I started working a little over a week ago and I've gotten some pretty sweet jobs but before I get into that...
I went to see Between the Buried and Me last night at the Knitting Factory and it was my first look at the LA scene. The kids definitely go ape shit here, which was nice to see cause shows in Orlando were starting to get really soft and boring. I'm not sure if you've ever seen anyone hardcore dance but it's basically a cross between a black girl fighting mixed with spin kicking in a mosh pit style environment. Anyway, the second band, August Burns Red, goes on and the floor opens up. Some kid is in there doing his thing and out of no where he gets blasted in the face by a spin kick gone wild. When I say blasted I mean this dude got his shit rocked and knocked out. It was kinda like that video where the breakdancer owns the baby. After seeing that I resorted back to my old pit rules to stay safe but still be in the mix:
Pit rule # 1: Find the most metal dude around and place yourself between him and the pit. How do you find the most metal dude around? Look for long hair and/or a big beard. If he's wearing a black metal band shirt then you're all set. If that person has on a Slayer, Pantera or Cannibal Corpse shirt then you're in real business.
Pit Rule # 2: Stay away from the boyfriend girlfriend duo that's trying to be up front to see the one band they share the most love together for. Why? Cause all night all he's going to try and do is push back through to get to his girl while she complains that its too hot and crowded through the whole set.
Now on to my work...
My first job was a commercial for Kellogs cereal featuring John McEnroe (old school pro tennis player). I was a PA (production assistant) and I didn't do much. Basically I helped load and unload all the gear and did video playback. I did it for free.
It's going to be hard to top my 2nd job. I got a phone call to get on a short film shooting over a weekend (Fri, Sat, and Sun) to help out doing grip and electric work (set up the lights and power everything). I took it at 50 bucks a day not knowing anything about the short at all. Later that night I got the call sheet and not only saw that it was a horror short, but that the female lead was Danielle Harris from Halloween 4 and 5 (she was also a babysitter in the Halloween remake). Needless to say I couldn't have been more excited. Make a long story short I did such a good job that the gaffer/key grip (head electrician/grip) fought with the producer to get my rate bumped up to 100 bucks a day. The producer wouldn't do it so the gaffer, Orlando, took me to an ATM and paid me the rest of what he thought I should have gotten paid out of his own pocket. Amazing! I couldn't have had a better weekend, plus John Frances Daly (Mitch in Waiting) was in it too and he was way cool.
Last Monday and Tuesday I worked on music videos as a PA: Monday was for Chiodos and Tuesday was for a folk singer named Brett Dennens. Those were both 100 bucks a day and both really long days although I met some amazing people. The owner of the company for the Chiodos shoot manages Daughters so I made friends with her quick.
After that I took a few days off but I've got 4 days coming up for a Monday Night Football promo with John C. Reilly who played Cal Naughton Jr. in Talladega Nights. He's doing a cross promo for his new movie Walk Hard so I get to hang out on set for that all day Tuesday. I'll be delivering one of the equipment trucks, then I get to shoot the behind the scenes of the commercial for the production company. Should be pretty rad. The other 3 days I'll be in the office helping out with pre production and wrap.
Few new things I've found out: First, there are a lot of women that dominate in this business. I've met 20 something producers and directors that are women, and the company I'm working for right now is all women except for the executive producer (and I don't even think he's straight). I'm only bringing this up because of how cool I think it is so don't go all feminist on me thinking I'm bringing this up in a different light. It's just nice to see cougars out there doing work.
Second thing is I think right now I want to work on being a grip or electrician. If not that then I want to work my way up to AD (assistant director). As far as set work goes those are the most interesting things to me right now.
Third thing, I hate working on music videos, I like working on commercials, I love working on movies. I've yet to do a TV show so I got no take on that yet, but just like I thought before coming here, movies are where I wanna be.
Last thing, the fucking barbershop up the street is amazing. It's called Rudy's and it's a bunch of punk rock girls with purple hair and shit doing all the cutting. It's a tad pricey (I spent 25) but I just told her to do whatever she wanted with my hair and, at the risk of sounding gay, I got an amazing haircut.
Few other things: Mexican Coca Cola is incredible, Pam's Thai food on the corner is equally as incredible and I think I'm completely used to driving in LA. It's almost fun.
I know that was a lot to jam in but believe me thats the short short version of pretty much everything. If you guys want to know more about whatever just ask. I got some pretty sweet stories from the horror movie shoot. Also, sorry I haven't been keeping up with answering messages or posting on here. I'm just getting used to the work schedule. Sometimes I'm on for 16 hours so there's lots of nights that I'm running on auto pilot.
Keep checking back for my John C. Reilly experience. I miss you all.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Goth servers, the Studios and a Job
When I made my last post on here drunk as shit. Travis came home on Sunday and we just kicked it with the neighbors that night. On Monday he took me to NBC Studios where I got my first look at the WGA on strike. All up and down this road called Brahman (I think), which is where NBC and I think WB and a few others are, the writers were picketing, walking over the crosswalk at every red light and asking that you honk to acknowledge their cause. We honked everytime.
NBC Studios was pretty sweet, mostly just a giant labyrinth of hallways and buildings, but still cool nontheless. We tried to get on the Tonight Show set but it was locked. Got to see the Tonight Show greenroom and where they all park and stuff. I also got to meet a Production Manager named Wendall who works for Moving Parts Productions who produces NBC programming. In Wendall's office there was a mock up drawing of all the new American Gladiators which was really sweet. Wendall was really nice and Travis was nice enough to let him know I'm new in town and looking for work so hopefully that pans out. Only other cool thing we did Monday was eat at Big Wangs. I didn't misspell that, Big Wangs son. It's a pretty amazing chicken wing joint and if you've ever seen the show Rob and Big it's the place that Big Black enters the wing eating competition for Rob. Good stuff.
Yesterday was pretty monumental for the fact that I landed 2 jobs. I'm working for free with Travis tomorrow on a web commercial and I'm totally happy with working for free for a few reasons: if I screw up anything they're not out any wasted money, I'll obviously get to learn a lot, I might be able to get some office days if I do good, and he said they'll throw me any leftover money if they got it so for me it's win win. Travis also hooked me up with a job on a music video next Monday the 3rd. I'll get 100 bucks to be an assistant, basically just help out with anything they need, and hopefully I'll get more work out of it.
I've learned that out here you really only get work because of who you know and I'm really fucking thankful to have moved into this situation with a guy who knows the right people and is willing to help me out.
Couple of other cool things: I ate at a diner called Fred 62's for lunch yesterday. Aside from the food being really good all the servers dress goth which means I'll be frequenting that place. We had late dinner at El Gran Burrito which is a few blocks over from where we live. El Gran Burrito is great for a few reasons: 1 - it's all outdoors and made to order, 2 - It's cheap, I got a forearm sized burrito for 4 bucks, 3 - the lady that takes your order speaks english, but no one else does, so I had to learn spanish on the fly last night when the cook dude is asking me about my order in spanish. He starts asking me something and I catch "Aqui" so I'm like "aqui aqui" for here and not to go. Then he looks at me and says "Carne?" and without hesitation I bust him with "Asadaaaaaaa." Finally he waves his hands over all the toppings and I say, "EVERYTHING MUCHACHO!" He knew.
NBC Studios was pretty sweet, mostly just a giant labyrinth of hallways and buildings, but still cool nontheless. We tried to get on the Tonight Show set but it was locked. Got to see the Tonight Show greenroom and where they all park and stuff. I also got to meet a Production Manager named Wendall who works for Moving Parts Productions who produces NBC programming. In Wendall's office there was a mock up drawing of all the new American Gladiators which was really sweet. Wendall was really nice and Travis was nice enough to let him know I'm new in town and looking for work so hopefully that pans out. Only other cool thing we did Monday was eat at Big Wangs. I didn't misspell that, Big Wangs son. It's a pretty amazing chicken wing joint and if you've ever seen the show Rob and Big it's the place that Big Black enters the wing eating competition for Rob. Good stuff.
Yesterday was pretty monumental for the fact that I landed 2 jobs. I'm working for free with Travis tomorrow on a web commercial and I'm totally happy with working for free for a few reasons: if I screw up anything they're not out any wasted money, I'll obviously get to learn a lot, I might be able to get some office days if I do good, and he said they'll throw me any leftover money if they got it so for me it's win win. Travis also hooked me up with a job on a music video next Monday the 3rd. I'll get 100 bucks to be an assistant, basically just help out with anything they need, and hopefully I'll get more work out of it.
I've learned that out here you really only get work because of who you know and I'm really fucking thankful to have moved into this situation with a guy who knows the right people and is willing to help me out.
Couple of other cool things: I ate at a diner called Fred 62's for lunch yesterday. Aside from the food being really good all the servers dress goth which means I'll be frequenting that place. We had late dinner at El Gran Burrito which is a few blocks over from where we live. El Gran Burrito is great for a few reasons: 1 - it's all outdoors and made to order, 2 - It's cheap, I got a forearm sized burrito for 4 bucks, 3 - the lady that takes your order speaks english, but no one else does, so I had to learn spanish on the fly last night when the cook dude is asking me about my order in spanish. He starts asking me something and I catch "Aqui" so I'm like "aqui aqui" for here and not to go. Then he looks at me and says "Carne?" and without hesitation I bust him with "Asadaaaaaaa." Finally he waves his hands over all the toppings and I say, "EVERYTHING MUCHACHO!" He knew.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
I Turned Into a Martian
Not really but I think I found my bar of choice here, the Good Luck bar which is about a half a mile away. It's got a lounge/chinese motif, which sounds weird but basically it's really dark with asian style lamps and mixed drinks named after asian folklore (i.e. the Fists of Fury, Jade Buddha, etc...). I didn't mess with those, just had a few bloody mary's and a couple bottles of the chinese beer they have called TsoTsing I think. The jukebox was incredible; I saw the Misfits and Bad Brains after a couple of turns and played them all night. Needless to say I was happy just because of that. The bartenders were really cool, and prompt, and everyone there was really nice. There were two girls sitting next to me that ended up asking if I wanted to ride with them to another bar but I respectfully declined. I stayed for 3 hours and ended up leaving when it started getting really packed.
Earlier in the day, around 5:00, I decided to just walk around. I took Sunset Blvd. to Vermont and ate at another taco stand on the corner. I kept walking down Vermont and ran into the Dresden! Now for those of you who have never seen Swingers you won't understand how amazing it was for me to see the Dresden. I went in for a few drinks and it was everything I expceted. The bartender was really old and Mexican so he had a sort of suave to him, and all the servers and barbacks were really old too which I thought was funny. By the way, if you know Swingers than you'll appreciate the fact that Marty and Elayne play there everynight, besides Sunday, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
After the Dresden I hit Starbucks then walked over to Good Luck.
New things I've found today: Bars here don't serve beer on tap, it's all bottles. I stopped at a few bars in between the ones I spoke of and none of them had draft so I found that out and that liquor is the drink of choice around here. I found out my neighbor Martin is cool as hell. And it's pronounced Marteen. I found out there's a shit ton of places for me to go within walking distance, I didn't drive anywhere at all today. Oh, and they sell 40's here. I bought a 40 of High Life on my walk home and I feel so much more gangster.
News Update! Fires hit Malibu today. It was the first of my fires sweeping California experiences and it was all over the local stations today when I woke up. The fire was only in Malibu and the only celebrity house in danger was, get this, Axl Rose. Oh yeah, Axl from GnR was the only celeb talked about to have had a home in the path of the fire.
