Egad! It's all over the interwebs! In a very likely bid to boost what will already be a bajillion in DVD sales of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I on April 15, Warner Bros. are pulling out the big guns and releasing a teaser poster for Part II. Who cares what the dang reason is? Feast your eyes on this right here:
Nerds everywhere, rejoice! Fans of Neil Gaiman who haven't read American Gods, perhaps his most famous novel, can now get cracking with the knowledge they probably won't have to wait a decade for the film. Or will you? Empirereports on the news and speculates about the lucky filmmaker in question (Gaiman is keeping quiet on the who). Given the length and scope of the novel, it seems as though the helmer would likely be someone who is always keen to research and immerse themselves in the world and mythologies. That said, fingers bloody crossed it's not Baz Luhrmann, what with his playing coy on details for The Great Gatsby, even though the Bazmark web site was displaying a pic of Carey Mulligan as Daisy coupled with an announcement on her casting for quite some time. While Empire mentions Peter Jackson and Ron Howard as possibilities (though undoubtedly too busy with other commitments), there aren't that many cinematographer-directors that still get behind the camera. We're going to throw in Tarantino in for the wildcard on this one, but we're more inclined to go with Empire's Danny Boyle speculation.
In all honesty, Red Riding Hood is far worse than Hardwicke's previous effort, that of the sparkly vampires, Twilight; the latter was plagued with emotion whereas the former lacks anything resembling real emotion. Amanda Seyfried's lines from the classic story Red Riding Hood are worked into the script so awkwardly, we'd guess she's about 24 hours away from being turned into an internet meme.
It's a travesty of rather epic proportions that British film veteran and unquestionable talent, Gary Oldman, has so little meat to sink his teeth into. A fine actor, even when presented with fantasy-themed films (remember his turn in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which many believe is the best Potter film to date?), his lines delivered still have a special presence, just not the lasting effect we're used to.
Writer David Johnson, with only one previous feature script under his belt (Orphans) and future release Wrath of the Titans—because what major flop Clash of the Titans really needed was a sequel —has done a pretty pitiful job. We'd definitely slip someone a crisp $20 note to get a look at the treatment and first draft of the script. It seems a shame that Hardwicke, a filmmaker with a keen eye for the visually arresting, was put in charge of this flabby Hollywood cash in. The settings are frequently beautiful and the tones oscillate between deep grey, wintery white, warm amber, and of course the bright, tomato red of little red's cape.
In interviews in the lead up to release, Hardwicke remarked that Seyfried looks like a fairytale character. Well sure, but she also looks like a stunned, very pretty mullet for much of the film. Her attempt at conveying terror and grief when she discovers her sister has died in an attack from the wolf is cold and unconvincing. Newcomer Max Irons (yes, son of Jeremy) may have a solid grip on the most honest portrayal of any character in the film, but it's still a role lacking depth. Put someone in a small glass box 3 feet by 4 feet and they're still going to be working within that confined space. Shiloh Fernandez has a fruity name and a handsome face, but lacks the charm and dare we say acting skills of his contemporaries such as Shia Le Beouf and even Robert Pattinson.
There are literally shades of Twilight here, but this film feels as flimsy and makeshift as the high school theatre production backdrop it seems to have been modelled around. The project shouldn't have been allowed to come to fruition with that script and those actors. Shame shame shame on you Leonardo DiCaprio, producer. Cavorting less and visiting the set more may have convinced you that this was an extremely bad idea, or allowed you to step in and show them how it's done.
Hear ye, hear ye! The trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides has now swung its way online via a large tree vine, Tarzan-style, while Depp swigs whisky from a Vegemite jar. At least, that's what would have went down if our script had been accepted. If you're wondering, we also would have called it Pirates of Brisvegas: I Lost My Wallet at the Normanby and Depp would have worn thongs (read: flip flops) for the entire film.
In lieu of an actual trailer, Warner Bros. has finally released what we like to call a behind-the-scenes teaser from the final Harry Potter instalment. Does it look visually spectacular and jam packed full of action? Hells yes, but don't take our word for it. Check out the video below and let us know what you think. Are you excited for July 15?
Rating:(M) (Science fiction violence and coarse language)
Runtime: 116 mins (really? Because it felt like longer)
Here's what we would have liked to be able to say about Battle: Los Angeles:
"Despite the formulaic, blow 'em up and cuss 'em out Hollywood trailer, Battle: Los Angeles has far more to offer than your standard alien invasion movies." But in fact, the opening moments, shot in a gritty cinema verite style, are misleading in terms of the quality and innovation one can expect.
