You mean you haven’t seen DC Turner’s brilliant animated adaptation of Tim Minchin’s Storm? SEE! NOW!…
[ad#contestbox]
April 11, 2011
April 8, 2011
Weekend Shopping Guide 4/8/11: I Fight For The Users
The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the FRED Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…
(Please support FRED by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)
I didn’t think I would like the new TRON film. The original was a childhood favorite, even though it’s not a terribly good flick, and everything I’d seen and heard about the sequel gave me a massive feeling of “meh”. Well, the sequel, while flawed, is entirely watchable, at times even good, even if it suffers the same kind of story malaise that affected its predecessor. You can get both films via the 5-disc TRON: Legacy/Original TRON set (Walt Disney, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$79.99 SRP), which features not only high definition editions of both films, but also the 3-D version of Legacy, which does look rather spiffy on a 3-D TV. The set is loaded with featurettes and other behind-the-scenes materials, and the original TRON also ports over all of the special features from the original 2-disc DVD special edition.
We’re entering into the rainy season as spring begins to dawn, and what better way to pass the time than constructing a pair of Harry Potter LEGO sets – the wonderful Hogwarts Express ($79.99) and the far simpler to construct Quidditch Match ($19.99). Get building!
You know what doesn’t hold up? The original Arthur (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP), which makes its high definition debut paired with the mediocre sequel Arthur 2: On The Rocks. While there are flashes of brilliance to Dudley Moore’s portrayal of the filthy rich drunken manchild forced to become an adult, and Sir John Gielgud remains a revelation as his manservant, the story is only intermittently engaging or funny, and the whole production seems cheap. Such a shame.
While it’s not the complete season sets fans have been hoping for, at least iCarly: Season 2 Volume 3 (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) bumps the disc count up to 3 and comes with a whopping 17 episodes (one of which is an extended cut), plus shorts and the pilot episode of T.U.F.F. Puppy.
While I still prefer its more oddball sequel, there’s still much charm in the original Babe (Universal, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$26.98 SRP), which finds its way to high definition with an audio commentary and a pair of featurettes. All in all, that’ll do.
If you’re still breaking in your 3-D TV or computer and desperate for content with which to do so, a pair of films made for 3-D IMAX theaters are available for your exhibition pleasure – Ultimate G’s: Zac’s Flying Dream & Mummies: Secrets Of The Pharaohs (Image, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP each). As you can probably guess, one deals with flying and the other takes you to Egypt. In 3D!
Another of those “must-have” classic musicals has made its way into the high definition realm with the arrival of the 40th anniversary edition of Fiddler On The Roof (MGM/UA, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP), starring Topol in the title role, turning in a memorable performance that would only be topped by his turn in Flash Gordon. This new edition features an audio commentary, featurettes, a deleted song, TV spots, trailers, and more.
The massive Roger Corman collection coming out of Shout Factory gets a pair of new releases that amount to 5 more films, the first of which is the triple feature Georgia Peaches/The Great Texas Dynamite Chase/Smokey Bites The Dust (Shout Factory, Rated R, DVD-$13.99 SRP) and the double feature Dirty Mary Crazy Larry/Race With The Devil (Shout Factory, Rated PG, DVD-$14.93 SRP). Bonus features include audio commentaries, interviews, TV spots, trailers, and more.
If you thought you had the complete run of Abbott & Costello’s theatrical flicks after getting that big Universal set a few years back, best think again, as the Warner Archive Collection has released a clutch of films the boys made for them, including Abbott & Costello Meet Captain Kidd (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.95), which stars Charles Laughton as the titular captain.
The most I can say about Little Fockers (Universal, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP) is that the latest in the Parents/Fockers series is not nearly as grating as, say, Look Who’s Talking, Too, but the whole affair is wearing a bit thin. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, featurettes, outtakes, and more.
Time to add another figure to the growing 12″ Star Wars line from the fine folks at Sideshow Collectibles, as the revered Jedi Mentor Yoda ($69.99). The fully-articulated figure sports 2 sets of switch-out hands & feet, his walking stick, and even a log to sit on. The head-sculpt and costuming improves upon the Medicom RAH Yoda that was released a few years back, making this a must-have addition.
So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…
-Ken Plume
##
Trailer Park: Highlights from the 11th Annual Phoenix Film Festival, NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS, A SUMMER IN GENOA
Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp
Highlights from the 11th Annual Phoenix Film Festival and Int’l Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival Part I By Ray Schillaci
The best of both worlds and a real treat for film lovers was the combining of two film festivals even though it proved to be a little confusing at times. But what they had to offer was a dynamite line up of talent that may be pegged as the best yet. In fact, there was so much offered I could not possibly see it all, hence breaking this review up. What I did see throughout both festivals was very ambitious or exciting talent that blew away audiences at the screenings.
This year Live Action Shorts was a huge buzz at the festival. Several filmmakers stated that they had never seen that many outstanding films (A & B) in a shorts program and I have to agree. That is why I am starting this off with a bow to those incredibly talented filmmakers. Much too often short subjects get pushed aside and forgotten, but they can actually be the trailblazers that hook a director, writer or any number of talented crew and cast up with a feature. Attention Industry pundits check out those mentioned below.
The three shorts that seemed to have so many people talking was Kamal John Iskander’s funny and incredibly shot, “Jesus Comes to Town,” Michael Maney’s insane, “Meth” and Brenden O’Neill Kohl’s controversial, bold and laugh-out-loud, “Day Labor”. These guys are damn brilliant each in their own way. There are other wonderful shorts that I will mention, but the following three really took all of us by surprise.
Iskander’s “Jesus”¦” has a black and white look that I have not seen since the days of David Lynch’s “Elephant Man”. It’s not just the way it’s filmed but the images he conjures are absolutely wonderful. The story of an unexpected guest at an underworld poker game is highly entertaining especially with the cast of uniquely acted characters Iskander has assembled.
Maney’s, “Meth” is almost beyond praise. Take Danny Boyle’s, “Trainspotting” and mix it with “The Twilight Zone” and you may be close to the unnerving experience. It’s an edgy tale of one drug addict’s nightmare that turns unusually real. The blending of different styles of sight and sound to put us in the addict’s head is highly disturbing. But it’s the story itself that really grabs us. When you find out who the lead characters ends up playing host to it will disturb you to no end. This one really cries out to be stretched to a feature film.
“Day Labor” is a perfect short and also a brave move in these times by filmmaker, Kohl. The story encompasses bike messengers, day laborers and outsourcing gone wild. It is by far the most unique film at the festival, sending a powerful message and having us laugh at the same time. From here, Kohl could go onto do many things. He could be as capable as Michael Moore with an insightful documentary that is as entertaining as it is informative or he could be a humorist filmmaker like an early Woody Allen or Mel Brooks. I am looking very forward to his next project.
Other shorts definitely worth recognizing were “Write of Passage,” an amusing tale of writer vs. writer’s block and an obstinate typewriter. “Eulogy Maker” tugs at our heart with a young country boy preparing for life’s losses. “Just in Case” is an unusual love story on a bus with a Russian soldier, an American pianist and a suicide bomber. “All That Remains” is a heart wrenching tale of a WWII veteran, dementia and a bizarre relationship with Death. Also, “God of Love” is a warm and funny experience with wonderful black and white photography, and an incredibly likeable cast. This was yet another short that reminded me of the early funny days of Woody Allen.
On the film feature end we had an incredible array of surprises that either thrilled us, touched our hearts, made us laugh and sometimes brought us to tears. In the fright category, “Midnight Son” and “Absentia” took us to places we rarely go. These two films dominated the Int’l Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival.
There have been comparisons to George Romero’s, “Martin,” but Scott Leberecht’s, “Midnight Son” is way beyond that cherished classic. Leberecht has fashioned a real ghoulish show that we have not experienced in many years. The way he slowly and unnervingly rolls out this macabre tale is a joy to behold for fans of the genre.
Jacob is a young man confined to isolation due to a rare skin disorder. He can only go out at night. As time goes on he discovers that he is also developing a unique form of anemia and no matter what he feeds himself with his ravenous appetite, he is never satisfied. His world is soon broken into by another tormented soul, Mary, a local bartender and what ensues in regards to self discovery and vampirism has to be seen to be believed.
Everything about this film is great from the cast to the crew. Everyone involved have given their all and have delivered something very special that any horror buff would cherish. Zak Kilberg as Jacob has a haunting quality that keeps us watching at every turn. Maya Parish plays the lost and tortured soul, Mary to perfection. And, then there is Jo D. Jonz as Marcus, the coolest on screen presence since the discovery of Wesley Snipes. The man is bad ass to the bone.
If we were back in the seventies or eighties “Midnight Son” would dominate revival theaters and midnight shows. It has that certain something that Stephen King and George Romero praise. Scott Leberecht has given us a terrifying gift and we should cherish it for a long time. “Midnight Son” is what independent horror films are all about; bold, beautiful and breathtaking.
“Absentia” is a cross between “Carnival of Souls” and a haunted house ride with a tinge of H.P. Lovecraft thrown in for good measure. But do not mistake it as a grab bag of horrors. This is a carefully crafted tale that easily gets under our skin and leaves us with goosebumps. Director, Mike Flanagan, has delivered a twisted tale of a woman, Tricia, which has mourned the loss of her husband for seven years. He disappeared one morning and never came back. In the interim, she has become pregnant, has possibly found a new beau in a police detective and has decided to have her husband declared “dead in absentia.” But she starts seeing extremely frightening images of him appearing in all sorts of strange places, nearly driving her to a breakdown. Tricia enlists the help of her sister (who has a tainted past) to help her to pack and move on with her life. But soon after Tricia decides to get on with her life, hubby shows up emaciated and wearing the same clothes he disappeared in. He then starts raving about creatures and being trapped inside. Tricia’s sister soon discovers that a nearby tunnel may hold many a mysterious answer. Flanagan plays with our senses and has us jumping at nearly every sound and unsettling us when we enter the dark. The actors are spot on in their portrayals and the special effects, though minimal, are very effective. “Absentia” is an evil funhouse ride that leaves one with the chills.
