Monthly Archive for May, 2009

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How to Clash Those Titans Again

Published on May 19, 2009 in Movies. 0 Comments Tags: .

Greek gods, gotta love ‘em. One of my all-time guilty pleasures is Clash of the Titans, the 1981 movie about Zeus’ half-human son Perseus (Harry Hamlin) and his quest to battle both Medusa and the Kraken monster to save his love, the Princess Andromeda. Here’s the original trailer:

Ah, the beauty and splendor of Ray Harryhausen and his special effects techniques. Also starring in Clash of the Titans were a bevy of A-list Brits as the Greek gods, including Laurence Olivier as Zeus, Claire Bloom as Hera, Maggie Smith as Thetis and Ursula Andress as Aphrodite.

Now, it seems the Greek gods are returning in the film Percy Jackson. It’s about a kid named Percy who finds out he is the half-human son of Poseidon, the God of the sea, and sets out on an adventure to settle an on-going battle between the gods, based on the book by Rick Riordan. But just like Clash of the Titans, the casting is the best part, as follows:

Kevin McKidd (HBO’s Rome) as Poseidon; Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings) as Zeus, the king of the Gods; Rosario Dawson as Persephone, Goddess of fertility and wife of Hades, God of the underworld, played by Steve Coogan; Uma Thurman as Medusa, the snake-headed lady who turns folks into stone; Melina Kanakaredes (CSI:NY) as Athena, Goddess of wisdom; Pierce Brosnan as Chiron, a strapping centaur (can’t WAIT to see that!). Only the role of Ares, God of War, is yet to be cast. And as the mortals, there’s Logan Lerman (3:10 to Yuma) as the young Percy and Catherine Keener as his mom. Wonder how Poseidon seduces her?

Needless to say, I’m pretty jazzed about this one. Just can’t get enough of Greek mythology.

How to Be Thrilled by “Sherlock Holmes”

Published on May 19, 2009 in Movies. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Just watch this trailer for the new Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. Watson, directed by Guy Ritchie.

Looks entertaining to me, lots of action, and lord knows if Sherlock Holmes needs an update, Downey is the perfect guy to reinvent the character. Sherlock Holmes opens in theaters Dec. 25.

How to Sing “A Christmas Carol”

Published on May 18, 2009 in Movies. 0 Comments Tags: .

Get Jim Carrey and Robert Zemeckis as your carolers. The two have collaborated on an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic story, with Zemeckis using his 3D performance-capture technology he created for The Polar Express to illustrate the tale. Here’s a first look at the poster and an image of Carrey as Scrooge:

Disney is going full blast with this one, staging a 40-city train tour for the movie, starting May 22, which includes a 3D sneak peek of film footage, plus a whole lot more. This is from the press release about the event:

Featuring four custom-designed vintage rail cars full of behind-the-scenes attractions, entertaining demonstrations, and fun activities, the tour will have its inaugural stop at Los Angeles’ Union Station over Memorial Day Weekend, from May 22 through May 25. During the next 24 weeks, the train will make 40 stops in 36 states, as it travels its way across more than 16,000 miles of track. The tour will finish at New York’s Grand Central Terminal over the weekend of Oct. 30 through Nov. 1. This family event is for guests of all ages and is free to the public.

All the details are at www.christmascaroltraintour.com. I may just have to take my daughter to Union Station this weekend. A Christmas Carol opens in theaters nationwide Nov. 6.

How to Make Cash: The “Demons” “Trek” Match Up

Published on May 18, 2009 in Box Office and Movies. 0 Comments

Dang it, I was off again with the weekend box office grosses … not by much, though! Although I said Star Trek might win again, I was wrong, with Angels and Demons barely beating ST’s $43 million haul with its own $48 million. OK, it makes sense to me A&D would win, but its not nearly as successful as its predecessor The Da Vinci Code, which topped $77 mil its opening weekend. Ah, but that came with much controversy and protestations. A&D was more thrilling but much more tame in that let’s-piss-off-the-Christian-world arena.

Here’s the top five from the weekend:
1. NEW! Angels & Demons (Sony) - $48 mil ($13,609 per theaters)
2. Star Trek (Paramount) - $43 mil ($11,140 PT); $147.6 mil cume
3. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Fox) - $14.8 mil ($3,803 PT); $151 mil cume
4. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (WB) - $6.86 mil ($2,178 PT); $40 mil cume
5. Obsessed (Screen Gems) - $4.55 mil ($1,727 PT); $62.5 mil cume

Star Trek continues to be a success story, only dropping 43 percent from its big opening the previous weekend. Many claim its this year’s Iron Man, which I guess means that no one expected ST to appeal to such a wide audience. Well, it is and will continue to hold its own for several weeks to come.

