Cool News
Elston Gunn's WEEKLY RECAP
Father Geek here, finally back on the aire after a week of travel and computer problems. No need to rehash the Academy's choices of last night, with few exceptions it was OK, just not what I personally wanted. I felt FOTR really deserved at least 10 oscars. Oh well, the academy has NEVER lived up to my expectations beginning in the early 50's when I first began to watch (Oh the bitter disappointments of my youth)on through the travesty of Chariots of Fire Vs Empire Strikes Back, right on down to the present day. Well enough of crying in my coffee, its only watering down those fine Italian Roast beans... Here's Elston with the week that was out in Tinseltown...
TAKEN FROM VARIETY AND HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
CASTING
CASTING
* Will Smith is in talks to star in I AM LEGEND after Arnold Schwarzenegger
decided to step aside from starring to becoming the film's porudcer.
Michael Bay is in negotations to direct the Warner Bros. project. It's an
adaptation of the Richard Matheson novel about a biological war that pits
the last man on Earth against the populace of mutants who want him dead.
* Paul Bettany (A BEAUTIFUL MIND) will star alongside Russell Crowe in 20th
Century Fox's MASTER AND COMMANDER for director Peter Weir. Shooting begins
June 17 at Fox Studios Baja in Mexico. The film is based on Patrick
O'Brian's series of adventure novels set at sea.
* Thomas Lennon joins Glenn Close, Naomi Watts and Kate Hudson in LE DIVORCE
for Fox Searchlight and director James Ivory.
* Eddie Murphy, director Rob Minkoff and producer Don Hahn are in talks to
join Disney's HAUNTED MANSION. Murphy would play a work-obsessed father
whose encounter with a ghost makes him realize the importance of his own
family. David Berenbaum wrote the script.
* Johnny Depp will play J.M. Barrie, author of PETER PAN, in NEVERLAND for
Miramax Films. Marc Forster (MONSTER'S BALL) will direct the project this
summer in London. It's about how Barrie wrote his classic story during the
1800s in England after bonding with four fatherless children who lived next
door to him.
* Viola Davis joins the cast of SOLARIS for director Steven Soderbergh and
20th Century Fox.
* Orlando Bloom will co-star with Heath Ledger in THE KELLY GANG about
notorious Australian outlaw Ned Kelly. Bloom will also star in THE CALCIUM
KID about a British milkman with a steel jaw who serves as a replacement
boxer in a title bout against the U.S. champ.
* William Lee Scott has joined the cast of I.D. alongside John Cusack, Ray
Liotta and Amanda Peet. James Mangold is directing the murder mystery.
* Nicolas Cage is planning star in and produce a contemporary remake of the
1973 cult thriller THE WICKER MAN for writer/director Neil LaBute. Written
by Anthony Shaffer and directed by Robin Hardy, the 1973 film stars Edward
Woodward as a Scottish policeman investigating the disappearance of a little
girl. The policeman travels to a remote island where he is shocked to
discover a colony of modern-day pagans. At the same time, Christopher Lee
and director Robin Hardy are working on a different version of the film
called THE RIDING OF THE LADDIE. Vanessa Redgrave and Sean Astin may star
with Lee in that project.
* Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Renee Zellweger are in talks to star in the
Civil War drama COLD MOUNTAIN, based on the novel by Charles Frazier, for
director Anthony Minghella. Law would play wounded solider Inman, while
Kidman would portray his pre-war sweetheart Ada and Zellweger as Ada's
sister Ruby.
* Hugh Grant is set and Emma Thompson is in talks to star in the romantic
comedy LOVE ACTUALLY for writer/director Richard Curtis (NOTTING HILL, FOUR
WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL). The pic tells 10 separate stories in the two months
leading up to Christmas, with each tale climaxing on Christmas Eve. Grant
will play the British prime minister and Thompson his sister. Shooting is
set for September.
* Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is in talks with Universal to star in the
action/adventure pic HELLDORADO, where he'll star as a bounty hunter who
tries to get rid of a debt by going to the Amazon jungle to capture someone.
