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August 2006
Fall Movie Preview: December
And now, the final chapter of our fall movie preview, and I have to say, it doesn’t look a lot like Christmas to me. You can catch up with September, October and November as needed.
December 1
Bug: William Friedkin directs an insect thriller with Ashley Judd! Yay! It’s not being screened for critics! RAIIIIID??!!!?
The Nativity Story: This film tells the story of Mary up until Jesus’ birth, with Catherine Hardwicke (thirteen) directing and the extremely talented Keisha Castle-Hughes, age 16, of Whale Rider fame playing Mary. This promises to be edgier than your typical religious movie fare.
Turistas: A group of backpackers are trapped by a military group, and used to carry out their mysterious agenda. The director is John Stockwell, who made the underrated crazy/beautiful and the inexplicable Into the Blue, so how this will turn out is anyone’s guess.
Van Wilder Deux: The Rise of Taj: I defy anyone to see this as a double with The Nativity Story.
December 8
Apocalypto: Mel Gibson will have to come out of his post-DUI shame to promote this movie he directed about the decline and fall of the Mayans. It’s sad too, because Gibson is a savvy director, and I’m willing to bet a very good film will get lost in all the fuss.
The Holiday: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black and Jude Law criss-cross in this romantic comedy from the director of Something’s Gotta Give. Nancy Meyers may be one of the frothier directors around, but she sure knows how to put a cast together.
Unaccompanied Minors: Kids create their own makeshift holiday while snowed in at Chicago’s O’Hare international airport in what sounds like a young adults edition of The Terminal. If it works as well as that underrated Spielberg gem, this film could be a gem too.
December 15
The Blood Diamond: The fates of a mercenary (Leonardo DiCaprio), a fisherman (Djimon Hounsou), and an American journalist (Jennifer Connelly) are entwined in the hunt for a priceless diamond. It’s got a solid cast and a good director, but Ed Zwick (The Last Samurai, Glory) tends to be snakebit when it comes to Oscar-bait movies. The jury’s out on this one.
Eragon: No, it’s not about Viggo Mortensen’s Lord of the Rings character. Here, a farm boy discovers a dragon’s making him the one person who can defend his home against an evil king. Is it just me, or do you smell lust for Narnia money?
The Pursuit of Happyness: Will Smith stars with the terminally undervalued Thandie Newton in the story of a salesman who takes custody of his son. It’s more serious fare than usual for Smith, and I don’t doubt he can pull it off. Remember Ali? However, I wonder if his audience will take to it. Remember Ali?
December 22
Charlotte’s Web: The classic E.B. White story is one of my all-time favorites, and I love the idea of Dakota Fanning playing Vern and Julia Roberts playing Charlotte. But why, oh WHY do the cows have to pass gas???? Fie to the influence of Nickelodeon! (Dec. 20)
The Good Shepard: Robert De Niro directs Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie and himself in the story of the CIA. Sounds promising, but this had better be more than carbon-copy Scorsese, which De Niro’s A Bronx Tale was.
Night at the Museum: A dim-witted guy take a job at the Museum of Natural History as the nighttime security guard, only to find the humans and other animals on display come to life. Sounds like a great vehicle for Joe Johnston, who made Honey I Shrunk the Kids. Unfortunately, it’s a vehicle by Shawn Levy, who made the new Pink Panther.
Rocky Balboa: Maybe they didn’t call it Rocky VI because Rocky can’t count that high after all those punches? OK, that was mean. But a little birdie has told me Stallone delivers the goods.
We Are Marshall: After a plane crash kills the Marshall University football team and some of its fans, the new coach (Matthew McConaughey), his remaining players, and the school’s dean (David Strathairn) try to soldier on. I’d look forward to this, except that the director is McG, who last defecated the Charlie’s Angels sequel on the big screen. Flag on the play!
December 25
Black Christmas: Does the title mean that the people who gave us a cheapie horror movie for Christmas day want a lump of coal in return?
Children of Men: In the apocalyptic near future (is there any other kind?) Julianne Moore becomes pregnant, even though most women can’t procreate. Clive Owen escorts her to safety. Besides the premise, I’m intrigued by the director, Alfonso Cuaron, whose range extends from the best Harry Potter movie (Azkaban) to a sexually frank coming-of-age story (Y Tu Mama Tambien).
Dreamgirls: After making a big splash with the Oscar-winning Chicago, the movie musical faltered with the misfire of The Phantom of the Opera and the decent but flawed Rent and The Producers. If anyone can make the musical surge again, it’s director Bill Condon, who wrote Chicago’s screenplay. This story of sort of a pseudo-Supremes has generated Oscar for Eddie Murphy and American Idol vet Jennifer Hudson. Beyonce Knowles plays the Diana Ross type.
The Good German: Steven Soderbergh directs George Clooney in a black-and-white-thriller, with Cate Blanchett as his missing mistress. Cool.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Coming Attractions
Fall movie preview: November
The month of Thanksgiving offers us a few movies to be grateful for, but there are a few helpings of stale leftovers too. Look back at September and October here.
November 3
Borat: Sacha Baron Cohen is nothing if not a committed (pun intended) performer, but a little of him goes a very long way. Here he plays a Kazakhstani TV personality who makes a documentary about the U.S. I’m not convinced a movie with him front and center will be anything beyond a cult hit.
Flushed Away: The masters of claymation at Aardman Animation make their first foray into CGI. Ewan McGregor plays an upper class rat who gets flushed into the sewers, but life’s not all bad. Kate Winslet’s down there too.
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause: Tim Allen’s Santa tangles with a (s)nippy Jack Frost (Martin Short.) Call me Grinchy, but I didn’t see the need for two of these, let alone 3. Ho-ho-hum.
November 10
Babel: Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett join forces with the writer-director team behind Amores Perros and 21 Grams. I found both those movies to be somewhat overrated, but there’s no denying the intrigue here. Pitt and Blanchett play a married couple touched by tragedy on their vacation.
A Good Year: Director Ridley Scott puts away his epic sweep to make one of his rare light movies, and this time Maximus himself (that’s Russell Crowe to you) joins him, playing a banker who takes a liking to life in the country. This looks like a Y chromosome away from Under the Tuscan Sun with Diane Lane, but with Scott and Crowe, attention must be paid.
Harsh Times: Christian Bale and Freddy Rodriguez star in this thriller in which Bale plays an Iraq war vet who goes on a foreboding joyride with his best buddy. David Ayer (the writer of Training Day) directs, but the buzz is questionable considering this was supposed to come out last summer.