Of course, the big question for this coming weekend is how much will Terminator: Salvation make? Let’s look at the pros: popular franchise; publicity surrounding the making of, namely the major star having a recorded tirade while filming the movie (you just know moviegoers are going to wonder after which scene did Christian Bale blow his top. I know I will); and a kickass trailer that makes it look goood (see below). Cons? No Schwarzenegger; the director (McG is NOT James Cameron) and maybe the publicity surrounding the making of, namely the major star having a recorded tirade while filming the movie. Could turn people off. I highly doubt it.

And don’t discount Night at the Musuem: Battle of the Smithsonian. It’s the first family movie to open in awhile, thus the only other option for non-teenagers, and will probably easily ride the coattails of its highly profitable predecessor. Plus, it looks hilarious.

I’ll forgo any dollar amount predictions this time around, but it should be another massive weekend.

How to Watch: “The Brothers Bloom”

Published on May 15, 2009 in Movies. 0 Comments Tags: .

brothers-bloom-01Step 1: Find yourself wrapped up in a big ball of quirk. The Brothers Bloom is an intriguingly offbeat yarn that unfortunately unravels towards the end.

Step 2: Try to define the thread of story. Is it a con man scheme? A love story? Or a Cain and Abel tale? It’s kind of all of those. We first meet Stephen and his younger brother Bloom as orphaned kids, dressed in black suits and hats. At this young age, these two quickly see how they can make a few bucks by creating intricate long cons, concocted by Stephen with a most poetic touch, and performed with perfection by Bloom. Then they grow up. Stephen’s (Mark Ruffalo) still got the hat, while Bloom (Adrien Brody) has ditched his. But they are still performing elaborate cons, aided by a third member, the (almost) mute Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi). Guess what her specialty is? Right, explosives.

Step 3: Spin the story. Bloom decides he doesn’t want to participate in the reindeer games anymore, wants his own life back, but only after he goes through one last con with Stephen and Bang Bang. Their mark? An eccentric heiress named Penelope (Rachel Weisz), who collects hobbies for a living and is up for any kind of new adventure. She certainly gets one with the Brothers Bloom — and changes the boys lives forever.

Step 4: Recognize the flaws in the design. Writer/director Rian Johnson (Brick) certainly doesn’t follow the rules with Brothers Bloom and paints a peculiar, hilarious yet fresh picture. But those character idiosyncrasies that make the first part of the film so engaging seem to lessen as the story progresses, signing off with an unsatisfying conclusion. It’s as if Johnson couldn’t figure out quite how to keep the momentum going and just lapses into the serious.

Step 5: Give praise to the players, however. Brody and Ruffalo are convincing as the co-dependent brothers who’ve had to stick together through thick and thin. Ultimately, Stephen really wants Bloom to be happy but doesn’t know how to let Bloom go, while Bloom wants to go but doesn’t know how to break free. It’s complicated. And Weisz’s Penelope is the catalyst to solve their problems. The actress totally embraces her character’s kookiness (don’t get her behind the wheel of a yellow sports car) but starts to lose that edge towards the end. The real delight is Kikuchi, who we all might remember for her devastating, Oscar-nominated performance in Babel. Brothers Bloom is only her second U.S. film, and she makes the most of it as the silent Bang Bang, doing more with her facial expressions and gesture than any words could convey.

Level of difficulty in watching Brothers Bloom: Mildly moderate. The first half will have you rolling, but the quirky comedy doesn’t quite carry through when things turn darker.

How to Watch: “Angels and Demons”

Published on May 14, 2009 in Movies. 0 Comments Tags: , .

pk-04Step 1: Before seeing the movie, go to Wikipedia and read up on the Vatican, so you’ll have some understanding how that place operates, especially after a Pope has died. Trust me, it’ll make it less complicated.

Step 2: Then sit back and enjoy another wild but highly informative ride as Tom Hanks, Ron Howard and all The Da Vinci Code gang takes us through another intricate maze of religious symbolism, this time in order to save the Vatican from being destroyed.

