Pop Goes the Culture

Back through the (kinda' creepy) rabbit hole...

For those of you still scratching your heads over Tim Burton's take on the classic film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a new conundrum is coming our way: Burton through the looking glass.

Next year,the visionary's latest LSD trip...er...visionary project...yeah, that's better...is his own take on the classic tale Alice in Wonderland and, in true Burton style, he's twisted it into a darker tale than before. This movie actually takes place 10 years after the original story, when Alice is proposed to by a snobbish suitor surrounded by snooty high-society types. She takes off running and, yep, follows a rabbit down a hole...

A few stills were just released over the interwebs, giving us a look at just how different the characters are this time around (click on the photos to enlarge them).

The pictures are: Mia Wasikowska as Alice, Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, Matt Lucas as Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen and a look at Burton's version of Wonderland.

 

 

 

The movie is slated to hit theaters in March 2010. What do you think? Cool or a bit too trippy?

- Jason

Summer 2009 at the movies thus far...

Usually by now I would have regaled you with my adventures at the theater this summer but, alas, I've been busy with technology upgrades at work along with the usual slew of graduation parties and weddings that this time of year bring. And I'm lazy. That's all I've got.

So, in the interest of your movie-going experience, I'm here to tell you what I've thought of the crop of films I've seen so far this season...

Wolverine: Stay away. Pure and simple.

I was really let down by this movie. I enjoyed the first two X-Menfilms. Then the third came along and left a bad taste in my mouth. I saw this as a way to redeem the franchise but it wasn't meant to be, I guess. A convoluted script short on action and shudder-inducing special effects (check out his claws when he's looking in the bathroom mirror) made for an experience that left me checking my watch every 10 minutes.

Star Trek: Now this is how you get the summer started!

I was a little leery of Star Trek, even with the great reviews that came in before the movie's release. I'll admit, I was pleasantly surprised. The visuals were top-notch while each younger actor portrayed their classic character to a T (props to Simon Pegg as Scotty, though he could've used more screen time. Just sayin'.) The story left you scratching your head in a few places but, hey, in a movie with a galactic federation, time travel, warp drives and Romulans, who am I to judge?

Terminator: Salvation: Worth a look, but nothing great.

Another franchise film that left something to be desired but, having said that, it wasn't a bad film, really. This film took place in the not-to-far-at-all future, so no time travel ling terminators were involved. This movie reminded me a lot of the Matrix films: a bleak future where machines rule while humanity puts forth a half-assed effort to regain their footing. Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, descent special effects and a computer-generated "Ah-nold" keep the film from sinking into a so-so plot line.

Night At The Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian: A fun film for the whole family - just don't expect a whole lot.

I went into NATM2 not expecting too much and got what I wanted: a special-effects-laden film that was thin on the plot but fun never the less. Too many characters and a hokey storyline weighed down the film, but you could tell the actors were enjoying themselves (Amy Adams hammed it up nicely as a spunky Amelia Earhart while Hank Azaria lisped his way through as the evil pharaoh Khumanra). It's worth a shot - just don't keep it at the top of your list.

Up: A must-see, but remember to bring some Kleenex for you sensitive types.

Pixar always cooks up something good, and this time is no exception. A very heartfelt story about an old man fulfilling his promise to his late wife, this movie has it all: a house that flies via helium balloons, a wilderness scout with a heart of gold, a giant bird that would put Big Bird to shame and plenty of talking canines. Sound strange? It is, but in thye end it all comes together into a great story that tugs at the ole' heart strings. Definitely worth the money, even in 3D.

I still haven't gotten around to seeing Angels & Demons, Drag Me To Hell or Land of the Lost yet, and I honestly don't know if I'll get to. Movies Like The Proposal, Year One and Transfomers 2 are already looming on my schedule.

What do you think? Was I right about these films? What did you think of these movies? What are you looking forward to at the theater? Let me know below!

- Jason

'Green Lantern' gets green-lighted

So we've had versions of the X-Men, Spider-man, Batman, Superman and a dozen others fly, kick and thunder their way across the big screen. So what's left?

Not much apparently. But the film studios need to spend their cash on some crimebuster.