The Return: Having handed over the Grudge sequel’s starring role to Amber Tamblyn, Sarah Michelle Gellar makes another foray into horror-lite, playing a woman troubled by visions of the murder of a woman she hasn’t met. I like Gellar, but there are so many of these movies now, she’ll have to work hard to separate this from the pack.
Stranger than Fiction: Me oh my. I am so torn. I love the premise of a man hearing his life narrated by an unseen woman, and it turns out the narrator is an author steering her character to his demise. Emma Thompson plays the author and Dustin Hoffman is in the cast, but Will Ferrell is in the lead. I’ve had more than enough of him and Ricky Bobby, but history has shown that if Ferrell stays away from the script, as he has here, he can be funny. (See Elf for proof.)
November 17
Casino Royale: I have every single Bond movie on DVD — even the crummy ones (The Man with the Golden Gun, A View to a Kill, etc.). So yeah, you might say I’m interested.
Fast Food Nation: Since the documentary Super Size Me pretty effectively slammed the fast food industry, writer-director Richard Linklater fictionalizes Eric Schlosser’s expose. One look at this may put you off the Golden Arches forever.
Happy Feet: Penguin-mania rears its flipper again with this CGI movie directed by, of all people, George Miller of Road Warrior fame. All I ask is that it be funnier than the tepid Madagascar.
Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny: Jack Black’s duo with Kyle Gass takes a break from making silly music to make a silly movie.
November 22
Bobby: An all-star cast, including Anthony Hopkins, Sharon Stone, Lindsay Lohan and Helen Hunt, revisits the last days of RFK. One giant red flag: the film is written and directed by Emilio Estevez, whose masterworks include Wisdom and Dirty Work. Even with that cast, I can’t help but be skeptical.
Deck the Halls: With boughs of holly, fa la la … oh, sorry. Two neighbors (Matthew Broderick and Danny DeVito) go to war after one of them decorates his house for the holidays so brightly that it can be seen from space. Didn’t a similar concept already fail miserably when it was called Christmas with the Kranks? I’d rather eat a 10-year-old fruitcake with mold on it.
Déjà vu: An ATF agent (Washington) travels back in time to save a woman from being murdered, falling in love with her during the process. Tony Scott directs, but I hope it brings back memories of Crimson Tide instead of Domino.
The Fountain: More romantic time traveling ensues when Hugh Jackman spends 1,000 years trying to save the love of his life, Rachel Weisz. Sounds trippy, and few people do trippy better than director Darren Aronofksy, who made the brilliant Requiem for a Dream.
Let’s Go to Prison: … and see Deck the Halls! Actually, in this one a criminal (Dax Shepard) and a rich snob (Will Arnett) become cell-mates. Where’s that “get out of jail free” card when ya need it?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Coming Attractions
The Trailer Mash is a smash
Have you ever imagined The Shining could be a cute family comedy? Or that The Ten Commandments could be reimagined as kind of a frat comedy?
The people who make what are known as trailer mash-ups use the wonders of digital technology to re-edit and score trailers to make movies seem completely different from their original intent. This site gathers them together.
My new favorite? The one that refashions West Side Story into a 28 Days Later-like horror thriller. One can only imagine how Officer Krupke fits into all this.
The Fall preview continues: November movies will be up later this afternoon.
Permalink | | Categories: Sir Critic muses
Fall Movie Preview: October
Continuing on with my week-long fall preview, I present October’s movies today, and quality steps up notably. September’s movies are here.
October 6
The Departed: If I could see only one movie for the rest of the year, this adaptation of a well-regarded Hong Kong crime thriller would be it. Why? DiCaprio. Damon. Nicholson. Directed by Scorsese. D-r-o-o-l.
Employee of the Month: If I could pack a film in an envelope marked “return to sender,� this would be one of them. Why? Jessica Simpson in a stoner comedy. Not cool, man.
Stormbreaker: A 14-year-old becomes a kind of James Bond junior type when he joins MI6 to replace his late uncle. Sounds innocuous, but with a cast including Ewan McGregor, Mickey Rourke and Sophie Okonedo, there must be more than meets the eye.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning: If I could pack a film in an envelope marked “return to sender,� this would be another one of them. Why? Because this was directed by the same hack who gave us Darkness Falls. Feh. (Opens Oct. 11)
October 13
The Grudge 2: Too many, if you ask me. I thought the first one was overrated.
Man of the Year: The host of a late-night political talk show decides to run for president and unexpectedly wins. Robin Williams reunites with director Barry Levinson. All I ask is that this movie be closer to Good Morning Vietnam than to Toys.
The Marine: The title character goes after the thug who kidnapped his girlfriend. This movie has one of the most hyper trailers I’ve ever seen. It could give Michael Bay a headache.
October 20
DOA: Dead or Alive: Yet another video game turned movie, only this one has females as the main characters, including Jaime Presley and Devon Aoki. With any luck, it’ll be more intelligent than the Charlie’s Angels flicks.
Flags of Our Fathers: If I could see only two movies for the rest of the year, this would be the other one besides The Departed. Why? Clint Eastwood tells the story of the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. Sign me up.
Flicka: As she did in Matchstick Men, Alison Lohman plays a teenager even though she’s in her mid-20s. Lohman was terrific in Matchstick, but hasn’t really been able to build on it. This horse drama doesn’t look like it will be much of a boost.
Marie Antoinette: I don’t care if the critics booed it at Cannes, I still want to see a post-modern take on French royalty starring Kirsten Dunst and directed by Sofia Coppola. Nyah!
The Prestige: OK, if I could see three movies this year, this would be the third, after The Departed and Flags of Our Fathers. Why? Because director Christopher Nolan reunites with his Batman, Christian Bale, to tell the story of rival magicians (Bale and Hugh Jackman) who aim to destroy one another. Scarlett Johansson and Michael Caine costar. Check out the amazing trailer.
October 27
Catch a Fire: Director Philip Noyce helms this thiller about a South African (Derek Luke) who rebels against the government after he’s wrongly accused of terrorism. Tim Robbins plays his pursuer. Philip Noyce directs, and this looks to be in the vein of his intelligent thrillers The Quiet American and Rabbit-Proof Fence. That’s all for the better.