The bounty hunter discovers that said person isn't the bad guy he'd been
warned about, and the two team up to find riches stored in a mine in the
Amazon. James Vanderbilt (upcoming BASIC) is rewriting the R.J. Stewart
script. Production begins late summer.
* Ashton Kutcher will star in New Line's psychological thriller THE
BUTTERFLY EFFECT about a young man trying to access sublimated childhood
memories. He finds a way to travel back to the past, occupy his childhood
body and change history. But he discovers that every change he makes has
unexpected consequences. Amy Smart, William Lee Scott and Elden Henson are
in talks to join the pic for writers/directors J. Mackye Gruber and Eric
Bress (FINAL DESTINATION).DIRECTOR/WRITER ATTACHMENTS
* Jonathan Rosenbloom and Justin Merz sold their script TOPSIDERS to
DreamWorks Pictures for Evolution Entertainment to produce. It's about a
group of kids who discover a treasure map that leads them on an underground
search through New York's subway system.
* Artisan has purchased Stephen Falk's romantic comedy script THE PROM about
a teen in love with his girl-next-door best friend, who has a date to the
prom and is determined to deflower the guy.
* Disney has grabbed an untitled drama pitch from writer David Collard
(upcoming OUT OF TIME, "Family Guy") It's set against the backdrop of
intramural boxing at the Naval Academy, focusing on a young man whose dream
of attending Annapolis becomes a reality.
* DreamWorks Pictures bought an untitled action thriller pitch from writer
David Benioff, with Marc Forster attached to direct.
* Jesse Dylan (HOW HIGH) will direct Universal's SHORTY, starring Lil'
Romeo, written by Dallas Jackson and produced by Master P. It's about a
midget alien stranded in an L.A. 'hood. He becomes a rapping, hip-hopping
partner with a 12-year-old who wants to win an MTV talent contest.
* Signpost Films has picked up the psychological thriller pitch MEET JANE
DOE from Chris Soth and Collin Chang. It's said to be in the same vein as
THE SIXTH SENSE with a strong female lead.
* Janet Scott Batchler and Lee Batchler (BATMAN FOREVER) will write MY NAME
IS MODESTY for Miramax Films. The project will feature the character special
agent Modesty Blaise who first appeared in the 1966 pic that beared her
name.
* Ron Bass and Vicki Iovine will write a romantic comedy for 20th Century
Fox that will focus on a family's recovery from a death.
* David Koepp will write and direct THE SECRET WINDOW, based on the novella
by Stephen King, about a writer going through a painful divorce who is
stalked by a psychotic stranger claiming that the writer stole his story.
* Steve Carr will direct a contemporary remake of the 1948 comedy MISTER
BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE for RKO Pictures. The original is about a
couple who live in a New York apartment and decide to move to the country
and build a house, a job that proves to be harder than they thought.
* Will Rokos (MONSTER'S BALL) will write the screenplay for a remake of John
Schlesinger's 1963 film BILLY LIAR for Artisan Pictures. The original story
centered on a man who escapes his dreary small-town life by telling
elaborate fibs. Two women are sucked in by his storytelling and think that
they are set to marry him, while a third woman causes him to wonder whether
he can live without lying at all.
* F. Gary Gray will direct THE ITALIAN JOB, a remake of the 1969 action
heist pic, for Paramount Pictures and producer Donald DeLine. Shooting is
planned for August for a summer 2003 release.
* John Luessenhop (LOCKDOWN) will direct the Screen Gems action pic BONE
DEEP, written by Gabriel Casseus and Peter Allen, about a Manhattan cop
whose after a young crew that pulls off spectacular heists. Production
begins this summer in New York and Toronto.
* Scott Caan will direct the drama DALLAS AND RUSTY from his own script
about two city kids who constantly get into trouble. One tries to go
straight while the other doesn't and things get complicated. Shaw Hatosy,
Marley Shelton, Selma Blair, Isla Fisher and Val Lauren will star alongside
Caan.
