Fox Reprieve?

So, apparently websites Asylum.com, Ask Men, Just a Guy Thing, TheBachelorGuy.com and Double Viking have declared something no one expected of websites for men.... "a Megan Fox media blackout day."

No joke.

Coming this August 4th, Megan Fox will be banned on those sites. Megan Fox has reigned as the most searched actress of the summer and the sites have decided to spend time concentrating on another scarlet. Who this is going to be, lets hope they are creative. As for me, I dont think Fox has worn out her welcome. But for being such a terrible actress (With 2007's "Transformers" being her best showing thus far into the game), I wouldn't mind people picking someone who hasn't completely sold out using only their sex appeal. Maybe a sexy good actress?

(No one is coming to mind....)

Prince of Persia

Due to be released May 2010, "Prince of Persia" a Disney production will hit screens. Disney has released two promotional pictures, which are certainly well done. I never played the video game, but am already hoping that it will not end up as unfortunate as so many game-to-movie titles.

The flick is starring mister Jake Gyllenhaal so hopefully that will give it a little more 'umph'.

NIMH

So, maybe im just getting old because I'm thinking no one will remember this movie but me..... But MGM is doing something I never expected to happen. They are making a live action/computer graphic remake of the 1982 animated film "The Secret of NIMH". Youre saying, "Huh?" "What?"

The story is about a rat, Mrs. Frisby (who... for whatever reason is being renamed to Mrs. Brisby) who is looking for a way to get her family to escape her the farmers plow as her son falls more and more ill. She gets help from former lab rats who soon get her involved in a much larger plot.

I remember the film being creepy. Im sure they will dumb it down for todays audiences.

Thank You Miss Howard

So, Im a little late in posting this... but it involves "Twilight" film news... so it doesnt deserve first rate attention. Rachelle Lefevre, the evil, blonde, homeless looking vampire in the first film is being replaced by another actress. Who is taking this role? None other than Ron Howard's daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard. For me, this is something to get excited about. Not only do I find her to be one of the most beautiful girls in Hollywood, but I think she is extremely talented. Its good news. And the Twilight franchise needs as much as they can get.

Alice in Wonderland Trailer!

And FINALLY... I found a trailer. Had to download it and upload it myself.... But hey, its what ya gotta do for some high def pictures... Which... is unfortunately small regardless.

Web Series

So, its my day off. But until you make it... you never actually get days off in this industry. Anyways, my friend is interested in starting a web series, and im going to be meeting him to help write it. Sounds fun. I know nothing of web shows... but being that they are about 5 minutes long, it will be a new adventure all in itself.

My friend, Aaron, who worked on the upcoming feature "Fame", is who I am talking to about this project. And, he is interested in getting some of the actors from the film to work on the web show.

Anyways, Im off to meet him. I'll let you know as more unfolds.

"Alice" trailer

The new "Alice in Wonderland" trailer is out! Well, sort of. It leaked online, and Disney quickly acted to hush it all up and premeire it as they see fit. Anyways, I cant find a spot that will allow me to show the trailer here on my site. So im going to forward you a link to the website... which looks frightfully like my own... called 'WHY AM I NOT MYSELF?'

Take a look at the trailer, though the quality isnt great, its certainly worth taking a peek at.

My take on it... its a teaser. But as much as a teaser is supposed to be exciting and 'tease' an audience, this one seems to fall short. I appreciate Johnny Depp, but dont like how the movie seems to be just as much about him as Alice. And I dont even think they made mention of the girls name, just his. Ugh... star power. Cant live with it... or without it. Anyways, im stoked about the Queen of Hearts/Carter. Thats fun in itself.

Coraline

So, I finally got the chance to see "Coraline" and I was certainly not dissapointed. The film is pretty spectacular in itself. The first to film in 3D, the stop animation display was brilliant. If you have a blu-ray player (not sure about the DVD version), you can watch it in 3D at home. Which is pretty neat in itself, but if you own a blu-ray player to enjoy the colors and definition, watch it 2D. The 3D is distracting at times, and because you watch it wearing those terrible red and green glasses, the colors are almost entirely lost. Its interesting because if you decide to loose the glasses, the film looks the same as any other stop animation film. With them, it looks as though you are watching something entirely new, almost like CGI animation.

