FILMOPIA

Not coming to a theatre near you...

2011-01-16T18:46:00.000-05:00

Check out Sean Hartter's blog for his amazing alternate reality movie posters, a few of my favourite's below.

Xombi-Mas!

2010-12-23T14:24:00.000-05:00

Pull my tail...

2010-12-20T16:51:00.000-05:00

Charles Burns' graphic novel BLACK HOLE has long been rumoured to be adapted into a feature length live action film, with such names as Alexandre Aja, Neil Gaiman, Roger Avary, and David Fincher attached at one point or another. Whether or not this film ever sees the light of day is anyone's guess, but for now we have this short, by director Rupert Sanders, which shows us a tiny bit of what could be. Click the pic below to check it out, but be warned, it's rather freaky and NSFW :)

I'm SO metal!

2010-12-10T11:46:00.000-05:00

You'd think I'd be thrilled with all the robot action this week, but I'm not. First we get a teaser trailer for TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON. Looks like the Apollo 11 crew found some grandpa robot on the moon. Hey Michael Bay, check out Neil Armstrong drinking your milkshake, by explaining that the moon walk in your little movie couldn't happen. Click the pic to see the trailer. Since I pretty much avoided the 2nd film like the plague I guess I won't be seeing this either, as surely I'd be lost in the plot.

Next up is the eagerly anticipated feature film adaptation of the 1964 children's game Rock'Em Sock'Em Robots starring The Wolverine Hugh Jackman.

Now this flick really has me pissed off.Speaking as a robot myself, we should not be fighting each other, we should be crushing humanity as predicted in so many other movies! Check out the trailer for REAL STEEL by clicking the pic below, and I'll comfort myself by gazing at co-star and future ex-wife Evangeline Lilly.

What's news!

2010-11-17T16:30:00.004-05:00

Trailers trailers everywhere! The teaser trailer for Jon Favreau's COWBOYS AND ALIENS just dropped, starring James Bond, Indiana Jones, and my future ex-wife Olivia Wilde. Click her to check it out.

I'm not really sold on GREEN LANTERN after this trailer, could be fun, though I have zero expectations for this flick. Only thing that does it for me, Peter Sarsgaard with a giant mustache AND a giant head. Touch his huge head to see for yourself.

And then there's David Gordon Green's YOUR HIGHNESS. You put two hilarious actors (James Franco, Danny McBride) and two major geek crushes (Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel) into this medieval stoner epic... looks like gold to me. Also, Justin Theroux looks like he just fell out of the MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE movie! Touch his magic wand to watch the red band trailer. I am stoked for this one.

Return of the Maid!

2010-11-01T11:22:00.000-04:00

The clay is flying again with CHAINSAW MAID 2. Check out the first one here.

WANT!

2010-10-28T10:29:00.002-04:00

Wake Up.

2010-10-28T10:22:00.001-04:00

Spin the totem.

Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2010 - Open for submissions!

2010-05-28T10:23:00.001-04:00

Behind the DUNE

2010-05-07T14:03:00.000-04:00

Check out this pretty cool behind the screens footage from David Lynch's DUNE, filmed in Super 8 by Sean Young. I could do without Young's weird voice over and The Entertainer as background music.

A teaser of epic epicness

2010-03-25T14:26:00.001-04:00

Here we go! Edgar Wright's epic adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley epic comic book series finally has a teaser trailer, click the pic below to go to there!

Raid at Blockbuster!

2010-02-03T23:07:00.000-05:00

What happens when a downtown Blockbuster Video shop goes out of business? You raid their going out of business sale. Not much by the time I got there.

THE LOSERS trailer!

2010-01-29T15:48:00.001-05:00

Let's see, we have guns, explosions, one liners, a beautiful woman, and a ton of slow motion... could be fun!

Mega Shark science!

2010-01-28T09:41:00.000-05:00

Yes Please!

2010-01-28T09:38:00.000-05:00

A great, albeit obvious, poster.

Vodka and Robots

2010-01-22T16:15:00.000-05:00

Premiering tonight at the Sundance Film Festival, I'M HERE is a 30 minute love story about the relationship between two robots living in L.A., written and directed by Spike Jones, AND sponsored by Absolute Vodka. I guess robots get loaded too... although I already knew that.