* Damian Shannon and Mark Swift will adapt AREA 52, the comic book series
created by Brian Haberlin, for Casey Silver Prods. It's about a top-secret
warehouse in Antarctica used by the government as a storage dump for
otherworldly discoveries. The base is staffed by a group of misfits who have
nothing to do until a mislabeled storage box from the 1947 Roswell crash
turns out to be an alien killing machine.
* Joe Carnahan (NARC) will write and direct VOID for Misher Films about a
blackout that occurs at a prison at the same time a female homicide cop is
there to extradite a prisoner.
* Harald Zwart (ONE NIGHT AT MCCOOL'S) will direct Frankie Muniz in CODY
BANKS about a teen drafted by the government for covert operations requiring
youth-sized participants. Shooting starts at the end of May.
* Roland Emmerich is in talks to direct and produce ALIEN PRISON for
Columbia Pictures about six humans who have been abducted, studied and
torturously experimented upon by an alien race. After years of abuse, they
plot an escape and attempt to foil a full-scale invasion of Earth.MISCELLANEOUS PRODUCTION TIDBITS
* Revolution Studios and Mayhem Pictures are developing KNIGHT RIDER, a
feature version of the David Hasselhoff NBC drama. Series creator Glen A.
Larson is reportedly writing the first draft of the script.
* Artisan Entertainment Inc. is launching Family Home Entertainment (FHE), a
new division to distribute family films starting with JONAH -- A VEGGIETALES
MOVIE. The computer animated feature film, based on characters in the
VeggieTales videos, is scheduled to hit theaters in fall 2002.
GUNN SHOTS
(NOT from the trades)
* Check out This Coooolnesssss for new content updated weekly by 7M
Pictures. The siter highlights short films, movie trailers, music videos
and innovative commercials.
* Orlando Technology Forums will conduct educational seminar/workshop series
exploring the latest hardware, software and concepts in dynamic digital
content production to run concurrently with the Florida Film Festival. For
more info, check out Their Site Here
* MULLHOLLAND DRIVE SUPPORT GROUP is a short film you can find here: Click Right Now!
* Check out This Location , a site chock full of indie pics.
* There is a petition online to bring THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD to DVD
as a special edition. Visit http://members.tripod.com/~evilbaby/ROTLD.html
for more info, or go to the petition here: By Just Clicking
* Who are the Mercury Men? Visit Them Here to find out.
-
+ Expand All
-
BOO YAH I IS FOIST
-
Still it's bad either way.
-
Australians do. You should see him when he does interviews here. Foreigners will never see the REAL Russell Crowe, who is as funny, charming and humble as a person with his talent could ever be. If he's shitty or defensive it's because American media assholes and sychophantic Hollywood ass-kissers disgust him as they would any normal person. Russell Crowe has never had a go at anyone who didn't fuck with him to get a rise out of him. Yes, he's got a temper, but it's only an intolerance for foolish, ignorant Hollywood types. He's got no patience for the bullshit, ego-stroking and deception that defines the film-making process and he's quick to put in their place anyone who tries that shit on with him. Ask any Aussie and you'll find that we all think that Big Russ is a top bloke, and not just because he's a star but because of his lack of pretension, his honesty and and his refusal to build himself up to the level that others want him to, and that DEFINES the very essense of the Antipodean character. GIVE 'EM HELL, RUSS, YOU FUCKING LEGEND!!!
-
I'm willing to believe most of that. I want it to be true. But anytime someone pins down an awards show producer and starts yelling him down with this 'I'll make sure you never work in Hollywood!' bullshit, I have to say fuck him. To hell with anyone who thinks they're so important they can dictate the future career of some poor sap who has displeased them. I hope that was a momentary lapse in judgement/reason/common sense/common decency/common courtesy, and that Russell is indeed a kewl dude. But he's got to rebuild his coolness rating. His cordial behavior at last night's Oscars, as opposed to last year when he came across as such an uptight prig, was a good start.
