FRED Entertainment

Tag: Sam Worthington

  • Trailer Park: AVATAR Trailer – Reviewed

    By Christopher Stipp

    The Archives, Right Here

    I was able to sit down for a couple of years and pump out a book. It’s got little to do with movies. Download and read “Thank You, Goodnight” right HERE for free.

    And now, you can follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp

    Item #1 – ICE CREAM!!!

    I’m acutely sensitive to those who ask for what little help I can provide.

    I’ve never purported to actually have any ability to sway people to do things, Lord knows that losing 50k in that McDonald’s contest that was based on votes didn’t work out real well for me, but I am always eager to do what I can for those who have taken a chance on me.

    Dennis Widmyer is such a guy and he deserves your vote.

    The short of it is that you need to go here to watch his short film “ICE CREAM!!!” and vote for it. The long of it is below, straight from Dennis, a guy who has created a really solid short that is at the same time twisted, gory and all sorts of funny. I’ll allow him to explain what is so important about you pushing a few buttons. And, remember, for the love of God, vote on the FilmmakingFrenzy site. It’s the only way this will work. More from Dennis:

    I have a short film I directed for Fantastic Fest 09. I’m sure you’ve heard of Fantastic Fest. It was co-created by Harry at Aint It Cool News, and in only its third year, it’s already become the largest genre film fest in the country. Anyway, something cool that FF does is they have this contest called Filmmaking Frenzy whereby they accept entries from filmmakers for ‘bumpers’. Bumpers are like short, 30-45 sec commercials that play before a film at a fest. The rules of the contest state that you need:

    – A kid (below age of 18)
    – A monster
    – 30-45 secs
    – End off in the word “Fantastic”

    Anyway, my bumper is called “ICE CREAM!!!” and you can watch it here:

    http://www.filmmakingfrenzy.com/ViewFilm.aspx?FilmId=554

    It’s actually doing very well right now and we’ve gained a lot of momentum. I think we might actually have a shot of winning this thing. So please offer me whatever vote you think the film deserves. You have to register for the site to vote. The whole process takes about 2 mins. Some people have complained that the process of voting is a little confusing, so I typed up some quick instructions on it that you can view HERE.

    The link people need is: http://www.filmmakingfrenzy.com/ViewFilm.aspx?FilmId=554

    Now, go out there and vote.

    Item #2 – “Ari Gold’s Office…”

    aop_webAri Gold, the man who created the very funny ADVENTURES OF POWER, passed along an e-mail message to let me know that the site for POWER is finally in full swing and, I have to say, it’s really robust and has a lot of information about his film which will finally be hitting theaters this fall.

    Check out the film I thought was one of the best crafted comedies I’ve seen this year:
    HERE

    For those needing an explanation of the film, here it is:


    When hard times hit his small mining town, Power doesn’t wish for riches; he only wishes he’d learned to play drums. But his father could never afford to buy him a drum set, so Power has embraced the next best thing: air drumming. Tired of the constant ridicule, with nothing but a few dollars, some breakfast cereal, and the support of his Aunt Joanie, Power sets off across the country to the “paradise” of Newark, where an underground air drumming crew has invited him to join their team. But as the big air drumming competition looms, so does a rival-multi-millionaire drummer Dallas H., who thinks air drumming is an abomination and seeks to destroy Power and his crew.

    More than just a rock’n’roll comedy, ADVENTURES OF POWER is an epic fable about the American Dream-about making something out of nothing, and trusting in your own heartbeat as a way of changing the world. With a phenomenal soundtrack featuring original songs alongside hits by Rush, Phil Collins, the Dazz Band, and more, ADVENTURES OF POWER will have you drumming in your seat and cheering on your feet.

    Starring Ari Gold, Michael McKean, Jane Lynch, Adrian Grenier, Shoshannah Stern, and Steven Williams and also featuring Jimmy Jean-Louis, Chiu Chi Ling, Annie Golden and Nick Kroll, the film premiered to widespread acclaim at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. With classic songs by Rush, Judas Priest, Phil Collins, Dazz Band, Loverboy, Bow Wow Wow, Woodie Guthrie and original songs by Ethan Gold, Adventures of Power will be released theatrically in fall 2009 by Variance Films.