Next week I’ll move onto some of the standout feature films from the Phoenix Film Festival. I will also sing the praises of one fine actor that delivered the most notable performance in the film festival. This actor is a real find and his talent has already enhanced one of the most popular multiplayer online role-playing games in the history of gaming. Until next week remember, life is too short not to be entertained.
NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS – DVD Review
There isn’t a more appropriate time to watch a movie like this than right now.
It isn’t a political tinged film about some Iranian musicians wanting to make their way to London to play a concert. What ought to be a simple film of someone’s passion meeting with opportunity the movie is about these handful of people just looking to take advantage of that opportunity as their talents have to be hid from public consumption.
It is Iran, after all, where political and personal freedoms don’t quite align with the rest of the world’s, but this film is wonderful because we don’t get what would be the natural tendency of a film like this. We don’t see the police shutting down these secretive concerts when they catch wind of them, although it certainly would juxtapose the situation there to that of rebellious teens of the 1960’s just looking for some peace and understanding. No, instead we’re treated to montage after montage that showcase the talents of various musicians and styles all across Tehran, lingering a while whenever a certain song is allowed to be played, the faces and people of this country shown as if to say, “This is who we really are and it’s not much different from you.”
This is the power of this movie. It shows you hope and it allows you to listen to the beating drums of a culture that is not in lockstep with its leader. It is not idly standing by and acquiescing to every command that is given to them. No, there is a power of this youth culture that is looking to change things and this film is splendid in the way it depicts, but never preaches, individuals who are looking for a better way and better path for their lives. A must see for anyone.
About the DVD:
ROCK AND ROLL WILL NEVER DIE ““ BUT IN ONE PART OF THE WORLD, MUSICIANS RISK DEATH IN ORDER TO PERFORM IT IN THIS CANNES AWARD-WINNER
Renowned Iranian director Bahman Ghobadi (A Time for Drunken Horses, Marooned in Iraq) returns with “an exhilarating examination of a leading Iranian criminal enterprise ““ music” (The Wall Street Journal). Ghobadi’s Cannes prize winner NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS was co-written by imprisoned Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, the film, shot with documentary-like realism, is an indictment of artistic repression in Iran’s exciting underground music scene and a funny and moving celebration of an entire generation of Iranians striving for personal and creative freedom.
Shot in secret and featuring extraordinary performances by real underground bands, NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS follows a pair of young musicians (Negar Shaghaghi, Ashkan Koshanejad), recently released from prison, on a mission to take their rock band to Europe. Forbidden by the authorities to play in Iran, they plan their escape abroad with a fast-talking promoter. Vowing to play one last show before leaving Tehran, their dangerous mission takes them on a free-wheeling journey through the city’s vibrant and diverse underground scene, home to an estimated 2,000 illegal independent bands.
A SUMMER IN GENOA – DVD Review
Michael Winterbottom, the man behind The Killer Inside Me, has a movie that is filled with a little sentimentality, some romanticism, but has a genuine soul to it that simply should not be overlooked.
The long and short of the film is that a family of three picks up and goes on an extended holiday after the accidental death of the matriarch, caused in some part by one of the young daughters. They ship off to Italy to get their bearings and, on that trip, the dad and the older daughter learn to open themselves up again to the restorative powers of love while the youngest is probably the most affected by the events that she will no doubt be carrying with her for the rest of her fictional life.
What makes this movie such a gem is that it doesn’t presume itself to be anything but the breezy 90 minute drama that it is. It’s tight and lean, there are no endless moments of exposition that would get at the heart of life in general, as it’s just a movie that hits the right beats with regard to pacing and exposition. The directing is surprisingly loose, creating a more intimate mood throughout the whole picture, and I was amazed of how much human emotion he was able to get out of his actors as they all dealt with the death of mom in their own way. It’s harrowing, heartbreaking, and I could not recommend this more for those looking for a date film that could reaffirm everything they believe love is supposed to be.
About the DVD:
OSCAR® NOMINEE COLIN FIRTH STARS IN A HAUNTING NEW DRAMA FROM DIRECTOR MICHAEL WINTERBOTTOM
In A SUMMER IN GENOA, director Michael Winterbottom’s powerful tale of grief, Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, A Single Man) is Joe, a professor at the University of Chicago who takes his two daughters to Italy after the accidental death of their mother (Hope Davis, “In Treatment”, Charlie Bartlett). The mysteries of a seductive new country stimulates eldest daughter Kelly (Willa Holland, Legion, “The O.C.”) who engages in sexual adventures with the local boys, and Firth’s distracted professor is comforted by a friend (Catherine Keener, Cyrus, The Soloist, 40 Year Old Virgin) with romantic longings. Younger daughter Mary, however, remains troubled by guilt over her mother’s death, suffering from night terrors and haunting visions and the family soon finds themselves in peril. Winterbottom (The Killer Inside Me, A Mighty Heart) won the Best Director prize at the San Sebastian Film Festival for this film that the Chicago Tribune calls “beautifully raw” and “wonderfully acted.”
TV Or Not TV: American Idol-ing
I realized today that in the nearly three years that I have been writing TV Or Not TV I have never sat down and given my thoughts on the performances of the American Idol contestants. I am in no way a music critic so instead of trying to decipher the talents of these contestants I thought it might be interesting to just jot down some notes on each of the performances and see what happens.Â
Jacob: Â I just can’t stand the way he sings. Spent the entire performance cringing. My wife says he has a Luther sound but he just sounds like a gospel choir performer trying to step out of the crowd into the spotlight and I still don’t get how he’s still here.Â
Haley: Really channeled Janice Joplin on stage. Backup singers were too loud in the mix. Who is responsible for mixing the audio?The band/backup is always out of whack.
Casey: Tapped into his inner Fogerty in a way I didn’t expect. Could record a CCR cover album and go platinum right now.Â
Lauren: Her performance was solid but safe. This isn’t the part of the competition where solid and safe is enough. Especially when you’ve got Pia to compete with.Â
James: There are performances that in their subtlety tell a greater story than an over the top power anthem. James has usually done the latter but his control and emotion tonight showed he is a true performer and not just a one trick pony.Â
Scotty: As a long time Elvis fan I thought that Scotty’s performance was great. I had my doubts that he would make it very far in this competition and he has dispelled every one of them as he effortlessly moves through each genre.Â
Pia: Yes she’s a talent. She’s a contender and another Pia performance knocked it out of the park. My biggest complaint is that it was another Pia performance. Eventually if every performance is the same, even when great, they can seem commonplace.Â
Stefano: Usually his performances grate on my nerves but tonight was his best performance. It’s just too bad he is a performer that is surrounded with many other greater performers.Â
Paul: I don’t understand how Paul has made it this far in the competition since his performances always seem lacking compared to most of the other contestants. Now that we are down to the final nine he better hope his charm with the ladies is enough to get him the votes he needs to stay after this week.Â
In case no one was able to pick up on Randy’s subtleties apparently every contestant is “in it to win it.” So glad to know that these kids actually entered a contest with the intention of competing.Â
So now that my note taking exercise is done the real question is who will be going Thursday night? The bottom three should be Lauren, Stefano and Paul because their performances just aren’t as strong as the other contestants. If performances were the only concern in the voting these would be the bottom three. There is no way to accurately predict the voting habits of the American teenager however so I just don’t know how things will really shake out.Â
Here’s what else is out there for tonight’s TV viewing.
FOX – 8:00 PM: It’s the AMERICAN IDOL results show where anything literally can happen. Between CASEY nearly collapsing on stage and an appearance by HULK HOGAN its pretty clear that there’s a big bowl of random they just keep making stuff happen from.
SLEUTH – 8:00 PM: The only reason I can imagine why SEMI-PRO is on the SLEUTH network is because of the mystery surrounding why this film was ever made.
NBC – 8:30 PM: A new episode of PERFECT COUPLES is tucked away nice and snug in a night surrounded by repeats on NBC. I bring it up because KYLE BORNHEIMER could read the phone book and make me laugh.
SYFY – 9:00 PM: If you never caught the show TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES but always meant to watch it than you are in luck if you tune in to SYFY tonight. The pilot and subsequent ep air back-to-back. The only bad thing is that newcomers may be confused if they watch TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES which airs prior to the pilot.
FOX – 9:00 PM: BRENNAN has to work with a forensic podiatrist to match up dismembered feet with their bodies on tonight’s BONES. I’ve worked for 30 minutes trying to come up with a joke like something about having two left feet to no avail. I should have just waited for the other shoe to drop (BAM! Came up with one.)
FX – 10:00 PM: ARCHER is on. Do I really need to say more than that?
April 6, 2011
TV Or Not TV: No Ordinary Finale (and more)
Prior to the start of the fall TV season one of the shows I was able to pre-screen and write about was NO ORDINARY FAMILY. I had high hopes for the television show because I am, for lack of a better term, a geek who loves me the super powered people.
