The Tournament trailer!!!!

Never mind the ugliness. Here is the trailer for the Action-Reaction-anticpated The Tournament. It looks like it's going to deliver the goods and then some. Watch:



I can't believe I let this slip by (trailer came out the 23rd), but it'd be nothing new. Either way, looks great, and I can't wait.

Source: /Film

Ugliness

Yeah, Rambo 5, Bad Boys 3, Disney owns Marvel...it's just another ugly day in the film industry, and one even more ugly for the action genre...

I'll see you next month.

Armored trailer numero dos

Looks a little like trailer numero uno? Just a little? And it also looks like it gives 2/3 of the film away, but whatever:



I know I'll see it. "All you gotta do is open the door."

Source: /Film

"Looks like Cops on steroids..."

...as one insightful YouTube commenter noted, but in all the best ways. This is one TV show I will watch:



No scripts, no stunt doubles, no second chances...it's an adventure!

Source: Movieline

Inception teaser

Though it didn't screen at my showing, I can definitely see where it'd be one of the best reasons to go see Inglourious Basterds:

Inception @ Yahoo! Video

Looks almost sci-fi-horrorish. After seeing some footage, I'm starting to accept the Christopher Nolan-stunt double look of Leo. We'll see how it progresses.

Source: Yahoo

Review: Inglourious Basterds

You haven't seen the Brits...until you've seen them through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino

While not nearly as disasterous as John Woo's WW2, Quentin Tarantino's take on the era is no success, either. The ungraceful mix of classical 1940s cinema and '70s B-movie excess (and conveyed through a modern lens at that) makes the film end up feeling more like a cheap imitation/almost a parody than an ode to either canon. There's just way too much going on here; even Tarantino seems lost. Most Inglourious, indeed.

The story, or stories, follow just about everything there is to follow. There are the titular Basterds, headed by all-American Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), and sidekick Sgt. Donny "the Bear Jew" Donowitz (Eli Roth). There is their nemesis, "Jew Hunter" Colonel Hans Landa (Christopher Waltz), as well as one of his victims, Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent), not to mention the German war hero that falls in love with her (Daniel Brühl), and his superiors (Martin Wuttke and Sylvester Groth in Hitler and Goebbels, respectively) and the British scheming against them (Michael Fassbender, Mike Myers), including their celebrity double-agent (Diane Kruger). In other words, there are many storylines, and though Tarantino has Altmanesque skill in this area, the distinctly-underwritten characters weaken the material as a whole, resulting in some major underwhelmage.

Gone are the days of Tarantino's inspired characters and even more inspired casting choices (Mike Myers as a British General is a lone cry to this). Pitt is firmly one-note, and one misstep away from annoying. Waltz's performance as Landa has been a little over-heralded, but he's fun nonetheless. The Basterds themselves turn out to be little more than faceless backdrops to Pitt and Waltz and Roth and the ladies (Laurent and Kruger)—who, like Waltz, are solid, but are given little to work with. The only one who's got anything to work with here is Tarantino, in that, as with the rest of his filmography, he takes a little bit from this, a little bit from that, and does whatever the fuck he wants with it (there's something wonderfully ironic about Quentin Tarantino doing a remake, even if a refashioned one).

Tarantino's loose/open/calm atmosphere is kind of refreshing in this age of quick-cut madness; people are going to grab onto this film for its old-fashionedness alone. There's a lot of life to Basterds, at least relatively, but still not enough to overcome the stretches of half-assed (or rushed for Cannes?) material. Even David Bowie's "Cat People" can't save the day. Since Kill Bill, Vol. 2, it's been a slow, frustrating decline for one of cinema's greats.

From the opening calm to the fiery finale, moments of true brilliance (the red dress, the ultra-quick shootout, "Paris, when it sizzles", etc.) are lost within the misplaced, confused direction of an overly-egomanical director. And, for the first time, Tarantino's Chapter-to-Chapter narrative works against him, carving up a potential epic into something smaller/just another Tarantino film. The original rumors that the Basterds were going to be made up of a bunch of washed-up action stars make this all the more disappointing. What could've been a Tarantinoized Big Red One ends up being nothing more than a mess. A simple, unfortunate mess.


