The Tangent Universe

Arcade Fire to score Box

2008-05-14T13:34:00.002+01:00

On a happier note, some good news for Richard Kelly and for fans of Arcade Fire

While denouncing his involvement in the Darko sequel, Richard mentioned that he's editing together his next film, horror pic The Box, and that he's going “to work with a very famous band who is honoring us with being the first filmmakers they’ve ever scored a film with”. While I think this news was supposed to have been announced at a later date, Pitchfork Media found out that that very famous band he was talking about is in fact Arcade Fire.

I like Arcade Fire and the prospect of a full film score from them is intriguing. The Box is a 70s-set horror/suspense concerning a married couple (Cameron Diaz and James Marsden) who receive a small wooden box that gives them instant wealth when a button within is pressed. It's based on a short story by Richard Matheson called Button Button.

From the Bad Idea Dept.

2008-05-14T13:12:00.002+01:00

I think I've probably mentioned this before, so just in case I'll reiterate: Donnie Darko is one of my favorite movies of all time. I love it, crazy time-traveling rabbits and all. So it comes as a huge let down that a sequel is in the works, without any input whatsoever from Rickard Kelly, the writer and director of the original.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a sequel hater by any stretch (see: Indy 4), but there's just no need to continue the story of the Darko family whatsoever. It's plain to see that it's just a sad way of extracting cash from a cow that doesn't need to be milked. ScreenDaily has reported that Chris Fisher (of Nightstalker fame... wait, did I say say "fame"?) will be directing the story of Donnie's sister Samantha (Daviegh Chase) as she embarks on a road trip with her friends at age 18 and are plagued by strange visions. The sequel will be entitled S. Darko.

Richard Kelly and Darko Entertainment have come out and stated that they are "150% not involved" and have tried to stop development on the pic. One of the producers of S. Darko, Adam Fields, was involved in the original and was rumored to have been ordered off set (or at least was told he was not welcome) and could possibly be organizing this as revenge.

Whatever the reasoning or the outcome, I'm not looking forward to this at all. Shooting begins on May 18th.

Iron Man: Over Hyped?

2008-05-07T12:55:00.004+01:00

Here's my quick-fire review of Iron Man (which I got to see Weds last week thanks to Movies.ie): It's good, enjoyable and tends towards the better end of the comic-book movie scale. I initially gave it 4 stars on Movies.ie, but am now in more of a 3 star state of mind. How come? Because I've realized that it's nothing more then 2 hours of setup for the next one.

Iron Man has never really had the same audience pre-notion as Superman or Batman. For it to work as a franchise it has to be introduced to the minds of the movie-going public. And that what the current film does. Sure, most other comic book films have had the obligitory origin-based story, but most tend to concentrate (at most) half the film on it and spend the rest giving us a proper film with a villain (or two) and heart thumping set pieces. Batman Begins and Spider Man are prime examples of this method, and Iron Man pales in comparison to them.

First off: there's no real villains in Iron Man. Yes, we have the Terrorists and a bald Jeff Bridges, but neither provide any real threat and only pop up, especially in Bridges case, towards the final few reels.
Second: The direction in Iron Man is very average. The final battle looks like a cut scene from Transformers and most other scenes are blocked like a TV show.
Finally: For all it's worth, the running time of Iron Man could have been cut to just Robert Downey Jr's last line: "I am Iron Man", which is really all that the movie says.

This is nothing but introduction. I admit that it is entertaining, but I find it difficult to come to terms with the fact that to gain all we can from this character we have to buy into sequels and a bigger story. I'm fairly certain that the sequel will be better then the initial encounter, and that it only because in his first outing Iron Man isn't given all that much to do.

Update: Has It Been A Month?

2008-04-08T11:58:00.002+01:00

It has been a crazy/insane month and there's a lot that I've missed blogging about. Here's a list of things that have happened...

- The Once Swede won the Be Kind Rewind Contest! It has already screened on Channel 6 and is set to appear on The Last Broadcast on RTE 2 at the end of May and at the Darklight Film Festival in June.
- Interviews about the film have appeared on/in The Evening Herald, The Fanning Show on RTE Radio 1, Film & TV Monthly, Today FM's Ian Dempsey Show and various websites.
- Not resting on any laurels, I'm gearing up a short doc on the recording of Rhob Cunningham's song Good Or A Bad Thing and a short film titled "box" that will hopefully be ready for festivals during the Summer.
- Reviews will be back on-line over the coming days

There Is A Light...

2008-03-06T10:35:00.000Z

LIGHT HOUSE CINEMA TO RE-OPEN FOLLOWING EXTENDED INTERMISSION

Dublin, March 6th 2008: The Light House Cinema has officially confirmed May 9th as the date for the re-opening of the venue at the new location in Smithfield Square, Dublin. The eagerly awaited re-opening comes following an extended “intermission” – the Light House, in its previous incarnation, closed in Abbey Street in 1996. The Light House Cinema team of Neil Connolly and Maretta Dillon continue to be committed to ambitious and adventurous programming, and the new four-screen cinema will act as a cultural hub for the Smithfield area.

The total capacity is 614 seats, with seating configuration as follows: Screen One: 277 seats; Screen Two: 153 seats; Screen Three: 116 seats; and Screen Four: 68 seats. The four screens will allow for enormous flexibility in terms of programming, delivering a greater choice and diversity of films to invigorate the cultural cinema landscape in Ireland.

From Digg: Once Trailer - Sweded

2008-03-05T14:15:00.003Z

It's been getting more and more difficult to track all the links and blog posts about our Swede. Digg is now getting in on the sweet Once action!

read more | digg story

Once Swede goes International...

2008-03-04T10:44:00.002Z

Jeffrey Wells over at Hollywood-Elsewhere.com has posted about our little film here.

Also Slashfilm.com has made reference here, calling is "charming" (although some of the comments aren't as kind!!).

Once Swede update...

2008-02-29T17:43:00.003Z

The Internets are beginning take notice of our Once Trailer that we mentioned yesterday.

So far it's been mentioned on blogs...
- The Chancer
- Unarocks
- Rick O'Shea

And made the Phantom 105.2 news (sound clip).

Crazy!

Shameless Self Promotion...

2008-02-28T14:18:00.004Z

As an entry to the Be Kind Rewind Sweding Contest, me and a few friends re-made the trailer for Once. Enjoy!

Something DIFFerent

2008-02-26T15:59:00.002Z

The Dublin International Film Festival wound up on Sunday. I managed to get to 3 films....

Funny Games U.S.
A straight remake of the original German film, Funny Games U.S. is a fairly disturbing look at the hunger and fascination that modern audiences have towards cinema violence. The reason to remake it in such an exact way is to make it's point more direct, tangible and relevant then it was before. I left the cinema feeling horrible, so it did have the effect on me that the director wanted. It's a unique experience, but not one for anyone sensitive.
Rating: * * * * (4 Stars)

The Orphanage
For the most part, The Orphanage is a brilliant horror film filled with moments of complete terror and pants-wetting suspense. Very well directed, written and performed, it keeps you engaged and alert with it's story of hauntings and a missing child. It's such a pity that the final 2 minutes of the film tear apart everything that it worked so hard on building. To go into it would be to spoil the film, so I'll just say this: it's denouement is so ethically skewed and uncharacteristic of the story that it actually offends deeply and gives the wrong message.
Rating: * * * * (4 Stars, but it would be 5 if the ending hadn't been such a cop out)

The Escapist
This was the surprise film of the festival. If this is festival director Grainne Humphreys idea of what a surprise film should be then I'll be skipping it next year. The film itself has been done many times before and better too. We never get enough back-story or development from the characters, their motives are either shallow or non-existent, and the final twist is, while clever in some respects, completely hollow and meaningless. A poor effort, and a bad choice.
Rating: * * (2 Stars)

I hope the festival improves next year, as there's most certainly room for it.

Cinema is the real winner...

2008-02-25T11:28:00.002Z

You can find out all the Oscar winners and losers (aka: nominees) here.