Anyway, that's that. Just got a pizza delivered and I'm about to hit my 40.
Earlier in the day, around 5:00, I decided to just walk around. I took Sunset Blvd. to Vermont and ate at another taco stand on the corner. I kept walking down Vermont and ran into the Dresden! Now for those of you who have never seen Swingers you won't understand how amazing it was for me to see the Dresden. I went in for a few drinks and it was everything I expceted. The bartender was really old and Mexican so he had a sort of suave to him, and all the servers and barbacks were really old too which I thought was funny. By the way, if you know Swingers than you'll appreciate the fact that Marty and Elayne play there everynight, besides Sunday, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
After the Dresden I hit Starbucks then walked over to Good Luck.
New things I've found today: Bars here don't serve beer on tap, it's all bottles. I stopped at a few bars in between the ones I spoke of and none of them had draft so I found that out and that liquor is the drink of choice around here. I found out my neighbor Martin is cool as hell. And it's pronounced Marteen. I found out there's a shit ton of places for me to go within walking distance, I didn't drive anywhere at all today. Oh, and they sell 40's here. I bought a 40 of High Life on my walk home and I feel so much more gangster.
News Update! Fires hit Malibu today. It was the first of my fires sweeping California experiences and it was all over the local stations today when I woke up. The fire was only in Malibu and the only celebrity house in danger was, get this, Axl Rose. Oh yeah, Axl from GnR was the only celeb talked about to have had a home in the path of the fire.
Anyway, that's that. Just got a pizza delivered and I'm about to hit my 40.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Niggas is Crazy in LA
**Quick Note** I started this blog over a year ago to talk about movies and what I was doing to get into the film biz. Now I am officially in LA and will use this blog to document my adventure, and of course still talk about movies.
I hope no one's offended by the title of this post, but as far as a first post of what life is like in LA this was really the only fitting label.
Brett and I got into town around 7:00 Thursday night, which was coincidentally Thanksgiving. After we checked out the house we decided to go to Wal Mart to pick up a few things. Even after TomTom told us Wal Mart was located on Crenshaw and MLK Blvd. we still decided to go. Upon pulling up to the front it didn't take us long to figure out we needed to turn around. I don't really have to go into details why, I'm sure whatever you can come up with is pretty close. What we saw happening at the stop light though you just can't make up.
Across the intersection there was a guy side kicking the metro bus sign as hard as he could. He wasn't even doing it wildly, he would set up, kick the shit out of it, wait a second and then set up to do it again. The best part wasn't that he was wearing a Cobra Kai gee (cause he wasn't) but it was the sight of a group of people standing around him acting like it was every day business.
A guy kicking the shit out of a bus sign at 8:00 on Thanksgiving night with a group of people unphased by his actions...welcome to LA.
Currently both of my roommates are out of town until Sunday. I still haven't met one of them, Hugh, but I've heard good things so I'm optimistic. The house is pretty sweet, 3 stories but one of them is the garage. First floor is living room, kitchen, full bathroom, and 2 bedrooms. 3rd floor is a loft, half bath, a balcony and my room. The main floor is hardwood and the upstairs is carpeted. I'm living on a street called Edgemont which is sandwiched between Sunset and Santa Monica Blvd., which is fucking awesome. I had dinner at a Denny's in Hollywood tonight and made my first friend, a waitress named Heather. Earlier I ate at a taco stand on Hollywood Blvd. and went to a horror store which was like a slice of heaven. Other than that it's mostly just been buying the essentials and unpacking. I am having a little trouble with this time difference though.
I've been here a little over a day and I'm still too new to form an opinion. So far I love it, everything about it.
I love that everyone drives like they have the balls of a Nascar racer but for some reason it works out well. I love that 3 blocks to one side of me is a town filled with Eastern European gangsters, but 3 blocks the other way is million dollar houses. I love that I saw a resturaunt called "Chinese food and Donuts." I love that I found a store dedicated to horror movies, horror books and horror memorabilia. I could go on, but the point is I'm pretty happy with everything so far but a lot of that has to do with the fact that its still so fucking new to me.
I hope no one's offended by the title of this post, but as far as a first post of what life is like in LA this was really the only fitting label.
Brett and I got into town around 7:00 Thursday night, which was coincidentally Thanksgiving. After we checked out the house we decided to go to Wal Mart to pick up a few things. Even after TomTom told us Wal Mart was located on Crenshaw and MLK Blvd. we still decided to go. Upon pulling up to the front it didn't take us long to figure out we needed to turn around. I don't really have to go into details why, I'm sure whatever you can come up with is pretty close. What we saw happening at the stop light though you just can't make up.
Across the intersection there was a guy side kicking the metro bus sign as hard as he could. He wasn't even doing it wildly, he would set up, kick the shit out of it, wait a second and then set up to do it again. The best part wasn't that he was wearing a Cobra Kai gee (cause he wasn't) but it was the sight of a group of people standing around him acting like it was every day business.
A guy kicking the shit out of a bus sign at 8:00 on Thanksgiving night with a group of people unphased by his actions...welcome to LA.
Currently both of my roommates are out of town until Sunday. I still haven't met one of them, Hugh, but I've heard good things so I'm optimistic. The house is pretty sweet, 3 stories but one of them is the garage. First floor is living room, kitchen, full bathroom, and 2 bedrooms. 3rd floor is a loft, half bath, a balcony and my room. The main floor is hardwood and the upstairs is carpeted. I'm living on a street called Edgemont which is sandwiched between Sunset and Santa Monica Blvd., which is fucking awesome. I had dinner at a Denny's in Hollywood tonight and made my first friend, a waitress named Heather. Earlier I ate at a taco stand on Hollywood Blvd. and went to a horror store which was like a slice of heaven. Other than that it's mostly just been buying the essentials and unpacking. I am having a little trouble with this time difference though.
I've been here a little over a day and I'm still too new to form an opinion. So far I love it, everything about it.
I love that everyone drives like they have the balls of a Nascar racer but for some reason it works out well. I love that 3 blocks to one side of me is a town filled with Eastern European gangsters, but 3 blocks the other way is million dollar houses. I love that I saw a resturaunt called "Chinese food and Donuts." I love that I found a store dedicated to horror movies, horror books and horror memorabilia. I could go on, but the point is I'm pretty happy with everything so far but a lot of that has to do with the fact that its still so fucking new to me.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Countdown to Transformers
Days like today make being a nerd really exciting. A year after the first teaser hit the web, it is finally opening day for Transformers. I don't know about everyone else but the cartoon was a pretty big part of my childhood, so I'm thinking today could be a pretty big part of my adulthood, which is still very childlike.
Transformers is unquestionably the most anticipated movie if the year. Interestingly enough, it's the only really big movie of the year that's not a remake or a sequel, and even more interesting is that it's a Michael Bay flick. Seriously, I never thought I would be this excited to go see a Michael Bay movie, but in hindsight this is the first summer that's really been a throwback to the old school blockbuster summers we used to get in the 90's so the fact he's involved in making this summer so big isn't really surprising (see The Rock).
So the million dollar question is, of course, will Transformers live up to the hype? Rotten Tomatoes has it at a 68%, 21 good reviews, 10 bad ones, and most of the bad ones just talk about how there's nothing under the hood. On the flip side, the good reviews claim it's better then sex. In about 10 hours, I'll be the judge of that.
I think since Spielberg is attached to it then it has to be good. I see Spielberg as like the dog owner and Bay as like a crazy fighting pit bull. Bay just wants to go completely ape shit and Spielberg's there to keep him on a leash. Seems like a good relationship. Obviously Spielberg won't let his name be attached to something shitty either (for instance the Island, or all the horror remakes Bay's produced, or Armageddon, or Pearl Harbor, or...).
What sucks is that I'm really expecting a lot, and when that happens it takes even more to make me happy. God I hate Internet hype and movie trailers (see Spiderman 3). Oh well, at 10:55 p.m. I get to see Optimus Prime on a movie screen in all his glory for the first time since I used to play with the toy and make the transforming noise with my mouth as he went from semi truck to bad ass. Can't say that too often.
Transformers is unquestionably the most anticipated movie if the year. Interestingly enough, it's the only really big movie of the year that's not a remake or a sequel, and even more interesting is that it's a Michael Bay flick. Seriously, I never thought I would be this excited to go see a Michael Bay movie, but in hindsight this is the first summer that's really been a throwback to the old school blockbuster summers we used to get in the 90's so the fact he's involved in making this summer so big isn't really surprising (see The Rock).
So the million dollar question is, of course, will Transformers live up to the hype? Rotten Tomatoes has it at a 68%, 21 good reviews, 10 bad ones, and most of the bad ones just talk about how there's nothing under the hood. On the flip side, the good reviews claim it's better then sex. In about 10 hours, I'll be the judge of that.
I think since Spielberg is attached to it then it has to be good. I see Spielberg as like the dog owner and Bay as like a crazy fighting pit bull. Bay just wants to go completely ape shit and Spielberg's there to keep him on a leash. Seems like a good relationship. Obviously Spielberg won't let his name be attached to something shitty either (for instance the Island, or all the horror remakes Bay's produced, or Armageddon, or Pearl Harbor, or...).
What sucks is that I'm really expecting a lot, and when that happens it takes even more to make me happy. God I hate Internet hype and movie trailers (see Spiderman 3). Oh well, at 10:55 p.m. I get to see Optimus Prime on a movie screen in all his glory for the first time since I used to play with the toy and make the transforming noise with my mouth as he went from semi truck to bad ass. Can't say that too often.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Rob Zombie is my hero
In case you haven't heard, Rob Zombie is remaking Halloween and so far it looks like he's dialed right in. A few days ago the official site was launched complete with the full trailer and the first released artwork for the film. The background of the site is the poster and it really couldn't be any better. If you can't tell, I'm pretty excited. Be sure to check it out.
Official Halloween Site
Official Halloween Site
Thursday, May 31, 2007
The 100 Scariest Movie Moments
The people over at retrocrush.com have put together a an awesome list of the 100 scariest movie scenes.
With 100 scenes nothing is really left out, and they are working on adding youtube clips for all 100.
The list is great and has a good balance between surprises and obvious choices, not to mention the people that write it are pretty funny.
Included are Jaws, Halloween, the Evil Deads, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the Ring, the Shining, and some choice cuts from David Lynch, along with some real treats like Suspiria, Fulci's Zombi, Return of the Living Dead, Nosferatu, Event Horizon and even Pee Wee's Big Adventure.
Click the title of the post, or here, to check it out.
With 100 scenes nothing is really left out, and they are working on adding youtube clips for all 100.
The list is great and has a good balance between surprises and obvious choices, not to mention the people that write it are pretty funny.
Included are Jaws, Halloween, the Evil Deads, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the Ring, the Shining, and some choice cuts from David Lynch, along with some real treats like Suspiria, Fulci's Zombi, Return of the Living Dead, Nosferatu, Event Horizon and even Pee Wee's Big Adventure.
Click the title of the post, or here, to check it out.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
John Rambo will fuck you up
A promo has been posted online for "John Rambo" aka Rambo 4. Yes, Rambo 4.
It's basically 2 minutes of Rambo's soft side, and 2 minutes of Rambo's fuck you up side.