That must be the reason that Warner Brothers just announced that the big screen version of the Green Lantern will be filming in Sydney, Australia with a reported budget of $150 million dollars.

For those of you unfamiliar with GL, he gains his powers from a magic ring that's capable of doing damn near anything the wearer can imagine and his one main weakness is the color yellow (I'm not kidding).

The plot? "Hal Jordan, a test pilot who finds a downed alien spacecraft. A dying alien passes his ring to Jordan, introducing the man to a wider world that includes an interstellar police force known as the Green Lantern Corps and its overseers, the Guardians of the Universe, who live on the planet Oa."

A cool concept or scraping the bottom of the barrel?

- Jason

Simpsons in the key of Lego

Some people have too much talent and too much time. That definitely described the creators of this viral video:

Returning to Hogwarts next summer...

The new international trailer was released yesterday for next summer's Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince...

...revealing a film franchise that's growing darker with it's audience. Evil is undoubtedly rearing it's head at he wizard school, and this time Harry has the help of Dumbledore.

I always thought it was interesting how the books grew richer and darker (and most of the time thicker) with each successive volume. They grew with their audience and, if this trailer is any indication, this film won't be for the kiddies. Thoughts?

- Jason

Hope springs eternal, Veronica Mars fans!

I'll admit it - I was doubting Thomas, Rob Thomas, that is. I never really believed it could be done. It was a TV fanatic's urban myth - the infamous "movie in the works," the shot at more of something I love that was callously cast aside (no, not "Moonlight," though we're still working on that one).

But news this week proves that hope springs eternal. Michael Aussiello says a Veronica Mars movie might be in the works (word of caution - I love Ausiello and his snarking superpower, but he doesn't always have the most accurate reports, that prize would go to Nikki Finke over at Deadline Hollywood Daily).

So says the scoopster:

"Kristen and I ran into each other, and we did discuss a Veronica movie," confirms (creator Rob) Thomas, who says he has also had "a few conversations" with Mars executive producer Joel Silver.

"It's very tough to focus on it right now with two pilots on my plate," adds Thomas, referring to his two ABC projects, a reworking of his '90s dramedy Cupid and an adaptation of the New Zealand series Outrageous Fortune. "But as soon as I have any free time, that's my top priority."

More of this smart, hip and relentlessly snarky show - along with one of my favorite Moonlight alums, Jason Dohring, is right up there with calorie-free ice cream for me, so here's hoping Thomas's schedule frees up. Soon.

- Mariah

"X-Files: I Want To Believe": I still want to believe!

While my desk becomes an unrequitted disaster of papers and memos, here's a really nice movie review from Web guru and original X-phile Nick Moore on the new "X-Files" film. Enjoy!

Ever visit old friends you haven’t seen in years?  That’s what watching The X-Files: I Want to Believe was like for me.

I was an avid X-Phile during the nine years the show ran (especially the first seven years).  So much so that I was even given a set of DVDs of the entire series as a Christmas gift – I still watch an occasional episode now and then.  What intrigued me about the series was the combination of well plotted, well acted stories, and the interplay between the main characters, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson).  That and the underlying notion of a dark and intricate conspiracy by aliens and the
government to mislead the public and obfuscate the truth appealed to my
sense of paranoia.

Episodes of the X-files fell into two distinct categories: There were
episodes that furthered the storyline of the above-mentioned conspiracy, which were connected and sequential, like a (very, very dark) soap opera. These were known as “Mythos” episodes.  The other type consisted of stand alone stories, each one independent and unconnected.  These were known as “Monster of the Week” episodes.

The X-Files: I Want To Believe falls into the second category, presumably so it might attract a broader audience than die-hard fans familiar with the convoluted, hard to follow Mythos.  Makes sense, when you consider the TV series ended six years ago and the first X-Files movie was released a full decade ago. 

Fans of the series know that it ended with Mulder’s escape after being wrongfully found guilty of murder and sentenced to die by lethal injection.

