Archive for the 'films' Category

Filed under: Drama, Horror, Thrillers, DVD Reviews, Home Entertainment

Today, on this May the 29th, curious moviegoers can flop themselves onto their couches, chew on some popcorn and see just what it was that made Hannibal Lecter so crazy, because the unrated Hannibal Rising DVD has just come out. Now, this is a film that I avoided in the theater. Critic friends, actors and movie fans alike told me not to bother; however, presented with the opportunity to review the DVD, I figured it was my perfect chance to see it. My expectations were low, but my curiosity was high — I always wonder what happens off-screen, and I was always curious about what made Lecter such a cold and calculated murderer.

Seeing Hannibal Rising is like excitedly strapping yourself in to a roller coaster and slowly creeping up to the summit, your mind full of exciting, twisting, corkscrewing possibilities, only to hit the peak and find out that there is no drop, but just a slightly-slanted plateau. The beginning of the film is both beautifully shot and deeply disturbing. We’re taken into the turmoil of World War II, and see how a rich, healthy and happy family can at once be destroyed by a cruel twist of fate. As you watch what happens to the young Hannibal, you can’t help but cringe, because it’s truly terrible, but in that way that your mind can comprehend. It’s not some big imagined King Kong, but a real and possible menace.

Continue reading DVD Review: Hannibal Rising

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Filed under: Comedy, Horror, RumorMonger, Newsstand

As much as Grindhouse seemed to be unstoppable before its release, for the populace-at-large, the large, gore-filled double-header failed to inspire. But man, it’s got director Eli Roth in a bloody frenzy. On May 6, Patrick Walsh shared news that the Hostel man was looking to do a sort of Grindhouse 2 — with expanded versions of his Thanksgiving trailer and Edgar Wright’s Don’t. Undeterred by the first film’s low numbers, he’s already working on an outline and wants to grab a collection of 30-somethings to play teens. Apparently, all this effort isn’t appeasing the creative juices that came out of his slasher Thanksgiving. He’s told TOMB that he’s also planning another film called Trailer Trash.

What he said: “I’m going to do a whole movie of fake trailers called Trailer Trash. There was a great response to my Grindhouse trailer Thanksgiving, and it’s the most fun I’ve ever had shooting. I’ve spoken to other directors like Robert Rodriguez and Edgar Wright and they’re all going to get involved and do trailers.” Now this I’m not so sure of. The trailers were great fun, but would we want a film that has no longer plot-line to dive into? And, would it attract more people? I guess it’s an easy way to see if the length is what kept people away from Grindhouse. Roth went on to say: “I want to do a film like a Monty Python movie or Borat or Jackass — just totally silly, completely ridiculous and fun and over-the-top.” So, I’m assuming that the idea is more comedy than horror, but I’m not quite sure how a collection of trailers matches Python which matches Jackass. It’ll be interesting to watch him shape the idea, but the big question: Are you ready to see an hour and a half of faux trailers? Maybe this is the new wave of filmmaking — directors throw together faux trailers, and if people love them, projects like Machete slice their way to a green light.

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Filed under: Drama, Independent, Casting, Scripts & Screenwriting, Cinematical Indie

There once was a woman named Toni Jo Henry. As the story goes, she was an attractive girl who at the young age of 16, become a leading prostitute at a local brothel. (Yes, another movie with a prostitute, but at least this time the story is real.) She is sent to the neighboring Texas on a sex assignment and meets an outlaw called Cowboy Henry. She falls for the man and marries him, even though he’s only free on bail, awaiting sentencing for manslaughter. Their obviously normal and functional relationship (note sarcasm) is dashed when he gets a 50-year sentence. “Smartly,” she vows to get him out. So she collects a bunch of guns and starts searching for a getaway car. Pretending to hitchhike, she snares a driver (who she strips and some say dragged to a field by his extra appendage with pliers) and kills him. Before getting to her love, she was arrested and sentenced to death.

That made her the first and only women to be executed in Louisiana — by electrocution. Now some of the older members of Shreveport are getting a bit of a blast from the past. The Pardon is currently filming there, detailing Henry’s short and troubled life. The description on IMDb seems to focus more on the aftermath — apparently she killed the guy on Valentine’s Day, planned to rob a bank and also drew lots of media attention because of her good looks. Jaime King is starring as Henry, and Jason Lewis co-starring as the Cowboy she loved. You probably remember King from her stint at the flaxen-haired Goldie in Sin City or maybe by her stints in Pearl Harbor or in the super-awesome Cheaper by the Dozen 2. As for Lewis, he was Samantha’s Absolut Hunk on Sex and the City, and his film roles have included The Jacket and My Bollywood Bride. I wasn’t quite expecting a model-hottie for the convicted Cowboy, but then again, bad guy isn’t synonymous with bad looking, as Henry’s life has shown. Tom Anton is the writer/director, whose lone other credit is 2005’s At Last. It sounds like this will come down to how well its made. If they get enough good period feel in and don’t make it too cheesy, this could be pretty interesting.