This clip is so official you may not even believe it's real, and I'm not even being sarcastic. If you hate militant terrorists in Bangkok and love black mullets then this is for you so click the title of the post to link up, and enjoy.
It's basically 2 minutes of Rambo's soft side, and 2 minutes of Rambo's fuck you up side.
This clip is so official you may not even believe it's real, and I'm not even being sarcastic. If you hate militant terrorists in Bangkok and love black mullets then this is for you so click the title of the post to link up, and enjoy.
Style vs. Narrative
I just got done watching the Russian action/sci fi/horror/thriller Nightwatch and I gotta admit, I wasn't as impressed with it like many others. The "Watch" trilogy uses the same basic formula as Lord of the Rings: a bunch of good characters that aren't human racing against a bunch of evil characters that aren't humans to find the one thing that will determine if good or evil prevails in the end. The idea of a R-rated version of LOTR seemed wonderful, and "Nightwatch" is even based off of a book so it's like a Spanish person taking Spanish in high school, it gets a B just for showing up.
Now, when I got done with it I found myself strangely unsatisfied. Actually more like an emptiness, and I struggled with this because throughout the whole movie I kept thinking to myself how amazing the film looked and how unconventionally it was directed. Then I came to this crazy (sarcastic) realization about how much I really didn't care about what happened in the movie (kind of like I felt after "300").
So after nearly 18 years of watching movies that I can remember I realized that, to me of course, narrative is far more important in determining whether or not I like a film then style is. That's sort of an obvious statement, I know this, but at the same time it led me down a path of reminiscing about movies I should have liked but didn't, and ones that absolutely blew me away.
Funny conclusion, most of the ones that blow me away treated style and narrative equally. Let's examine...
Take Spiderman 3 for instance. I was so confused after this one I couldn't even review it. The first person that asked me what I thought about it, I told them "that was a lot of movie to take in." I still think that, and now I know what I mean. Instead of focusing on the style of Spiderman I think Mr. Raimi and co were relying way too heavily on narrative. Raimi attempted to show us arcs and emotional instability in Spidey, Parker, Brock, Venom, MJ, Harry/Goblin, Sandman, and Gwen Stacy. How hard is it to tell us about how 9 people feel in the beginning, and why they feel different in the end?
Hard enough to get a lot of people hating your movie.
You look at the first 2, there's style, that Raimi style he built off the Evil Dead trilogy and Darkman, and it's combined simple paced, question raising narrative that we can balance with the visuals.
How about the first Matrix, a perfect balance of style and narrative. Probably the most obvious example I can come up with.
With the Matrix, we realize that when the bar is raised with style, the bar must similarly be raised with the narrative. The film opens when a girl with a Pat Riley haircut dressed in bondage leather kicks the shit out of a whole platoon of cops, and lets not forget the infamous spinning camera shot all in the first 5 minutes. With that dish served so fast anything less then you telling me the entire world is a fake computer program built so that humans will survive in a coma like state so machines can use us as a power source to generate their being is going to make me leave unsatisfied.
This is where I realize there comes a point in every film where the director, in some way, decides what's more important, style or narrative, and I think it's the lack of taking on the responsibility to focus on both that's leaving us walking out of the theatre saying "that was alright" time and time again.
Now, when I got done with it I found myself strangely unsatisfied. Actually more like an emptiness, and I struggled with this because throughout the whole movie I kept thinking to myself how amazing the film looked and how unconventionally it was directed. Then I came to this crazy (sarcastic) realization about how much I really didn't care about what happened in the movie (kind of like I felt after "300").
So after nearly 18 years of watching movies that I can remember I realized that, to me of course, narrative is far more important in determining whether or not I like a film then style is. That's sort of an obvious statement, I know this, but at the same time it led me down a path of reminiscing about movies I should have liked but didn't, and ones that absolutely blew me away.
Funny conclusion, most of the ones that blow me away treated style and narrative equally. Let's examine...
Take Spiderman 3 for instance. I was so confused after this one I couldn't even review it. The first person that asked me what I thought about it, I told them "that was a lot of movie to take in." I still think that, and now I know what I mean. Instead of focusing on the style of Spiderman I think Mr. Raimi and co were relying way too heavily on narrative. Raimi attempted to show us arcs and emotional instability in Spidey, Parker, Brock, Venom, MJ, Harry/Goblin, Sandman, and Gwen Stacy. How hard is it to tell us about how 9 people feel in the beginning, and why they feel different in the end?
Hard enough to get a lot of people hating your movie.
You look at the first 2, there's style, that Raimi style he built off the Evil Dead trilogy and Darkman, and it's combined simple paced, question raising narrative that we can balance with the visuals.
How about the first Matrix, a perfect balance of style and narrative. Probably the most obvious example I can come up with.
With the Matrix, we realize that when the bar is raised with style, the bar must similarly be raised with the narrative. The film opens when a girl with a Pat Riley haircut dressed in bondage leather kicks the shit out of a whole platoon of cops, and lets not forget the infamous spinning camera shot all in the first 5 minutes. With that dish served so fast anything less then you telling me the entire world is a fake computer program built so that humans will survive in a coma like state so machines can use us as a power source to generate their being is going to make me leave unsatisfied.
This is where I realize there comes a point in every film where the director, in some way, decides what's more important, style or narrative, and I think it's the lack of taking on the responsibility to focus on both that's leaving us walking out of the theatre saying "that was alright" time and time again.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Spiderman 3 Countdown
What we know:
-There are 3 villains: Venom, the New Goblin and Sandman
-the budget is reportedly over $250 million, the most expensive movie ever made cost $286 million (Cleopatra). As of now this puts Spidey 3 at 2nd. Spiderman 2 is currently the 5th most expensive movie ever made
-running time is over 2 and a half hours
-Sandman was somehow involved in the death of Uncle Ben
-Venom kidnaps Mary Jane (this is shown in the trailers)
-Gwen Stacy is in the film and is played by Bryce Dallas Howard (the blind chick in the "Village")
What we've heard:
-Venom is the main villain (as stated by Sam Raimi at various comic cons)
-Toby won't be back again as Spidey
-The characters cry, a lot
So far the reviews have been similar whether or not the critic likes the film: a lot of villains, a lot of eye candy and a lot of crying.
The one saving grace of the film could be David Koepp's screenplay. He's arguably the most productive and successful screenwriter in Hollywood right now and having to take on 1 superhero, 3 villains and 2 love interests is no small feet.
There's no question this film has been hyped as much, if not more than "300" a few months back and sadly that scares me a bit because I walked away from "300" with that sort of "eh" feeling. Like I needed more.
I'm betting that a live action Venom will be enough to make that "eh" feeling an "ahhhh." Contrary to some, I'm just fine with Topher Grace as Eddie Brock, as I am with Lowell from Wings as Sandman. I'm willing to bet that Sandman is the least seen villain, followed by New Goblin, then Venom. Sam Raimi isn't stupid, he knows the people want Venom, and he knows more Venom equals more box office caaaaaash.
As far as the legitimacy to the film vs. the comic book, there's a few things to question: in the comics, Gwen Stacy was actually Parker's first love interest, not MJ. Comic fans know this, but casuals don't, so Stacy will probably just become a rift between Parker and MJ as well as Parker and Brock. However, in the comics Goblin kills Stacy. I see some foreshadowing here.
So a lot of questions arise in this, the first true summer blockbuster of 2007. More questions than "300", more questions than "Grindhouse" and certainly more questions than "Transformers" and "Rise of the Silver Surfer" (a live action Optimus Prime and a live action Silver Surfer, I could care less about the story).
Reviews so far have been so-so with the third installment of Spidey raking in a 64% on the tomatometer at rottentomatoes.com. But now, for my Spiderman 3 predictions:
Venom will appear more then most anticipate, Aunt May dies, Gwen Stacy is killed by Harry Osbourne (he'll drop her from somewhere high) , Sandman won't be responsible for Uncle Ben's death as previously thought, Spidey kills the New Goblin and that's why he rips off the symbiote suit, and the end will hint at the arrival of Lizardman or Carnage.
But what really matters is I finally get to see Venom tonight. God I'm such a dork.
Going to see the 11:59 pm showing tonight, and my review will follow. Wish me luck.
What we know:
-There are 3 villains: Venom, the New Goblin and Sandman
-the budget is reportedly over $250 million, the most expensive movie ever made cost $286 million (Cleopatra). As of now this puts Spidey 3 at 2nd. Spiderman 2 is currently the 5th most expensive movie ever made
-running time is over 2 and a half hours
-Sandman was somehow involved in the death of Uncle Ben
-Venom kidnaps Mary Jane (this is shown in the trailers)
-Gwen Stacy is in the film and is played by Bryce Dallas Howard (the blind chick in the "Village")
What we've heard:
-Venom is the main villain (as stated by Sam Raimi at various comic cons)
-Toby won't be back again as Spidey
-The characters cry, a lot
So far the reviews have been similar whether or not the critic likes the film: a lot of villains, a lot of eye candy and a lot of crying.
The one saving grace of the film could be David Koepp's screenplay. He's arguably the most productive and successful screenwriter in Hollywood right now and having to take on 1 superhero, 3 villains and 2 love interests is no small feet.
There's no question this film has been hyped as much, if not more than "300" a few months back and sadly that scares me a bit because I walked away from "300" with that sort of "eh" feeling. Like I needed more.
I'm betting that a live action Venom will be enough to make that "eh" feeling an "ahhhh." Contrary to some, I'm just fine with Topher Grace as Eddie Brock, as I am with Lowell from Wings as Sandman. I'm willing to bet that Sandman is the least seen villain, followed by New Goblin, then Venom. Sam Raimi isn't stupid, he knows the people want Venom, and he knows more Venom equals more box office caaaaaash.
As far as the legitimacy to the film vs. the comic book, there's a few things to question: in the comics, Gwen Stacy was actually Parker's first love interest, not MJ. Comic fans know this, but casuals don't, so Stacy will probably just become a rift between Parker and MJ as well as Parker and Brock. However, in the comics Goblin kills Stacy. I see some foreshadowing here.
So a lot of questions arise in this, the first true summer blockbuster of 2007. More questions than "300", more questions than "Grindhouse" and certainly more questions than "Transformers" and "Rise of the Silver Surfer" (a live action Optimus Prime and a live action Silver Surfer, I could care less about the story).
Reviews so far have been so-so with the third installment of Spidey raking in a 64% on the tomatometer at rottentomatoes.com. But now, for my Spiderman 3 predictions:
Venom will appear more then most anticipate, Aunt May dies, Gwen Stacy is killed by Harry Osbourne (he'll drop her from somewhere high) , Sandman won't be responsible for Uncle Ben's death as previously thought, Spidey kills the New Goblin and that's why he rips off the symbiote suit, and the end will hint at the arrival of Lizardman or Carnage.
But what really matters is I finally get to see Venom tonight. God I'm such a dork.
Going to see the 11:59 pm showing tonight, and my review will follow. Wish me luck.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Rob Zombie's Halloween Trailer
It's on the trailer reels for Grindhouse, and it's now posted online for all to view here.
Like I said before, I hate horror remakes, but so far I'm not really seeing or hearing anything I don't like. That's saying a lot considering the magnitude of the influence and the importance of the original Halloween to the horror genre.
