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Archive for May, 2007
Monday, May 14th, 2007
Filed under: Action & Adventure, Deals, RumorMonger, Fandom, DIY/Filmmaking, Remakes and Sequels  And now I present you with the day's most awesomest story: Peter Iliff will write and direct a Point Break 2! Ever since watching Hot Fuzz last month, I couldn't help but began craving more Point Break. Though it's been a whopping 16 years since the original arrived in theaters (wow, I feel old), Iliff, who was anxious to move from writing to directing, decided the best way to do so would be to use the sequel to his very first script as his directorial debut. While in Singapore scouting locations, Iliff talked up the long-awaited sequel admitting that "there was some worry that re-visiting the characters I wrote back in 1987 would infuriate fans of the original chapter." Nah, I dig it -- my only concern is that Patrick Swayze might be a bit too old to kick some serious ass.
In the original, Keanu Reeves played a law enforcement agent who goes undercover as a surfer dude in an attempt to expose a gang of bank robbers, led by that hunk from Dirty Dancing. The film itself felt long (even though it was only 2 hours), but some of the action sequences (tell me you don't love that skydiving scene toward the end) rocked. For the sequel (which will be produced by the Singapore-based company RGM films for roughly $30 million), Iliff says it will pick up with Bodhi (Swayze's character) on the run and hiding out in South-east Asia. Yeah, I didn't think that stupid wave killed him at the end of the last one either. As far as Reeves and Swayze go, Iliff says they've been contacted, but there's no word on whether they'll star; as of now, the plan is to cast Asian actors in the main roles. Hey, I'm fine with that, so long as Bodhi doesn't all of a sudden become Asian. That would be odd. Supposedly, Point Break 2 will be released toward the end of next year. Permalink | Email this | Comments
Posted in cinematical, Movie News | No Comments »
Monday, May 14th, 2007
Fresh from her recent trip to Chile, Miz Kylie Minogue glides like an angel throug the streets of New York on Sunday.
Posted in Celebrity Blog | No Comments »
Monday, May 14th, 2007
As expected, "Spider-Man 3" continued to rule the box office, with $60 million in ticket sales this weekend; as expected it dropped off a sizable 60% from the week before. This is the classic summer scenario: a frontloaded event movie with no legs to speak of, and why should the studio care when it broke records the first week out and will make a killing on DVD? Expect more of the same when "Shrek the 3rd," "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" open. (Warning: Links lead to resource-hogging corporate megasites that may eat your computer and possibly your soul.) With luck, some of them might even be good.
The other new movies ducked and covered, mostly. The surprise was British zombie sequel "28 Weeks Later" (pictured above) making $10 million mostly on the strength of expectations and very favorable reviews. It's worth noting, though, that the first movie, "28 Days Later," made the same amount of money in half the theaters in 2003.
"Georgia Rule" deservedly tanked with $5.9 million, and the latest from Zach Braff, "The Ex," performed even more poorly ($1.4 million -- ouch). At $3.9 million, the Larry the Cable Guy "comedy" "Delta Farce" fell in the middle, but at least there'll be a DVD aftermarket for that -- expect to see it on sale in bait shops and truck stops in about a week. I doubt they'll be able to give "Georgia Rule" away in rehab centers.
More box office fiddling from Box Office Mojo and Leonard Klady.
Posted in Movie Nation | No Comments »
Monday, May 14th, 2007
Felipe Vellasco and Pedro Gravena created this whimsical stop-motion piece for Brazilian logistics company Luft to explain how one design decision can create a design rut that lasts for thousands of years. It’s a good example of how a visual device—in this case, a transforming 3D object—can actually relate to the content.
Posted in Filmmaking | No Comments »
Monday, May 14th, 2007
Filed under: Documentary, Celebrities and Controversy, Exhibition, Home Entertainment  The Scientologists are not happy. However, they've got a different Hollywood spokesman leading the revolt this time. I guess crazy ol' Tom Cruise is needing a break from his role as Hubbard poster boy, and John Travolta has taken the torch. He's trying to get the BBC to stop a documentary they are doing on the Church of Scientology, after the reporter got into a yelling tirade. Travolta has written to the channel's execs as part of a campaign that has sent 100,000 copies to MPs, civil servants and business leaders, as well as throwing the clip up on YouTube. In the footage, BBC journalist John Sweeney is screaming at Tony Davis, because the Scientologist accused him of giving easy interviews to critics of the organization. Raising his voice just a smidge, Sweeney ranted: "You listen to me. You were not there at the beginning of the interview. You were not there. You did not hear or record all the interview." The journalist has since apologized and describes the outburst as "a fine example of how not to do it. I look like an exploding tomato and shout like a jet engine." For 6 months, Sweeney has been researching Scientology, and he says that his efforts have resulted in spying and hotel invasions that he likens to be rougher than his time in Chechnya, where he lost his voice but not his mind. I'm thinking that would make an even better documentary than just talking about the creative vision of L. Ron and all those personality profiles. Can you see it? John Sweeney -- a man torn loose from sanity due to the pressures of Scientologists. He is tortured at the hands of Hollywood thetan-fighters, in an environment more challenging than Chechnya. Eh, one can dream. In the meantime, the BBC doesn't seem fazed by the efforts and the documentary -- Scientology & Me -- will air tonight on the BBC. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Posted in Celebrity Gossip, cinematical, Movie News | No Comments »
Monday, May 14th, 2007
Filed under: Comedy, Romance, Trailer Trash, Movie Marketing  Or, as I've decided to call it, Jessica Simpson Doesn't Wear A Bra: The Movie. The first trailer for Blonde Ambition (aka the movie people thought was a loose remake of Working Girl) has just arrived online and, while I often try to reserve judgment until the thing at least hits theaters, I have to say this is one of the worst trailers I have ever seen. God, it's awful. And it's not even Simpson that makes it look so horrible; it just has this direct-to-DVD smell that permeates my brain cells. How, again, did they get Luke Wilson to star in this thing? "Millenium Films presents a story about knowing who you are and where you belong." Heh, I'll tell you where this film belongs ...
