For A Few Movies More

 The Hunger Games - Fans of young adult literature rejoice, for the first trailer for The Hunger Games is upon us. Essentially a vague teaser that fails to reveal anything worth getting excited about, this clip simply seems to act as blatant fan service to the book’s legion of fans, providing them with a sneak peak at Jennifer Lawrence as the lead character, as well as a few underwhelming action shots thrown in for good measure.

I may sound like I’m being a little harsh on the film based of the short snippet of footage below, but that’s only because I’m worried this series has the potential to become the next Twilight, in other words, an underwhelming film franchise surrounded by a disturbing and completely undeserved level of hype. And until I finally see the hint of something that may convince me otherwise, I’m going to remain very skeptical. But having said that, having never read the books, the concept behind The Hunger Games does admittedly sound intriguing. Kind of like a Westernized Battle Royale for a younger audience.

Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and Donald Sutherland

While this concluding blockbuster season has managed to unleash its quota of ultra high budget, special effects driven bonanzas upon a mostly satisfied audience, there seems to have been a significantly dire comedy drought going unnoticed in the background. Sure, The Hangover 2 was decent if not a little too familiar, and Bad Teacher managed to muster up a handful of laughs between an onslaught of sub-par gags, but there was a notable absence of a true rib-tickling must-see comedy that audiences flocked to. And just as the aforementioned blockbuster season is winding down at last, it appears that we might have potentially found such a film in the guise of Horrible Bosses. And while it never quite reaches the heights of a true comedy classic, Horrible Bosses is an unquestionably solid laugh out loud comedy goldmine supported by a talented all-star cast and featuring an amusingly high-concept plot that the film wears proudly on its sleeve.

See that revealing title? Well Horrible Bosses is indeed about a trio of horrible bosses who proceed to make the lives of their employees a living hell. Never has there been a truer title for a film. Tired of the constant humiliation, ridicule and harassment received at the hands of their employers, friends Nick, Dale and Kurt (Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day) decide it’s time to turn the tables on these harbingers of suffering and despair. Armed with an excessively extreme ploy to ensure the titular horrible bosses step down from their positions permanently, our trio of loveable dimwits put into action a chain of events that would potentially see their bosses dead, and their lives enlightened as a result. However as is to predicted in a screwball comedy such as this, all does not go quite as planned. The resulting hijinks quickly transform into an intertwining mess of epic proportions that soon takes a deadly and dangerous turn.

The original 1982 Conan The Barbarian starring Arnold Schwarzenegger is often considered a high point in the fantasy film genre in some circles. A gratuitous hack and slash romp that oozes masculinity, the original Conan is a brutally fun, albeit significantly campy adventure romp that a devoted legion of die-hard fans still look upon with a sincere sense of fondness to this day. The film may not have featured an award wining script or a cast of multi-layered characters; however what it did feature was a multitude of vicious action sequences, a sense of genuine fun and a host of memorable heroes and villains.

However despite all of this high praise, when the predictable Hollywood remake of it was inevitably announced, it didn’t concern me. The original film may be an enjoyable step down memory lane for those of us who grew up with it, however it’s still a very uneven film packing a bevy of rough edges. So I can understand why it would be time Conan received an update, it would allow brand new envisioning of the intricate fantasy world made famous by both the original film and the stories it was based off, a new interpretation of the titular character and a whole slew of new crazy set pieces aided by modern technology. I couldn’t wait for my second serving of brutal barbarian action; an experience that I hoped would top the original in terms of quality film-making. Unfortunately it seems as though this resurrection of the iconic character forgot about everything that made the original film such a hit. A vacant action excursion into the heart of mediocrity, this update of Conan The Barbarian is merely a sad ghost of what it could have been.

A look back at the newest and most noteworthy trailers released from the past week.

Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance – Quick confession, I’ve never actually seen the original Ghost Rider. I’ve always had an affection for the unusual character from a young age, but based purely off the outpour of almost unanimously negative reviews for the film, I decided I could probably afford to take a pass on it. It may have made a decent chunk of change at the box office, but the film certainly did no favors for poor Nicholas Cage’s already tarnished reputation. And just when I though we had seen the last of everybody’s favorite flaming skeleton, in a startling reveal, it was announced that a sequel was on the way. Cue a wave of simultaneous eye rolling that could be felt all across the world.