Directed by Jonathan Liebesman, Battle: Los Angeles follows Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz, a battle-scarred and aging Aaron Eckhart (everyone's favourite bastard, ala Thank You for Smoking and The Dark Knight), who's due for retirement following some rough tours of duty and a long, if not always illustrious career. Pause for a minute. What's that we hear? Staff Sgt. Nantz is being pulled away from the clutches of retirement because of sudden, impending doom? Well of course he is!
We appreciate the good intent that the film rolls with in the beginning: the attempt to focus on the minutiae of the soldiers lives, the seemingly minor details of everyday existence in the lead up to the alien invasion. The politics within the platoon are also initially exposed in a more nuanced fashion than one might expect from the director of Darkness Falls and the writer of, well, nothing we've really heard of before (Christopher Bertolini). The cinematography by Lukas Ettlin is for the most part visually dynamic, if not what you might call beautiful.
However, many of the film's virtues are shot to smithereens over the latter 90 minutes. The entire premise of the film seems to fall down almost immediately if you pause for 30 seconds to think about it. The magnitude of the alien invasion seems so daunting and insurmountable, making it completely pointless to follow the story further than the first 15 minutes: it definitely appears to be one of those situations where the battle is lost before it's begun.
Apart from that, an excessive amount of swearing, give 'em hell speeches, and severely underwritten characters (Eckhart and his giant chin dimple are sorely wasted here) make it difficult for us to care and furthermore sustain interest in a story that is a little more than a military puff piece. The problem is that the film doesn't know what it wants to be and thus descends into chaos, shaky cam, and oddly-paced dialogue. The concept in the hands of another director and creative team could have potentially produced a very different end result, perhaps more in the vein of Children of Men.
We feel pretty confident in giving this a straight up assessment, given the evidence presented above. Battle: Los Angeles is superior to the director's previous film Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but far far down the totem pole from actioners such as Kick-Ass or emotionally superior alien flicks such as Monsters.
We feel pretty comfortable in saying not since TMNT has a movie looked this ghastly (the DoP clearly holds a good old green or purple neon light close to their heart) or this cheesy. Funnily enough, the trailer proudly touts that this IS a film from the TMNT director. Oh, goody.
Pegg can see his own face. Frost can see Chris Evans in his Captain America suit.
Now that everyone's recovered from the self-congratulatory pat on the back that was the Oscars 2011 (and Joan Collins, from the clutches of her Oscar party dress) we can all get back to more important things like cringing at the minute-by-minute Charlie Sheen Twitter updates and playing tether-ball.
In all seriousness, there's a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks.
SXSW Film Festival gets superbad
Bridesmaids, the newest (and from the looks of it, the freshest) Apatow produced vehicle, directed by the creator of seminal teen comedy Freaks and Geeks Paul Feig, has been added to the closing night line-up. Check out the hilarious trailer here:
Along with the other majors being screened this year, including Super (Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler), The Beaver (Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster), Win Win (Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan), The King of Luck (Billy Bob Thornton), and Paul (Brit-duo Pegg and Frost are at it again), the 2011 SXSW Film Festival looks like it will outshine some of the other more indie festivals this year in terms of originality and entertainment value. The festivities kick off on March 11.
For fans of the books and films, there is perhaps no better place to visit than the site of all the action for the past decade: Leavesden studios. Warner Bros. purchased the studios late last year, which have played home to all eight Potter films, as well as numerous other productions such as The Dark Knight and Sherlock Holmes. The official web site states that while it will initially be a Harry Potter-only attraction, that the scope of this could expand in years to come. Opening in Spring 2012 (approximately one year from now), the official press release states:
"Featuring the authentic sets, costumes, animatronics, props and effects used in the production of all eight Harry Potter movies, the tour will showcase the British artistry, technology and talent that went into bringing this beloved film series to life.
Among a series of never‐before‐seen exhibits on the three hour long tour, visitors will be able to walk onto some of the most memorable sets from all of the films in the Harry Potter series including the iconic Great Hall, Dumbledore’s office and many others to be announced at a later date."
Trailer Watch
Along with these announcements, there have also been a slew of new trailers released this week. First up, the highly unnecessary and only mildly amusing Shrek spin-off, Puss in Boots. Won't someone think of the children?
The little hyped Peep World, starring America's #2 comedy darling Sarah Silverman (though we suspect she'd cuss anyone out for calling her 'darling') and Dexter's Michael C. Hall in a dramedy about what happens when a family member uses your lives for their work of 'fiction'. It's difficult to tell from the trailer what level of quality we can expect, but it's definitely one to keep an eye on.