Running with Scissors: This adaptation of the “is-it-true-or-not� memoir by Augusten Burroughs boasts a stellar cast, including Annette Bening, Gwyneth Paltrow, Brian Cox and Evan Rachel Wood. It’s about a boy who becomes part of his therapist’s quirky extended family. If the whole movies is as bright as that marquee, it’s an Oscar contender. If it’s not, it’s another Proof.
Saw III: Oh yes, there will be a trilogy.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Coming Attractions
Home (Re) Viewing: Don’t ‘Take the Lead’
This week’s video releases make for a mixed bag, with a solid but somewhat disappointing effort from Albert Brooks, and a dance movie that’s not very good at showing dance.
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World: Writer-director-star Brooks came up with a brilliant premise in trying to answer the titular question by playing himself as he tries to put on a comedy show in a very foreign land. Unfortunately, the execution isn’t as inspired as the idea, making the movie milder than it should have been. Still, it’s worth watching for some inspired pieces, particularly the fleeting conversations overheard in an Indian call center that answers questions for everyone from the White House to Wal-Mart. GRADE: B
Take the Lead: Here’s a tip for filmmakers trying to make a dance movie: don’t over-edit the dance scenes so that we can’t actually see the dancers, you know … DANCE. Antonio Banderas and a group of appealing kids gamely try to tell an inspirational story, but this overcooked movie is a poor substitute for the true story this is based on. Rent Mad Hot Ballroom for the real deal instead. GRADE: C
Also out today
Akeelah and the Bee: This spelling drama earned some very positive reviews last spring, so maybe it really is the feel-good film of the year so far
The Sentinel: Most everything I’ve heard about this movie indicates that In the Line of Fire remains the quintessential Secret Service film.
Lord of the Rings: Yes, hobbit-philes, Peter Jackson takes another page from the George Lucas playbook and puts out yet ANOTHER edition of his trilogy. Whereas we had separate sets for the theatrical and expanded versions, these discs offer both, with a whole new set of documentaries. No word yet on whether an “Ultimate Edition� is on the way that features every mile of footage Jackson shot, complete with your very own invisibility ring as a bonus.
Permalink | | Categories: On Video/DVD
Fall Movie Preview: September
The calendar says there are still three weeks of summer left, but the schools are like Hollywood this time of year. Once September hits, summer is over, Labor Day or no Labor Day.
And boy, summer ended with a whimper, didn’t it? Snakes on a Plane was the last “summer” (read: popcorn) flick, and it nosedived at the box office this week. Now it looks like it’ll just barely make back its budget of $30 million. I’ve already posted about why it underperformed, but that reason was amplified this weekend when a friend asked me a question.
“So Eric … Snakes on a Plane — what’s the deal?” I might add my friend had a rather confused tone in her voice.
So with summer slithering away and with nothing of note to review this Friday, now’s a great time to go over what’s coming out the rest of the year. For the rest of this week, I’ll cover one month a day. Standard disclaimer: release dates are subject to change.
September 1
Crank: No, it’s not a movie about that grouchy fella from The Electric Company. It’s Jason Statham in kiester-kicking mode as a killer who’s about to die himself.
Crossover: Basketball movie with Wayne Brady. You might say I’ll pass on this one.
Lassie: What is it, girl? Woof, woof! You mean your movie stands about as much chance of succeeding as Hoot and How to Eat Fried Worms?
The Wicker Man: Neil LaBute directs Nicolas Cage in this remake of the 1973 cult hit about a detective looking for a young girl. Despite an A-list cast and a name director, Warner Bros. won’t screen this for critics. Something tells me the A-list is running a letter or two below standard.
September 8
The Covenant: Renny Harlin takes on what is essentially The Craft with testosterone. And to think Harlin was a halfway decent action director once. Remember Die Hard 2, Renny? Be more like that.
Hollywoodland: It’s the year’s second Superman movie! Sorta. This one is about the investigation of the mysterious death of George Reeves, who played him on TV in the 50s. Ben Affleck plays Reeves and reportedly does his best work in awhile. Also stars Diane Lane and Adrien Brody. I’m intrigued.
The Protector: Tony Jaa makes his second American bid to become the next martial arts superstar. Ong Bak wasn’t much of a movie, but Jaa’s stunts made it worth the price of admission. Here’s hoping the same is true here.
September 15
The Black Dahlia: Hands down, the movie I’m most looking forward to all month. Josh Hartnett and Aaron Eckhart play cops who investigate the grisly murder of a young actress, with Hilary Swank and Scarlett Johansson playing the femme fatales. This sounds like the kind of deliciously lurid material director Brian De Palma could score big with if he keeps the story under control. The fact that he’s working from a novel by James Ellroy (LA Confidential) makes me optimistic.
Everyone’s Hero: A boy tries to return Babe Ruth’s bat before the deciding game of the 1932 World Series. This animated film is the last hurrah of Christopher Reeve, who co-directed, and Dana Reeve, who voices. I hope it’s a fitting last act and not just another movie in this year’s CG glut.
Gridiron Gang: The Rock plays coach to a group of inmates who form a football team. Sounds like a cross between The Longest Yard and Remember the Titans. Say what you will about The Rock, but he has real presence. I like the idea of him playing in inspirational figure instead of another tough guy.
The Last Kiss: Zach Braff ponders whether he really deserves Jacinda Barrett or not, and must also contend with Rachel Bilson as a love interest. Some guys have all the luck. But even beyond that, a script by Paul Haggis (Crash, Million Dollar Baby) makes this even more interesting.
September 22
All the King’s Men: With a cast including Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Patricia Clarkson directed by Steven Zallian (A Civil Action), who is remaking an Oscar-winning film, this seems like sure-fire awards-bait, except it was supposed to come out late last year. The buzz has turned sour since then.
Flyboys: James Franco and Jean Reno star in this World War I aviation drama. At least it ought to score some interest around the birthplace of aviation.
Jackass Number 2: Hee-haw. Hee-haw.
Jet Li’s Fearless: Not to be confused with Jeff Bridges’ Fearless, this is supposedly Jet Li’s final foray into action movies. Normally I’d say no thanks, but the casting of Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) kicks up my interest a notch.
September 29
The Guardian: No, it’s not a remake of the William Friedkin horror film, nor is it a tribute to the Wright State student newspaper. Rather, it’s an action movie starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher as Coast Guard rescuers. Andrew Davis directs, hopefully in the vein of The Fugitive rather than Collateral Damage.
Open Season: The trailer for the 32nd computer-animated movie released this year actually looks fairly decent, but I can’t help thinking that seeing the delightful Over the Hedge makes this movie unnecessary.