My opinion won't sway at all until I see the finished product, which will be released August 31st. So far here's a few things I've noticed:
-The emphasis on Michael Myers' childhood, which is awesome because we got little of that in the original
-The lighting in the neighborhood shots when Michael is stalking the babysitters is AWESOME
-The new mask is as creepy as the original, but hard to say whether or not it's better
-Malcom McDowell looks like he'll be a great Dr. Loomis (you may know him as Terrance, Ari's old boss, on Entourage)
As a whole it looks like Zombie is going to be focusing more on the Myers character and not the babysitters. The studios that produced the original told John Carpenter there had to be babysitters in it (saw that on a documentary called "Going to Pieces") . I'm guessing Zombie has no such restrictions.
I'm also interested in seeing how he handles the invincibility of Myers. There's no question that Myers was invincible in the first one, even Carpenter admitted to that. Looking forward to how Zombie approaches that, which will in turn effect how he can end it.
Lastly, but most importantly, the death scenes. They look very promising in the trailer. Not unlike the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the original Halloween is talked about as being a very gruesome flick, however there's really no blood in it at all. Zombie's first 2 movies are notorious for violence, and that's cool, I just hope its as cool in his 3rd.
So one last time, here's the link to the trailer for the Halloween remake.
Let me know what you think...
It's on the trailer reels for Grindhouse, and it's now posted online for all to view here.
Like I said before, I hate horror remakes, but so far I'm not really seeing or hearing anything I don't like. That's saying a lot considering the magnitude of the influence and the importance of the original Halloween to the horror genre.
My opinion won't sway at all until I see the finished product, which will be released August 31st. So far here's a few things I've noticed:
-The emphasis on Michael Myers' childhood, which is awesome because we got little of that in the original
-The lighting in the neighborhood shots when Michael is stalking the babysitters is AWESOME
-The new mask is as creepy as the original, but hard to say whether or not it's better
-Malcom McDowell looks like he'll be a great Dr. Loomis (you may know him as Terrance, Ari's old boss, on Entourage)
As a whole it looks like Zombie is going to be focusing more on the Myers character and not the babysitters. The studios that produced the original told John Carpenter there had to be babysitters in it (saw that on a documentary called "Going to Pieces") . I'm guessing Zombie has no such restrictions.
I'm also interested in seeing how he handles the invincibility of Myers. There's no question that Myers was invincible in the first one, even Carpenter admitted to that. Looking forward to how Zombie approaches that, which will in turn effect how he can end it.
Lastly, but most importantly, the death scenes. They look very promising in the trailer. Not unlike the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the original Halloween is talked about as being a very gruesome flick, however there's really no blood in it at all. Zombie's first 2 movies are notorious for violence, and that's cool, I just hope its as cool in his 3rd.
So one last time, here's the link to the trailer for the Halloween remake.
Let me know what you think...
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Grindhouse review
There's few times when going to a movie is an outright experience, but that's the easiest way I can sum up Grindhouse. It wasn't a movie, it was an experience.
Tarantino and Rodriguez really hold nothing back for the 3 and a half hours you spend with them. Right after the trailers end you are experiencing Grindhouse: fake movie trailers, fake commercials for fake businesses, hell they even have their own custom MPAA ratings graphics before each movie. Even the opening credits have this surreal "I can't believe I'm really watching this" feel. That alone is worth the admission.
Where Grindhouse is the experience, each respective movie truly stands out unlike anything else you've ever seen in a theatre in the last 15 to 20 years. The film quality is purposefully crappy, the lighting seems to change almost unprofessionally, parts of both movies are inexplicably missing, and the editing is campy as hell. And it all works. Even if you don't enjoy the narrative, you'll still enjoy what you're witnessing.
Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror is better then Quentin's Death Proof, but both are stylistically far apart. I shouldn't even say Planet Terror is a better film, it's just more enjoyable.
Planet Terror is pure decadence, I'm talking real horror gluttony. Sin City's violence pales in comparison. It's about a military experiment gone awry resulting in a chemical being spread through Texas that turns people into zombies.
You get that in about the first 30 seconds, and the next hour and a half is funner than any theme park you've ever been to. Not only is it bloody as hell, it's fucking hilarious. Not like chuckle funny, but like roll around on the floor funny. There's absolutely nothing serious about it, yet everything is so official to the genre. Not to mention the acting is just spot on: Rose McGowan kills it, and Marley Shelton, as Dr. Dakota Block, steals every scene she's in. If she looks familiar it's because she was Wendy the lifeguard in The Sandlot.
After Planet Terror is intermission. It's the only intermission I've seen since Kubrick's 2001. Do not leave during intermission. Repeat, DO NOT LEAVE during intermission. You have to see the fake trailers by Eli Roth, Rob Zombie and the Shaun of the Dead guys. I won't give anything away, but they are absolutely priceless.
Where Rodriguez's stamp is clearly on Planet Terror, his actual technique is unique to this one. Not a whole lot you can really pick out that you've seen him do before, as far as the actual directing is concerned. Not the case for Quentin with Death Proof.
If you're a Tarantino fan you will undoubtedly recognize some Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction in the shot selections. The dialogue really drives the film, not unlike other Tarantino gems, and Death Proof is the only other linear film he's done besides Jackie Brown.
It definitely feels longer then Planet Terror, and it's no where near as decadent, but in the end it feels exactly like a Tarantino horror flick. 70's style jive dialogue with throw back underground musical classics, retro sets, retro cars, and gritty to the bone characters.
Death Proof is about Stuntman Mike (how awesome is that name), he likes to kill people with his car. Since he's a stuntman his car is built to sustain heavy collisions. In turn, that makes it death proof. Get it. It's sort of camp slasher stalker flick meets the high octane gear head type. As much focus on car chases as on the murders. And with the car chases it's kind of like another 2 for 1 deal: not only do you get a Tarantino horror, you get a Tarantino car chase, neither of which he's ever done before.
I'll admit, I wasn't too hot on it right when it ended. Not like I was after seeing Kill Bill 1 and 2. But after thinking about it for a while I understand it. After the final shot in Death Proof ask yourself if you've ever really seen anything like it? You'll know what I mean.
All in all, Grindhouse was everything I expected and everything I didn't expect. There's nothing like it you've ever seen in a theatre, and it's something that really can't be ripped off. I can pretty much guarantee you will have fun, and unfortunately just having fun at a movie is becoming as rare as originality so do yourself a favor and take advantage of it while it lasts.
There's few times when going to a movie is an outright experience, but that's the easiest way I can sum up Grindhouse. It wasn't a movie, it was an experience.
Tarantino and Rodriguez really hold nothing back for the 3 and a half hours you spend with them. Right after the trailers end you are experiencing Grindhouse: fake movie trailers, fake commercials for fake businesses, hell they even have their own custom MPAA ratings graphics before each movie. Even the opening credits have this surreal "I can't believe I'm really watching this" feel. That alone is worth the admission.
Where Grindhouse is the experience, each respective movie truly stands out unlike anything else you've ever seen in a theatre in the last 15 to 20 years. The film quality is purposefully crappy, the lighting seems to change almost unprofessionally, parts of both movies are inexplicably missing, and the editing is campy as hell. And it all works. Even if you don't enjoy the narrative, you'll still enjoy what you're witnessing.
Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror is better then Quentin's Death Proof, but both are stylistically far apart. I shouldn't even say Planet Terror is a better film, it's just more enjoyable.
Planet Terror is pure decadence, I'm talking real horror gluttony. Sin City's violence pales in comparison. It's about a military experiment gone awry resulting in a chemical being spread through Texas that turns people into zombies.
You get that in about the first 30 seconds, and the next hour and a half is funner than any theme park you've ever been to. Not only is it bloody as hell, it's fucking hilarious. Not like chuckle funny, but like roll around on the floor funny. There's absolutely nothing serious about it, yet everything is so official to the genre. Not to mention the acting is just spot on: Rose McGowan kills it, and Marley Shelton, as Dr. Dakota Block, steals every scene she's in. If she looks familiar it's because she was Wendy the lifeguard in The Sandlot.
After Planet Terror is intermission. It's the only intermission I've seen since Kubrick's 2001. Do not leave during intermission. Repeat, DO NOT LEAVE during intermission. You have to see the fake trailers by Eli Roth, Rob Zombie and the Shaun of the Dead guys. I won't give anything away, but they are absolutely priceless.
Where Rodriguez's stamp is clearly on Planet Terror, his actual technique is unique to this one. Not a whole lot you can really pick out that you've seen him do before, as far as the actual directing is concerned. Not the case for Quentin with Death Proof.
If you're a Tarantino fan you will undoubtedly recognize some Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction in the shot selections. The dialogue really drives the film, not unlike other Tarantino gems, and Death Proof is the only other linear film he's done besides Jackie Brown.
It definitely feels longer then Planet Terror, and it's no where near as decadent, but in the end it feels exactly like a Tarantino horror flick. 70's style jive dialogue with throw back underground musical classics, retro sets, retro cars, and gritty to the bone characters.
Death Proof is about Stuntman Mike (how awesome is that name), he likes to kill people with his car. Since he's a stuntman his car is built to sustain heavy collisions. In turn, that makes it death proof. Get it. It's sort of camp slasher stalker flick meets the high octane gear head type. As much focus on car chases as on the murders. And with the car chases it's kind of like another 2 for 1 deal: not only do you get a Tarantino horror, you get a Tarantino car chase, neither of which he's ever done before.
I'll admit, I wasn't too hot on it right when it ended. Not like I was after seeing Kill Bill 1 and 2. But after thinking about it for a while I understand it. After the final shot in Death Proof ask yourself if you've ever really seen anything like it? You'll know what I mean.
All in all, Grindhouse was everything I expected and everything I didn't expect. There's nothing like it you've ever seen in a theatre, and it's something that really can't be ripped off. I can pretty much guarantee you will have fun, and unfortunately just having fun at a movie is becoming as rare as originality so do yourself a favor and take advantage of it while it lasts.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Grindhouse reviews are in!
So far the tomatometer has it %85 from 68 reviews (58 good, 10 bad). Here are some of my favorites:
"it summons the most crackerjack pop charge of any movie with Tarantino's name on it since Pulp Fiction." Owen Gleiberman - Entertainment Weekly
"In paying homage to an obsolete form of movie culture, Grindhouse delivers a dropkick to ours." Nathan Lee - Village Voice
"...once you get past the absurdity of it all, what you get is a one-two punch of fun the likes of which rarely come out of Hollywood." Cole Haddon - Orlando Weekly
""Grindhouse" is insider fun when Rodriguez is in charge and regrettable trash when Tarantino takes over" Tom Long - Detroit News
"So over-the-top, it makes 300 look like a study in minimalism" Lisa Rose - Newark Star-Ledger
And here are some of the bad ones:
"Rodriguez goes for full-blooded faithfulness, Tarantino goes for genre analysis and reconfiguration, and the results are, ultimately, about as coherent and fulfilling as a typical grindhouse double-feature." Nick Schager - Cinematical
"Planet Terror is a great bad movie; Death Proof is just plain bad." Jurgen Fauth - About.com
"“Grindhouse” has plenty of fun moments, and with a running time of more than three hours you can’t complain that you didn’t get your money’s worth. But it only half works." Robert W. Butler - Kansas City Star
So word is Rodriguez's "Planet Terror" is better than Quentin's "Death Proof." I've actually been hearing that for a while. However, the good reviews from the good reviewers is overwhelming, and reading good reviews for b movie exploitations flicks from drama loving critics is a breath of fresh air. Based on that alone you have to thank the two directors for bringing the b movie to this level.
