Jan 31, 2012
New "Chronicle" TV spot
IGN has just posted the fifth tv spot for the upcoming sci-fi flick "Chronicle" about a group of teenage boys who acquire supernatural powers. The film is scheduled for release on February 3rd.
"7500" Trailer
Takashi Shimizu's new film "follows a group of passengers who encounter what appears to be a supernatural force while on a transpacific flight". Shimizu is best know for his "Grudge" films. This one hits theaters this August.
Jan 30, 2012
"Super 8" and the lost awards season
Adam Vary at Entertainment Weekly has posted an interesting article about JJ Abrams' "Super 8" and the fact that it's been completely passed over during awards season. Personally I thought Super 8 was one of the best films of the past year and share Vary's indignation. Maybe he shouldn't have made it a talkie.
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| "Not one stinking nomination?" |
Jan 29, 2012
Sherlock Holmes; A Game of Shadows - 2011
Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes has virtually no connection to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional Victorian private eye and this is not a film that attempts to bring Victorian England to life any more than the first one did. This is a 21st century action film where the actors happen to be wearing old-looking clothes. Holmes himself is part Jason Bourne, part Tony Stark and part Neo from The Matrix.
That said, Sherlock Holmes; A Game of Shadows, is an enjoyable, well crafted piece of work and I never found myself looking at my watch at any time during the film. The story - while admittedly far fetched - is thoroughly fleshed out and Ritchie has a solid command of how to execute action sequences; which is a good thing since the film is virtually one big action sequence. Story-wise the film has the air of a James Bond film with a bearded megalomaniac puppetmaster ala Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale) from "Moonraker" manipulating the high and mighty for his own gain and, of course, end of the world as we know it stakes. That the story is too big for it's own Victorian britches could have been an issue but because the world in which events unfold is never really in the foreground we're not too terribly conscious of the disconnect.
The Hugo Dax character is of course Dr James Moriarty, Holmes' legendary nemesis who occupied only the fringes of the previous film. Here he's front and center, played with gusto by Jared Harris. His world-altering plan is to set the European heads of state against one another in order to create a world war in which he will supply the weapons. He's well aware that only the mercurial genius Sherlock Holmes stands in his way and the film chronicles his attempts to remove Holmes from the game so that his plan can play out unabated. Just why he'd wait to do this until the plan was already in motion is the one weak point of the screenplay. But if you can get by that you should have no problems with the rest of the story.
Ritchie plays up the bromance between Holmes and Watson to absurd heights and then undermines it all with the one scene in the film that flirts with genuine emotion. Holmes and Watson, on their way to Paris, are on the ferry to Calais when Watson finds the bloody handkerchief of Holmes' would be paramour, Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams reprising her role). While Watson is unaware of the details he surmises correctly that something terrible must have happened to her. Holmes takes the kerchief from him without saying a word and moves away sniffing it while Watson surveys his partner quietly taking his measure (as we are meant to). He realizes, maybe for the first time, that beneath the Peter Pan exterior lies a human being as susceptible as any of us to the devastation caused by the loss of a loved one. This crucial scene takes about a minute to unfold yet redefines the relationship between the two men (and by extension the entire film) going forward. Without it Game of Shadows would be an entirely different film.
Jude Law seems much more confident this time around. In the first film he seemed a bit lost to me as if he was trying to figure out just how he could occupy a character like Watson without being lost in Holmes' (and Downey's) shadow. Here he seems much more at ease with Watson perhaps because his character is given a more central role. Indeed the entire story plays out as a eulogy of sorts Watson is writing about his friend at some unspecified future date.
Downey himself remains as flippant as ever. His performances always have a Jack Nicholson-esque air about them where it's often hard to tell if he's acting or just being himself. When he slides into his patented deer-in-the-headlights mode you don't see his character thinking things out, you see Downey mulling over how he's going to play it.
As mentioned before the rest of the cast is solid with Stephen Fry having a jolly old time playing Holmes' brother and Noomi Rapace doing a perfectly suitable job as a gypsy whose brother has gotten himself unwittingly ensnared by Moriarty and is forced to do his new master's bidding.
All in all Sherlock Holmes; A Game of Shadows is a fun 2 hours at the movies. It moves along briskly, is reasonably intelligent, sports fine performances and is a step up from the first film.