The first half of the season for NO ORDINARY FAMILY was a super hero tale with family drama undertones. The lives of the STEPHANIE (Julie Benz) and JIM (Michael Chiklis) on the super hero portion of the show while DAPHNE (Kay Panabaker) and JJ (Jimmy Bennett) showed us the difficulties in dealing with a new level of teen angst from having and hiding super abilities. The blend was mildly entertaining for the first few episodes but the “freak of the week” super villain had already been played out to the extreme with SMALLVILLE and BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER so it was sometimes painful to watch the stories unfold when we’ve already seen them done in a superior way.
The latter part of the season started to see the show shift to a full-blown super hero show with a shifted focus and a greater exploration into the forces of evil that were at work behind the scenes. Instead of just STEPHANIE’s boss DR. KING (Stephen Collins) being the master manipulator we were introduced to a still unnamed character played by Lucy Lawless who is more sinister than DR. KING and isn’t very happy with the things that he’s been doing in his city.
The use of Lawless just screamed stunt casting to me but I can’t blame the show runners. Trying to cash in on the geek chic is a smart move since Lawless was previously connected to BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, a show whose core audience might also be potential NO ORDINARY FAMILY fans. Of course Lawless was introduced the same week that they GALACTICA’s Tricia Helfer guest star as well.
Truth be told the tonal shift of the show probably isn’t going to be enough to save it from the ultimate of TV super-villains, the television executive. The show premiered to decent numbers but has sagged ever since. Confidence in the show cold easily be perceived as low when the final order for episodes was cut down to 20 from the standard 22-24.
With last nights season finale we can only hope for the best since this may be the last episode of NO ORDINARY FAMILY ever produced. Just as Julie Benz promised via her Twitter account , “all your questions will be answered… And then you will have more questions!”
By the finale’s end we knew how the POWELL’s were able to have their powers permanently where others were not, we knew who the real big bad was and we were given a possible new direction should the show be picked up for a new season. The possibilities of a renewal, however, aren’t looking very super.
Here’s what else tonight has to offer.
FOX – 8:00 PM: Tonight on AMERICAN IDOL the remaining nine finalists compete to songs in the ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME. Someone please tell me once again how these theme nights can show you just how good of a future pop star someone will be?
DISC – 9:00 PM: Tonight the MYTHBUSTERS return and they try to do the… uh… impossible… as they tackle the believability of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE MASKS!
TLC – 9:00 PM: Strap on your padding, tape up your hands and get that mouth guard in to prepare for the premiere of EXTREME COUPONING! It’s couponing… to the EXTREME!
FOX – 9:30 PM: REAPER’s BRET HARRISON returns aside CHRISTIAN SLATER in the new FOX comedy BREAKING IN. Fans of SMALLVILLE may be interested to see former LEX LUTHOR MICHAEL ROSENBAUM with one of the silliest faux-hawks ever to grace a head of hair (yes he has HAIR!).
OXYGEN – 10:00 PM: Tonight is the series premiere of TORI & DEAN: sTORIbook WEDDINGS. Now the couple are wedding planners and I’m sure it is going to be completely TORIble.
BRAVO – 11:00 PM: TOP CHEF MASTERS premieres with new show host CURTIS STONE.
April 5, 2011
Party Favors: It’s A Frame-Up
DURHAM, NC – The hard truth of cinema takes place at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, NC from April 14-17. That’s four solid days of movies that don’t feature Natalie Portman’s face being digitally inserted on other bodies. Four days of real people doing real stuff. And you can get some great BBQ.
This years line up has enough goodness to make me have to make painful choices as what to watch. There’s only one screening unless a movie wins a major prize. It’s be there or miss out. Choice wisely. Here’s a few of the films I’m looking to catch:
The Hangman (Thursday 10:20 a.m.) appears to be a creepy classic as it probes the man who executed Nazi Adolph Eichmann. What’s he do now? He ritually slaughters animals. Windfall (Thurs 4:20 p.m.) takes us to Meredith, New York. The area has embraced the concept of a windfarm with 400 feet high windmills. They learn quickly that this green energy does have an impact on their environment.
After last year’s Divine Pig, I’m looking forward to Pig Country (Friday 10:30 a.m.). This is about a third generation swine farmer about to lose the family business in Sweden. I’m rooting for the farmer. No country should be denied bacon. Buck (1:10 p.m. Friday) is about the real Horse Whisperer. If he shows up, I’m going to ask if he gets royalties from anyone that passes themselves off as a “(blank) whisperer.” Oscar winner Barbara Kopple’s Gun Fight (7:10 pm. Friday) pokes around the firearms world. Is America really ready for arming everybody in schools, planes and bars? Dragonslayer (Friday 10:20 p.m.) follows Josh “Skreech” Sandoval’s life as a not quite pro skateboarder. The film won a major award at SXSW.
Bobby Fischer Against the World (11 a.m. Saturday) dips into the madness of the greatest American chess player. How did this guy go so nuts? What did he think of Searching for Bobby Fischer. Diary (Friday 1:30 p.m.) is a short put together by Restrepo’s co-director about his life in warzones and back home in England.
The big “watch” film for me is Being Elmo (Saturday at 4:10 p.m.). The documentary lets us get to know Kevin Clash, the man who’s hands control the little red wonder. He’s the last major Muppet superstar before the death of Jim Henson.
Because of the scheduling, I’ll be missing Take Me Away Fast. This is about a record fanatic who travels to West Africa looking for funky vinyl. I feel like a slug opening a second window to order from deepdiscount.
Page One(Saturday 2:00) goes inside the offices of the New York Times. Catch this one quick before they stop making newspapers. Who Took the Bomp? (8:30 p.m. Saturday) features the band Le Tigre on tour. You can already see the kids with Elvis Costello glasses lining up for this one. This is an outdoor screening. Although the short documentary The Universal Language (Saturday 10:20 a.m.) is more hipster cool since it’s about Esperanto! This is the ultimate language. Fans of Pawn Stars and Obscurities should enjoy Unlikely Treasures (Saturday 10:20 a.m.). This introduces us to people with strange collections of items. The good news is this isn’t about hoarders so you won’t want to throw out stuff form your house afterward.
Tabloid (11 a.m. Sunday) is Errol Morris’ investigation of Joyce McKinney. She’s a beauty queen that gets tied into a bizarre kidnapping and rape case. She’s the one accused of kidnapping and raping a man. Morris holds the honor of once working with me on an American Express ad. I told him the equipment was ready. Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (Sunday 2:20 p.m.) is just what I need since I’ve been overdosing on Shout! Factory’s Roger Corman’s Cult Classics DVDs. I’m so ready to wrap up the festival with the king of the low budget films that cost as much as a documentary.
If you’re in the area, come on over. The various screens are close together so you won’t be wasting time on a bus between theaters. If you get a room at the Durham Marriott City Center, you barely have to walk. You can get individual tickets at www.fullframe.org.
I’ve been promised this will be a Charlie Sheen-free event. No Tiger Blood in the theaters.
BLUNDER NETWORK
Why are they reviving Wonder Woman for TV? The original only lasted two and a half seasons. It wasn’t that big of a hit. Remember when they revived The Bionic Woman? The original lasted two and a half seasons before they cut off the power. The remake stuck around for an epic 8 episodes.
Judging from the incredibly unsexy outfit they slapped on the new Wonder Woman, they might not make it to 3 episodes this time. Even the second version of the new outfit is about dull as a marathon of Lint vs. Dust Bunnies on SyFy. Lynda Carter’s poster won’t be getting yanked down in the rumpus room.
EXPERIENCE YOU CAN’T REFUSE
The Las Vegas Mob Experience is finally open at the Tropicana. After years of hearing about the time when the mob ran the town, you can check out the way organized crime made sure you felt good about losing in the casino. This is more family friendly than the previous exhibit featuring corpses of dead Chinese citizens cut apart for your entertainment. Mobsters might have killed people, but they didn’t pass their victims off as educational entertainment. Here’s a little footage about the place.
TIE-IN HEAVEN
Why doesn’t Hooter’s sponsor a cable channel’s Night Owl programming?
BLU-RAY HEAVEN
Teen Wolf elevated Michael J. Fox from TV sensation on Family Ties to movie star. The film had been made before Back to the Future, but the producers wisely decided to draft on the blockbuster’s promotion of Fox. This could have backfired if you consider how those Twilight actors haven’t had any hits after their latest installments make big bucks. But Fox had the mojo from going back in time. This could have been a forgettable reworking of I Was a Teenage Werewolf. But the charm of Fox with his teen issues elevates the material like his staged basketball dunks. Instead of hiding his problem, he uses his wolf element to become a cool kid at school. When I was in high school we had a kid who was extra hairy. The guy had better facial hair than the nuns. He was popular since he never got carded when buying beer. Teen Wolf remains cool because of the Fox. The 1080p transfer brings out the fur on his face. The bonus feature is a sneak peak at MTV’s upcoming Teen Wolf series. The big update is the Teen Wolf now plays lacrosse instead of basketball. It’s kinda like Gossip Girl with body hair issues.
The Greatest Story Ever Told is an Easter treat. George Stevens (director of Giant) tackles the life of Jesus. This was part of that era with big budget Bible films proving Hollywood wasn’t a land of God-less heathens. The life of Jesus is told using the biggest of screen talent and Pope John XXIII as a technical advisor. Who could play the star? Why it’s Sweden’s Max Von Sydow (Flash Gordon). At the time he was hot from Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal. He already cheated death once, why no do again? Charlton Heston blesses him as John the Baptist. David McCallum (NCIS) betrays him as Judas. Telly Savalas (Kojak) beats him as Pontius Pilate. John Wayne has a moving cameo at a critical moment. The movie was shot on Ultra Panavision 70 so it really looks good on Blu-ray. If you’re looking for a New Testament epic to run after The Ten Commandments, pick up The Greatest Story Ever Told. This version is 3 hours and 19 minutes The bonus features include documentaries about the movie and George Stevens.
