In anticipation for my best of the decade list...

David Wain's Middle 10 Neither Best Nor Worst Movies of the Decade:

10. The Mexican
9. Insomnia
8. The Terminal
7. Charlie Wilson's War
6. Music & Lyrics
5. 3:10 to Yuma
3. TIE: Runaway Jury & Baba Mama
2. Blue Crush
1. Changing Lanes

As one commentor noted, "the banality of these picks are outstanding!"

I think I found this at /Film. Me thinks.

2009, Year of the Blart

One of the most fun articles I've read in many a moon. Some excerpts:



""Paul Blart"'s a movie for the recession economy, filmed in a world full of crap being protected by people who can't afford to buy any of it."

"...everyone here is fat, out-of-shape, working a minimum-wage job with no prospects for advancement and deeply pissed off about it"

"It's unapologetically suburban (filmed in Massachusetts, set in New Jersey) and absolutely marginalized. Its main locales are functional: Blart's mess of a home, the bank within the mall where checks are deposited, and the horrific T.G.I. Friday's type restaurant the holiday party takes place at. It is, in short, incredibly depressing and zero fun whatsoever."

I remember catching Paul Blart on a plane, sans sound. You could tell it was terrible beyond belief, but even then it still had that uber-bad intrigue to it, like Freddy Got Fingered or Highlander 2: The Quickening, two movies I love. Maybe I'll have to give it another go! Por que no?


IFC, you made my day. Thank you much.

BRING IT

This Spring, it's David vs. Goliath and the small guy (8 ft. vs. 10 ft., maybe?) already got the first punch in, punched 'em right in the mouth, and our so-called "King of the World" just never quite recovered.

A big WHOAAAA vs. a hotpocket of blitzkrieg. Who's side are you on? Feel free to leave your two cents. Or three.

Photo snatched from a decent article by the Guardian on the sci-fi of 2009 and into 2010.

Again!??

Yeah, it's that time of year again.

Happy Holidays.

'But only a fool gets killed for a heart transplant.'

UPDATE: According to AICN, it's definitely not a remake, but let's be honest, it's not exactly easy to shake such an iconic title, either.

This looks like a positively inspired new twist on the original material, if not a completely new twist altogether:



I love Repo Man, but Repo Men could be pretty kick-ass as well. We'll keep you posted.

Source: Quiet Earth

"I'm the guy"

He's the man:



Originally caught this in front of Avatar, and the crowd loved it. It looks a little subpar, but I can't say I didn't laugh. Hopefully star-power will prevail and the laughs will make it past the teaser. See we shall...

"Okay, you cunts"

This is looking like a goddamn R-rated Mystery Men. Or maybe just a 'kick-ass' Mystery Men? You tell me:



It seriously might be the best thing 2010 has to offer. Though the Expendables and Machete aren't far behind. I can't wait!

Source: Quiet Earth

Brittany Murphy, yikes

...was my first reaction. They're just being swept away, it seems. It's nuts.

"DANCES WITH WOLVES IN SPACE"

...a good friend texted me this evening.

So true, so so true.

Review: Avatar

Hot through the pixels—is Zoe Saldana hot, or is James Cameron? BOTH.

I had this spiel I would give, for a few weeks now, on why Avatar might fail to live up to the hype. What this primarily concerned, was director James Cameron's multifaceted ambition—most notably, to break into the frontier of 3D, to achieve an unparalleled pinnacle of C.G.I., and all the while creating a whole new universe just as epic as your Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter. Well, guess what, he did all that, and while I wouldn't say my expectations were 'blown away,' I will say they were met. High expectations met with high rewards.

Salvaged from the wreckage of Terminator: Salvation, budding star Sam Worthington heads the epic entertainment experience as Jake Sully, a paraplegic marine thrust into action on the Earth-like Pandora—a lush, vibrantly-exotic world populated by freakish creatures and a humanoid, hunter-gatherer species known as the Na'vi. Yet, this is no ordinary tour of duty. Sully is sent to the science department instead of the kick-ass one, headed by everybody's favorite Biology teacher, Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver, resurrected-again!), where he is instituted into the Avatar program. Fusing the DNA of humans and the native Na'vi, Sully is given the means to control another physical body—a fully replicated Na'vi—called an Avatar. The program is meant to facilitate a "diplomatic solution," as explained by supreme-corporate-sleazeball Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi, playing Paul Reiser's Aliens part on steroids), for the purpose of uncovering some macguffin mineral named Uber-tanium or something. The other option, is war, represented by literally-scarred head of security Colonel Miles Quaritch (a showstopping Stephen Lang). And that's just the beginning, folks.