I didn't have time to put up my predictions yesterday, but I'd have gone for There Will Be Blood for Best Film (wrong!), The Coens for Director (right!), Day Lewis for Actor (duh! right!), Cotillard for Actress (right! yay!), Blanchett for Supp. Actress (wrong!) and Holbrook for Supp. Actor (wrong again!).

There were no big surprises this year, and it seems that this was one of the few years that The Academy gave the best film award to a deserving film.

Congrats to Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova in winning for Best Song.

Irish director to make Akira

2008-02-21T13:42:00.003Z

"Kanedaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!"

The director of the Oscar-nominated short film Fifty Percent Grey, Ruairi Robinson, has been lined up by Leonardo Di Caprio's production company Apian Way and Warner Bros. to direct 2 live-action films based on the Manga property Akira.

The Akira manga comic books were made into the much celebrated animated feature back in 1988, and in the 90s Sony Pictures made some headway into producing a live-action version but faltered at the projected budget for the effects. Now that CGI has reached a stage where the budget can be shrunk Di Caprio has taken on the story, probably with a view to starring as well.

Aintitcoolnews broke the story here.

You can view the brilliant short Fifty percent Grey here.

Miffed At The IFTAs

2008-02-15T14:34:00.004Z

Film journo and all-round intelligent bloke Donald Clarke has an article in Today's Irish Times that asks questions on the credibility of some awards in this year's IFTAs. You can read that article on-line here.

Similar to what I've said in the past, he challenges that the added glamor and ceremony over the past few years has cheapened the awards and, even though it promotes shorts and low-budget endeavors, has ended up being nothing more than an opportunity to have a few famous faces on the morning papers.

When the response you get from Aine Moriarty, IFTA Chief Executive, is "Who is voicing this opinion? It is ridiculous" it just shows how closed minded the awards are.

Review Roundup

2008-02-12T14:24:00.000Z

Cloverfield
With all the hype surrounding this film I was expecting to be let down a good deal, considering that the vast majority of films never meet the expectations built up by a crazy marketing campaign. Turns out the hype was deserved and I throughly enjoyed the hell out of it! It's fast paced, well constructed and feels like some genuine creative thought went into making it what it is. It's a blockbuster with a little more smarts then your usual multiplex fodder. It does suffer from some gaping plot holes but, being a monster movie, you can easily forgive them. A word of warning: try and sit as far back in the cinema as possible! It's not as shakily annoying as some Bourne films, but it comes close the odd time.
Rating: * * * * (4 Stars)

Juno
This film, while being quite good, comes across as a missed opportunity for me. What we have is a story that's funny, touching and engaging but is written in a fashion that completely alienates the audience. The quick-witted banter that coats almost every scene (the first 10 minutes are an onslaught of achingly dry punchlines) displays an unsettling need to prove its indie roots. Luckily, once it gets to the half way mark the dialog begins to simmer down and the story takes centre stage. Page is sometimes annoying, but generally fine, as the title character and is supported by a great cast (including Michael Cera who nails his role perfectly). Good but not great, it's amount of awards and nominations seem like overkill. Oh, and I hate hate hate The Moldy Peaches!
Rating: * * * (3 Stars)

Definitely Maybe
I was, not quite dragged, but coerced into seeing this. This year's "released for Valentines" film is light on the schmaltz and heavy on the cute as Ryan Reynolds' tells the story of how he met is soon-to-be-divorced wife to his young daughter. Compared to other rom-coms it has it's moments, tends not to drift into over-sentimentality and has a dark core to its tale. However, it does contain characters and arcs that are beyond belief and reality. Do yourself a favour and watch High Fidelity instead, a film about past and current relationships that surpasses this attempt.
Rating: * * (2 Stars, add another 2 if you like this sort of movie)

Writers' Strike Over! (almost!)

2008-02-08T13:40:00.001Z

UPDATE: East and West Coast branches of the Guild will vote on Tuesday for the acceptance of the new terms. It's suggested that the writers will be back to work on Wednesday.

(In other news, it's been speculated that Lost will get 6 more episodes in April/May! Good times!!)

CNBC is reporting here that a deal will go before the writers tomorrow (Saturday) for their approval.

Ex-CEO of Disney, Michael Eisner said "It's over, they made the deal, they shook hands on the deal. It's going on Saturday to the writers in general". Once the writers give it the thumbs-up (which everyone seems fairly certain that they will) it will bring an end to the strike that has lasted since November and shut down most TV and some film productions.

Eisner concluded: "A deal has been made, and they'll be back to work very soon," adding, "I know a deal's been made. I know it's over."

Falling Slowly into Insanity - UPDATED

2008-01-29T15:31:00.001Z

UPDATE: The music section of the AMPAS yesterday agreed that the song "Falling Slowly" from Once is allowed to retain it's nomination in the category for Best Song. Sanity has thankfully prevailed, but you have to wonder what effect all this bad press has on its chances.

Original Story:
You've probably read the speculation and furore in the Sunday Tribune and elsewhere about Once's nomination in the Best Song category at the Oscars. Originally I had completely dismissed this as an old story re-cycled due to the announcement of the nominees last week, but then the story began to pick up speed and the AMPAS said that they were considering the situation.

This comes as a complete surprise as I had though the matter had been sorted out long ago! Kris Tapely over at Variety points out the same in this article. Only 2 songs from Once (Falling Slowly and If You Want Me) were stated by the Academy to be fit for nomination, while all other songs contain were found to be un-original (as in: not for the film). But now the Academy seems to be flip-flopping and pressure has been mounted to re-consider its legibility as an original work for the film. "Pressure from where?" you might ask. Have a look at who else is nominated for Best Song and you may find an answer.

The AMPAS will announce their final decision sometime today.

Del Toro To Direct The Hobbit

2008-01-28T11:27:00.000Z

Guillermo Del Toro, director of fantastic films such as Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy and The Devil's Backbone, has been confirmed via The Holloywood Reporter (story here) to direct 2 back-to-back features based on Tolkien's The Hobbit.

It's been known for a few weeks that Peter Jackson and New Line finally settled their litigation surrounding profits for the first Rings installment, and that The Hobbit would be done as 2 films, but when it was originally announced Jackson was only listed as a producer. This hinted at a busy slate for Jackson (with The Lovely Bones and Tintin both in various stages of production) and a possible new director. With Del Toro confirmed, production should begin in 2009 with release dates of Christmas 2010 and 2011.

Oscar Countdown: No Country Wins DGA Award

2008-01-28T10:52:00.000Z

It has only happened 3 times since 1996 that the DGA Award has gone to a director that didn't go on to win the Best Directing Oscar for that year. Ron Howard (Apollo 13), Ang Lee ( Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and Rob Marshall (Chicago) won the DGA in 1996, 2001 and 2003, only to lose to Mel Gibson (Braveheart), Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) and Roman Polanski (The Pianist).

This year, the DGA Award went to the Cohen Brothers for No Country For Old Men which now makes them almost certain of Oscar glory.

New Bond film gets a name, confuses everyone

2008-01-24T13:59:00.000Z

It was announced on Sky News earlier that the new James Bond film currently in production will be called: Quantum of Solace.

Apparently it's based on a short story contained in Fleming's For Your Eyes Only.

I don't know about everyone else, but does the title sound a bit Lord Of The Rings-ish? Or even Star Trek-y?

Review Roundup!!

2008-01-23T17:18:00.000Z

I've conceded to the fact that I won't be able to write full reviews of these films. So here's a quick-fire roundup of what I've seen lately...