That said, Sherlock Holmes; A Game of Shadows, is an enjoyable, well crafted piece of work and I never found myself looking at my watch at any time during the film. The story - while admittedly far fetched - is thoroughly fleshed out and Ritchie has a solid command of how to execute action sequences; which is a good thing since the film is virtually one big action sequence. Story-wise the film has the air of a James Bond film with a bearded megalomaniac puppetmaster ala Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale) from "Moonraker" manipulating the high and mighty for his own gain and, of course, end of the world as we know it stakes. That the story is too big for it's own Victorian britches could have been an issue but because the world in which events unfold is never really in the foreground we're not too terribly conscious of the disconnect.
The Hugo Dax character is of course Dr James Moriarty, Holmes' legendary nemesis who occupied only the fringes of the previous film. Here he's front and center, played with gusto by Jared Harris. His world-altering plan is to set the European heads of state against one another in order to create a world war in which he will supply the weapons. He's well aware that only the mercurial genius Sherlock Holmes stands in his way and the film chronicles his attempts to remove Holmes from the game so that his plan can play out unabated. Just why he'd wait to do this until the plan was already in motion is the one weak point of the screenplay. But if you can get by that you should have no problems with the rest of the story.
Ritchie plays up the bromance between Holmes and Watson to absurd heights and then undermines it all with the one scene in the film that flirts with genuine emotion. Holmes and Watson, on their way to Paris, are on the ferry to Calais when Watson finds the bloody handkerchief of Holmes' would be paramour, Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams reprising her role). While Watson is unaware of the details he surmises correctly that something terrible must have happened to her. Holmes takes the kerchief from him without saying a word and moves away sniffing it while Watson surveys his partner quietly taking his measure (as we are meant to). He realizes, maybe for the first time, that beneath the Peter Pan exterior lies a human being as susceptible as any of us to the devastation caused by the loss of a loved one. This crucial scene takes about a minute to unfold yet redefines the relationship between the two men (and by extension the entire film) going forward. Without it Game of Shadows would be an entirely different film.
Jude Law seems much more confident this time around. In the first film he seemed a bit lost to me as if he was trying to figure out just how he could occupy a character like Watson without being lost in Holmes' (and Downey's) shadow. Here he seems much more at ease with Watson perhaps because his character is given a more central role. Indeed the entire story plays out as a eulogy of sorts Watson is writing about his friend at some unspecified future date.
Downey himself remains as flippant as ever. His performances always have a Jack Nicholson-esque air about them where it's often hard to tell if he's acting or just being himself. When he slides into his patented deer-in-the-headlights mode you don't see his character thinking things out, you see Downey mulling over how he's going to play it.
As mentioned before the rest of the cast is solid with Stephen Fry having a jolly old time playing Holmes' brother and Noomi Rapace doing a perfectly suitable job as a gypsy whose brother has gotten himself unwittingly ensnared by Moriarty and is forced to do his new master's bidding.
All in all Sherlock Holmes; A Game of Shadows is a fun 2 hours at the movies. It moves along briskly, is reasonably intelligent, sports fine performances and is a step up from the first film.
Jan 28, 2012
Off the beaten track trailer of the day - "Thale"
Written and directed by Aleksander Nordaas this low budget but great looking Norwegian thriller attempts to deconstruct the tales of the director's youth by proposing that those mythological creatures of the forest are actually offshoots of our own genetic family tree.
Though the nudity is very brief and/or low key this baby is probably not safe for work so don't say I didn't warn you.
Though the nudity is very brief and/or low key this baby is probably not safe for work so don't say I didn't warn you.
Jan 27, 2012
New Trailer for "Lockout"
Luc Besson continues his quest to make European films indistinguishable from big American action numbers with "Lockout". If you thought Adrian Brody was an unusual choice for an action hero I give you Guy Pearce.
"Lockout" hits theaters April 20th.
"Lockout" hits theaters April 20th.
Monty Python gang set for reunion film
If it walks like a python, talks like a python and smells like a python it must be a... well, a Monty Python. John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam are set to collaborate on a new film written by Jones entitled "Absolutely Anything" about a human who becomes the playtoy of a bunch of aliens. No word yet on whether or not Eric Idle will join the cast though he is said to be mulling it over.
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| From left: John Cleese, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle and Michael Palin |
Jan 26, 2012
2 new tv spots for "Wrath of the Titans"
A couple of new TV spots have hit the airwaves ahead of the March 30 release of "Wrath of the Titans". Personally I think it looks great. I just hope they did the 3D thing right this time.