The official teaser trailer for The Hangover 2 is out. What a snooze. Who'd have though a slow motion reveal of three douchebags walking with a monkey (one in mandals, might we add) wouldn't set the world alight. There had better be a bad-ass cameo in the actual film, or why bother paying 20 bucks for a ticket?
We have to admit, we've kind of been down in the doldrums about the lack of originality forthcoming in the Oscar nominations for 2011, as you'll see here.
Before we get into the official winners, a few interesting links from the show:
- James Franco's Twitter photo page, live Tweeting from the awards. Dude looks high the entire time.
- The Fug Girls do the red carpet rundown over at Vulture. The new Joan and Melissa Rivers? Well, better.
We'll be updating the categories with video interviews and acceptance speeches as they become available. Don't forget to tune in to the Channel 9 replay at 9.40pm, EDST.
Actor in a Leading Role Javier Bardem in Biutiful Jeff Bridges in True Grit Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network Colin Firth in The King's Speech James Franco in 127 Hours The Oscar goes to: Colin Firth in The King's Speech Our bet was on veterans Colin Firth or Jeff Bridges. Actor in a Supporting Role Christian Bale in The Fighter John Hawkes in Winter's Bone Jeremy Renner in The Town Mark Ruffalo in The Kids Are All Right Geoffrey Rush in The King's Speech The Oscar goes to: Christian Bale in The Fighter In which Oscar decided, despite our pleadings for a Mark Ruffalo funfest, to choose the serious man: well deserved, nonetheless, by Christian Bale.
Actress in a Leading Role Annette Bening in The Kids Are All Right Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone Natalie Portman in Black Swan Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine The Oscar goes to: Natalie Portman in Black Swan
Natalie Portman was stunning in Black Swan. Our earlier thoughts that perhaps underdog Michelle Williams should win have now faded, somewhat. 2010/11 may just be renamed 'Year of the Portman'.
Actress in a Supporting Role Amy Adams in The Fighter Helena Bonham Carter in The King's Speech Melissa Leo in The Fighter Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit Jacki Weaver in Animal Kingdom The Oscar goes to: Melissa Leo in The Fighter We must say, we're a little disappointed Jacki Weaver didn't take home the statue.
Animated Feature Film How to Train Your Dragon Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois The Illusionist Sylvain Chomet Toy Story 3 Lee Unkrich The Oscar goes to: Toy Story 3 Lee Unkrich Possibly the biggest disappointment of the night. Sorry, Toothless. Don't be sad.
Art Direction Alice in Wonderland Production Design: Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Karen O'Hara Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan Inception Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas; Set Decoration: Larry Dias and Doug Mowat The King's Speech Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Judy Farr True Grit Production Design: Jess Gonchor; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh The Oscar goes to: Alice in Wonderland Production Design: Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Karen O'Hara This feels very much like scratching the back of the right people on the Hollywood circuit. Any of the nominated films were deserving of the accolade, and yet the four films that didn't win for this category are each far better films than Alice in Wonderland.
Cinematography Black Swan Matthew Libatique Inception Wally Pfister The King's Speech Danny Cohen The Social Network Jeff Cronenweth True Grit Roger Deakins The Oscar goes to: Inception Wally Pfister We'll repeat our nomination prediction: for a film that is unsurpassed in its visual beauty, there is little competition in 2010 for Inception.
Costume Design Alice in Wonderland Colleen Atwood I Am Love Antonella Cannarozzi The King's Speech Jenny Beavan The Tempest Sandy Powell True Grit Mary Zophres The Oscar goes to: Alice in Wonderland Colleen Atwood That blue dress was beautiful and this is truly the only category in which Alice in Wonderland doesn't stick out like a sore thumb.
Directing Black Swan Darren Aronofsky The Fighter David O. Russell The King's Speech Tom Hooper The Social Network David Fincher True Grit Joel Coen and Ethan Coen The Oscar goes to: The King's Speech Tom Hooper An incredibly tough category this year. We thought The Social Network or Black Swan were liklier contenders, but you just never know.
Documentary (Feature) Exit through the Gift Shop Banksy and Jaimie D'Cruz Gasland Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic Inside Job Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs Restrepo Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger Waste Land Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley The Oscar goes to: Inside Job Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs Banksy still rules, but congratulations to all involved in this riveting documentary.