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Filed under: Shorts, Newsstand

Alex Cox is not too found of Hollywood. Perhaps this is because he says that he was blacklisted in 1988, when he used Universal’s cash to make a film in Nicaragua while collaborating with the Sandinistas. Before that, he had a couple of really prominent cult indie flicks. The first was Emilio Estevez’s repossession adventure The Repo Man, and the second was the Gary Oldman-starring biopic of Sid Vicious — Sid and Nancy. Now he’s got Searchers 2.0 on the horizon, and he’s found the time to write up a little rant for The Guardian about actors-turned-directors.

It looks like this is all coming about from Madonna, who is currently filming a short film in London based on her life, and aptly called Filth and Wisdom. (Not to be confused with the other directorial project she’s been attached to.) Cox then threw in Kirsten Dunst, whose directorial start I posted about in April. In what he considers short films “exciting for connoisseurs of awful movies,” Cox goes on to wonder if these stints will be like Johnny Depps short, The Brave, or Vincent Gallo’s Brown Bunny. That seems like a bit of a jump. Wondering if Dunst’s short will resemble the penis-worshipping Bunny is… I don’t know, like wondering if David Lynch’s next movie will be a Julia Roberts-heading romcom. Besides, she was asked to do it as part of the Reel Moments series that brings reader’s ideas to the short screen. It’s not quite the same as ego-filled cinematic masturbation.

Now, he does have some points. In the piece, he mentions when Brando fired Stanley Kubrick and Sam Peckinpah from One-Eyed Jacks. One of the more recent and prevalent accounts of this is American History X, which Tony Kaye fought to get his name removed from when Edward Norton reportedly re-edited the film. There’s also all those behind-the-scenes flareups, from Lindsay Lohan to David O. Russell. While I do agree that some egos need to be shot down, it’s a bit one-dimensional to say that actors “are not, as a rule, highly intelligent.” Many aren’t, but what about all of those who’ve made impressive switches? Who would have thought that the dumb sidekick in Aspen Extreme would also direct films from Very Bad Things to Friday Night Lights? Or that the man who was afraid of a mouse on Sex and the City would later write the screenplay for Capote? Cox has had his say, now what do you think about the whole scenario?

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Filed under: Action & Adventure, Casting, RumorMonger, Remakes and Sequels

Of course, the A-Team movie is still very much active. Heck, if Transformers does well, I think that we’re going to see a lot more of 80’s television on the big screen. As Erik Davis told us last September, Stephen J. Cannell, the series creator, was cooking up the remake and picked some unnamed screenwriter to pen it. Before that, back in 2005, Mark Beall mused about who would or could be cast. The top choices: Bruce Willis as Hannibal, Brad Pitt as Murdoch, Matt Damon as Face and B.A. would once again be Mr. T. Since T still looks the same, it would make sense, right? I mean, you can replace a lot of actors in remakes, but the minute you try to mimic Mr. T, I’m betting that the whole thing will fall flat.

But the mohawk-man himself wouldn’t do it without his whole team: “If you ain’t gonna have the main guys, like [Dwight Schultz] as Murdoch and the guys that I grew up with, [forget it].” But what about a cameo? I would say that’s the worst idea ever. After they finally find a Mr. T replacement, they’d actually think of placing them both in the same film? That sounds like movie suicide to me. Not that it matters anyway — Mr. T pities the fool who tries to get him in a guest spot: “We don’t do cameos! You don’t disrespect us, or ‘Pow! Pow!’” The icon went on to say: “it’s insulting me to ask me to be in it [as someone else]. It’s just like my ex-girlfriend saying ‘Why don’t you come out to dinner with my new boyfriend?’ You see what I mean? I am not going to do that.” Well, the remake has that going for it. Personally, I’d rather see the old guys all back if anything at all, but if not, I see no way around this Mr. T hurdle. Sure, you could throw in Ving Rhames, but anyone who tries to be The T will just be a weak caricature. Is the movie doomed?

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Filed under: Comedy, Romance, Casting, Newsstand

Romantic comedy superstar Sandra Bullock must be getting sick of the dramas — Murder by Numbers, Crash, The Lake House, Infamous and Premonition . Beside a stint as Miss Congeniality 2 in 2005, she hasn’t done a romcom since Two Weeks Notice in 2002. Have you missed her? Whether you have or not, she’s heading back for three good, healthy servings of romance. Man, the atrocity that was Premonition really must have worn her down! First there was talk of crossword puzzles and All About Steve in October, then she thought about being One of the Guys in December and now she’s itching for The Proposal.

This stint seems right up Sandy’s alley. From a script by Peter Chiarelli (apparently not the sport guy), who used to be the director of development at MGM, Proposal is about a demanding lady boss who is going to be deported to Canada. To stop it, she agrees to her young, male assistant’s proposal to get married. I’m sure that means that within the craziness and power plays, she falls for the guy and their romance really does become consummated. I wonder how young her assistant will be? Will they really Mrs. Robinson her? And will the guy remain a lower-tier employee, or will he romance his way to the top? Oh, the possibilities are romantically endless! Without a director attached yet, there’s not much more to say, but we can always muse about the young man who will grab her hand in marriage. I guess it really depends on what they’re going for — young and hot or young and geek. With Veronica Mars said and done, maybe Bullock could fall for a little Jason Dohring? If they’re looking for more nerd flavor, Justin Long keeps popping in my head.

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