School for Scoundrels: Napoleon Dynamite (AKA Jon Heder) falls for Jacinda Barrett (yep, her again) – and so does Billy Bob Thornton. What’s a girl to do? The premise is inspired; as long as the script doesn’t resort to lazy, crass humor, this could be one of the year’s better comedies.
As usual, feel free to chime in. What looks appealing/unappealing to you?
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Coming Attractions
‘Invincible’ vulnerable to cliches
Disney needs to order a new playbook for its “inspiring true life sports adventure” series. Invincible shows the pages are becoming tattered and torn.
Ever since Remember the Titans came out five years ago, Disney has made a little cottage industry out of movies ripped from the pages of sports magazines. Other titles included The Rookie and my favorite of the bunch, Miracle, about the US Olympic hockey team that beat the USSR in 1980.
Most of these movies have been solidly entertaining. Unfortunately, Invincible is a cut below its predecessors.
The film opens in late 1975, showing the Philadelphia Eagles getting clobbered by none other than the Cincinnati Bengals. The Eagles are the laughing stock of the league, with one miserable season after another on their slumping shoulders.
Enter Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear), a new coach who gained fame for beating Woody Hayes’ storied Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl. (Ohio connections abound.) On sort of a whim/publicity stunt, Vermeil holds open tryouts for the team.
Enter Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), a down on his luck bartender who can keep neither a wife nor a good job. Even though he’s never played even college ball, Papale becomes an unlikely legend for a town stricken by picketing workers. (Something Middletown viewers know all too well these days with the AK Steel lockout. Ohio connections really do abound.)
The movie coasts on the charisma of the very likable talent in front of the camera. Wahlberg makes a convincing athlete and carries the picture well. Kinnear seems a little out of his depth as Vermeil but is an engaging presence anyway, and Elizabeth Banks, as is her wont, exudes charm as a football nut/love interest for Papale.
If only the talent behind the camera operated at the same level. Director Ericson Core creates a few evocative scenes, but he’s not very good at pacing or building tension, which is vital in sports movies. (It’s telling that when he wants to show how fast Papale is, Core shoots in slo-mo.) Invincible ambles along amiably without gathering much steam, making the movie pedestrian in every sense of the word.
Even the title speaks volumes about what a second-rate production this is. I guess “Invincibleâ€? is supposed to be a play on words, but the name is not only boring, it’s inappropriate. The movie is anything but invincible, as it lamentably sells Papale short.
GRADE: C+
Permalink | | Categories: Reviews
Why aren’t there more great football movies?
In anticipation of the release of Invincible this Friday, I was going to run a list of great football movies.
I started to look around on the net, trying to jog my memory, but I quickly became as discouraged as a Browns fan whenever the Broncos were in the playoffs. As far as I can tell, there just aren’t that many great football movies.
I mean, come on — when you make a list of great football movies and you try to include Oliver Stone’s overwrought Any Given Sunday or Adam Sandler’s The Waterboy, I’m sorry, the well’s just not that deep.
That doesn’t seem to be true for baseball movies though. I can rattle off any number of great films there. The Pride of the Yankees. Bull Durham. Field of Dreams. Heck, I even think A League of Their Own is underrated. But football movies don’t come to mind so easily.
Oh sure, there are some pretty good ones. The Longest Yard (the original one, that is, NOT Sandler’s lame remake) deserves its rep as a great football movie. Friday Night Lights was one of the best recent football films, and did a great job of capturing the gritty feel of the game and the football fever that grips a town. Heaven Can Wait isn’t a football movie per se, but it IS a very heartwarming story about a football player who dies before his time.
On the other hand, Remember the Titans is good, but I’d stop short of calling it great, and Radio was as sappy as a maple tree forest.
Why does baseball seem to lend itself more to great movies than football does? One of my editors floated the theory that baseball movies tend to celebrate a single hero, whereas football movies have to focus on a group, which isn’t always as compelling.
Then again, it may just come down to the fact that I’m not much of a football fan. I confess, I haven’t even gotten around to watching all of Rudy or North Dallas Forty yet.
What do you all think? Do you agree there aren’t so many great football movies? What are some of the great ones?
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Lists
The Undiscovered: Why are these stars not stars yet?
Every once in awhile you run across a certain actor or actress who has a really winning or powerful presence, and is good in just about everything they do - yet they never quite seem to break out for some reason. I call them the “undiscovered stars.”
Elizabeth Banks: She’s in Invincible, which opens this Friday. Her most prominent role in a mainstream film was as Jeff Bridges’ wife in Seabiscuit. She was also Betty Brant, the secretary in the Spider-Man movies, and she was one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s conquests in Catch Me If You Can. Oh, and there’s her memorable, um, duet with a shower head in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. She has always had a bright presence masking a tough central core. Banks strikes me as the kind of blonde Hitchcock would cast if he were still around.
Amy Adams: Another Catch Me if you Can vet, Adams is the very definition of downright lovable. A well-deserved Oscar nomination for Junebug this year raised her profile, yet she’s still not widely known to the masses. Playing WIll Ferrell’s “sweet” girlfriend, her few scenes briefly enlivened Talladega Nights, which I found mostly a chore to watch otherwise.
Tea Leoni: Her ace comic timing mightily impressed me when she did the TV series Flying Blind and The Naked Truth, but she still hasn’t found a movie role that fully utilized her skills. Fun With Dick and Jane came sorta close, but that movie was such a missed opportunity all around. Flirting with Disaster, with Ben Stiller and Lily Tomlin, probably came closest to making good use of Leoni, but she’s still never broken through as she should have. A real shame.
These are only a few examples; I know there are many others. Who are some of your favorite “undiscovered” stars? I’ve noticed I’ve picked all women — who are some of the guys?
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Celebrities
Home (Re)Viewing: Double Poseidon and Indemnity
The best addition to the new release wall this week is a big ship that didn’t deserve to sink quite as fast as it did.
Poseidon: Most critics scoffed at the idea of another budget-busting Hollywood remake, In fact, quite a few spent more time grousing about that idea than actually reviewing the new version of The Poseidon Adventure. Taken purely as a B-movie with A-list production values, this remake actually steams past the 1972 version, simply because Wolfgang Petersen is a better action director than Ronald Neame. True, the personalities are more vivid in the original, but the remake zips along and is not bogged down by a laughably stupid opening. Until the overwrought ending, this movie had me on the edge of my seat. GRADE: B+
Also out today
Just My Luck: Considering this Lindsay Lohan vehicle made all of $252, the title is either fitting or grossly inappropriate, depending on how you look at it. Whatever the case, Lohan’s days as a “teen queen� are over. If she sticks to good projects like Robert Altman’s A Prairie Home Companion and stops hanging out with people less talented than she is, Lohan may remind some cynics that she really can act.