The Secret of NIMH was Don Bluth’s first solo directorial effort after he left Disney animation in 1981. This is also his best effort which is why there was a tremble that he could diminish Disney’s lead in the industry. The movie is about a sweet mouse mom who can’t move her family to avoid the upcoming farmer’s plow. Turns out her son is too sick, Her only hope involves a pack of rats that have a shady background. They’re not normal rats. The animation looks even better in the new transfer. This is a film that deserves the special treatment. It does belong to be filed with your Disney titles. The voices include John Carradine, Dom Deluise, Derek Jacobi, Shannen Doherty, Aldo Ray and Wil Wheaton – the face of evil in Pasadena. The bonus features are the original trailer, an audio commentary with Don Bluth & Gary Goldman and “Secrets Behind the Secret” lets Don and Gary show and tell.
CORMAN CULT CLASSICS CORNER
Roger Corman’s Cult Classics Triple Feature: Action Packed Collection brings three pieces of cross country car chase action of varying degrees. The star of the collection is The Great Texas Dynamite Chase starring the late great Claudia Jennings (‘Gator Bait). She busts out of prison with a plan on how to rob banks. She walks inside holding a lit stick of dynamite and wanting the money fast. During her first heist, recently fired teller Jocelyn Jones bonds with the outlaw. The hot blond duo cross the state with their explosive nature. This is a great drive-in flick with plenty of blowing up, car chases and nudity. Jennings was Playmate of the Year and doesn’t mind us how she earned that title.
Georgia Peaches is a TV movie that Corman produced with the hopes of turning it into a series. The show seems eager to bump draft Dukes of Hazzard with it’s tale of modern moonshine in the South. Dirk Benedict (A-Team) gets behind the wheel of a special delivery moonshine machine. His main support are Tanya Tucker and Terri Nunn (pre-Berlin). Playing the role of Boss Hogg is Sally Kirkland. She wants to stop Dirk bad. Her henchman is Burton Gilliam (Blazing Saddles). The action looks good. Although it’s not a shame that the show didn’t get picked up since that would have denied us seeing Dirk as Face. He would have only been remembered as Starbuck. Smokey Bites the Dust is the worst looking of the trio, but luckily it’s also the worst playing. Jimmy McNichol is an out of control high schooler who gets a rush out of joyriding in students’ cars. He kidnaps the sheriff’s daughter during homecoming. This leads to a wild cross country chase that involves Arabs with swords. Director Charles B. Griffith had previously made Eat My Dust. McNichol lacks the charisma of Ron Howard. The film pads the chase scenes with footage taken from Eat My Dust along with Grand Theft Auto, Moving Violation and Thunder and Lightening. This isn’t quite up to usual New World standards. It should have been distributed by Crown International. The lack of nudity is a severe non-selling point. The greatness of The Great Texas Dynamite Chase and it’s low SRP makes this still a great way to spend a late night after a long drive. The only bonus features are the trailers for Dynamite and Smokey.
DVD SHELF
Dirty Mary Crazy Larry / Race with the Devil gives us Peter Fonda at his Drive-In Superstar prime. Dirt Mary Crazy Larry (1974) is a simple rush of a chase. Larry (Peter Fonda) is a race car driver that figures the best way to get funding to hit the circuit is to rob a store. Mary (Susan George) is his girlfriend that can’t disagree. Things don’t go too smooth. The cops come at them with everything they can use from super cars to helicopters. Can anything stop Larry’s Dodge Charger? I’m not going to spoil the ending. This is just freewheeling automotive mayhem. Only wish this was running at the Drive-in on Friday night.
Race with the Devil (1975) reminds people why driving RVs to see America is a bad idea. Peter Fonda, Lara Parker, Warren Oates (The Wild Bunch) and Loretta Swit (M*A*S*H) hit the road in a huge RV. Things are going fine until they stumble across the locals having a Satanic ritual involving human sacrifice. The locals don’t like people seeing their recreational activities. They come after the loving couples with a creepy vengeance. Who is part of their conspiracy? Will Fonda and Oates survive the madness? Wouldn’t things been better if they just stayed at a Holiday Inn Express? Both films make a dreamy double feature. Peter Fonda is the coolest member of his acting family.
Dennis the Menace: Season One finally brings us the coolest black and white family show of 1959. The series was based on Hank Ketcham’s human tornado comic strip character. Dennis (Jay North) just wants to be helpful although it turns out to always be a nightmare for others. His dad (Herbert Anderson) and mom (Gloria Henry) can barely keep it together. The worst of Dennis’ good intentions falls on Mr. Wilson (Joseph Kearns). He can’t get a break when the neighbor kid bangs on his door. “Dennis and the Rare Coin” has Mr. Wilson thrown into jail. He’s the sweetest piece of trouble in the neighborhood. He does have a friend in Tommy to help him on schemes. In the comic strip his friend is Joey, but for some reason that kid only lasted five episodes. Ron Howard pops up as part of Dennis’ posse. The 32 episodes keep up the destruction. The bonus features include Dennis on The Donna Reed Show and the original sponsor promos. A recent interview with Gloria Henry and Jeannie Russell (Margaret) discusses how the actors altered the comic strip. It’s a relief to finally get to watch this show after seeing its peers come out on DVD over the years.
VEGA$: The Second Season, Volume 2 brings another 11 episodes of the greatest character from the mind of Michael Mann. Dan Tanna (Robert Urich) rocks the Las Vegas strip in his cool Thunderbird. The best news for this part of the season is Greg Morris (Mission: Impossible) getting his role upgraded since Tony Curtis took a break. The stars come out to be evil in Sin City. “Lost Monday” has Binzer (Bart Braverman) turned into a human time bomb thanks to Tige Andrews (The Mod Squad) and Dick Sargent (Bewitched). Lloyd Bochner leaves a trail of dead hookers in Tanna’s wake for “Consortium.” “The Hunter Hunted” unleashes Robert Loggia (The Sopranos) on Greg Morris. Fans of musical cheese gets a taste of The Captain and Tennille. They now perform in Reno. “Siege of the Desert Inn” brings the heavy ammo when Cameron Mitchell and Richard Bakalyan’s cashier heist goes bad. They hold up in the VIP tower with dancers as hostages. It’s as badass as can be when Tanna dangles from a helicopter. “Vendetta” gives me a rush to see Crown International Superstar Bill Adler (Van Nuys Blvd) as a guest star. It’s a shame Brett Meisner didn’t live to see this. VEGA$ remains the coolest show since they really shot around the city and didn’t fake it. How can their only be one more season left? Who dared to cancel Dan Tanna?
All Good Things is a creepy crime movie starring Ryan Gosling as the heir to a Manhattan real estate fortune. His father (Frank Langella) constantly busts his balls. He’s got no direction in his life until he meets Kirsten Dunst. He wants to be part of the family business although dad only trusts him enough to have him collect the rent from the seedy spaces around Times Square. Things in the marriage go terribly wrong leading to Ryan moving to Texas and dressing as a woman. The best way to describe the film is the anti-Notebook. This is based on the true story of Robert Durst. What’s remarkable about Ryan Gosling’s performance is the sad thought that he was made to be the star of a Stanley Kubrick film. He has the stare among his other fine qualities. All Good Things is a sleeper film that shouldn’t be watched before bedtime.
Wallenberg, A Hero’s Story was another of Richard Chamberlain’s legendary mini-series from the ’80s. This time he’s the real life Raoul Wallenberg. The Swedish diplomat refuses to be passive when the Nazis ship off Jews to the work camps. He begins by making several of them Swedish citizens. But the Nazis don’t like his games. Can he keep one step ahead of them while saving thousands of innocent lives? Or will he too end up on the train bound for a nasty end? Along with Chamberlain are Alice Krige and Melanie Mayron (thirtysomething). The three hour cut of the film moves briskly. The production levels make thing look authentic and not staged for TV. This was still the golden age of mini-series when it aired on NBC in 1985.
Behind the Burly Q: The Story of Burlesque in America finally explains this form of entertainment that came between Vaudeville and stripclubs. Burlesque was all about pure carnal tease when it came to the female stars. This wasn’t all bump and grind. There was comedy and freakish acts. This is where Bud Abbott and Lou Costello came together. It’s where most of their material was perfected. Even Alan Alda’s dad Robert Alda got his start performing between the ladies. The documentary does a fine job bringing together archival material with original entertainers from the period. Director Leslie Zemeckis and her crew make the performers relaxed as they tells stories that range from the tragic to a dancer that married into royalty. If you’re the slightest bit curious about Burlesque after seeing the trailer for the Cher film or the Pussycat Dolls, this movie will give you an understanding and appreciation of what went on behind the doors. The good part is there’s no two drink minimum, but you might want to order a martini before hitting play.
Behemoth declares there’s a major reason for seismic activity and it isn’t that plate theory. This original SyFy movie declares there’s a giant critter under the Earth that needs to get up. Ed Quinn (Eureka) gets drawn into the mystery of why a remote town is shaking like it’s built on Jell-O. He’s as surprised as the rest of us when the creature pokes up from below. It has all the CGI goodness we expect from a SyFy flick. The movie is monster cheese action with lots of glorious cliches on the screen. While this is a fun film, the monster causing earthquakes theory ought to be investigated by certain science hating members of Congress.
Contest Round-Up: 2011-04-05
Welcome to our weekly round-up of featured giveaways here at FRED. Every week, we’ll present a new clutch of DVDs, books, and other cool stuff you can take a shot at winning. All you have to do is click on the graphics below to be taken to their respective contest pages. And good luck!