Shot in 3D, this lavish and complex world comes to life off-screen, but not really on it, if that makes sense. The 3D does seem to detract from the core material; half the time I was so awestruck that I found myself losing track of what was actually happening, almost an alienating (no pun-intended) feeling. And for as smart as a filmmaker (and person) James Cameron is, the world of Avatar seemed a bit slim, not to mention having a simply weak/weakly simple story. Everything was an evident distortion of something we already know; there were no "Whoa" Keanu Reeves-Matrix moments even with the C.G.I. and 3D in mind. It was more of a steady stream of awe. More of an experience than a movie.

The Na'vi, conveniently (i.e. embarrassingly) made up of a bunch of non-white actors (Zoe Saldana, Wes Studi, Laz Alonzo, CCH Pounder) are nonetheless played well, and surprisingly played period. This is where Cameron's delusions of grandeur come strictly into focus. The C.G.I. is like no other, and the performances are there and they're real and they're simply a joy to watch. Worthington effectively holds his own in the lead and doesn't mess it up, not letting the grand scale of the picture get away from him. It's nice to see Sigourney again—never has a role been so tailor-made—she fits it perfectly. As I mentioned, Lang practically steals the show as the main villain, but is kept at bay long enough not to overwhelm it. Ribisi is hammed up to the extreme but at least worth a laugh. Michelle Rodriguez's part feels vastly underwritten; a plot device and nothing more. But it's Zoe Saldana who really comes through. She's the heart and soul of this sometimes soulless epic, and I genuinely think she's worth a supporting look come awards time.

With all the technology, the preparation, the money, the hype, the expectations, everything, James Cameron has really done something special, making his case not only for best of the year, but for the best of the decade, as well. With District 9 still making waves, the ultimate sci-fi showdown since Star Wars v. Star Trek should come to a head this Spring, and I've got my popcorn ready. Each end-of-the-decade entry has changed the cinema as we know it, taking the rest of the genres by the hand and crossing them over into a new frontier. Either way, Cameron's has done it; he's changed things in the biggest and best way imaginable. Colonel Quaritch was right. We're not in Kansas anymore. We're in Avatar territory now.


***1/2 out of ****

~ Patrick Fryberger

Reaction Action Roundup: "Been over this all before..."

...with the trailer, and probably the movie as a whole as well, but you have to admit, Dolph Lundgren is still pretty badass:



And this is new trailer, by the way. Supposedly.

In other news, "I told you, you weren't going to get that back." [I'm starting to laugh each time I see/hear this in the theater...when it finally comes out, I may have to be put down]. Poster's pretty rockin' though:



In reboot/remake/sequel/adaptation news, some legit grit is finally added to this pussyfest. Got me a little excited. Just a little (my boy Nimrod got the hookups!).

Shit man I know where the money is (look to see where the money is).

And finally, tonight's the night...probably not as big as The Dark Knight, but it should be something. Something or another. Review to follow.

"Awesome destructive power"

What an article. Other than the original Bad Boys, I still don't think I can come to appreciate his films on really any level, but if I were to be convinced, this might just do the trick. Obviously--again--it's Matt Zoeller Seitz, who sometimes seems to practically write this blog for me.

Source: The House Next Door

Very Dark Knight

Almost too much so:



The font is nice, but it needs an accompaniment. Skyscrapers = uninteresting; something else should be happening in the sky. And the Nolan 'fro has just got to go. Just kidding.

Source: /Film

Too significant not to post

What a speech, or rather a series of them.

With all the buzz, this has that air around it--something monumental--something that could actually inspire some sense of change in this fear-driven industry.

I can't say enough how comforting, how refreshing, and how just plain great it is to hear someone speak like this, even if, after all, she is a critic. Go Manohla.

The original article: Women in the Seats but Not Behind the Camera

Source: Movieline

Kind of badass

Just a little.

Source: Kung Fu Cinema

Review: Armored

Watching Armored with blank indifference...

