First Look: Youth In Revolt
To our suprise, this film is not about the Iranian election protests going on. It’s the new Dimension Films movie based on the 1993 novel that had has a cult following. This is your first look at the newly released teaser poster that launches their marketing campaign around the film. Hopefully the dismal reviews of Year One do not put a damper on the Michael Cera “brand”. We have not read the book, but friends have said that the “R” rating the film received is on point with the sex/drugs in the book. The official synopsis of the film sounds like many other teenage angst films: Continue reading “First Look: Youth In Revolt” »
WTWTA: Heads on and We Shoot
Whaddya know? Another book was just announced for the highly anticipated (and obsessed about) Where The Wild Things are film. We mentioned the loosely based 300 page novel coming out in October. Now we have a behind the scenes look at the making of this very lengthy production. “Head’s On and We Shoot: The Making of Where the Wild Things Are” is 240 pages and releases on Oct. 13th.
The thing that makes this film and production so intriguing is the decision by Spike Jonze to go “old school” by using giant puppets. 99% of films solely rely on CGI when needed. The problem is that an element of humanity and soul is lost with these computer generated images. Think Beowulf. Or Star Wars. Or basically any modern film that heavily relies on CGI characters. Jonze knew that in order for this film to work on all emotional levels, the Wild Things needed to be as real and soulful as possible. This is a throwback to classics such as The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. The only difference is that the Wild Things will have CGI’d mouths in order to match the words with the lips.
This decision by Jonze to use actors in giant puppets ended up costing him an extra year of production, though. There were many unforseen issues throughout and bad weather in Austrailia halted production many times. Here’s hoping this obsession doesn’t turn into false hopes.
2012 Trailer
Danny Glover as President. John Cusack as hero. This has the making of, well, another disaster movie. This is your first look at 2012 movie coming out at the end of the year. Lots of landmarks getting destroyed, lots of stuff blowing up, the end of the world…hilarity ensues.
Please note: Director Roland Emmerich was supposed to say “Only on Yahoo! and Film Savior”, but couldn’t pronounce “savior”…we let it slide.
Release Date: November 13th, 2009
“Inception” is Elaborate Bribe to get Nolan to Make Batman 3
Christopher Nolan is set to start working on his first film since The Dark Knight next month (July). The film written by Nolan himself is titled “Inception” and is vaguely detailed as a “contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind.”
That’s all we got. Oh, and that Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (seriously, again – when did he sell his soul to the devil), Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine, and Tom Hardy all are attached to this $200 million dollar sci fi.
Note to Warner Brothers. We know Dark Knight made a Trillion Dollars. Please know that Nolan’s other non-Batman films did not perform strongly at the box office (Memento, Insomnia, The Prestige). $200 million budget?! Really? Consider also that The Dark Knight cost $185 million. And this one takes place “in the mind.” Good luck with that.
Sean Penn No Stooge
Yes, it WAS true. Sean Penn was going to play Larry alongside Jim Carrey and Benecio Del Toro in The Three Stooges film. Unfortunately, the cast and the Farrelly Brothers got a swift eye gouge and slap in the face by Penn. It was announced yesterday that Penn will be taking a year off from acting to concentrate on his family.
With the Harvey Milk voice and Carlito’s Way hair, Sean Penn was a brilliant choice. Who should replace him?
The Cove Trailer
There has been a slow building buzz on this documentary “The Cove”. It won the audience award at Sundance this year and took in awards at Toronto’s Hot Docs and the Newport Film Festival. We’re hoping the film lives up to the excitement and intrigue of this trailer. You’ll have a whale of a time watching it. It will have you hooked from the start. Ouch.
The synopsis:
In the 1960′s, Richard O’Barry was the world’s leading authority on dolphin training, working on the set of the popular television program “Flipper.” Day in and day out, O’Barry kept the dolphins working and television audiences smiling. But one day, that all came to a tragic end. THE COVE, directed by Louie Psihoyos, tells the amazing true story of how Psihoyos, O’Barry and an elite team of activists, filmmakers and freedivers embarked on a covert mission to penetrate a hidden cove in Japan, shining light on a dark and deadly secret. The mysteries they uncovered were only the tip of the iceberg.
So basically it’s Greenpeace meets Jason Bourne. Sweet. The producers and filmmakers are now wanted in Japan for trespassing and other trumped up charges meant to silence their important dolphin-saving message. We really don’t think you need to be a tree hugging, green peacer, Al Gore type to enjoy this. It’s that riveting.
Release Date: July 31st - LA/NY.
New Inglorious Basterds Poster/Video Clip
A new Inglorious Basterds poster has surfaced on the web today thanks to (The Sun). It gives a better overall look of more of the cast, yet still does not convey what this film is truly about (just like the original ones).
We’re still holding out hope for this one.
Shia confirms Indy 5; a small piece of us dies
The news that we didn’t need to hear.
Doing press for Transformers 2, Shia LeBeouf has confirmed Indiana Jones 5 WILL move forward. As he told the BBC:
“Steven Spielberg, I think is a real key asset to a blockbuster. He invented ‘em, so I think the originator is always a good place to start.Steven [Spielberg] just said that he cracked a story on [Indiana Jones 5] before I left and I think they’re gearing that up.”
Indy 4 and the Crystal Skull pretty much buried the franchise…we thought. I guess we can only hope it makes up for the swinging monkey/Shia scene we had to witness.
Shia, oh how I loathe thee.
Sigh.
Kenny Powers Meets Napoleon Dynamite
DVD Review: The Foot Fist Way
Original Release Date: September 26, 2008
FS Verdict: Queue it up — with mild caution.