Well as it turns out, this preemtive strike of negative criticism may have been a little unnecessary, since judging by the first official trailer for the film that hit the net earlier this week, Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance looks like a fun slice of pure insanity. This doesn’t look like your average run of the mill sequel by any means, instead of taking a formulaic route, directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor appear to have harnessed that hyperactive energy that made their previous films so unique, giving this rebooted Ghost Rider an out of this world sense of ballistic craziness (Bullet spitting! Fire pissing!). I hope I’m not alone in feeling this, but I’m officially excited for this. Anyone else with me? Anyone….

Starring Nicholas Cage, Ciarán Hinds, Idris Elba

Is hype a good thing? Getting your expectations up to an unattainable standard, letting you pay the entry fee on misleading preconceptions and then once you’re in the quality is just not there. I’ve had a few experiences on many sides of the fence: There Will Be Blood was a marathon effort of expectation, after a year+ build up the movie still delivered; conversely Iron Man II was a sure fire winner for me, no way it could possibly be bad, but I did not dig it; Rise of the Planet of the Apes I purposely avoided hearing anything about it – hype, trailers, reviews – and I came out very impressed; Dinner For Schmucks looked mediocre, nobody had much to celebrate about it, but it was actually kind of entertaining – Now I cannot wait for Dark Knight Rises, with a growing anticipation that this will be one of the great film releases ever, but what is the perfect mix of hype in which I should engage to maximise my experience? Let’s have a look at the different elements of the hype machine to help me decide.

Tradition

Trailers have become a thing to abhor, counter intuitive products of publicity. Made by the marketing gurus who have little idea of the director’s intention, they cater to the ever-contracting attention spans of the masses. But along with their spin off buddies -the TV spots- they probably serve as the biggest generators of interest for most films. Who hasn’t had that feeling of excitement when you are in the cinema and the main feature is prefaced by some juicy theatrical trailers? But somewhere along the way they got it all wrong. Now a trailer gives act I, II, and III and a half – just enough to remind you never to watch that piece of shit movie. But from the trailer evolved the teaser trailer to service the more spoiler shy of us, and beyond this the entertainment news machine pumps out stills, leaks, media stories, late night talk show spots, the works. In fact last year I saw a new hype tool: Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively received a Spike TV award for most anticipated film. Congratulations Mr Reynolds, Ms Lively. No. Congrats to the marketing team more like it. Also, who was looking forward to The Green Lantern?

So how will I handle the marketing machine of The Dark Knight Rises? I’ve already seen the teaser poster which was cool and the teaser trailer which was also cool, raised some questions, little sparks of curiosity. The trailer is still some way off, but I won’t be going anywhere near it; same for the TV spots. Fingers in ears or on mute buttons for these ones. Then we had that picture of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman? The publicity stirred by that one photo was pretty crazy. News websites had picked it up with polls and opinions, taking the exposure well beyond the nerd circles of film blogs. Still about a year until the film is released means there is still plenty of time for more tricks and the excitement will be feverish before long. There will be many more revelations to come. To hide from it I may need to retreat to my Batcave.

It’s a good feeling when you disappear into a film. When characters and story mesh together so well that the world they inhabit completely surrounds you as you sit in the cinema. And that cinema may be packed full, but you could be alone for all the awareness you have for anything else. There is a special place in my little movie-loving heart reserved for these films that have such a unique and individual feel to them (and I really don’t know how else to describe it), that you become so immersed in the experience that as the end credits roll, it takes a while for the real world to feel real again.

Drive tells the story of Driver (Ryan Gosling), a movie stunt driver by day and notorious getaway driver by night. He’s mostly content with his days of driving and tinkering with cars, and getting ready for a start in racing with boss/mentor/friend, Shannon (Bryan Cranston). After moving house, Driver falls for his new next-door neighbour, Irene (Carey Mulligan). But it’s the return of Irene’s husband from prison that becomes the catalyst that changes the lives of everyone involved.

It’s beenrumored for quite some time now that Ridley Scott was keen to revisit his 1982 sci-fi classic “Blade Runner” in some capacity, whether that be a prequel or a sequel. While this is may still be shourded in mystery, Scott has sparked fresh excitement with the official announcement that he will indeed begin commencement on a new “Blade Runner” film.