Stay tuned for my review tomorrow night. I can't fucking wait.
So far the tomatometer has it %85 from 68 reviews (58 good, 10 bad). Here are some of my favorites:
"it summons the most crackerjack pop charge of any movie with Tarantino's name on it since Pulp Fiction." Owen Gleiberman - Entertainment Weekly
"In paying homage to an obsolete form of movie culture, Grindhouse delivers a dropkick to ours." Nathan Lee - Village Voice
"...once you get past the absurdity of it all, what you get is a one-two punch of fun the likes of which rarely come out of Hollywood." Cole Haddon - Orlando Weekly
""Grindhouse" is insider fun when Rodriguez is in charge and regrettable trash when Tarantino takes over" Tom Long - Detroit News
"So over-the-top, it makes 300 look like a study in minimalism" Lisa Rose - Newark Star-Ledger
And here are some of the bad ones:
"Rodriguez goes for full-blooded faithfulness, Tarantino goes for genre analysis and reconfiguration, and the results are, ultimately, about as coherent and fulfilling as a typical grindhouse double-feature." Nick Schager - Cinematical
"Planet Terror is a great bad movie; Death Proof is just plain bad." Jurgen Fauth - About.com
"“Grindhouse” has plenty of fun moments, and with a running time of more than three hours you can’t complain that you didn’t get your money’s worth. But it only half works." Robert W. Butler - Kansas City Star
So word is Rodriguez's "Planet Terror" is better than Quentin's "Death Proof." I've actually been hearing that for a while. However, the good reviews from the good reviewers is overwhelming, and reading good reviews for b movie exploitations flicks from drama loving critics is a breath of fresh air. Based on that alone you have to thank the two directors for bringing the b movie to this level.
Stay tuned for my review tomorrow night. I can't fucking wait.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Grindhouse countdown...
Take 2 of the most entertaining directors ever, let them each shoot a b style, 70's exploitation horror flick, put an intermission between them with fake movie trailers shot by Rob Zombie, Eli Roth and the guys from Shaun of the Dead, and only charge the price of 1 movie for admission.
God damn.
Grindhouse. It opens Friday and I already bought my ticket...on Monday. Running time is 3 and a half hours and most theatres are only running it 3 showings a day because of the length.
This is the next most highly anticipated film of the year since 300 came out, and the last most anticipated movie until Spider Man 3. As for myself, I'm anticipating Grindhouse the most, of all 2007 films. It's freaking horror movies by Tarantino and Rodriguez at the same time, I mean come on.
Unlike 300, however, the hype hasn't been nearly as intense, and I don't expect the box office to be either. Grindhouse is going to draw the "hardcores" and the "hardcores" that bring their friends to see it. It's not for everyone, and I love that.
The hype Grindhouse has been getting is the basic stuff, interviews and magazine spreads of the like. I saw Tarantino and Rodriguez on a late night ABC news show a few nights back. Watching a tight wad, scantily clad middle aged white dude sweat uncomfortable while Tarantino explained why his movies are so violent was interesting to say the least.
Here's a couple tidbits I've come across in the recent press storm:
-Both films were edited heavily from their original cut for 2 reasons: To make an R rating and to make the running time reasonable
-Both films will be released in their original entirity on DVD
-Planet Terror is shown first, intermission, then Death Proof
-Eli Roth's trailer, "Thanksgiving," had to be trimmed down to avoid an NC-17 rating
-Rob Zombie's trailer "Werewolf Women of the SS" was greenlit just off of him telling Rodriguez the title
-The order of the films was determined after they were shot, the directors agreed it worked best that way
-Rose McGowan is the only actor to appear in both films as a different character
-Some characters will appear in both films as the same person
-Every other country is showing both films seperate, under their own titles, and charging for each. We're the only country where it's titled Grindhouse, and get to see both films for the price of 1
The good people over at rottentomatoes.com have posted an A-Z guide to Grindhouse if you're interested. It's pretty much a list of what inspired the two maniacs to make this, but very cool nontheless.
Check back to see how the reviews are coming and of course my review will be posted late Friday evening as soon as I get back.
I'm typing a lot faster since I started working out.
Take 2 of the most entertaining directors ever, let them each shoot a b style, 70's exploitation horror flick, put an intermission between them with fake movie trailers shot by Rob Zombie, Eli Roth and the guys from Shaun of the Dead, and only charge the price of 1 movie for admission.
God damn.
Grindhouse. It opens Friday and I already bought my ticket...on Monday. Running time is 3 and a half hours and most theatres are only running it 3 showings a day because of the length.
This is the next most highly anticipated film of the year since 300 came out, and the last most anticipated movie until Spider Man 3. As for myself, I'm anticipating Grindhouse the most, of all 2007 films. It's freaking horror movies by Tarantino and Rodriguez at the same time, I mean come on.
Unlike 300, however, the hype hasn't been nearly as intense, and I don't expect the box office to be either. Grindhouse is going to draw the "hardcores" and the "hardcores" that bring their friends to see it. It's not for everyone, and I love that.
The hype Grindhouse has been getting is the basic stuff, interviews and magazine spreads of the like. I saw Tarantino and Rodriguez on a late night ABC news show a few nights back. Watching a tight wad, scantily clad middle aged white dude sweat uncomfortable while Tarantino explained why his movies are so violent was interesting to say the least.
Here's a couple tidbits I've come across in the recent press storm:
-Both films were edited heavily from their original cut for 2 reasons: To make an R rating and to make the running time reasonable
-Both films will be released in their original entirity on DVD
-Planet Terror is shown first, intermission, then Death Proof
-Eli Roth's trailer, "Thanksgiving," had to be trimmed down to avoid an NC-17 rating
-Rob Zombie's trailer "Werewolf Women of the SS" was greenlit just off of him telling Rodriguez the title
-The order of the films was determined after they were shot, the directors agreed it worked best that way
-Rose McGowan is the only actor to appear in both films as a different character
-Some characters will appear in both films as the same person
-Every other country is showing both films seperate, under their own titles, and charging for each. We're the only country where it's titled Grindhouse, and get to see both films for the price of 1
The good people over at rottentomatoes.com have posted an A-Z guide to Grindhouse if you're interested. It's pretty much a list of what inspired the two maniacs to make this, but very cool nontheless.
Check back to see how the reviews are coming and of course my review will be posted late Friday evening as soon as I get back.
I'm typing a lot faster since I started working out.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Rob Zombie's Halloween, Return to Sleepaway Camp update, and the Gears of War Movie
As this blog continues to grow so will my intense hatred for horror movie remakes. I mean, what the fuck, really? Was it really necessary to remake Texas Chainsaw Massacre or the Hills Have Eyes? Short of the Dawn of the Dead remake, it's all shit. And because of horror remakes being so damn saturated these days, movies like Saw and Hostel are becoming box office standouts by default because they're the only original ideas being bought up by major studios. Believe me, I'm marking this rant to be continued...
However, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little excited when I heard Rob Zombie got John Carpenter's approval to remake Halloween. Why? Because of Zombie's first two flicks I know he is one of us. If there's ANYONE I'm OK with remaking a classic, it's Zombie. Well, for now at least, until I see it.
Apparently an early draft of Zombie's script has hit the web. By all standards almost anything Hollywood has been hiding in it's chiuahua sized bladder leaks to the web, and thankfully our friends over at retroslashers.net scooped a copy for urinalysis.
The review was basically a B, but it was the kind of B that you would give a hot girl that really deserved a C, but because she's hot she gets the benefit of the doubt (Amber Tamblyn, anyone?)
Word is Zombie intends to focus a lot more on Michael's childhood, which pretty much went completely fucking unexplained in the original aside from Michael killing his family. We also get a look at Michael's relationship with Dr. Loomis as he grew older. My favorite part, by far, is we're supposed to see that young Mr. Myers actually fashioned multiple masks which he wore to reflect his mood. Nice touch Dragula.
Cons include the lack of the daytime stalking we got in the original, but some other Pros are bloodier deaths and answers to questions such as where Michael got his jumpsuit, where Laurie's parents are, and how Michael got to Judith's headstone. Plus we get to see hot girls dress up like they're living in the 70's, which I find oddly hot, that is unless they go into full on character and heat up the retro bush.
And oh, Zombie recently said the first trailer will be tacked onto Grindhouse, as if Grindhouse could really get any better. Another to be continued conversation...
Some new RTSC news
Our friends over at sleepawaycampmovies.com have completey redone the site, and added some juicy Return to Sleepaway Camp updates.
So far we got a FAQ on the most ambiguous sequel ever, including answers to why the hell it still isn't out.
Even better, there's 6 interviews with cast members. Five of them are with new commers, and one's with Jonathan Tierston who played Ricky (Angela's cousin) in the original. Unfortunately half of his interview is about his band, but we do get to see even more clips of the film, as well as some history behind it.
Best thing is, the interviews are even further evidence that the movie was actually made. Thank God.
They also posted a reunion page for the SC reunion of the cast and crew back in '01. Very cool stuff.
Check it all out at sleepawaycampmovies.com
And Finally, the Gears of War movies
Gears of War was picked up by New Line Cinema. If the movie can be anywhere near as good as the game then I'm all for it. And, I'm getting increasingly excited with this new flood of videogames turned to movies. Why? Because finally studios are picking the right fucking games.
Gears of War the game was like playing a movie, and in 2009 I'll be able to relieve it and be a lot more lazy in the process.
Time to get a bit whiney though. I've been getting this itch to adapt a good game into a screenplay. Mostly for personal reasons, but if I can get a bite well hey I'm all for it. Now, first idea was to do a Castlevania adaptation. Well, it's already been done by the dude that did Alien vs Predator.
Next idea was Gears of War, which just got optioned. Now I'm starting to think I'm on the right track. A little less procrastination, a little more screenplay, uh, -nation. (?) Anyway, Metal Gear Solid has already been optioned also, so I need some suggestions. Devil May Cry anyone?
Still to come...Why exactly does Hollywood Remake Horror Fims more then any other genre? Why does Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon matter so much? Just really how amazing can Grindhouse be? Stay tuned
As this blog continues to grow so will my intense hatred for horror movie remakes. I mean, what the fuck, really? Was it really necessary to remake Texas Chainsaw Massacre or the Hills Have Eyes? Short of the Dawn of the Dead remake, it's all shit. And because of horror remakes being so damn saturated these days, movies like Saw and Hostel are becoming box office standouts by default because they're the only original ideas being bought up by major studios. Believe me, I'm marking this rant to be continued...
However, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little excited when I heard Rob Zombie got John Carpenter's approval to remake Halloween. Why? Because of Zombie's first two flicks I know he is one of us. If there's ANYONE I'm OK with remaking a classic, it's Zombie. Well, for now at least, until I see it.
Apparently an early draft of Zombie's script has hit the web. By all standards almost anything Hollywood has been hiding in it's chiuahua sized bladder leaks to the web, and thankfully our friends over at retroslashers.net scooped a copy for urinalysis.
The review was basically a B, but it was the kind of B that you would give a hot girl that really deserved a C, but because she's hot she gets the benefit of the doubt (Amber Tamblyn, anyone?)
Word is Zombie intends to focus a lot more on Michael's childhood, which pretty much went completely fucking unexplained in the original aside from Michael killing his family. We also get a look at Michael's relationship with Dr. Loomis as he grew older. My favorite part, by far, is we're supposed to see that young Mr. Myers actually fashioned multiple masks which he wore to reflect his mood. Nice touch Dragula.