** out of ****

~ Patrick Fryberger

And the trailer...

A minute cringe... was my first reaction. Did bat-shit insane George Lucas already achieve this level of C.G.I.? Yes, yes I'm afraid he did.



For a complete rundown, the Hollywood Elsewhere commenters pretty much hit all the points. Getting too big for your britches, Jimmy. The next trailer better show some improvement or District 9 will easily be remembered as the last great movie of the decade.

6 new Avatar stillage!

Regardless of the whole epic, changing cinema forever deal, you almost have to be excited for this simply because of the cast and the man behind it. The CGI looks pretty raw here, but I never saw the Comic-Con footage, and I'll hold my reservations until the trailer. Check 'em out:



















Source: AICN

Expendable footage? Expendables footage!

UPDATE: He's confirmed!

A few dashes of slow-mo awesome badassery for your enjoyment:



Source: /Film

Review: District 9

Balance is restored to the galaxy of cinema with District 9

Sneaking in before close, (District) 9 in '09 will be remembered as one of the best movies of the decade. Peter Jackson may have just handed the keys to a new James Cameron, changing not just the science fiction genre, but probably all of cinema, and forever. Whatever conventions (or minds) Cameron's upcoming Avatar may break, Neil Blomkamp's District 9 has broken the barrier, and paved the way for a new wave to come.

If you put together the blackest of black humor, combined with hollowing, weighty brutality, combined with ultraviolent action, combined with a multifaceted political agenda, combined with a semi-serious mockumentary style, and you might have District 9, but even then, it still defies convention. This is not just such-and-such meets such-and-such, rather, it is an ingenious assemblage of cinema's greatest elements seamlessly fused with an invigorating sense of innovation not experieced in however many years. The story follows Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley, in a workhorse performance), recently instated as the project leader for MNU (Multi-National United), managing a population of shipwrecked aliens in a slum of South Africa. The "prawns'" mothership rests above the city—wholly omnious yet completely harmless—a clear reminder that the their technology is easily superior. After twenty years, prawn-human relations disintegrate even further after they are asked to move into what is basically a concentration camp.

The opening documentary stretches are kept snappy, up-tempo, not so much aiming for realism, but for something different. Later, the uber-intense, Aliensx2 action sequences feature an alarming body count and a bloody one at that (another reminder that the prawn technology, again, is superior). The gruesome moments are grotesque. The sentimental moments are sappy. And the alien moments, well, are positively human. Everything about District 9 is pushed to the limit—every moment, is pushes the envelope, but never too far. Blomkamp and co. present the often-complicated material with such grace that one can't help but be impressed. I was impressed.

Such an ambitious project couldn't be without its flaws, and District 9 houses its share: from falling back on conventions (dialogue in particular), to the 'evil suits' being a little ridiculously/unbelievably so, to a few moments of visually indecipherable action. The ship is a little too Death Star-over-San Francisco-ish, but ultimately passable. There is also a brief lazy-filmmaking instance in the third act, where someplace is a little conveinently close to another place, but the film soon recovers. The film always recovers, and these minute flaws are nothing more than water under the bridge.

In the end, there is way to much to mention here; District 9 needs to be seen again and again to fully appreciate its secret-underground-base of layers. It's as if Blomkamp and Jackson said, "What if we try this? What if we do that?" and they took those risks, and they pulled them off. Packed to the max with great ideas, the film is so alive, so timely and timeless, and, above all, simultaneously both alien and human to an audience that has had too much of the latter.


**** out of ****

~ Patrick Fryberger

Reporting from New York: My initial, quick, too-tired-to-write-a-review take on District 9

Easily the best movie of the year, and one of the most noteworthy of the decade. Forget Hurt Locker, but don't forget about old Jimmy... (though we may have a young Jimmy in Neil Blonkenwhatevercamp)

So spot-on perfect that I have to post this right now

...before I go to the airport for NYC. Jedi Grand Master Jim Emerson offers a few words on film today, while also taking the time to revisit Dogme 95. So simple, so straightforward, so brilliant. Something needs to change.

