Posts Tagged ‘book’

  • 15 Mar

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    Book Review: Zombies! An Illustrated History of the Undead

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    Are you one of those folks who complains that zombies do not speak when the increasing legions of zombie fanatics yell ‘Braaaaaiiiins!’ during festival screenings? Or perhaps you are one of those higher-on-the-geek-scale types that cites Return of the Living Dead as the origin of that particular trend? (Editors Note: Guilty!) Do you debate with your friends about the nature of running zombies vs. shambling zombies, or whether or not Danny Boyle’s 28 Weeks Later even qualifies as a zombie film? Jovanka Vuckovic, former editor of Rue Morgue Magazine, and a leading lady of the macabre, is here to make sure that we can all just get along by educating expert and novice alike in Z-lore, according to history, legend and the ever increasing swell of popular culture. The zombie movie has had a long and elastic history in literature and folklore, from The Bible (*snicker*) to Haitian Voodoo, and in past couple of years has it a kind of cultural zenith, particularly in the movies and its first blush into upscale cable TV. Thus, Zombies! An Illustrated History of the Undead arrives with some pretty impressive release timing to bring everyone up-to-speed (so to speak.)
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  • 09 Nov

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    It’s here! Trailer for Cary Fukunaga’s “Jane Eyre”

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    Jane Eyre OnesheetIs it spring yet? Can it be spring already? Please? Pretty please?

    Yes, I’m begging for spring for good reason. I promise. That reason? Cary Fukunaga’s follow up to Sin Nombre (review). A take on the famous Charlotte Brontë romance. Jane Eyre stars Mia Wasikowska as Jane, the “mousy” governess, and Michael Fassbender as her beloved Rochester along with Judi Dench, Jamie Bell and Sally Hawkins in an assortment of supporting roles.

    I was already keen on seeing the film and the release of the gorgeous poster, seen to the right, yesterday peaked my interested and now, quick on the heels of the poster release, we get a trailer for the production which features everything I could have wanted and more. Lots of grey, a little melodrama, a bit of mystery and enough Fassbender in period drab to make me smile from ear to ear.

    You’d better believe that Michael O’Connor, who won an Oscar for his costume design in The Duchess (review), will be a front runner yet again in 2011. As for the use of the Goblins’ Suspiria theme at the beginning…an odd but effective touch.

    Jane Eyre opens March 11, 2011. Not soon enough.

    Trailer tucked under the seat!

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  • 07 Aug

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    Review: 1

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    So this is one possible outcome when a film, here a science fiction think-piece, is based on a critical essay? That essay was penned by eastern bloc author Stanislaw Lem perhaps best known as the author of book used for Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solyaris (an adaptation the author was not particularly happy with, albeit it is one of the key films of science fiction cinema). I wonder what Lem, if he were alive today would have to say about 1. Would he like the ponderously dense wordplay within the film a hybrid of voice-over narration, expository information overload and satirical potshots at a variety of societal institutions including book publishing, news-media and shady governmental secret police. 1 is a curious beast because it does make attempts to ‘show-don’t-tell’ but cannot figure out any coherent way to do so, so it ultimately has to talk-talk-talk, while cross-cutting to surreal imagery. As if Louis Buñuel and Terry Gilliam co-directed a run-on sentence. One will note connections to dystopian mind-fucks along the lines of Brazil, Ghost in the Shell or Neil Stephenson’s Snowcrash albeit without the whimsy or kineticism in any of those works, perhaps the more apt comparison would be to Oshii’s follow-up Innocence, a film that also gets swallowed by its own linguistic pretensions.

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  • 21 Jun

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    Cover Stories: Available Now

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    If you don’t listen to the RowThree Cinecast, you might not know that our good buddy (sometimes nemesis) and Cinecast co-host, Matt Gamble, is actually now a published writer. Banding together with nine other souls of the written word, Gamble and crew have put together 100 short stories that “cut deep into the tracks of their favorite albums to produce ‘euphiction,’ the duet of euphonious and fiction.”

    I’m not entirely sure what to expect from these stories, which span all the major genres (from romance to horror), but I do look forward to giving it a spin. In fact, right after this post, I’ll be checking out the ten story sampler that’s available as a FREE DOWNLOAD.

    You can head over to Matt’s site, Wherethelongtailends.com for more information on the book; or just skip his spiel and head straight to THE STORE to pick up a copy.

    hint: if you listened to the latest Cinecast (episode 171), you can find out how to get the book for cheaper and even FREE!