Cons include the lack of the daytime stalking we got in the original, but some other Pros are bloodier deaths and answers to questions such as where Michael got his jumpsuit, where Laurie's parents are, and how Michael got to Judith's headstone. Plus we get to see hot girls dress up like they're living in the 70's, which I find oddly hot, that is unless they go into full on character and heat up the retro bush.
And oh, Zombie recently said the first trailer will be tacked onto Grindhouse, as if Grindhouse could really get any better. Another to be continued conversation...
Some new RTSC news
Our friends over at sleepawaycampmovies.com have completey redone the site, and added some juicy Return to Sleepaway Camp updates.
So far we got a FAQ on the most ambiguous sequel ever, including answers to why the hell it still isn't out.
Even better, there's 6 interviews with cast members. Five of them are with new commers, and one's with Jonathan Tierston who played Ricky (Angela's cousin) in the original. Unfortunately half of his interview is about his band, but we do get to see even more clips of the film, as well as some history behind it.
Best thing is, the interviews are even further evidence that the movie was actually made. Thank God.
They also posted a reunion page for the SC reunion of the cast and crew back in '01. Very cool stuff.
Check it all out at sleepawaycampmovies.com
And Finally, the Gears of War movies
Gears of War was picked up by New Line Cinema. If the movie can be anywhere near as good as the game then I'm all for it. And, I'm getting increasingly excited with this new flood of videogames turned to movies. Why? Because finally studios are picking the right fucking games.
Gears of War the game was like playing a movie, and in 2009 I'll be able to relieve it and be a lot more lazy in the process.
Time to get a bit whiney though. I've been getting this itch to adapt a good game into a screenplay. Mostly for personal reasons, but if I can get a bite well hey I'm all for it. Now, first idea was to do a Castlevania adaptation. Well, it's already been done by the dude that did Alien vs Predator.
Next idea was Gears of War, which just got optioned. Now I'm starting to think I'm on the right track. A little less procrastination, a little more screenplay, uh, -nation. (?) Anyway, Metal Gear Solid has already been optioned also, so I need some suggestions. Devil May Cry anyone?
Still to come...Why exactly does Hollywood Remake Horror Fims more then any other genre? Why does Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon matter so much? Just really how amazing can Grindhouse be? Stay tuned
Friday, March 23, 2007
The final Spider Man 3 Trailer
It's 3 a.m. and I should be in bed but there's no way I couldn't write something about this.
The good folks over at comingsoon.net just posted links to the final Spider Man 3 trailer. Lets face it, what's really getting everyone so excited about this one...VENOM! And on yeah, Venom is in the final trailer.
Now there's about 10 different trailers and video blogs and featurettes on the web for Spider Man 3, but the only inkling we've seen of Venom is about a 1 frame shot of him jumping toward the screen. That clip didn't even come out til about 2 months ago, and since then everything surrounding this movie has been Venom-less.
Until now. And it's not as though the final trailer has a lot of Venom, but it definitely shows Venom's full figure, in motion, fighting Spidey and swinging on his oh so kick ass black web. It's only a few seconds, but if you're a true nerd/geek like myself, you can pause it and see him full bore, swinging around!!!!!
There's 2 trailers, one domestic and one international. I recommend the internation trailer; more Venom and a significantly larger video (by larger I mean screen size, the domestic one is the size of a figure skater).
Internation Trailer Domestic Trailer
Enjoy
It's 3 a.m. and I should be in bed but there's no way I couldn't write something about this.
The good folks over at comingsoon.net just posted links to the final Spider Man 3 trailer. Lets face it, what's really getting everyone so excited about this one...VENOM! And on yeah, Venom is in the final trailer.
Now there's about 10 different trailers and video blogs and featurettes on the web for Spider Man 3, but the only inkling we've seen of Venom is about a 1 frame shot of him jumping toward the screen. That clip didn't even come out til about 2 months ago, and since then everything surrounding this movie has been Venom-less.
Until now. And it's not as though the final trailer has a lot of Venom, but it definitely shows Venom's full figure, in motion, fighting Spidey and swinging on his oh so kick ass black web. It's only a few seconds, but if you're a true nerd/geek like myself, you can pause it and see him full bore, swinging around!!!!!
There's 2 trailers, one domestic and one international. I recommend the internation trailer; more Venom and a significantly larger video (by larger I mean screen size, the domestic one is the size of a figure skater).
Internation Trailer Domestic Trailer
Enjoy
Sunday, March 18, 2007
The Sequel to the best Slasher movie ever
Since the title of this post contains the phrase "best slasher movie ever," I'll go ahead and get that outta the way.
Sleepaway Camp is the best slasher movie ever. In my opinion, of course. Since this post isn't about the best slasher film ever, but instead the sequel, I won't go into detail why it is the best slasher ever. If you want to know, call me or email me (jud.scott@gmail.com) and we can discuss.
What this post is about is perhaps the most intriguing story ever surrounding a sequel to a movie.
Now, Sleepaway Camp was released in 1983 by writer/directer/film student Robert Hiltzik. Since then 2 sequels were released. Part 2 could be one of the 10 best slasher's of all time and part 3 in of itself is a hilarious satirical take on the slasher genre. They both hold their own in the slasher flick canon.
However, Hiltzik had nothing to do with the sequels (they were made by one Michael Simpson) and before they were even released he wrote his own sequel in 1985. No studio optioned it, instead they went for Simpson's for reasons I do not know.
In the early 1992 a 4th Sleepaway Camp went into production. "Sleepaway Camp 4: The Survivor" was never finished, either due to production costs, or because it was complete shit. Because of a huge fanbase, the original Sleepaway Camp Survival Guide boxset contained a DVD with the 34 minutes of footage from part 4. It was never completed.
In 2000 Robert Hiltzik rewrote his sequel to Sleepaway Camp and finally got some financing. "Return to Sleepaway Camp" was put into production a few years after, and since then it has become not only an internet sensation, but a complete and utter mystery.
Sleepaway Camp fans have been harping over Hiltzik's sequel since word came out, yet no one really knows of a release date, or even if it will ever be released. Hell, there are rumors floating that the sequel itself is a rumor and was never even made. Word is the film was wrapped in '04 or '05, but Fangoria magazine, a reputable resource, printed an article saying reshoots took place to make some of the death scenes even gorier. Fucking awesome right?
But here's the best part. Just recently someone actually found raw footage of what's rumored to be the actual ending of "Return to Sleepaway Camp." I found out about this in January, and since then I've tomb raider'd the web to try and find it.
Well I found it, and it is fucking incredible. The raw footage has no sound, and the time signatures stamped on it denote that it is in fact raw footage and not technically part of the final cut. Those who posted it had to deal with legal relegations to take it down before a lawsuit went into action. Thankfully our friends over at YouTube.com still have it up. I won't post the link, but just search the movie title and you will find it.
The interesting part about the supposed ending being leaked is that it validates that "Return to Sleepaway Camp" was at least somewhat shot, and, for myself and campers everywhere, it gives hope that the final product will at some point see light of day.
The people over at retroslashers.net (an outstanding horror resource) have produced their own Sleepaway Camp fan site titled, aptly enough, the Sleepaway Camp Official Site. There you can read about various rumors surrounding the sequel's release, as well as an entire page dealing with the original main character, Angela, and her role in the sequel (if you're a Sleepaway Camp fan that page will make you wet).
I've dug into the IMDB message boards , fan sites across the web, and even wikipedia to try and come to some conclusion about the progress of the film. The release date is perhaps the most anticipated piece of information that no one can even make a guess on. There aren't even any rumors about a release date, which is just as shocking as the quote on quote "leaked ending."
So far, no release date is confirmed. No studio has said to have picked up distribution rights, and no studio has said to be releasing it straight to DVD. Robert Hiltzik, the writer and director, has yet to come out to speak on any aspect of the film, and no one from the crew or talent have slipped up or said anything about where the movie stands. Vincent Pastore, of "Sopranos" fame, is in the film and even in his interviews about the "Sopranos" he's asked about "Return to Sleepaway Camp." He hasn't shed any light about a release either.
In all my years I've never seen more of a mystery surrounding the release of a single film. I'd give anything to find out if it's coming out or not. For the most part when rumors surround a movie it either goes public about going into production, or goes public about being scrapped altogether. "Return to Sleepaway Camp" has somehow remained in between for almost 4 years.
The official site has posted a bootleg trailer of the film shown at a horror convention a few years back (the trailer features Isaac Hayes as the chef, get it!!!!!) and even a behind the scenes featurette with one of the main characters of the first movie who has returned, yes, after 14 years, to star in the sequel.
What it comes down to is the old cliche: only time will tell. And I really hate cliches. I mean, really hate them. And the fact I have to use one to close this post is really disconcerning. Kind of like Han Solo getting mad at Leia because he thinks she likes Luke.
But like what Lando expects of Han in Jedi, deep down in my heart, I just know those shields will come down and the mystery of "Return to Sleepaway Camp" will finally be revealed.
Since the title of this post contains the phrase "best slasher movie ever," I'll go ahead and get that outta the way.
Sleepaway Camp is the best slasher movie ever. In my opinion, of course. Since this post isn't about the best slasher film ever, but instead the sequel, I won't go into detail why it is the best slasher ever. If you want to know, call me or email me (jud.scott@gmail.com) and we can discuss.
What this post is about is perhaps the most intriguing story ever surrounding a sequel to a movie.
Now, Sleepaway Camp was released in 1983 by writer/directer/film student Robert Hiltzik. Since then 2 sequels were released. Part 2 could be one of the 10 best slasher's of all time and part 3 in of itself is a hilarious satirical take on the slasher genre. They both hold their own in the slasher flick canon.
However, Hiltzik had nothing to do with the sequels (they were made by one Michael Simpson) and before they were even released he wrote his own sequel in 1985. No studio optioned it, instead they went for Simpson's for reasons I do not know.
In the early 1992 a 4th Sleepaway Camp went into production. "Sleepaway Camp 4: The Survivor" was never finished, either due to production costs, or because it was complete shit. Because of a huge fanbase, the original Sleepaway Camp Survival Guide boxset contained a DVD with the 34 minutes of footage from part 4. It was never completed.
In 2000 Robert Hiltzik rewrote his sequel to Sleepaway Camp and finally got some financing. "Return to Sleepaway Camp" was put into production a few years after, and since then it has become not only an internet sensation, but a complete and utter mystery.
Sleepaway Camp fans have been harping over Hiltzik's sequel since word came out, yet no one really knows of a release date, or even if it will ever be released. Hell, there are rumors floating that the sequel itself is a rumor and was never even made. Word is the film was wrapped in '04 or '05, but Fangoria magazine, a reputable resource, printed an article saying reshoots took place to make some of the death scenes even gorier. Fucking awesome right?
But here's the best part. Just recently someone actually found raw footage of what's rumored to be the actual ending of "Return to Sleepaway Camp." I found out about this in January, and since then I've tomb raider'd the web to try and find it.
Well I found it, and it is fucking incredible. The raw footage has no sound, and the time signatures stamped on it denote that it is in fact raw footage and not technically part of the final cut. Those who posted it had to deal with legal relegations to take it down before a lawsuit went into action. Thankfully our friends over at YouTube.com still have it up. I won't post the link, but just search the movie title and you will find it.