TV spot 1
TV spot 2
TV spot 1
TV spot 2
Jan 25, 2012
The top 10 movies for the weekend of Jan 20 - Jan 22, 2012
| 1) Underworld Awakening | $25.3 Million |
| 2) Red Tails | $18.7 Million |
| 3) Contraband | $12 Million |
| 4) Extremely Loud/Incredibly Close | $10 Million |
| 5) Beauty and the Beast 3D | $8.7 Million |
| 6) Haywire | $8.4 Million |
| 7) Joyful Noise | $5.9 Million |
| 8) Mission Impossible 4 | $5.5 Million |
| 9) Sherlock Holmes 2 | $4.5 Million |
| 10) The Iron Lady | $3.6 Million |
The number one movie a year ago this week was Paramount's "No Strings Attached" which debuted in the top spot with a so-so $19.6 million.
Star Wars Uncut now online
The video project that started a couple of years ago to recreate the original SW film 15 seconds at a time is now complete and online for your viewing pleasure. It's actually very cool.
Here's part of the publicity blurb...
In 2009, Casey Pugh asked thousands of Internet users to remake “Star Wars: A New Hope” into a fan film, 15 seconds at a time. Contributors were allowed to recreate scenes from Star Wars however they wanted. Within just a few months SWU grew into a wild success. The creativity that poured into the project was unimaginable.
This is a feature length video not a trailer so be warned.
Here's part of the publicity blurb...
In 2009, Casey Pugh asked thousands of Internet users to remake “Star Wars: A New Hope” into a fan film, 15 seconds at a time. Contributors were allowed to recreate scenes from Star Wars however they wanted. Within just a few months SWU grew into a wild success. The creativity that poured into the project was unimaginable.
This is a feature length video not a trailer so be warned.
Jan 23, 2012
Producers Guild of America Honors Spielberg
The PGA honored Spielberg for his role in producing some of the most important and memorable films of the past 30+ years. His incredible producer's resume includes...
A.I.
Amistad
E.T.
Men in Black
Munich
Poltergeist
Transformers
True Grit
Twister
Saving Private Ryan
Schindler's List
and many more.
A.I.
Amistad
E.T.
Men in Black
Munich
Poltergeist
Transformers
True Grit
Twister
Saving Private Ryan
Schindler's List
and many more.
Jan 21, 2012
"Immortals" - 2011
"Immortals", Indian director Tarsem Singh's entry into the world of the sword and sandal epic, lacks the sly humor of "300", the compelling characterizations of "Gladiator" and the Krakken of "Clash of the Titans" (let's face it was there another reason to see that movie?)
What else can one say about it? Well, it's not actually Greek mythology, the Immortals aren't actually immortal (the film makes it pretty clear that only statues are immortal) and the story - such as it is - is a mess.
For some reason King Hyperion decides it's time to get his hands on the Epirus bow so that he can bring down the myth of the gods once and for all. Thing is, there are so many disbelievers inhabiting the ancient Greece of this story that it seems the myth of the gods was brought down a long time ago or never effectively sold to begin with, so what's the point?
We're given no background on Hyperion at all. Where does he come from? How did he acquire such powers of ultimate badassness? Why is he intent on releasing the Titans when (if he knows his state sponsored religion - as he flatly states he does) he knows that by doing so he'll trigger the clause in the human/gods contract that allows Zeus and Co to enter the fray on the human side? Oh wait! It's because he doesn't believe in the whole Titans/gods thing to begin with so he knows he has nothing to fear. That's right. But, wait a minute, if he doesn't believe in all the supernatural fairy tales then why is he seeking the Epirus bow; a mythical weapon if ever there was one? And why is he intent on releasing the Titans which he doesn't believe even exist?
By this point I don't have a clue but I continue to watch as he goes on a first rate pillaging campaign anyway in an attempt to find the oracle who can tell him how to find the Epirus bow which is part of a mythology he doesn't believe in so that he can release the Titans he doesn't believe exist and thereby bring down the myth of the gods that no longer holds any sway over the majority of people in any event. Uh, sounds good to me.
Along the way he invades a town he states he has no interest in and makes the mistake of killing Theseus' mother in front of Theseus. This prompts Theseus (one of those countless disbelievers that populate the film) to take on the cause of protecting the entire discredited political system Hyperion is laying siege to simply because his mom bought into one part of it and Hyperion killed his mom.
So let me get this straight: what we've got is a villain attempting to find a weapon he doesn't believe exists in order to bring down a system nobody buys into anymore which is defended by a hero who doesn't believe in the system he's defending. Okay. If you say so.
As Hyperion Mickey Rourke spends most of his time channeling Brando from Apocalypse Now (I kept expecting him to say to Theseus; "You're an errand boy, sent by grocery clerks to collect a bill" but alas...). Granted he's not given a lot to work with, what with all the predictably pompous dialogue and artful posing but he is given a slew of really interesting hats to wear which serve to redeem his character.
Speaking of hats; the aesthetic choices exercised by the creative team are, lets say, interesting. For instance, Zeus has a permanent five o'clock shadow (like he doesn't have time to shave on the eternally dull summit of Mount Olympus?) and the minotaur - who is supposed to be half human, half bull - is instead half human half Picasso sculpture. And speaking of the Minotaur, the only available burial crypt in Theseus' home town just happens to be in the middle of the labyrinth, where for some strange reason there's a 6 foot tall blob of rock that no one seems to notice plopped in among all the geometric precision, and it's apparently been there for some time.
Though the violence in "Immortals" is appropriately symbolic the creative team have chosen as their primary symbol that of the baseball-bat-meets-pumpkin. There are more exploding heads in this single film than may have actually occurred in the entire history of the human race. I find it a curious symbol to hang your pseudo-mythology on but that's just me.
I'm not going to go into how it all wraps up. You already know the end of a film like this before you sit down with your popcorn. Good triumphs over evil (evil being all those things the powerful used to attain power and now want the rest of us to swear off of) and a child is born to ensure a sequel (should the box office warrant it).
Still, with all that said, as long as you don't go into Immortals with any expectations you may emerge thinking "Man, all those exploding heads were really cool!" which is, as far as I can tell, exactly what the film makers want you to think. Either that or "Man, Freida Pinto's body double has a really nice butt!" which works just fine for me.
What else can one say about it? Well, it's not actually Greek mythology, the Immortals aren't actually immortal (the film makes it pretty clear that only statues are immortal) and the story - such as it is - is a mess.
For some reason King Hyperion decides it's time to get his hands on the Epirus bow so that he can bring down the myth of the gods once and for all. Thing is, there are so many disbelievers inhabiting the ancient Greece of this story that it seems the myth of the gods was brought down a long time ago or never effectively sold to begin with, so what's the point?
We're given no background on Hyperion at all. Where does he come from? How did he acquire such powers of ultimate badassness? Why is he intent on releasing the Titans when (if he knows his state sponsored religion - as he flatly states he does) he knows that by doing so he'll trigger the clause in the human/gods contract that allows Zeus and Co to enter the fray on the human side? Oh wait! It's because he doesn't believe in the whole Titans/gods thing to begin with so he knows he has nothing to fear. That's right. But, wait a minute, if he doesn't believe in all the supernatural fairy tales then why is he seeking the Epirus bow; a mythical weapon if ever there was one? And why is he intent on releasing the Titans which he doesn't believe even exist?
By this point I don't have a clue but I continue to watch as he goes on a first rate pillaging campaign anyway in an attempt to find the oracle who can tell him how to find the Epirus bow which is part of a mythology he doesn't believe in so that he can release the Titans he doesn't believe exist and thereby bring down the myth of the gods that no longer holds any sway over the majority of people in any event. Uh, sounds good to me.
Along the way he invades a town he states he has no interest in and makes the mistake of killing Theseus' mother in front of Theseus. This prompts Theseus (one of those countless disbelievers that populate the film) to take on the cause of protecting the entire discredited political system Hyperion is laying siege to simply because his mom bought into one part of it and Hyperion killed his mom.
So let me get this straight: what we've got is a villain attempting to find a weapon he doesn't believe exists in order to bring down a system nobody buys into anymore which is defended by a hero who doesn't believe in the system he's defending. Okay. If you say so.
As Hyperion Mickey Rourke spends most of his time channeling Brando from Apocalypse Now (I kept expecting him to say to Theseus; "You're an errand boy, sent by grocery clerks to collect a bill" but alas...). Granted he's not given a lot to work with, what with all the predictably pompous dialogue and artful posing but he is given a slew of really interesting hats to wear which serve to redeem his character.
