Iron Man looks awesome
Iron Man Exclusive Trailer
Add to My Profile | More Videos
Of course, so did The Phantom Menace, but I'm trying to stay optimistic here.
 |
|
 |
Iron Man Exclusive Trailer
Add to My Profile | More Videos
Of course, so did The Phantom Menace, but I'm trying to stay optimistic here.
For those of you salivating over the possible details of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, you need only wait until Thursday for more info. The first trailer of the film will air on Good Morning America and then will be available at Indianajones.com. And if you are catching one of the four new releases in theaters that night, you've also got a shot of seeing it on the big screen.
According to Variety (by way of /film), we just may see more of the mysterious Cloverfield on screen:
Matt Reeves is in early talks with Paramount to direct a "Cloverfield" sequel, and he has also made a deal with GreeneStreet Films to direct "The Invisible Woman." (Read more)
I'm torn. As much as I enjoyed the original (and plan to see it again and perhaps again), can they really sustain the momentum of the original? Most of the draw for seeing Cloverfield was the "OMG what was that?" factor, which is gone. And do we face another instance of 28 Days Later vs. 28 Weeks Later? Does the new version lose what made the original so cool?
So, early days yet, but what do you think? Would you fork out to see the sequel? Would you prefer a prequel? What would it take to get you back in the seats for Cloverfield 2?
Rambo's back and ready for more action - 20 years after his last on-screen appearance. First Die Hard's John McClane came back last summer, followed by Indiana Jones this summer, both after 19 years, and let's not forget Rocky Balboa. When is it too much? Are you rejoicing to see the heroes of your youth back on the big screen? Or is it to time to pass the torch to the next cast of characters?
IVER HEATH, England — Quantum of Solace is the title of the
new James Bond film, the 22nd Bond adventure.
Also, have you gotten used to Daniel Craig as Agent 007?
Fellow fanboy (fanperson? fan...atic?) Dave Hiott points out this rather shaky look at the Star Trek XI Teaser trailer:
Moviefone has come out with a list of the 38 most anticipated films of 2008 (why 38? your guess is as good as mine). But it is a list that gets my blood pumping a bit for this year. The top 10 are:
10) Star Trek XI (Dec. 25)
9) The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (May 16)
8) Hancock (Will Smith superhero movie out July 2)
7) Speed Racer (May 9)
6) Sex and the City (May 30)
5) Iron Man (Comic book movie starring Robert Downey Jr. May 2)
5) Bond 22 (real name pending, hopefully before its Nov. 7 release)
3) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Nov. 21)
2) The Dark Knight (July 18)
1) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May 22)
For the compelte list, head over to here.
I'd say they picked most of the well-known biggies for 08, and there's no way anything out scores Indiana Jones on the anticipation meter.
Denzel Washington in The Weinstein Company's The Great Debaters
To judge a book by its cover (or a movie by its trailer), I'd definitely give it my $8 — and not just to keep from seeing its opening day competitor, Alien vs. Predator: Requiem.
According to IMDb.com, this will be Mr. Washington's 45th movie role. So talk: Which of those 45 roles did you like best? Or are you a rebel and want to vote for his days on St. Elsewhere?
(Paramount Pictures)
A man and his dog at the end of the world (Warner Bros)
You know those cheap B horror movies that get by on camp? Think that, without the camp. Matheson hated the final product so much he wanted his name taken off the credits. When told that would mean no residuals, he opted for a pseudonym, Logan Swanson. The things you can learn by watching DVDs these days.
That said, there have been a number of fine "end of the world as we know it" movies over the years, including 2002's 28 Days Later and 1975's A Boy and His Dog. Anyone in blog land have a favorite doomsday yarn? Or are the memories too traumatic to recall? (All that canned food can drive a person mad).
Go fly a Kite this Friday (Paramount Vantage)
At first glance Atonement would seem to have nothing in common with The Kite Runner, opening this Friday. But as that clever American Beauty campaign once said, look closer. Both films revolve around childhood shame, adult redemption and the power of the written word, with fiction writers trying to atone for selfish acts. Kite Runner doesn't have those rythmically clickety-clacking typewriter keys, to which we say good for it. Look for our sitdown with Kite star Khalid Abdalla this Thursday at Guidelive.com.
For those of you who may be concerned about an anti-religion message in The Golden Compass, it might make you feel better to read this review from the Catholic News Service. The most telling passage of the review:
Most moviegoers with no foreknowledge of the books or Pullman's personal belief system will scarcely be aware of religious connotations, and can approach the movie as a pure fantasy-adventure. This is not the blatant real-world anti-Catholicism of, say, the recent "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" or "The Da Vinci Code." Religious elements, as such, are practically nil.