The interesting part about the supposed ending being leaked is that it validates that "Return to Sleepaway Camp" was at least somewhat shot, and, for myself and campers everywhere, it gives hope that the final product will at some point see light of day.
The people over at retroslashers.net (an outstanding horror resource) have produced their own Sleepaway Camp fan site titled, aptly enough, the Sleepaway Camp Official Site. There you can read about various rumors surrounding the sequel's release, as well as an entire page dealing with the original main character, Angela, and her role in the sequel (if you're a Sleepaway Camp fan that page will make you wet).
I've dug into the IMDB message boards , fan sites across the web, and even wikipedia to try and come to some conclusion about the progress of the film. The release date is perhaps the most anticipated piece of information that no one can even make a guess on. There aren't even any rumors about a release date, which is just as shocking as the quote on quote "leaked ending."
So far, no release date is confirmed. No studio has said to have picked up distribution rights, and no studio has said to be releasing it straight to DVD. Robert Hiltzik, the writer and director, has yet to come out to speak on any aspect of the film, and no one from the crew or talent have slipped up or said anything about where the movie stands. Vincent Pastore, of "Sopranos" fame, is in the film and even in his interviews about the "Sopranos" he's asked about "Return to Sleepaway Camp." He hasn't shed any light about a release either.
In all my years I've never seen more of a mystery surrounding the release of a single film. I'd give anything to find out if it's coming out or not. For the most part when rumors surround a movie it either goes public about going into production, or goes public about being scrapped altogether. "Return to Sleepaway Camp" has somehow remained in between for almost 4 years.
The official site has posted a bootleg trailer of the film shown at a horror convention a few years back (the trailer features Isaac Hayes as the chef, get it!!!!!) and even a behind the scenes featurette with one of the main characters of the first movie who has returned, yes, after 14 years, to star in the sequel.
What it comes down to is the old cliche: only time will tell. And I really hate cliches. I mean, really hate them. And the fact I have to use one to close this post is really disconcerning. Kind of like Han Solo getting mad at Leia because he thinks she likes Luke.
But like what Lando expects of Han in Jedi, deep down in my heart, I just know those shields will come down and the mystery of "Return to Sleepaway Camp" will finally be revealed.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
A Quick Update to the Let Down I'll Have to Get Used To
That I never updated my first post from last fall came to my attention by way of my good friend and co-worker Nasty Nick Longo.
After I found out through IMDB that "Meg" was already in production to be filmed and that there was in fact a finished script already purchased was confirmed after the author of the book, Steve Alten, promptly returned an email I sent inquiring:
Judson
MEG was optioned to New Line Cinema a few years ago, they hired Shane Salerno to do the script. he is working on a 4th draft as we speak.
As such, the door is closed on MEG. Sorry.
Best of luck with the writing! Stay with it.
--Steve Alten
So I was only a few years late. Interestingly enough, Shane Salerno, the guy who will be credited with the final script, also wrote Shaft and Alien vs. Predator 2, and helped write Armageddon. I can't help but laugh thinking that Steve Alten is breaking the news to a portfolio-less and universally unknown screenwriter that his prized smash hit novel Meg is no longer available for adaptation because the dude that wrote Armageddon already did it.
Here's the IMDB site for the flick. Fucking Jan de Bont is attached to direct. I'm already unexcited.
That I never updated my first post from last fall came to my attention by way of my good friend and co-worker Nasty Nick Longo.
After I found out through IMDB that "Meg" was already in production to be filmed and that there was in fact a finished script already purchased was confirmed after the author of the book, Steve Alten, promptly returned an email I sent inquiring:
Judson
MEG was optioned to New Line Cinema a few years ago, they hired Shane Salerno to do the script. he is working on a 4th draft as we speak.
As such, the door is closed on MEG. Sorry.
Best of luck with the writing! Stay with it.
--Steve Alten
So I was only a few years late. Interestingly enough, Shane Salerno, the guy who will be credited with the final script, also wrote Shaft and Alien vs. Predator 2, and helped write Armageddon. I can't help but laugh thinking that Steve Alten is breaking the news to a portfolio-less and universally unknown screenwriter that his prized smash hit novel Meg is no longer available for adaptation because the dude that wrote Armageddon already did it.
Here's the IMDB site for the flick. Fucking Jan de Bont is attached to direct. I'm already unexcited.
Friday, March 09, 2007
"300" review
A solemn victory of transpose with notorious visuals and dramatic inceptions of valor. And lots of slow motion.
Translation
I liked it. Will I be talking about it in 3 days? Yes. Will I be thinking about it in 3 days? Probably not.
300 is unquestionably a beautiful film to watch, start to finish, there's nothing on screen that you won't enjoy seeing. The second near perfect transition of a Frank Miller novel on the screen, there's nothing that doesn't drip his influence. That I joyfully applaud.
The directing was also spot on. I can't say it was brilliant, because the film wasn't brilliant, but it was exactly necessary to the product. Nearly every scene is grand in its own right, not unlike a single page in Miller's novels. As grandios as we all anticipated after the first trailer came out last year.
What keeps me from praising this film outright though is what I was just talking about. Confusing? Let me explain.
I knew this movie would quench the proverbial visual thirst. You knew this movie would look amazing. The fact that how the movie looked was the best part of the movie is what led me to walk away asking myself, "thats it?" Now, how a movie looks does not mean how it was directed. Don't kid yourself. I already said it was directed very well. However, I wanted to see what the next scene looked like more then I cared about what was going to happen.
The first battle is, on its own stage, epic. And thankfully there's plenty of fighting, so don't worry about any lack there of. Although King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) pledging the bravery of the Spartans, and their insatiable passion for battling the Persians, does get a bit repetitive. Actually, it's pretty much the only thing talked about for the last hour and a half of the film. After the first battle he need not say another word about it, because we just saw it.
Subplot is frivilous at best, with a back-and-forth of the war and what's going on with the Queen in Sparta. Pretty much I could have done without it altogether. But with so much slow motion I guess it was necessary to keep the film length acceptable (approximately 2 hours).
What adds up from repetitive dialogue and a snoozing subplot equals I don't really care about what happens to the characters.
But going into 300 all I cared about was the visuals and the fight scenes. Not once did I watch the trailer and think "man I really can't wait to see what happens to King Leonidas." That said, both the visuals and the fight scenes more then lived up to my expectations. Exceeded them if you will. That was all I wanted, that was all I needed. 300 definitely delivers, and in a world of C students, that's all you can really ask for. Go see it.
A solemn victory of transpose with notorious visuals and dramatic inceptions of valor. And lots of slow motion.
Translation
I liked it. Will I be talking about it in 3 days? Yes. Will I be thinking about it in 3 days? Probably not.
300 is unquestionably a beautiful film to watch, start to finish, there's nothing on screen that you won't enjoy seeing. The second near perfect transition of a Frank Miller novel on the screen, there's nothing that doesn't drip his influence. That I joyfully applaud.
The directing was also spot on. I can't say it was brilliant, because the film wasn't brilliant, but it was exactly necessary to the product. Nearly every scene is grand in its own right, not unlike a single page in Miller's novels. As grandios as we all anticipated after the first trailer came out last year.
What keeps me from praising this film outright though is what I was just talking about. Confusing? Let me explain.
I knew this movie would quench the proverbial visual thirst. You knew this movie would look amazing. The fact that how the movie looked was the best part of the movie is what led me to walk away asking myself, "thats it?" Now, how a movie looks does not mean how it was directed. Don't kid yourself. I already said it was directed very well. However, I wanted to see what the next scene looked like more then I cared about what was going to happen.
The first battle is, on its own stage, epic. And thankfully there's plenty of fighting, so don't worry about any lack there of. Although King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) pledging the bravery of the Spartans, and their insatiable passion for battling the Persians, does get a bit repetitive. Actually, it's pretty much the only thing talked about for the last hour and a half of the film. After the first battle he need not say another word about it, because we just saw it.
Subplot is frivilous at best, with a back-and-forth of the war and what's going on with the Queen in Sparta. Pretty much I could have done without it altogether. But with so much slow motion I guess it was necessary to keep the film length acceptable (approximately 2 hours).
What adds up from repetitive dialogue and a snoozing subplot equals I don't really care about what happens to the characters.
But going into 300 all I cared about was the visuals and the fight scenes. Not once did I watch the trailer and think "man I really can't wait to see what happens to King Leonidas." That said, both the visuals and the fight scenes more then lived up to my expectations. Exceeded them if you will. That was all I wanted, that was all I needed. 300 definitely delivers, and in a world of C students, that's all you can really ask for. Go see it.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
300 reviews, so far
Since I'm going to see 300 tonight I checked out the reviews over at rottentomaotes.com to see what the critics word was. If you're not privy to rotten tomatoes is (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/) it's a site that assigns a percentage formula to the grades of every prominent film critic in the land (print and web based) and takes a total average to give you an idea of what critics as a whole think. Not only does it implement film critics, it adds reader reviews also. I was a bit shocked to see what the total score is so far:
60%. Of 81 reviews so far 49 were good, 32 were bad. Want to know the score earlier this week? 100%. Now that's the grand total. They also have a sidebar titled "cream of the crop" which is basically the percentage based off of the most respectable critics in the land. "Cream of the crop" total: 50%.
Here's a few interesting ones:
"At least in the short run, "300" is something to see, but unless you love violence as much as a Spartan, Quentin Tarantino or a video-game-playing teenage boy, you will not be endlessly fascinated." LA Times critic Ken Turan (im still mentally teen aged, and I love violence, fucking great!)
"300 is a movie blood-drunk on its own artful excess. Guys of all ages and sexes won't be able to resist it." Peter Travers Rolling Stone
“300” is about as violent as “Apocalypto” and twice as stupid." A.O. Scott New York Times (hmmmm, this worries me a bit)
"There is so much slow motion that if they had run the entire film at normal speed, it would have been half as long. " (now this I definitely saw coming) Eric Melin SceneStealers.com
"The battle sequences are filled with grotesque spectacle: They start off entertainingly ferocious, then grow numbing with stylized spraying blood and severed heads. " (spraying bloods and severed heads!) Claudia Puig USA Today
"It's like Fight Club without the tongue-in-cheek satire, a celebration of fascistic war and violence as noble and heroic that cribs, without a shameful bat of the eyelash, from Gladiator, Braveheart..." (hmmm this one worries me a lot) Nick Schager Slant Magazine
"300 is about as subtle as a spear through the head. But it's also shamelessly entertaining, and not a bad way to make time move a little faster." (now THAT's what I'm talking about) Chris Vognar Dallas Morning News
...And of course there are many, many more. What I've gathered from this: 300 isn't as much about themes as it is about ass kicking, and as long as I get enough ass kicking on screen I'm cool with that. Any less then 30-45 ass kicking minutes, and I'll be pretty upset.
Check back late for the review.
Since I'm going to see 300 tonight I checked out the reviews over at rottentomaotes.com to see what the critics word was. If you're not privy to rotten tomatoes is (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/) it's a site that assigns a percentage formula to the grades of every prominent film critic in the land (print and web based) and takes a total average to give you an idea of what critics as a whole think. Not only does it implement film critics, it adds reader reviews also. I was a bit shocked to see what the total score is so far:
60%. Of 81 reviews so far 49 were good, 32 were bad. Want to know the score earlier this week? 100%. Now that's the grand total. They also have a sidebar titled "cream of the crop" which is basically the percentage based off of the most respectable critics in the land. "Cream of the crop" total: 50%.