No Country For Old Men
I've been aching to see this film for ages, and it did not disappoint. Everything about it sublime: the direction, the writing, the performances (Javier Bardem's will go down in history), the sound mixing, the adrenaline pumping chases...aw hell I could go on for ages. It's excellent. Please go see it.
Rating: * * * * * (5 Stars)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
10 minutes in to this a friend leaned over and said: "I didn't know this was a musical!". She ended up really enjoying it though, which is more then I can say for myself. The problems I have with Sweeney are inherent to the actual source material itself. The production is fantastic, the performances good and the direction excellent. However, it suffers from a few songs that miss the mark and characters (the daughter and her lover in particular) that are just plain boring to watch.
Rating: * * * (3 Stars)

Charlie Wilson's War
Like Sweeney Todd, this has most of the parts to make a brilliant film, but somewhat falls short. The story of a US Congressman who instigates the biggest covert war in the history of the CIA is interesting and has a strong message that is not forced but hinted at. It's a pity that this story is just not compelling enough, and leaves you with the feeling that they cut out 30 minutes of plot development. It is funny in places and has Philip Seymore Hoffman stealing every scene he's in, but it just isn't enough to save it.
Rating: * * * (3 Stars)

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
This is a massive attempt at taking the piss out of Walk The Line and Ray, and they almost pull it off. In a movie like this you just need to know one thing: is it funny? Answer: Yes, but not always. Some jokes are delivered with a knowing wink that takes you out of the story and reminds you that you are just watching a group of people who are effectively pointing and laughing at other films. Others of its ilk, like Anchorman and Blades Of Glory, aren't so aware of themselves and are the better for it. That said, it is mostly funny and is just about worth the admission. Watch out for a cracking joke about The Temptations.
Rating: * * * (3 Stars)

R.I.P. Heath Ledger

2008-01-23T16:51:00.000Z

His passing is both sad and unfortunate. It's a shame that we won't get to see what would have been a great career.

BBC News has coverage here.

Oscar Nominations Announced

2008-01-22T13:59:00.001Z

The Oscar.com website has a full run-down here.

The big new is that there's quite a few Irish in the nominations...

- Saoirse Ronan (Atonement) in Best Supporting Actress
- Daniel Day Lewis (There Will Be Blood) in Best Actor
- Once got a single nomination in the Best Song category
- Seamus McGarvey (Atonement) in Best Cinematography

So how did my predictions do? Here's some commentary (read: my own stoopid opinion) on other categories as well...

Best Picture
Almost hit the nail on the head. There's been quite some buzz with Michael Clayton, and this morning I've been reading that some are considering it No Country's main rival.

Best Director
Joe Wright, director of Atonement, will feel rotten. A Best Picture nomination but nothing for his direction. Jason Reitman's nomination is a huge surprise, considering the Academy rarely give nods to comedy. On the predictions front: 3/5 ain't bad!

Best Actor
Tommy Lee Jones' nomination wasn't expected. I had thought Tom Hanks was a certainty but was very wrong. Emile Hirsch's exclusion was the first sign that Into The Wild would get royally snubbed. Another 3/5.

Best Actress
Like I said, Cate Blanchett's nomination is an annual event. She won't win it though as most will give her Best Supporting Actress. Laura Linney's nomination was unexpected. Keira Knightly didn't get her very much expected nomination... burn! 3/5 on the predictions again.

Other Categories
- As usual, Best Supporting Actor has the most interesting selection. If it turns out to be No Country's night then Bardem will take it home, otherwise Hal Holbrook will be given it (more so for his career rather then his role in Into The Wild).
- Saoirse Ronan will have her work cut out to beat Cate Blanchett in Best Supporting Actress. The I'm Not There actress is a dead cert.
- Best Original Screenplay is the Academy's favorite time to give an award to an Indie film. Juno looks most likely this year.
- No Simpson's Movie on the Best Animated Feature list. Ouchers!
- Speaking of animation, Ratatouille's 5 nominations are really surprising, especially Best Orig. Screenplay
- I predicted 2 nods for Once in the Best Song category, but was trumped by Enchanted's 3 (count 'em!) nominations. I did not see that coming at all. Even Eddie Vedder's song from Into The Wild didn't get a nomination! Once will be favorite to take away the statue as the rest of the votes will be spread too liberally over Enchanted's songs to pose any threat.
- Norbit got nominated (for Best Make-Up). The end of the world is nigh!

Overall, it's a wide open race and I have a feeling that no one film will run away with it. The ceremony will take place, pending that the Writers' Strike (TM) will allow it, on Sunday, Feb. 24th.

Oscar Predictions

2008-01-21T16:48:00.000Z

I've got a slew of reviews to write up (No Country, Sweeney Todd, Charlie Wilson, Walk Hard, Dan In Real Life) but before all that there's the matter of the Oscar Nominations that are announced tomorrow.

So, just for the hell of it, here's my predictions for some of the major awards and check back tomorrow (Tuesday) so see how many I got wrong!

Best Film
- No Country For Old Men
- There Will Be Blood
- Juno
- The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
- Atonement

Note: Michael Clayton could spring a surprise

Best Director
- The Coen Brothers (No Country For Old Men)
- PT Anderson (There Will Be Blood)
- Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell And The Butterfly)
- Joe Wright (Atonement)
- Tim Burton (Sweeney Todd)

Note: Ridley Scott and Sidney Lumet could also get noms based on their careers so far. Ben Affleck could get a sneaky nom for Gone Baby Gone.

Best Actor
- Daniel Day Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
- Tom Hanks (Charlie Wilson's War)
- George Clooney (Michael Clayton)
- Frank Langella (Starting Out In The Evening)
- Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises)

Note: Top 3 are a dead cert, John Cusack might surprise with Grace Is Gone, also Emile Hirsch for Into The Wild.

Best Actress
- Julie Christie (Away From Her)
- Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose)
- Ellen Page (Juno)
- Keira Knightly (Atonement)
- Angelina Jolie (A Mighty Heart)

Note: I honestly can't see any other possible nominations, unless Jodie Foster's star-weight gets her a nom and Cate Blanchett gets her now annual nomination.

Other Awards
Expect Sweeney Todd to feature heavily in the Technical/Production categories, as will Atonement and There Will Be Blood. Once, as I said at the beginning of the year, will get 2 noms (both in the Best Song category).

Review: Dan In Real Life

2008-01-17T16:25:00.000Z

The Short: It's a poor attempt at light family entertainment. Not funny enough to be a comedy, and not dramatic enough to be even a half-decent drama. After Evan Almighty, it's another flop for Carell.

The Long: The story of Dan In Real Life is straight out of TV Movie-land: a widowed father is trying to cope with his 3 daughters (each at a different stage in life), his work and his lack of a love-life. They all pile into a car and head off to a family gathering at a quaint and quiet seaside town that always seems to be overcast. While off buying papers Steve Carell's character meets a woman whom he completely falls for, only to find out that it's his brother's new girlfriend.

While sometimes amusing, the film never really gets out of 1st gear and seems to happily plod along in it's own world, leaving the audience behind to wonder when they'll all cop-on and give us something interesting to watch. The family at the centre of the story are incredibly annoying with their "family time" games and group exercise sessions in the mornings. Their behavior is so safe (well, it is a PG rated film), mundane, oh-so-cutesy and sugar loaded that you may just develop diabetes from looking at them. Carell is fine in his role, but is given very little to work with. The same can be said for the rest of the roles, except Dane Cook who turns in another insipid and uninspiring performance.

The writing behind the story is the main reason Dan In Real Life fails. The story takes many turns in the wrong direction, throwing characters into positions where they really shouldn't be and relying on the audience to buy in to these quirks and to ignore the implausibility of it all. It tries so hard to be light hearted and appealing that it forgets to properly engage us and leaves the viewer feeling cheated, having sat through 90 minutes of fakery and lies. In essence, the film is like a condescending pat on the head from an annoying relative.

Rating: * * (2 Stars)

Recent News!

2008-01-16T11:56:00.000Z

- Brad Renfro, the 25 year-old actor and star of such films as The Client and Apt Pupil, was recently found dead. IMDB has the full story here.

- Irish film (and IFTA nominee, oh how exclusive!) Kings has been dropped from the Oscar shortlist for Best Foreign Film. Whittled down to a total of 9 films, the list has also dropped hot favorites 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days and The Orphanage. That Academy is bonkers I tell thee!