  • 03 May

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    Teaser for Anton Corbijn’s THE AMERICAN staring George Clooney

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    The American Movie StillGeorge Clooney would be enough of an attraction for any film but for me, the real appeal of the upcoming drama The American isn’t Clooney but rather the man behind the camera. Director Anton Corbijn came to my attention a few years ago with the gorgeous Ian Curtis biopic Control and for his follow up, he seems to be turning up the ante.

    The American stars Clooney as Jack, an assassin hiding out in Italy for one last assignment. That plot doesn’t really speak to me but Corbijn’s visuals do and tracking the director’s film blog, I’ve been given nothing but clues as to how great this project could be. Now the first teaser comes around and what does it suggest? More of the same greatness.

    What I love most about this teaser is that it feels like this film is from another decade. The 70s to be exact. There’s something about the visuals and the feel of the story that breathes like something much older and I can’t wait to see it.

    The American opens on September 1st.

    Trailer tucked under the seat.

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  • 17 Feb

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    Quick Thoughts: Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

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    Percy JacksonI don’t doubt that Rick Riordan’s series is a fabulous read. Full of Greek mythology and more than a little action, it makes for a fast paced tale of adventure but how that translates onto the big screen isn’t exactly great. I’m sure one of the reasons Fox brought director Chris Columbus on board to direct the first film in the series may have something to do with his success in kicking off the Harry Potter franchise. What they failed to take into account is the fact that Harry Potter already had a rabid fanbase where as Percy Jackson…let’s just say he’s no pre-pubescent magician.

    Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief has a whole lot going for it. The story of demigods living amongst humans in the modern world certainly offers many an opportunity for story telling. In this particular world, Zeus has forbidden the gods from communicating with their mortal children in fear that they will overlook their Godly duties but when Zeus’ lightning bolt is stolen, Zeus gets angry (and a little irrational). He knows his brother Poseidon didn’t steal it but he thinks Poseidon’s son Percy may have and so an ultimatum is set: return the bolt in two weeks or face war. Typical God stuff wouldn’t you say? It also brings this whole Gods not interacting with their half human kids into question.

    Here’s where the story really kicks off (as much as it ever does). As everyone searches for the bolt (who wouldn’t want to rule Olympus?) Percy comes to know his true origin, is taken into a camp for special kids (other demigods like himself), gathers a few troops and heads off to rescue his mother who has been kidnapped by Hades, the ruler of the underworld, a dude who also happens to be his uncle. Basically, there’s a whole lot going on including some digging through Greek mythology. To the film’s credit (likely due to screen writer Craig Titley who adapted Riordan’s book) the convoluted associations between characters and the mythology associated with them is peppered throughout the film quite well. The only problem is that with all of the supernatural stuff flying around, the film still manages to be pretty dull.

    The action is yawn inducing, the effects good in places and laughably bad in others, the comedy occasionally works and falls flat in other places – it’s a bit of an uneven mess, one that’s heightened by the appearance of some amazingly talented actors. Makes you wonder what they were thinking when they agreed to some of these roles. From Kevin McKidd as Poseidon to Catherine Keener as Percy’s mother, there are a spattering of appearances from some heavyweights including Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Melina Kanakaredes, Joe Pantoliano and Uma Thurman. When one appears, you can’t help but groan – yes, it’s that bad (with the exception of Sean Bean as Zeus who is just…well, awesome). As for the leads, Logan Lerman as Percy has a promising career ahead of him; he may not be great but neither is the material and he does show promise (along with a fair amount of screen presence) while Alexandra Daddario’s pretty face is likely to turn up again, hopefully in another role where girls kick ass.

    Percy Jackson is a disappointment considering the amount of money thrown at it and the calibre of talent involved. It’s a bit of a slog at nearly two hours but you know what? It’s worth every penny for the awesomeness of seeing Hades and Persephone duke it out. Steve Coogan and Rosario Dawson are easily the highlight of the film and they steal the show in their short interlude. Someone should really think to cast them in The Life and Times of Hades and Persephone because they’re genius together. And seriously, is it even legal to look this amazing? And I’m not talking about Coogan.

    Steve Coogan and Rosario Dawson in Percy Jackson

    Yeah, that’s what I thought.

  • 19 Jan

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    Quiz from Leonard Maltin

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    151 Best Movies You've Never SeenOne of my favourite parts of being involved here at Row Three is when distributors, publishers, artists, directors and even fans let me know about projects that are going on. I am a pretty busy person so I do not get to spend the amount of time I would like finding out about what is happening in the movie and film world (outside of Row Three that is!). Today, I got an email from Harper Collins letting me know about a new book, Leonard Maltin’s 151 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen. A little researching around on the Harper Collins website got me motivated to post about it. Not so much the content (the published version is not out for another week or so) but the description of the book which plays out like a quiz.