-
...to know that his music is pure unadulterated SHIT! He has to be the absolute WORST singer I have ever heard in my life...except for Richard Harris, of course. And besides, Crowe went off on a BRITISH television director, not American. I've yet to hear him be rude to an American reporter or TV personality.
-
THIS IS FUCKING COCNUTS!!!!
-
...about mutants!!!!!! It's about vampires!!!! If they change it, like they did in Omega Man, It would be a travisty. Not to say Omega Man sucked, just I want vampires. Thank you.
-
TAKEN FROM THE BIBLE...Paul Anderson will take a break between RESIDENT EVIL 5: GLAD TO BE WORKING and RESIDENT EVIL 6: I NEVER THOUGHT MY CAREER WOULD TURN OUT LIKE THIS to direct SHEEPDIP for Dreamworks. This road pic, written by Buddy Comedy, will star James Van Der Beek as a brainwashed Lee Harvey Oswald as he is set up as an insane commie and lead through a series of deadend jobs in the rural south during the early '60s. The film will focus on the relationship of his MKULTRA operators David Ferry (Steve Buscemi, completely hairless for the part) and Clay Shaw (Steve Martin). Christina Ricci co-stars as Oswald's wife Marina... In addition to A SCANNER DARKLY, Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney have bought the rights to Phillip K. Dick's 1969 novel I THINK I KNOW I'M ME...Robert Zemeckis and Tom Greene will co-direct THE ABSINTHE HOUSE about a club in turn of the century N'Orleans famous for serving a brain damaging, aphrodisical liqueur. In a sure to be controversial move, the characters played by Tommy Lee Jones, John Malkovitch, Uma Thurman and Winona Ryder in the first half of the movie will be played by Adam Sander, Rob Schnieder, Darryl Hannah and Lara Flynn Boyle after the absinthe is supposed to have done its damage...Steve Guttenberg returns to the silver screen in POLICE ACADEMY 2002: RAMPART STREET. "We'll be seeing a new, more brutal and corrupt but just as fun loving Officer Mahoney," Guttenberg promised...Finally, David Fincher will reteam with Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter for MACON COUNTY LIBRARY, a throwback to the good ol' boy vs. evil cracker flick of the '70s. Norton will play a trucker named Hooey, with Pitt as Slide, his swamper; and Carter as Mahalia Hooey's girl who has thing going with Slide on the side. When Hooey forgets to return a copy of NINE STORIES by J.D. Salinger to the main branch of the Macon County Library, he runs afoul of brutal, redneck librarian Bubba Beauseaulierollue (Tommy Lee Jones). There's massive fines, the burning of Hooey's library card, Mahalia's near rape behind the card catalogue, the smashing of Slide's hand in a dictionary. Finally, with Hooey dead, Slide and Mahalia escape in Hooey's Dodge Charger, pursued by Bubba in a super-charged bookmobile...See you at any library outside of Macon County.
-
I'm am speechless after reading this. Michael Bay and Will Smith are sooo wrong for "I am Legend". We don't need swooping camera shots and all his magic hour masturbation to bastardize Matheson's brilliant novel. Get an up-and-coming director to treat the material with the respect that it deserves, not Michael "I'll do anything for a dollar" Bay. Maybe if we can convince Dominic Sena to get back to his "Kalifornia" roots, he'd be great for the job. Who the hell is his agent? If not an up-and-comer, why not George Romero? Who would be better for the most intense vampire story of all, the genius behind "Night of the Living Dead" or the asshole who brought us "Pearl Harbor"?!? Will Smith is simply too young, he can act, when he has strong direction, but the role needs to go to an older character actor. How about William Sadler? He'd be absolutely perfect. I hate what Hollywood is doing. Fuck I hate it.
-
has anyone noticed how similar Guillermo Del Toro and Harry look? They could be twins, for God's sake!!!!
-
I remember just a couple of years ago when everyone fucking loved Russell Crowe. He was the best thing since sliced bread. Every film role for an upcoming movie that was discussed, Crowe's name was mentioned. Of course, now that everyone else has discovered cRowe and he's become a movie star who makes 20 million for a film and has an oscar, it's suddenly not cool to like him and he sucks.