Step 3: Pay attention and you might learn something. As he did in The Da Vinci Code, our favorite symbologist Robert Langdon (Hanks) once again enlightens us. This time it’s about the “Enlighten Ones” or the Illuminati, which was a secret society formed centuries and centuries ago and comprised of scientists, artists and freethinkers who rebelled against the Catholic Church – and were persecuted for it in the 1500s. Some believe the Illuminati still exists today. And they might still be out for revenge.

Step 4: Get sucked into the ticking bomb scenario with Langdon. During the Conclave – or the choosing of the next Pope – Langdon is searching for the four kidnapped cardinals, or preferiti – the next in line after the Pope dies – before they are killed by what seems to be a radical group of Illuminati, culminating in the explosion of a bomb hidden in the Vatican. Armed with some secret clues stored deep within the Vatican Archive, Langdon and his sidekick Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), an Italian scientist, race along the 400-year-old Path of Illumination to catch the killer(s).

Step 5: Realize you now know what the Path of Illumination, Conclave, preferiti, Illuminati all mean (sorry, I had no idea).

Step 6: Be thankful Hanks as Langdon doesn’t have to give long-winded speeches about Jesus’ ancestry. A lot less controversy that way. No, the lectures are much shorter in Angels and Demons (but just as fascinating) because the guy has a lot of running around to do. Perhaps not one of Hanks’ most memorable character, his Langdon is still a studied portrayal of a fervent academic looking for more knowledge, who also has respect for where that knowledge comes from. Zurer (Vantage Point) is a better match for Langdon than Audrey Tautou was in The Da Vinci Code, while A&D‘s cold-blooded assassin, played by Danish actor Nicolai Lie Kaas, is a better bad guy than Code’s Paul Bettany as the albino Silas. A&D also has Ewan McGregor as the Cameriengo, the priest who certifies the Pope’s death and acts as pseudo head of state until a new Pope is picked; Stellan Skarsgard as the Captain of the Swiss Guard, sworn to protect the Pope and the college of Cardinals; and Armin Mueller-Stahl as the head of the college of Cardinals.

Step 7: You now also know who the Cameriengo, Swiss Guard and college of Cardinals do within the Vatican. Aren’t you glad you went to Wikipedia first?

Step 8: Perhaps marvel at the ancient rituals of the Vatican. Even though director Howard wasn’t exactly allowed to film in the revered Italian city, he nonetheless fully captures its architecture and splendor with meticulously designed sets. The coolest sequence is in the recreated Vatican Archive, with its hermetically sealed chambers, holding a fathomless library of ancient artifacts, treasures, painting, scripts and writings. I want go there.

Level of difficulty in watching Angels and Demons: Easy to moderate. Although definitely more thrilling than The Da Vinci Code – and slightly less religiously controversial – A&D will appeal mostly to the History Channel set.

How to Marvel “Lost” …

Published on May 14, 2009 in TV. 0 Comments

… and all its wonderful complexities. I know I chat mostly about movies, but I just have to say a few words about the season finale to my favorite TV show Lost: Um, wow. I mean, WOW.

This fifth season has been a wonky ride, which includes time jumping; the Oceanic Six being coaxed back to the island; another plane crash; Juliet-Sawyer-Kate-Jack; Locke’s resurrection; Faraday’s “what happened, happened” theories, only to be changed to the idea of human “variables”; the Dharma Initiative; the “what’s in the shadow of the statue?” people; the ageless Richard — and the identity of Jacob.

Seriously, I can’t even begin to dissect it all but have found a kindred spirit who explains it to me succinctly over at EW.com: Jeff Jensen. Check out his recap of the finale and, well, either marvel it — or scratch your head.

All I know is when the sixth and final season airs next January, 2010, I will be waiting with bated breath, wondering what the hell I’m going to do with myself when it’s all over.

How to Find the Next Frank Sinatra

Published on May 13, 2009 in Casting. 0 Comments

Martin Scorsese is probably asking that very question right about now.

Variety reports Marty, as I like to call him because we are like THIS [fingers pressed closely together], is setting his sights on directing the first big-screen biopic about Ol’ Blue Eyes, covering the legendary crooner’s colorful life. But who can play Sinatra? Leonardo DiCaprio, Marty’s muse of the moment, is most likely at the top of the list. Hmmm … Howard Hughes, yes, but I’m not quite feeling the Leo vibe for Sinatra. Besides, DiCaprio probably wouldn’t want to play yet another iconic figure.