The film itself is great. Very much like Alice in Wonderland, a young girl finds a way into a world similar to her own. But soon, Coraline discovers that everything is faux as the two worlds begin to collide, she must make things right.

I appreciate films that are dark, and borderline scary. The thought of sewing buttons onto your eyes, is not all that appealing. Nor are half the things Corline comes to experience. This isnt something I would take a child to. It is like nightmare central (image below). But, for us 13 and up, its good fun. Check it out.

"Warcraft" film

Oh Sam Raimi. The mastermind behind countless horror films, the Spiderman trilogy (we will attempt to ignore the atrocity that was "Spiderman 3") and soon the "World of Warcraft" film. Its true. Raimi is taking on the latest in the string of films that stem from video games. It is tough to go about making a movie based on a game truly successful. A new story has to be created that doesn't seem too familiar to game players, but not different enough to seem like something entirely new and different ("Super Mario Bros."). I admit, I know nothing of the game, aside from seeing people play it briefly (and my brother's attempt to get me into it). Game players should be happy they got a big director to stand behind it, at least you know the action and graphic will be worthwhile. But don't get too excited just yet. There is no release date yet. And production has yet to start, as Raimi is going to release "Spiderman 4" before "Warcraft", and spidey doesn't come out till May 6, 2011. So, want to or not, you're set to do some waiting.

Elm Street is getting a makeover

It is a very trendy thing to remake classic horror films at the moment. Or go overseas to bring a Japanese horror film to America in the form of a disastrous remake.

The next on the list is "Nightmare on Elm Street". Very little about the film has been unvieled. But two images have made it to the streets. The first (below) is Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy Krueger. And the second is the first poster. Director Wes Craven is going to make the film more of a psychological thriller than the predecessor. It is due out April 16, 2010.

Iron Man Pictures

Iron Man 2 is on its way. I expect we should be getting a teaser soon. Paramount has released new pictures from the film. The most exciting to me is seeing Whiplash... but we havent gotten that yet. We did, however, get Scarlett Johansson as Stark's new assistant/Black Widow.

Im not sure how the whole racing aspect fits in, but it seems to tie in Whiplash... somehow. Also, there are more images here. There seems to be a court room scene. Perhaps Stark is on trial for conspiracy or... just causing a lot of damage.

Screenplay II

Quick blurb. My second feature is currently in the works. I wont say any more than it is a drama. More will come later...

Harry Potter: My Review

I know this is long, so I’ll stick my conclusion up here, because it’s a simple review if you don’t feel like reading an in-depth one: Like I said. The film is a strong film by itself. It handles the lighthearted humor well, but fails to entertain on a serious level. It is certainly a spectacle and I highly recommend watching it. Reviewers have said that they believe the director and producer probably dumbed down the film to pave the way for the final two-parter. But other notes from critics saying that fans of the book will be happy with the film are probably incorrect.

And if you can handle some reading, lets proceed.

I can remember when my high school had ‘Harry Potter day’ way back before any films had hit the screen. I thought, ‘what is this sensation that I have no clue about’. The story of how I came to see the first movie might surprise you, I was practically forced into it. It was between going to see the movie with my mom and sister or stay home and help make Thanksgiving dinner, which no self absorbed high schooler I know dreams of. I enjoyed the film and was curious about the sequel, due out a year later. When “Chamber of Secrets” was released, I was in college. By that point, I was hooked. I started reading the books, with “Azkaban”, and was blown away, over, and over again.

What the films are today is nothing like what they were when I first walked into the theatre and Harry still lived under a stair case. I also find them more and more difficult to enjoy as book adaptations. The most successful story, I believe, is the third installment. That seemed to capture the magic and stay truest to the book.

Now we are on “Half-Blood Prince”, which I was lucky enough to be offered a ticket to last night at 1am (yes, I am currently tired). I will look directly at three things: it’s strong points, weak points, and what I disagreed with in book to film changes (pre-spoiler alert).

The film itself is a good film. I whole heartedly agree with a solid “B” rating that Rope of Silicon awarded. It has plenty to be excited about, most bold of these is the setting and cinematography. The combination of the shots and sets are outstanding. The depth is spectacular, the outside shots are rich and expansive. All the while, indoor shots refuse being left out. They are intricately set and seem to encompass the look from all the previous movies.