Check out Movie Critic Chris Vognar's holiday movie preview, then tell us your picks and pans for this year's holiday movie season.
Lost in a supermarket with The Mist (Dimension Films)
Cate Blanchett: She (he?) will be There Wednesday (The Weinstein Company)
It's also a fine opportunity to gorge on other Dylan DVDs. Herewith three rentable essentials:
Continue reading "The Monday Morning Critic: Dylan on film" »
Joshing with Brolin at the No Country premiere (WireImage.com)
"It’s not that it’s too slow; remember, I grew up on the central California coast," he told me a couple weeks back in Dallas. "It just hasn’t found itself yet. It’s rediscovering itself but hasn’t discovered what it is yet. I feel the same way about where I’m from. It was horse and farming country. Now it’s wine country. There’s a lot of East Coast money influence. The old ranchers that I knew, they wore their hats tilted sideways and forgot to put their denture glue in so their teeth clanked when they talked. Nobody cared then, whereas now they're a little more refined."
Read more from Brolin Thursday at guidelive.com.
Russell Crowe made an interesting comment about American Gangster in an interview with co-star Denzel Washington in the Nov. 2 issue of 'Entertainment Weekly':
EW: There's already Oscar buzz around American Gangster and your performances. Is it hard not to get invested in it when you hear that?
WASHINGTON: What are you going to do? There's no Oscar gym you go to to get in Oscar shape. There's not much you can do about it. If you get invited to the show, you go. The work is done. You know what? It beats a sharp stick in the eye that people are talking about it. That's gravy.
CROWE: Let's not discourage people from going to see it, though.
WASHINGTON: By saying it's Oscar-worthy?
CROWE: I think it just gets into a ho-hum thing. ...
Gangsta macks: Crowe and Washington hit the scene next week (Universal Pictures)
But let's take a peek into the next couple of weeks. Next Friday delivers American Gangster, Ridley Scott's epic cat-and-mouse look at Harlem crime lord Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) and Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe), the Jersey cop who gradually grew hip to Lucas' clout. Not your thing? Then try Bee Movie, the new animated baby of Jerry Seinfeld.
Things stay hot and heavy the following week with the Coen Bros.' No Country for Old Men and Robert Redford's Lions for Lambs. After that there's really not a dull slate the rest of the year.
So have patience, oh moviegoers. The cavalry is on the way.
Hey, cheer up.The Guv digs you (Roadside Attractions)
How adorable (Sony)
Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) gets the torturing going at 6 p.m. Thursday. (Lionsgate)
Our man Clint: Ch-ch-Changeling (Warner Bros.)
Thus spake the Reporter:
The story follows a woman (Jolie) whose son goes missing in 1920s Los Angeles. The police return the wrong child and the woman is thrown into an insane asylum for disagreeing with the LAPD. When it seems that her real son has been murdered by a child serial killer and the child returned admits to fraud, she takes her case to the city council and takes down the mayor, the police chief and several corrupt officers, concurrently sparking changes in the insanity legislation.
Good times. Changeling is due to be released by Universal and Imagine in 2008.
Double dipping? Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age (Universal)
Musician biopics are nothing new. But Across the Universe and I'm Not There are taking new spins on reality. Which music icon's story would you like to see grace the silver screen?
It's shoot first, ask questions later in The Kingdom. (Universal)
It's hard out here for a frog: Manda Bala (City Lights Pictures))
Don Cheadle in Hotel Rwanda (United Artists)
"I'm a conduit," says Cheadle, an Oscar nominee for 2004's Hotel Rwanda (which raised his awareness and concern for the current plight of African nations). "I'm not an expert on the area. I just want to do things to help. In my position, I can do things publicly that other people can't get to. Me working on this stuff doesn't in any way, shape or form help me in the business."
Read more on Cheadle and the film closer to the Dallas opening Nov. 9.
I am slaving away on our back-to-school-themed fall movie preview - ask for it by name this Sunday - and staring at one of the clever classroom categories we're using to group upcoming releases: Literature. I haven't seen any of the book-to-movie attractions we're spotlighting (Beowulf, No Country for Old Men, Reservation Road, The Kite Runner and Lust, Caution), but I got to thinking (never a good idea): what makes a successful literary adaptation? Some would say slavish devotion to the source material, an argument with which I strongly disagree. A movie has to live and breathe as a movie, not a book on film. Yet the spirit of the book still has to come across onscreen. As that Hamlet guy once said, there's the rub.
What we want to know from you is: what book you love became a movie you hate? Or, an even tougher one: what book you didn't care for took on bold new life in the movies? I can't think of an immediate example for the second question - I never did read The Godfather - but I know I'd be a happier man if Brian De Palma had kept his hands off The Bonfire of the Vanities.