Here's a few interesting ones:
"At least in the short run, "300" is something to see, but unless you love violence as much as a Spartan, Quentin Tarantino or a video-game-playing teenage boy, you will not be endlessly fascinated." LA Times critic Ken Turan (im still mentally teen aged, and I love violence, fucking great!)
"300 is a movie blood-drunk on its own artful excess. Guys of all ages and sexes won't be able to resist it." Peter Travers Rolling Stone
“300” is about as violent as “Apocalypto” and twice as stupid." A.O. Scott New York Times (hmmmm, this worries me a bit)
"There is so much slow motion that if they had run the entire film at normal speed, it would have been half as long. " (now this I definitely saw coming) Eric Melin SceneStealers.com
"The battle sequences are filled with grotesque spectacle: They start off entertainingly ferocious, then grow numbing with stylized spraying blood and severed heads. " (spraying bloods and severed heads!) Claudia Puig USA Today
"It's like Fight Club without the tongue-in-cheek satire, a celebration of fascistic war and violence as noble and heroic that cribs, without a shameful bat of the eyelash, from Gladiator, Braveheart..." (hmmm this one worries me a lot) Nick Schager Slant Magazine
"300 is about as subtle as a spear through the head. But it's also shamelessly entertaining, and not a bad way to make time move a little faster." (now THAT's what I'm talking about) Chris Vognar Dallas Morning News
...And of course there are many, many more. What I've gathered from this: 300 isn't as much about themes as it is about ass kicking, and as long as I get enough ass kicking on screen I'm cool with that. Any less then 30-45 ass kicking minutes, and I'll be pretty upset.
Check back late for the review.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
The 300 hype
300 comes out Friday, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited. But I can't help but talk about the surrounding hype. I can't think of a movie in recent memory that has been hyped this much.
I know I know, Snakes on a Plane (or SOAP if you're hip to the internet) was probably the most internet hyped movie ever. And it wasn't hyped because everyone was excited about the caliber of the film, it was hyped because people were excited about a fucking movie called Snakes on a Plane. How can you not talk about a movie called Snakes on a Plane; it coulda been an hour and a half with Sam Jackson and a white woman chained up and the title alone woulda be enough for the internet hype.
But you can't compare it to the hype of 300. And why you ask?
Because 300 is supposed to be good. Actually, it's supposed to be great. I've actually heard people, friends of mine, with movie knowledge, say it could be one of the top 10 movies ever made. All based upon a preview and a 100 clips already posted online. SOAP was never supposed to be an epic.
Like I said, I'll be the first to admit, when I saw the trailer for 300 I was as giddy as I was when I saw the first for Matrix: Reloaded. I'm just afraid that the letdown will be there, being as how 300 is basically the second coming of SinCity and Reloaded couldn't touch the original. Afraid almost to the point where I'm getting a little scared.
And for some reason, the studio, or whoever, decided the best way to promote this epic would be to post about 30 minutes of the movie to the internet. At least that's what it seems like. Take ComingSoon for instance (www.comingsoon.net/trailers, check it out it's the best), they take every online trailer and posting for a film and put the links on their site. So far here's how the list for 300: Teaser, Trailer, International Teaser, International Trailer, 12 video journal's, 5 TV spots, 10 actual clips of the movie, a behind the scenes clip, an extended clip and an interview with the Lena Headey (the female lead). Are you serious?
Really, how much of the damn movie can you post online before it comes out. I just watched a 5 minute video of Peter Parker fighting Harry Osbourne from Spider Man 3 and I feel like my wife cheated on me (not married by the way, but at least I'll know what it feels like). Luckily I've been strong enough to not watch anything posted online except for the trailers. They're on TV anyway.
Point is, would everyone think this movie is going to be so great if there wasn't this much hype? Probably not. I can't say for sure, but I can say without any doubt is that movies don't earn the title of being epic until AFTER people see it. Now it seems like studios actually feel so bad about making people wait for a movie that they put out clips to keep them from suicide. I hate it because the anticipation is part of the experience. Lucas didn't post any clips of Episode 1 back in '99, and I'll never forget being there on opening night. Was Episode 1 an all time film epic? No. Was it an event that will never be forgotten? Duh.
And 300 has that. The story is there, the actors are there (keep an eye on Dominic West), the script is obviously there and the visuals are obviously there. It better be good, and I think it's going to be. I just don't want people to think it's good after they see it because everyone already thinks it's good based soley upon the hype. I fear that much more than I fear being let down by the film itself.
*My 300 review will be posted around 3 a.m. on Thursday*
300 comes out Friday, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited. But I can't help but talk about the surrounding hype. I can't think of a movie in recent memory that has been hyped this much.
I know I know, Snakes on a Plane (or SOAP if you're hip to the internet) was probably the most internet hyped movie ever. And it wasn't hyped because everyone was excited about the caliber of the film, it was hyped because people were excited about a fucking movie called Snakes on a Plane. How can you not talk about a movie called Snakes on a Plane; it coulda been an hour and a half with Sam Jackson and a white woman chained up and the title alone woulda be enough for the internet hype.
But you can't compare it to the hype of 300. And why you ask?
Because 300 is supposed to be good. Actually, it's supposed to be great. I've actually heard people, friends of mine, with movie knowledge, say it could be one of the top 10 movies ever made. All based upon a preview and a 100 clips already posted online. SOAP was never supposed to be an epic.
Like I said, I'll be the first to admit, when I saw the trailer for 300 I was as giddy as I was when I saw the first for Matrix: Reloaded. I'm just afraid that the letdown will be there, being as how 300 is basically the second coming of SinCity and Reloaded couldn't touch the original. Afraid almost to the point where I'm getting a little scared.
And for some reason, the studio, or whoever, decided the best way to promote this epic would be to post about 30 minutes of the movie to the internet. At least that's what it seems like. Take ComingSoon for instance (www.comingsoon.net/trailers, check it out it's the best), they take every online trailer and posting for a film and put the links on their site. So far here's how the list for 300: Teaser, Trailer, International Teaser, International Trailer, 12 video journal's, 5 TV spots, 10 actual clips of the movie, a behind the scenes clip, an extended clip and an interview with the Lena Headey (the female lead). Are you serious?
Really, how much of the damn movie can you post online before it comes out. I just watched a 5 minute video of Peter Parker fighting Harry Osbourne from Spider Man 3 and I feel like my wife cheated on me (not married by the way, but at least I'll know what it feels like). Luckily I've been strong enough to not watch anything posted online except for the trailers. They're on TV anyway.
Point is, would everyone think this movie is going to be so great if there wasn't this much hype? Probably not. I can't say for sure, but I can say without any doubt is that movies don't earn the title of being epic until AFTER people see it. Now it seems like studios actually feel so bad about making people wait for a movie that they put out clips to keep them from suicide. I hate it because the anticipation is part of the experience. Lucas didn't post any clips of Episode 1 back in '99, and I'll never forget being there on opening night. Was Episode 1 an all time film epic? No. Was it an event that will never be forgotten? Duh.
And 300 has that. The story is there, the actors are there (keep an eye on Dominic West), the script is obviously there and the visuals are obviously there. It better be good, and I think it's going to be. I just don't want people to think it's good after they see it because everyone already thinks it's good based soley upon the hype. I fear that much more than I fear being let down by the film itself.
*My 300 review will be posted around 3 a.m. on Thursday*
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Zodiac Review (no spoilers I promise)
Before I get to the details, go see this movie. I have no cute stars or letter grades that I need to use, just trust me on this one. And if you don't...
There are three things that make a great movie: great direction, great acting, and a great script. Duh. The movie runs 2 and a half hours plus, and I know that sounds like a lot, but if you keep your eye to the screen you won't be bored the entire time. Instead of focusing on the Zodiac himself, the entire film focuses on the investigation. If you've ever heard of the Zodaic killings you know they never caught the guy, but what better way to make a film about a uncaught murderer then to see why they couldn't catch him?
Literally, 3 minutes into the film I was already hooked, which isn't so much a salute to the acting or directing as it is to the scriptwriter. The cinematic expression is subtle, but the old adage of less is more applies here greatly. We don't need grand scenes when the story keeps us hooked from beginning to end. There are some great shots, for instance all the car scenes, but Fincher does well by just letting us move with the investigation. Unforgettable characters? Not really. Characters you wan't to listen to? Absolutely.
The cast is the proverbial omelet of "where have I seen that guy before?" From old TV show actors to actors that you'd never remember their name, but have seen them in other movies. Except for Jake Gyllenhal and Robert Downey Jr. I'll be the first to admit, not a huge Gyllenhal fan, but he did outstanding. And Robert Downey Jr. is freaking acting gold (see Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, or Chaplin for that matter). It all comes back to that whole good acting, good directing and a good script = a great movie.
And this really is a great movie. I could even say incredible without feeling guilty about it because I'm a huge Fincher fan. It's refreshing to see a film really focus on what makes films good, instead of trying to implement played out and over saturated tactics that studios try to secure themselves a 20 million dollar opening weekend. This movie will never be forgotten (not unlike other Fincher classics i.e. Seven and Fight Club) and is in fact quite disturbing (the death scenes are awesome by the way) because what happens in the movie did happen in real life. The characters are real people, the events are all documented, and if you don't believe me I'll see you at wikipedia (search "the zodiac killer").
If you like it check out: JFK by Oliver Stone
Before I get to the details, go see this movie. I have no cute stars or letter grades that I need to use, just trust me on this one. And if you don't...
There are three things that make a great movie: great direction, great acting, and a great script. Duh. The movie runs 2 and a half hours plus, and I know that sounds like a lot, but if you keep your eye to the screen you won't be bored the entire time. Instead of focusing on the Zodiac himself, the entire film focuses on the investigation. If you've ever heard of the Zodaic killings you know they never caught the guy, but what better way to make a film about a uncaught murderer then to see why they couldn't catch him?
Literally, 3 minutes into the film I was already hooked, which isn't so much a salute to the acting or directing as it is to the scriptwriter. The cinematic expression is subtle, but the old adage of less is more applies here greatly. We don't need grand scenes when the story keeps us hooked from beginning to end. There are some great shots, for instance all the car scenes, but Fincher does well by just letting us move with the investigation. Unforgettable characters? Not really. Characters you wan't to listen to? Absolutely.
The cast is the proverbial omelet of "where have I seen that guy before?" From old TV show actors to actors that you'd never remember their name, but have seen them in other movies. Except for Jake Gyllenhal and Robert Downey Jr. I'll be the first to admit, not a huge Gyllenhal fan, but he did outstanding. And Robert Downey Jr. is freaking acting gold (see Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, or Chaplin for that matter). It all comes back to that whole good acting, good directing and a good script = a great movie.
And this really is a great movie. I could even say incredible without feeling guilty about it because I'm a huge Fincher fan. It's refreshing to see a film really focus on what makes films good, instead of trying to implement played out and over saturated tactics that studios try to secure themselves a 20 million dollar opening weekend. This movie will never be forgotten (not unlike other Fincher classics i.e. Seven and Fight Club) and is in fact quite disturbing (the death scenes are awesome by the way) because what happens in the movie did happen in real life. The characters are real people, the events are all documented, and if you don't believe me I'll see you at wikipedia (search "the zodiac killer").
If you like it check out: JFK by Oliver Stone
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