The How About Project Part 3 (of 26)

This is very one-sided. But I'll keep at it.

This time around, it's my top 3 alien invasion films that were later remade.

3: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978, the first remake)
2: The Thing From Another World (1951, remade as The Thing in 1982)
1: War of the Worlds (1953)

Get crackin'. And would you recommend others?

Short Film : Sasquatch Birth Journal 2

I'm going to have to find out if this is a sequel or not. In the meantime, please enjoy this short film by the recently unheard of Zellner Bros., recently shown at the Sundance Film Festival. It was evidently done on the cheap, but I love the angle, the frame, and the gist of the thing. It's original.

Trailer : Hanna

Here's another non-comic-book actioner that I'm really looking forward to seeing this year. Partly because it's got Cate Blanchett in it. The bestest actress alive. But also because it looks kind of awesome in a Jason Bourne meets Let the Right One In kind of way. With original music from The Chemical Brothers? Sold.

January's Big Recommend

If you love cinema and literature then you must search out and watch the utterly unique pseudo-documentary, Double Take, directed by Johan Grimonprez.

Based on a short story by Jorge Luis Borges, the film presents a speculative narrative where 1960s Alfred Hitchcock, in the midst of directing The Birds, encounters his double, a man similar to him in every respect apart from looking older and hailing from the 1980s.

The film uses lookalikes, voice impersonators, as well as rare and popular reels of Hitchcock footage that is edited, remagnified, and interwoven to tell the story. All the while, the film is reexamining the history of America's Cold War with Russia, from the late 50s up until the death of Hitchcock. Using old news and documentary footage, the director establishes an indelible allegory which illustrates how the two superpowers were essentially mirror images of themselves, wielding fear across oceans. While we are entertained by Hitchcock's brief, very personal and fearful encounter with his doppelganger (he, coincidentally, being a master of the fearful) we are made to rewitness the very public confrontations of the other set of massive doubles. And there are other "doubles" hinted at throughout the film; an infinite regression of doubles if you will, which would no doubt make Borges smile.

Some of the newer camera work doesn't gel as well as one would like with all the borrowed stuff. And even some of the Hitchcock footage seems poorly edited. But you have to give Grimonprez some credit for trying something new and fascinating.

It took a while to figure out where he was going with this project of his, but Grimonprez does go somewhere interesting filmically. Lots of homage, quirk, and eye-opening moments make this a must-see for those looking for a challenge or at least something different. A definite rarity.

X-Men: First Class : Debut Screen Shots

Anyone who knows me well, knows I've been an X-Geek since primary school. I was okay with the first film, loved the second, am increasingly bothered by the third during subsequent viewings, and think Wolverine was a bit of a waste.

I had hope for this prequel until I started seeing pics of the cast in costume. I'm disappointed to say the least. Except for this pic:

I had forgotten that Kevin Bacon would be portraying Sebastian Shaw. How cool is that? And I had no idea January Jones would be so very yummy in the role of Emma Frost. The Hellfire Club. On the big screen. Wicked.

I wonder if this will be yet another comic-book film where the villains steal the show.

The Dark Knight Rises : Press Release

I really don't know what to think of this:

Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that Anne Hathaway has been cast as Selina Kyle in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises.” She will be starring alongside Christian Bale, who returns in the title role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Christopher Nolan stated, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Anne Hathaway, who will be a fantastic addition to our ensemble as we complete our story.”

In addition, Tom Hardy has been set to play Bane. Nolan said, “I am delighted to be working with Tom again and excited to watch him bring to life our new interpretation of one of Batman’s most formidable enemies.” Nolan will direct the film from a screenplay he wrote with Jonathan Nolan, from a story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer. Nolan will also produce the film with his longtime producing partner, Emma Thomas, and Charles Roven. “The Dark Knight Rises” is slated for release on July 20, 2012. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Since The Dark Knight was so good, I'll just have to go on faith. What do you think?

The How About Project Part 2 (of 26)

No one posted anything about my Keaton picks. Hmm.

Attempt number two then.