I guess Ray Liotta, who played Sinatra in the 1998 HBO movie The Rat Pack, is a little too long in the tooth to take on the role again. But I wonder if any of the other actors from that movie would reprise their roles, such as Don Cheadle as Sammy Davis Jr. or Deborah Kara Unger as Ava Gardner? I’d lean more towards Kate Beckinsale, who played Ava in Scorsese’s The Aviator. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

How to Cast: Rachel Weisz

Published on May 12, 2009 in Casting. 0 Comments

Do a biopic on Hedy Lamarr and nab the lovely Weisz immediately for the role. The actress – who’s starring in the upcoming The Brothers Bloom – is in talks to star in Face Value, playing the eccentric film icon.

But the movie is less about Lamarr’s movie career and more about her other accomplishments as a … wait for it … scientist. Say what? Yes, apparently Lamarr had other, more technical aspirations and was instrumental in discovering essentially what is now considered modern wireless communications. Well, now, that’s something I didn’t know, but I have to agree with Cinematical that Weisz would be perfect for the role.

In other casting news: Keanu Reeves strikes again. Don’t get me wrong – I think the guy has often picked projects that are well suited to his acting range. The Matrix, for example, totally worked. But I’m not entirely sure if a redo of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is up his alley, which is what the Hollywood Reporter is saying he is considering for his next project. Certainly The Day the Earth Stood Still was a mistake, so the actor should really think about doing a) another remake and b) something as heady as playing the famous doctor with a split personality. Besides, Guillermo del Toro is also doing a Jekyll and Hyde adaptation and, well, which one would YOU go see? Here’s a clip for the 1912 movie:

Speaking of del Toro, he’s written something for Katie Holmes. Not exactly FOR her, per se, but she has signed on to star in Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, a brainchild of del Toro to be directed by one of his proteges, Troy Nixey, Variety reports. It’s a remake of what sounds to be a very cheesy 1973 ABC television about a young girl who moves in with her father and new girlfriend and has to contend with monsters. The only thing somewhat intriguing about this is del Toro’s involvement as co-writer. Other than that, forget about it.

And finally, Robert De Niro and Edward Norton are circling the psychological thriller Stone, according to the Reporter. Story centers on a corrections officer (De Niro) and a convicted arsonist (Norton) and their complicated relationship. And what would that be? De Niro taking away Norton’s matches? Whatever it is, to see these two together again might be worth it.

How to Put “Star Trek” Into Warp Drive

Published on May 11, 2009 in Box Office and Movies. 0 Comments Tags: .

Word. Of. Mouth. Never underestimate the power of a friend telling another friend how AWESOME a movie is. Even though I was a little off in my guesstimation that Star Trek would cross the $100 mil mark its opening weekend, the positive reviews the film has received from both critics and regular moviegoers alike is pretty substantial. Here’s a clip of the film’s stars talking to TV Guide.com.

I mean, the space adventure did haul in $76.5 mil (including the pre-ticket sales), which isn’t too shabby, despite the fact it didn’t do quite as well as the $85 mil opening weekend for Wolverine. I suspect that was because more teenagers are into the X-Men franchise than they are Star Trek.

But as I just mentioned, that should change soon. I was right to say Wolverine would have a tough time keeping its momentum; it dropped nearly 70 percent this past weekend with a $27 mil take. Star Trek’s box office business , however, will only continue to grow as the hard-core Trekkers, the newfound Trek fans and the friendly PG-13 rating should give the film some repeat business.

Here is the top five this weekend:

1. NEW! Star Trek (Paramount) - $72.5 mil ($18,836 per theater); $76.5 mil cume
2. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Fox) - $27 mil ($6,582 PT); $129.6 mil cume
3. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (WB) - $10.4 mil ($3,291 PT); $30.2 mil cume
4. Obsessed (Screen Gems) - $6.6 mil ($2,537 PT); $56.25 mil cume
5. 17 Again (New Line) - $4.4 mil ($1,517 PT) - $54.17 mil cume

What will this mean for this week’s big opener, Angels and Demons? Hmm, not sure. Yes, Tom Hanks is reprising his role as our favorite symbologist Robert Langdon — a theological Indiana Jones, as it were — now trying to figure out some new religious mystery. And yes, although not nearly as prickly as its predecessor, The Da Vinci Code, the controversy over said religious undertones could bring in more look-ee-loos. But ultimately, the more “adult” movies just aren’t cutting these days (Duplicity, anyone?). Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at Angels and Demons, courtesy of Access Hollywood:

I’m going to stand by my prediction that Star Trek will beat Angels and Demons this coming weekend at the box office. Let’s see if I get it right this time.