- We should find out today if the planned Justice League film, with Max Max director George Miller, will get the green light or not. I'm on the edge of my seat! (No, really!).

Edit: It's been delayed due to The Writers Strike (TM). Well darn it!

- The Producers Guild Of America (who very regularly predict the Oscar Best Picture winner) have named their top 5 films of '07. They are: No Country For Old Men, Juno, There Will Be Blood, The Diving Bell And The Butterfly, and Michael Clayton. Oddly (yet tellingly) enough there was no mention of recent Golden Globe winner Atonement, which today received 14 BAFTA Nominations.

- The final Harry Potter book might be shot over 2 separate films, according to The Daily Mail. They're doing it this way to properly "honor the complexities and scale" of the story. Yeah, and to line your wallets as much as you can before the series ends.

The People's (don't get much) Choice Award

2008-01-08T14:45:00.000Z

With the Golden Globes reduced to an hour's press conference next Sunday thanks to the WGA Strike (TM), our own need for award ceremonies on this side of the Atlantic will turn to the IFTAs. Most of the categories and nominations will be announced tomorrow, but one has already been published on their fancy looking website: The People's Choice Award for Best International Actress.

This "award" is being sponsored by a haircare company (whose name I'm loathe to say here) and has the following nominees...

- Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth: The Golden Age
- Jodie Foster for The Brave One
- Keira Knightley for Atonement
- Hilary Swank for PS I Love You

While this being a very blatant attempt at advertising is one thing, they could have at least come up with a better list then that. I mean c'mon! Hilary Swank!? Foster and Knightley I can forgive (the latter will probably gain an Oscar nomination) but what about Julie Christie in Away From Her? My own favorite of last year: Keri Russell in Waitress? Why not even go for an obvious one and give a nod to Angelina Jolie in A Mighty Heart? I can understand that sponsorship money is needed to ensure that the event goes smoothly, but if the IFTAs are to be taken seriously then they should at least have a bit of cop-on and have proper nominations. People's Choice me arse!

Predictions for 2008

2008-01-02T11:59:00.000Z

- The best film of the year will be released on Jan 18th with No Country For Old Men
- The Oscars (if they actually go ahead!) will once gain give the Best Picture gong to a film that really isn't the Best Picture at all
- Once will be nominated for 2 Oscars (both in the Best Song category) and will win 1
- The new Indiana Jones film will be the highest grossing film of 2008
- The Dark Knight will have millions of Batman fanboys swooning the world over as Nolan will have "fuckin' nailed it!"
- BluRay discs will surpass HD-DVD as more people buy the PS3
- That format war will eventually not matter as movie downloads become more proliferate
- Judd Apatow, having scored numerous hits in a row, will finally have a commercial and critical flop
- The Writers Strike (TM) will finally end mid-Spring as everyone agrees that only 8 episodes of Lost isn't enough for this year
- Jim Carrey's career continues on its downward spiral

Got any other predictions?

For No Good Reason: The Best and Worst of 2007

2007-12-21T14:11:00.000Z

I did my best to resist doing a list like this, but there's really no better way to round off the blog for 2007. Happy Christmas to all and I'll be back come early January with a preview of 2008 (hint: I can't wait to see No Country For Old Men!).

Best Film: Zodiac
Honorable Mentions: Into The Wild, The Lives of Others, Superbad, Once, The Fountain, Half Nelson, Teeth, 2 Days In Paris, Ratatouille, Knocked Up, Assassination of Jessie James..., The Darjeeling Limited, The Last King Of Scotland.

Best Director: Sean Penn for Into The Wild

Best Actor: Forest Whitticker in The Last King Of Scotland

Best Actress: Keri Russell in Waitress

Best Script: Superbad

The Jessica Alba Award or "Wow, ain't that pretty!": The Assassination Of Jessie James By The Coward Robert Ford (for some incredible cinematography).

Best Scene: The voice of Roger Rabbit, Charles Fleischer, creeps Jake Gyllenhall (and the rest of us) out in Zodiac by going down to the basement.

Worst Film: Transformers
Almost as bad: Black Sheep, Hostel Part 2, Vacancy, POTC: At World's End, Spider-Man 3.

Worst Prostitution of Talent For A Paycheck: Kevin Spacey in Fred Clause

Most In Need of A Good Film: Jim Carrey

Quick Review Update

2007-12-20T14:49:00.000Z

The Christmas Crazies are upon us (aka: actually thinking that it's a good idea to be in or around the Grafton Street area at any time of day) and I've dropped behind with reviews. Here's a quick smattering (well, 3 really) of what I've seen lately...

Southland Tales
Being the huge Donnie Darko fan that I am I was particularly looking forward to Richard Kelly's next for the best part of 4 years. A disastrous Cannes screening bode ill for a film that was reportedly self-indulgent, confusing and meandering. A year and a re-edit later, Southland Tales emerged and, well... it's still all those things, but maybe not as much as before. It's still a good film and worth watching, but it seems like it has lost itself and drowned amid a sea of half-ideas that never come together.
Rating: * * * (3 Stars)

The Assassination of Jessie James By The Coward Robert Ford
If you happen to enjoy the films of Terrance Mallik then you'll love this one. Mallik's Days Of Heaven was an inspiration for this tale of how one of the most infamous men of 1800's America was killed. It looks absolutely gorgeous, with one scene involving a train robbery at night especially standing out. The story itself takes time to properly kick off, and when it does the film is at it's most compelling and interesting. Pitt and Affleck give excellent performances and make this one to watch during awards season.
Rating: * * * * (4 Stars)

Enchanted
I have every reason to hate this film: it's a chick flick, tons to saccharine laced story lines, the bloke from Grey's Anatomy and, being a Disney film, the potential to be overly moralistic. The fact that I really enjoyed it almost makes me ill. It's funny, well written and has some excellent performances. Disney takes the piss out of itself and does so with a knowing wink. What Scream is to horror, Enchanted is to the fantasy fable. Pity the final 20 minutes of the film, when Susan Sarandon shows up, goes all clichéd and Hilary Duff-esque.
Rating: * * * * (4 Stars)

First Poster for Indiana Jones and The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

2007-12-12T10:22:00.001Z

...and it looks amazing! (click for bigger version)

Waits For Christmas #1

2007-12-12T09:55:00.000Z

This may not really be film related (although he did appear in many films like Domino and Mystery Men) but there's a campaign currently underway to get Tom Waits' song "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" to the number 1 spot in the Irish Charts for Christmas. Needless to say, this is pure genius!

You can find out more at the Official Blog.

Go! Speed Racer! Go!

2007-12-06T13:44:00.001Z

The first promotional photos of Speed Racer, The Wachowski Brothers' next film, have appeared online thanks to USA Today. It's always been said that the brothers were going for a look that replicated the original cartoon, and these photos just look as trippy as hell! When I get around to making my preview of 2008 over the holidays this is one of the movies that'll certainly feature. Click the link for more photos.

Did Morgan Spurlock find Osama?

2007-12-06T11:50:00.000Z

Morgan Spurlock is a documentary filmmaker who has eaten nothing but McDonalds for a whole month in Super Size Me, and brought numerous excesses to TV screens with 30 Days. His next feature documentary, to be premiered at Sundance next year, is called Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden?, and follows Spurlock as he travels across the Middle East in search of the infamous terrorist.

This is all well and good and, on surface level, could make for an entertaining doc. However, MSNBC have reported here that there might be more to Spurlock's film, and that he might just have actually found Bin Laden. The article mentions that in February last Spurlock screened 15 minutes of the doc to potential buyers in Berlin and these 15 minutes caused The Weinstein Company to immediately drop $25 million onto Spurlock's lap to secure distribution. It's not an unusual amount for a distribution deal, but when you consider that most documentaries don't even make close to that amount you begin to think that there could be more to it.

The directory of photography for the doc, Daniel Marracino, is quoted in Variety as saying: "We've defiantly got the Holy Grail". While I don't really think Spurlock sat down with Osama and did a little interview, I do imagine that he managed to get something that will, at least, cause the Bush Administration much embarrassment. Or, more likely, the Weinstein's just spent $25 million on some impressive publicity.