In honour of my recent discovery that she did in fact star (debut?) in a Hitchcock film, the very awkward The Trouble With Harry, I present my 3 favourite Shirley MacLaine films made before the 80s (and because I've adored her for years):

3: Woman Times Seven
2: Being There
1: The Apartment

These are incredible films that should be seen for a number of other reasons as well. Seek them out. And let me know what you think.

Trailer: Battle: Los Angeles

I'm looking forward to this one. I hope it puts all these other alien invasion films/tv shows we've been disappointed with lately to significant shame. Enjoy:

Joy

Read this:

http://www.mckellen.com/cinema/hobbit-movie/index.htm

Simply joy.

Another (Needless?) Remake

It's official. They're remaking Total Recall. Unbelievable.

Arnie is being replaced by Colin Farrell. It's being directed by Len Wiseman of Underworld and Live Free Or Die Hard fame. And it's shooting in Toronto this spring.

But why? It's hard to believe there are no fresh writers handing in cool new ideas to these remake-happy, franchise-milking studios.

Are remakes really sure things? Discuss.

More on the story at collider.com

Review : The Fighter

There's the obligatory -- I guess you could say predictable -- moment when the film's main guy played by Mark Wahlberg, is getting it handed to him in the supposed climax of the film and he suddenly finds the energy to turns things around. I'm not giving anything away. Like I said before, this happens in every boxing movie. (If it doesn't, please feel free to correct me.) My problem with the scene isn't its predictability. My problem with the particular moment I've described is that it looks fake. It looks choreographed. Heck, the screams from the crowd, when he begins fighting back in that good ol' heroic fashion, don't even sound authentic. And I'm pretty sure some of the rest of the fight looks awkward in a this-is-being-filmed-for-a-movie kind of way.

Or have I not seen enough boxing to tell the difference between a film fight and an actual fight? It's possible. But that's what I saw watching this movie. And it annoyed me.

The rest of the film, I'm happy to say, is pretty darn good. The performances in particular, are eye-opening. Mark Wahlberg, whose voice and line-delivery I tend to despise, actually nails it. (I'll give part credit to David O. Russell who also directed Walhberg in one of my favourite films from the 90s, Three Kings, and managed to squeeze out a relatively decent performance from him then too.) Amy Adams rocks as usual. She's feisty and adorable. In a white-trashy, black bra and panties kind of way. I surprisingly liked Melissa Leo a lot more here than in Frozen River. But Mr. Bale. Mr. Bale. You give one hell of a performance here. Emotionally, physically, vocally, you give one of the best performances of your career. Whole staircases up from what you gave us in Terminator Salvation and Public Enemies. You stole every scene you were in. Except the ones with those girls who played your sisters. Bestial hell bitches. Were they ever fun to watch.

Sure the film is Oscar bait. Its based on a true story and the real guys are shown during the end credits. Its the season's requisite underdog story. But the performances elevate it. This is a film to watch because all the actors are dedicated. No one calls it in. And the story feels surprisingly fresh for one about a boxer trying to make it good. Actually, a couple of boxers. This movie is as much about brotherhood, and about family in general, than it is about boxing. It's about fighting on a lot of levels. I'd even say it has more poignant things to say about failure than it does about winning.

So should I forgive the fight scenes?

If I can get past fight scenes that don't seem to work, in a film called, The Fighter, then I'll lay the forgiveness on thick and maybe even some lovin'. I may even watch it again, especially if Bale gets his much-deserved Oscar.

Maybe.

The Spiderman Reboot Starts Rolling

A new Peter Parker and a hotter Gwen Stacy:

Gosh golly, I heart Emma Stone. (And that's Andrew Garfield in the titular role.)

I don't know what the point is starting back at square one. But it seems to be the thing these days. It happened with Star Trek (successful), Hulk (I liked it), and Batman (very successful) among others, and will continue with X-Men (we'll see), Superman (Chris Nolan's attached so...), Fantastic Four (needs the reboot treatment more than any other), etc. Personally, I thought the Spiderman franchise was going well, apart from the obvious burp that was the third film. They could've just gotten back on track instead of starting all over again. Oh well. At least we'll finally get to see the Lizard on screen.

