Suprise, suprise, another studio is delving into the ever-popular vampire genre. I don’t know much about “Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter,” but it sounds like the title for a porno movie. And I might not be far off with that assumption. According to the description on Wikipedia, the books are an “erotic” series written by Laurell K. Hamilton and have evolved into a monthly comic book series, as well.
This will be under the IFC banner, produced by After Dark Films and Lionsgate. Glen Morgan (“The X-Files”), who is not my dad, wrote the adaptation and will also executive produced the film.
According to MovieWeb, director Sam Rami is saying a “Spiderman 4″ script will be ready by this summer. And that’s all he knows. He’s reluctant to discuss villains because, well, the screenplay isn’t even done (see: isn’t even started). I’m reluctant to give a rat’s derierre because emo-Peter Parker in the last movie was so friggin’ lame I literally had to punch myself in my own netherregions to keep from abusing small animals. Wha? Too harsh?
I’m sorry Sam Rami, I really am. I want to care about your “Spiderman” franchise, but after you abused me so heartily in “Spiderman 3,” I just can’t seem to care. Seriously, that movie was a big turd. It was, dare I say, George Lucasian? Let’s hope you can take some pointers from the success of “The Dark Knight” and “Iron Man” and get back to the kind of movies you made with “Spiderman” and “Spiderman 2.”
Every Tuesday I’ll have a trailer up on the blog – it could be something from the past, something currently in theaters or something coming soon, either way it’ll be a nice game of cinematic Russian roulette.
Last night, as I sat on the couch with my aching tummy, I watched “Knocked Up” on HBO (even though I have it on DVD) and I realized, as I always do when I see something Judd Apatow has written and directed, that he is a comedic genius. I don’t say that lightly. He gets it. He undertands life’s balance between the sweet and salty and his movies reflect those truths. He realizes that good people aren’t perfect and that we’re all trying to get the same thing: happiness.
In any regard, I’m excited to see his new flick “Funny People” that hits theaters on July 31st. Check out the trailer below.
Gemma Arterton, seen most recently in “Quantum of Solace” as Strawberry Fields, is joining the cast of the “Clash of the Titans” remake as the demi-godess Io, set for release (according to IMDB.com) in 2010. Ms. Arterton is fantasticly beautiful and it was a shame she got douched by motor oil in Daniel Craig’s second outing as 007.
When I was a kid, I loved the original “Clash of the Titans” with Harry Hamlin and Burges Meredith. I watched it a few years ago in HD and fell asleep. Plus, holy nudity! No wonder I liked this PG gem back in my younger days. Still, I won’t forget my mom making me a Perseus costume to wear to my third grade Halloween party. I wanted to be authentic and show my bare legs, but realized my tighty whities showed every time I bent over. Instead of looking cool at that party, I looked like a nerd with my jeans underneath my toga. Sniff, sniff.
I have recently – as in four months ago – discovered the joy of Netflix. It’s nice to make a big list of movies (I have 137 in my queue as of right now) and re-prioritize whenever the mood strikes. Since Tuesdays generally are DVD release days, I figure every Monday I’ll share the top ten movies in my queue. Feel free to mock, comment and share your Netflix queues.
Contrary to popular belief, I don’t see every movie possible each week. I missed out on Oscar nominees “Doubt,” “Rachel Getting Married” and “Vickey Christina Barcelona.” As for the rest, well, I’ve never seen “Donnie Darko,” I want to know if “The Spirit” really is that bad, “Donkey Punch” is the coolest title for a movie, I have a massive crush on Paramore’s Hayley Williams, “Splinter” seems like a low-budget, indedpendent-spirit horror movie and that could spell good things, and “Darby O’ Gill and The Little People” is Sean Connery’s best movie (that and “The Rock”), so I’m renting it to see if (a) my kids will like it and (b) if it holds up. Smart money is to bet no on both of those.
Dragonball: Evolution Opening Date Change = Nobody Cares
I have zero desire to see “Dragonball: Evolution,” so the news of an opening date change from who-knows-what to April 10th, 2009 is about exciting as fantasizing about Chow Yun-Fat’s dirty fingernails in “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.” What would be exciting is if this movie actually had something to do with a dragon’s balls. Dare to dream!
DreamWorks “Monsters vs. Aliens” was the weekend’s box office champion after raking in $58 million in ticket sales. The CGI animated sci-fi comedy was trailed by “The Haunting in Conneticut” ($23,010,000), “Knowing” ($14,705,000), “I Love You, Man” ($12,600,000) and “Duplicity” ($7,556,000).
I also expect “Monsters vs. Aliens” to be the winner next weekend, as the only new entries to the box office are the not-screened-for-critics (meaning a 99.9 percent chance of sucking) “Fast & Furious” and the very adult “Adventureland.”
When it comes to animated movies, Pixar (and likewise Disney) has set the gold standard with pretty much anything they spit out. Whether it’s “Toy Story” (1995) or “Wall-E” (2008), the CGI animation studio in Emeryville, California is a lock for critical acclaim and box office success. They could make a movie about a pair of talking underpants and people would stream to the cinema to soak it up.