In conjunction with Miramax/Lionsgate Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) sets of SCREAM, SCREAM 2, & SCREAM 3 on Blu-Ray.
In conjunction with Fox Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of BLACK SWAN on DVD.
In conjunction with Nickelodeon Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of iCARLY: SEASON 2 VOLUME 3 on DVD.
In conjunction with Adult Swim Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of VENTURE BROS: SEASON 4 VOLUME 2 on DVD.
In conjunction with Adult Swim Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of VENTURE BROS. SEASON 4 on Blu-Ray.
In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of DOCTOR WHO: THE ARK on DVD.
In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of DOCTOR WHO: THE SEEDS OF DOOM on DVD.
In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of THE ALAN BENNETT COLLECTION on DVD.
In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of JUDGE JOHN DEED: SEASON THREE on DVD.
In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of DALZIEL & PASCOE: SEASON 3 on DVD.
In conjunction with Underground Toys, we’re giving away five (5) DOCTOR WHO: AMY POND figures.
Win a DOCTOR WHO: AMY POND FIGURE!
In conjunction with Underground Toys, we’re giving away five (5) DOCTOR WHO: AMY POND figures.
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
Official Rules
No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.
No Purchase necessary to win.
Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
One entry per day, per person.
All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.
Win DALZIEL & PASCOE: SEASON 3 on DVD!
In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of DALZIEL & PASCOE: SEASON 3 on DVD.
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
Official Rules
No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.
No Purchase necessary to win.
Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
One entry per day, per person.
All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.
Win JUDGE JOHN DEED: SEASON THREE on DVD!
In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of JUDGE JOHN DEED: SEASON THREE on DVD.
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
Official Rules
No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.
No Purchase necessary to win.
Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
One entry per day, per person.
All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.
Win THE ALAN BENNETT COLLECTION on DVD!
In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of THE ALAN BENNETT COLLECTION on DVD.
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
Official Rules
No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.
No Purchase necessary to win.
Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
One entry per day, per person.
All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.
Win DOCTOR WHO: THE SEEDS OF DOOM on DVD!
In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of DOCTOR WHO: THE SEEDS OF DOOM on DVD.
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
Official Rules
No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.
No Purchase necessary to win.
Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
One entry per day, per person.
All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.
Win DOCTOR WHO: THE ARK on DVD!
In conjunction with BBC Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of DOCTOR WHO: THE ARK on DVD.
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
Official Rules
No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.
No Purchase necessary to win.
Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
One entry per day, per person.
All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.
Win VENTURE BROS. SEASON 4 on Blu-Ray!
In conjunction with Adult Swim Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of VENTURE BROS. SEASON 4 on Blu-Ray.
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
Official Rules
No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.
No Purchase necessary to win.
Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
One entry per day, per person.
All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.
Win VENTURE BROS: SEASON 4 VOLUME 2 on DVD!
In conjunction with Adult Swim Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of VENTURE BROS: SEASON 4 VOLUME 2 on DVD.
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
Official Rules
No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.
No Purchase necessary to win.
Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
One entry per day, per person.
All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.
Win iCARLY: SEASON 2 VOLUME 3 on DVD!
In conjunction with Nickelodeon Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of iCARLY: SEASON 2 VOLUME 3 on DVD.
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
Official Rules
No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.
No Purchase necessary to win.
Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
One entry per day, per person.
All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.
Win BLACK SWAN on DVD!
In conjunction with Fox Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) copies of BLACK SWAN on DVD.
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
Official Rules
No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.
No Purchase necessary to win.
Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
One entry per day, per person.
All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.
April 4, 2011
Win SCREAM, SCREAM 2, & SCREAM 3 on Blu-Ray!
In conjunction with Miramax/Lionsgate Home Video, we’re giving away three (3) sets of SCREAM, SCREAM 2, & SCREAM 3 on Blu-Ray.
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
Official Rules
No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.
No Purchase necessary to win.
Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
One entry per day, per person.
All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, April 27th.
The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.
Trailer Park: SUCKER PUNCH, BLACK SWAN, & The Phoenix Film Festival
Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp
The Phoenix Film Festival Contest
It’s back again for those of us living in the land of cacti and oppressive heat. Time to break out the lanyards and the program guide to find out which upcoming film needs to be seen. One of the benefits of this festival being here in the valley is that unlike Sundance and Tribeca the lines and weather aren’t an impediment to seeing some great films from some great filmmakers.
From big to small, this festival is a nice cheese plate when comparing it to heavyweight entrees like Cannes or Toronto. And if you’re interested in going gratis to see four films at no cost then please e-mail me at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com and I’ll get you entered to win. This Flex Pass will allow you to go to those four films, excluding the Opening and Closing Nights, by simply picking them out and getting the tickets.
The festival is underway (March 31 – April 7) as we speak so get your entries in quick. As well, this year the International Horror and Sci-Fi Festival will be going on at the same time so it’s a think of it like a blood soaked Oreo squished between some high brow bread!
About the festival:
The Phoenix Film Festival has been named one of The 25 Coolest Film Festivals by MovieMaker Magazine and has been called the most filmmaker-friendly festival out there. The Festival annually screens over 100 films, holds amazing parties and provides filmmaking seminars to capacity audiences. Over 22,000 attendees enjoy the 8 day festival that takes place all in one convenient location.
Don’t just take it from us, here are just a few comments we received from our filmmakers……
“The Phoenix Film Festival is absolutely the best festival on the circuit, without question. From the staff to the programming to the all-important audience they draw, this the ultimate festival experience.”
Paul Osborne – Director of “Official Rejection”
“Phoenix recharged my batteries and I massively enjoyed the chance to meet all the other filmmakers, chat, eat and drink. They really do celebrate film and its makers”
Louis McCullagh – Director of “Call Me Son”
“We had a blast. It is nice to be associated with such a great group of folks”
Anthony Tarsitano – Director of “Calling it Quits”
BLACK SWAN – Blu-ray Review
Bless those at Fox for sending this one to my doorstep.
Not only does this Blu-ray capture all the nuances of what allowed Natalie Portman to rightfully receive her Best Actress award but the format gives you a chance to watch madness personified all over again. For those who are finally finding this for the first time it can be overlooked that this is a movie that was simply made to be experienced in an intimate format as home video. What director Darren Aronofsky does better than most any other director is to put to a visual medium of what it’s like to simply disassemble. To be fully formed at the beginning of a film and to be completely shattered by the end is part and parcel of what made movies like Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, and, to some extent, The Wrestler such compelling films. It’s about ambition, it’s about obsession, and it’s about the lengths we’ll go to have our dreams fully realized and Black Swan encapsulates that.
We are presented with many of same tropes we’ve always gotten from Aronofsky except he makes it all his own. He allows Portman to fully become the most engrossing part of this picture, flanked by the dynamite performances of Mila Kunis and Vincent Cassel, and just shoves everything that’s not vital to the telling of her story to the side. There is no room for anyone else in this picture except Natalie and that’s what makes the heavy lifting by Portman such a fascinating thing to experience. Sure, there are key moments that performers like Cassel, Kunis, and even Winona Ryder deliver but it’s like watching a quarterback set up a play to allow the star player to take it all the way. Portman is only as good as those around her and those around her were very, very good.
On this Blu-ray we get a fabulous making-of that is indicative of Darren’s style as a filmmaker, eschewing the usual promo EPK that plagues fat and bloated DVDs that boast of “18 Hours of Extra Content!”, in that we get some insight to how this film was actually MADE versus how great it was to work with screen legend Barbara Hershey. From costume design, to cinematography, to production details, this is the kind of extra that is worth picking up the disc alone just based on this.
From a muted color palette that runs throughout the film and then explodes with visual vibrancy as we head into the final moments of this movie to performances that were without question Oscar worthy this is the one disc you need to own in your collection for no other reason than to see how acting can really elevate the spirit to a new level when you’re in sync with what’s happening on the screen.
About the disc:
Capture the Electrifying Thriller That Has Audiences on the Edge of Their Seats On Blu-ray and DVD March 29
Starring Natalie Portman in her Academy Award® winning role*, BLACK SWAN is a seductive yet haunting film that will leave you breathless. Directed by innovator Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler), this Best Picture nominated film boasts a wealth of talent including Portman (Closer), in the performance of her career, as well as Mila Kunis (Date Night), Winona Ryder (Girl, Interrupted) and Vincent Cassel (Ocean’s Twelve). In the film that Daily Variety hailed as “…wicked, sexy and ultimately devastating… fascinating,” Natalie Portman’s mesmerizing transformation into the Black Swan leaves you breathless ““ and wanting to see it again. Become part of the haunting phenomenon and own BLACK SWAN on Blu-ray or DVD on March 29th from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
BLACK SWAN follows the story of Nina (Natalie Portman), a ballerina in the New York City Ballet trying to make it to the top. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But a new dancer, Lily (Mila Kunis), also impresses Leroy and becomes Nina’s competition. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly with her innocence and grace, but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan with her fiery personality. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side with a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.
The BLACK SWAN Blu-ray disc contains special features not included on the DVD including exciting behind-the-scenes looks at the filmmaking process and interviews with the cast and director Darren Aronofsky. With the best-available sound and picture quality, the Blu-ray format provides viewers the premier way to experience the stunning Academy Award®-nominated cinematography, memorable character performances and flawless choreography of BLACK SWAN.
BLACK SWAN Blu-ray Disc Features:
Metamorphosis: A Three-Part Series
A behind the scenes look at the filmmaking process from Darren Aronofsky’s visionary directing, to the physically-demanding acting, to the stunning special effects.
Behind the Curtain
An inside look at the film’s costume and production design.