Other pics of the recast characters for the reboot/remake can be found at Just Jared.

R.I.P. Pete Postlethwaite

A great actor has left us.

The first role of his that comes to mind is the one for which he received an Oscar nomination, that of Daniel Day-Lewis' father in the brilliant In the Name of the Father. I'm going to revisit that film as soon as possible.

And without having to check his bio, I can recall his awesome presence in a lot of other great films, including, Alien 3, the second Jurassic Park, The Usual Suspects, and most recently in The Town, Solomon Kane, Clash of the Titans, and Inception.

Seeing tributes to him in the news, I don't know why I'm so surprised to discover that he had recently portrayed King Lear on stage. I bet he was incredible in the role.

He was more than just a great character actor. And he will be greatly missed.

The How About Project Part 1 (of 26)

Every other week, as a regular feature of this blog, I'm going to try recommending or be recommended by you via the comments section, three older films. They could be by a particular director, star a certain actor, be thematically similar, etc. The only catch is that every film has to be at least 20 years old, made before the 90s. The idea being to revisit a lot of great older movies, find reason to watch movies that I've never seen in totality or at all, and also to make this site more interactive and learn some stuff about you and get your recommendations.

For now I'm calling it The How About Project for lack of a better name. And the plan is to post for the project every other Monday, the reason being that it may take more than a week to find and watch the recommendations if they are indeed to be found, giving you and I enough time to also write about the three films. It'll be fun at the end of the year to summarize our findings as well, to see if we learned or didn't learn anything, to see if the project had some kind of effect on something or one or more of us.

So here's Part 1.

I remember taking my friend L-B to the Cinematheque in Seoul a number of years ago to see a Buster Keaton festival. After all, he's one of my all-time favourite movie stars/directors. And L-B had never seen a Keaton film. And I had never seen one on the big screen. Damn, was that fun. Three Ages was the film that tore us to pieces. I'll always remember L-B laughing her ass off.

The crime I've discovered since then, is that most of my friends and acquaintances have never seen a Buster Keaton flick. Which is probably the case with most people my age. The man was brilliant. No one pulls his kind of stunts anymore because Hollywood won't allow them. They are mind-boggling.

I digress. Here you go. My top 3 Buster Keaton "full-length" films (on top of Three Ages, because I'm a cheater) that you should find, watch, hopefully adore, and comment on:

3. Our Hospitality
2. Seven Chances
1. The General

Enjoy.

Review: Rabbit Hole

Rabbit Hole is one of those films that relies heavily on its pre-existence as a critically acclaimed stage play. Unfortunately, it also seems hindered by it. The film works for the same two good reasons that other films-based-on-plays work: the writing and the performances by top-notch actors. And I wouldn't say it fails in anyway, but it certainly feels like it's restricted, like it would love to stretch out a bit now that it's a film, and it just can't. What we do get are brief glimpses of a young couple, played by Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart, trying to deal with the death of their young son 8-months on, mainly in settings outside their broken home. And most of the time those glimpses are of only half the couple. Doing odd things without his/her "better half". Coping. Alone.

Something tells me that wasn't the case on stage.

But the glaring attempts at easing the story's restrictiveness are only a little bit distracting in the grander scheme of things. What we're meant to do as filmwatchers is appreciate that much quieter and therefore more introspective moments have been added to the story.

And they have. So we'll say that the adaptation has been a great success and get on with the show.

Now we can concentrate on what's going on with the couple. And to be honest, everything they do feels authentic. They question God, they reject invitations from friends and neighbours, they quietly accuse family and even strangers of lacking empathy, they wrongly judge how others deal with similar loss. But most importantly, they fake the relationship with one another. And this is what's fascinating on screen. We're waiting for this couple to screw up all over the place.

And what really works storywise, is that they only screw up when they're together. And so it becomes all about whether they should be together. They seem to be handling things better on their own.

Ah, so this is why we watched the characters doing all those things by themselves? Gotcha. But did they really do all those things in all those other places, on stage? (This is what I meant by distracting.)

