Archive for July, 2009
July 27th, 2009
It’s hard to believe, but the first decade of the 21st century ends in a mere five months.* That means it’s already time for movie critics (and fans) to think about compiling their “best of the decade lists” so they’ve got them polished and perfect by the time December rolls around. Being a complete film nerd, I’m considering my picks now. Here are three contenders. I’m not saying they’re earned their spots yet, but they’re definitely among the ones to beat…
 
 
 
So now it’s your turn. Post some of your picks in the comments, and hopefully you’ll knock some of my memories loose and remind me of a movie I’ve forgotten. I’ll make more of these posts as the year continues, then sometime around Dec. 31, 2009, I’ll reveal the whole Ten Best in the paper and here, online. Film fans love few things more than lists, so I hope we can have fun putting ours together.
I didn’t list of the names of the above three movies on purpose. Can you name ‘em?
* I realize that — technically speaking — the year 2010 is, in fact, part of the first decade of the 21st century too, which means that the decade really doesn’t end in five months, but instead in 17 months. After all, we went through the same sort of confusion 1o years ago during the turn of the century. But, for the sake of argument, let’s just pretend that this Dec. 31 will be the end of the decade, OK? Thank you in advance.
July 27th, 2009
This week’s Movie Man column focuses on the small screen with a look at MAD MEN. The second season is now on DVD, and here’s a quick summary of what’s going on…
Don still has trouble at work (a new rival), after hours (an affair with a comedian’s wife) and at home (wife Betty, played by January Jones, gives him the boot). To complicate matters, during a business trip to California, Don ditches his responsibilities and spends a few strange days with a house full of Los Angeles weirdos. They’re not hippies — not yet, anyway — but Don’s layover in La La Land is one of the show’s sly reminders that the early, buttoned-up ’60s are about to become an entirely different sort of decade.
Here’s my complete review.
July 24th, 2009
Director Wes Anderson and his MR. FOX cast. (Image by Greg Williams of Fox — heh heh –Â Searchlight Pictures via USA Today)
USA Today has a story about Wes Anderson’s upcoming movie, THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX, that offers some more details on this intriguing project. Among them…
1. George Clooney will provide the voice of the hero, Mr. Fox
2. The movie will include side shots of the tunnels Mr. Fox digs. The article compares the image to an Ant Farm, but anyone who saw Anderson’s LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU will probably think of the memorable side shot of his ship, the Belafonte…
3. Jason Schwartzmann (who starred in Anderson’s RUSHMORE and THE DARJEELING LIMITED) will voice one of Fox’s children, a misfit who wears a superhero cape.
4. Quoth Schwartzman:Â “It’s funny, but also visually beautiful. Instead of adapting his style of directing to animation, he brought animation to him. He made a Wes film.”
Sounds good to me!
July 24th, 2009
Here’s the first trailer for director Tim Burton’s version of ALICE IN WONDERLAND.
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Visually wild, of course, and more than a bit creepy — but then again, so is the original book. The movie opens March 5, 2010.
July 24th, 2009
James Cameron hasn’t directed a feature film since 1997’s TITANIC, so it’s no wonder that his upcoming movie, AVATAR, is being breathlessly anticipated by both science fiction fans and special effects buffs. Judging by the first glimpse of footage, which was screened yesterday at Comic Con, that anticipation was not misplaced.
From Cinematical…
(Cameron) wasted no time letting folks know that the forthcoming AVATAR is destined to be a masterpiece. And yet, given what he showed (Thursday) at the San Diego Comic-Con, one can hardly blame him for a surplus of confidence. Screening some 25 minutes of material to a capacity crowd for the first time anywhere, Cameron proved that recent interviews, public appearances and hype opportunities are more than just big talk.
I couldn’t find any glimpse of that footage on the Interwebs — I’m sure security on that panel was airtight. There is, however, this footage of the press conference that followed…
AVATAR opens Dec. 18.
July 23rd, 2009
Hollywood Elsewhere blogger Jeffrey Wells, who definitely is not the biggest Judd Apatow fan in the world, has some good things to say about his latest movie, FUNNY PEOPLE. Very good things…It really is the best Apatow movie so far. Not the warmest of friendliest or feel-goodiest, but unquestionably the frankest and ballsiest. A genuine, funny, corrosive, uncliched, agreeably smartass thing. Not perfect but close enough to what I wanted that I came out delighted. I believed each and every line and attitude and plot turn.
This is very close to the Apatow flick I’ve been waiting for, and which frankly I had begun to think might never be made by him. Hats off, smart salute, balls of steel, etc. This is a major leap forward.
He warns, however, in his wonderfully Wellsian way, that FUNNY PEOPLE might be too challenging for the average schmuck…
Most fans of (THE 40-YEAR-OLD) VIRGIN and KNOCKED UP, I suspect, are going to have qualms, but that’s what happens when you deepen and darken and expand the brand — people go “hey, this doesn’t taste like the others! Gimme my comfort food!”
Personally, I’m tired of my comfort food. I’m want FUNNY PEOPLE to be something more. I like Judd Apatow’s work quite a bit, but Wells is right — it’s time for him to stretch and grow. Adam Sandler proved he can really act in PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE, Seth Rogen has been consistently solid but first showed his dramatic chops way back on the TV show FREAKS AND GEEKS, and Leslie Mann (Apatow’s wife) was very good in KNOCKED UP. Here’s hoping they all bring their A game to this movie.
FUNNY PEOPLE opens next Friday.
July 23rd, 2009
A bit of geek news from the first official day of the San Diego Comic Con: The eagerly awaited sequel to TRON (which, if you’re old enough to remember, hit theaters waaaaay back in 1982) has a name, and it’s not (the admittedly catchy and appropriate TRON 2.0). Here (via Cinematical) is the official logo…
 
