Archive for December, 2009

Short Take: Impressive for many reasons, but perhaps no better reason than because it's NEW

Directors: Ron Clements (Aladdin), John Musker (Aladdin)

Writers: Ron Clements, Jason Oremland, and John Musker (story), Ron Clements, John Musker, and Rob Edwards (Treasure Planet) (screenplay)

Cast: Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls), Bruno Campos, Keith David (Coraline), Jim Cummings (Bee Movie)

Length: 1h 37m

Synopsis: Tiana (Rose) is a hard-working lower class girl who is trying as hard as she can to save up enough money to open up her own restaurant, which was both her and her father’s life long dream. One day, while wishing upon a star for help in achieving this, she comes across a frog who calls himself a prince (Campos). He claims that he’s only a frog because an evil voodoo magician turned him into one, and that a kiss would set everything right again. As it turns out, the solution to their problems is not so simple. Read the rest of this entry »

A still of Zoe Saldana from "Avatar"

ComingSoon.net has published a transcript of a panel discussion that took place in London involving director James Cameron and the cast of his new movie Avatar. The documented Q and A session is moderately long, and goes into great detail about the film and how its creators felt about it on various levels. The questions are precise and demand complex answers, and said answers are elaborate and insightful. Cameron and the cast seemed to make sure to be as articulate as possible, and as a result they provide a wealth of information about both themselves and the film. The questions range from the typical “how did ___ make you feel,” to discussing the difference between seeing and “really seeing” and their relationship to the film and its story.

If you’re curious and/or interested about Avatar we would like to strongly recommend that you take a close look at this transcript. It contains less than a handful of the most minor of spoilers, which if you’re someone who’s been keeping up with the film they might not be new to you anyways.

A still from "Coraline"

The American Film Institute has released their choices for the top 10 films of 2009. The list comprises the following films (in alphabetical order):

Coraline, The Hangover, The Hurt Locker, The Messenger, Precious, A Serious Man, A Single Man, Sugar, Up, and Up in the Air.

Being that Up in the Air hasn’t yet been released into theaters nationwide, its inclusion on this list might act as great promotion and cause the film to have a bigger opening weekend than it would have. The Hangover might also enjoy boosted DVD sales.

Select groups representing these respective films will receive AFI’s awards at a ceremony in Los Angeles on January 5th.

Source: Variety

Quick Opinion: What the hell is The Hangover doing on this list? Certainly there were more deserving films that could have taken its spot in AFI’s top 10 of the year, such as Star Trek or Ingloureous Basterds, to name a few. But to play Devil’s advocate for a moment, many people have been lobbying for years for comedies to get more credit from organizations like AFI because while a successful comedy may not be “artistically superior” (as not every comedy can be Annie Hall) it nevertheless may be impressively effective in garnering the reactions its genre seeks to induce. To The Hangover‘s credit its reception was surprisingly positive from critics, and since its release it has penetrated pop culture thoroughly. Is this grounds for being mentioned with films like Precious, The Messenger, and Coraline? Tell us what you think.

Short Take: An inspirational sports movie unlike any other

Director: Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby)

Screenwriter: Anthony Peckham, John Carlin (book: “Playing the Enemy”)

Cast: Morgan Freeman (Se7en), Matt Damon (The Informant!)

Length: 2h 14m

Synopsis: After Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1992 and elected as President of South Africa after blacks had just earned the right to vote, he sought to inspire a nation that had a divided population and was suffering from economic hardship. That inspiration came from the national sport of rugby. Withholding uncanny knowledge about how to motivate the masses, Mandela’s key was to first properly motivate the national rugby team into advancing to the World Cup finals. Read the rest of this entry »

Captain America

IGN.com has published another film preview guide, the newest one for movies that are going to be based off of various comic books and graphic novels. The guide covers all the latest buzz about possible Blade and Fantastic 4 reboots, The Avengers, The First Avenger: Captain America, Iron Man 2, Runaways, Spider-Man 4 through 6, Thor, Batman 3, Green Arrow, Jonah Hex, Y: The Last Man, among others.

As far as I can research the guide is as thorough as one could probably need. Looking up news on each of these films reveals only minimal extra information, none of which I feel is interesting enough to mention here. So if you’re itching to hear the latest about the superhero side of Hollywood, or if you’re just curious, this IGN guide should prove to be a great read.