And then it all comes to a head. A very controlled, slow-moving, truthful, mature head. Thank God, because that's very refreshing for a movie these days.

This film may surprise you. It's small in scale but large on universal truth. What it says about repercussions is different and important. It reigns itself in when most movies wouldn't and a lot of that has to be credited to the performers.

I do have to remind myself that I read films like this one differently now that I'm a parent. So the question as a reviewer becomes, would I have enjoyed the film as much had I never been a parent?

I think the answer is yes. But I would have been even more distracted.

My Favourite Films of 2010

I feel strange posting this list because, honestly, 2010 was the worst year for film since I really started giving this much of a damn about it. It wasn't hard to come up with 10 films, but for the wrong reasons. There were just so many films that I didn't care for. My top pick was the easiest top pick I've ever made, because its near perfection just stood out so much. It has been chosen, as have the runners-up, based on direction, writing, performances, pace, rhythm, sound, artistry, originality, inspirational and/or emotional impact on me if any, and most importantly, requisite level of fun. The list is followed up with some Honourable Mentions and the like. And I look forward to your comments.



10. Un Prophete, directed by Jacques Audiard (France).
Simply put, the kind of gangster film you knew was coming, and you still weren't quite prepared for its greatness and originality.



9. Black Swan, directed by Darren Aronofsky (USA).
Wasn't sure what all the hype was about until I realized the character was heading places I didn't think she'd go. Complex and tense and strangely fun.



8. The Loved Ones, directed by Sean Byrne (Australia).
My favourite horror film of the year. Pretty in Pink meets The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, indeed.



7. Iron Man 2, directed Jon Favreau (USA).
You'll never tear me away.



6. Animal Kingdom, directed by David Michod (Australia).
Good reason not to ignore Australian films. Tragic, violent, and hypnotic.



5. Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World, directed by Edgar Wright (USA).
Comedy of the year, hands down. And geez, what a gloriously loud spectacle.



4. Inception, directed by Christopher Nolan (USA).
My head hurt after. But in a good way. And please add Marion Cotillard to my list of favourite actresses.



3. A Single Man, directed by Tom Ford (USA).
Just slew me. Honestly. The look and rhythm of this thing is astonishing.




2. How to Train Your Dragon (in 3D), directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders (USA).
Most fun I had in the cinema this year. Almost made me fall in love with my 3D glasses.




1. El Secreto de Sus Ojos, directed by Juan Jose Campanella (Argentina).
As mentioned before, as close to perfection as you can get. Dramatic, thrilling, romantic, poetic, and exceptionally funny when no other film would dare to be. This film hit me in the head and the gut. Powerful and entertaining like nothing else in 2010.

Honourable Mentions: Four Lions (UK), Get Him to the Greek (USA), Toy Story 3 (USA), Heartbreaker (France), L'illusioniste (France), The Social Network (USA), Despicable Me (USA), Buried (USA, Spain), Mary and Max (Australia), The "Millenium" Trilogy (Sweden), Kick-Ass (USA), Rec 2 (Spain), & Bunny and the Bull (UK).

Looking Forward to Seeing In 2011: True Grit, Hanna, The King's Speech, 127 Hours, Never Let Me Go, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, Super 8, X-Men: First Class, Suckerpunch, Rango, Source Code, Biutiful, The Tree of Life, Green Lantern, and Cowboys & Aliens.

Favourites of Past Years:
2004: 3-Iron (South Korea)
2005: Batman Begins (USA)
2006: Pan's Labyrinth (Spain)
2007: 3:10 to Yuma (USA)
2008: Wall-E (USA)
2009: Avatar (USA)

And ... Action!

Welcome all to my new film-centric blog.

I have yet to nail down the regular features, but wanted to get this thing up and running on January 1st for obvious reasons. My faves-of-2010 list will be up shortly, and I hope to have film reviews and bits of awesome movie news coming at you as often as possible.

In the meantime, enjoy this entertaining "Directors Roundtable" courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter. I've seen three of the films represented here and now aim to see all of them as a result of this clip. It is long, but very engaging. Enjoy. And Happy New Year!