Review: The Darjeeling Limited

2007-12-05T10:48:00.000Z

The Short... This is another well rounded and entertaining film from Anderson. Funny, engaging and meaningful. You just wish that he'd try to make a film with new themes or stories that he hasn't already done many times before.

The Long... Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman play three brothers who meet up in India (on request of Wilson's character) to go on a journey of "spiritual discovery" after their father died a year previous. This journey includes boarding a train (run by the company in the title) that is traveling across the country and stops from time to time to allow the brothers to partake in activities that are supposed to help them bond and find themselves. This journey is cut short with an incident involving painkillers, cough syrup and pepper spray that ends up with the brothers thrown off the train and left in the middle of India with nothing except 11 suitcases, a printer and a laminating machine.

As this is a Wes Anderson film you can expect fantastically written characters, quirky dialog, unusual situations, slow-mo shots, parental issues and deliberate pacing. Now, before I go into my issues with The Darjeeling Limited, I need to stress that this is a really good and well made film. I throughly enjoyed it and is well worth the €9-ish price of a ticket. My issues are not with the film as a separate entity, but as part of the Wes Anderson cannon.

Let's take the major themes of the film: a family that doesn't know how to communicate with each other, parents who have neglected or ignored their offspring, the seeking of a spiritual enlightenment, the way in which people deal with death. These are all themes that Anderson has covered many times over in Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic. This fact makes viewing The Darjeeling Limited an un-unique experience, and we don't feel as impressed or as refreshed as we were before. The film is still a good one, but it's just nothing new. A large part of me wishes that Anderson would try to explore different themes and attempt to go away from the machinations that he feels comfortable with and what make a "Wes Anderson film". That said, his next film is an adaptation of Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr. Fox that's supposed to be mostly done using puppets and stop-motion animation (akin to some scene in The Life Aquatic), so maybe then will my appetite for something different will be sedated.

Repetitive issues aside, this is an engrossing film. The performances are excellent (including Owen Wilson who has never been as good as this in any film before) and the photography is top notch. To compare it to other Anderson works, it's as good as Rushmore, but not as enthralling or involving as The Royal Tenenbaums or The Life Aquatic.

Rating: * * * * (4 Stars)

Review: The Nines

2007-12-04T15:58:00.000Z

The Short... An admirable attempt at a story that has ideas way beyond its own existence. While very enjoyable for the most part the film falls flat from being mishandled by a director who tries to cram in too many themes while attempting to simplify them. Fans of Donnie Darko may find something here.

The Long... I've been having difficulty in trying to properly explain the story of The Nines without giving away the whole plot. To explain one aspect means you have to clarify it with the next and so on. So, to summarize in as concise a fashion as I can manage, Ryan Reynolds plays three characters (an actor, a tv producer, and a games developer) whose lives become entwined in a complex system of numbers and coincidence. Hope Davis and Melissa McCarthy also appear as three separate characters in each of these lives.

Throughout the whole movie I kept being reminded of Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko (which happens to be my favorite film). Both films set up realms of their own which have important and specific rules that their characters must adhere to, or else the world as they know it will end. In Darko, the audience has this realm slowly and purposefully revealed to us in a way that is compelling and intriguing. In The Nines, however, I saw little evidence of control over the substance of the story and thus the film's quirks and revelations become stunted and their meaning diluted. That's not to say that The Nines is scattered or grossly inept, as the script contains quiet a lot of good work and displays a certain wit to many scenes.

Ryan Reynolds shows off an acting range here that was not at all apparent in, let's say, Van Wilder. As the film's lead he does a really good job of holding things together and gives each of the characters enough connection between themselves without playing each the same way. His supporting cast doesn't display that same range, but are adequate nonetheless. First time director John August, who also wrote the screenplay, does his best to contain the story and present it in a way that's meaningful (which he does quite well for most of the film), but it all crumbles in the final revelation.

There are certain ideas within The Nines that are indeed interesting and entertaining, but I wish they were handled in a different manner. We never feel like we've discovered or learned anything along with the main character(s) and the impact of the ultimate story arc is lessened. It's an enjoyable film with many positive points, but fails to deliver on these.

Rating: * * * (3 Stars)

The Golden Figure

2007-11-30T11:05:00.000Z

Next Wednesday sees the opening of the main tentpole film of the Winter/Christmas period: The Golden Compass. In previous years this position has been fairly profitable for the high profile and high advertising budgeted (see: half the Harry Potter films, Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, King Kong, Narnia, Casino Royale) and Compass is no different. Except for one particular oddity: Nobody in Hollywood is expecting it to make a profit in the cinema.

According to it's director, Chris Weitz, the budget for The Golden Compass is around "the 220 million dollar mark". This figure is for the production alone and does not include the cost of advertising and the amount of money it takes to produce the thousands of 32mm prints for distribution to cinemas. So, the final magic figure for New Line Cinema (it's production company) is somewhere in the region of $350 million. Of course, the film will easily make that amount in worldwide box office receipts after about 2 weeks, but a good deal of it will go to the theaters for their operating costs and their own profit. Therefore, The Golden Compass will need to make between $800 to $900 million until New Line actually sees any profit. This doesn't really make any sense (as it's not going to make anything near that amount in theaters) until you consider DVD sales and TV syndication deals.

New Line is expecting the current DVD market to snap up The Golden Compass, to make enough money to push it into that profitable realm and be the deciding factor in the question of further sequels. It's thinking like this that makes current blockbuster budgets appear to be astronomical (see Spider-Man 3, Transformers, Pirates Of The Caribbean) when, in fact, they are pre-approved as an investment in DVD sales.

The current Writers' Strike is is sign that all is not well with this system. Writers (and soon directors and actors unless an agreement is reached) feel that producers are reaping the benefits of DVDs which have come swiftly with the dawn of the product (and so swiftly that the WGA had neither the time nor the inclination to renegotiate contracts) while they get minimal returns themselves. It's fair (and right) to say that writers deserve their slice, but the issue of money is hiding another, more strange fact.

If blockbusters are expected to finish their run in cinemas with an overall loss, then it's reducing a theatrical release to an advertising campaign for DVD. Now, this is not the case for most of the films currently released on these shores and Hollywood has shown signs that they are budget conscious with some potential blockbusters, Cloverfield for example. But it remains a fact that as the opening weekend figures for The Golden Compass come in that, unless it's a total failure, the studio heads will barely take any notice.

Catch Up!

2007-11-26T17:08:00.001Z

I've been fairly busy (and ill, darn colds!) of late and haven't been posting at all, but that hasn't stopped me from going to ye ol' pictures. Some short reviews of what I've seen during November...

Beowulf
If you go to see this, make sure it's in the main screen (The Mezz) in Dundrum as it's there that you'll find the Real D Cinema version. It's in 3D (the same type that James Cameron is using for Avatar) and looks fantastic. Don't, however, see it in the IMC as their 3D version is your old-skool, red/green, headache-inducing shite-fest. As a film, it's better then you think it is but is still only ok.
Rating: * * * (3 Stars)

Into The Wild
One of the films of the year. This deserves a longer review as it's an incredible tale and handled really well by screenwriter/director Sean Penn. It does drag at some points which makes it's 2 hour plus runtime feel almost longer, but there's no denying it's brilliance. It comes highly recommended and will stay long in your memory after you've left the cinema.
Rating: * * * * * (5 Stars)

Stardust
Here's something that I can guarantee has already been said in countless other reviews of this film: if you liked The Princess Bride then you'll love Stardust! Why do I repeat it? Because it's the best way to summarize it! While not as funny, witty or clever as Bride, it's still quite enjoyable and a lot of fun. Not quite a 4 star film, but not as bad as a 3 star.
Rating: * * * and a half (3.5 stars)

Eastern Promises
Very well directed and performed (Viggo is excellent!), Eastern Promises is let down by a script that is confused of its own focus. Two stories are told here: one concerns Naomi Watts and a baby orphaned by a badly treated Russian girl, and the other is about the Russian mafia in London. They chose to conclude the former (in an unsatisfying fashion) and leave the latter dangling. It's unfortunate that the latter story is where Eastern Promises is at its most riveting.
Rating: * * * (3 Stars)

Horrorthon: Day 5

2007-11-26T16:36:00.000Z

Director Tim O'Sullivan was the festival guest for the final day, bringing with him screenings of Hood Of Horror (which I missed, thankfully!) and his new film Driftwood.

