Author Archives: russ

Aug 29 2012
Movie Movie News

Crash with NFL Football Licensing

The NFL has recently begun the initial phases of producing a fully licensed football film entitled Week 14.  The basis of the film up to this point is that it is supposed to be a Crash-like film by which it covers the world of football through the lenses of players, their families and coaches.  It will be fictional players obviously.  It was written by Ron Shelton, which as of now is the best thing it has going for it.  He wrote Bull Durham, White Men Can’t Jump, and Tin Cup, so if it’s one thing he knows how to pull off it’s sports films.

My only reservation up to this point is how ballsy will the NFL let this film be.  Many years ago ESPN aired a show called Playmakers that was supposed to basically use an NFL-like league to tell stories of the underside of professional sports.  They didn’t use real characters or teams, and the NFL still pushed ESPN to cancel it, and they eventually did.  It was a great show tho.  The NFL, unlike the WWE only wants to be seen in nothing but a positive light, so I am doubtful that this film will show any seedy underbelly.  So making it like Crash or Babel, may not work if the story isn’t compelling.  It will most likely be more like a Miracle-type of sports film and less of an Any Given Sunday type.  Mind you AGS is a stupid movie, but I respect what it was trying to do.

I’m cautiously optimistic either way because I love football and any excuse to see it on the big screen, I’m into.

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Aug 29 2012
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Movie Movie News

S.H.I.E.L.D. brings the Marvel Universe to TV

I have wanted to write about TV at about 1031 different times this year so far.  With Breaking Bad being as good as it’s been, I need a place to write about that, but I dont.  This is the MOVIE MOVIE podcast.  Not Tv Tv.  Anyway, the powers that be at ABC have greenlit a pilot based on S.H.I.E.L.D.

This is the right way to go.  Because they are a giant,shadowy organization, the stories can happen all over the place and they can have other smaller characters from the Marvel U make appearances.  The best news about all of this is that Joss Whedon will be writing the show, along with his brother Jed and possibly directing the pilot.  Because we’ve already seen his vision of SHIELD in Avengers, it already feels like this project is closer to Buffy/Angel, than it is to Dollhouse.  My only question is what do they do with Nick Fury and Maria Hill?  Sam Jackson is too big for tv, Cobie Smulders is still finding out about how he met his mother, and Phil Coulson is dead.

I’m curious, but totally faithful.

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Aug 24 2012
3 Comments
Fake Movie Friday

Fake Movie Friday – Snowblind

With Premium Rush coming out this weekend to be nothing other than a schlocky mess, I figure we are ripe to have some more EXTREME action movies coming out.  This film will be directed by any hack like Rob Cohen.

This film starts off with two brothers at the top of a gondola in Vail, Colorado.  They are all getting ready to ride down a diamond course and we see one of them , Rick, played by Mike Vogel is nervous.  He’s not as experienced as his older brother Ryan, played by Anson Mount.  Ryan encourages to just do it anyway, and when they begin to ride, an avalanche starts.  They attempt to out ride the avalanche and are doing well, but it starts to get faster and Rick, decides to ride up a half pipe (that is conveniently in the middle of the course) and get big enough air to grab on to a high tree branch.  His brother follows suit, but does not get enough air and grabs onto Ricks board. Rick tries to grab him and bring him up to safety, but Ryan says it’s too late, he’ll end up bringing them both down.  He says “never stop riding” and he falls in slow motion into the avalanche, and we assume he dies. Rick screams no, and at that moment a helicopter comes to get him out of the tree, and the the Title Card “SNOWBLIND” comes onto the screen.

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Aug 23 2012
Movie Movie News

Thor: The Dark World Rounds Out More Casting

In the last two days, Thor: The Dark World has made two casting announcements.  The first is that Kat Dennings has re-signed to appear in the sequel as her character Darcy.  Darcy was largely the most annoying part of the first film, but now that Dennings is the star of one of the highest rated comedies on TV, you know they will try and shoehorn more comic relief into this film.

The other and more interesting bit of casting is that Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (or Mr. Eko, or ADEBISI) has been cast as the villainous Algrim the Strong, ruler of the Dark Elves.  In the comics he’s coerced by Malekith, to fight Thor.  I think that Algrim and Malekith will make up a good pairing for Thor and the Warriors Three to have to take on, but my real question is why does this movie have to have anything to do with earth?

