Director John Carpenter has referred to The Fog, his 1980 horror film, as a “learning experience”. “We shot the movie I wrote”, Carpenter explains, “finished it with the music and everything…and it didn’t work. I saw the completed movie and it was terrible. I had a movie that didn’t work, and I knew it in my heart.” At that point, Carpenter went back to Avco-Embassy, the production company financing the picture, and told them that he needed to re-shoot, re-cut and re-score a movie they were hoping to release in three months time. It was a bold move, yet Carpenter and his crew worked long and hard over the next three months, transforming The Fog into something the director felt was much more feasible. The result? A film that works…a film that scares the hell out of you…and a movie that I enjoyed immensely.
Antonio Bay, a California coastal town, is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary, but the planned festivities set to commemorate this centennial are threatened when the local priest, Father Malone (Hal Holbrook), uncovers his grandfather’s diary, detailing the true circumstances under which the town was founded. Exactly 100 years earlier, six conspirators caused the deaths of a ship full of lepers by luring them towards the shoreline with a campfire, where their vessel broke apart on the rocks, killing everyone aboard. It seems that one of the victims on this ship was the town’s leading citizen, a wealthy man with no descendants who had contracted leprosy, and whose money was then used to construct, among other things, the local church that still stands to this day. However, guilty consciences aren’t the only things that the townsfolk of Antonio Bay have to worry about, for a thick, threatening fog has also descended upon the community, one suggesting that the spirits of the lepers have risen from the sea, and are seeking their vengeance on the town’s current residents.
Before I go any further, I must confess that I’ve always been a sucker for sea-faring stories, especially ones that center on shipwrecks (as a kid, I would look in marvel at the Sindia, a 19th century merchant ship that ran aground on the beaches of Ocean City, New Jersey in 1901, and the remains of which were visible until finally sinking into the sand forever in the mid 1990’s). Then, throw a ghost story on top of it, like Carpenter does with The Fog, and you got me hook, line and sinker. So understand, right off the bat, that my opinions on The Fog may be a bit biased. That said, however, I had one hell of a good time with this movie.
Carpenter did such an expert job at constructing the final film that all traces of the problems with the original cut have been eliminated entirely. In fact, the thrills and frights of The Fog get under way pretty quickly, immediately dragging viewers to the edge of their seat and keeping them there for the duration. The Fog opens with Mr. Machen (John Houseman) telling the story of the shipwreck to a group of kids around a campfire (one of Carpenter’s ‘added’ scenes), explaining how, every year at that time, the crew rises from the depths, seeking the light that lured them to their doom. This is an effective pre-title sequence, yet is just the beginning. Once the clock strikes midnight, the entire town starts to go haywire. Car alarms sound for no reason, dogs bark uncontrollably, lights dim, and convenience store shelves rattle, all this occurring before the opening credits have even finished! These very first scenes are jarring, unexpected, and ultimately very effectual.
…And then the fog rolls in, releasing the fury of hell on Antonio Bay, the details of which I will leave for you to discover on your own. Do yourself a favor and follow this piece of advice: watch John Carpenter’s The Fog as soon as you can.
The next film in my stroll down Carpenter lane is one I’ve been anticipating since the beginning of this series: Escape from New York, starring Kurt Russell. Look for it on Row Three in two weeks time.
For those looking to be entertained by low-key horror films, along the same lines of the 1970s in the United states, there are some small gems out there for those who peer between the cracks of over-hyped do-over slush. The Strangers is one of those films, and I walked away from it quite impressed insofar as the film aims to scare, and it is scary, the film aims to be mean and it is mean. Is it looking to be profound in its cruelty, perhaps not along the lines of early George Romero, Wes Craven or even Bobby Clark, but it is well within the ballpark in the year 2008 when it feels like it has all be done before, and ripe to be done again. In fact, there is a fair bit of confusion going around as to whether or not The Strangers is in fact a remake of the French nail-biter Ils. I do not think it is officially, but this ain’t baseball and there are no proper record-keepers of such things. For all intents and purposes, The Strangers is a spiritual remake of Ils and it goes so far as to raise the bar a little on its foreign counterpart, something Hollywood horror films have seldom been able to do (although one nice little exception is Gore Verbinski’s The Ring which does a number of this better than its Japanese counterpart, even if it doesn’t quite nail the climax quite like Ringu does) The Strangers may get a little over-reliant on sound cues, and in one clear instance telegraphs the outcome of a scene well in advance, but a few points have to be given to it cold, black, nasty little heart, not only for seeing things through to the end (and a gooseflesh nod to De Palma), but exposing children, evangelical innocents, to the horror of needless violence. Usually teenage marketed tempests-in-a-pablum-teacup along the lines of Prom Night remake generally leaves the young-uns out of it. While I’m no fan of the goofy introductory text (appallingly read aloud by Mr. Movie Voice), the terrified voice of a 911 call from a couple of 10 year olds is a nice way to open (and later, close) the picture.