Even with all glory, laud and honor going to the studio whose logo is a squeaky lamp, you have to give DreamWorks Animation a tip of the hat. Not only are they behind the “Shrek” series, which has collectively grossed over two billion dollars ($2,198,809,199 to be exact), but they’ve also turned out two successful “Madagascar” movies and last summer’s charming “Kung Fu Panda.” And there’s more to come. 2010 will boast “Shrek Goes Fourth” and 2011 will showcase “Kung Fu Panda 2.”
Maybe someone should call DreamWorks’ CEO Stacey Snider and see if they can loan the government some money to help with all the bailouts coming down the pike now and in the future. Everybody wants a loan nowadays. Of course, I’m kidding, but I’m not joking when I say DreamWorks is creeping up in Pixar’s rear view mirror. And after “Monsters vs. Aliens” hits theaters this weekend, they’ll be fogging up Lightning McQueen’s windows.
I wasn’t expecting much from “Monsters vs. Aliens.” Yeah, I saw the 3-D Super Bowl spots, but they were yawn-inducing, so I dismissed the movie and waited for more always-funny beer commercials. However, despite my ambivalence, I decided to take my five year-old son to the press screening. We risked life and limb driving through a blinding Sardine Canyon snowstorm, but it was worth it. I got to bond with my little guy and was positively surprised and enchanted with “Monsters vs. Aliens.”
The title pretty much gives the storyline away from the get-go and I like that. It means the story is simple and the reliance is placed on the novelty of the characters and the strength of the voice talent. One of the first characters we meet is Susan Murphy (Reese Witherspoon). She lives in Modesto, California and is just a breath away from getting married to her weatherman boyfriend (Paul Rudd), when she is hit by a “quantonium” filled meteor. This causes Susan to grow to nearly 50 feet tall and gives her immeasurable strength. It also causes her to be captured by the government and sent to a top secret military prison for “monsters.”
After her internment by the government, Susan is told by the warden/general (voiced by Kiefer Sutherland) that her new name is Ginormica, and she’s introduced to four other monsters – The Missing Link (Will Arnett), Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), B.O.B. (Seth Rogan) and Insectosaurus. These characters are all parodies of the campy monster movies of the late 1950s and early 1960s, and combined this group meshes well to produce a hilarious camaraderie. One thing I loved about this group was there was no fighting and discord. They are friends throughout the movie, lookout for one another and show intense loyalty. This comes in handy, because the “aliens” they battle is actually one egocentric, clone-happy alien named Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson), who wants the quantonium back and wants to destroy and takeover Earth in the process.
And really, that’s about it as far as the story goes. It’s simple, clean and effective. The beauty of this animated movie is the voice talent and the fantastic computer animation delivered by DreamWorks. While the entire cast, from top-to-bottom, is strong and sturdy, I would definitely give extra applause to both Reese Witherspoon (“Walk the Line” and “Four Christmases”) and Seth Rogan (“Knocked Up” and “Pineapple Express”). Witherspoon has been off the radar as of late since her best actress Academy Award for “Walk the Line” and this is her second animated film (the first was “The Trumpet and The Swan”). Her voice works perfectly for Susan/Ginormica and I thought the character is a great one for young kids, especially young girls, to appreciate. Same goes for Seth Rogan. He could read entries from the dictionary and I’d probably double over laughing. His voice and timing are fantastic. Voice work in animation could become a bigger arena for him, perhaps headlining future features, as “Monsters vs. Aliens” marks his third outing in the CGI animated world (he was also in “Kung Fu Panda” and “Shrek the Third”).
I just can’t say enough good stuff about this movie. I loved “Monsters vs. Aliens.” It has enough embedded pop-culture and underhanded adult references (not to be confused with dirty innuendos and double entendres) to appeal to parents, and enough action and simple laughs to put a smile on your child’s face. It’s a fun show and definitely worth the full-price ticket this weekend.
Suprise, suprise, another studio is delving into the ever-popular vampire genre. I don’t know much about “Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter,” but it sounds like the title for a porno movie. And I might not be far off with that assumption. According to the description on Wikipedia, the books are an “erotic” series written by Laurell K. Hamilton and have evolved into a monthly comic book series, as well.
According to MovieWeb, director Sam Rami is saying a “Spiderman 4″ script will be ready by this summer. And that’s all he knows. He’s reluctant to discuss villains because, well, the screenplay isn’t even done (see: isn’t even started). I’m reluctant to give a rat’s derierre because emo-Peter Parker in the last movie was so friggin’ lame I literally had to punch myself in my own netherregions to keep from abusing small animals. Wha? Too harsh?
Every Tuesday I’ll have a trailer up on the blog – it could be something from the past, something currently in theaters or something coming soon, either way it’ll be a nice game of cinematic Russian roulette.
Gemma Arterton, seen most recently in “Quantum of Solace” as Strawberry Fields, is joining the cast of the “Clash of the Titans” remake as the demi-godess Io, set for release (according to IMDB.com) in 2010. Ms. Arterton is fantasticly beautiful and it was a shame she got douched by motor oil in Daniel Craig’s second outing as 007.
I have recently – as in four months ago – discovered the joy of Netflix. It’s nice to make a big list of movies (I have 137 in my queue as of right now) and re-prioritize whenever the mood strikes. Since Tuesdays generally are DVD release days, I figure every Monday I’ll share the top ten movies in my queue. Feel free to mock, comment and share your Netflix queues.
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