Ten Years in the Making
Natalie Portman and Darren Aronofsky discuss their creative journey, from “preparing for the role” to “dancing with the camera.”
Cast Profiles ““ Roles of a Lifetime
Presented by Fox Movie Channel, the stars reflect on the their challenging and rewarding characters
Sucker Punch; the Roger Corman Movie Never Made By Ray Schillaci
It’s been awhile since I’ve contributed an article, largely due to a crippling injury that took a toll on me mentally and physically. After a 5-6 week detainment, I braved seeing Zack Snyder’s, “Sucker Punch” with two very anxious young men ““ my sons, 17 and 11years-old. Being hampered by a good mood I cannot bring myself to fully say that I received the same mental abuse from Snyder’s latest opus.
By the time the credits ended, we all had a different opinion. My youngest loved it. But did question some motivation on several of the characters and sometimes could not distinguish Blondie from Amber ““ even though Amber was Asian. My oldest thought it was cool to a point, but was disappointed with the plot holes and the lack of characterization. I decided to forego my true feelings and agreed with my oldest, so as not to ruin my younger son’s enjoyment.
I tried not to prejudge the new Zack Snyder film with the scathing reviews it was receiving. How could anything look that good and be so bad. I was even willing to drive out of my way and plunk down twice the amount of money to experience it in IMAX. But the word of mouth just over the weekend was so horrendous, that it prompted me to back off on my original intention and take my kids to a matinee at a regular screen. I’m glad I did.
Snyder’s latest continues to resonate in my mind as to what is wrong with the glut of stupid films in this day and age. Mind you, I understand there is a market for an empty-headed mess that is visually stunning, but it’s like having the chance to spend a night with the most gorgeous woman on earth (if you are a guy) and discovering she’s actually a vegetable. There are so many directors, producers and studio executives who are mistaking spectacle for spectacular. Battle: Los Angeles comes to mind, but even that with its knucklehead script made more sense and was more entertaining than the vapid sinking feeling that Sucker Punch provides.
Snyder and Steve Shibuya have scratched out the semblance of an idea about a troubled young girl who is wrongfully sent to an asylum with the intention of receiving a lobotomy. Before the worst can take place to our heroine, Baby Doll, she is whisked into her own fantasy of survival where she resides as a captive with four other beautiful women who are forced to perform (in more ways than one) in some kind of makeshift club of the damned ““ think 2001s “Moulin Rouge!” with no dancing, even though all the characters in the film rave about the dancing.
From there, Baby Doll takes us further into her imagination to escape reality by plunging us into another fantasy every time she is about to perform a dance number (yes, if Inception confused you ““ stay far away from this film). We learn through her sensei or angel, Scott Glen (what a waste of an actor), that her only chance of survival is to attain 5 items. At this point, nothing is explained as Baby Doll acquires the ability to vanquish giant ninjas with tremendous powers, handles a sword like Neo from The Matrix, flies through the air and takes on any and all baddies coming her way including zombie Nazis and fire breathing dragons.
It all sounds very cool in print and would probably be a fan boy’s wet dream, especially with the school girl attire and high octane heels. But the picture loses interest before we get through the first battle. One cannot help wonder where on earth did she get the abilities. Why are the other girls dressed in skimpy attire while everybody else during each battle is heavily clad, and with all the fire going around would it not singe their skin? Oh, I get it, it’s a fantasy! So is Narnia and Harry Potter, but at least they provided some reasoning behind their actions.
All right, I’m sounding so uncool right now, but it gets old after awhile. Hell, you can see better entertainment and more skin in a Russ Meyer film (Beneath the Valley of the Ultra Vixens). Snyder’s latest tour de force reminds me of the works of great directors that eventually went awry whether it is through ego, drugs or alcohol. It brings to mind the nonsensical work of Sam Peckinpaw’s, Osterman Weekend, Killer Elite or Cross of Iron. Also, the terrible misstep of Michael Cimino’s, Heaven’s Gate and do I dare add Terry Gilliam’s, Tideland.
At least these directors had a prestigious track record at one time. Snyder does have a remarkable eye when it comes to green screen, but his story telling has always been his weak point. 300 was no Gladiator or Spartacus, but its visuals ran amok with our senses and it was all very new to us. Watchmen had the advantage of having the greatest graphic novel ever written as its base and even though it disappointed fans, Snyder still maintained a strong following. FYI I liked both films with their obvious flaws.
To have his fans make the excuse that Snyder is all about visual is detrimental to the future of his career. Great directors like David Lynch (Eraserhead, Blue Velvet) and Ken Russell (Altered States, Tommy) have been noted for their amazing visuals, but there is extreme depth in their work and their characters have rarely been shallow. With this latest example in green screen storytelling one cannot help but be concerned over the fate of the new Superman that Snyder is helming.
While watching Sucker Punch, I could not help but laugh at times, because it reminded me of a bad Roger Corman film with an out of control budget, which Corman never allowed. It even had me recalling the way Corman would handle a film if it was not being shot on schedule, ripping several pages out of the script and stating no one will know the wiser. That could definitely be said about SP. The whole film is such a hodgepodge of better movies (Brazil, The Matrix, Hellboy, Kill Bill, and Moulin Rouge!). It makes one imagine friends getting together while being high and slamming down ideas, spouting how awesome it would be to amalgamate the confusion and actually get it produced.
To be fair to Snyder and company, the film does begin and end with a noble and inspirational message. Unfortunately, a threadbare story has been awkwardly placed in between to get that message across nearly souring the whole concept. Then, perhaps I am giving Snyder too much credit by suggesting that. It could be a great example of poor storytelling and the writers saying we need to punch this up and give it some validity, so they tag on something thought provoking to pass it off as art. When it comes down to it, Sucker Punch is basically impressive eye candy for the empty headed or a wonderful treat for an 11 year-old that does not know any better and I will admit a small adolescent part of me was tickled by it.
April 3, 2011
Cabin Fever 103: Heart Attack & Red Vine
Oh no! Just when you thought it was safe to hang out at the FRED…
Cabin Fever (hosted by the twisted souls Brian Fitzpatrick and Aaron Poole) is the result of having too much time on your hands and access to your local community radio station.
Over the course of an hour, they manage to trawl the depths of good taste, plus throw some music in. How much more could you want from a podcast?… Quality? Oh… we didn’t think of that.
Enjoy! And we hope our cross Atlantic friends can understand the Irish accent 😉
Hugs and Kisses,
Aaron P. + Rev. Fitzy
CABIN FEVER #103: Heart Attack & Red Vine – In this week’s episode Wird explains the ins and outs of a celebrity death pool, Cin keeps himself busy with some leftover rum, and pHitzy does his best not to crawl into the fetal position and cry due to a wicked, wicked hangover. Oh, and keep your ears open at the end for a wee ditty from Fred’s own Tom Harrington.
[CONTENT WARNING]: Explicit contents! We say every naughty word you can think of. You have been warned!
DOWNLOAD: (right click to save)
Episode #103 (MP3 format)
[audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/cabinfever/cabin_fever_103.mp3]
SUBSCRIBE
Subscribe to this Podcast via iTunes
Got something to say? E-mail Aaron & Brian at the Cabin Fever mailbag.
CLICK HERE FOR THE CABIN FEVER ARCHIVES
##
April 1, 2011
Weekend Shopping Guide 4/1/11: Topsy Venture
The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the FRED Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…
(Please support FRED by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)
Hank & Dean fans rejoice! Not only has the second half of Venture Bros.: Season 4 (Adult Swim, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) hit standard DVD, but the entirety of Venture Bros.: Season 4 (Adult Swim, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) is now available in lovely high definition. Both releases sport audio commentaries and deleted scenes courtesy of Astrobase Go. In other words, buy them both. Now.
I know the first time I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey, all my young mind wanted was a Monolith Action Figure ($12.99) that could mysteriously appear in the midst of my He-Man and Transformers figures. Well, it’s only a few decades later, but the fine folks at Thinkgeek have produced that unarticulated black block. Joy!
How beautiful are the folks at Criterion? Not only are they releasing a high definition version of Victor Schertzinger’s 1939 Technicolor adaptation of Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado (Criterion, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP), but they’ve coincided it with the release of Mike Leigh’s dramatized look at the conflict between Gilbert & Sullivan that led to the creation of the musical, Topsy-Turvy (Criterion, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP). The Mikado features interviews, a 1926 silent film promoting a production of The Mikado, a deleted scene, and radio broadcasts. Topsy-Turvy sports an audio commentary, interviews, deleted scenes, featurettes, trailers, TV spots, and a 1992 short film written by & starring Jim Broadbent, directed by Mike Leigh.
I didn’t want to like Disney’s in-house (ie non-Pixar) CG animated flick Tangled (Walt Disney, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), and in many ways, I didn’t, but it was frustrating in its combination of the good and the bad. First and foremost, I’m tired of Disney Princesses… Really, some variety to the stories they tell (and the marketing they push) would be nice. Still, the design and animation of the film was appealing, looking very much like a 3-Dimensional Disney cartoon. But then the film gets hobbled by some truly mediocre songs that prove how unique the great Howard Ashman was (Please, Disney, if the songs aren’t up to snuff, DON’T DO A MUSICAL). All in all, it’s an amiable film, but certainly not a classic. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, featurettes, and more.
Cartoon Network’s first CGI feature, Firebreather (Cartoon Network, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$28.99 SRP) – about a high school student who discovers he’s half monster – arrives on home video with a deleted scene, animatics, a 2D animation test, and a look at the visual development.
I admit, I used to watch Scarecrow & Mrs. King (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) and wonder when Bruce Boxleitner would finally go after Master Control. He never did. He just globe-trotted with Kate Jackson… and not even on a light cycle! The 5-disc second season set contains all 23 episodes.