Short Take: Heavy and uncomprimising, but definately worth your time and thought

Director: Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot)

Screenwriters: David Benioff (adapted), Susanne Bier (writer for BrØdre)

Cast: Toby Maguire (Spider-Man), Natalie Portman (V for Vendetta), Jake Gyllenhaal (Jarhead)

Length: 1h 45m

Synopsis: Marine Capt. Sam Cahill (Maguire) has been shipped off to Afghanistan leaving his wife Grace (Portman) and two kids at home, along with his brother Tommy (Gyllenhaal) who was recently released from prison. While away on his tour of duty Sam is captured by terrorists, and his loved ones at home are forced to expect the worst. Read the rest of this entry »

Francis Ford Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula" is arguably the most stylized retelling of the Dracula story to date

With vampire craze still in full swing due to the enormous hit that has been New Moon, the same production studio that financed that film has let it be known that it will now finance a remake of the story of Dracula. The project is called Vlad, written by Charlie Hunnam (actor on FX’s Sons of Anarchy), and is focused on Dracula as a young prince (with Vlad the Impaler of course being the inspiration for the character). Music video director Anthony Mandler (Rhianna, The Killers, Eminem) will be helming the project, with Brad Pitt producing. Reportedly, the film is set to have the same degree of stylization as 2006′s 300, which executives at Summit are excited about. The casting of the role of Vlad is expected to be an unknown.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Quick Opinion: As it turns out, we at Movie-Thoughts got our wish for a remake of Dracula, although having it made by Summit, starring an unknown, and captained by a music video director wasn’t exactly what we had in mind. However, here’s the silver lining: Summit is still small enough to not fall under the pressure of big studio-type paranoia (i.e. they can financially afford to be bolder and more daring with their creativity), unknown actors like Brandon Routh have proven that a no-name can indeed carry the weight of an iconic role, and Spike Jonze has proven that a music video director is capable of telling wonderful stories very skillfully. The odds that Vlad will have the same level of performances and direction as the names just listed can only be speculated, but it’s good to think positive.

Spider-Man (2002) helped make superheros relevant again in Hollywood

In a feature article on FilmSchoolRejects.com, author Landon Palmer lists what he argues are the most influential films of the past 10 years. The list includes such popular movies such as The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter franchises, The Dark Knight, Memento, Borat, The Passion of the Christ, Traffic, and No Country for Old Men, among others. But his list is not fabricated on the basis of popularity alone, as he also takes into consideration the impact these films have on each other, and their relativity with their social and historical contexts. Palmer writes very intelligibly; clearly articulating ideas that are grounded in logic and defended with sound reasoning. You may not agree with him on every choice he makes, but you’ll at least understand why he chose the movies he did and likely admit that said choices are not indefensible.

Some of the more interesting films he mentions are Munich and Jarhead, neither of which were big box-office bonanzas. These two were particularly political in their makeup, Palmer claims, but not preachy such as films like Fahrenheit 9/11 or The Passion of the Christ. However, Palmer goes on to say that these films’ political nature makes them inexorably tied to the contexts of their times, and thus probably wont stand the test of time as well as others on the list. At this juncture it’s impossible to say whether he could be right or wrong, but if such films are as influential as he claims it can’t be thought that them standing the test of time is impossible. Films of the ‘70s like Taxi Driver and Easy Rider were saturated in social and political commentary, yet they’ve lasted as cinematic symbols of excellence for decades.

Palmer’s article, doubtless to lead to controversy simply because of its nature (that is, as an argument), is an exceedingly interesting and impressive read for anyone interested in taking a look in the rearview mirror at the past decade of movies. No other articles I’ve found that take such practices, say, on Variety or that ilk, are as good as this. A highly recommended read.

Short Take: Roald Dahl's signiture is there, and it's indeed fantastic

Director: Wes Anderson (Darjeeling Limited, The Royal Tenenbaums)

Screenwriters: Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach; Roald Dahl (book)

Cast: George Clooney (Michael Clayton), Meryl Streep (Julie and Julia), Jason Schwartzman (Bored to Death), Bill Murray (Rushmore), Michael Gambon (Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince), Willem Dafoe (Antichrist)

Length: 1h 27m

Synopsis: Mr. Fox (Clooney) lives in a burrow underground with his wife (Streep) and son Ash (Schwartzman) as he tries to live the legit existence after being a very successful chicken thief for most of his life. The dangerous life didn’t agree with Mrs. Fox’s plans for the family, so Mr. Fox had to swear to stay straight. That itching instinct to steal livestock never dies, however, and Mr. Fox eventually lets it get him and his entire community in serious trouble with the local farmers. Read the rest of this entry »

Director/Producer Steven Spielberg

Dreamworks and 20th Century Fox were set to begin production in 2010 on a new adaptation of “Harvey,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning Mary Chase play that was previously made into a 1950 film starring Jimmy Stewart, which Steven Spielberg was going to direct until yesterday when he severed himself from the project.

“Harvey” is about a man who believes in an invisible friend who happens to be a six foot tall rabbit.

Reportedly, Spielberg was having a tough time casting for the main role and is likely one of the main reasons he pulled away. He immediately thought to hire Tom Hanks to play the same role as Stewart, but Hanks supposedly wanted nothing to do with a part the was played by the iconic star. Robert Downey Jr. was next considered for the role, but when offered the part he was hesitated to commit and was insistent on making revisions with the script. When it became clear that Spielberg and Downey Jr. could not get on the same page creatively, the director called it quits.

Spielberg is currently involved with the post-production phase of The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, and has had a handful of scripts on the backburner for years, including an Abraham Lincoln civil war drama which will star Liam Neeson.

Source: Variety