The X Troop

I just love reading Kim Masters. Sometimes I can't always pinpoint why, but I can here: She serves Tarantino up on a plate and does it without a bit of effrontery, showmanship, or force. She just tells the truth—a true story, in fact—and one that is probably worth more of our time than all 2 1/2 hours of Inglourious Basterds.

The Playlist does a great job reporting/covering the announced Tarantino-Nolan vs. Cameron showdown. Talk about epic. Cameron has homefield advantage, but T & N have the greater and more recent fanbase. I also love that smug pic they put together. It's just great.

And, finally, Armond White tones down the wackiness a little and gives an admittedly insightful and thought-provoking review of G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra. Makes me want to rethink my own (or maybe it doesn't).


P.S. I am travelling to New York, New York for a week to visit some old friends. If I have the time, I'll whip up a frivolous "Reporting from New York" post. That is all.

The Action Reaction 4

The fourth and possibly final action mashup/advertisement for this blog, and arguably the best:



Set to the greatest dance song ever, and featuring clips from:

Mission: Impossible II
Police Story 2
F/X
Blackjack
Tai Chi Master
Last Man Standing
A Better Tomorrow II
The Matrix
Game of Death
Domino
Hard Rain
The Way of the Gun
Street Kings
Submerged
Resident Evil
Mortal Kombat
Quantum of Solace
The Transporter
Men of War
Silent Rage
Cliffhanger
The Punisher
Police Story 3: Supercop
Gone in 60 Seconds
Total Recall
Get Carter [2000]
Rapid Fire
Commando
The Bourne Ultimatum
Point Break
Black Dog
Police Story
RoboCop 2
The Delta Force


I like to relate this video series most closely to the Fast and the Furious. The first video was very good, immensely popular, a real gamechanger, the second was kind of a stinker, but entertaining nonetheless, the third, was something different—at least better than the second, and the fourth, well, the fourth brings it all back home (just as Fast & Furious was the true sequel to The Fast and the Furious, but I digress).

See those other entries, as well as other, unrelated mashups, at the YouTube Channel on the sidebar and/or at the Vimeo Account, here, and thank you for watching.


Enjoy.

"Big on Stealth"

This photo was probably staged and planted, for all we know

A nice little adventure into the shadowy, cloak-and-dagger world of Netflix. I remember there had been some article bashing the service (?--why?), so I guess this is a nice contrast. Check it out here.

Source: Chicago Tribune

Review: G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra

By just looking at this image, you are experiencing the only redeeming element of this film, which, even in itself, is politically-marred, and only looks good because the distance of the C.G.I.

Mixing the political philosophies of '80s Chuck Norris films, the humor and sensibilities of Michael Bay, the shaky-cam/quick-cut/dull color palette of the new millennium, and wall-to-wall C.G.I., Stephen Sommers (a scrappy, poor-man's Bay in himself), has created a cultural stain which, as was said with Transformers 2 and the long, high heap of trash before it, will define this decade in a similarly negative light as the 1980s. Yes, it's that significant, and that's why I'm even taking the time to write a review G.I. Joe: Fall of Cinema as an Art.

First off, a couple of 'if's: 1.) If a movie ever made me feel uncomfortable to be alive, it was G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra. Forget your Clockwork Oranges, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killers, and Funny Games, there's a new sheriff in town, and he's kicking ass. 2.) If this what children are being raised on, then the end really is coming, and we'll have to keep cranking out the post-apocalyptic flicks so we know what to do when that time comes. 3.) If Michael Bay is rich and retarded, then Stephen Sommers is poor and stupid. At least Michael Bay has the production values to flaunt and exhibit his inanity. Joe was genuinely made on a wing and a prayer, or rather, a computer, with a bunch of actors who really needed a job (or really need an agent?).

I really thought the Bush, no—Reagan era was over, but I guess it's just finding its second wind. The blind-as-a-bat patriotism is not only insulting to children, but to toys. As are the C.G.I. helicopters, and polar bears, and Eiffel Tower, and White House, and actors (and movie?). The truth is, even reviewing movies like G.I. Joe makes me feel uncomfortable. It's as if Transformers and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor had a baby, and named it Cobra (stay classy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, stay classy!).