Back in the early days of Nick At Nite, one of the shows in constant rotation was the long-running 50’s hit Dennis The Menace (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$29.93 SRP), starring Jay North as cartoonist Hank Ketcham’s well-meaning but troublesome boy (and the bane of next-door neighbor Mr. Wilson). Shout Factory has released the complete first season, containing all 32 episodes plus bonus interviews, original promos, and the Donna Reed Show episode guest-starring Dennis & Mr. Wilson.
With The Civil War (PBS, Not Rated, DVD-$99.99 SRP), Ken Burns re-energized the documentary form by panning… panning… panning… And voiceovers. Lots and lots of voiceovers. It really was quite groundbreaking in its time, and was all the talk at my school at the time. Well, you can mark the 150th anniversary of the war with this new special edition, which sports remastered picture & sound, audio commentaries, additional interviews, biography cards, and maps.
Yes, I watched the live action/CG hybrid Yogi Bear (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) and yes, I did feel so terribly dirty doing so… An affair made even more awkward by the fact that my young nephews seemed to dig its slapstick bastardization of a lovely character. They are our future. Fear them. Bonus materials include featurettes and a CG Road Runner & Coyote cartoon.
While many series have wrapped, we’re still in the middle (the second half of the second season, to be exact) of Vegas (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$36.98 SRP), which starred Robert Urich as the Sin City PI and heartthrob. The 3-disc set contains 11 episodes plus promos.
There have been plenty of TV and film adaptations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s master detective, but the defining adaptation remains the film series starring Basil Rathbone, which have been fully restored and released in high definition via the 5-disc Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection (MPI, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$129.98 SRP), The set contains all 14 films, and is an absolute must-have.
Yes, I understand that Black Swan (Fox, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP) is supposed to be a gripping psychological thriller with a lot of sexuality thrown in to the mix, but frankly, it bored me. To tears, even. Black, swan-y tears. Although I did like Mila Kunis in it. Bonus materials include a documentary and a trio of featurettes.
There was a time when the BBC was regularly cranking out adaptations of Alan Bennett’s plays, which have been brought together in the appropriately titled Alan Bennett Collection (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$54.98 SRP), featuring An Englishman Abroad, The Insurance Man, A Question Of Attribution, 102 Boulevard Haussmann, A Day Out, Sunset Across The Bay, Our Winnie, A Visit From Miss Prothero, A Woman Of No Importance, Dinner At Noon, and Portrait Or Bust.
When the original came on the scene, the slasher flick was in desperate need of a post-modern reinvention, and that’s exactly what Wes Craven & Kevin Williamson delivered with the first Scream (Lionsgate, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP), which debuts in high definition with an audio commentary, featurettes, a Q&A, and its two sequels, Scream 2 & Scream 3 (Lionsgate, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP each).
The third season left suave ad man Don Draper with a life that was going up in flames of his own making, which made for quite an interesting bit of fallout during the fourth season of Mad Men (Lionsgate, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.97 SRP). The 3-disc set contains all 13 episodes, plus audio commentaries and a quartet of historical featurettes.
There’s still no gloriously bloated epic from Hollywood’s golden age of excess more bloated, self-important, and epic than Cecil B. DeMille’s ham-fisted Ten Commandments (Paramount, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), starring Charlton Heston as Moses. The film looks even more impressive in high definition, which also features an audio commentary, a newsreel of the film’s New York premiere, and a clutch of theatrical trailers.
MGM has been opening up their vaults and releasing a whole slew of catalogue titles in high definition, and it’s a mixed bag of classics and… err… not-so-classics, to be sure. On the must have side, you’ve got the Don Bluth classic The Secret Of Nimh (MGM, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP), which is balanced by the less-classic Bluth film All Dogs Go To Heaven (MGM, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP). See what I mean? Also included in this release wave are the original Teen Wolf (MGM, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP), Legally Blonde 2 (MGM, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP), The Greatest Story Ever Told (MGM, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP), Material Girls (MGM, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP), and Picture This (MGM, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP).
I do believe that Hanna-Barbera in the 70’s was a company where every hare-brained idea imaginable made it on to the networks, even if it was a single season – and, thanks to the Warner Archive, we get to see amazing awfulness like Valley Of The Dinosaurs (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.95) again.
I assumed it would be heard to capture the character of New Orleans, particularly post-Katrina, with any real justice, but Treme (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.98 SRP) has managed to do so, with the added bonus of a remarkable cast (hello, John Goodman!) and an even tighter soundtrack. The 1st season set contains audio commentaries, featurettes, and even commentaries on the musical performances.
I had high hopes when I saw IMAX: Hubble (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$27.98 SRP) last year, and I admit I walked away a bit disappointed. I wanted nothing more than spectacular 3-D imagery of the astronauts in space – and the film highlights NASA’s mission to service and prolong the life of the aging telescope – but that kind of imagery is short-shrifted in favor of a slightly more esoteric look at the types of phenomena Hubble observes, most of it rendered via CG in the film. Regardless, why we’re only getting a 2-D, standard definition release of this, I can’t quite fathom.
There’s something inherently (and appropriately) engaging about the documentary The Genius Of Design (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP), which examines the art and science of design, as well as the designers behind the art.
Even 40 years later, TV producers are still trying to create a new version of The Monkees. It’s just a shame that shows like Nickelodeon’s Big Time Rush (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) forget that what made The Monkees work was that they were smart enough to hire the best songwriters in the business to write music for the group – And the group turned out to be talented songwriters themselves. The monotonous sonic wallpaper of Rush just makes the whole affair a painful watch. The 2-disc set contains 11 episodes plus a photo gallery.
So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…
-Ken Plume
##
March 28, 2011
Hands Down #24 – He Who Laughs Last
Welcome to Hands Down, FRED’s own look into the world of the folks that frequent this sordid world of geekery. Follow Aaron, Brian and Colin (and a menagerie on the way) as they traverse the light fantastic or some such nonsense… What? It’s an online fortnightly comic strip, what kind of description did you expect?
Written by Aaron Poole. Art by John Merker. Copyright 2011.
Trailer Park: Duncan Jones
Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp
DUNCAN JONES – Interview
Two things happen when you watch filmmaker Duncan Jones’ first feature, MOON:
1. If properly attune to the vibes the movie is giving off you can sense greatness dripping from every scene. It’s a one man show of not only the abilities of Sam Rockwell as he dominates that film with the kind of talent that deservedly had him nominated for award after award.
2. You wonder what a talent like Jones could do with a little more money.
Thankfully, that latter problem has been solved with Source Code, a sci-fi thriller that attempts to bend space and time with a yarn that supposes that a man could travel back in time and stay there for eight minutes at a time in order to solve a crime involving an explosion aboard a commuter train. The pacing is fast, the editing is tight, and Jones is now out promoting the film with the movie’s star, Jake Gyllenhaal, who actually was the one to put the script in Jones’ hand. We talked about getting the film made and discussed the nuances of what it was like to go from low budget to full-on craft services.
SOURCE CODE opens today.
CS: About Source Code, I didn’t know what to expect and I am glad I went in there as cold as possible. I didn’t really know what to expect. I’m a fan of David Mamet, his filmmaking style is great at keeping details away from the viewer and keeping people out of the loop of what they could know”¦”I could tell you but I’m choosing to keep something back.” How is it, as a director, and certainly Moon is a great example as well as Source Code, how you were going to disperse the information within the film?
JONES: I was actually introduced to the script by Jake. It was already sent to Jake and he was intrigued. He saw Moon and was a fan of that and asked me if I wanted to take a look at it and I did. I very much wanted to work with Jake and thought the script was great and thought I could really get my teeth into it.
One of the things I felt about it though, as a science fiction fan myself, there is soft sci-fi and hard sci-fi, and to me hard sci-fi is science fiction where you can see how we get from present day technology to this future that we’re talking about. And, soft sci-fi is where you sort of start here and talk about dragons and magic and stuff that doesn’t make any sense. And time travel is kind of in that grey area.
I kind of understand the theory of it and how it might work but I don’t necessarily see exactly how the technology is going to get to the point where it’s possible. So rather than get bogged down in the details of technology and try and somehow give a lecture to the audience through unnecessary dialogue about the technology, I wanted to set up the rules and quickly as I could and lighten the whole tone of the film, inject some humor into it so the audience feels OK to take that leap of faith with me, jump into the story, it’s going to be a great ride. That’s what I wanted to do.
CS: Did you find in being able to tell that story that this movie presented itself, obviously instead of Sam Rockwell, you have”¦.
JONES: More than one actor?
CS: Right”¦.exactly. You pull up your resume and you have Moon and Source Code. That’s it. It’s a huge leap. Was there a learning curve?
JONES: Working with actors wasn’t a learning curve. That was great, that felt very natural. I really enjoy working with actors and understanding what they are trying to do and give them my suggestions and try to steer them when I see something is not working and then try to reinforce them and give them the confidence to go with it if it really is working. That’s kind of what the director’s job is, you know? You get these amazing talented people. Let them do what they are good at. And then help them find the path to make it even better. So working with the actors wasn’t the problem. Learning about making a film through the Hollywood system, where there are the levels of bureaucracy and the teams of producers you have to deal with. That was all expected but a new experience for me.