Review: Driftwood
It's a TV movie essentially. Same kind of production value, actors who you'll find in the depths of mediocre or worse TV shows and a story that pretty much riffs off The Devil's Backbone (a much better film). And it wasn't all that scary, or even looked like it was even trying to be scary. A poor effort, but the DVD is apparently selling well in the States.
Rating: * * (2 Stars)

Following a rather long Q & A with O'Sullivan, where he came across as a decent individual and decried the emergence of torture porn (go Tim!), there was a screening of Close Encounters. What was interesting about this is that it was a brand new print from Columbia Pictures of Spielberg's definitive edit. Most of the additional scenes from the Collector's Edition DVD remain (and some are trimmed) but gone is the final scene inside the mothership, something that Spielberg hated having to include in a re-release some time following the original. It looked great and was a good reason as any for those with Blu Ray players to buy the new disc.

Review: Planet Terror
Talk about the perfect way to end the festival! Full of over-the-top gore, violence, laughs and in-jokes it was a hell of a ride, especially while watching it with a cinema full of horror hounds. A film like this is practically impossible to review, as it's shortcomings are on purpose and any attempt to pick at them is utterly pointless. So instead I ask the question: how enjoyable was it? It was great, but it's subject won't push it beyond anything that could be construed as a masterpiece.
Rating: * * * * (4 Stars)

5 days of horror movies and I was exhausted. The following 2 days I took in Psycho, The Exorcist and Halloween at another horror fest in the IMC in Dun Laoghaire. While it doesn't compare to the "official" IFI Horrorthon it was good to see some effort in a multiplex attempting to give it's audience something that resembles purposeful programming. It showed they're not totally governed by a studio release schedule and I hope they continue it next year.

Horrorthon: Day 4

2007-10-31T17:20:00.001Z

It was Sunday and I really appreciated that extra hour of sleep once the clocks went back. Summer Scars was the first of the day and it didn't seem to be all that interesting to merit getting my lazy ass out of bed. Once I got in it was time for The Masters Of Horror selection. In the previous Horrorthon the MOH was a daily feature with double episodes of the TV show. Some were really good (Family, The Deer Woman) and some were downright awful (Pro-Life). Sadly, the 2 episodes for this year's Horrorthon (The Screwfly Solution and The Black Cat) were terrible. Once that was over it was time for Dracula!

Review: Dracula (1958)
This Hammer-Horror version of the Dracula story was the first time it was shot in color and made a star out of Christopher Lee. The BFI's clean-cut restored print will be screened in the coming weeks at the IFI and is well worth checking out. It's not hte best adaptation I've seen of the story but is really entertaining nonetheless.
Rating: * * * (3 Stars)

Review: Shrooms (Surprise Film)
Shrooms isn't a bad film, and is probably the best Irish horror film ever made (which doesn't say much about Irish horror), but it wasn't that much of a "surprise". You could hear the disappointment in the audience when the titles came up, and then the credits rolled there were some very audible boos. The Surprise film should just not have been so predictable (in the selection sense). As a film, it's ok. It does create a nice atmosphere and is unnerving at times, but it is nothing that you can't find in other horror films cut from the same cloth (Blair Witch, Evil Dead, Cabin Fever).
Rating: * * (2 Stars)

Review: Stuck
Stephen Rae is a homeless guy who gets hit by a car driven by Mena Suvari late at night after a night on the town. She freaks out, drives home (with Rae still stuck in the windscreen) and hopes that it'll all work out in the end. This was the best film of the festival! It plays out more like a good thriller than a horror, and contains some of incredibly tense sequences. If Hitchcock were alive today then he'd be making films like this. Highly recommended.
Rating: * * * * (4 Stars)

What began as a terrible day with some lackluster Master Of Horror and turned into disappointment with Shrooms, Stuck redeemed it. A few beers later and it was time to head home.

Horrorthon: Day 3

2007-10-30T17:11:00.000Z

Saturday turned out to be the longest day of the festival. Had a massive (and tasty) lunch in Yamamouri followed by some pre-festival beers. Nice!

Review: The Tripper
Another comedy/horror hybrid, this one with a more political stance. A group of drug-taking youths arrive for a music festival in a large forest, only to be stalked by a conservative killer who wears a Ronald Regan mask. The laughs are more like titters and the horror is only average. A nice idea, but could have been more.
Rating: * * (2 Stars)

Review: The End Of The Line
Low-budget Canadian horror about religious freaks who descend bloody hell onto a stalled metro tram. This was truly awful! Not a kind word to say about it really. Dreadful! The very thought of it is depressing me. Acting, direction, script, production value... really really poor.
Rating: * (1 Star)

Review: Teeth
This is a film about a girl who discovers that she has teeth....in her vagina. And it's really good! The film that is. No, I'm not kidding! What could have been a grindhouse-style, woman-revenge flick is actually is really well made and thought-provoking piece on attitudes and fears towards sex. Written well and superbly acted, this was a huge surprise. A festival highlight and a film that will cause a little controversy when it's released.
Rating: * * * * (4 Stars)

Review: All The Boys Love Mandy Lane
Another highlight. The title sums the plot up nicely: Every guy in high school wants to be with Mandy Lane and a small group coerce her into spending a weekend filled with drugs and booze down at a secluded ranch. Once there, certain members of the party fall prey to a sadistic (and possibly jealous) killer who offs them one by one. Smartly written (with a really good climax) and shot beautifully (it's probably the most gorgeous horror film I've seen in a while), this deserves to find a large audience.
Rating: * * * * (4 Stars)

Having watched ...Mandy Lane it was time for another in-between-movie beer and then a screening of Fright Night. It'd be unfair for me to review this vampire flick from the 80s (with it's ultra-camp dance scene midway through) as I began to nod off. One Nightlink later and I was at home in bed.

Horrorthon: Day 2

2007-10-30T16:39:00.000Z

Not wanting to burn myself out on a supposedly terrible film (Motel Hell) so early on I didn't show up on Day 2 till 3pm and Friday 13th: The Final Chapter. Thankfully, the issue surrounding the tickets, that caused so much grief on both sides the night before, has finally been sorted.

Review: Friday 13th: The Final Chapter
I've always seen the Friday 13th movies as something of a joke. None really differ in many way from the other (except when Jason X came along) and I've enjoyed them as one would a guilty pleasure. This one (which was supposed to be the last one until it made some money) has more intentional comedy then the rest and is somewhat more accomplished then Part 3. It's fine, but then you know what you're getting yourself into.
Rating: * * (2 Stars)

Review: Gamerz
The world of Role Playing Games is perceived to be enjoyed by a bunch of nerds who sit around being all nerdy about elves, orcs and the like. Gamerz does nothing to dispel this myth. The story of a RPG playing student, outcast from the real world but finds solace, purpose and, maybe, love in pretend dungeons and characters, is predictable and really pointless. Directed like a prolonged student film, it did nothing for me.
Rating: * * (2 Stars)

Review: Botched
The first half-decent film of the day is a strange mix of comedy and horror. Shot in Ardmore studios, a group of thieves are involved in a heist-gone-wrong situation and take some hostages to a vacant floor of an office building. There, they encounter a serial killer who attempts to kill them one by one. It's silly, but in a fun way. I'd put it on the same level as Severance.
Rating: * * * (3 Stars)

Review: Joshua
Think of The Omen, but without the demonic streak in the story, and you have Joshua. It's a fine attempt to be a Hitchcock film but fails in taking it's time to tell us very little. It's entertaining to watch and is performed to a high standard, but it is given many chances to become a really good thriller and takes none of them. The scariest thing about it is how much I enjoyed the Dave Matthews song over the end credits (**shiver**).
Rating: * * * (3 Stars)

That was it for Friday. Caught the almost last bus home which left me some time to chill with a bottle of wine and that oddly-named TV channel "Dave".