Why am I giving this one star? Well, because, unlike the '80s, the film manages to feature an ethnically and racially diverse cast, even if on an elementary level. And secondly, because of the above image, and how it's PRETTY FUCKIN' AWESOME. The G.I. Joe team also manages to drive a totally uncool, ugly-ass foriegn van instead of the prototypical hummer, so props for that!


1/2 out of ****

~ Patrick Fryberger

Balance is restored to the galaxy...

The Bens are out. A.O. Scott and Michael Phillips are in. It's like the end of Return of the Jedi, but without the Ewoks, and a C.G.I. Richard Roeper.

(In a comparison of reviewers to directors, commenter EdHavens of Hollywood Elsewhere compared Richard Roeper to Peter Hyams. This is unfair to Peter Hyams. That is all.)

Source: Chicago Tribune

Machete rumors confirmed and then some!

Bring on the trash

Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Robert De Niro, Steven Seagal, Lindsay Lohan, Don Johnson(!), Jeff Fahey, Jessica Alba, and Robert Rodriguez-regular Cheech Marin have all supposedly been officially cast in Rodriguez's upcoming Machete, an off-shoot/expansion on the fake Grindhouse trailer original.

This obviously seems too good to be true, but apparently it is--according to Variety--and a little overwhelming considering the source material. I could care less about Alba but everyone else seems primed for some B-Grindhouse trash. I've always seen Rodriguez as being pretty much hit-or-miss, or more accurately somewhere between the two. But with a cast like this, he better knock this one out of the park.

Source: Variety, /Film

Review: The Hurt Locker

Distant fireworks—all a little too distant in The Hurt Locker

Kathryn Bigelow's tremendously-hyped Hurt Locker seems to be such because of its status as an Iraq War film—a genre which has had its fair share of hit or miss. On its own, however, The Hurt Locker leaves some-little-thing to be desired. All of the parts are there: great characters, a great story, and a great cast to see it through, but director Kathyrn Bigelow keeps the bomb defused, the fireworks distant, and really just something out of wack in what could've been the Full Metal Jacket for a new millennium.

Adrenaline junkie (Point Break, anyone?) William James, played by Jeremy Renner, fills in for a team leader (one of the cameo trifecta of Guy Pearce, David Morse, and Ralph Fiennes) of an elite bomb squad working the streets of Iraq mid-war 2004. Listening to metal and disobeying his team members, James is soon deemed a "wild man" by a witnessing superior (another cameo, so fun), and from there the stage is set.

Though periodically predictable, the story is nonetheless filled with realistically brutal and brutally realistic sequences that really are one of a kind. The sniper showdown, dragged out and ever so quiet, is particularly fresh, and also memorable is a wholly unnerving scene involving a taxi. But even with this great material at hand, something—strangely—seems a bit off. The opening grabber fails to grab, a decent, semi-ambient score is underused, the random slow-mo inserts feel recycled from Three Kings, and so on. In other words, for how inspired the concept and material are, the execution, again, seems anything but.

Jeremy Renner and his two compatriots (Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty) hold most of the screentime and do so admirably. They look the part and they act the part; their performances fit seamlessly with the material. The aforementioned cameos add some star power to the film.

Somewhere within the shaky cams, digital zoom-ins, and the drawn-out-to-real-time action pieces, a good, if not great film is hiding. Bigelow's stylistic decisions seem to adhere almost by default to the digitial/handheld/bleak/shaky/doc style of the new millennium, waning and bottoming out the tension and ultimately dulling the so-called action picture as a whole. Like its focal explosives, The Hurt Locker is defused, but oh so close to being an explosion.


** out of ****

~ Patrick Fryberger

Wright on MST3K

Benjamin Wright of Wright on Film has kicked off the month of August with a nice, light piece on the greatness that was and still is Mystery Science Theater 3000. Check it out here.

Whenever I think of MST3K, I can't help but think of this: