crossing is a bit of an understatement. Story, characters, production and cinematography are all spot on. The feather in the cap, however, is how almost every scene has touches that amp things up to 11 without spoiling the flow, feel or texture of the film. Along with the ridiculously quotable dialogue (“Now take your flunky and dangle”), this becomes the essence of the film.
The scene which comes the closest to running the film off the rails, almost becoming a cartoon (It’s operatic and silly in the way the Warner Brother’s Looney Tunes did Wagner), is one that sticks out on first viewing, but then becomes something that you just cannot help but look forward to on subsequent viewings.
Gang boss Leo, played by the great Albert Finney, who is a bit of a bumbler and a blowhard in the film up to this point, is ambushed in his mansion by two assassins as he settles down in his bed with a cigar. Noticing smoke coming up from the floor boards (the result of a slaying in another part of the house) he springs to action resulting in a vicious head shot of one of the killers (considering the constant hat motif in Miller’s Crossing, any head shot probably isn’t by accident). Seizing the dead mans Tommy Gun and diving out a window (still in his nightrobe), Leo opens up on the other assassin and fires and endless stream of bullets first at the man, then at the getaway car and driver. He just keeps firing and firing (and firing) until the car finally crashes and explodes. The whole scene plays like orchestrated slapstick with a gory grace note or two and Irish ballad “Danny Boy” crescendos on the soundtrack. But the thing that really and truly makes the scene own the screen is that all the gunplay and murder is for Leo like great sex (or it is just the thrill to be alive?) In a bit of movie-only foresight, just before the shooting must have started, Leo thoughtfully kept his extinguished cigar close at hand. At the end of the rumpus he produces it from his nightrobe and plants it in his mouth with pure satisfaction.
There are hundreds of moments, both large and small, in Miller’s Crossing worthy of comment and consideration, but the joyous lunacy of this sequence is a signature Coen Brothers invention. Hardly the rip-off that the brothers themselves self-deprecatingly consider it. Heck, Miller’s Crossing might just be the best American Film of the 1990′s *Wink Wink*
One of the films that keeps coming up in conversations of ‘best of the year’ is Cristian Mungiu’s Palm D’or winning 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days. There’s a reason for that too: it’s a fantastic film. Mungiu’s quietly controlled film is an intimate look at life in Romania during the closing years of Communist rule with particular focus on one woman’s struggle to help her best fiend.
By no means is this a happy film but it’s also not completely void of humour and Mungiu’s script walks a fine line between the two while his actors, particularly Anamaria Marinca in the lead role of Otilia, capture the essence of living in this place, at this time and under these circumstances.
There are no fancy camera angles or movements, no elaborate sets but this doesn’t mean that the film isn’t cinematic. Shot on location in Bucharest, everything about this film feels real – oh yes, this is cinéma vérité at its best.
This trailer is perhaps one of the best I’ve seen for the film. My only complaint is that it suggests that there is a mystery to the story which is in fact, not true. This is about as linear a narrative and as dramatic of a film as one could get yet, the way this trailer is edited, along with the music selection, reads mystery/thriller. Misleading, true, but the film is well worth a view and if this is what it takes to get people into theaters, so be it.
4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days is scheduled for limited release on January 25th. It’s a film I highly recommend but be warned, it was the difficult and emotionally draining film I’ve seen this year and yes I’ll see it again. It’s well worth a second look.
While most folks are getting prepared for the holiday season by making shopping lists and New Year’s resolutions, cinephiles the world over are making their own lists: best and worst of 2007. In lieu of resolution lists we start to make lists of films to watch out for in the year to come and what better place to start than with the first prestigious film festival of 2008: Sundance.
This year’s event will run January 17-27 and if you’re lucky enough to make the press cut or rich enough to make the trip, the upcoming festival lineup is looking rather amazing. The full line up can be found in the recent press release but below is a list of a few that caught our eye.
Steven Sebring’s documentary Patti Smith: Dream of Life sounds great because let’s face it, Patti Smith absolutely rocks. The Brits mark off another notch on the bedpost with Chris Waitt’s A Complete History of My Sexual Failures, a documentary which follows a ‘useless boyfriend’ through various steps that may, or may not, make him better boyfriend material. Sounds rather sad but it could make for fun viewing.
The other three documentaries to note are the Canadian entries which made the cut including Yung Chang’s Up the Yangtze which was very well received at VIFF, Isaac Isitan’s The Women of Brukman which chronicles the rise of working women from employees to business managers in a Argentinean clothing factory and Patrick Reed’s Triage: Dr. James Orbinski’s Humanitarian Dilemma which follows former Doctors Without Borders head Dr. James Orbinski on a trip to Africa and an exploration of what it means to be a humanitarian.
On the dramatic side of things we have a couple of great choices. Kurt and Jonathan are pretty excited about Clark Gregg’s adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s Choke starring Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly MacDonald and Brad Henke. Johan Renck’s Downloading Nancy with the fantastic Maria Bello and Rufus Sewell sounds like it could be interesting as does Geoff Haley’s The Last Word which is sporting one of my favourite underrated actors Wes Bentley, alongside Winona Ryder. Rawson Marshall Thurber’s The Mysteries of Pittsburgh doesn’t sound particularly appealing to me but it stars another of my favourites, Peter Sarsgaard with the wonderful Mena Suvari who’s been off the radar for a few years.
I know Andrew’s digging Christine Jeffs’ Sunshine Cleaning starring Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Steve Zahn and Alan Arkin and with that cast, I can’t say I blame him (not to mention that Jeffs was behind the fairly good Plath biopic Sylvia). And no, Andrew didn’t miss Paul Schneider’s Pretty Bird which sports his main man Paul Giamatti.
And that doesn’t even include a look at the World Cinema selections most of which sound like they could be hits.
If this Sundance line-up is any indication, we’re in for a great year of film. Let’s hope that’s the case because most major Hollywood releases aside, 2007 has been a fantastic year.
Ummmm. I’m hoping this isn’t some sort of sick joke.