Remakes seem to be a big thing at the moment with so many different films being rebooted. But this is surely a rare occurrence in this instance with Scott, the director of the original, coming back to reboot a movie that is considered by so many as a master piece. Especially when that masterpiece is being re-done almost thirty years later!  It can be fair to say that while the original was a great film, you cant help but think the advancement of technology and special effects can only help this film visually, if not for anything else. All we can tell you at this stage is that Scott has committed to direct and produce the film, with Warner Bros. expected to distribute. All we can do now is wait and speculate about any more details. 

Personally, I’m excited for the film for a  few different reasons. Many of the remakes that have come out recently have just not reached the standard of the original and I end up scratching my head as to why it was even re-done in the first place. But I feel like Scott couldn’t possibly commit to this if he didn’t have an idea in mind. The guy has had thirty years to think of so many different ways he can make this movie better and like I said, the advancement of technology in cinema will only help his cause. Lets just hope he doesn’t abuse that technology and finds that balance between story and special effects, like he did so well in the original. So what do you think about this latest news? Do you think Scott was right to commit to re doing such a classic movie? And who do you think could replace someone of Harrison Ford’s calibre as the lead? Let us know all your thoughts right here!

UPDATE

In a recent addition to the above story, The LA Times’ 24 Frames spoke with  Alcon Entertainment producer Andrew Kosove who managed to shed a little more light on the project. Here’s what he had to say:

“The Alcon people simply wanted to see if Ridley would sit down with them. The filmmaker agreed, and shortly after the rights deal closed in March, Kosove and his partner Broderick Johnson flew to London to meet with the director. Over the course of one meeting, they hashed out how a new film would look, how it could avoid seeming too similar to the many movies that have since paid homage to the original, and how different the new film should be from the original itself. They eventually decided it should stand as separately as possible.”

“Everything Ridley does as a filmmaker is fresh,” said Kosgove. “I believe he sees an opportunity to create something that’s wholly original from the first ‘Blade Runner.’”

And when asked whether we can expect Harrison Ford’s ‘Rick Deckard’ to return, Kosove answered:

“In no way do I speak for Ridley Scott… but if you’re asking me will this movie have anything to do with Harrison Ford, the answer is no. This is a total reinvention, and in my mind that means doing everything fresh, including casting.”

Source: Los Angeles Times,  Deadline

It’s been almost six years since “Arrested Development” was cruelly taken from us by the FOX network, and creator Mitch Hurwitz has done nothing but tease us with hope of a film ever since. Now the teasing has reached a new high, with Hurwitz announcing the film is in pre-production and hopes to begin shooting next year.

With excitement already building, more news has been leaked. An unnamed member of the cast has let some details about the plot loose to a writer for ScreenRant. Although before you get too excited, the site stressed that these details are still unofficial and can only be assumed as rumors for now. Here’s what the ‘rumoured’ plot is:

“Ron Howard is making a movie about the Bluths using an A list cast. But Dr. Tobias plays himself because nobody wants to play him in the movie. The Bluths decide to make their own movie in contention with Ron Howard’s.”

Personally, I’ve been holding out for this for such a long time, that I’m a sucker for any new goss about the project. So, nothing has changed with this news and for now, I’m going to buy it! If this is the real thing, it sounds hilarious.

What do you think? Is this more hot air from Hurwitz? Or do you think this long anticipated film is well and truly in progress?  Let us know here!

We’ve heard for a while now that Bradley Cooper is set to star as the lead in the new remake of the classic film, “The Crow”. However, due to scheduling conflicts, Cooper has been forced to pull out of the project all together. So who can play the man that Brandon Lee played so well?

There are talks of Mark Wahlberg and Channing Tatum being the hot contenders for the part. Personally, I wasn’t crazy about the idea of Cooper taking the role, but I wasn’t totally against it, and the same goes for Wahlberg. But for this remake, unless the role of Eric Draven has been changed to a dancer and he has little to no need for any kind of emotion or character at all in this movie, Channing should have NO PART in it. But hey, that’s just my opinion. Do you agree or can you think of someone else who you think would be great for the part. Share your thoughts here!

A look back at the newest and most noteworthy trailers released from the past week.

A Very Harold And Kumar 3D Christmas - Everybody’s two favorite stoners are back, and this time not even Santa Clause is safe from their irreverent brand of humor. A Very Harold And Kumar 3D Christmas looks to bring an upbeat dose of zany energy to the third outing in the series, and this assault on everything Christmas looks to be every part as absurd as the previous films. There’s a contagious sense of chaotic fun to be found in this trailer, so here’s hoping the film itself can live up to it.

Starring Kal Penn, John Cho, Neil Patrick Harris