Archive for October, 2009

On Halloween everyone's entitled to one good scare

Happy All Hallows Eve everyone. In celebration of this most frightening of holidays, we here at Movie-Thoughts invite you to take a look at our essay on a film that was inspired by this night of the year – John Carpenter’s Halloween.

They say the more you know your fears the less powerful they become. Our essay, “Halloween: Destroying Normality One Home and Family at a Time,” will help you kick the frights that scare you while watching Halloween by allowing you to know better what exactly it is that makes you so scared of it. So save yourself, and don’t be afraid.

Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins

Thor, set to begin production in January, will now star Anthony Hopkins as Oden, father on Thor and Loki. The rest of the cast includes Chris Hemsworth (as Thor), Tom Hiddleston (as Loki), and Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Thor’s romantic interest.

Thor is set to release May 20th, 2010.

Source: Variety

In Other News…

Disney continues to trim down Miramax studios. Miramax president Daniel Battsek has been asked to step down as head of Disney’s specialty film division. Disney plans to cut 50 more jobs at Miramax by January, leaving only around 20.

The figurative trimming of the fat is a continuation of Disney’s plans to cut costs, which it said it planned to do months ago. Miramax, which usually releases 6 to 8 films per year, will now only release 3 annually.

Under Battsek’s guidance over the last 18 years, Miramax has released such acclaimed films as The Queen, Gone Baby Gone, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, No Country for Old Men, and Doubt. Miramax’s last film this year will be Everything’s Fine starring Robert De Niro, set to release December 4th.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Short Take: Great for fans, and enjoyable for all

Director: Kenny Ortega

Cast: Michael Jackson

Length: 1h 42m

Synopsis: A documentary comprised of fly-on-the-wall behind-the-scenes footage of Michael Jackson’s rehearsals for his This is it concert tour that was canceled due to the singer’s untimely death. Read the rest of this entry »

Micah Sloat, Katie Featherston, and director Oren Peli

The Los Angeles Times published an article a few days ago catching up with Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat, the two lead actors in the recent horror hit Paranormal Activity. The piece talks about what the two’s lives were like immediately before getting their parts in the film (no, they aren’t a real-life couple) as well as how things are going present day.

Katie was working as a waitress, and Micah was a computer technician – and both were close to giving up dreams of a career in acting. After being paid only $500 each for their roles in Paranormal Activity, both say the immense popularity of the film has resulted in them getting tons of audition invitations.

Featherston, whose next acting credit is a bit part in the horror indie “Walking Distance,” has a different measure of success. “My old crush was like, ‘Hey, Katie. How’s it going?’ ” she said coyly. “I was like, ‘Uh-uh. You didn’t like me then.’ It’s sweet revenge.” – LA Times

The article also goes on to detail the film’s rise from irrelevancy, mentioning for example the reactions of Katie and Micah as the movie spread further and further throughout the country.

If you enjoyed this spooky flick, or you’re just looking for a genuinely happy tale from Hollywood, give this feature article a read. And for you struggling actors and filmmakers out there, it’s stories like these that remind us that it only takes the right break to make it big and that said break can happen when you least expect it. So hold your heads high, and keep trying!

While in keeping an eye on the world of film criticism, a new assessor managed to stand out. Christopher Monfette (of IGN.com) wrote a particularly well-crafted review of Where the Wild Things Are in that he was able to deftly articulate his personal observations whilst using material from the movie to explain and support his perspective. Now, such achievements ought not to be considered great. On the contrary, reaching such a level of writing should be considered merely a fulfillment in competence. However being that the number of online movie reviewers who actually display evidence of an education seems to decrease by the day, I must insist on congratulating members of this guild.

Clarity is not the only notable attribute concerning Monfette’s writing. His articulation, which is something that goes beyond simply choosing the right syntax and word choice, is able to reveal deeper elements of the film by only referring to the surface values of his citations. This allows him to avoid giving spoilers and still provide a tangible viewpoint based on clear reasoning. Having the ability to accomplish this is impressive. The thing to watch from now on, though, is if he is able to write and review at such a level consistently. To judge for yourselves on whether or not he seems capable of this I invite you to also read his review of Saw VI.

Monfette’s experience seems limited (he has only a couple dozen published reviews) and I failed to find any kind of biography, but as things stand now I would consider him to be a critic to watch. It should be fun tracking his career, especially if it continues to rise.

Hello fellow moviegoers! It’s that time of year when we all relish the simple pleasures that come with the Halloween season. Whether it’s eating candy till you’re sick, drinking until you’re sick, scaring the neighbors’ children, or taking a date to a scary movie, the Halloween season is unlike any other. The holiday, like movies themselves, allows us to briefly live in a world of fantasy, giving us an excuse to dress up as whatever we want to be and, if we choose, frighten the crap out of each other.

