The Warrior's Way looks like a combination of Once Upon a Time in China and America, Chushingura, Lone Wolf and Cub, and Ninja Assassin with just a touch of The Quick and the Dead.
All it is missing is pirates, dinosaurs, and zombies.
I am so jazzed.
Showing posts with label Movie Trailers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movie Trailers. Show all posts
Friday, October 01, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
I Call That Bold Talk For Brotherly Directors -- The Trailer for the Coen Brothers' True Grit
I love the performances of John Wayne and Robert Duvall in Henry Hathaway's classic Western True Grit.
John Wayne manages to simultaneously pander to those who are critical of his earlier Western performances by giving them a "clownish" version of his hero archetype, while bringing a genuine depth of character and emotion to the role. He would expand on this deep performance later in The Shootist where he will leave behind the clown and reveal the strength of performance that had always been the staple of a Wayne role. Wayne's characters had never really been as mockable as his critics wanted them to be, and his portrayal of a clownish version followed by a return to form eviscerates his earlier critics.
Duvall is..well...Duvall. He is a powerful actor to watch and his performance as the nihilistic Ned Pepper is perfect. He delivers frightening lines with a dead pan that demonstrates the character's dissociation from the rest of humanity. Duvall's Pepper is the Nietzschian Overman, he is beyond good and evil and is an expression of Will. His character is a sharp contrast to the classical virtue of Wayne's Cogburn, a character who appears to be filled with vice but in the end has "True Grit."
Glen Campbell is passable in his performance. He neither adds nor detracts from the mood of the film and presents the flashy false hero with some charm. He is the man that everyone believes is the hero because he is handsome and apparently forthright. He is almost too good to be true, but in the end what the cynical may have viewed as illusion is revealed to be true. His heroism isn't false, it is as real as Cogburn's.
Kim Darby's performance as young Mattie Ross is the weakest link in the film, and I've always found it hard to empathize with her character -- even given her compelling mission. She has always come across as more bratty than determined. If a director were to attempt to remake the film, it is this performance that I would seek to change and use as the basis for new interpretation.
It appears that is exactly what the Coen Brothers have done in their upcoming version of the tale. That is, if the teaser trailer is any indication.
I couldn't ask for a better choice of Cogburn than Jeff Bridges, though this will make two Jeff Bridges Christmas must see movies for me this year, and Matt Damon in the Glen Campbell role seems appropriate. Casting Josh Brolin as the dastardly Tom Chaney implies that the film will be darker and the character sterner than the Hathaway version. When I read that Barry Pepper was cast as Ned Pepper, the image seemed as natural as the sharing of last names. Barry Pepper has a likability, akin to Duvall's, that will allow for a wonderfully sinister Ned Pepper.
I wouldn't have thought I could be excited about a remake of True Grit, but then I never would have guessed it would be the Coen Brothers making it.
John Wayne manages to simultaneously pander to those who are critical of his earlier Western performances by giving them a "clownish" version of his hero archetype, while bringing a genuine depth of character and emotion to the role. He would expand on this deep performance later in The Shootist where he will leave behind the clown and reveal the strength of performance that had always been the staple of a Wayne role. Wayne's characters had never really been as mockable as his critics wanted them to be, and his portrayal of a clownish version followed by a return to form eviscerates his earlier critics.
Duvall is..well...Duvall. He is a powerful actor to watch and his performance as the nihilistic Ned Pepper is perfect. He delivers frightening lines with a dead pan that demonstrates the character's dissociation from the rest of humanity. Duvall's Pepper is the Nietzschian Overman, he is beyond good and evil and is an expression of Will. His character is a sharp contrast to the classical virtue of Wayne's Cogburn, a character who appears to be filled with vice but in the end has "True Grit."
Glen Campbell is passable in his performance. He neither adds nor detracts from the mood of the film and presents the flashy false hero with some charm. He is the man that everyone believes is the hero because he is handsome and apparently forthright. He is almost too good to be true, but in the end what the cynical may have viewed as illusion is revealed to be true. His heroism isn't false, it is as real as Cogburn's.
Kim Darby's performance as young Mattie Ross is the weakest link in the film, and I've always found it hard to empathize with her character -- even given her compelling mission. She has always come across as more bratty than determined. If a director were to attempt to remake the film, it is this performance that I would seek to change and use as the basis for new interpretation.
It appears that is exactly what the Coen Brothers have done in their upcoming version of the tale. That is, if the teaser trailer is any indication.
I couldn't ask for a better choice of Cogburn than Jeff Bridges, though this will make two Jeff Bridges Christmas must see movies for me this year, and Matt Damon in the Glen Campbell role seems appropriate. Casting Josh Brolin as the dastardly Tom Chaney implies that the film will be darker and the character sterner than the Hathaway version. When I read that Barry Pepper was cast as Ned Pepper, the image seemed as natural as the sharing of last names. Barry Pepper has a likability, akin to Duvall's, that will allow for a wonderfully sinister Ned Pepper.