Silent Hill: Another horror/action movie based on a video game. Some of us can take it, others can leave it. We know who we are.
From the catalog
Beyond the Poseidon Adventure: This is obviously being released today to cash in on Poseidon’s release, but given everything I’ve heard about it, I’m not getting my cash out.
Double Indemnity: Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck star in, and the peerless Billy Wilder directs one of the greatest film noirs ever made. Maybe the greatest. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, watch it. If you have, buy it for the new DVD extras. If you have seen it, but weren’t convinced of its greatness, see it again and correct yourself. GRADE: A+
State of the Union: I’ve never seen this movie, but considering it stars Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn and is directed by Frank Capra, I’m very glad I can now. Into the Netflix queue it goes.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: On Video/DVD
Indiana Jones and the Search for a McGuffin
Much as I hate to say it, the more I hear about the long-delayed fourth Indiana Jones movie, the less excited I am about the prospect.
Take, for example, this report from Empire magazine that quotes George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
Lucas talks about his story’s McGuffin, a Hitchcock-created term that refers to whatever object the villains are after, which drives the plot.
“Unfortunately, it was a little too ‘connected’ for the others. They were afraid of what the critics would think. They said, ‘Can’t we do it with a different McGuffin? Can’t we do this?’ and I said ‘No’. So we pottered around with that for a couple of years. And then Harrison really wanted to do it and Steve said, ‘Okay’. I said, ‘We’ll have to go back to that original MacGuffin and take out the offending parts of it and we’ll still use that area of the supernatural do deal with itâ€?
Huh?
Aside from sending out that smokescreen, Lucas is cheating the classic definition of the McGuffin. In Hitchcock’s terms, the audience isn’t supposed to care what the McGuffin is. In Notorious, it was uranium. In North by Northwest, it was microfilm. But they could have been anything. The fact that everyone is so concerned about Indy’s McGuffin raises a red flag to me. I guess you could say the ark of the covenant was a McGuffin, as was the holy grail in Last Crusade, but those objects are too sacred, too ostentatious, to be true McGuffins.
Spielberg isn’t much help, either, when he says: “Hopefully it will be different in all the right ways and the same in all the familiar ways.”
Wha?
Seems to me that even after all this time, no one has a grip on what this movie is supposed to be. Lucas is aiming for a 2008 release, but for now, Indy IV still falls under the “I’ll believe it when I see it” category.
Your thoughts?
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Coming Attractions
Why ‘Snakes on a Plane’ flew low
Ssssssssssssssssssssssss.
No, that’s not a mother- (shut yo mouth) snake. That’s the sound of the Snakes on a Plane juggernaut deflating after the heavily hyped flick came in somewhat lower than expected at the box office this weekend.
Granted, it came in first (depending on whom you talk to), but after months and months of buzz, it has to be a tad embarrassing that the flick ran neck and neck with Talladega Nights, which is in its third week. Oof.
Truthfully, though, I wasn’t that surprised. Yeah, I expected SoaP to come in a little higher than it did, but I think two things worked against it.
Geeks always create inflated expectations: SoaP was powered predominantly by Internet buzz, and ‘net-based geeks have a way of thinking that the world revolves around them. This reminds me of when Firefly fans made a lot of noise about how Serenity, the theatrical film of their beloved cult TV hit, was gonna be HUGE and spark a new sci-fi movie series.
Problem was, nobody except the fans cared, so the movie only made $25 million total. Same thing here, basically. SoaP devotees turned out, but most everyone else said, “Ew! Forget it!”
The snake ate its own tail: With all the blogs, parody titles, theme songs and other such hoo-hah, the movie itself became an anticlimax. It was more fun to talk about the movie than it was to actually see it. Oh sure, you’ll find folks that’ll tell you it’s the greatest movie ever, but I’d give ‘em a breathalyzer test first.
It would be unfair — and wrong — to call the movie a failure. Artistically, it’s kinda fun, as I said Friday, and commercially, it’s going to make money. SoaP only cost $33 million. Thing is, the movie isn’t good enough — or bad enough — to gross much more than that. I think those Slithering Inferno and Snakes in Space sequels will be going direct to video.
At least one good thing came out of all this: The audience at the screening Thursday ate up the trailer for Black Snake Moan, also starring Samuel L. Jackson. I don’t think any real snakes are in this movie, but it’s a film by Craig Brewer, who also made the very entertaining Hustle & Flow. If SoaP can draw people to what will probably be a bona-fide quality film, I say, go snakes!
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‘Snakes on a Plane’ needs more rattlers
I can’t stand snakes. I hate those (Oedipal expletive deleted) slimy things!
That’s why I should have loved Snakes on a Plane. As it is, I only kinda liked it.
I imagine that a lot of SoaP (I do love the acronym) fans must be spewing venom at me. Spit not. Most of you will get your money’s worth out of SoaP, especially if you see this flick with a rowdy crowd. (Even the word “movie� seems too high-class for this show.)
You wanna see Samuel L. Jackson kick some very long tail? Check. Wanna see a snake threaten a baby? It’s here. Wanna see a snake try to eat someone? Got it. You wanna see serpentus interruptus of the mile high club? That’s here too. And yet that wasn’t enough for me.
Look, I know full well this is supposed to be a meaningless and mindless romp where the flick-makers throw every snake at the wall and see what sticks. And it sort of succeeds. As Samuel L. Jackson put it, “It’s not Snakes on Brokeback Mountain.â€? It is cheesy, or in this case, scaly fun. But it could have been much better.
Everybody loves the high concept of this lowbrow flick, but once you get past all those snakes, there are not many fresh ideas.
Snakes, to me, are among the most frightening creatures on Earth, but director David R. Ellis (Cellular, Final Destination 2) speeds through the kills so fast, they don’t register enough. They’re just one increasingly gory and morbid death after another. Some of them are wild, but the movie was more interested in gross than scary. I would have loved to have seen what a more imaginative director like Joe Dante (Piranha) might have done with this.
Thank the lord Samuel L. Jackson is in the lead, because without him, this flick would completely fall apart. He’s everything you expect him to be: tough, magnetic, and hilariously ticked off. If I recommend SoaP for one reason above all others, that reason is Jackson. (Although Kenan Thompson does get off a few funny lines as one of his accomplices.)