In case you're curious, Simpson plays some sort of small town hick who, using advice given to her by Willie Nelson (there's an on-screen reunion we were all just dying to see), decides to pack a bag and head to New York City in an attempt to shack up with an old boyfriend .... or something like that. However, when she finds out he's no longer interested, she crashes with Rachael Leigh Cook and tries to find some work. Luckily, there's some big corporate types looking for a dumb blonde to "manipulate" (fine plot point if I may say so myself). Throw in yet another corny performance from Andy Dick (Wow! Two awesome on-screen reunions in one flick!), and you have yourself Blonde Ambition; a film that's, thankfully, nothing like Working Girl. Feel free to call me out if you think I'm wrong, but this flick has 'Razzie Award' written all over it. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Posted in cinematical, Movie Marketing | No Comments »
Monday, May 14th, 2007
Filed under: Drama, Celebrities and Controversy, Exhibition, Western  You must be warned: Seeing gay cowboys can be very, very dangerous to your health. The Chicago Board of Education has been named in a lawsuit last Friday because a substitute teacher showed an 8th grade class Brokeback Mountain last year. The 12-year-old girl and her grandparents are looking for approximately $500,000 in damages because the girl suffered "psychological distress" upon viewing the Oscar-winning film. According to the girl's father, Kenneth Richardson: "It is very important to me that my children not be exposed to this. The teacher knew she was not supposed to do this." Apparently the substitute, Ms. Buford, shut the door to the class when screening the film, saying: "What happens in Ms. Buford's class stays in Ms. Buford's class." When she closed the kids in and let the film air, Richardson claims that his young granddaughter was traumatized to the point that she had to undergo psychological treatment and counseling. (And to think the most troubling thing I ever had to see from a substitute teacher were some icky bikini pictures from one of her summer vacations.) This is the second round of complaints from the family, who previously objected to curse words in reading material: "This was the last straw. I feel the lawsuit was necessary because of the warning I had already given them on the literature they were giving out to children to read. I told them it was against our faith." So, this is more of a religious thing than a question of over-all suitability. Personally, I'm surprised that any of the kids could stay awake long enough to get to the risque scenes, after all the picturesque time in the rolling countryside. While it was definitely a questionable move for Ms. Buford, I'm thinking that the Richardsons better get their grandkid some blinders. If some telling, but not graphic, scenes result in psychological instability, the world is going to drive her crazy in no time. Or, is this a Saved! situation? Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Posted in Celebrity Gossip, cinematical, Movie News | No Comments »
Sunday, May 13th, 2007
 Zombie movies are a funny thing. Since their inception at the hands of George A (Zombie God) Romero, the large majority of modern living dead flicks have been predictable takes on a tried and tested formula. The dead rise/a virus is released/a spell is cast, then the plague spreads and soon there’s a mass of slow-moving rotting corpses that the B-list cast must deal with.
Posted in CinemATTIC, Movie Reviews | No Comments »
Sunday, May 13th, 2007
So I just got back from an amazing experience: my first Offf conference in Barcelona. Offf’s founder and captain, Hector Ayuso Ros, has been bringing creative people together from around the world for seven years now, and the eclectic mix of audio-visual stimuli in Barcelona this year was a testament to his skills as a curator and community-builder. Speakers included people like John Maeda, Joshua Davis, Neville Brody, Graffiti Research Lab and a slew of other rockstars from all sorts of design and music-related fields.
I did a panel with Orion Tait of Buck, Carlos El Asmar of ABC News and Hector Ayuso. I was truly humbled to share the stage with all of them, and I think my presentation went pretty well. Orion totally slam-dunked his portion by showing off some of Buck’s recent work and talking about the studio’s ethos. It was my first time to meet Orion, and his presentation proved what I already assumed about Buck: they have brains and they’re not afraid to use them.
The highlight of the panel for me, though, was the unveiling of the Offf title sequence at the end of our discussion. Federico Reano and Tomás Peña worked their asses off to create a clever and compelling trip through design history, from Mucha’s elaborate compositions in the late 19th century all the way up to the 3D-dominated glossiness of the present day. (Speaking of 3D, the piece is intended to be viewed with 3D glasses, which were handed out to the audience prior to the screening.)
Oh, and Eduardo Larez nailed the audio for the piece, which I’m sure was no easy task given the stylistic diversity that Tomás and Federico’s concept called for. Full credits on the Sintevision site.
Special thanks to Carlos El Asmar.
Posted in Filmmaking | No Comments »
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