Speaking of hats; the aesthetic choices exercised by the creative team are, lets say, interesting. For instance, Zeus has a permanent five o'clock shadow (like he doesn't have time to shave on the eternally dull summit of Mount Olympus?) and the minotaur - who is supposed to be half human, half bull - is instead half human half Picasso sculpture. And speaking of the Minotaur, the only available burial crypt in Theseus' home town just happens to be in the middle of the labyrinth, where for some strange reason there's a 6 foot tall blob of rock that no one seems to notice plopped in among all the geometric precision, and it's apparently been there for some time.
Though the violence in "Immortals" is appropriately symbolic the creative team have chosen as their primary symbol that of the baseball-bat-meets-pumpkin. There are more exploding heads in this single film than may have actually occurred in the entire history of the human race. I find it a curious symbol to hang your pseudo-mythology on but that's just me.
I'm not going to go into how it all wraps up. You already know the end of a film like this before you sit down with your popcorn. Good triumphs over evil (evil being all those things the powerful used to attain power and now want the rest of us to swear off of) and a child is born to ensure a sequel (should the box office warrant it).
Still, with all that said, as long as you don't go into Immortals with any expectations you may emerge thinking "Man, all those exploding heads were really cool!" which is, as far as I can tell, exactly what the film makers want you to think. Either that or "Man, Freida Pinto's body double has a really nice butt!" which works just fine for me.
Jan 20, 2012
2nd trailer for Nick Cross' animated feature debut "Black Sunrise"
Looks like a pretty bad day on planet earth.
Daniel Radcliffe in new clip from "The Woman in Black"
Radcliffe's first post Potter film foray finds him playing Victorian lawyer Arthur Kipps in Hammer Films "The Woman in Black". Movie is set for release February 3 and looks like it could be some vintage popcorn fun.
Jan 19, 2012
George Lucas says no more Star Wars films, cites hurt feelings
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| "You hurt my feelings" |
At least one reason he's going small time is that he's apparently had it with the fan boy hate storm precipitated by his constant tweaking of the original trilogy that everyone loved so much but no one can get anymore. Says an obviously crest-fallen Lucas: “Why would I make any more when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?”
Now if we can only hold him to this...
Jan 18, 2012
The top 10 movies for the weekend of Jan 13 - Jan 15, 2012
| 1) Contraband | $24.3 Million |
| 2) Beauty and the Beast 3D | $17.7 Million |
| 3) Mission Impossible 4 | $11.6 Million |
| 4) Joyful Noise | $11.2 Million |
| 5) Sherlock Holmes 2 | $8.5 Million |
| 6) The Devil Inside | $8 Million |
| 7) Girl w/the Dragon Tattoo | $6.6 Million |
| 8) War Horse | $5.9 Million |
| 9) Chipmunks 3 | $5.8 Million |
| 10) We Bought a Zoo | $5.5 Million |
The number one movie a year ago this week was Sony's "The Green Hornet" which debuted in the top spot with a $33.5 million haul.
Jan 17, 2012
New still image from "Prometheus"
I know Chris wishes he could hibernate until the release date for Ridley Scott's upcoming sci-fi thriller. Sadly he'll have to just live his life and wait like everyone else. But Ridley Scott has apparently heard the cries of the masses and, in his infinite generosity, released another still image to wet our appetites.
I have to say that after all the effort Scott and company have gone to to drive home the idea that this is not going to be an Alien prequel both the trailer and now this image pretty convincingly contradict that PR campaign. Why would they go to all the effort to deny reality? Beats me. Maybe they just want to lower expectations. Or maybe they just want to drive us all batty. In any case here's the image.
I don't know about you but to me those sure look like relatives of the "space jockey" from "Alien" on the left there.
I have to say that after all the effort Scott and company have gone to to drive home the idea that this is not going to be an Alien prequel both the trailer and now this image pretty convincingly contradict that PR campaign. Why would they go to all the effort to deny reality? Beats me. Maybe they just want to lower expectations. Or maybe they just want to drive us all batty. In any case here's the image.
I don't know about you but to me those sure look like relatives of the "space jockey" from "Alien" on the left there.
Jan 16, 2012
New image of Bilbo from "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
Looks to me like Bilbo's been mucking it up with Shelob. Either that or his jacket's just emerged from several hours in the dryer and the lint filter wasn't doing it's job.
Photo via cinemablend.com
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| Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins in "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" |
Jan 15, 2012
Gene Hackman hit by car while riding bike
"Star Trek 2" officially gets underway
Paramount has announced that JJ Abrams much anticipated second installment of the revamped Star Trek franchise has begun principal photography. The film, starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban and others is slated for a May 17, 2013 launch.
