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Interracial Harmony: 'Ninja Assassin' vs. 'Blind Side'
Filed under: Action, Drama, New Releases, Fandom
What major movie production features an interracial friendship that defies all the expected stereotypes? Hint: it's not the one starring Sandra Bullock.
On its own merits, The Blind Side is a heartwarming story of the modern South, in which a rich white 40-something woman (Bullock) befriends a poor black teenager (Quenton Aaron). Their relationship develops to the point that the young man feels a part of her family. I agree with our reviewer, Jette Kernion, who described it as "a very good example of a sports-related family film, with quality performances and writing." She also notes the "seeming visual message that the African-American community can't or won't care for their own, and that the saviors here are rich white conservatives." The film is based on a non-fiction account, but it still makes me wonder why, exactly, we needed another film depicting that particular racial dynamic -- beyond providing a great starring role for Bullock and the aforementioned heartwarming elements.
As finely-edged as a new razor blade, Ninja Assassin establishes itself as a contender for "CGI Fu Movie of the Decade" in its very first sequence, gleefully slicing off body parts with the abandon of an extreme gore flick that would satisfy most horror hounds. It rocks back and forth between ponderous philosophical pontifications and riotously preposterous action scenes like a ticking time bomb, exploding in geysers of blood at regular intervals. Our reviewer William Goss was much less taken with the film than I am -- I think it's fair to say he hated it -- so bear in mind that your mileage may vary wildly. However, I feel confident in saying that Ninja Assassin presents a rarely seen relationship: a friendship between two people that makes no mention of their racial differences.
Who Will Be The Crow?
Filed under: Action, Drama, Casting, Mystery & Suspense, Fandom, Remakes and Sequels
Oh, The Crow! I loved you so! I had the poster, the comic book by James O'Barr, the T-shirt, and the unrequited crush on Brandon Lee, whose tragic death only fanned the flames of my teenage desire. I even went to see the sequel, The Crow: City of Angels, which featured the spectacularly bad line, "F*ck you, bird d*ck!" uttered by none other than Iggy Pop. (I did, however, forget to light a candle for its 15th anniversary earlier this fall. Sniff.)As previously reported, there is a relaunch being written by Stephen Norrington, who will also direct, that might not even include Eric Draven, the main character (sacre bleu!). The last time that Norrington took a crack at directing a beloved comic book was the 2003 stinker The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but as io9.com reported, so far the script is getting good reviews. Meredith Woerner at io9.com coaxed some details from producer Ryan Kavanaugh (Nine, Brothers, Zombieland), and while he wouldn't reveal which actor is going to be smearing himself with makeup to wreak vengeance on those who violated and murdered his beloved, he did say it will be "a whole relaunch of the franchise, much more of a dark superhero type" and starring an already-established actor.
Ben Stiller Goes Indie in 'Greenberg' Trailer
Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Independent, Movie Marketing, Trailers and Clips
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The best thing about this trailer is that Mumblecore sensation Greta Gerwig has finally semi-crossed over into more "popular" fare (I can't say commercial, because this is still somewhat indie, so I guess "popular" is the right word ... but maybe not. You get the point, though, right?). The worst thing about this trailer is that it just feels like another lost-dude-looking-for-the-rest-of-his-life type flick, and I guess that's cool if you dig hip indie soundtracks and Ben Stiller with a perpetual puss on his face, but in my opinion there's nothing here that screams, "Holy crap, watch me right now!"
Yeah, so, anyway, the first trailer for Noah Baumbach's (The Squid and the Whale) next film, Greenberg, has just arrived over on Apple, and it stars Ben Stiller as a guy named Greenberg who's "at a crossroads in his life" and, after he agrees to housesit for his younger (and more successful) brother in Los Angeles, he begins to reconnect with old friends and kinda-sorta-maybe sleep with Greta Gerwig, who, mind you, totally has an Indie Kate Winslet vibe going on in the trailer.
Watch the trailer over on Apple and let us know what you think. Greenberg is due in theaters on March 12th, and I could totally see it premiering at Sundance in January ... but I'll guess we'll wait and see about that.
Watch This: A 'Twilight' Intervention
Filed under: Action, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, New Releases, Trailers and Clips
"Team Jacob!" roars a trio of dudes in a bar. Drinks are flowing fast. "A typical horrible Monday just became amazing," gushes a woman who's about to go see a private screening of Twilight: New Moon. The crowd moves from the bar to what looks suspiciously like a high school theater to get amped up for some muscle-bound shirtless werewolf action."C'mon, get out of your seats! Are you ready?" The fans, who are all most certainly of drinking age, are definitely out of their seats and screaming. They're so ready!