Darcy’s inclusion means that we’ll be getting more of the Earth stuff.  I didn’t love any of the Earth stuff the first time around.  If this film is going to be delving farther into Thor lore, how are we going to even have time for Jane Foster, much less, Darcy.  I guess I’ll have to wait and see.  I’m hoping they are just cameos at the beginning.

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Aug 22 2012
Absolute Horse-shit News

Reboot-O-Tron Decides to Remake VIDEODROME

Videodrome is a 1983 classic techno-horror film starring James Woods as a Canadian TV exec who starts pirating a channel that shows real killings, snuff film style.  It gets very popular and a bunch of weird shit happens.  It’s basically a cautionary tale about TV only David Cronenberg made it, so you know it’s weirder than anything.

Well, Universal Studios have decided to reboot/remake or whatever the fuck they plan on calling it to Videodrome.  They even hooked a music video director to helm it, Alan Berg.

Problems:

1.  This didn’t need to be remade.

2.  David Cronenberg is a genius-level weirdo.  Unless he wanted to go back to that world, theres no reason to go back

3.  All of the creepiness, will most likely be replaced with slick visuals.

4. Being able to direct a commercial or music video should not give you carte blanche to direct a heady sci-fi horror epic with lots of moralistic ideas about media.

I’m assuming Universal’s thought is that the original is 30 years old almost, so they can re-release it on blu-ray around the time they get the new one up and running in theaters.  I saw the original years ago when I was too young to even understand it, but it creeped me out to no end.  Movies don’t creep people out like that anymore.  I’ll bet they even try and neuter it by making it PG-13.

David Cronenberg must be pissed about this while he drinks his Molson.

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Aug 21 2012
1 Comment
Movie Movie News

The Kevin Costner Renaissance Is Upon Us

Kevin Costner has just signed on to play William Harper in the reboot of the Jack Ryan film franchise.  As of now we know that Jack Ryan of The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, and The Sum of All Fears, will be played by Chris Pine, and Kenneth Branagh will be directing the first installment of Tom Clancy’s novel-turned-film series.

Kevin Costner’s character will serve as the man who recruits Jack Ryan and mentors him.  It’s apparently enough of a meaty role that there is talk of making him even more of a prominent character in a spinoff of Jack Ryan, called Without Remorse.  Without Remorse follows another CIA operative that William Harper mentors named John Kelly.  I am guessing that the new Jack Ryan film must have that good of a script that there are already seeds planted to turn it into two separate franchises, both of which will have Kevin Costner’s character.

It’s nice to see Kevin Costner recognizing that while he might be a really good actor and a lot of people like him, he’s far from his leading man days.  When you start getting up there like him and Dennis Quaid, the only way you are going to get in those bigger films is to play fathers and mentors, or bad guys.  Or get a show on CBS.  Quaid did that.  Costner is going to play Jonathan Kent in Man of Steel, he was AWESOME in Hatfields and McCoy’s on History Channel, and William Harper will give him the opportunity to be a part of two probably successful franchises as a central character.  I’d like to see Costner do more of this, and less Message in a Bottle.

Also, Waterworld was not as bad as people seem to think it was.

The Postman was however.

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Aug 21 2012
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Movie Movie News

Captain America 2 is Close To Casting It’s Female Lead

It almost seems like we need to have a separate website devoted to Marvel news.  Anyway, it appears that Joe and Anthony Russo are close to finding their woman to star alongside Chris Evans, Anthony Mackie, and Sebastian Stan  in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  While it has not explicitly been stated, the role is likely that of Sharon Carter.  Sharon is the niece of Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), and would make the most sense to be the lead character in this film.  She’s been Cap’s girlfriend and was also a SHIELD agent at one point, so she fits in the world perfectly.  Anyway Marvel has shortened it’s list to three acresses:

Anna Kendrick

Felicity Jones

Imogen Poots

While Anna Kendrick is the biggest name and is an actress I really like, I don’t know that this role is right for her.  She does bright and bubbly well, but I can’t imagine her to be any kind of agent of SHIELD.

Imogen Poots just looks a little young to me, but she’s gorgeous and I think could pull off the strength required for a character like Sharon.