I would argue the second strongest aspect of the film is the use of humor. The trio is spot on throughout the film with fun moments of the supporting cast weaving in and out. I’ll especially note Jim Broadbent’s Slughorn, Evanna Lynch’s Lovegood, Jessie Cave’s Lavender Brown, and Maggie Smith’s (always on point) McGonagall.

Another strong point is the use of graphics. I read a few reviews and didn’t really understand what they meant about the “seamless use of CGI” until I saw the film. Although the action wasn’t strong (which I’ll get to in a minute), the graphics seemd so well done, that you hardly notice them. And being that this is a series with magical things happening all over the place, that is really quite impressive.

Then there is the music. What I want to point out is that Nicholas Hooper has yet again created his own take, but integrated themes from the previous films. The music, like the film, seems to be setting up for the next. As though you almost expect more, but know it’s coming with “Deathly Hallows” in 2010. It certainly isn’t disappointing, it is actually quite beautiful, but leaves the listener waiting, on edge, for more.

Then for what felt weak about the film. There isn’t much to report, but what did contribute, did so in a very memorable way. The film is long. People all around me were falling asleep (granted the movie was released at almost 4am), but why was the sixth installment of the fantasy/family/action film series like this? Lack of action. No one can argue that this film had too much action. Because it hardly had any. Even the Quittich scenes seem lackluster. And when there was some action (only two scenes), they were short and felt almost meaningless. Especially the finale, which leaves everyone feeling shortsided and cheated. The end of this book was perhaps one of the most intense and shocking moments of the series and it just whizzed by, completely sapped of emotion. For me, that was the most disappointing moment of all. Had we just spent almost two and a half hours to get such an unfortunate gut punch? When the scene ended on the astronomy tower, and we learn what/who/where/when is the Half-Blood Prince I was hoping for something a bit more chilling. And AGAIN it fell very, very short of my expectation. It leaves the audience thinking… “Oh. Well, ok. What’s next?” What was next for me in the book, was the moment when I thought Hagrid’s dog was going to die. Bellatrix (though not in the book), set Hagrid’s home on fire with the dog inside. Just as Harry confronted the biggest villain of the book, the dog was set to die. Though he was rescued by Hagrid, these moments were essential for igniting hatred for a certain character. But were lost and contributed to an emotionless ending.

**I tell you now, don’t blame me if you haven’t seen the movie. Because reading on will ruin any surprise**

Now for what should have stayed the same about the book. I fully understand that it is near impossible to get everything into a movie. You just cant. But again, it’s so hard to bring myself to agree with the producer/director’s choice to omit scenes (especially the few action scenes in a book that was all information and back story to ‘You Know Who’). I think the films that have started out negatively (“Goblet of Fire” in particular) did so by omitting Harry’s only family, the Durselys. They are an important part of the story, and leaving them out to create a scene of Harry in a coffee shop flirting with some girl… is rubbish. Next, I’ll note that I liked the scene of the attack on the burrow. But it only served to wake up the sleeping audience. If they wanted more action, put in another scene of what Voldemort was actually doing. Make something up, perhaps about him killing someone. It just felt needless. The biggest disappointment, I already mentioned, was the end. When Snape kills Dumbledore, its supposed to be shocking. While all this is happening, Harry is frozen (by Dumbledore) under his invisibly cloak. Once Dumbledore falls, Harry is freed and chases Snape and the Death Eaters through the castle. But something important is happening. The students and teachers are not hiding in their rooms. Many of them have come out, to fight for their school. They spent half of the previous movie training these kids for this battle, let them fight it! (Mainly, I wanted to see Maggie Smith in her night gown kicking some tail.) These films are just as much about the school as they are about Harry, Ron, and Hermione. It was a mistake to leave this out; regardless of what the producers think. And when Harry is chasing Snape, the two have a much more intense interaction. Snape is finally able to take his aggression out against Potter. And he does so. All the while Hagrid’s dog is barking from within a burning hut and the Death Eaters run for the borders of the school. One of the most iconic images of the book to me was when Hagrid finally freed Fang, and Harry told him what had happened. Hagrid doesn’t believe him and they walk back to the school together. When Hagrid finally sees Dumbledores body, he is…as Hagrid can be… a mess. The moment I think of specifically is when Hagrid covers Dumbledore lifts him up, and takes him from the student’s eyes. These were moments that were very crucial. And should have stayed to assist the audience’s emotional involvement. I understand that the ending is similar to the end of the last book. But only slightly. And the book readers were not disappointed, film go’ers shouldn’t be either. And to leave out the funeral of Dumbledore, continued the wash away of emotions. The funeral brought together all characters of the films, those liked and disliked. But it meant something else than just showing these people again. It meant the end of Hogwarts. The school will never be the same again, and that is why it felt right that Harry decides to not return the following year. I think it would be interesting if the director/producer filmed the movie, and didnt read the final book. Its clear they had.