    “Adventures of Power” was produced 100% independently, and shot from sea to shining sea-from the forgotten industrial towns of the West to the ghetto cities of the East. It is being released 100% independently as well, with the help of volunteers and fans from all over the country who believe in the power of the human heartbeat to change the world.

    Item #3

    untitled2I’ve got some DVDs to give away. Want some?

    LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT came out earlier this year and it did well. As a low budget movie it made it a little scratch and, in the critics’ eyes, it was acceptable cinematic fare.

    If you’d like to add this DVD to your collection, send me a note at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com and I’ll enter you in a contest to win a copy of this puppy.

    For those who want to know what it’s all about here is a synopsis:

    Renowned horror director Wes Craven returns to the scene of the most notorious thrillers of all time in this darkly disturbing reimagining of The Last House on the Left. After kidnapping and ruthlessly assaulting two teen girls, a sadistic killer and his gang unknowingly find shelter from a storm at the home of one of the victim’s parents– two ordinary people who will go to increasingly gruesome extremes to get revenge. Loaded with shocking twists guaranteed to leave you on edge, it’s the ominous film critics call, “One of the best horror remakes ever made” (Scott Weinberg, Fearnet.com).

    AVATAR (2009)

    avatar_posterDirector: James Cameron
    Cast: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez
    Release:     December 18th, 2009
    Synopsis: In the future, Jake, a paraplegic war veteran, is brought to another planet, Pandora, which is inhabited by the Na’vi, a humanoid race with their own language and culture. Those from Earth find themselves at odds with each other and the local culture.

    View Trailer:
    * Large (Apple)

    Prognosis: Positive. Is there any lack of snarky, nitpicky comments on a movie no one has seen? Welcome to the Interwebs because, no, there are more than a few haymakers to go around.

    Before seeing this teaser I’ll be honest in that nothing has really ignited that geek desire to see anything more than the various publicity shots of James Cameron in various states of guidance as he talks to the film’s stars.

    Cameron’s legendary control of what people know and when they’ll know it about his films almost make him the Steve Jobs of the motion picture world; he’ll give you what you want when the fever pitch is at its greatest. I would agree with that assessment if his latest eking of information, photos, et al., about the movie actually tantalized. Instead, all we know is that this movie deals with a cripple and a bunch of blue leopards that look like taller, slender Keebler Elves that were rejected from the stage production of Cats. The footage shown at Comic-Con did not incite a wholesale riot of fan boys looking to jizz all over the promise this film was making. That honor went to IRON MAN 2.

    So, what to do when the tepid response, proportionately speaking, leaves people wanting more about the tin man than they do your Sesame Street blue man group? You get yourself a 2 minute teaser trailer out there, that’s what.

    The opening sequence, to be honest, really does get me into a mind space where I would’ve liked to have been months ago. The way Cameron captures the silence and majesty of space on a grand scale simply cannot be matched, the way we are ensconced in this planet’s ecosystem is genuinely thrilling as the music is perfectly matched to the sense of awe and wonder at an alien terrain where you can walk out freely but need an scuba like system in order to breathe. It feels open and beautiful.

    And then I see the worker mechs from ALIENS. And from the crappy MATRIX sequel. I’m left trying to figure out if this a hybrid from ALIENS or if we’re to believe this is its own universe but, if that’s the case, what’s with the cribbed worker mech? Having this argument with myself is taking me out of this grand universe and that’s not what you want for a film that needs to build its own sense of self.

    Weird guy with an obnoxious scar across his face (seriously, can we just do away with the overt make-up that will obviously play an important part to someone’s twisted backstory? “Well, yar, I’ll tell ye how I got this scar…”), Worthington rolls by some tanning beds and then, well, we get Delgo. Seriously, I dare anyone with half an idea of what I’m talking about to refute the notion these aliens look like that wretched kids film. If this was an issue of copyright I am pretty sure I could make a mint for Freddie Prinze Jr. in open court. It’s a little nutty and, at almost the half way point, I’m just screaming inside my own head. We’ve got lots of things going on and none of those things have to do with this movie’s awesomeness.