But in the end, when I could have been rattled, I had already started to forget what I just watched, and I sat there dreaming up titles for the inevitable sequel. The Slithering Inferno? Snakes in Space?
Yes, I enjoyed the dumb B-movie fun. I was just hoping for something better than B- movie fun.
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What movies make you cry?
A recent viewing of Schindler’s List, coupled with fellow blogger Ron Rollins’ confession that Jane Austen movies make him teary, got me to wondering:
What movies make you cry?
My list flows like the tears of all the teen viewers of Titanic put together. I’ll admit it, I’m a sap. It doesn’t take much to get me going. Here are a few examples of movies that never fail to turn on my waterworks.
Beauty and the Beast/Toy Story 2: Pretty much any great Disney/Pixar movie makes me well up, but these two wring the most tears. The beast’s “death” scene turns me into a blubbering mess, and Jessie’s expression when she realizes she’s been abandoned is heartbreaking. The music in both movies really sells those moments.
Schindler’s List: Much has been said about how the “I could have got more� scene is the one blemish on this masterpiece, but the part of the ending that truly hits home is the footage of the real Schindler Jews, accompanied by the actors who played them, paying homage at his grave.
Vertigo: For my money, this is the most painful story of love lost ever made, yet every time I’ve seen it with an audience, some misunderstanding people laughed at it. That inspires tears for a different reason.
The Band Wagon: This may seem like an odd choice, because this is one of the most ebullient of all MGM musicals. Still, sometimes I tear up in happiness at seeing filmmaking done so well, especially considering this kind of musical-making is a lost art. “This goodbye brings a tear to the eye” indeed.
The Wizard of Oz: “I think I’ll miss you most of all.� WAAHHH!
I could keep going to fill a whole week’s worth of posts, but I pass the Kleenex to you. C’mon, fess up and tell me: which movies make you at least tear up, if not out-and-out cry?
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Bruno Kirby, 1949-2006
“Oh yeah, I remember him. He was great in that.”
Bruno Kirby was one of those actors who often inspired that line. He was the classic definition of a character actor. He was never particularly famous, and maybe you didn’t always remember his name, but his was one of those faces (and voices) you were always glad to find in the movies.
Sadly, he died Monday at the age of 57. He had recently been diagnosed with leukemia.
His first big role was as the young Clemenza in The Godfather Part II, but he’s best known for his appearances in comedies, particularly with the Rob Reiner/Billy Crystal crowd. I think the best way to pay tribute to him is to remember some of his classic lines, as only he could deliver them.
“Excuse me…but are you reading ‘Yes I Can’ by Sammy Davis Jr? You know what the title should be? ‘Yes I Can But Only If Frank Sinatra Says It’s OK.’” - as Tommy Pischedda in This is Spinal Tap.
“Furthermore, you are to stick to playing normal modes of music, not weird stuff. Those who we’d find acceptable here would include Lawrence Welk, Jim Nabors, Mantovani…
(Robin Williams interjects): Percy Faith…
“Percy Faith, good! … Andy Williams, Perry Como, and certain ballads by Mr. Frank Sinatra.” - as Lt. Steven Hauk in Good Morning Vietnam.
“Shut up! Just shut up! He doesn’t get it! He’ll never get it! It’s been 4 hours! The cows can tape something by now!” - as Ed in City Slickers.
And my personal favorite:
“You made a woman meow?” - As Jess in When Harry Met Sally…
You will be missed, Bruno. Farewell.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Tributes
Home (Re)Viewing: Rollin’ with RV, Reagan and more
This week’s video releases roll along with Robin Williams’ underrated RV, box sets devoted to Jimmy Stewart and Ronald Reagan (!) and a new DVD of one of the most powerful movies ever made, even with its botched ending.
RV: Calling a movie underrated may suggest it’s some kind of classic. Believe me, this isn’t. However, most critics were unduly harsh to this film, which made me laugh out loud several times. The plot is no great shakes — dysfunctional family finds they actually like each other in the midst of a disastrous road trip — but director Barry Sonnenfeld times most of the gags well. Jeff Daniels and Kristin Chenoweth are a riot as a kooky and very persistent RV-loving couple. Full disclosure: I found the film funny because I’ve been on my own disastrous RV trip — and it did involve fecal matter, though not quite as grossly as in this movie. ‘Nuff said. GRADE: B
Also out today
Hoot: An environmentalism movie for the younger set that’s of interest to older folks mainly for Jimmy Buffet’s songs and appearance in the movie.
I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer. Hmm. A direct-to-DVD cheapie horror sequel to a series that was never worth much. I suggest a new title: I Don’t Care What You Did Last Summer.
Scary Movie 4: More parody-a-minute hijinks, directed by the man who practically invented the genre, David Zucker of Airplane! and Naked Gun fame.
From the Catalog
Apocalypse Now - The Complete Dossier: Director Francis Ford Coppola famously said, “My movie is not about Vietnam. It is Vietnam.� Watching the film, one gets the idea he wasn’t exaggerating. Platoon is the definitive document of the grunt’s experience, but no film quite captures the madness of the war like Apocalypse, despite its rambling conclusion. This set collects the original theatrical issue, plus the fascinating but notably inferior Redux version. Unfortunately, rights issues apparently kept the excellent Hearts of Darkness documentary out of this set, but Coppola’s ever-insightful commentary should make up for that.
James Stewart — The Signature Collection: My favorite male movie star of all time gets a new box set that gathers The Cheyenne Social Club (a Western directed by Gene Kelly!), Firecreek, The FBI Story, The Naked Spur, The Spirit of St. Louis and The Stratton Story. Stewart’s intense performance in Spur is worth the price of the set, but he’s also very good as Charles Lindbergh in Billy Wilder’s movie about his famous flight.
Ronald Reagan — The Signature Collection: Something about that title just seems like an oxymoron, you know? Especially pitted against a Stewart box set, the scales don’t exactly balance. In fairness, however, this set is a valuable record of Reagan’s Hollywood tenure as an affable supporting player or second-tier leading man. Included is probably his most famous performance in Knute Rockne All American, and buffs say Kings Row was the best work he ever did. Also included: Hasty Heart, Storm Warning and The Winning Team.
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Six 007s: James Bond through the ages
Entertainment Weekly turns into a secret agent’s dossier, with one of its most clever cover concepts: the James Bond series in this week’s issue.