"Too bad!" cackles the emcee, and the curtains part to show a young comedian named Skyler Stone who's there to stage an intervention, via FunnyorDie.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you are not going to see Twilight: New Moon tonight." For some reason (I think it has to do with alcohol), the audience is still cheering, but this statement brings a solitary "NO!" Stone continues, "This is a vampire intervention because you clearly don't know what the f*ck a vampire is!" Is that male laughter in the background? Wooing begins. Is this real or is it fake? Stone berates the audience and insults Rpatz with aplomb. Still, the cheering continues!
"Why are you cheering?!" he yells at them. "Do you understand you're not seeing Twilight tonight?"
Will there be a riot? Bloodshed? Will Stone leave the theater intact? Find out what happens after the jump.
Exclusive: Title Track for 'The Road' Soundtrack
Filed under: Drama, Music & Musicals, New Releases, Fandom, Home Entertainment
Cinematical has just received the following title track for Nick Cave and Warren Ellis' original and haunting film score for The Road. It's simple and chilling -- just as any accompaniment to a post-apocalyptic world should be -- full of violin and piano tunes, some wind instruments and sound loops. The soundtrack is being released digitally today over at Amazon, with further digital retailers tomorrow and a CD release to follow on January 12, 2010.We first alerted you to the score back in March, and then to the duo's Soundtrack Collection in September. As you might have gathered, some of us are big Cave & Ellis fans. And rightly so. They provided an award-winning score for John Hillcoat's earlier feature The Proposition (which Cave also wrote), and also scored The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. And of course, that's besides their work in Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, which has memorable cinematic ties to Wings of Desire (before Ellis teamed up with Cave).
Too often these days it's easy to get pulled out of movies due to overly imposing and grandoise film scores desperately trying to yank at emotions, rather than just lightly coaxing the right feel for a particular scene, and Cave and Ellis definitely know how to let simplicity reign. Check out the clip and track list after the jump and grab it over here at Amazon.
'New Moon' Smashes 'Dark Knight's' Opening Day Record!
Filed under: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Box Office, Fandom, Newsstand
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According to ERC, The Twilight Saga: New Moon sold roughly $71 million (Variety is reporting $72.7 million) worth of tickets on its opening day -- a number that, if correct, far surpasses the current opening day box office record of $67 million set by The Dark Knight back in 2008. With its $26 million take in midnight showings, that gives the second installment in the Twilight franchise two pretty giant records: Best Midnight Opening and Best Single Day Opening. Next up for the franchise is the three-day opening weekend record, also held by The Dark Knight with $158 million.
So what does this say about us? Well, while it's not as critically acclaimed as, say, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (previous midnight opening record holder) or The Dark Knight, these numbers do show just how much of an impact the female audience can have on a box office take. Sure, when The Dark Knight broke records everyone wanted to single out the teenage male audience as having won that film its titles, but polls showed females were responsible for upwards of 50% of that film's opening box office too. And now, with New Moon breaking records attracting a younger female audience, here's hoping studios wake up and realize that, yeah, the female audience is a damn powerful force.
So kudos to all you Twi-hards for showing up to support the property you love. Is the film truly worthy of its new records? Probably not. Will another film break those records within the next year? Yeah, most likely. But dammit if the folks at Summit Entertainment aren't partying their asses off this weekend. They just won the World Series at the box office. Congrats!
Michael Fassbender Goes From One Bronte To the Next
Filed under: Classics, Drama, Independent, Romance, Casting, Mystery & Suspense, Focus Features, Newsstand
The Brontes are all the rage for adaptation right now. It's undoubtedly due to Edward and Bella bestowing their favor on Wuthering Heights, and had they chosen Great Expectations, perhaps we'd see Dickens adaptations flinging themselves to the big screen. I love corsets and cravats, so I'm not going to complain, and I'm certainly not going to whine if Cary Fukunaga gets this cast for Jane Eyre. Variety is reporting that Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska are in talks to play Jane and Rochester for Fukunaga, and oh, how torrid it would be!This is actually the second time Fassbender has circled a Bronte adaptation. Last May, he was said to be in talks for Wuthering Heights, but Ed Westwick stepped into that particular waistcoat. It's a shame. I think Fassbender would have made an excellent Heathcliff, and may have been the first one to actually snarl, bang his head against a tree, and slap people convincingly. But he will make a very simmering Rochester, and is the only actor who could top Toby Stephens' wonderful turn in 2006.