Like I said. The film is a strong film by itself. It handles the lighthearted humor well, but fails to entertain on a serious level. It is certainly a spectacle and I highly recommend watching it. Reviewers have said that they believe the director and producer probably dumbed down the film to pave the way for the final two-parter. But other notes from critics saying that fans of the book will be happy with the film are probably incorrect.

Sorry, but More Harry Potter

Rope of Silicon has a HP6 review! Giving it a "B" rating and saying that the film is fun, beautiful, and will not disappoint fans of the book. Im not sure how I feel about a "B" but hey, Ill just have to wait and see tomorrow!

Heres the review: Movie Review

Damnit LA!

We have no money. When I say "We" I mean me, California, and most other people living in the US. When Michael Jackson died, they held the ceremony for the public at the Staples Center downtown. There was plenty of speculation about who was paying for this tribute. Would it be the Jackson's family, the city, the state, or a zombie extra from "Thriller".

Turns out, the city is picking up the 1.4 million tab. Personally, I think it is a beautiful thing that a city would do this. But not during a time when we are so strapped for cash that cuts are being made all over the place. I dont think charging people for the tickets would have been that terrible. The public would have paid it.

Anyways, it was a great show. My friends who were there said it was amazing and quite a spectacle. But now we are going to pay for it. Too bad that zombie didnt throw down...

"Kung Fu Kid"

And in some lesser news (or more so... depending of your preferences), "The Karate Kid" is being remade. Why? Because Hollywood is apparently running out of ideas. If you want to be a screenwriter and need fresh material, go down to Hollywood Blvd. one day and just talk to the crazies. One is bound to help you out with some fresh material.

Anyways, to make this film sound worse, Mr. Miyagi (but now named Mr. Han) is being played by Jackie Chan. And his student? Jaden Smith. Yes, as in Will and Jada's kid from the atrocity "The Day the Earth Stood Still". Yuck. And I wont even go into what I think about his character's name being "Dre".

And if you'd like a cherry on top of that, Harald Zwart, director of the virtually ignored "The Pink Panther 2" will helm the project. Any silver lining? Taraji P. Henson, academy award nominee in last years "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" has been cast.

The film, titled "Kung Fu Kid", has already started filming, and will be out June 11th, 2010.

Thor

An "Avengers" movie is on the way. The superhero group includes leader Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), and Hulk (Edward Norton). All of whom have been in movies. The group also consists of Ant-Man, Wasp, Captain America, and Thor - who is next in line for having their own blockbuster.

For those of you unfamiliar to comics, Thor is another of the characters in the world of mutants, who doesn't identify as being so. Nor is he human. He actually identifies himself as a god. The god of thunder, actually. He is a punished warrior who is sent to earth after re-igniting an ancient war.

I know nothing of Thor. The only think I can think of when this character comes to mind, is "I wonder who would win in a battle between Thor and Storm". Nerdy? Oh yes.

But what does excite me about this film is the casting. Thor is being played by Chris Hemsworth, who had a brief but great scene in this summers titan "Star Trek" as Kirk's father. Then, on an even more fun note, is that his love interest Jane Foster, is being played by Natalie

Portman. And as the villain, Loki, is being taken by Tom Hiddleson (who I don't know of)

Anyways, this film is no doubt going to continue tying in the characters from the Avengers and will no doubt someday create a movie (though I have no idea how they plan to pay all these actors and still have a budget). "Thor" is due out on May 20, 2011... so we have some time to think about an epic battle between him and Storm....

Push (a tale of awful mutant wannabes)

Here's some news to shock the pants off of you. I saw "Push" a few days ago, and it was just terrible.

I completely agree with High-Def Digest when they say "In a nutshell, 'Push' is the perfect example of good concept -- bad form."

