Friday, August 14th, 2009

Geekologie has a very impressive photo gallery of a home decked out in Star Wars memorabilia that would certainly make almost any collector, big or small, extremely jealous.

It's been a rather slow news day, topped by an article on HitFix that claims Bryan Singer will produce, as well as possibly direct, a new big screen adaption of Battlestar Galactica. I've never really gotten into Battlestar, but hey, we can't all be into everything, we just merely don't have the time. So, this news doesn't rise up anger or happiness, so I'm curious to know what a fanboy of the franchise would say. The linked article is accompanied by a picture of concept art that looks very different from anything I've seen.

Also, Rachel McAdams accidentally, or the way Cinematical put it, purposefully, yet blissfully unaware, gave the plot of The Time Traveler's Wife away during her guest spot on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I've yet to watch the clip as there is a chance I may accompany the lady to it yet, but I'm sure this doesn't help McAdams future, at least in anything that the plot should be closely guarded.

Well, it is Friday, and a big one at that. District 9 is the big talk of the week. The reviews are nothing short of amazing. Also, not only does this look to be a smart science fiction film, but it is a smart science fiction film, that at least to some point, has some influence from producer Peter Jackson. However, I have to admit, even if Jackson's name wasn't on this thing, I think I would still be stoked after watching Neill Blomkamp's short film Alive in Joburg, and watching the trailers for the flick over the past few weeks. I'm also quite excited about Hayao Miyazaki's latest effort, Ponyo. When watching the trailer, it looks like it could possibly be one of Miyazaki's worst films. The truly great thing about Miyazaki though, it looks like it could be a contender for one of the best of the year. The limited release is a bit disappointing, seeing that I am driving to Lexington (about a two or so hour drive) next week just to watch it. But never seeing a Miyazaki film on the big screen, that will be a worthwhile event. So, we have a smart, intriguing science fiction potential blockbuster, and another beautifully animated masterpiece from the king of Japanese anime. Therefore, everything else looks terrible in comparison. The unfortunate contenders include The Time Traveler's Wife. It will be a contender for the box office, but the romantic tale will more than likely fail in comparison to the rest of the weekend's fare. Not saying that as a completely bad thing, as it is a "chick flick" that quite easily put me aboard. Another movie that may have had a chance to make an impact on another weekend is the raunchy Jeremy Piven comedy about car salesmen, The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard. With Ed Helms co-starring in it, I think most will be disappointed to find it not as hilarious as The Hangover, but if it can be funny enough to overcome the hurdle of making us forget any comparison, it will exceed my expectations.

Finally, I probably won't blog tomorrow. I'm going to Dollywood. I searched for some kind of clip connecting the park and films. I found several references from TV, including American Dad!, The Simpsons, Sealab 2021 and The Drew Carey Show. I eventually read that it is mentioned on the 1992 film Captain Ron, but to post a clip of that would be insulting to any would-be readers. So, I'll just say adieu, and I will be back with a short film or something special to make up for the absence on Sunday.

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

After all of the critical acclaim to Hayao Miyazaki's earlier films, such as Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle and several more classics of Japanese anime, you have to wonder why the animation master's latest film, the upcoming Ponyo hasn't gotten more attention. Not only does Miyazaki have an outstanding resume, including an Academy Award and some of the highest grossing anime in America or otherwise, but the film caters to a family audience, and without really knowing anything about Ponyo, I think it would be safe to say that it would be a much more intelligent and entertaining story than the currently playing family fare Aliens in the Attic. And to top it all off, Walt Disney Pictures has the U.S. distribution rights for Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's stateside releases. Whatever the case, due to lack of promotion, I've suffered through a Japanese and French trailer thus far, and finally the English speaking trailer is out for what will surely be just another masterpiece in the immaculate career of Miyazaki. Enjoy.

@ Yahoo! Video

Variety announced today that Steven Spielberg will be behind a remake of the 1950 Henry Koster fantasy classic Harvey, which starred James Stewart. I read on a message board, sparked by Spielberg's latest job, complaints that Hollywood has ran out of original ideas. It is fair to say that some of Spielberg's best work has been written straight to the screen with the Indiana Jones series, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Yet, it's not like he hasn't made a name for himself by adapting stories before, with classics such as Jaws, Jurassic Park and Schindler's List. So, it's not that devastating. I also don't really think anyone can outdo Stewart as an actor, but the film is 59 years old, was produced during the Hays Production Code and doesn't get nearly the recognition it deserves. Therefore, I don't think a remake, especially in the capable hands of Spielberg, is a cry of blasphemy.

Speaking of remakes, sequels, reboots, or whatever the hell is going on with George Miller and his Mad Max franchise, the famous Australian character could be coming back. SciFiSquad reports that Jeremy Renner dropped the bomb that he was meeting with Miller and taking a screen test for the film. More importantly than Renner's casting though, it gets this film out into the blogsphere. Good idea or bad? I'm leaning towards bad, as the last good action/exploitation film remade for current day Hollywood was the wretched Death Race. Who can't see the same thing coming here?

Cinematical debuted the poster to The Open Road, starring the unlikely pairing of Justin Timberlake and Jeff Bridges. It's a baseball movie about a minor league pitcher and his estranged father. I've yet to see a trailer or read anything further, but here's hoping this will be the first good baseball movie since Kevin Costner was a legitimate award contender.

Funny People took the box office as expected, with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince keeping the second spot, edging out G-Force by approximately $400,000. The biggest shock of the week is that the Bollywood film Love Aaj Kal hit the fifteenth spot, grossing higher than new releases Adam, The Cove, Thirst, Lorna's Silence and the documentary that I hyped on Friday Not Quite Hollywood... combined. Quite the impressive feat from a film that as far as I've seen, has completely slid under the radar, and I've yet to hear any critic or blogger speak of it.

Finally, via The Detroit News, Michael Moore claims that his upcoming film Capitalism: A Love Story could be his last documentary. Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoyed Canadian Bacon, but I think Moore is more entertaining being an asshole to our government.