The Strangers even acts a feather soft allegory of the impotence of culture-of-fear America. Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler, the main characters set-up as an unhappy and frustrated couple who are awkwardly stuck in the middle a marriage proposal gone wrong arrive in the wee hours of the fading night into a borrowed cottage estate scattered with the sad luxuries of a failed reach for the evenings joy. Despite the wash of the evening and confusion as to what happens next, they nevertheless exercise a fair amount of due-diligence to the threat, in the form of anonymous pranks, magnified by the isolation of the geography, as it develops. It is hard to talk back to the screen for either of them doing foolish things, because they are both reasonable enough not too (they don’t). Fear does lead to a fair bit of unsure action, and one tragic over-reaction, but the film stays well-grounded and confident in its pacing throughout. And when daylight comes, then where are they? The film wisely maximizes its punch by leaving the both of them still in the quagmire. The bag on the head of one of the antagonists certainly is the faintest echo of 21st century America damned by its own reactions to terrorism. I am not exactly sure what to make of the female majority in the slasher-trio other than to say, that in one way or another, the feminist movement has come along in its own strange way and would be serial murderers have Eileen Wuornos to guide them through the twilight of their bloody virginity. I could be just spinning my wheels here however. Gender issues certainly not being on this films mind.
That The Strangers is pretty lean and mean -serious even- enough that I’m willing to give it some allegorical due. It is a fair stretch ahead of over-produced dreck like 1408 to be sure (note the lack of any required computer trickery in this one). It is not as arch and distant (and angry) as Michael Haneke’s Funny Games US, in fact Haneke was in part attacking this kind of entertainment, but if there has to be a successor to Last House on the Left, we could do a lot worse than The Strangers. Evil, even of the senseless and unfathomable should lurk in the back of the brain during a good slasher film, and it is pulled off here with a fair bit of aplomb (albeit a kind that occasionally mugs for the camera over any sort of realism.
The iconography of the charming dollfaces and sneering scarecrow-esque masks at least lets The Strangers earn its place at the table with some of the slashers of the late 1970s, early 1980s. This one may not quite pack the emotional punch of Spain’s The Orphanage (which curiously shares the central image of the rucksack mask and a penchant for the occasional jump-scare) or the immediacy and 9/11 aesthetic of [*REC], but how weird is it that a little horror film like this could beat the pants of Spielberg’s last film? Really, who saw that one coming?
On a final note, some of the top shelf international fare may have a slight edge on The Strangers, but if America can pump out a few studio horror pictures along the lines of this one as well as last years P2 and Vacancy, small entertainments that retain a measure of Hollywood slick, but still delivering the evil and anxiety, there is some hope for better things to come along in the genre.
A few months back I posted the first of a three part documentary called The Goblin Man of Norway. At the time, there was some discussion as to what exactly this was, a real documentary or simply a viral video to help sell the upcoming video game “Too Human”. Regardless of what it is, the first part made for awesome film viewing and I’ve been eagerly anticipating the second part of the short film. So much so that the husband thinks I’m obsessed because I’ve been checking the XBox Marketplace weekly for months, awaiting the release of the second installment but go figure, it’s popped up online first.
I’ve taken the liberty of cutting out the developer’s diary bit at the beginning and am sharing only the film footage. If you’re interested in seeing the entire thing, be sure to head over to Game Trailers. Otherwise, check out the first part of the film here and then take a look at part two below.
Director: Bryan Bertino Writer: Bryan Bertino Producers: Nathan Kahane, Doug Davison, Roy Lee Starring: Scott Speedman, Liv Tyler, Gemma Ward, Kip Weeks, Laura Margolis, Glenn Howerton MPAA Rating: R Running time: 90 min
I read somewhere recently that the director and studio for The Strangers are claiming that their film is not a remake of the French horror film from 2006, Ils (Them). While I suppose that’s believable, I find it hard to believe that this recent story wasn’t at least inspired by the French version as the similarities are uncanny; but work equally as effectively, maybe ever more so, than the original.