Today's mid-week treat? Balls of Fury, starring one mightily bewigged Christopher Walken. My records show that this film was originally slated to open here on Jan. 26. Usually an eight-month delay doesn't bode well for a film. So you can imagine my surprise when it brought in a respectable C+, which means it actually fared better than The Nanny Diaries (C), Mr. Bean's Holiday (C) , The Eye of the Dolphin (D) , September Dawn (D) and War (F).
[Insert shrug here] Shows what I know. I think that film owes a LOT to the Great Mr. Walken, though. But I'm just speculating.
Have you seen it? What did you think?
I guess Superbad has been a popular movie for teenagers to try to sneak into. My husband and I went this weekend at Stonebriar Centre and were warned, not once, but twice that they might check our IDs at the door (once when we bought tickets, once by the ticket-taker).
However, they didn't. Not because they weren't checking, but because we have gray hair and stuff.
So I saw The Invasion on Tuesday night and wrote my review yesterday, which will appear on Friday. Not to give too much away, but I really like the movie -- it's the latest remake of the classic sci-fi thriller, The Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
It's gotten me thinking about movie reviews and spoilers; that is, the revelation of significant plot points or events in a review that spoil the pristine viewing experience of the first-time viewer (the Norman-dresses-up-as-his-own-mother school of film criticism). Now, don't get me wrong: I hate spoiler-centric criticism. There's no reason to reveal details and ruin the fun of not only experiencing it for his/herself, but also of the movie unfolding for the viewer in the way the filmmaker intended. It's not only irresponsible, it's just flat-out rude and lazy writing. I'll even take it further than that: I hate needless plot exposition in a review. It drives me crazy when I'm reading a review in which the critic just goes on and on in describing the plot; to paraphrase Truman Capote's famous quip about Jack Kerouac's On The Road (that's not writing, it's typing), that's not criticism, it's stenography.
According to Jim, this might not be a great career move (Walt Disney Pictures)
Bourne to run: Matt Damon works the crowd (Universal Pictures)
This is the most kinetic film I've seen in ages; it also to happens to be a timely story about our current spying and surveillance culture. I'm not a big gusher, so I was a little suspicious of my own enthusiasm - rare is the movie I give a straight A. But the more I relive the experience, the better it gets.
So what is the blogging public stoked for this weekend?
Set your DVRs for tonight at 10 if you want to see one of the best docs of the year. In Following Sean, presented by the stellar doc series POV on KERA (Channel 13), filmmaker Ralph Arlyck goes in search of Sean Farrell, the subject of a short film Arlyck made in 1969. Back then, Sean was a precocious San Francisco four-year-old who looked into Arlyck's camera and talked about smoking pot. Outrage ensued. In the new film, Arlyck catches up with Sean. But he also does much more. Following Sean is a model of the personal-essay-as-film format, and a clear-eyed, unsentimental look at the legacy of an era. It neither scorns nor celebrates in assessing a time and place so often reduced to a cultural stereotype.
"I don’t romanticize it, which is not to say there are not a lot of things that I love about it," says Arlyck in a phone interview. "But I don’t feel particularly nostalgic about it, and I didn’t want to make a nostalgic movie. I feel ambivalent about the period, and that expressed itself in the film."
Look for more from Arlyck as we look at facts, myths and marketing of the Summer of Love this Sunday at dallasnews.com.
Yo, where's the sunblock? (Fox Searchlight)
"There isn’t a star field in space, especially if you’re flying into the sun," Boyle said in a recent telephone interview. "You wouldn’t see anything. It’s just black with the one source of light. But if you did that - and we did at first - your ship doesn’t look like it’s moving and the audience thinks, why has the ship stopped? So stars are the only way of showing motion in a vacuum."
Look for more on Sunshine and Mr. Boyle in Friday's Dallas Morning News and on the movies page at guidelive.com
Talk to Me director Kasi Lemmons and Movie Critic Chris Vognar discuss her research for the film and why Don Cheadle was the man for the job in a Dallas Morning News Movie Podcast.
In case you missed it on our home page, check out Nancy Churnin's take on Order of the Phoenix. And if you're anything like me, you might need to catch up a bit before hitting the mulitplex at midnight: We've got you covered.
And speaking of midnight showings, find a theater here or in IMAX 3D.
Now that we've got our shiny new movies blog here, I'll start posting my weekly Box Office Buzz column here a few days before it appears in Friday's paper. Enjoy:
Rats!
Ratatouille, Pixar’s animated tale of a rat who longs to be a chef, scarfed up $47 million Friday-Sunday, just a million less that Live Free or Die Hard managed in its initial Wednesday-Sunday run. While $47 million is nothing to sniff at, it was smallest opening for a Pixar film since A Bug’s Life opened with $33 million in 1998.