Felicity Jones I know nothing about but from a quick google search, she looks like she could easily play a relative of Peggy Carter.  They have a bit of a likeness, I just know nothing of her skill set as an actress.

Anyway they decide to go, I think they are all pretty good choices.  Kendrick might surprise me considering, she’s probably the best actress out of the bunch and this would give her more of a lead role than she’s had up to this point.  I bet they have this all wrapped up within the next few weeks.

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Aug 21 2012
Movie Movie News

Hey Paramount, We Need to Talk…

Hey Paramount,

A few years ago you guys were doing big things, dropping big franchises, and raking in billions of dollars.  Flash forward to yesterday and I have no idea what your film strategy is.  You used to have the Marvel franchise, and then you sold it.  You used to have DreamWorks Animation, and you couldn’t reach an agreement and lost that too.  You used to release summer movies, and now I barely even know what you did this past summer?  Don’t sit there and look at me like everything is normal.  Look at what you did last Summer!

2011

Thor (Hit)

Kung Fu Panda 2 (Sequel Hit)

Super 8 (Original Hit)

Transformers 3 (Shitty Sequel Megahit)

Captain America (Hit)

Cowboys & Aliens (Bomb)

You were 5 for 6 at the plate, with one grand slam, and three extra base hits.  You looked good.  Now lets look at this Summer.

2012

The Dictator (Bomb)

Madagascar 3 (Sequel Hit)

Katy Perry: Part of Me (Bomb)

You were 1 for 3.  It doesn’t even look like you are the same player!

 

Now I’m looking back on your year and remembering that all I hear about is production problems.  GI Joe 2, a genuinely cool looking movie, you pulled 5 weeks before released to tack 3D onto it, and more Channing Tatum scenes.  World War Z has been moved what seems like a million times, and has ballooned into a close to 250 million dollar film.  About zombies.  Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters was made like two years ago and STILL isn’t out yet.  And to top it all off, everything I’ve heard about you rebooting Ninja Turtles as Alien Turtles sounds like dogshit I never want to see.  Paramount, you need to get your shit together.  I don’t even like all your movies, but at least you used to make enough of them, that would at least be something for me.  The objective is to buy franchises and properties, and hang on to them.  You don’t let them go for nothing (DreamWorks, Marvel).  Get it together!

 

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Aug 21 2012
Movie Movie News

DreamWorks Animation Moves To FOX

After months and months of unsuccessfully securing a new distribution deal with Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks has reached a 5 yr deal with 20th Century Fox worth billions.  Starting in 2013, all animated films produced by DW will be distributed by Fox through 2017.  What this means:

20th Century Fox now has DreamWorks Animated and Blue Sky (Ice Age, Rio) under it’s banner and becomes the dominant home in animated films.  Yes, Disney/Pixar still puts out mostly better films, but they only make one a year.  Now Fox has the luxury of being able to put 3 animated films out each year and really rake in the dough.   Considering that most DW films have or will have sequels (Shrek, Madagascar, HTTYD, Puss in Boots, Kung Fu Panda), this deal has already paid for itself.

DreamWorks is now completely split between film and animation divisions.  Disney distributes DreamWorks’ live action films, and Fox distributes the animated films.

Disney will have to ramp up it’s own efforts in Disney Animated, to make it not look like Fox is completely owning them.

Paramount has nothing. Which leads to my next article…

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Aug 17 2012
3 Comments
Fake Movie Friday

Fake Movie Friday – Q&A UPDATED!

This is my take on the “I’m obsessed with you, and someones gonna die” film.  It will be directed by David Slade.

The film opens with Aaron Mitchell and his wife Rachel getting ready in the morning.  They have a huge house and lots of waitstaff.  They live in the Hollywood Hills.  Aaron is played by Adrien Brody, and Rachel by Kate Beckinsale.  They get into a limo and head to the airport where a small plane is waiting for them.  Aaron’s agent, Frank Bradley, played by Giovanni Ribisi asks him why Aaron even still bothers going to these things, and Aaron says he likes being accessible to the fans.  They deserve it.  Frank replies “Yea right” and just like that the pilot takes off and tells them they will be landing in San Diego in a little over an hour.

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