The story is simple enough: James (Speedman) and Kristin (Tyler) have returned to his parent’s secluded getaway retreat for the evening after a friend’s wedding reception. The couple has just begun to settle in for the night when there comes a strange knock at the door. It’s 4am, so obviously suspicious is the young couple. They find a girl there looking for her friend. After turning the girl away, James makes a run for some cigarettes while Kristin stays home to warm herself by the fire. Soon, more pounding on the door and strange, loud noises are all around the house which of course scares the pants off Kristin and the audience. Soon, people with masks can be seen hiding among the shadows within the house and writing creepy little messages and moving objects, etc. What these crazy people want is vague and their motivation for what they’re doing is unknown, but they basically spend a little over an hour of our time scaring the crap out of us.
Here’s the first official photo from The Soloist, which I snagged over at USA Today. The film, which hits theatres November 21, tells the true story of L.A. Times journalist Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) who discovers a schizophrenic homeless musical prodigy (Jamie Foxx).
Of the role, Downey Jr. said, “I’ve loved every part of Iron Man, but the last thing you want is to be seen as that guy, who just does that role.”
A smart and obvious move for the man, especially since with Iron Man he’s been introduced to millions of people that have probably never really known who he was before.
I’m thinking The Soloist could make some noise at the awards shows. It’s opening in the midst of Oscar season, it’s directed by Joe Wright who directed the seven Oscar-nominated Atonement, and it seems like it’s a story that awards-voters will just eat up. Regardless, as always, I just look forward to seeing RDJ on the big screen again.
Without knowing the truth, I would likely have thought this film was actually made in the 1970s Blaxploitation boom so authentic is the re-creation. While I think Deathproof brought a lot more to the table than simple homage to a niche genre and Planet Terror placed too much emphasis on the technical and SFX side, if what you were looking for in last years Grindhouse was a loving recreation of the real thing, well then, (via Todd over at Twitch) here is the trailer for Scott SandersBLACK DYNAMITE starring DTV mainstay Michael Jai White. Fans of the genre (a dabbler in it myself, personally enjoying Roundtree, Gunn, Grier and Haig whenever on screen during that time) will be smiling from ear to ear. I want this on a double bill with a full movie version of Hobo With A Shotgun.
This one could really be accused and rightfully so of ripping on an other director’s style. I still remember enjoying at the time but I was really into this style of movie for a while till I realized everyone was just doing copycat work.
This is your dick and poop joke warning. View Askew’s Zack & Miri Make a Porno trailer has gone up over at QuickStop. Well, definitely a teaser here, as it is Seth Rogan and Elizabeth Banks doing some casting. This gimmick is highly reminiscent of the original Trailer Park Boys movie teaser, but for what it sets out to do, it does so quite well; even as this stuff will be quite familiar to fans of Kevin Smith and his Jersey Quadrilogy (Clerks, Clerks II, Mallrats, Chasing Amy). So will this be better than The Amateurs? Time will tell.
Word comes this morning that comedian Harvey Korman, a staple of television and film, has died at the age of 81.
One of my earliest cinematic obsessions was Mel Brooks films…I loved them all, and Harvey Korman was a Brooks regular, usually playing a slightly villainous foil, yet one who ultimately didn’t have what it took to be truly evil. His Hedley Lamaar in Blazing Saddles is his best-known Brooks role, but I also enjoyed him in High Anxiety and History of the World, Part 1.
Of course, Korman’s primary outlet was television. He was a regular cast member of the long-running Carol Burnett Show, and even had a show of his own, The Harvey Korman Show (though it only ran for three episodes).
Director: Tom Kalin (Swoon) Writers: Howard A. Rodman Producers: Pamela Koffler, Iker Monfort, Katie Roumel, Christine Vachon Starring: Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane, Eddie Redmayne, Unax Ugalde, Belén Rueda MPAA Rating: NR Running time: 97 min
The story of Barbara Daly Baekeland is a sad one. A model and would be Hollywood star, she married into the Bakelite plastic fortune and a life of wealth and security but money did little to hide the sour center and Barbara’s life ended suddenly and quite shockingly at the hands of her son. One would think that a story loaded with sex, incest, social prowess and murder would be shocking and perhaps a little disturbing but unfortunately, Tom Kalin’s film is none of those things.