The plot of The X-Files: I Want to Believe revolves around the
disappearance of an FBI agent.  In investigating the abduction, the only lead the FBI has is provided by a defrocked Catholic Priest who is a convicted pedophile. Father Joe (Billy Connolly) is a psychic who claims he has visions of the missing agent.  The agent in charge, Dakota Whitney (Amanda Peet), doesn’t know whether to trust him or pistol whip him. Clearly, Fox Mulder’s X-File expertise is needed.  They locate Mulder through Sculley, offer him a pardon if he helps, and before you know it, the two are back in action.  Scully, who has been working as a doctor in a clinic, is reluctant to re-enter the dark world of the X-Files while Mulder is ecstatic to be back in harness.

Here is where the movie falters a bit.  The secondary characters, in particular the FBI agents, are little more than plot devices with very little depth to their characters.  I won’t reveal too much of the mechanics of the story, but when something that should be really disturbing happens, it is not nearly as effective as it could have been had more care been taken with character development.  The more we know about someone, the more we care.  Likewise, the villains of the movie are painted with broad strokes and we end up knowing very little about them.  Shallow peripheral character development is inevitable in a 48-minute TV episode, but in a 104-minute movie we should expect more. The exception to this is Connolly’s Father Joe. His portrayal of a reviled former sinner trying desperately to use his psychic abilities as a means of redemption is mesmerizing.

The heart of this movie, however, is the Mulder-Scully relationship.  Mulder is still the seeker who desperately wants to believe in the paranormal and Scully is the woman of reason who sometimes struggles to reconcile her belief in science with her religious faith.  Part of the magic of the series was how they developed a strong mutual respect, even though their viewpoints were often at odds.  The chemistry is still very much there, but with age and passing events it is now touched with a hint of melancholy. Mulder’s quips now seem just a tad bittersweet and Scully at times seems to radiate an aura of sadness in the film.  A lot of water has passed under the bridge for these characters since the series ended.

Before the movie’s end, the two characters face and resolve troubling questions of faith and belief.  This, it appears to me, is the focus of the film rather than the horror plot. 

Have we seen the last of Mulder and Scully on the big screen?  Given the lackluster reviews and disappointing box office so far (a mere $10 million on the opening weekend), it would seem so.  The movie had the bad luck to open just a week after what potentially could be the biggest summer blockbuster of all time, The Dark Knight. 

Keep in mind, however, that The X-Files: I Want To Believe only cost $30 million to produce.  Strong DVD sales could push it over the top and make a sequel more likely.  X-Files creator Chris Carter has said that he would like to do a movie to be released in 2012, which marks the endpoint of the Mayan calendar.  The year 2012 was a reoccurring theme in the X-Files Mythos and I, for one, would love to see a movie based on the date.

Let’s get out there and buy those DVDs when they come out!

- Nick

3, 2, 1 Blastoff...

We've fled the country!

That's right - your faithful entertainment bloggers have left the States and headed to Polaris Convention, a fan-run scifi/fantasy gathering in Toronto, Canada. We packed our bags and left Ohio Friday for some Canadian geek love all weekend long.

We got ourselves checked in and spotted the con regulars - Indiana Jones, a few Ghostbusters, aliens aplenty and, of course, vampires.

The first item on our agenda was the Blast-Off Party, an exclusive event where a limited number of attendees get to mingle with all the multi-day guests.

The Blast-Off Party was like being a band geek waiting for the prom queen to do the rounds, if the prom was a smoking hot scifi actor or two. It was fun and everyone was amazingly nice, but I was definitely feeling the high school vibe.

We stood around a cocktail table waiting for the forced social interactions with Jason Dohring (Josef on "Moonlight") and Gareth David-Lloyd (Ianto on "Torchwood"). And stood. And stood. And stood.

I wandered off to flirt with some Stargate fans in hopes of free drinks, but nothing. And still the boys kept to the far side of the room with the more rabid fans.

Fortunately Chandra knows how to get things done and managed to accidentally whine to the right people (Monique, the head of autographs, and Monique, the convention chair), who then made it their mission to drag Gareth and Jason over for our obligatory expensive moment of interaction with stars.