Somewhere between the legacies of Reservoir Dogs and RoboCop is Armored, though more 'middling' than in the middle. A simplistic heist makes for a simplistic movie, unfortunately, and instead of going for the gold, writer James Simpson goes for silver and ends up with such: what could've been B+ material ends up being strictly B, nothing more, nothing less.

A young, decorated Iraq war veteran (Columbus Short) returns home to support his only remaining family, in an artistic brother named Jimmy (Andre Kinney). His only other tie, Godfather Mike Cochrone (Matt Dillon), gets him a job as an armored-truck driver, amongst a colorful cast of co-workers (Laurence Fishburne, Jean Reno, Skeet Ulrich, Amaury Nolasco, and an underutilized Fred Ward). After a souful, very blue-collar first act, the group eventually embarks on a self-heist of sorts for a lofty $42 million—which is the first of many mistakes that Armored makes—you couldn't imagine these guys having anywhere near that much money. They should've shot for something smaller, just like in the yarn Mike preaches to inspire the others to get on board.

As the lead, Short stumbles through awkward dialogue stretches the best he can. Dillon tries to hold down the fort but maybe tries a little too hard and ends up coming off bland. Fishburne is not given enough to work with as the most unpredictable of the bunch. Amaury Nolasco's character is near-embarrassing in its execution, simply because, again, what worthwhile character was there to begin with? Jean Reno, get an agent, and Skeet Ulrich, well, he was cool to see again but for no real reason. This throwback cast is a welcome gesture, but it's left to die by an incredibly underwritten script with little or no sense of heist ingenuity.

For once, it's the writer that ruins perfectly good direction, instead of the other way around. Director Nimród (what a name) Antal definitely has talent, but can't fuse the uneven sections. His little visual flourishes and expertise with a modern color palette make me excited for his future projects (i.e. Predators). He's one to watch.

In the end, Armored has little going on under its titular shield. It even feels bottled-up, like they backed off a bunch of things that could've been included to make it more interesting. A few, sporadic moments of wonder ("All you gotta do is open the door," the villain's second wind, the ending) can't hold the picture, and ultimately Armored fails to meet its already-low expectations. The soul of the picture doesn't last long, but one thing the opening gets right is this: The bad economy is everywhere; it almost seems natural/expected now. The last thing we need are bad movies to go with it.


** out of ****

~ Patrick Fryberger

Restless

IFC keenly listens in on my apartment

I was practically having this exact same discussion just a few hours ago. IT'S SO FRUSTRATING. I want some guts in my movies, and not just guts for the sake of guts but guts that stand for something. 1989 had guts. 1999 had...a lot, maybe not always guts but it had a lot. 2009? What? In terms of the mainstream, we got, District 9, maybe? At least it was something fresh. And just not fucking Rotten Tomatoes fresh but actually fresh, something new, a chance at change, stir up the pot a little. Fucking crock pot if you ask me, nothin's cookin.'

Shit man what happened to the '90s? I ask myself this question every day!

Time to go to bed!

Source: The House Next Door

A reason to see it

We can't take filmmakers like this for granted, at least anymore:


Cameron décrypte son film Avatar [cine] TPS 061209
by peanutsie


Source: Hollywood Elsewhere

"You really don't stand a chance..."

I'm ready.


Dh Preview One - For more funny movies, click here

Bloody Emma Watson with a wand. OMG DROOL.

Source: Mugglenet

Good poster

I hadn't come across this one before... Very nice:



I'll be seeing it either today or at the very latest Monday. Review to follow.

So true

"Will Girly Running Impede Steven Seagal's Lawman Debut?"



I love the guy, but you can't deny he looks a little strange on his feet.

Nabbed a few days late from Movieline. Don't know how I missed it!

Goddamn you, Jason Reitman

...for maturing so fast in your career. Faster than Paul Thomas Anderson, that's for sure. With each film, that trademark, annoying, indie-hipster vibe backs off a little bit more, and the emotionally-ripe meat flows in. I still think you can't direct worth shit (you and that Chris Nolan guy), but you can tell a story, and write dialogue when it matters most.

And not only that, but you've got, no doubt, the best performance out of George Clooney ever. You got a performance out of George Clooney period. Easily his best since Three Kings and even better. I think he should take home the fucking award. It's a genuine, fully-fledged performance that carries a whole lot of weight, rising above the 'effective Clooney' and into something we've never really seen before...