    Anyone up for a challenge of seeing if you can figure out the movies? I think we can skip the first question

    What 151 movies have you never seen—but should?

    and just move on to the rest:

    1. What French film could teach Hollywood how to make a smart, sexy romantic comedy?
    2. Where will you find a female-centric Western with a gender-bending protagonist?
    3. What film won a Special Jury Prize at Sundance and then fell off the radar?
    4. What farcical comedy includes such real-life characters as Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger?
    5. In what unsung comedy will you find Michael Douglas giving his all-time best performance?
    6. What debut film from the director of The Dark Knight creates palpable chills—despite a shoestring budget and a no-name cast?
    7. What John Wayne movie was out of circulation for thirty years—and still qualifies as a sleeper?
    8. What terrific Heath Ledger movie was released the same month as Brokeback Mountain—and flopped?
    9. What clever modern-day film noir was made for just half a million dollars?
    10. What captivating film stars one of the seminal artists of the twentieth century?

    Post your answers in the comments and lets see if we know as much about movies as Maltin.

  • 06 Jan

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    Skogland to direct Iranian Prison Drama

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    Prisoner of TehranI may not have been the biggest fan of Kari Skogland’s 50 Dead Men Walking (our review) and though I was in the minority, I stand by my initial thoughts that the film was simply too scattered to be truly great. That said, I still have quite a bit of admiration for the director who is working out of two minority groups in Hollywood: she’s a female director and she’s Canadian.

    Skogland did get a bit of international attention for the Irish drama but I’m happy to see that her next project is another Canadian production, and yet again, she’s defying expectations. THR reports that Skogland has signed on to direct Prisoner of Tehran, a film based on a 2007 best selling memoir about a “16-year-old Christian girl forced in 1982 to convert to Islam and marry a prison guard who rescued her from an Iranian firing squad.”

    This sounds like an apt project for Skogland who is returning to her roots in a more subdued drama. It’s not clear how much the story will focus on the Islamic revolution which preceded this event but I expect we may also get another glimpse of Skogland in action mode. I’m hopeful that at some point, she’ll find the perfect balance for the two much as Kathryn Bigelow has.

  • 20 Nov

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    Review: The Twilight Saga: New Moon

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    NewMoonPoster

    Director: Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass, About a Boy, American Pie)
    Screenplay: Melissa Rosenberg, Stephenie Meyer (novel)
    Producer: Wyck Godfrey
    Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Edi Gathegi, Rachelle Lafevre, Billy Burke, Charlie Bewley, Jamie Campbell Bower, Daniel Cudmore, Christopher Heyerdahl, Dakota Fanning, Cameron Bright, Noot Seer, Michael Sheen, Graham Greene, Tinsel Korey
    MPAA Rating: PG13
    Running time: 130 min.

    (3/5)

    For months the anticipation has been building. After the success of Twilight (our review), it’s not too much of a surprise. The first film in the saga captured fans and non-fans alike and in a whirlwind year, everyone seems to have caught “Twilight Fever” in one way or another. Fans love to share their love and haters their hate but nothing will take down the building monsoon. From the beginning, The Twilight Saga: New Moon was fighting an uphill battle. The change of directors caused a wave of panic and anger amongst fans. There’s also the little fact that Edward, one of (if not the) franchise’s biggest draw, is missing from most of the source material. It couldn’t have been an easy decision for director Chris Weitz to come on board with so many obstacles laid out before him but the burning question is: did he succeed? Does the film live up to expectation? In a single word no, but not for lack of trying.

    NewMoonMovieStillNew Moon picks up where Twilight left off. Bella and Edward are together and happy but it doesn’t last long. The story starts, in essence, on Bella’s birthday and while at the Cullen’s celebrating the event (an event Bella is not at all happy about), she cuts her finger, causing Jasper, one of Edward’s brothers, to come flying across the room in a blood frenzy. Edward, upset that he can’t keep Bella safe even from his family, leaves Forks throwing the young woman into a catatonic state from which she eventually breaks only out of pity for what it’s doing to her father. She finds solace in her friendship with Jacob and the two form a bond that borders on romance but never quite crosses the line. But all is not well as well as it seems on the surface for Victoria, one of the rogue vampires from the first film, is on the hunt for Bella. The closeness of threat has stirred a long dormant gene in some of the boys in Jacob’s tribe, including himself, turning them into wolves in order to protect their people. A number of events snowball into a final climax which has Bella traveling to Italy to save Edward from death at the hands of the Volturi, a coven which guards the laws that keep vampires secret from humans.