Jan 14, 2012
New still from "Dark Shadows" with Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp has spent most of his career hiding behind makeup so I was a bit surprised with this new still from Tim Burton's "Dark Shadows" (via Entertainment Weekly's premiere 2012 issue). I had expected Depp to adopt a more extreme, fantastical look for his vampire character Barnabas Collins but he's apparently gone the minimalist route instead and I for one think he looks uber creepy. Less is more baby!
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| Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer in Tim Burton's "Dark Shadows" |
New "John Carter" tv spot
Here's the new tv spot for Disney's "John Carter". I think it looks great.
Jan 13, 2012
"Newmedia" - Sci-fi short from Argentina
Here's an interesting short from the Argentine duo of Julian Cooke and Sebastian Dias. It's only the length of a standard trailer and covers the well-worn territory of alien invasion of the earth but I'll take it over Skyline any day.
"Moonrise Kingdom" Trailer
Wes Anderson's knack for creating off-beat and interesting movies that inhabit the far corners of realism seems alive and well in the first trailer for his upcoming "Moonrise Kingdom", set for release on May 25th.
Jan 12, 2012
"Mad Max Fury Road" cars spotted at shipping terminal
What were the vehicles from George Miller's upcoming fourth installment of the Mad Max saga doing at a shipping terminal? It seems Miller has tired of waiting for the Australian desert to return to being desert after a period of heavy rain led to lots of flowers and grass where sand should be and is taking his production to South Africa. No word on when shooting will begin there on the film starring Tom Hardy in the role made iconic by Mel Gibson.
Here's a pic of 2 of the vehicles from theage.com.au
Here's a pic of 2 of the vehicles from theage.com.au
Avatar 2 four years away?
There have been a ton of stories over the past year and a half regarding release dates for the Avatar sequel. Most of them (like this one) had Avatar 2 being released in 2014 and the third installment following a year later, while several stories had shooting commencing at some point this year.
Well, don't hold your breath. The film's producer John Landau has added his considerable weight to the story by telling Bleedingcool.com that the first of the Avatar sequels is a full four years away. That's 2016 for the mathematically challenged. Looks like Sam Worthington will have plenty of time to get used to diving after all.
Well, don't hold your breath. The film's producer John Landau has added his considerable weight to the story by telling Bleedingcool.com that the first of the Avatar sequels is a full four years away. That's 2016 for the mathematically challenged. Looks like Sam Worthington will have plenty of time to get used to diving after all.
Jan 11, 2012
"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" - 2011
The British had an empire once. Not that long ago. The Germans saw to its destruction and the Americans filled the void left by its collapse. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy takes place in the aftermath of that collapse, in a cold war London where the bureaucrats of MI6 yearn to be relevant once again. So blind are they in their pursuit of favor from their "American cousins" that they open themselves up to infiltration and manipulation by agents of the world's other post World War II superpower, the Soviet Union.
"The Circus", as it's called by its denizens, has a mole right near the top. MI6's enigmatic leader (known only as "Control") is on to his presence and in an attempt to discern his identity unwittingly sends an agent into a setup in Eastern Europe. Control's man is captured and believed killed and Control and his right hand man, George Smiley, are forced out in disgrace leaving the Circus with no defenders.
That is until a low level operative by the name of Ricky Tarr surfaces with a story to tell about a woman he met in Istanbul. Tarr's story catches the ear of high level politicians who want to know what the hell is going on at the Circus. In order to ascertain the veracity of Tarr's tall tale they reach out to the disgraced and initially unwilling Smiley and empower him to assemble a small covert team to dig for the truth. What Smiley discovers is Control's mole theory and the movie follows his efforts to expose said mole.
The film captures the ashen inertia of late 60s/early 70s London with grimy precision. It seems like nothing has received a fresh coat of paint since before the war. It's a former imperial capital shrouded in cigarette smoke and swaddled in musty woolen overcoats. Rarely has victory ever tasted so much like defeat. In this regard the filmmakers have succeeded brilliantly in creating a sense of place just as believable as that created by the BBC for the first filmed version of this story back in 1979 when most of the grime and inertia where still there to be filmed first hand.