“I’m so hungry I could eat a grown man’s ass right now!” – Fred Simmons
If a nonchalant quote like that makes you laugh, then read on and add this to your Netflix Queue. If not, watch this film with caution. Fans of Eastbound & Down on HBO will be in for a treat as Danny McBride essentially started crafting the Kenny Powers character in this film. Director Jody Hill (Eastbound & Down, Observe & Report) keeps things rude and crude in this hilarious comedy about Tae Kwon Do instructor Fred Simmons.
Danny McBride plays Simmons, a loudmouthed bully who operates a Tae Kwon Do (Korean for “foot fist way”) dojo out of a strip mall. Fred idolizes Chuck “the Truck” Wallace (Ben Best), a Steven Seagal wanna-be who has an eye on Simmons’ wife.
The plot is thin and the budget is low, which only adds to the humor. The plot simply gets in the way of letting Danny McBride seemingly improvise through many scenes. The dead panned jokes are reminiscent of Napoleon Dynamite…on steroids. Much like Kenny Powers, the character of Fred Simmons will make you cringe while sticking with his every word. His no-nonsense attitude in the most dire situations elevates the comedy while showing the sweet spot within the character.
Shot in 19 days on a tight budget, The Foot Fist Way is shot in pseudo-documentary style, which actually feels like the correct choice for these actors. While McBride is the star (and now rising comic actor), it is obvious that most of the “actors” are fairly new.
If you like Danny McBride, you will love this movie.
*Note: Trailer is Red Band (a few curse words here and there)
- Corey @ FS
He’s Just Not That Into This Movie
DVD Review: He’s Just Not That Into You
Original Release Date: February 6, 2009
FS Verdict: Stay far away….consider yourself saved.
Let’s get this out in the open right now. I enjoyed Bridget Jones Diary, Love Actually, Amelie, and many other modern romantic comedies not necessarily aimed at the male demographic. You see, when done right, the rom-coms are great movies for everyone. He’s Just Not That Into You is easily at the bottom of the rom-com totem pole. Two notches BELOW The Wedding Date and Over Her Dead Body. Five notches below Runaway Bride. I wish I could say it was one of those dumb movies you can enjoy on a rainy Sunday afternoon. But the reality is that 129 minutes of your life will forever be gone…and wasted.
With the strong cast of Scarlett Johanson, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Connolly, Drew Barrymore ,and Jennifer Aniston this movie had great potential. Based off a New York Times bestseller self help book, it had the makings of a romantic comedy that could reach out to both men and women and say something new about relationships.
Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) is hoping that big things will come from a blind date with Conor (Kevin Connolly) but he hasn’t called. He’s too busy being infatuated on his friend Anna (Scarlett Johanson), who’s content to use him on her own terms . Anna has just met and become obsessed with Ben (Bradley Cooper) a faithful but tempted man in a rocky marriage with Janine (Jennifer Connelly).
To muddle the plot more, Anna’s friend Mary (Drew Barrymore) is failing to find love through personal ads and phone messages (we get about 2 scenes with her) . Meanwhile, Janine and Gigi work with Beth (Jennifer Aniston) who has been in a relationship with Neil (Ben Affleck) for seven years and is infuriated over his failure to pop the question.
Phew.
Unlikeable characters, bad acting, and terrible dialogue gave this Film Savior critic a bad taste in their mouth. The main character GiGi is psychotic and a mildly retarded. Her character also takes over 70% of the film. Jennifer Aniston plays Jennifer Aniston. Kevin Connolly (Eric from Entourage) plays Eric from Entourage. Scarlett Johanson plays the on e character she has played in 5 other films — home wrecker.
Corey @ FS
Portman is Aronofsky’s “Black Swan”
Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler, Requiem for a Dream, Pi) seems to finally have his next project lined up. He has toyed with the idea of a Noah’s Ark film (I know) or a Robocop reboot (really?!) but now Natalie Portman has signed on to play the lead in Black Swan, a thriller about an older ballerina and a rival protege. According to THR,
“the film centers on a veteran ballerina (Portman) who finds herself locked in a competitive situation with a rival dancer, with the stakes and twists increasing as the dancers approach a big performance. But it’s unclear whether the rival is a supernatural apparition or if the protagonist is simply having delusions.”
Anyone who has seen Requiem for a Dream must be scratching their head right now. But if anyone can make a disturbing and engaging film about the ballet, I’ll put my trust in Aronofsky. With the critical and commercial success of The Wrestler, it seems he can direct anything he wants. Consider us mildly interested at this point.
Wild Things or: How a 200 Word Children’s Book Turned into a 300 Page Novel
For those who can’t wait until the October 16th release of Where the Wild Things Are — do not fret. According to Amazon , on October 1st a full 300 page novel “loosely based on the works of Maurice Sendak” will be released. This novel is essentially the screenplay to the highly anticipated film.
Here is Amazon’s synopsis:
The Wild Things — based loosely on the storybook by Maurice Sendak and the screenplay cowritten with Spike Jonze — is about the confusions of a boy, Max, making his way in a world he can’t control. His father is gone, his mother is spending time with a younger boyfriend, his sister is becoming a teenager and no longer has interest in him. At the same time, Max finds himself capable of startling acts of wildness: he wears a wolf suit, bites his mom, and can’t always control his outbursts. During a fight at home, Max flees and runs away into the woods. He finds a boat there, jumps in, and ends up on the open sea, destination unknown. He lands on the island of the Wild Things, and soon he becomes their king. But things get complicated when Max realizes that the Wild Things want as much from him as he wants from them. Funny, dark, and alive, The Wild Things is a timeless and time-tested tale for all ages.
So there you have it. Full disclosure on 10/1.