One of the most popular Halloween costumes of all time (and one which I’ve worn on several occasions myself) is that of the killer “shape” from John Carpenter’s Halloween, Michael Myers. Walk around long enough on any given year, anywhere, and you’re bound to see at least one or two Michaels roaming the streets of your figurative Haddonfield. The classic horror movie has become inexorably bound with its associated holiday, which is of course only too appropriate. But its popularity goes far beyond just being titled “Halloween”. It is widely regarded as a milestone in American horror, and is still to this day reflected upon and studied by film scholars and critics, along with the general public (naturally). But aside from its impressive critical commendation, it’s simply flat out one of the scariest movies of all time. The jaded might be unimpressed, but those who are able to let down their guard and take off their armor of masculinity will attest to the film’s standing power. One of, if not the best test of a film is the test of time, and after 30 years Halloween is still as popular as it ever was.

As a form of celebration and to help commemorate the Halloween season, we offer all of you to read the authentic shooting script for Carpenter’s Halloween in its entirety. There are small and subtle differences that fans of the film will likely pick up on, and hardcore fans will no doubt have fun noting the comparisons (that is, if they haven’t read the script on their own already).

Michael gave new meaning to the words "trick or treat"

The script is a really fun read even if you’re not that big into horror. It goes by fast (as there’s lots of dialogue) and can be deceptively engaging. Horror scripts are typically tedious reads because they’re very predictable and borrow considerably from older films. Halloween, though, is the film that began the “slasher” craze, and is the one that all those formulaic knock-offs sponge from (more or less). In many ways, the script is an artifact of cinematic history. I fail to think of a higher honor for a screenwriter, and so I highly recommend that all of you reserve some time to be interactive witnesses to this history. And what better time to do so than now?

You can download the entire script here halloween script.pdf

Joel and Ethan Coen ("No Country for Old Men")

The Coen brothers are planning to film a remake of 1969′s True Grit, which Paramount will work to release for late 2010, and actors Matt Damon and Josh Brolin are currently in final talks to join a cast that already includes fellow well-known actor Jeff Bridges.

Reportedly, Damon is to be cast as Bridges’ fellow lawman trying with the help of a 14-year old girl to catch a killer, to be played by Brolin. The Coen brothers claim that their completed script is more loyal to the Charles Portis novel of the same name which the original film is based from.

Source: Variety

Quick Opinion: Western fans should be very excited just from knowing the directors and short list of known cast members attached to this project. Bridges, Brolin, and Damon are all fine actors and have shown the ability to mold themselves into their parts time and again. I believe we can trust them to continue their streaks. What may be just as exciting as finding out that the Coen brothers are writing and directing is realizing that big, respected names like theirs are being attached to the western genre. Westerns have not been the most popular genre in Hollywood over recent decades, but they’re hardly dead. 2007′s 3:10 to Yuma was considered by most to be a solid effort, and had moderate box-office success by at least breaking even (cost – $50million, gross – $53million). The status of the western should get a boost from having Oscar-winning talent in the directors’ chairs, which if the genre is to make some sort of cultural revival is a darn good place to get started.

Megan Fox

Considering the popularity of a certain type of actress working in Hollywood, one would think that given this popularity they would be the top talent in town; the mold from which all aspiring actresses should try to shape themselves into. The type of actress to which I am referring is the young and exceptionally beautiful leading lady. However, many argue that some of these women (Jessica Alba, Megan Fox, Lindsay Lohan, etc.) get by solely based on their immense attractiveness and not because of their acting talent (or lack thereof). Such a criticism is certainly harsh, but given the high degree of subjectivity inherent in the interpretation of acting performances such a criticism is nevertheless valid. Let us take a moment and examine one particular star actress of this type – Megan Fox. Read the rest of this entry »

Short Take: The buzz is true - scariest movie in years

Director: Oren Peli (debut)

Screenwriter: Oren Peli

Cast: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Mark Fredrichs, Amber Armstrong

Length: 1h 26m

Synopsis: In 2006 a young couple living in San Diego begins experiencing strange happenings in their home for no apparent reason. The girl (Katie) claims to have endured the stalking of some strange ghost-like figure since she was a child, and it has haunted her periodically no matter where she lived. Her long-term boyfriend Micah decides to begin videotaping as much as he can to try and capture these hauntings as evidence, and what gets recorded truly shocks them. Read the rest of this entry »

Cliff:

Answering this question is not as easy as it might seem. For starters, I would like to make clear that I am a supporter of torture films (or what many people incorrectly call “torture porn”) as a subgenre of horror cinema, for reasons that can be best understood by reading my essay on the topic. In short, however, I would claim that torture films can be considered artistic, and thus if a torture film’s artistic merit can be defended then it is justifiable insofar that it is a valid cultural artifact. Not all torture films can be sufficiently defended, but the possibility is there nonetheless. Read the rest of this entry »