    We get the clue that the cripple’s consciousness (and let’s be clear that this movie is obviously making an issue of Worthington’s handicap and I would never call a cripple a cripple. Worthington is, on purpose, a cripple to forward the plot. It’s a device. Like John Locke. He’s a cripple. He can walk in Lost. Same theory applies. I wouldn’t put it past Cameron to have thought that was an awesome idea to have a cripple walk and then meditate on the idea of mobility, the fragility of life and, thus, Sam Worthington the cripple who soon won’t be) is fed into this cartoon character (and let’s be honest, we all can tell it’s a cartoon character. It’s certainly no DISTRICT 9 effect work.) and we’re off into a fake jungle with fake plants and fake animals with chicks who like to get grungy just like in the second crappy MATRIX film.

    But I will give praise to the amalgam of cartoon fantasy and live action that seems really action-y. You’ve got machine guns and planes that mean some terrible business and dudes hanging out of planes that are firing all sorts of armament. You’ve got alien people yelling out, with their tiger teeth laid bare, and all hell’s breaking loose. It’s like the Savage Land come to life!

    There is so much happening and not much context that the issue I have with this trailer is that it is devoid of some logical sense. I think you could put together the entire film (I’m pretty damn sure Worthington is going to have some alien sex with some alien chick with deadlocks) just by looking at what’s happening and I am pretty sure we’re going to see Worthington have some kind of crisis of conscience as his alien self becomes at odds with the big bad military force. It all sounds hokey to me but the scenery looks pretty nifty and the action sequences look to be rather engaging once we see how this all plays in 3D.

    I’m in for sure but, come on, there are some things I really hope aren’t as hokey as what we see in this teaser.

  • Trailer Park: TERMINATOR SALVATION

    By Christopher Stipp

    The Archives, Right Here

    So, I was able to sit down for a couple of years and pump out a book. It’s got little to do with movies. Download and read “Thank You, Goodnight” right HERE for free.

    And now, you can follow me on Twitter under the name: Stipp

    A lot of talk this week about Quentin Tarantino’s newest film screening at Cannes. Consensus? It’s talky, light on action and seems like a WWII DEATH PROOF.

    TERMINATOR SALVATION – REVIEW

    terminatorThere absolutely shouldn’t have been any blessing given from James Cameron with regard to TERMINATOR SALVATION. The only religious intonations given over this movie should have been its last rites.

    Now, I can’t stop you from seeing this movie. You will see it irrespective of anything I have to say on this. I realize this.

    You’ve been sold on it, I was sold on it, director McG’s P.T. Barnum huckster antics during preview showcases to fanboys teased and titillated audiences everywhere (“I really fought hard for those mammaries to be in there, fellas!”) but there is no escaping the fact that behind the tell-tale daa-daa-daa-daa-daa drum beat we all know as the sonic opening calling card for this franchise is nothing but a lot of smoke and a weak film. A film, mind you, which McG himself said should speak for itself. If it did it would say: Don’t spend $10 on me. Wait for Netflix.

    There are a few things that make this a truly remarkable misstep in a franchise that should have ended 2 films ago but one of them comes early on as we meet John Connor (Christian Bale) who absolutely owns the first few minutes of the film in the way he carries his heavy burden as the leader for the resistance and the Batman-like voice with which he wants reality to conform to his own. He’s badass, he chews nails for fun and he’s not going to let crashing in a helicopter, which is a great special effects moment in this film, stop him from thrashing a terminator that deserves leaded violence.

    The problems begin with the moments following when Bale is flying over an ocean, wanting to get back to resistance headquarters. He’s been beat up, almost killed and is denied entry to the underwater base of operations. But that’s not going to stop him from getting in! Much like another summer movie hero from over two decades ago, Jack Ryan in HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, he’s going to get on that damn sub. The fundamental issue which is wholly representative of what ails this movie is that in OCTOBER there was some emotional weight, genuine drama as he unhooked himself from that line to get in that submarine; there was tension, mood, atmosphere, a real sense of danger. Bale’s bullheaded bravado, masked by the tired trope of cinematic bullheaded machismo as he flippantly tosses himself out of the low flying aircraft into the ocean, is nothing more than a cheap way to try and make this guy seem like a real tough guy.

    When next we see Bale, he’s sitting in a chair looking all kinds of torqued, moody, getting chewed out by Michael Ironside, playing a character I am not unsure of whether is any different than we saw from any number of 80’s movies where his role is to try and be an even tougher character than those he’s acting opposite of, all the while it begs the question of how much suspension of disbelief is going to be required of me in this film?