Each actor who has played Bond is given his own cover, which is composed in the style of the era in which that actor played 007. EW even added headlines of the day and increased the prices through the years. I thought it would be fun to evaluate the Bonds via the covers. Click on the actor’s name to see theirs.
Sean Connery: Pretty much everyone’s idea of the quintessential Bond, though I’d like to remind everyone whining about Daniel Craig that even Connery had his doubters - among them Bond creator Ian Fleming, who envisioned a more urbane type like David Niven. Fleming ended up being so impressed with Connery, that the author added a Scottish heritage in his later novels.
His films: Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds are Forever, Never Say Never Again
George Lazenby: Unfairly maligned as the eternal trivia question, Lazenby was actually quite solid in the role. He wasn’t much of an actor, but he handled the action scenes well, although he looked incredibly silly in those frilly costumes he had to wear.
His film: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Roger Moore: He’s thought of as the the”champagne Bond,” if you will, although he could handle a tough action scene when he had to - until he became too old for the part by the time A View to a Kill rolled around. (Is it just me, or is this cover photoshopped? I don’t recall Moore ever wearing a puffy shirt! Lazenby did that!)
His films: Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill
Timothy Dalton: Seriously underrated, Dalton underwhelmed most Bond fans, probably because he took the role a tad too seriously. However, his steely take on 007 most reminds me of the Bond Fleming created. I wish he could have stuck around longer.
His films: The Living Daylights, Licence to Kill
Pierce Brosnan: Combining Connery’s machismo with Moore’s refined mannerisms, Brosnan became the most popular Bond since Connery, and rightly so. He will be missed, although perhaps in the end, it was a better idea to start fresh with a franchise reboot.
His films: Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is not Enough, Die Another Day
Daniel Craig: Not convinced he can be Bond? Check him out in Layer Cake or Munich and you might change your mind. I’m looking forward to him bringing Fleming’s brutality back to the character.
His film: Casino Royale, due Nov. 17.
Who was your favorite Bond and why? Does Craig leave you shaken or stirred?
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World Trade Center: Solid as Stone
When the trailer for Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center came out three months ago, I wrote,”It looks like the sort of gooey sentiment that Paul Greengrass’ United 93 avoided. After Greengrass’ triumph, I just can’t fathom how Stone can measure up.”
I was wrong.
World Trade Center is the second great 9/11 movie, and one of this year’s very best.
Stone’;s film is more conventional in its storytelling than Greengrass’ hard-hitting “fly on the wall” style, making World Trade Center the 9/11 movie most audiences will find easier to take. It’s not unlike Apollo 13.
Does this make World Trade Center less moving than its predecessor? Absolutely not. In its own very different way, Stone’s movie is equally unforgettable in telling the true story of Port Authority police Officers John McLoughlin (Nicolas Cage) and Will Jimeno (Michael Pena), who were buried alive when the towers crashed down on them.
Much has been made of how World Trade Center doesn’t seem like an Oliver Stone film. He makes no political statements, and he stays away from the “acid trip” imagery that has marked most of his recent work.
However, people forget that no matter what style he uses, Stone is one of our most effective visual storytellers when he remembers to get out of his own way. By avoiding ham-fisted speechifying and sensory overkill, the director makes World Trade Center linger in the memory in simple and direct ways. Here, Stone assumes the role of the Hollywood professional, as William Wyler and Fred Zinneman did when they made their classic World War II movies, The Best Years of Our Lives and From Here to Eternity.
When focusing on the officers, Stone wisely sticks to their point of view. They - and we - never see the planes crash into the buildings, and the chaos unfolds only gradually, as the officers see a bloodied face here, or a falling body there. We also never see the towers fall, but we and the officers certainly hear them. Stone’s use of sound and tight close-ups makes these scenes harrowing as the officers struggle to keep themselves alert - and alive.
Strong acting across the board heightens the movie’s power. Cage and Pena’s performances are especially impressive, considering they have to do most of their acting with only their faces. Maria Bello and Maggie Gyllenhaal are moving as the officers’ wives, and Michael Shannon is unforgettable as Dave Karnes, the ex-Marine who took it upon himself to search for survivors. Kudos must also go to screenwriter Andrea Berloff for her sensitive treatment of this inspiring story.
When I asked on Monday if readers would be interested in seeing this movie, I was taken aback by the negative reactions. This movie is in no way a crass attempt by Hollywood to profit from a tragedy.
Yes, every movie needs to make money, but I do not believe that was foremost in the minds of anyone who made this picture. World Trade Center means to honor the victims and their rescuers, who were sometimes one and the same. Because the movie does this so well, I hope people give it a try.
I personally prefer United 93’s more visceral approach, and I could quibble with a moment or two in World Trade Center when the dialogue gets sappy or the score lays it on too thick. However, any comparisons and concerns fade in the face of this movie’s larger achievement.
When one survivor tells a loved one, “You kept me alive,” the moment is searing and beautiful. In those four words, this film recalls the feelings of unity and pride that ought to be the legacy of that day. Unfortunately, the intervening five years have sometimes buried those feelings. World Trade Center reminds us to hang on to them.
GRADE: A+
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Home (Re)Viewing: Head ‘Inside’ with Denzel, Clive, Jodie and Spike
When a movie comes out early in the year, it is often forgotten by now. Actually, most movies that came out early this year deserve to be forgotten by now. There is one release today, however, that video renters out not to forget, and that’s the first great movie of this calendar year.
Inside Man: While I lament the belly flop Miami Vice took at the box office last weekend, this is the much superior police thriller, with electric performances from Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster, who play off each other beautifully. Spike Lee directs with great energy, rarely letting up the tension. The movie is uncommonly smart and uncommonly bracing. I never thought I’d say that Vice director Michael Mann should take a page from someone else’s police thriller, but Lee outid him here. GRADE: A
Also out Today
Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector: Remember when I said in my Talladega Nights review that I wanted to catch up with Lightning McQueen? Same deal here. I’ve only found Larry the Cable guy funny playing the lovable rusty tow truck Mater in Cars.
Last Holiday: Queen Latifah pains the town red once she believes she’s dying. Believe it or not, this is a remake of a 1950 movie, with Latifah taking on the Alec Guiness role!
Permalink | | Categories: On Video/DVD
Will you see ‘World Trade Center’?
The Twin Towers will rise again Wednesday when theaters begin to play Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center, 2006’s second 9/11 film.