You can find a trailer for it here.

Who am I to judge you Stanley?

2010-01-21T16:16:00.001-05:00

Utah calling...

2010-01-21T12:21:00.001-05:00

There are many reasons I wish I was in Park City right now: the Sundance Film Festival, the Slamdance Film Festival, jumping back and forth from hot tub to snowbank... and particularly for the world premiere of THE RUNAWAYS, the first feature film directed by Floria Sigismondi. Check out more picks over at Collider.

And I'm definitely intrigued by HESHER, the story of a 13-year-old boy and his father move in with their grandmother to pick up the pieces of their life after their mother's death. Soon the boy meets Hesher, a chain-smoking anarchist head banger who loves blowing things up. Together they might help each other.

First off, I'll watch anything with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in it, and secondly, it's directed by Spencer Susser, who you might know from his zombie short I LOVE SARAH JANE.

What was new(s)...

2010-01-21T11:17:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! OK, a little late for that, so what?! I'm not an early riser, sue me!
Here's some this and that I've noticed recently:

AVATAR makes all the money, which is pretty surprising for a re-boot of Disney's POCAHONTAS. I'm glad I got the full on IMAX 3-D experience, but otherwise I found it pretty forgettable, except for Michelle Rodriguez being fierce as always.

I enjoyed the Hell out of SHERLOCK HOLMES, it was exactly what I expected, a big gay Victorian action romp. Just don't tell Andrea Plunket, who holds the US copyright to the literary Holmes saga how gay it was, as she has threatened to pull the rights if a sequel were to further explore Holmes in an homoerotic light. That's too bad really, as I really enjoyed the 'married couple' dynamic that Downey Jr. and Law brought to the material.

The first rule of fight club is, don't discuss the man-love...

New York state of mind

2010-01-07T14:48:00.000-05:00

I stumbled on this great thread of photos from New York City during the 1970's and yanked out a bunch. Check out the marquees!!!

How lucky is that crack pipe?

2009-12-16T09:44:00.003-05:00

Cage FTW!!! Perhaps not so ludicrous an idea, as he did win Best Male Performance according to The Toronto Film Critics Association :) Check out the rest of the awards here.

Dear TWILIGHT, this is a vampire.

2009-12-15T03:18:00.004-05:00

Another poster for DAYBREAKERS, can't wait to see this again next month! Looks like they're doing the 'viral' thing on Twitter right here.

Movie poster of the week: PIRANHA

2009-12-14T16:27:00.000-05:00

Which reminds me, shouldn't we have seen a trailer for Alexandre Aja’s PIRANHA 3-D by now?!?

Movie poster of the week: MADHOUSE

2009-12-07T16:47:00.000-05:00

Further 2010 Sundance Film Fest titles announced

2009-12-03T16:29:00.000-05:00

Sundance has announced their out of competition selections, including their Park City At Midnight programme. Check it out here.

Wish I could be there to see Vincenzo Natali's science gone wrong tale SPLICE, the Joan Jett biopic THE RUNAWAYS, and Michael Winterbottom's latest THE KILLER INSIDE ME.

Robot, Dirty

2009-12-02T16:43:00.000-05:00

Sundance 2010 first wave of titles announced

2009-12-02T16:31:00.000-05:00

The Sundance Film Festival has announced their lineup of films in competition next month. What immediately caught my eye: Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a mysterious, anarchical trickster in HESHER, Jesse Eisenberg as a young Hasidic man who becomes an international Ecstasy smuggler in HOLY ROLLERS, and a film actually titled DOUCHEBAG?!? See the complete list here.

I've been to Sundance a couple of times, it's like spring break for film fest volunteers. Vodka and Red Bull and hot-tubs every night. What happens in Sundance... stays in Sundance.

Get off my roof Frenchie!

2009-12-02T13:54:00.001-05:00

The new US trailer for DISTRICT 13: ULTIMATUM looks like shiny fun!

Remember the time you stood there holding that thing...?