-
nuff said!
-
that movie where cowboys or Native Americans take on an invading force of aliens in the old west? Wouldn't that be cool?
-
Mar 25, 2002 9:02:32 PM CST
My dead Grandmother knows her shit better than this plonker....
by lostvegabrother
OK the academy got to you since "Chariots of Fire" vs "Empire"? "Empire" for the record was 1980. It was'nt nominated for much more than minor categories. Best Picture that year was "Ordinary People", and the Academy stuffed it that year, not that "People" was a bad flick, they just missed the masterpiece that "Raging Bull" was (& denied Scorsese a deserved Oscar for Redford instead). Now "Chariots of Fire" was 1981, as someone pointed out they stuffed that year by not giving "Raiders" the gold. The next year of course they stuffed again by giving the Oscar to "Gandhi", not "ET". So if that's been getting to you for 20 years, you've been upset over the wrong bloody thing! FTR Crowe as pointed out previously is a complete plonker, and an embarrassment to all New Zealanders. The Aussies can have him, he's got an identity crisis anyway, and will no doubt be telling everyone he's American soon after he spends a couple of months in a row over there. He might have won an Oscar for "The Insider" if it was'nt for Lester Burnham, probably THE best written lead acting role of the 90's (if not ever). Crowe was intense in "Insider", and I do believe they handed him last years Gold ONLY because they did'nt want Hanks to have 3 yet, and they knew he'd been ripped the year before. Come On people! Maximus was a REAL acting stretch wasn't it? There was NO WAY Crowe was ever going to win for "Mind", Hoffman won for that role at the 1989 ceremony for '88s "Rainman"... I was so waiting for Crowe to say "82, 82, 82, 246 toothpicks. I need to get my boxer shorts from K Mart in Cincinnati....Oh Oh fart...."
-
Sounds great. Who plays Harry? My money's on Keanu or Freddie Prinze Jr. in a "pleasantly plump" suit... :)
-
Maybe we will get "Leonard Part 7" yet!
-
For starters, Fellowship is indeed a great movie . . . I had it as a honorable mention on my list of Best Films of 2001. The critics who complain that LOTR is narrative heavy and difficult to follow over the first half of the movie are correct. Christ, there is a ton of backstory. However, the film is also a loving adaption that ultimately contains the same problems as the source material. Frankly, it was a lucky break that the movie garnered so many Oscar nods. Firstly, the Academy doesn't like fantasy films. Secondly, the above-mentioned quirks found in the flick are enough to hold it back. Having said that: ultimately, who cares about this craziness? How often does the Academy acknowledge the best movies of the year anyway? Ah, NEVER!!!Memento or Ghost World are just as deserving as any other best picture. Think of it this way: the Academy Awards included a Best Animated category and Waking Life was not nominated. That speaks volumes. Lastly, Fellowship is the weakest book in the trilogy. Point blank. Peter Jackson managed to turn it into a grand epic anyway. Not a complete homerun, but it's as close as anyone will come. As is the case with the books, the next two movies will be head and shoulders better than the first. So, for people who put stock in the Oscars: be happy that Fellowship was nominated at all. The next installments are going to rock. Perhaps those big awards are on the way. For people who could care less about the Academy Awards: hey, Fellowship is just another good film passed over come ceremony time.