I have seen the movie. I won’t review it until Wednesday, but I will say that I chose the words “rise again� in the first paragraph for a reason. Right now, I’m wondering how audiences will take to it.
Paul Greengrass’ United 93, which came out in April, earned loads of critical raves (including mine), but the box office returns were mild, topping out at $31 million. While that number is quite respectable for a film that was so relentlessly intense, it seemed that not many people wanted to endure it. More’s the pity, since I thought it was uniquely uplifting, in its own way.
World Trade Center will fare much better, I think. It has recognizable actors, including Nicolas Cage, and it’s rated PG-13 instead of R. Don’t let Oliver Stone’s presence fool you – the director is concerned with telling a good story well, not in spinning ludicrous conspiracy theories like the ones in Loose Change, a documentary widely circulated on the Net. Rather like Apollo 13, Stone’s movie is inspiring in a way that most moviegoers will find relatively easy to digest.
As Newsweek’s David Ansen put it, “Perhaps, in the future, the times will call for more challenging, or polemical, or subversive visions. Right now, it feels like the 9/11 movie we need.�
Will you see World Trade Center? Did you see United 93? If you did, what do you expect of the new movie? If not, do you think World Trade Center will be easier to watch?
Permalink | Comments (14) | Categories: Coming Attractions
‘The Ballad of Ricky Bobby’ goes flat
I find Will Ferrell about as funny as a flat tire.
I don’t really “get” NASCAR culture either.
That’s why the odds were against my liking Ferrell’s new racing movie, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
I’m tempted just to stick with the old maxim that if you can’t say anything nice, you shouldn’t say anything at all. So here’s what I liked about the movie.
Gary Cole is quite funny as Ricky Bobby’s shiftless loose cannon of a father.
I loved watching Amy Adams, Leonardo DiCaprio’s major squeeze in Catch Me if You Can and an Oscar nominee for last year’s Junebug, playing one of Ferrell’s love interests. Too bad she’s woefully underused.
There are a few funny jabs at the rampant product placement in NASCAR.
Oh, and the sound design is really good too.
That’s about it.
(Insert long pause and sound of pin dropping here)
Oh, you want to know more? Well, in the interest of providing a full analysis, I will soldier on.
In fairness, for a while I thought there might be hope for Ferrell. I really enjoyed his childlike performance in Elf, though it should be noted he didn’t write that screenplay. I also found Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy pretty funny, although most of the best jokes came from his co-stars Christina Applegate, Vince Vaughn, Paul Rudd and Steve Carrel.
For Talladega Nights, Ferrell reunited with Adam McKay, who directed and co-wrote Anchorman and performs the same “honors” here. This time, however, since Ferrell is pretty much the whole show, my laughs were fewer and further between in the story of a dull-witted driver who must overcome the trauma of a wipeout on the track.
Despite occasional bursts of cleverness, most of the gags are obvious and stupid, like the juvenile gay jokes directed at Ferrell’s nemesis, a stuck-up French race car driver (Sacha Baron Cohen). The writing is plagued with SNL-itis: crack the joke, and then beat it into submission long after it’s stopped being funny. Your average Dukes of Hazzard episode had more wit than this movie.
All that said, this film wasn’t made for me. There are a lot of people out there, especially in this part of Ohio, who love Ferrell and/or NASCAR, and they’re going to love Talladega Nights. If it suits you, put the pedal to the medal and head to the theater.
As for me, I’d rather slam on the brakes, put my car in reverse and catch up with Lightning McQueen instead.
GRADE: D
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Disney: Back to the drawing board
Once upon a time, I ran across a bit of movie news which hasn’t gotten much attention but is the most welcome news I’ve heard all year:
Disney is getting back to where it once belonged with 2D, hand-drawn animation.
John Musker and Ron Clements, who led the Disney renaissance of the late 80s/early 90s with The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, are poised to start another renaissance with The Frog Princess, a female spin on the familiar fairy tale.
No release date is set, but Musker and Clements are said to be in the storyboarding stage, with the blessing and guidance of Pixar honchos/geniuses John Lasseter and Ed Catmull.
When the news broke last year that Disney was to buy Pixar, many people groaned, fearing that Disney, which had been in a decline, would “ruin” Pixar. What those people did not understand is that it’s Pixar that’s in charge of Disney Animation, not the other way around. Pixar, of course, continues to make its own films while Lasseter, the creative chief, is helping to oversee Disney’s animated movies.
I had hoped that Pixar would revive hand-drawn animation at Disney, which had given up on the process after its movies had been foundering at the box office. They, and many other people throughout Hollywood, wrongly assumed that moviegoers were weary of two-dimensional animation, when in fact, it was two-dimensional stories that were turning audiences away.
Some might say the bloom is off the rose of CG animation too, and that is true in the sense that computer animation itself is no longer a selling point. Witness the disappointing performance of The Ant Bully. Again, however, it would be wrong to blame the diminishing returns on the animation technique. I would love for 2D and 3D animation to co-exist, just like they did in the mid-to-late 90s.
Contrary to popular belief, Disney’s decline didn’t truly kick in after The Lion King, it kicked in after Tarzan. With the exception of Lilo & Stitch, no Disney 2D film after Tarzan made $100 million, which Disney movies used to routinely hit.
I am anxious for Pixar and Disney to reveal the mantra “2D is dead” as the great lie that it is. I love computer animation too, but 2D animation has a painterly, lush quality that even the best CGI cannot duplicate.
Hopefully, Disney, Pixar and its audiences will live happily ever after. Would you (or your kids) like to see hand-drawn animation again? Did you not see a movie because it was hand-drawn? Are there too many CG animated movies? Tell me what you think.
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Home (Re) Viewing: V for Video releases
The usually horrid late winter movie schedule from earlier this year has finally cycled around to giving us a good movie to watch at home - a very good movie in fact.
V for Vendetta: The Wachowski brothers of the Matrix movies didn’t direct this picture, but their fingerprints are all over something that is entirely too rare these days: a thinking man’s action film. Natalie Portman movingly plays a young Londoner of the not-too-distant future who falls under the tutelage of a masked avenger named V (Hugo Weaving). To some, he is a savior; to others a terrorist, and to all, he is fierce. It may occasionally get a little too cerebral, making the movie drag in places, but this Vendetta improves with repeat viewings. GRADE: A-
ALSO OUT TODAY
The Shaggy Dog: You know, I remember the days when Tim Allen actually made decent movies instead of seemingly taking whatever script comes his way.
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