Which is too bad. Because the movie did have a great deal of potential. How did it fail then if it was such a sure thing. You can liken it to a bad independent film with too many canted angle shots and funky coloring, mixed with bad acting and "Xmen 3". Now, I hated... just hated "Xmen 3", so dont be offended by my likening it to "Push" if you are a fan.

What I felt they were trying to do in this film, was create a potential franchise. It is poorly casted, Chris Evans just is terrible and seems like a douche. Not that Djimon Hounsou or Camilia Belle are any better. Dakota Fanning is only slightly more believable and unfortunately seems to have to carry her costars through the story, which is more confusing than I would like to retell.

In the end, they find the Camila Belle is some super mutant, like Jean Grey, and is now a bad guy. How clever and original you say? I thought the same... And she is brainwashed and then on Hounsou's side. So, instead of actually defeating the bad guy (which is typically how a movie concludes), the story switches from even caring about him to being about how Fanning and Evans managed to change their predicted futures. Its just one big muddled, confusing, poorly acted, disappointment.

Early Potter Reviews

It may be no surprise that Bruno has taken the number one spot at the box office this past weekend. But oddly, the reviews are not saying much for the film. Yahoo! Users are rating this a sad C+ with Critics giving it a slightly better B-. "Bruno" is not something I would rush out to see, but will probably see someday.

But, lets take a turn and talk about the movie that is no doubt going to upset it from the Box Office throne. "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" comes out tomorrow at midnight (or Wednesday at midnight, if you want to get technical). I wanted to share some info about it from Rotten Tomatoes.

Rotten Tomatoes is breaking down the film with early reviews from critics. One of the most impressive notes is on Jim Brodbent's portrayal of Slughorn.

"If this were any movie but part six of a series, I'd say [Jim] Broadbent does 'Best Supporting Actor' level work here. It's a master class in how to make the most of every moment onscreen without ever once overpowering the film around him." - Drew McWeeny, HitFix.com

I really liked the character of Slughorn in the books, so this is good news, especially since I was dissapointed by how he didnt look to me how I had imagined him.

But there is also some dissapointing news, the film is 153 minutes long and one critic thinks that it was tediously long.

"By the time we get back to the actual plot, almost two hours have passed, and by then, you might have completely given up on caring who the titular "half-blood prince" is. That makes it the first time in the series you really start feeling the movie's length before the two-hour mark due to the amount of needless filler." -- Edward Douglas, Coming Soon

This is interesting to me, because the book itself was very slow paced with an intense ending. And since the climax was actually removed from the film (regardless of the producers comments on the similarity of the finale of the final book, its still a stupid idea), it will be curious to see how this film reviews by the public.

That brings me to my next note.

"There are surprisingly few action sequences ... But those there are - a chase in the corn between Harry and the Death Eaters, the scene in a forbidding cave where Harry and Dumbledore seek to unravel Voldemort's secrets - crackle with a chilling sense of threat." -- Sarah Crompton, Telegraph UK

I just dont understand. People love the action sequences of the Harry Potter series. They are just as needed as the element of magic in the story. Not to mention there was no part where Harry is chasing Death Eaters in a corn field in the book. Why do filmmakers add scenes and then take some out. Yuck.

Rotten tomatoes is showing that the film has taken on an artistically beautiful look. I was unaware that cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel (responsible for the eye candy in "Amelie") worked on HP6.

"Not only has [Yates] made the film look gorgeous, but he has a much surer grip on the special effects, deploying them in the service of big set pieces that actually flow with the rhythms of the story, as well as a better understanding of what his younger cast can do." -- Alistair Harkness, Scotsman

So, we are just going to have to wait. I hope that this film turns out better than how I currently feel it will. Reguardless, Im excited to finally have a movie coming out that isnt being bashed by critics. And based on these posters, all I can say is that I hope they dont handle the love stories like they did in the near-nightmare that was "Goblet of Fire".

District 9

Return of the King! Peter Jackson is coming back, and apparently doing it in style only fitting to him!

This August, we are to be treated to his return (though as a producer) with the film "District 9". If you havent seen the trailer yet, check it out. Its great how it starts with a documentry like feel, then switches half way through. Certainly catches your attention....

And if you liked that, what do you make of the new promotional poster just released?