    It’s a trick question, of course, as the film has moments like this peppered throughout the entire film. For example, the people who have been living without real homes since Judgment Day. They’re fantastically dirty and dusty but the glare coming off their teeth as their lips and faces are sullied with the detritus of a cataclysmic event reminds you that at least they have their Colgate. Another: When Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington, and you’ve got to appreciate the grade school irony in a script that names a man Wright) meets up with young Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) in one of the best sequences of the film as we have our first look at a terminator who is at once zombie-looking and completely sinister. Hours later, after escaping death, Marcus fiddles with a radio. He just happens to fix it at just the time when, speak of the devil, Connor is broadcasting his fireside chat with those out in the field regarding their next moves. Never mind the timing, the way they catch the signal at just the right frequency or the acknowledgment that it’s Connor speaking to them. It’s just all very convenient.

    Later, Reese is part of an escape from a very bad situation from a slew of terminating machines. He and Marcus are departing the explosive moment in a tow truck when moments later he has to pull a single lever at just the right time to make the scene work; forget logic, it begs us, as not only does Reese pull the right one at the right time from a literal array of choices it does nothing to help the dramatic thrust of the film. There is no danger here, no threat of imminent danger, because these guys have an exponential amount of luck on their side and this is the problem with the film.

    Further, in the film’s first hour, we find out early that the resistance has found a way to stop the machines, a poorly explained software program that is embedded on a jump drive that needs a clunky boombox to use. About this time, Connor sends his team to fetch an aqua terminator, a lot like the squids from the MATRIX sequels, to which they find one, bring it aboard, all the while being able to keep it from informing other aqua terminators that its been captured or of its current location. This sonic disruptor is one of the weakest McGuffins as it leads exactly nowhere. It’s a ruse, a poorly devised plot device whose sole purpose is used to an awful and regrettable convenience when finally employed to its strongest effect. The film is riddled with lapses in logic, and honestly if an action movie were on point doing what it has to, we shouldn’t care but from rain that just seems to stop on cue to a fiery explosion that singes nary a hair on the person who is caught in a fireball there is more than enough to puzzle at.

    Moon Bloodgood, for all that McG has made about her, is actually one of the more redeemable things about this film. Along with Sam Worthington and Anton Yelchin as the reluctant hero you have the three best reasons to see the film. I would even posit that their story, by itself, could have been a more entertaining diversion than what we build up to here. Marcus’ second lease on life is slightly introspective and rather interesting. Kyle’s progression from hesitant killer to lethal hero is wonderfully laid out. But that’s the most frustrating thing about this film. It has fits and starts of potential and has excellent action set pieces only to dumb itself down to appease the lowest common denominator as moments just happen to break positively for those we are supposed to care the most about in the movie. When the “big reveal” in the 3rd act happens near the end try and convince me otherwise that it doesn’t make you feel cheated. The shadows, the calculated angles, the careful placement of bodies, it feels more like a math assignment than it does a celebration of all that’s great in excellent action movies. The effects at this point felt on par with THE CROW. The penultimate battle between man and machine, in the bowls of Skynet headquarters, however, tries to win you back with a glorious display of physicality and menace but by then it’s too late. The film cannot elevate itself above a 2nd tier auctioneer when compared to more thought out films in its genre; leave it to Nolan to raise the bar for everyone else who comes behind him. I commend McG for not bowing to the pressure of actually integrating more of the terminators in the film, Lord knows that would’ve made it far more intriguing and add to the summer spectacle this should have been, but he demurs to telling a bullet ridden story with nowhere to end but with a whimper.

    For all his ruminations about how Bale said he flatly turned down this role until he was given a script that you would have thought came with gilded light pouring down from every page if it got Bruce Wayne to say “Yes” to it after turning it down what you have is a story that is full of logical missteps, plots that go nowhere, effect work that at times has you wondering whether it was worth the cameo and the questionable taste for an actor that proved with DARK KNIGHT you could have a great summer film that was designed, and whose sole purpose was, to make money for its cash master while being reasonably intelligent. TERMINATOR SALVATION is a wonder as it doesn’t want to be intelligent, it doesn’t even want to be smart, it just wants to be a throwback to the films you could enjoy on basic cable and be done with once you’ve seen it. It’s an embarrassment of spectacle that leaves a lot of money on the table.

    From a pure franchise standpoint, a solely economic exercise, McG may win the weekend but he will lose the summer war.