Gareth David-Lloyd, who is just stunning enough to make my heart go pitter-patter, wandered by first. From this British import, we learned:
- An accent will forgive nearly any sin and takes men from cute to swoon-worthy
- Everyone wants to know what it was like to kiss John Barrowman
- He hasn't seen "Bruce Almighty"
- He'll be guesting at San Diego Comic Con and meeting up with friends during the appearance. We gave him the skinny on New York Comic Con and plenty of warnings about how not to get killed by crazy fans or mobbed by comic book geeks, but he may still be in trouble

Things I Learned in six minutes about Jason Dohring:
- He's as not tall as I thought he was (seriously, I had him at 6'5" or so in my head, but he only towered over me a little)
- He's heading a little more mainstream. Apparently getting beloved projects canceled over and over again is less than fun and he's hoping to reach a wider audience
- What a levy is and how that's not going to save the world
- Chandra doesn't shut up (kidding!). But she did get Jason talking about social issues and the plight of Northwest Ohio (for those not in the know, Jason was born in Toledo - though he moved away at age 3) and how Jason could fix things. Don't think I'm not writing your manager, man.
- Rich people are weird. Okay, not weird, but very different from you and me. Jason was planning to visit the nanny who helped raise him while in Toronto. Very sweet that he would go see her, but I believe he's the first person I've met who had a nanny and told me about it.
- I'm not as fangirl as I thought I was and Chandra is not a fangirl at all (despite all efforts to the contrary). Of our little group, we were the only ones who talked (one of us more than the other, but) and it was a serious conversation with no squeeing.

Things I learned from the two second drive-by by Ellen Muth:
- She drinks fast
- She runs faster

Today we have press conferences, photos, Q&As and all sorts of fun stuff with the above celebs, as well as authors Tanya Huff and Kelley Armstrong.

More later...

- Mariah (with comic assistance from Chandra)

Hello Wall-E!

Imagine if everyone left the Earth and someone forgot to turn off the last robot. That's the premise of the engaging and visually stunning computer-animated flick, Wall-E, the latest from Pixar Animation, which brought us "Ratatouille," "The Incredibles" and "Toy Story."
The year is 2700 and the titular Wall-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth Class) is a robot built to clean up the Earth, which has become a stark wasteland, and has spent his time since humans fled making little cubes of trash, developing a quirky little personality. He spends his days following his programming along with his roach friend, Hal (get it, Hal Roach) and collecting little treasures – lighters, sporks, rubber toys – until a new robot arrives to scout planet Earth for signs of life, EVE (Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator).
With minimal dialogue beyond beeps and blips and sci-fi sounds, the two fall in love. Well, Wall-E falls in love.
Wall-E surrenders one of his sacred possessions, a tiny plant, which triggers EVE's programming and sends her back to her space station.
Wall-E has to make the decision whether to stay in his world or chase the girl of his dreams. WALL-E – a romantic robot who endlessly rewatches two numbers from "Hello Dolly:" the big, bright dance number "Put on Your Sunday Clothes," and the romantic love song, "It Only Takes a Moment" every night after work -- takes his chances to follow EVE  aboard Axiom, a giant luxury liner in space carrying all the humans, who have been lounging around for centuries, waiting to return to Earth.
The station is populated both by a legion of robots and the descendants of those who populated Earth that they serve. Thanks in part to the hand-and-foot service of the robots, humans have become massive, flabby beings with tiny, almost-vestigial limbs. They move about the space station in moving recliners equipped with screens, in their own virtual worlds, avoiding human contact.
The computerized powers at the station regard the plant as proof that Earth is ready to be re-colonized. Unfortunately there's someone who doesn't want to go back and the conflict ensues.
At the heart of it, this is a love story. Set in space. With robots.
This movie is more than the sum of its parts. The love story is sweet to the point of saccharine, but still manages to pull at the heart-strings. There is never a moment in which the audience isn't rooting for Wall-E and his simple hope of a hand held. Our sweetly bedraggled hero's slapstick wooing efforts keep the laughs coming even as the heart is breaking.
But, even more important for an animated movie, the visual elements of this movie are majestic and overwhelming. The camera moves like a real one – with zooms, pans, foreground shots, background details – everything you'd find in live action –  and gorgeous. The movie takes us from a devastated Earth to the brilliant stars. The amount of detail takes the breath away and is worth the price of admission just to take in a fraction of the splendor. It's worth a second or a third admission, too.
As Wall-E's cherished song goes, it only takes a moment to fall in love and any moment from this movie will do the trick.