-
Michael Bay could possibly be the worst director of all time. He's the kind of guy who would defend his work by saying: "Hey, my films make money." Great!!! That argument is like comparing an individuals worth totally on the basis of what's in their bank book. Like some CEO of an Enron-type company is a better person than, let's say, Gandhi because of earnings. Anyway, the only reason Bay gets directing assignments is because studios don't hand out big budgets to autuers (I hope I spelled that right). Good film makers are stuck doing smaller pictures because these big entertainment assembly line companies don't want people who will put an authentic stamp on a film. No, they want directors who will stick to formulas and turn out paint-by-numbers crap. Hell, those types of movies are easier to market. Bay will do a terrible job with I Am Legend . . . It's sad, I've always thought that a great movie (The Omega Man is good, not great) could be made from Richard Matheson's novel. At one time, Ridley Scott was set to direct. Now, with Bay onboard, the dream is dead. I can see it now: mindless, almost incomprhensible, MTV-quick edit actions scenes and hokey melodrama. Where is my barf bag? For what it's worth, I've included my review of Bay's previous crapfest. Here it goes . . . Pearl Harbor is not a good movie. In fact, it's not a movie at all - it's punishment. Any film critic telling you otherwise is like George W. Bush on Jeopardy - useless. Director Michael Bay is the same genius responsible for Armageddon. That opus concerns a group of wacky oil drillers sent to destroy an asteroid on a crash course with earth. So horrible, it makes you root for the asteroid. Bay is the crown (clown?) prince of audience manipulation. It takes discipline and skill to create characters and scenes that honestly demand the viewer's attention. Instead of making an effort, Bay cheats . . . - Slow motion shots of pilots strutting along. Gee, Mr. Bay how original. I haven't seen anything that spectacular since your last movie. Newsflash: screen heroes are not heroic just because they're moving at more frames per second. - When in need of comic relief, bring on the guy with the speech impediment. Are you kidding, Mr. Bay? You want me to point and laugh at a man with a stuttering problem? A character with a handicap can be funny. Well, duh. However, when the chuckles are at the inflicted's expense, it's more sad than humorous. - Mr. Bay, you are shameless. Can't generate suspense? Quick, put a doggie in a life or death situation. Can't elicit an emotional response through straightforward storytelling? Give us a scene
with children. Michael Bay is a hack . . . Pearl Harbor is a long film. I'm not sure about the running time - but, I think it is in the neighborhood of 9 hours. It's such a lengthy movie, the makers of Pearl Harbor lose track of plot points along the way.
Early on, Ben Affleck's character has severe dyslexia. After 4 hours, this trait conveniently
disappears. Why? While stationed in Europe, this flyboy becomes quite the poet. The letters he
writes to Navy nurse girlfriend, Kate Beckinsale, are impressive. However, the long-winded
sonnets are a contrived mechanism for forcing the bulk of the story upon unsuspecting filmgoers.
Pearl Harbor is largely a love story - filled with unappealing people, uttering romantic drivel,
doing stupid things. Since there is no investment in the live's of these characters prior to the
fighting, it really doesn't matter what happens to them during the fighting. Oh yeah, the movie contains the Japanese attack on the titular naval base. Those moments are technically well made. Stuff goes boom. People run around and yell. The proceedings are slick and presented with ostensibly lofty production sensibilities. Still, the sneak attack is cold. It doesn't help that at times Bay shoots the action in a hazy, soft focus. Maybe he was trying to be
artistic. It doesn't quite work as intended. Like I said, Bay is a hack. One last point: Why can't Hollywood have the courage to end a movie appropriately? The film is
called Pearl Harbor. However, the Japanese aerial attack left thousands of Americans dead or
wounded and the Pacific fleet in ruin . . . What a downer. The good guys have to win, right?
Well, in this movie they do. The victory takes the form of the Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle-led
retaliation strike against Tokyo. Everyone can leave the theater happy. All is well. Bad enough, right? Get this: the U.S. bombing raid took place only 131 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Pilots launched from the flight deck of the USS Hornet. Upon dropping their payloads on Japan, the twin-engine Mitchell bombers continued to mainland China - then
occupied by Japan. From there, these men alluded the enemy and marched to Allied territory. In
Pearl Harbor, all this is a means to wrap up the hackneyed love yarn. Who gets the girl - the
intrepid Affleck or the daring Josh Hartnett? Who cares?
Don't get guilted into enjoying this clunker. Pearl Harbor is junk . . . If you agree, does that
mean you don't revere the past? No - it simply says that you have taste. This film is a three out of ten.
-
Buddy, I'm telling you! Stop pitching. Start writing! And really what's with you and the MKULTRA stuff?? I'm starting to get worried! But I do have to admit it's damn funny as a road movie! Why is Pimental getting a mil for crap and you aren't for pure quality. Your stuff is better then anyones!