Horrorthon: Day 1

2007-10-26T10:02:00.000+01:00

The Horrorthon began in style yesterday evening with a packed out audience in the IFI Screen 1 to watch 30 Days Of Night. I almost didn't get in myself due to a royal mess up with my festival pass and a really snarky bitch in the IFI ticket office telling me it wasn't her problem. Eventually, and thanks to the legend that is the festival director Ed King, it all got sorted and the lovely pair of Nell and Lucy got me and the other half our seats.

30 Days Of Night
This had received mixed reviews thus far and I didn't know if I was going to enjoy it or not. Well... it's a really good film! Finally, an original Hollywood horror movie that didn't play to the lowest common denominator and evoked memories of Carpenter's The Thing. It's well played, deftly directed and the creatures in the film are downright face-behind-your-hands scary. There are problems though: the final conclusion doesn't really capitalize on what had come before and ends up being cheesy, also the passage of time (it's supposed to be 30 days!) feels like it all could have happened in a day or two. Nonetheless, it's a film that's well deserving a trip to the cinema.
Rating: * * * * (4 Stars)

Afterwards the was a screen of Dead Silence which I didn't make. I'd already seen it before and wasn't impressed enough to sit through it again (if you want a rating: 2 Stars).

Today there's Friday 13th: The Final Chapter, Gamerz, Botched and Joshua. Will report back tomorrow with more reviews.

Your Daily Dose of News...

2007-10-22T15:33:00.000+01:00

No reviews from the weekend as I've been as sick as a dog. Here's some news that's been going round...

- Mark Whalberg is staying in Pennsylvania to work on Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Lovely Bones following his lead role in M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening. Marky Mark is replacing Ryan Gosling in the film who left to "creative differences".

- George Clooney is out of White Jazz, but director Joe Carnahan says he's already got a good replacement lined up.

- William Shatner will not be cameoing in the next Star Trek film. Well darn it!

- Tippi Hedren thinks the supposed The Birds remake will be a mess. Smart woman.

- Linda Blair reckons there's a remake of The Exorcist in the pipeline. Gah!!!!!

Random News...

2007-10-19T11:22:00.000+01:00

- Brian DePalma is planning a pre-quel to The Untouchables and it's going to be called: The Untouchables: Capone Rising. Interesting, but unnecessary.

- A Wolverine film is in the works all will be released in May 2009, taking up the prime spot originally held by the third Narnia film which has been moved to a later date.

- A Kurt Cobain biopic is in the works, thanks to Working Title and writer David Benioff. Courtney Love is an Exec. Producer so some details may be...well...glossed over. Or not. Approach carefully.

- Daren Aronofsky is getting physical! Already announced is boxing drama The Fighter with Marky Mark and Brad Pitt, and now he's directing The Wrestler with Nic Cage about a former wrestler brought back from retirement to fight his nemesis. Ding ding!!

- The Birds is being remade with Naomi Watts in the Tippi Hedren role and Casino Royale's Martin Campbell directing. What's interesting is that this is not a pre-strike priority and may not be put into production till after the strike is over. Let's hope it doesn't go into production at all!!

Review: Black Sheep

2007-10-19T10:37:00.000+01:00

The Short... What could have been a guilty pleasure in the same vein as The Evil Dead is instead a half-hearted effort that's only justifiable by the creature effects from Weta.

The Long... Well, I don't want to spend too long on this review. The acting: bad. The direction: worse. The script: terrible. Is there's anything good about it? The work Weta Workshop (the same company behind The Lord Of The Rings effects) have done in Black Sheep is great and serves as the only positive in a huge field of negatives.

I was hoping that it'd be a film cut from the same cloth as the Evil Dead franchise, or Shaun Of The Dead, but it differs from these in terms of how the film handles itself. Each actor knows the type of film it is and plays it as a pantomime, almost always a breath away from turning to camera and winking at the audience. The story itself, while a good basis for a decent OTT film, never realises its potential and relies on tired arcs that you can see coming from a mile off.

It's a massively poor film that had the prospect of being something greater and funnier. Wait for this on DVD and even then I'd suggest massive amounts of alcohol before pressing 'play'.

Rating: * * (2 Stars, incl. one for Weta's impressive work)

More News in Brief...

2007-10-17T10:11:00.000+01:00

- A 7 minute sequence detailing how the Joker came into existence for the new Batman sequel, The Dark Knight, will be screened in IMAX cinemas this December. Which means that, without an IMAX screen in Ireland (although I think there's one in Belfast), we'll have to hope that it also appears on ye ol' Internets. Another teaser trailer will be attached to I Am Legend which is out this December/January. Did anyone ever go to the old IMAX where Cineworld is now? I went twice, to an Everest documentary and a 3D film about dinosaurs.

- Grindhouse could finally be coming to Irish and UK screens by January, once Death Proof and Planet Terror have finished their runs in the cinema. Click here for info.

- With Saw 4 coming out in a couple of weeks the news is that they may just NOT release a Saw 5 till October 2009, breaking their one a year pattern so far. Lets hope it's replaced with some original horror in the schedule.

Review: Ratatouille

2007-10-16T14:07:00.000+01:00

The Short...
Another high point in the Pixar cannon. Funny, entertaining, intelligent and full of joy.

The Long...
Something happened in the IMC Cinema, Dun Laoghaire on Monday night last as the graphic for the IFCO appeared on the screen. It looked different, gleaming with a kind of sheen. It hit me once the Pixar logo with it's lamp jumped around to introduce a short film before the main feature... it was all projected digitally. No film, just a large projector box with a whole bunch of 1's and 0's being pushed through it's lens. And WOW, it looked freakin' awesome!

It's a theme that ran through the whole of Ratatouille, one of amazing technical achievement. Disregarding the actual film, story, characters and elements the film there is some impressive attention to detail and organic, realistic textures throughout. Rain droplets hit the ground and look ultra photo-realistic. A carpet seems as though it really does have millions of fibers running through it. Vegetables appear to have tangible weight and grain. With each film since Toy Story Pixar seem to be pushing the limits of 3D animation to new heights.

Production quality aside, is Ratatouille any good? It begins quite slowly, setting up the character of Remy, a mouse who has a nose for food and a passion for cooking it. He, his family and their fellow rats are driven from their country house by it's owner (an old lady) when Remy is discovered attempting to find some herbs for his next culinary endevour. Remy is separated from the main group and finds himself beneath the restaurant of his now deceased hero, Auguste Gusteau. So far, so average, but things really begin to pick up when Remy tries to fix a soup ruined by the restaurant's new garbage boy, Alfredo.

It's a great rat-out-of-water story and yields some excellent gags as Remy attempts to control Alfredo's cooking. The lush design and smart writing add to a story that exhibits an intelligence far beyond the moral stickiness of Cars (their worst film). Ian Holm and Peter O'Toole perform excellent jobs as the main villains of the piece, in particular O'Toole's rich and brilliant voice adding an incredible depth to food critic Anton Ego (you could listen to him talking for ages).

Ratatouille is an amazing feat. Technically brilliant while ensuring that just as much attention is paid to story, laughs and characters. Along with Toy Story 2, this is one of Pixar's best.

Rating: * * * * * (5 Stars)

Horrorthon '07

2007-10-15T17:30:00.000+01:00

From Thurs. Oct 25th to Mon. 29th I'll be attending the annual Dublin Horrorthon at the IFI. Running for 5 days it screens some soon-to-be-released horror films and some classics from the past, all in the cozy and relaxed atmosphere of the Irish Film Institute in Temple Bar.