I wouldn't have thought I could be excited about a remake of True Grit, but then I never would have guessed it would be the Coen Brothers making it.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Friday, September 03, 2010
Will Gareth Edwards' MONSTERS Deliver?
I'm pretty excited about the potential of MONSTERS. It is a giant monster film that adds a nice twist to the set up. The monsters have come, they've done their stuff, and the world has "normalized" to deal with the problem. It's essentially, "6 years after the alien invasion and most of the world is the same as before." I like the premise and the trailer looks interesting.
As a Magnolia/Magnet film, it will be released On Demand before it hits the theaters. For a film like this, I think that that is a brilliant move. Sometimes you wait for a film, watch it on the small screen, and then wish you'd seen it on the big screen. When you are the father of twins who has a wife who loves movies as much, if not more, than he does a movie going experience is $100+. It's $25 for admission, $15 snacks, and $60 babysitter. I watched Neil Marshall's CENTURION on demand a month ago, and really want to see it on the big screen. It's currently playing at the Leammle Sunset 5 if anyone is interested in seeing it with me Sunday night. There were a couple of moments I'd like to experience "super sized." Having MONSTERS available on demand will allow me to make a similar decision, and I have high hopes.
As a Magnolia/Magnet film, it will be released On Demand before it hits the theaters. For a film like this, I think that that is a brilliant move. Sometimes you wait for a film, watch it on the small screen, and then wish you'd seen it on the big screen. When you are the father of twins who has a wife who loves movies as much, if not more, than he does a movie going experience is $100+. It's $25 for admission, $15 snacks, and $60 babysitter. I watched Neil Marshall's CENTURION on demand a month ago, and really want to see it on the big screen. It's currently playing at the Leammle Sunset 5 if anyone is interested in seeing it with me Sunday night. There were a couple of moments I'd like to experience "super sized." Having MONSTERS available on demand will allow me to make a similar decision, and I have high hopes.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Warhammer 40K Movie -- ULTRAMARINE Trailer Released
They had me at Screenplay by Dan Abnett. Then they added awesome animation, John Hurt, Sean Pertwee, and Terence Stamp.
Games Workshop's various Warhammer Universes are some of the narratively richest game worlds ever constructed, and it is fine time that one of those universes received a compelling film. If only producers would trust the property beyond the direct to dvd market. Not that I'm complaining. This looks awesome. But I'd love to see 40k on the big screen.
Someday a 720 page volume of Dan Abnett's non-fiction writings will be released for the low price of $75 (adjust for inflation properly) and he will be recognized for what he is. What is that, you ask?
Simply one of the most talented and prolific writers of fantasy/sf fiction writing today. He -- along with William King -- changed forever what it means to write "Media Tie-In" fiction. His writing is consistently well constructed and witty. One wonders what particular deal with the Muses Mr. Abnett made.
Games Workshop's various Warhammer Universes are some of the narratively richest game worlds ever constructed, and it is fine time that one of those universes received a compelling film. If only producers would trust the property beyond the direct to dvd market. Not that I'm complaining. This looks awesome. But I'd love to see 40k on the big screen.
Someday a 720 page volume of Dan Abnett's non-fiction writings will be released for the low price of $75 (adjust for inflation properly) and he will be recognized for what he is. What is that, you ask?
Simply one of the most talented and prolific writers of fantasy/sf fiction writing today. He -- along with William King -- changed forever what it means to write "Media Tie-In" fiction. His writing is consistently well constructed and witty. One wonders what particular deal with the Muses Mr. Abnett made.
We are the Ultramarines, the Sons of Guilliman. Whilst we draw breath, we stand. Whilst we stand, we fight. Whilst we fight, we prevail. Nothing shall stay our wrath.
+++ Marneus Calgar, Chapter Master of the Ultramarines+++ Warhammer 40k Rule Book 5th Edition
FOR THE EMPEROR!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Suckerpunch -- Zack Snyder's New Film Trailer is a Nerdgasm
What if Kenneth Hite re-imagined Pan's Labyrinth and included Tri-Planes, Dragons, Mecha, Machine Guns, Samurai, Kung Fu? OH MY!
Did I mention the Nazis and the exploding Zeppelin?!
Zack Snyder's next film is an original work written by the director. It tells the story of a young girl who is institutionalized by her cruel stepfather and who retreats into a fantasy land in order to cope with the situation and gain her revenge. The film is so high concept that it makes my brain want to explode. From what is in the video, there is almost no conceivable way that this film can have a coherent narrative.
And you know what?
I cannot wait.
Then again, I am a sucker for exploding Zeppelins.
Did I mention the Nazis and the exploding Zeppelin?!