-
Mar 26, 2002 2:08:18 AM CST
Russ's blow-up wit that BAFTA producer was a total media bea
by cash bailey
He went on the Australian Today Show (where he always goes to set the record straight on shit that's said about him) and told the truth about it the next day. See what I mean about how the rest of the world will never know what he's really like. There was no physical abuse or threats, but Russ cheerily admitted he did give the guy an earful, which he completely deserved.
-
John Cusack stars in Id, a new romantic comedy. Cusack plays John Carmack, a twenty-something programming whizz who is forced to re-evaluate his life when he crashes his Ferrari. The cast features Ray Liotta as Todd Hollenshead, and Amanda Peet as John Romero.
-
WOOHOO!!!!
*Tries to remember theme tune*
No, that's Beverly Hills Cop
*Tries again*
There we go... -
Really. **** You know I was almost about to agree with the guy who was complaining that if the upcoming movie adaptation of I Am Legend has mutants in it and not vampires that it would indeed be a travesty...... then I thought for a moment. Jesus, I've been online with geeks too long. **** Ordinary People is a better movie than Raging Bullshit (ok, raging bull is also a good movie, i just couldn't resist there.... both are a hell of a lot better than any movie that's won the lil' gold statue any time recently)
-
Will Smith? Michael Bay? I must have missed the wise cracks and sweeping camera shots complete with flag-waving in the novel. Hmmm. this is a baaaad idea. Bad. Very bad. Do ya get my point? There ain't a lot in this recap to be happy about. TWO remakes of the Wicker Man? And who the FUCK told Scott Caan to direct anything? Aw hell, we're all doomed. Priest out.
-
You know...I'm no Michael Bay fan, but jeebus christmas...you'd think he was responsible for the slaughtering of innocent civilians from the way that some people talk about him here. I hate Pearl Harbor as much as the next guy, but it's pointless and sad to rail against the man with such an undisguised mixture of jealousy and loathing. So what if he's going to direct I Am Legend? If it's terrible, you still have the book. You never even have to set foot in a theatre. You'll know WAAAY in advance what the movie will be like (thanks to Harry, et al.) and can decide for yourself. If you think it still sounds terrible and you go anyway, well then, you're the sucker who forks over $10 to a director you hate. That's YOUR weird sadomasochistic problem, not his.
As for the guy who asked "Who the fuck told Scott Caan he could direct a movie?" The answer is: people like Steven Soderbergh (sp?), who obviously thinks enough of him to cast him in Oceans Eleven against some of the biggest stars they got out on the West Coast. A better question might be: "Who the fuck told you that you could write this kind of half-assed bitter fanboy rant? Where's the movie YOU'VE directed?"
So sick of all the venom... -
Not ET. Just had to get that off my chest. sk
-
The AICN movie sounds AWESOME! but it would be better if Harry was crying and they had a sad song! sk
-
there will be no recap due to shock over Randy Newman winning an Oscar. Also I'm returing my M.B.E due to my song COLD TURKEY SAMMICH sliding down the charts.
-
Mar 26, 2002 12:28:13 PM CST
TheBlairZip has obviously never heard William Shatner sing "Hey
by billbrasky
That sounded like someone rammed their fist in a cat's stomach and ripped out it's spine!
-
Just for the record . . . I'm a big movie person. Each time out, I tackle the prospect of catching a movie with an open mind. In fact, going in, a movie rates a 5 out of 10. Now, in the long run, I will never stick with that number. No movie can hold that middle ground. It's either good or bad (in varying degrees, of course). Also, I don't have pre-conceived notions of whether or not the film will be good or bad. I don't take a director, star, producer's track record into account. Hey, you never know what a film experience will be like until you've witnessed the finished product. Christ, I would have missed quite a few little sleeper films if I regularly thumbed my nose at the prospect of seeing them. Moving on, I see a lot of movies . . . I see a lot of different types of movies . . . This helps to better categorize motion pictures and, in the long run, put them in context. Essentially, bad films help us better respect good films. And by seeing so many films, one develops an overall understanding of the cinema without becoming an elitist. Lastly, saying someone can't trash a movie because they have never directed is a lame criticism. The filmgoer shells out their hard-earned money. Hell, you need to take out a loan just to afford to go to the movies. This fact buys the audience member the right to be critical and discriminating when it comes to movie viewing. Especially, when it comes down to an individual who devotes as much of his/her own time to a much-loved pursuit.