I've been going to this fantastic festival for the last 2 years and it's become something of a highlight on the film calender. Memorable events from those years have been...
- Watching Jaws on the big screen (with a scratchy 70s print, a Grindhouse experience before Tarantino even thought about aping it)
- Discovering Behind The Mask (a still unheard of film that's in the same genre, but funnier, then Scream)
- Meeting Ruggero Deodato after a screening of Canibal Holocaust
- Seeing Poltergeist on a huge 70mm print
- Experiencing hilarious films like Demons and Grizzly while drunk with a crowd that cheered every scene

Go to www.horrorthon.com for this year's line-up. The ones you should keep your eye on are 30 Days Of Night, Teeth, All The Boys Love Mandy Lane, The Surprise Film and Stuck. I'll be keeping the blog updated with mini-reviews and updates during the fest.

News in Brief!

2007-10-15T15:50:00.000+01:00

Here's some of the goings-on of late...

- Simon Pegg (Shaun himself) is Scotty in in new Star Trek flick
- The new Rambo movie changed it's name from John Rambo to Rambo: To Hell And Back and almost immediately went back to John Rambo. WTF?
- Sean Astin says that The Goonies 2 is a "certainty". Gulp!
- Frank Miller (director of such movies as Mad Max and Happy Feet) is currently casting The Justice League Of America by test screening most 20-something actors and actresses from TV shows like Friday Night Lights

Desert Island Movies...

2007-10-15T10:51:00.000+01:00

Went home for the weekend to visit the folks and on Saturday evening over a few bottles of wine the subject of the "Top 3 Movies" came up. Some tried to get their 3 favorite, others (myself included) went for a range of good films. The results were...

Mom: Pride & Prejudice (1940s version with Olivier), How Green Was My Valley (1941), High Society (1956).
Dad: The Great Escape (1963), Shane (1953), Rebecca (1940).
Sorcha: The Last Unicorn (1982), American Beauty (1999), The Fountain (2006).
Conor: Donnie Darko (2001), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981).

Review: The Kingdom

2007-10-12T11:59:00.000+01:00

The Short...
Feels like a watered down version of a more interesting film with added action. Fans of 24 will lap it up.

The Long...
I sat down to The Kingdom with the fear that it would turn into a pro-American rush to the head with added extra Middle-Eastern stereotypes. Luckily, this isn't the case as the film does it's best to serve both sides equally and ultimately tries to convince us that, save for culture, both sides are indistinguishable from the other.

It begins with an impressive credits sequence detailing the history of American relations with Saudi Arabia and leads to a savage attack on an oil workers colony in Ryiadh. This sparks an investigation team of 4 FBI agents to head to Saudi Arabia with the intention of bringing the man behind the attack to justice. Once there, they encounter the Saudi police and military who do not feel that an American presence is necessary and do everything possible to hinder their progress.

While not entirely sympathetic to either side the film does have a tendency to play the America-is-smarter-than-you card (watch out for a silly piece of dialog as Chris Cooper's character asks a Saudi if he knows what clues and evidence are) which comes off as being slightly arrogant. The story itself is entirely uncomplicated and exhibits a definite urgency to be a Syriana for the MTV generation. And this brings me to a point where the film will be either a piece of entertainment or a horrible and disgusting fable born out of a Hollywood that wants to capitalise on post-9/11 fears.

Essentially, I find it to be the latter. Some will disagree, but I believe that it's really an action film that tries it's best to be current and meaningful, while failing at doing both. Yes, the action is well executed, but using such a volatile backdrop in a way that comes off as frivolous and half-hearted doesn't sit well with me at all. I can't help but think that if the setting had been changed (even to a totally fictitious country) then we'd have a film that would at least be a decent thriller.

The final scene where the The Kingdom's core message is delivered is not so much revealed to the audience, but shoved down our throats. It does it's best to be fair and balanced, but is thrown off course by a story that is both irresponsible and lazy.

Rating: * * (2 stars)

A note on Reviews...

2007-10-11T17:35:00.000+01:00

"When I sees it, I'll reviews it!". That's the mantra behind the reviews for this blog. There's no way I'll get to every new release and I'm not going to spend my hard earned cash on some pointless chick-flick or yawn-inducing Adam Sandler film (yes, I have not and will not go to see ...Chuck And Larry!). So, when I see a film... I'll review it. It's that simple. I'll also do the oft-copied 1 to 5 stars rating system. It's easier and people seem to like it.

Thunder...Thunder...

2007-10-11T11:47:00.000+01:00

...Thundercats! Ho!!

It was inevitable really. Thundercats will be let loose on the big screen via a CGI animated feature in the same vain as last March's Ninja Turtles film. Jerry O'Flaherty ("who?" I hear you ask!) will be helming. O'Flaherty will be making his feature debut as director on Thundercats, having already served as art director on such games as Gears Of War and Unreal Tournament 3.

I caught an episode of Thundercats on digital a few months back. After the nostalgic opening sequence it became more cringe-worthy then an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Absolutely awful!

Star Trek news...

2007-10-11T11:19:00.000+01:00

The next Star Trek film, under the watchful eye of JJ Abrams, is beginning to pick up speed. The re-imagining of the original crew has been generating some casting rumors of late...

- Eric Bana has signed on to play the villain, Nero
- Zachary Quinto (Sylar from Heroes) will be playing Spock
- Anton Yelchin is Chekov
- Zoe Saldana (soon to be in James Cameron's Avatar) is Uhura
- Leonard Nimoy is strangely returning as old Spock

And finally, we could potentially have Chris Pine (last seen in Smokin' Aces) as Captain Kirk. He's also set to star alongside George Clooney in White Jazz, but both films have similar schedules. If they can't work out a way for Pine to do both he'll have to choose between them.

Terminator 4 in the works...

2007-10-11T11:04:00.000+01:00

Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins is the name given to the next Terminator film from the WB. Apparently it's the first of a new trilogy of Terminator movies to be set in the future.

No director has been confirmed as yet, but McG (ouch!) is supposed to be the front-runner. A Summer 2009 has been set and Arnie has been offered the chance to reprise his role in some way, but it's not detrimental to the production if he says "no".

My thoughts....
1st Terminator: Good!
T2: Ultra classic!
3rd: Meh-tastic
The prospect of a 4th doesn't really set my cinematic soul on fire, esp. with McG on board.

The Golden Compass: New Trailer and Conclusion

2007-10-10T11:50:00.000+01:00

The Golden Compass is hitting our screens this December and has a new trailer which can be viewed here: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808718640/video/4451177/

In other Compass news, director Chris Weitz has confirmed on his official blog that the final 3 chapters of the book will be removed from the final film and re-inserted into the very-likely sequel The Subtle Knife. Having not read the books myself, I've no idea if this is a good or a bad thing. However, if you remember back to Lord Of The Rings Peter Jackson decided to cut the Shelob sequence from The Two Towers for placement in Return Of The King. That wasn't such a bad idea and, from what I've heard, Weitz's cut is along the same lines.

Has anyone read these books? Are they worth picking up?

The remakes go on and on and on....

2007-10-10T11:27:00.000+01:00

It seems that most Hollywood horror movies these days are either sequels or remakes of old 70s classics and J-Horror imports. Thankfully this trend hasn't crossed over to other genres in such a fashion, but still does pop up every now and again to make us all cry out: "Ah seriously, what's the point!?".

Next up for the remake treatment is John Woo's action flick The Killer. To be honest, the story of a hitman on his last job doesn't strike me as that original to warrant a specific remake (Holloywood at one point churned out these "original" films on a regular basis) so the only benefit I can see from making it an official remake is from a studio standpoint. And that is that it's safer to make a film where you already know what the finished product will be like since you have the template, rather then gamble on originality. The studio wins, and the audience loses out (both in cinematic and financial terms).

HOwever, there have been successful remakes in the past. Let's see, there was Cape Fear and....and...em... anyone?

And in the Beginning...

2007-10-10T11:21:00.000+01:00

...there was this blog! This space will soon be filled with news, reviews and various other musings on film and related matter.