Zack Snyder's next film is an original work written by the director. It tells the story of a young girl who is institutionalized by her cruel stepfather and who retreats into a fantasy land in order to cope with the situation and gain her revenge. The film is so high concept that it makes my brain want to explode. From what is in the video, there is almost no conceivable way that this film can have a coherent narrative.
And you know what?
I cannot wait.
Then again, I am a sucker for exploding Zeppelins.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
New TRON: LEGACY Trailer
Initial under-performance is no sign of a lack of long-term interest. One can excuse executives in 1982 for not being able to see into the future at TRON's legacy, but current executives are right to invest so much time and marketing energy behind the new film.
Now...if only the movie's story will match the effort put into the film in other areas.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
DDR + David Hasselhoff = ??? -- Legend of the Dancing Ninja
Dance Dance Revolution, Kung Fu, David Hasselhoff.
Do I really need to say anything more about this production?
Do I really need to say anything more about this production?
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Green Hornet Trailer -- I'll Leave It to Bill Cunningham to Describe How Wrong this Is
Just like Kevin Smith, Michael Gondry and Seth Rogan just don't get this character.
It might help to start by taking the character seriously.
The Hornet should be frightening in his "role" as criminal mastermind, and Brit Reid should be unimpeachable in his role as crusading journalist. It is the perfect duality.
Trust fund loser who needs to redeem himself after the death of his father is so Freudianly lame.
Complaints aside, at least the film is coming out around my birthday. This will allow me to continue my "let's watch the worst movie of XX for my birthday party" tradition. Let's see how this compares to In the Name of the King.
It might help to start by taking the character seriously.
The Hornet should be frightening in his "role" as criminal mastermind, and Brit Reid should be unimpeachable in his role as crusading journalist. It is the perfect duality.
Trust fund loser who needs to redeem himself after the death of his father is so Freudianly lame.
Complaints aside, at least the film is coming out around my birthday. This will allow me to continue my "let's watch the worst movie of XX for my birthday party" tradition. Let's see how this compares to In the Name of the King.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
The Other Guys Not to Be Confused with The Good Guys
So far, my wife and I have been impressed and entertained by Fox Television's new series The Good Guys. We're suckers for a good action comedy cop show. I blame it on the television we grew up watching. From Starsky and Hutch to Sledgehammer, Gen X-ers watched a lot of cop shows that had light-hearted elements like Starsky and Hutch and C.H.I.P.S, or that were out and out comedies like Sledgehammer.
Comedy, cops, and action just seem natural.
This summer Adam McKay, the scribe who brought us the comedy masterpiece Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, brings us what may be the ultimate comedy, cops, and action film.
Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Mark Wahlberg, Michael Keaton, and...Will Ferrell.
This looks like a fun summer film. Like "Ricky Bobby," this film isn't likely to win awards. But, also like "Ricky Bobby," it is likely to produce a lot of laughs.
Comedy, cops, and action just seem natural.
This summer Adam McKay, the scribe who brought us the comedy masterpiece Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, brings us what may be the ultimate comedy, cops, and action film.
Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Mark Wahlberg, Michael Keaton, and...Will Ferrell.
This looks like a fun summer film. Like "Ricky Bobby," this film isn't likely to win awards. But, also like "Ricky Bobby," it is likely to produce a lot of laughs.
Tangled: Disney's New Twist on Rapunzel
As critical as I am of the current trend of self-referential and ironic adaptations of classic fairy tales, Tangled looks fun. That said, the Zoolander reference was a bit much for me -- and is a perfect example of what I despise about "re-imaginings" of classic tales.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Is The Cup of Tears Already the Third Best Ninja Movie Ever Made?
Gary Shore's two-minute independently produced "trailer" The Cup of Tears has already led to him signing an agreement with Universal to direct a film based upon the trailer. The two-minute trailer combines Tibetan monks, Shaolin looking monks, Samurai, Ninjas, things that look like missiles shot in "bullet time," and space ships shooting at each other. Somehow it manages to do this with almost no similarity to Cowboy Bebop.
Looking at Shore's direction of the action sequences, I am almost tempted to say that this is the third best American made ninja movie ever produced.
The first two?
Ninja Assassin and Revenge of the Ninja
The lack of Sho Kosugi automatically removes Shore's film from the top two.
As for other films in the Top 10 American Produced ninja movies, they include in no particular order The Octogon, You Only Live Twice, American Ninja, The Challenge, and The Hunted.
I don't consider Kill Bill a ninja film. It is too much an amalgam of all that is awesome in Eastern action cinema.
Nuff Said -- Prince of Persia Trailer as Performed by Legos
Raise your hand if you made stop motion action figure/lego figure movies, or dreamed of doing so, as a kid?
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
You Can Never Leave "The World of Martial Arts"
John Woo returns to his Last Hurrah for Chivalry roots with Reign of Assassins.