Documentary (Short Subject) “Killing in the Name” Nominees to be determined “Poster Girl” Nominees to be determined “Strangers No More” Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon “Sun Come Up” Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger “The Warriors of Qiugang” Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon The Oscar goes to: “Strangers No More” Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon
Film Editing Black Swan Andrew Weisblum The Fighter Pamela Martin The King's Speech Tariq Anwar 127 Hours Jon Harris The Social Network Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter The Oscar goes to: The Social Network Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter If Robert Rodriguez has taught us anything, it's that the film is remade in the editing room. A big congratulations to Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter, kings of awkward (alongside Eisenberg, that is).
Foreign Language Film Biutiful Mexico Dogtooth Greece In a Better World Denmark Incendies Canada Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi) Algeria The Oscar goes to: In a Better World Denmark Makeup Barney's Version Adrien Morot The Way Back Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng The Wolfman Rick Baker and Dave Elsey The Oscar goes to: The Wolfman Rick Baker and Dave Elsey As far as we're concerned, the makeup was really great in The Wolfman, but Saoirse Ronan's sunburn in The Way Back was both a gruesome and expertly produced close second.
Music (Original Score) How to Train Your Dragon John Powell Inception Hans Zimmer The King's Speech Alexandre Desplat 127 Hours A.R. Rahman The Social Network Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross The Oscar goes to: The Social Network Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross Prediction correct. Smile plastered. Go and pick up a copy today.
Music (Original Song) “Coming Home” from Country Strong Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey “I See the Light” from Tangled Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater “If I Rise” from 127 Hours Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong “We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3 Music and Lyric by Randy Newman The Oscar goes to: “We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3 Music and Lyric by Randy Newman Gosh we're bored.
Best Picture Black Swan Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers The Fighter David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers Inception Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers The Kids Are All Right Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers The King's Speech Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers 127 Hours Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers The Social Network Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers Toy Story 3 Darla K. Anderson, Producer True Grit Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers Winter's Bone Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers The Oscar goes to: The King's Speech Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers Was The King's Speech a good film? Yes, it was excellent. However, we still firmly believe Best Picture should be handed out for achievements on a grand scale. Black Swan and Inception were robbed in this category.
Short Film (Animated) “Day & Night” Teddy Newton “The Gruffalo” Jakob Schuh and Max Lang “Let's Pollute” Geefwee Boedoe “The Lost Thing” Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann “Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)” Bastien Dubois The Oscar goes to: “The Lost Thing” Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann Aussie Aussie Aussie (and from the world of books, no less)!
Short Film (Live Action) “The Confession” Tanel Toom “The Crush” Michael Creagh “God of Love” Luke Matheny “Na Wewe” Ivan Goldschmidt “Wish 143” Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite The Oscar goes to: “God of Love” Luke Matheny
Sound Editing Inception Richard King
Toy Story 3 Tom Myers and Michael Silvers Tron: Legacy Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague True Grit Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey Unstoppable Mark P. Stoeckinger
The Oscar goes to: Inception Richard King
Let us quote our prediction: 'Inception has to win here and not just for the spinning top at the end, either.' And how.
Sound Mixing Inception Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick The King's Speech Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley Salt Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin The Social Network Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten True Grit Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland The Oscar goes to: Inception Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick Our carefully thought out prediction for The King's Speech? Dashed on the rocks.
Visual Effects Alice in Wonderland Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi Hereafter Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell Inception Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb Iron Man 2 Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick The Oscar goes to: Inception Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb As predicted, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I found its category nemesis in Inception. Way to make some frosty Brits cry, jerks.
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) 127 Hours Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy The Social Network Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin Toy Story 3 Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich True Grit Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen Winter's Bone Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini The Oscar goes to: The Social Network Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin In an interesting turn of events, Aaron Sorkin writes on Danny Boyle's Facebook page 'Oh SNAP'. Writing (Original Screenplay) Another Year Written by Mike Leigh The Fighter Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson; Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson Inception Written by Christopher Nolan The Kids Are All Right Writtenby Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg The King's Speech Screenplay by David Seidler The Oscar goes to: The King's Speech Screenplay by David Seidler Gosh, really? What about sharing the love a little, or giving the award to a comedy piece? Oscar is a grumpy old bastard.
In an exclusive round-up from IMDbPro, here's the news you should have caught but might have missed this week:
Deadpool (starring everyone's favourite Canuck, Ryan Reynolds), which is currently due out in 2014 is now at the script stage. Clap your hands say yeah! It's certainly a relief to see Marvel moving things along.
Furthermore, the Arrested Development movie now has a treatment/outline. Now now, don't tease. If it all goes up in flames before it reaches the script stage, well; there's always money in the banana stand.
You'll never believe it, but some honky over at DW Films is pitching Terminator 5. Who the bleep thought that was a good idea? Christian Bale completely agrees with us, you know (and he now has boxing training so look out).