That 1979 version, starring Alec Guinness as the taciturn but razor sharp George Smiley, spent 5 hours telling a tale that in this new version is compressed into 2 hours. And I'm afraid that this new film makes a pretty convincing argument that the original's length (or at least something close to it) was probably necessary to tell the tale properly. Why? Because this is not a tale of Jason Bourne hurtling himself through a digitally interconnected global village. This is a tale of paper files and personal contact, of the Dover to Calais ferry, soft rain showers, furtive glances and of pieces moved about the chessboard of superpower relations in moves that take years to develop and years more to uncover. The film certainly tries to give inertia its due in the performances, many of which are splendid. Where it drops the ball is in trying to make up for the time consumed by all those long looks and carefully choreographed, character-building interactions with editing that cuts such huge chunks out of the narrative that the story becomes almost incomprehensible after only 15 minutes. And this is a shame because the film sports one of the strongest casts in recent memory and I'm pretty sure that if the film were given an appropriate run time we'd be looking at Oscar nominations for several of the leads, most notably Gary Oldman, who gives Sir Alec a run for his money. We might even be looking at this as a serious candidate for Best Picture.
Hell, given the competition numerous Oscars might still be in the cards but it's far from a sure thing because unless you go into the movie with a fairly comprehensive knowledge of the story you'll probably emerge scratching your head; impressed but puzzled.
I'm not the kind of guy who sits around waiting for "the director's cut" or "special extended version" of this or that film to be released but in this case I'm going to make an exception.
"The Circus", as it's called by its denizens, has a mole right near the top. MI6's enigmatic leader (known only as "Control") is on to his presence and in an attempt to discern his identity unwittingly sends an agent into a setup in Eastern Europe. Control's man is captured and believed killed and Control and his right hand man, George Smiley, are forced out in disgrace leaving the Circus with no defenders.
That is until a low level operative by the name of Ricky Tarr surfaces with a story to tell about a woman he met in Istanbul. Tarr's story catches the ear of high level politicians who want to know what the hell is going on at the Circus. In order to ascertain the veracity of Tarr's tall tale they reach out to the disgraced and initially unwilling Smiley and empower him to assemble a small covert team to dig for the truth. What Smiley discovers is Control's mole theory and the movie follows his efforts to expose said mole.
The film captures the ashen inertia of late 60s/early 70s London with grimy precision. It seems like nothing has received a fresh coat of paint since before the war. It's a former imperial capital shrouded in cigarette smoke and swaddled in musty woolen overcoats. Rarely has victory ever tasted so much like defeat. In this regard the filmmakers have succeeded brilliantly in creating a sense of place just as believable as that created by the BBC for the first filmed version of this story back in 1979 when most of the grime and inertia where still there to be filmed first hand.
That 1979 version, starring Alec Guinness as the taciturn but razor sharp George Smiley, spent 5 hours telling a tale that in this new version is compressed into 2 hours. And I'm afraid that this new film makes a pretty convincing argument that the original's length (or at least something close to it) was probably necessary to tell the tale properly. Why? Because this is not a tale of Jason Bourne hurtling himself through a digitally interconnected global village. This is a tale of paper files and personal contact, of the Dover to Calais ferry, soft rain showers, furtive glances and of pieces moved about the chessboard of superpower relations in moves that take years to develop and years more to uncover. The film certainly tries to give inertia its due in the performances, many of which are splendid. Where it drops the ball is in trying to make up for the time consumed by all those long looks and carefully choreographed, character-building interactions with editing that cuts such huge chunks out of the narrative that the story becomes almost incomprehensible after only 15 minutes. And this is a shame because the film sports one of the strongest casts in recent memory and I'm pretty sure that if the film were given an appropriate run time we'd be looking at Oscar nominations for several of the leads, most notably Gary Oldman, who gives Sir Alec a run for his money. We might even be looking at this as a serious candidate for Best Picture.
Hell, given the competition numerous Oscars might still be in the cards but it's far from a sure thing because unless you go into the movie with a fairly comprehensive knowledge of the story you'll probably emerge scratching your head; impressed but puzzled.
I'm not the kind of guy who sits around waiting for "the director's cut" or "special extended version" of this or that film to be released but in this case I'm going to make an exception.
Jan 10, 2012
The top 10 movies for the weekend of Jan 6 - Jan 8, 2012
| 1) The Devil Inside | $33.7 Million |
| 2) Mission Impossible 4 | $19.8 Million |
| 3) Sherlock Holmes 2 | $13.6 Million |
| 4) Girl w/the Dragon Tattoo | $11.3 Million |
| 5) Chipmunks 3 | $9.4 Million |
| 6) War Horse | $8.6 Million |
| 7) We Bought a Zoo | $8.3 Million |
| 8) The Adventures of Tintin | $6.7 Million |
| 9) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | $5.4 Million |
| 10) The Darkest Hour | $3.1 Million |
The number one movie a year ago this week was Paramount's "True Grit" which reached the top spot in its third week of release with a $14.6 million haul.