Adapted from the non-fiction book by Natalie Robins and Steven M. L. Aronson, Savage Grace starts off shortly after the birth of Barbara’s son Tony and immediately one knows things aren’t quite right in the household. In the opening scene, Barbara and her husband Brooks discuss the evening’s social calendar but the conversation is cold and distant, like business partners negotiating rather than husband and wife conversing about how to fill their evening. Kalin wastes no time setting up the relationship between Barbara and Brooks and as the film progresses, we quickly come to realize that these two should never have been together. Barbara is happy enough to entertain and be seen in society whereas Brooks, a decorated army officer, takes every opportunity to complain and take pot shots at the fact that he’s done nothing to earn his place in society, constantly reminding people, including himself, that it was simply handed down by his father. Yet, even as he badmouths himself, he does nothing to change his situation. Young Tony is stuck somewhere in the middle. He is obviously in need and constantly fishing for his father’s approval but when Brooks pays no attention to him, Barbara steps in and it’s clear that from early on, there’s an odd attachment between mother and son that runs deeper than simply familial love. The film culminates with an incestuous threesome which is the catalyst of Barbara’s eventual murder.
It sure doesn’t look like the Coens are sitting on their laurels. Last year we got the very dark No Country for Old Men (Our Review) and this year we get the much more light hearted Burn After Reading. I’ve been a fan of the Coens since Miller’s Crossing and I can’t wait for this September on opening night.
The first trailer out is a red band trailer and it is definitely fun looking. I don’t see why its red band really but maybe I’m just used to the much more graphic ones we’ve been seeing lately.
You can also catch the Burn After Reading trailer in High Definition over at Apple
Here’s the latest installment of Hidden Treasures. Also, you still have a chance to contribute your own Hidden Treasure for this month’s guest posting. For more information, click here
Dial M for Murder (1954)
Peter Bogdanovich once asked Alfred Hitchcock why he decided to direct 1954’s Dial M for Murder, a thriller based on a successful stage play written by Frederick Knott. The reply that he offered was pure Hitchcock. “When the Batteries are running dry”, he told Bogdanovich, “Take a hit play and shoot it”. Retired tennis pro Tony Wendice (Ray Milland) has uncovered details of an affair that his wife, Margot (Grace Kelly), had one year earlier with an American named Mark Halliday (Robert Cummings). Fearing that he will be tossed aside, and thus cut off from his wife’s vast fortune, Wendice devises a plan in which Margot will be murdered by a complete stranger. In order to set his plan in motion, Wendice blackmails a former college associate, the shady Charles Swan (Anthony Dawson), and coerces him into killing Margot on his behalf. When things go very wrong, however, Wendice quickly falls back on plan ‘B’, the success of which relies on his ability to convince a nosy Inspector named Hubbard (John Williams) that Margot herself may be guilty of murder. Ray Milland is so devilishly calculating as Wendice, so deliciously brilliant, that I was actually convinced his character had planned the perfect murder. In fact, about 20 minutes of Dial M for Murder is dedicated to Wendice setting his diabolical plot in motion, first blackmailing Swan to carry out the killing, then explaining in full detail exactly how he wants his unwilling accomplice to pull it off. Despite the fact that this lengthy sequence is filled with dialogue, Hitchcock also manages to keep us visually stimulated as well, lifting the camera high above the apartment setting as Wendice plots, as if we were suddenly looking down through the ceiling at a floor plan of the entire residence. Dial M for Murder has been unfairly relegated to the level of a ‘minor’ Hitchcock work, a film that the director himself, with tongue firmly in cheek, said he “could have phoned in”. It is a tribute to the great master that, even when on cruise control, he still manages to thrill his audience so completely.