And here, (also via Cinematical) is the official plot synopsis:
“TRON is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world that’s unlike anything ever captured on the big screen. Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), looks into his father’s disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin’s loyal confidant (Olivia Wilde), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.”
I was a 14-year-old video game nut in 1982 when TRON hit theaters, so needless to say, I was primed for that film (and the excellent video game that hit arcades at the same time). It’s a whole other world now, but with Jeff Bridges still attached as Flynn, I’m tentatively optimistic. Don’t let me down, Disney.
July 23rd, 2009
At long last, the Onion AV Club’s New Cult Canon (under the guidance of writer Scott Tobias) turns its attention to one of the lost masterpieces of the 21st century. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you…
… POOTIE TANG!
If you’ve never seen this no-budget, almost completely forgotten box office disaster, there’s no way I can describe it to you. All I can say is that it (a) it definitely has a cult following — just check out the ever-growing comments at the end of Tobias’ article — and (b) I personally think it’s hilarious. I can’t explain why it’s funny, or even defend its existence as a film, but I have seen it more than a few times (HBO used to run it constantly), and I always watched with a smile on my face.
Here’s 27 seconds of its oddball charm. Whether you decide to watch the whole thing is up to you.
July 22nd, 2009
When the question “What were the best movies of the 21st century?” is asked, the answer you don’t expect is “Elizabethtown.” Generally viewed as a BIG step down for writer-director Cameron Crowe, it’s the movie where he let his tendency to be too cute and loveable run just a bit too wild. ALMOST FAMOUS? Charming. ELIZABETHTOWN? Cloying.
Nevertheless, the movie does have its fans, and two of them teamed up for a shot-by-shot liveblog of the movie as it ran through their DVD player. You can read the whole thing here, and if you’ve got the DVD (and I’m guessing you can get it really, really cheap), take another look. Maybe it’s not as quite as bad as it seemed.*
(I’m no fan of ELIZABETHTOWN, but admittedly, I didn’t see it under the best circumstances. I was several thousand feet above the Arctic, slipping in and out of a restless sleep, jammed into an airplane headed for Hong Kong. Heck, maybe I should give the movie a fighting chance.)
* Actually, as the intro to the liveblog section explains, Vadim Rizov didn’t really think this was one of the best movies of the decade. He just wanted to give it another look.
July 22nd, 2009
The bad romantic comedy?
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Or the bad horror movie?
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