Friday, December 4th, 2009

'Twas a slow news day today, so I'll share with you my big find, a Chinese toy company, Hot Toys. They were behind the awesome Joker figure from The Dark Knight that surfaced last year, but I didn't notice the company behind it then. They are currently releasing new additions to the Iron Man and 300 series that are definitely worth your time.

Yesterday, I mentioned that Jason Reitman's upcoming Up in the Air was named by the National Board of Review the film of the year, creating a significant amount of Oscar buzz. I don't know if I have already said it or not, but usually after something with George Clooney is released, I automatically assume it will be overrated due to an insane amount of political power the former People's sexiest man has on the movie industry and award ceremonies. That may be bad, as Good Night, and Good Luck was an outstanding film and generally his acting is pretty solid. Maybe it was my feeling that Michael Clayton got way too much attention, I don't know. Anyhow, I watched the trailer and did some digging for Up in the Air and it has quickly gained a top spot in my must see list. The trailer down below looks quite great, and the supporting cast, all of whom had their roles written especially for them from Reitman, includes Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Danny McBride, Melanie Lynskey, Sam Elliott, J.K. Simmons and the wonderful Zach Galifianakis. That is truly a cast anybody can get behind. Anyhow, enjoy the trailer.

Monday, October 12th, 2009

What is one of the worst concepts for a big budget movie you've ever heard of? Today, I'm sure Variety broke a story that has to be right near the top. Adam Cooper and Bill Collage, the men behind the comical, albeit forgettable Accepted, plans on making a new re-imagining of the story of Moses, as told by the Holy Bible's Book of Exodus, in the same green-screen technique as Zack Snyder's 300. The article goes on however, to note that Cooper and Collage is hoping to give the film more of a feel comparable to that of Snyder's adaptation of Frank Miller's comic, possibly crossed with Braveheart, instead of anything similar to Cecil B. DeMille's classic 1956 The Ten Commandments. Terrible idea.

Speaking of terrible ideas, LatinoReview posted an interview with Roland Emmerich about the possibility of Independence Day 2. Also, the article pretty much confirms that Will Smith will not be part of the movie. Sadly, no mention of Jeff Goldblum. I will admit that I actually like the first Independence Day. Given, the movie may not have been Citizen Kane, but if modern critics will let the two Transformers slide, ID4 was nothing short of a masterpiece in such respect. Anyhow, despite enjoying the original, I don't really see any feasibly entertaining way a sequel could come to fruition.

On to the more hopeful news, we7 has posted the title song from the soundtrack of The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Jarvis Cocker. I'm quite amazed that the two family films I've been extremely stoked about, this film and Where the Wild Things Are, also have two of the better soundtracks of the year. I posted the audio files for Karen O's soundtrack work for the former a few weeks ago. I don't know too much about Cocker, as I've actually read more about him than I have listened. Still, enjoy the link.

Couples Retreat took the top of the box office this weekend. The movie still looks terrible, but ever since I found out Peter Billingsley is the director, I've found it my duty as a lifelong fan of A Christmas Story to watch it. Perhaps the best story on the box office charts though is that of Paranormal Activity, a flick that is still technically in limited release had a 1,384% increase in sales and took the fourth spot.