Used Cars (1980)
There’s an old joke that asks how you can tell when a used car salesman is lying. The answer? When his lips are moving. Used Cars, Robert Zemeckis’ bawdy, outrageous comedy about the used car business, succeeds in proving time and again, and always in hilarious fashion, that this joke’s punch line is 100% accurate. Salesman Rudy Russo (Kurt Russell) believes that his various skills, which include an ability to lie his way out of any situation, are being wasted selling used cars. So, Rudy decides it’s time to pursue his true dream: running for a seat in the U.S. Senate. Unfortunately, the application fee to run for office is $10,000, and Rudy’s a bit short of cash at the moment. His boss, Luke Fuchs (Jack Warden), agrees to help Rudy by fronting him the application money. Shortly after making this promise, however, Luke turns up dead, a tragedy indirectly caused by Luke’s manipulative twin brother, Roy (also played by Jack Warden), who owns the competing car lot just across the street. By getting rid of Luke, Roy hopes to inherit his brother’s worthless lot, which he believes may become more lucrative once the new highway is finally constructed. Faced with the possibility of losing their jobs, and hoping to throw a monkey wrench into Roy’s inheritance plans, Rudy and his co-workers hide Luke’s body, telling everyone their boss is alive and well and vacationing in Florida. Things become much more complicated, however, when Roy’s estranged daughter, Barbara (Deborah Harmon), turns up out of the blue, asking Rudy how she can get in touch with her ‘vacationing’ father. The humor of Used Cars is, at times, both cruel and coarse. Kurt Russell is at his slimy best as Rudy, whose dishonest tendencies are established in the film’s very first scene, where we watch him turn back the mileage on a new arrival, then place a “like new” sign on the windshield. Jack Warden is also excellent in a dual role, playing both the honest but sickly Luke, and his mean and nasty brother, Roy. As a crook, Roy may just be Rudy’s equal. When the bribe money he’s been paying to the Mayor fails to bring about results, Roy laments, “In the old days, when you bought a politician, the son of a bitch stayed bought!” With such treachery and dishonesty to support it, every single scene in Used Cars carries with it the promise of being more shocking, more hilarious than the last. If you ever once considered becoming a used car salesman, then I strongly suggest you spend some time watching Used Cars before you do so. Then, if you still want to sell cars, well…I hope to hell I never meet up with you!
The Lion in Winter (1968)
Mention Peter O’Toole, and I think King Henry II. Mention Katherine Hepburn, and I think Eleanor of Aquitaine. These two powerhouse performers have managed 20 Academy Award nominations between them, and yet, for me, their work in this film stands above all others. This is the regard in which I hold Anthony Harvey’s 1968 classic, The Lion in Winter. It is like a cauldron, seething over with one marvelous performance after another. The setting is Christmas, 1183. England’s King Henry II (O’Toole) has decided to release his estranged wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine (Hepburn), from her castle prison in Salisbury so that she may be with him for the Holidays. Joining them both for the festivities are Henry and Eleanor’s three surviving sons, Richard (Anthony Hopkins), Geoffrey (John Castle) and John (Nigel Terry). However, Henry also has an ulterior motive for bringing them all together; he must decide which of his sons will succeed him as king. Eleanor is pushing for Richard to succeed, while Henry has been priming young John for the crown. As old wounds reopen and old arguments reignite, Henry and Eleanor continue to plot against one another, much like they’ve been doing for years. Nearly every line of dialogue delivered in The Lion in Winter is sharp and memorable. O’Toole, bellowing and abusive, gets the ball rolling early. “I’ve snapped and plotted my whole life”, he confesses towards the beginning of the film, adding, “There’s no other way to be a king, alive, and 50 all at once”. Thanks to O’Toole, Henry II becomes a strong man, perhaps even the perfect king…despite the fact that he’s far from being the perfect father, and farther still from the perfect husband. Shortly after Hepburn’s Eleanor makes her grand entrance, the sharp tongues really start to wag. “How nice of you to let me out of jail”, she says with a sarcastic smile as Henry greets her. “It’s only for the Holidays”, he quickly reassures her. Truth be told, Hepburn matches O’Toole barb for barb, jab for jab throughout the entire film, never once backing down. “You’ve led too many civil wars against me”, Henry says to his wife shortly after her arrival. “I damn near won the last one”, the queen retorts with a grin and a giggle. As the bickering king and queen who made as much history as they saw, O’Toole and Hepburn are absolutely superb.
Funny thing. There’s only so much crap movie fans will take before they finally give up on an actor or director but for whatever reason, we seem to give some guys more of a pass than others.
Take Alex Proyas for example. The guy has directed a bunch of big box office, paint by number hits but pickier fans are still holding out for that little morsel that may bring us back the director behind favourites such as The Crow and Dark City. Could it be that day is approaching? It may very well be.