Jan 9, 2012
Sam Worthington on "Avatar 2"
He'd better get over his aversion to diving pretty soon though because Sigourney Weaver has hinted that filming on A2 will begin before 2012 is out.
Teaser poster for "The Bourne "Legacy"
Jan 8, 2012
Jan 6, 2012
Jeremy Renner learns about the Thai way
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| Renner prepares to go back out in Phuket. |
Amazing Thailand!
Production halted once again on "Akira"
I've long been a fan of the original manga and so it's disheartening to me that a project like "Akira" is having so much trouble getting off the ground. For the third time in its troubled production history the film has had the brakes put on by producers with most of the staff being sent home to wait and see. No one seems to agree on exactly what happened this time. Some say its a budget issue, others that producers weren't happy with the script. While I don't doubt that making a compelling live action version of the classic Japanese comic is no small task you'd think that someone at Warner's would take the bull by the horn and get the project moving forward in a sustainable way. Maybe they're just trying to figure out how they can tweak the story to allow for plenty of zombies and vampires.
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| Once again "Akira" told to power down. |
Jan 5, 2012
Off the beaten track trailer of the day - "Pulau Hantu 3"
This one is for the hotly anticipated sequel PULAU HANTU 3 (who knew there was a Pulau Hantu 1 and 2?). I'm not sure what it all means except that sex and death are apparently a winning combination everywhere.
Coming soon to a theater nowhere near you.
Coming soon to a theater nowhere near you.
You can't keep a good (or at least profitable) ghost down
What happens when your $15,000 feature makes nearly $200 million at the box office? Well, you find a sequel in there somewhere and get it into theaters asap. And what if your still modestly budgeted $3 million sequel makes another $177 million at the box office? Well, you state that you always imagined it to be a trilogy anyway and get back to work. And if your $5 million "final" installment just happens to rake in another $200 million? Personally I'd say its time for a prequel baby! Yeah!
In keeping with that thought Paramount has announced that Paranormal Activity 4 will be landing in theaters on Oct 19th just in time for Halloween, even though they don't have as much as a script yet (so don't hold me to the 'prequel' bit). Who said Hollywood is out of ideas?
In keeping with that thought Paramount has announced that Paranormal Activity 4 will be landing in theaters on Oct 19th just in time for Halloween, even though they don't have as much as a script yet (so don't hold me to the 'prequel' bit). Who said Hollywood is out of ideas?
Jan 4, 2012
The top 10 movies for the weekend of Dec 30 - Jan 1, 2012
| 1) Mission Impossible 4 | $29.4 Million |
| 2) Sherlock Holmes 2 | $20.8 Million |
| 3) The Chipmunks 3 | $16.3 Million |
| 4) Girl w/the Dragon Tattoo | $14.8 Million |
| 5) War Horse | $14.4 Million |
| 6) We Bought A Zoo | $13.2 Million |
| 7) Adventures of Tintin | $11.4 Million |
| 8) New Years Eve | $6.3 Million |
| 9) The Darkest Hour | $4.1 Million |
| 10) The Descendants | $3.3 Million |
The number one movie a year ago this week was Universal's "Little Fockers" which held on to the top spot for a second week with a $25.7 million haul.
Jan 2, 2012
Trailer for "Upside Down" starring Kirsten Dunst
"Upside Down" is director Juan Solanas' second feature film. His first, "Nordeste", didn't generate much interest but Upside Down seems like it might be a different story (so to speak). It's a big budget sci-fi (sort of) forbidden romance starring Kirsten Dunst and Jim Sturgess set in a universe where worlds sit on top of one another and people from "up top" are forbidden to associate with the folks "down below". It's a story line as old as human beings so it'll be interesting to see if Solanas can infuse it with some life. For me the characters had better be solid because just watching the 2 minute trailer was giving me a headache. But you decide. Here's the trailer.
For the record the film has not yet secured a North American distributor so there is no release date, yet.
For the record the film has not yet secured a North American distributor so there is no release date, yet.
Lord of the Rings swordmaster Bob Anderson dies at 89
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| Bob Anderson (that's him in the Darth Vader costume) has died at 89. |
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