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  • 21 Oct

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    From Sin Nombre to En Amor

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    JaneEyreBookCoverCary Fukunaga is on a roll; his feature debut Sin Nombre (our review) (a film I have yet to see) was extremely well received and he caught my attention with his recent Levi’s commercials. He seems the type of guy to try his hand at whatever comes his way and news that he’s working on an adaptation of a classic novel certainly suggests exactly that.

    Variety reports that Fukunaga is in “advanced negotiations” to adapt one of the most notable (and adapted) works in the English language, Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre” with a focus on the story’s gothic elements. We previously noted that Canadian starlet Ellen Page was attached to the project but she has moved on leaving the titular role open (wonder if she’s kicking herself for the missed opportunity?).

    Aside from Fukunaga’s attachment, there seems to be a lot of buzz generating around the woman writing the adaptation. Moira Buffini is an acclaimed playwright who recently adapted Posy Simmonds’ graphic novel “Tamara Drewe” for director Stephen Frears. All fine and well but what really caught my attention about Buffini is the tidbit of information that her stage play “A Vampire Story” is being reworked for the big screen under the new title of Byzantium. A little reading uncovered an entry at /Film which provides more information on the project, one I’m very keen on following (for obvious reasons).

    I’m not sure another interpretation of Eyre is really necessary but as long as the directors provide a new take on the material, I’m on board and Fukunaga’s work certainly suggests this won’t be your typical BBC spin-off. As for Buffini’s Byzantium…more vampires? Yes please.

  • 25 Sep

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    New Trailer, Same Good Looks: The Book of Eli

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    TheBookOfEliMovieStill

    Months ago, a teaser trailer surfaced for The Hughes Brothers’ The Book of Eli. The post apocalyptic story starring Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman features Denzel as the savior, a man charged with protecting a book which will save humanity.

    The teaser played up the action and the film’s great production design and this, the first full length trailer for the film, is nearly identical to the teaser which seems to have disappeared off of the blogosphere though if I’m recalling correctly, this may also have the first footage we’ve seen of Oldman. Again, there’s loads of potential here and if nothing else, The Hughes’ Brothers know how to make a good looking film but I’m a bit concerned about the release date. January is usually a dumping ground for movies that suck but I’m hopeful the studio is simply looking to cash in by providing a solid, entertaining film to capture the attention of the masses. The lack of competition is likely to work in their favor and the fact that the brothers have a good track record helps things a fair bit.

    The Book of Eli opens on January 15, 2010.

    Check out the HD trailer at Yahoo!

  • 22 Sep

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    Andrew Niccol Takes on Stephenie Meyer’s The Host

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    TheHostBookCoverNot surprisingly, yet another Stephenie Meyer property is being adapted for the big screen. I know what you’re thinking: more sparkly vampires? Luckily (or unluckily depending on which side of the fence you are on) this has nothing do with vampires.

    In the same year that she published “Breaking Dawn,” the completion of her “Twilight Saga” series, Meyer also released her first adult novel, a science fiction novel titled “The Host.” An Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets romance tale, it’s a story set in a near future where earth has been invaded by a parasite. In an effort to rid the planet of the last few humans in hiding, the parasite fuses itself with a dying girl in an attempt to gain access to memories which will lead them to the last pockets of human resistance.

    The novel marked a surprising turn for Meyer whose writing showed marked improvement and though the story is interesting, it’s not nearly as compelling as her “Twilight Saga.” Now for an admission that may likely revoke my Meyer fandom all-access-pass: I am not simply a mild supporter of the novel, I didn’t even finish it. Not for complete lack of interest but at the time of its release, I couldn’t get my head into the story and left it partway through. Even so, it was clear from the first few pages that this was a step forward for Meyer’s work. But we’re not so concerned with the writing here since the story is what has sold the rights and the truth of the matter is, it has potential.

    Daily Variety reports that The Host has not simply been picked up but already has a writer and director attached and it’s none other than Andrew Niccol. Yes, the same Andrew Niccol who wrote and directed Gattaca, Lord of War and the upcoming The Cross (for which we recently posted some beautiful concept art).

    Promising news? Indeed. Put aside your “Twilight” prejudices for a moment and take in the fact that Niccol is excellent at near future sci-fi and if nothing else, Meyer can weave a captivating yarn. I’m taking “The Host” off the shelf and giving it a read through in the next few weeks. Now I really can’t wait to see how it ends.

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