Our peeps over at Quiet Earth have uncovered the poster and full description of Proyas’ next film, a supernatural thriller titled Knowing which stars Nicholas Cage and one of my favourite actresses of the moment, Rose Byrne.
In 1958, as part of the dedication ceremony for a new elementary school, a group of students is asked to draw pictures to be stored in a time capsule. But one of the students, a mysterious girl who seems to hear whispered voices, fills her sheet of paper with rows of apparently random numbers instead.
Fast forward 50 years to the present: A new generation of students examines the contents of the time capsule and the girl’s cryptic message ends up in the hands of young CALEB MYLES. But it is Caleb’s father, professor TED MYLES (Nicolas Cage), who makes the startling discovery that the encoded message predicts with pinpoint accuracy the dates, death tolls and coordinates of every major disaster of the past 50 years. As Ted further unravels the document’s secrets, he realizes it foretells three additional events—the last of which hints at destruction on a global scale and seems to somehow involve Ted and his son. When Ted’s attempts to alert the authorities fall on deaf ears, he takes it upon himself to try to prevent more destruction from taking place.
This gripping supernatural thriller charts one man’s faltering steps towards belief in the ultimate order of the universe even as he finds himself surrounded by mounting chaos. With the reluctant help of DIANA WHELAN (Rose Byrne) and ABBY, the daughter and granddaughter of the now-deceased author of the cryptic prophecies, Ted’s increasingly desperate efforts take him on a heart-pounding race against time until he finds himself facing the ultimate disaster—and the ultimate sacrifice.
Cryptic prophecies, ultimate disasters and sacrifices? Count me in, even if it is bad haired Cage.
The other day I tried to make some sense of Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut, Synecdoche, New York. That exercise didn’t go all that well, I’m still a fair bit confused, but still interested in seeing the film.
Kicking around the web today is the first one sheet for the film and I have to say, I like the look of it. It reminds me of the one sheet and DVD cover for a Canadian film from a few years ago but sadly I can’t, for the life of me, remember the title of that film. Maybe someone will stumble on it in the comments.
Not sure what exactly 44 Inch Chest refers to, though I’m sure it refers to something, but it’s the title for an upcoming film from Malcolm Venville. Yeah, I don’t know who he is either but the cast listing for this thing is pretty damned impressive.
The script for the film is being written by Louis Melles and David Scinto of Sexy Beast fame, a film I have yet to see but which I’ve heard mentioned in more than one circle, and stars Ray Winstone as a British gangster exacting revenge on his wife and her younger French lover played by Melvil Poupaud. Winstone as a gangster? Seriously?! That’s pretty awesome right there! But there’s more!
According to the cast listing over at Empire, the rest of this thing rounds out like a who’s who of British male performers over 40. Along with Winstone and Poupaud (doesn’t fit the British bit, he’s French - they’re going for authenticity with that casting) we have Ian McShane, John Hurt, Tim Roth, Tom Wilkinson, Stephen Dillane and Joanne Whalley. The only other one they’re missing to make this a full house is Bob Hoskins. Hmmm, I wonder if they can cram him into a small appearance?
The film apparently started shooting this week and is planned for a 2009 release.
I have a theory that author Nicholas Sparks isn’t a 43 year old male but rather an 80 year old grandmother who’s lived life to the fullest and has endless stories of romance and adventure to tell. Sure, they may all be similar - troubled relationship or lonely person finds romance, love and meaning in a whirlwind relationship - but they pull at something in the recess of your heart, especially if you happen to be a woman susceptible to this type of tripe; which I am.
I know it’s only candy but I simply can’t help myself. I’ve only read a few of Sparks novels but I always find myself, against my better judgement, in a pool of tears at the last turn of the page, a reaction that has led me to avoid reading any more of his books unless absolutely necessary (read: book club). The films - same thing. The two we’ve had so far, Message in a Bottle and The Notebook, have been about the same, rendering women everywhere incapable of adequately communicating after seeing it and this new adaptation suggests it’ll be about the same.