- Mariah

It's Pixar, which means I automatically get to add my two cents (one cent after taxes). This movie really is a treat for the eyes. The opening sequence is amazing - just the scope and size of an entire city filled with towers of trash is something to behold.

True, it's definitely got a strong enviromental message, but that pretty much takes a back seat to our two little robots blossoming romance. The story is solid and fun, drawing laughs and tears at the same time. This is, and probably will be, one of the year's best films.

And on a side note, stay for the credits. The visuals of man's "re-evolution" of civilization is shown in wonderfully rendered artwork that mimics the ages: Egyptian, Greek, Pop Art, etc. Very cool!

- Jason

Would you believe "Get Smart" is a fun spy comedy?

Spy comedies were never really a wildly popular type of flick until a certain 'shagadelic' agent came along and turned the genre around. Since then we've had agents like Codi Banks, the Spy Kids and even a film based on the TV series I Spy. But long before any of these characters came along, a sophistcated, debonair super spy was keeping the world safe.

No, not that Bond guy. I'm talking about Maxwell Smart, the gadget saavy, snappy dialogue-spewing agent who reappears in one of this summer's most hyped films Get Smart. But since Don Adams has since passed, this time around Max's shoes (or shoe phones) are filled by Steve Carrell. And would you believe the results aren't bad?

Our story opens in Washington, where a museum exhibit assures the public that CONTROL, the former super spy organiztion that kept the nation safe for years, was disbanded after the Cold War. But little do they know that CONTROL is alive and...well, so-so, since the organization seems to be made up of two cliques: the agents who go on secret missions and live an exciting lifestyle and the analysts who build the spy toys and pour over hours of information. Analyst Maxwell Smart (Carrell) has just taken his spy competency test, hoping to step out from behind his desk and into the field.

He gets his chance when CONTROL headquarters, along with the identities of all their agents, are compromised by the terrorist organization KAOS. The only other agent still undercover is Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), a skillful and deadly femme fatale who ends up being paired with the newly-promoted Smart. They're sent to Russia to try to stop KAOS from using atomic weapons to ransom the globe. Hilarity ensues.

While the movie relies more on slapstick-style laughs and less on witty dialogue (unlike the TV show), it's easy to see that the actors are really getting into their roles and having fun with them. Carrell and Hathaway have a nice chemistry behind them, while Dwayne Johnson (The Rock, for you wrestling fans) plays a fun/confident dashing super spy and friend to Max. Terrence Stamp is cold and ruthless as the villain Siegfried, but constantly surrounded by his less-than-bloodthirsty henchmen Shtarker (Ken Davitian) and Dalip (Dalip Singh). Even the bit parts of analysts Bruce and Lloyd (Masi Oka and Nate Torrence) lend themselves to a few laughs. But to me, the biggest surprise came in the form of Alan Arkin as The Chief. A fiery old timer, Arkin breathes life into what could have been a bland role, flying an airplane with obvious skill and even fist-fighting the Vice President. Plus, with cameos by James Caan, Bill Murray and Patrick Wharburton, it's easy to see that this movie has talent.

Be forewarned, though: if you're looking for a remake of the TV show, keep walkin'. While the characters are fairly similar, the script has been updated and the jokes can be hit or miss. Carrell's Smart is bumbling but far from dumb - most of his antics are simply counterintuitive to the situation but somehow (almost) always work. While his use of gadgets is here, he only uses the trademark shoe phone once. And when Carrell gives voice to Maxwell Smart's famous catchphrases, they sound a bit forced.

But even with its flaws, the film is a fun one and worth the price of a movie ticket. While the script is simply okay, the talented stars end up carrying the film the rest of the way and, let's face it, in the case of Get Smart, you can't exactly expect Shakespeare.

A perfect summer film? Missed it by that much!!!

- Jason