Many questioned when Vera Farminga was cast in The Departed, and at the time she did feel a little out of place with all that * power around her, but she's proven herself to be one helluva contender, putting many of her contemporaries to shame. Go Vera.

And man, Anna Kendrick...halfway through I thought she had stole the movie. And if it wasn't for the damn good ending(s), she would've. The other supporters...J.K. Simmons, Zach Galifianakis, Amy Morton (though, I must note, sleazy Bateman and wise Sam Elliott have been done before), and the real American people, goddammit, how'd you do it? I don't even want to know...

So, in sum, Mr. Reitman, I doubt we'd ever get along, see eye-to-eye on movies or even share an effective, casual joke, but man, whoever compared you to Billy Wilder was right, for now. You've captured a zeitgeist and ran with it, having fun (a lil' bit of wit) but staying tough just as expertly as the man himself. You're now officially on that path. Don't mess it up.


~ Patrick Fryberger

Brooklyn's Finest trailer

I've been waiting a long time for this one, and I'm glad to say it looks worthwhile, at least on a Street Kings type level. Have a look:



It may not be Antoine Fuqua's return to form (i.e. Training Day), but hopefully it's a step in the right direction. We'll keep you posted.

Source: /Film

More Clint

I agreed a lot more with this section:



Source: The House Next Door

It's time, homie

Sorry, but it is.

"Hell Rode With Him"

I've never really been one for Clint Eastwood, but I would agree his work is worthy of discussion, and especially when it's coming from MZS!:



Source: The House Next Door

Review: Red Cliff

Tony Leung looking for something more to blow up in Red Cliff.

Note: This is a review of the American release.

Beginning with a mind-numbingly dumb voiceover and frequent subtitle-aids, Red Cliff seems doomed from the start by its embarrassingly-outdated Americanization. Throw in director John Woo's inability to handle drama (evidenced as early as A Better Tomorrow II and Hard Boiled), and you've got yourself one helluva shaky start. I almost walked out, actually, planning on holding for the original, two-part epic. But, fortunately, I remembered the golden rule of any given Woo film: you've got to wait, and then you've got wait some more. As they say, 'good things come'... and in the case of Red Cliff, great things come, very great things.

The story, so mashed and rushed out the door, is nonetheless compelling, especially once you escape the muddy opening. The setup is more or less this: in 208 AD, a war-mongering Prime Minister (and his puppet Emperor) in the North looks to further his power, taking the fight to two clans in the South—one a perennial loser, the other never having fought a battle. Naturally, they come to be allies, and from there, we're off into an adventurous, larger-than-life world of spectacular battle sequences and genuinely memorable characters. Woo veteran Tony Leung proves he's still got that leading-man swagger, carrying the film brilliantly as Viceroy Zhou Yu, while newcomer (at least to my American eyes) Takeshi Kaneshiro has a great role as the wily military strategist, Zhuge Liang. The baddie, Minister Cao Cao (Fengyi Zhang) is kinda lame, but stays classy and doesn't detract from the picture. Also worthy of note is the supporting role of Wei Zhao, in a Miranda Otto-LOTR kind of role that is just strappingly badass.

The John Wooziness (quick fades/dissolves, choppy slow mo, doves) is on full display here, making his valiant return to China a greatest hits of sorts but which nonetheless goes for broke. The action is simply amazing, full of the raw, unhinged energy that made his Hard Boiled-Hard Target peak so invigorating. The contrived battle tactics seem cheesy at first, but after seeing the "turtle formation," you will be hooked, and waiting for what's to come next. This is where Cliff breaks away from Lord of the Rings material and goes above and beyond, really finding its niche in the legacy of the cinematic battlefield. The finale takes on the classical 'Ewoks vs. Empire' mold, but unlike 300, Woo actually makes it believable, cumulating in a solid 45 minutes of EXPLOSIONS AND DEATH with so much aflame that yelling "Fire!" in the theater would not be unwarranted!

Someone should shoot me for saying this, but there's something to be said but cutting out the fluff. Just as the allied forces pack themselves into a turtle, the action packs itself into the condensed material, capitalizing on an iconic director's strengths and ultimately putting on a really good show. I still plan on seeing the full version, hoping for a Ran-like scope, but for now, this pure-concentrated-epic version will have to do. Pure-concentrated-awesome.


*** out of ****

~ Patrick Fryberger