Starring Diane Lane and Richard Gere and directed by first time feature director George C. Wolfe, the story of Nights in Rodanthe is the same as the rest: troubled people find love. I think the appeal with these types of films isn’t that you don’t know how it ends, the formula is pretty tested and true, but that you can escape into this perfect life where all things end well even when they seem to be going wrong. For me, the appeal is the knowing that there’ll be a happy ending at the end of it, even if I know all the steps along the way. Though I can’t stand movies like Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail (yes, I’m picking on Meg Ryan, Hanks is an innocent bystander) I’ve liked the other adaptations of Sparks’ work and with the ubber handsome Gere in the lead, this is definitely a movie for mom and I and for nearly any man in search of the always needed “brownie points” (read: “going out with the guys” or “sex when I want it” points).
Nights in Rodanthe opens on October 3rd. I’ll have to remember to pick up an extra box of Kleenex (or two).
Trailer, for those who dare, is tucked under the seat.
One of the films at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival which caught my attention and that of critics was Fred Durst’s (yes, the Limp Bizkit front man) directorial debut The Education of Charlie Banks.
The film, set in the 70’s stars Jesse Eisenberg as Charlie Banks, a college student faced with old problems when the bully he had an unpleasant encounter with back in high school shows up on his campus. I was very curious to see this when it originally hit the streets but the film has been MIA for over a year. I’d nearly forgotten about it until I saw the trailer for Durst’s new film which sent me into a frenzy of “This is the movie people liked and which played at a film festival? You Serious?” That sparked the research and the uncovering of the trailer for Durst’s debut.
The Education of Charlie Banks does have Anchor Bay behind it for both the theatrical and DVD releases but the film is no where on the distributor’s site as an upcoming release and checking out the film’s official website, the last screening of the film was November of last year. Here’s hoping it pops up on the release schedules for later in the year.
The rumors can be put to rest. Robert Downey Jr. has officially been offered the part of Hugh Hefner in the biopic of the man, which will potentially be directed by Hollywood loudmouth and wannabe playboy Bret Ratner. Ratner confirmed this in an interview with EW:
“Robert Downey Jr. agreed to do it based on the script. We’re gonna hand him the script very shortly. He loves the character and the role and we’ve been meeting with him on it. So, if he wants to do it, we’re excited to have him. We wanted him before Iron Man so we were ahead of the curve.”
Hef’s story is a pretty cool one, although I’d much, much, much rather see RDJ take on the role of Edgar Allen Poe in Sylvester Stallone’s dream project (Sly even mentioned a few years back that he wanted RDJ for the role). Yeah, I know it’s Stallone, which doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, but I’d take a Stallone-directed, Downey-starring Poe picture over a Ratner-directed, Downey-starring Hef movie any day.
Anyone catch the image in which diesel fuel costs $123/gallon? Whoa.
Director John Carpenter has referred to The Fog, his 1980 horror film, as a “learning experience”. “We shot the movie I wrote”, Carpenter explains, “finished it with the music and everything…and it didn’t work. I saw the completed movie and it was terrible. I had a movie that didn’t work, and I knew it in my heart.” At that point, Carpenter went back to Avco-Embassy, the production company financing the picture, and told them that he needed to re-shoot, re-cut and re-score a movie they were hoping to release in three months time. It was a bold move, yet Carpenter and his crew worked long and hard over the next three months, transforming The Fog into something the director felt was much more feasible. The result? A film that works…a film that scares the hell out of you…and a movie that I enjoyed immensely.
Before I go any further, I must confess that I’ve always been a sucker for sea-faring stories, especially ones that center on shipwrecks (as a kid, I would look in marvel at the Sindia, a 19th century merchant ship that ran aground on the beaches of Ocean City, New Jersey in 1901, and the remains of which were visible until finally sinking into the sand forever in the mid 1990’s). Then, throw a ghost story on top of it, like Carpenter does with The Fog, and you got me hook, line and sinker. So understand, right off the bat, that my opinions on The Fog may be a bit biased. That said, however, I had one hell of a good time with this movie. 
The Fog opens with Mr. Machen (John Houseman) telling the story of the shipwreck to a group of kids around a campfire (one of Carpenter’s ‘added’ scenes), explaining how, every year at that time, the crew rises from the depths, seeking the light that lured them to their doom. This is an effective pre-title sequence, yet is just the beginning. Once the clock strikes midnight, the entire town starts to go haywire. Car alarms sound for no reason, dogs bark uncontrollably, lights dim, and convenience store shelves rattle, all this occurring before the opening credits have even finished! These very first scenes are jarring, unexpected, and ultimately very effectual. 
Adapted from the non-fiction book by Natalie Robins and Steven M. L. Aronson, 