-
Well written rebuttal/explanation of your viewpoint. I absolutely agree that as a ticket buying movie-goer you have the right to be a critic. And as you describe it, you seem fairly openminded about the films you go in to see. Why then, would you choose to rail against the selection of a director who's previous work (apparently) infuriates you? Do any artist's (or human being's) past acheivements/mistakes define them AS an artist? Absolutely not. Who was excited about the initial prospect of Will Smith "The fresh prince" whooping alien ass in ID4? Nobody I knew. They all thought the movie was going to "suck" because it had that cheesy rapper in it. What about Gladiator? If I'd told you the "virtual villian" from Virtuosity was going to be in a Braveheart-ish roman gladiator movie directed by the guy who did "1492: Conquest of Paradise", what would you say? To dismiss someone based on their past and not hold hope for their future is to close yourself off from joy and from surprise. Pre-deciding you'll hate someone/something usually guarantees that you will. That's psychology. Are you willing to do that? Will it make you a better man?
-
Thanks for understanding my viewpoint . . . In addition to my previous post, I would like to say that I never (or, at least make every attempt not to) go into a movie with prejudice and pre-conceived convictions. Personally, I feel that peopele who do that are wrong, wrong, wrong. However, I've found that Michael Bay's track record is not good. Furthermore,I strongly feel that other directorial selections (in regard to I Am Legend) would have been more appropriate. To ground my position, I included a Pearl Harbor review with my earlier submission . . . Still, I am an optimist. Maybe, M. Bay will do a good job with the Matheson adaption. I am indeed willing to give him a chance. When I Am Legend hits the theaters, I'll see it. After all is said and done, I'll judge it on its own merits (or there lack of) . . . In the end, that film will indeed become a part of the overall discussion concerning said director's work. Thanks for the give and take concerning this issue. I enjoy the engaging dialogue. Hope to hear from you on future message boards.
-
...but at least it has some comical value to it. Have you heard Richard Harris' version of "MacArthur Park"? Not only is it a ridiculous song, but he was actually trying to sing it SERIOUSLY! EEEGAH!
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Whitney Houston 1963 - 2012 -- 383 total posts 380 posts
- New JUDGE DREDD post production footage pops up -- 111 total posts 111 posts
- WTF HOLLYWOOD: SOLARBABIES -- 75 total posts 73 posts
- HANNA's Saoirse Ronan to boss around seven little people -- 71 total posts 68 posts
- Does ‘SNL’ Rhyme With ‘Deschanel’?? Learn Which SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Vet Hosts After Sexy Zooey!! -- 77 total posts 55 posts
- If the Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day drops her pen, pick it up, but don’t look at her legs or else it will be on your record. -- 54 total posts 48 posts
- There's a STAR TREK video game that is going to lead into JJ's STAR TREK 2 apparently... -- 165 total posts 41 posts
- Herc’s Seen Tonight’s Return Of THE WALKING DEAD!! Discuss Also DOWNTON ABBEY, FEAR FACTOR, PAN AM, ONCE, SIMPSONS, DYNAMITE, LUCK, SHAMELESS, BAIT CAR, THE GRAMMYS And More!! Sunday Is Sweeps Day 11!! -- 41 total posts 41 posts
- To Commemorate The 3D Release Of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, George Lucas Wants You To Know...Greedo Shoots First!! -- 500 total posts 35 posts
- Avid Comic Reader Hercules Does Battle With Tedium During Kevin Smith’s COMIC BOOK MEN! -- 28 total posts 28 posts