God I love wuxia films and the narrative tropes of jiang hu.
God I love wuxia films and the narrative tropes of jiang hu.
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Tron as Advertised by Saul Bass
Readers of this blog know that I am pretty excited about the release of Tron: Legacy in 3-D this Christmas. I imagine it will be one of the first movies that my daughters and I watch together in the theater and sharing a small piece of my cherished childhood with my own children is something to which I am very much looking forward.
One of the things that I am interested in seeing is how modern visual techniques are going to transform the concepts that were presented in the original film. The original film was a visual tour de force. Its ability to translate computer concepts into beautiful visual metaphors was remarkable and the imagery in the film comparing the circuit like structure of the "internet" with the nighttime illuminated landscape of a modern city is one of my favorite transitions in all of film.
That said, after stumbling upon Hexagonall's Tron credits, and advertising, done in the style of Saul Bass, I have begun to wonder what a retro-remake of Tron done in the style of a Stanley Donen, Alfred Hitchcock, or John Frankenheimer would be like. Try and imagine the film that would follow these opening credits:
This is a movie that I'd like to see. In particular, I'd like to see how modern animators would face the challenge of doing a retro-remake that uses modern technology to achieve classic animation techniques. What animation style would be used to simulate the life within the computer? What would a retro-remake "innerverse" look like? What would the opening video game sequence look like? I don't know, but I would love to see it.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Generic Movie: Hollywood as of 1980 or as of Its Origins?
Sean Mattie and I have been discussing, via email, the current fiscal/narrative conservatism that Hollywood seems to be exhibiting of late. His argument, and it is a common argument among critics, is that Hollywood is "no longer" in the business of making original productions and now busies themselves with adaptations of other works and long strings of sequels/remakes.
Having read The Day of the Locust (and seen the movie) and The Loved One (and seen that movie too), I am less critical of modern Hollywood than he is. I think that Hollywood has always been in the business of being risk averse and that the question to consider is whether the overall quality of entertainment offered today is less than that of any other given point in history. I am also of the opinion that quality is up compared to most eras of cinema, but that classic movies of the past are...well...Classic.
Speaking of The Day of the Locust, the thing I have always liked most about the Simpsons television show is how Homer Simpson continually visually references his namesake and his "big hands" in the majority of episodes. Every time Homer is choking Bart, you are getting a glimpse of the end of The Day of the Locust.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Season of the Witch (2010) -- Nicolas Cage Gets Medieval on Us
Man, I love Nicolas Cage. I may not enjoy every movie he star in, but the man doesn't seem to be ashamed to star in movies aimed at geek culture. Bangkok Dangerous may have been less dynamic than I had hoped, and I can nitpick about Ghost Rider all day, but Cage keeps coming out in projects that seem specifically tailored to the kind of movie I want to see in theaters.
The upcomingHarry Dresden Sorcerer's Apprentice film by Disney looks like fun, and so does Season of the Witch.
Hero Press provides the synopsis from the press release.
Looks like they are taking a little from Seventh Seal and mixing it with a little Ivanhoe adding a dash of Brotherhood of the Wolf and a dollop of Christopher Lee.
What more could one ask for?
Right, that it is better than In the Name of the King or The Knights of Bloodsteel.
The upcoming
Hero Press provides the synopsis from the press release.
"His faith broken by years of battle as a crusader, [medieval knight] Behmen (Nicolas Cage) returns to central Europe to find his homeland decimated by the Black Plague.
"While searching for food and supplies at the Palace at Marburg, Behmen and his trusted companion, Felson (Ron Perlman), are apprehended and ordered by the dying Cardinal to deliver a young peasant girl believed to be the witch responsible for the Plague to a remote abbey where her powers can be destroyed.
"Behmen agrees to the assignment but only if the peasant girl is granted a fair trial.
"As he and five others set off on this dangerous journey, they realize with mounting dread that the cunning girl is no ordinary human and that their mission will pit them against an evil that even in these dark times they never could have imagined."
Looks like they are taking a little from Seventh Seal and mixing it with a little Ivanhoe adding a dash of Brotherhood of the Wolf and a dollop of Christopher Lee.
What more could one ask for?
Right, that it is better than In the Name of the King or The Knights of Bloodsteel.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Toy Movies as You Likely Won't See Them
Playing off of the recent explosion of films based on 80s toy and animation properties, animator Dan Meth brings us a few imagined films based on other properties. The first film Care Bears vs. My Little Pony doesn't list an imagined director, one could easily pick a few names, but the other films do. My personal favorite is David Cronenberg's Cabbage Patch Kids. It captures the Cronenberg feel while demonstrating just how creepy the Cabbage Patch backstory really is. It's like a combination of Village of the Damned, The Children, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Night of the Living Dead.
Toy Movies
Just for kicks, here's the preview for The Children.
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