And fortunately, I came off a small British independent film so it took time to convince them that I knew what I was doing. But by the time we were shooting I think I had won everyone over and was able to just get on with my job but I kind of learned a new skill doing that. And that was the skill of being able to justify my decisions. When I made Moon, it was just myself, my producer, Stuart Fenegan and Sam Rockwell. The three of us just decided what we wanted to do and we would just do it. I didn’t have to convince anyone. And in Source Code there was that initial inertia of just having to find ways to convince these huge groups of people ““ understandably because of the millions of dollars of other people’s money that I’m making decisions about. If it were a company I sure as hell would want to know that this person knew what they were doing. And as a director that’s pretty much what I’m doing. So it was a slow process at first fortunately but by the time I came back to London with my BAFTA I had everyone on side and we were all working together.
CS:Â And to that point, getting to the bureaucracy of things, the material itself ““ Jake presented it to you as a story ““ what leapt out at you and said ““ never minding that you probably had directors, producers, actors, what have you, tossing you scripts left and right – what leapt out at you where you said, “I need to make this one?”
JONES: Well, the initial draw for me was Jake because it’s so important to me to work with actors who I respect and who I believe can carry a movie. I knew that about Sam Rockwell. I knew that he could and knew that he had the potential to be a leading man. And with Jake, he already was a leading man but I felt like there were things I could bring out of him which I hadn’t seen in a particular way and I think to me that sort of Harrison Ford/Indiana Jones rough on the edges normal guy who’s frustrated with the world around him but he gets the job done. I felt like Jake could do that and I think that’s where hopefully the Jake you see in Source Code. I really wanted to work with him. And, there were elements of the script ““ the fact that it starts with a bang and it just keeps going. It’s so fast paced. I love that! And it was so different from Moon. And, for me, it was exciting to have done Moon and then go on and do something that was so different in that respect.
CS: The movie itself ““ it’s set in Chicago and the film is very place specific when it comes to saying as such. Was that intentional? Somehow it felt like Chicago or Illinois, that geography played a part in this story being told. Or was it just random chance?
JONES: I have to be honest. The original script was set in New York.
CS:Â Really?
JONES: Because of sensitivities to New York’s terrorist attacks, they needed to find a different city to put it in. Totally justifiable.
We considered a number of different places and Chicago is geographically middle of the country ““ east and west coast could relate to it. And for me there was a specific thing, the Anish Kapoor sculpture, the amazing mirrored thing in the park there ““ I love that. It looks sci-fi and it’s real. It’s really there. It’s a new and growing landmark for Chicago.
There was this element in the original script that wasn’t in the film that I made. It was this weird abstract shape with spokes on it and over the course of the film in nightmarish segments you sort of move out and see more of it and eventually you see that it’s a bicycle next to a train tunnel and the film would end with a train going through the tunnel. I thought, well I think there is something I can do that’s a little different and I think that might work better and that was to use the sculpture as this nightmarish image because if you get close enough the reflections in it are all strange and distorted. That’s what I used as a replacement for what was in the script. The payoff is that you end up looking at this landmark of Chicago.
CS: The development process itself ““ they say a movie is made three times ““ on the page, making it, and in the editing room. Can you talk about how you went from the script and you’re thinking about it in your head, how you had it storyboarded out, how you worked with your other directors and saying “This is what we need to capture” ““ how did that process evolve from what you thought it was going to be to what it ultimately ended up being?
JONES: It was fairly organic. I had fantastic people to work with. Don Burgess was my cinematographer ““ he did the first Spiderman film, Forest Gump, he did The Book of Eli, which is a great looking film as well. Don is a really experienced guy, very calm, very practical. He just knows how to get on with things, and, very experienced in working with special effects. We had many special effects in the film so there was a lot of stuff that someone like him had to bear in mind. You just couldn’t get a cinematographer. You had to get someone who could deal with special effects as well. So he was terrific to have on site. My editor, Paul Hirsh, is a true Hollywood legend. He edited Empire Strikes Back, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. He won an Oscar for Ray. He did the first Mission Impossible film. He’s an institution and to have him on my side as well. I was surrounding myself with incredibly talented, experienced people and that made things much easier.
CS: How does that process work? Like a job posting saying “I need help with this film, come apply”?
JONES: I did interviews. It was crazy. I did interviews with people who made films I watched as a kid. It was intimidating but it was fantastic. Paul Hirsch sat across a desk from me and told me why he should edit this film. It’s very strange thing making a Hollywood film. You don’t do that when you are an indie director. When you are an indie director you desperately plead people to come and work with you. When you do a Hollywood film, they come and make an argument on why they should do it. It’s very unusual.
CS: Is it alluring in a way? I’m thinking of Soderbergh and his process ““ big, small, big, small ““ he has found a good balance. Do you see why it’s so alluring to be a big time director versus indie independence?
JONES: I know on a very practical level that I want to work at a budget that allows me make the crazy stories that I have of my own. I want to make them the way I see them and I know I can’t do that for $5 million the way I did Moon. Moon was designed as a calling card to say, “Look, I can do something interesting if you give me a chance.” Source Code was the opportunity to work in Hollywood, to work with Jake and to make a fun film that shows, hopefully (we’ll see how the opening weekend goes), but I can make you films that will be successful and be interesting at the same time. Hopefully with those two I can make my own projects with some more money and do it through the Hollywood system. We’ll see how it goes.
CS: Final question: Sci-fi ““ I know we have Moon, Source Code, Mute is now going to be a graphic novel, bringing that to life the same way Darren Aronofsky brought The Fountain to life. Sci-fi ““ is that going to be your wheel house?
JONES: I’m going to do one more sci-fi film next and then I’m going to take a sabbatical break for a while and go do some other genres which I really want to do and then I will, one day if I get the chance, I’ll come back and do Mute just because I have to. It was the film I tried to make from the very beginning so I’d just like the chance to make that film. It may be small ““ make it as a little film but I’ll come back to do it.
March 17, 2011
FREDagator: 2011-03-17
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day as it was meant to be celebrated – with Beaker, Animal, & The Swedish Chef…
[ad#contestbox]
Weekend Shopping Guide 3/18/11: Tramp Stamp
The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the FRED Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…
(Please support FRED by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)
It’s a bit bloated and unwieldy, but I have to admit that I have quite a fondness for Richard Attenborough’s biopic Chaplin (Lionsgate, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP), starring Robert Downey Jr as the Little Tramp – and his wonderful performance alone makes the film worth watching. Bonus materials include featurettes and a brief Chaplin home movie.
Got more kitchen utensils than space? Countertops and drawers at a premium? How brilliant is the Click n Cook ($34.99) modular spatula system, which features 5 various-sized spatulas and a detachable handle in a conveniently small stand that allows you to swap spatulas with a simple click (and save space!). Brilliant.
Those wonderful purveyors of fine comic appreciation over at Twomorrows have decided to focus on the creator of the landmark comic series Bone with Modern Masters Volume 25: Jeff Smith (Twomorrows, $15.95 SRP), which – like previous must-have volumes in the series – contains an in-depth, comprehensive interview with Smith, as well as dozens of pieces of art.
The animation isn’t the best, but what Hoodwinked (Weinstein Company, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP) lacks in visual flair it more than makes up for with a punchy script and catchy clutch of songs, all of which has found its way to high definition. Bonus features include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes, and a music video.
It’s no Broadcast News, but Morning Glory (Paramount, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP) does have the fun of the 80s TV flick Switching Channels with a touch of Working Girl, as it revolves around a young woman’s attempt to wrangle a last place mess of a national morning show as its new executive producer. And, best of all, it features Harrison Ford in an all-too-rare comedic turn as a veteran newsman who becomes the new morning host opposite Diane Keaton. Bonus materials include an audio commentary and a deleted scene.
Oh, Warner Archive. I do so love how you’re releasing every marginal and obscure Hanna-Barbera cartoon in your vast library. So thank you for the a release like the set containing the complete runs of both The Space Kidettes & Young Samson (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP). Yes. That’s right.
It’s not as well put together as the UK original, but there’s certainly some interesting genealogical twists and turns to be found in the 1st season of the US Who Do You Think You Are? (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP), which finds celebrities tracing their family trees. The first season features the ancestral explorations of Sarah Jessica Parker, Emmitt Smith, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Broderick, Brooke Shields, Susan Sarandon, and Spike Lee.
It’s no Rocky, but there is a charm to The Fighter (Paramount, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), which stars Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale as a pair of pugilistic brothers who reunite for a title bout that could save their family and their community. Is redemption for both in the offing? What do you think? Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, and deleted scenes.
Wrap up the second half of Batman: The Brave And The Bold‘s first season (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) with the next 13 episodes full of action and good-natured crime-fighting absolutely loaded with gust stars, from Booster Gold to Aquaman.
I find Clint Eastwood’s films can be hit-or-miss for me, with every great flick like Unforgiven matched by a disappointing one like Gran Torino. His stab at the supernatural, Hereafter (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) is one of the latter, as I could never become invested in the touchy-feely tale of a man with a connection to the afterlife (Matt Damon) and a journalist (Cecile de France) seeking answers. The sole bonus is the documentary The Eastwood Factor, which looks at his career at Warners.
Hal-shark. Half-octopus. All schlock. Yeah, that pretty much sums up Roger Corman’s Sharktopus (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP), and there’s really not much else that needs to be said about it. Just… Sharktopus.
Don’t have enough 12″ Star Wars figures filling your house yet? Well, Medicom (via those nifty nellies at Sideshow Collectibles) has released another addition to their Real Action Heroes line, this time featuring the intergalactic bounty hunter Boba Fett ($149.99) as he appeared before his untimely ingestion by the Sarlaac Pit in Return Of The Jedi. The details – from the tools in his pouches to this Wookie-braid trophies – are amazing, and the overall effect is pretty spot-on. Do you want this on your shelf? Yes, you want this on your shelf.
So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…
-Ken Plume
##