Wasikowska is still a bit of a dark horse. She's becoming one of those much-discussed names, but most of us have yet to really meet her until Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland hits theaters. She's very pretty, but is just "ordinary" (if that doesn't sound too terrible) enough to fit the part of plain Jane, and as an Aussie, she'll be able to turn on an English accent better than Ellen Page. If this is the Jane Eyre that makes it to the screen, I'll be happy. Let the eerie screams, mysterious fires, and lingering looks commence.
Robert Pattinson to Star With Uma Thurman in 'Bel Ami'
Filed under: Drama, Romance, Casting
The rumor mill was buzzing earlier this month with news that Nicole Kidman was going to, once again, go for the younger guy and star opposite Robert Pattinson in the adaptation of Guy De Maupassant's Bel Ami. While it turns out that Kidman is not taking the project on, another famous blonde is. The Hollywood Reporter posts that Uma Thurman will star opposite Pattinson, and Kristin Scott Thomas has also joined the roster.
The film will star Pattinson as George Duroy, an aspiring journalist who finds his success by bedding many of Paris' rich and powerful women. Thurman will play Mme Forestier, the married woman who sparks his ascension and later marries him, while Thomas comes into the picture as "a socialite who falls for Duroy, becoming clingy in the process."
Now, much has been said, or argued, about Pattinson's talents as an actor, and I'd say this will be the ultimate test -- whether he can hold his own against Thurman and Thomas. Pattinson won't be able to hide behind sparkles or quirky, mustachioed mannerisms this time around! Both have considerable talents, although Thurman in particular is long overdue for some meaty and buzz-worthy dramatic fare (it's also about time she got into some retro wordy romance as well, a la Henry and June). The drama will shoot next year in Paris.
Brett Ratner to Americanize Bollywood for Us
Filed under: Drama, Romance, Deals, Distribution
Variety is reporting that Brett Ratner has been hand-selected by Reliance Big Pictures to re-edit a forthcoming drama of theirs, Kites, in order to make the film more accessible to international audiences. Yes, the man who made the Rush Hour trilogy has been tapped to once again crush cultural barriers (assuming that's what Reliance thinks he did with those films). The production is being filmed in both Hindi and English, so it'll be Ratner's job to make sure that the English-language cut is attractive enough for a sales market outside of India, which will only be getting the Hindi cut.And as odd as this news seems at first, the official synopsis for Kites does seem to fit Ratner's penchant for making broad-appeal films: "In the harsh terrain of the Mexican desert, a mortally wounded man is left for dead in the heat of the desert sun. This is J. Once a street smart, carefree young guy. Now, a wanted man. The only thing that keeps him alive is the quest to find the love of his life, Natasha. A woman engaged to another man, but surely destined for J. ... Kites is a story of love that goes beyond barriers, boundaries and cultures. It is a story of passion that defies every rule, of a relationship that takes two lovers on a thrilling journey filled with precious moments - and unexpected betrayal."
I say broad-appeal because that pitch reads an awful lot like Slumdog Millionaire, except without the mention of a game show. However it turns out in the end, it looks like this won't be the last time Ratner teams up with Reliance. Variety hints that re-editing Kites comes with the rights for Ratner to direct Youngblood, an adaptation of a graphic novel by Rob Liefeld... Ah, more films from the man who made X-Men 3, isn't that what we all need?
OMG! Rob Pattinson In the 'Remember Me' Trailer!
Filed under: Drama, Romance, Fandom, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Trailers and Clips
Ladies, I have important news: we've got another Robert Pattinson movie to "squeee" over. The New Moon heartthrob stars in Summit's romantic drama Remember Me, in which RPattz apparently gets to -- dare I say it? -- act his little butt off. By which I mean, throwing punches and yelling at James Bond and being sensitive and making out with Emilie de Ravin, all while rocking an American accent! Sigh. I can't wait.
Ok, so Remember Me is a gimme - of course every Twilight fan is going to run to buy tickets to watch
Watch the trailer debut for Remember Me after the jump, stat!
Peter Jackson Says Spielberg's 'Tintin' is Done Filming, but...
Interracial Harmony: 'Ninja Assassin' vs. 'Blind Side'
Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 11/24_thumbnail.jpg)
Exclusive 'Nine' Poster Premiere!
Exclusive: Title Track for 'The Road' Soundtrack
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