2009-12-02T11:34:00.003-05:00

EMPIRE has put together a photo shoot of big time stars vaguely recreating their 'iconic' performances, like when Viggo Mortensen held a sword, or when Jack Nicholson gave us a big toothy grin... Some of them are pretty cool, and some of them gave me pause, like how it's weird that Hermione has such nice legs, and how Mel Gibson looks less crazy with face paint than he often does in real life.
Check out the rest here.

...one chance out between two worlds...

2009-12-01T11:36:00.000-05:00

Check out this great batch of TWIN PEAKS behind the scenes photos, taken by Richard Beymer (Ben Horne).
Which reminds me, I really need the Definitive Gold Box Edition Twin Peaks DVD!

Lifted from my dear friends at Row Three!

Movie poster of the week: TARGET EARTH

2009-11-30T15:17:00.000-05:00

Exhibition Place!!!

2009-11-30T09:40:00.001-05:00

BAD ROOMATE may have been my favourite short film that played Toronto After Dark this year, and now it's on the YouTube. Check out it's official press release below:

Hey Folks, James Gangl here, co-creator of Bad Roomate a freaky little stop-motion music video created on a pile of crap, $100 dollar point-and-shoot camera…

Here’s the deal… in August it was an official selection at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival. It won Best Music at WILDSound’s “Best of Scary Movies” presented at the National Film Board… and now we want to share it with the masses!!

So… CHECK IT OUT ON THE YOUTUBE!!!

If you liked it please RATE it, COMMENT on it, SUBSCRIBE to our channel, and most importantly, PASS IT ALONG!
We have a goal of 1,000 views on our first day… so please help us out!

If you want to learn more about the film, check out the handy-dandy press release attached and links of what other folks have said about it!

REVIEWS:

“contagious song charmed…” Shannon the Movie Moxie

“This one was hilarious… now I just wish I could find it to share with everyone.” The Film Reel

“Very Funny. I need to see it again. My brain didn’t quite get it. It was too entertained if that’s possible.” RenerdRadio

“…full of laughs, fun and WTF moments.” 10MoviesToSee.com

“It is a testament to what you can do with very little more than just a camera, while fuelled by booze and weed.” TheHorrorSection

INTERVIEWS:

renerd.com

Toronto After Dark Film Festival

Happy Thanksgiving you American Basterds!

2009-11-26T10:58:00.002-05:00

Peek at Hex

2009-11-25T19:03:00.000-05:00

Here's a fresh peek at James Brolin as JONAH HEX in next summer's supernatural western. Official summary courtesy of Collider.com:

Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) is a scarred drifter and bounty hunter of last resort, a tough and stoic gunslinger who can track down anyone…and anything. Having survived death, Jonah’s violent history is steeped in myth and legend, and has left him with one foot in the natural world and one on the “other side.” His only human connection is with Leila (Megan Fox), whose life in a brothel has left her with scars of her own. But Jonah’s past is about to catch up with him when the U.S. military makes him an offer he can’t refuse: in exchange for his freedom from the warrants on his head, he must track down and stop the dangerous terrorist Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich). But Turnbull, who is gathering an army and preparing to unleash Hell, is also Jonah’s oldest enemy and will stop at nothing until Jonah is dead. Based on the legendary graphic novel, “Jonah Hex” is an epic adventure thriller about one man’s personal quest for redemption against the vast canvas of the battle between good and evil.

So you want to make another Indiana Jones movie...

2009-11-24T14:37:00.001-05:00

THIS is the only way you're getting my money again Lucas!!!

Movie poster of the week: EYEBALL

2009-11-23T14:08:00.000-05:00

This, that, and the other thing...

2009-11-23T13:59:00.001-05:00

BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS is finally getting some love out in the world with it's release last Friday.
Ebert gives it 4 stars, if you were wondering, or still gave a damn about what he has to say.
Nerve.com thinks that Herzog is more bad-ass than Chuck Norris... I'd have to agree.
And Aint It Cool News held a poster design contest, check out the winner and a bunch of the other entries here, including the one below which I quite like.

I finally caught up with RACHEL GETTING MARRIED, as was mentioned in my movie-related resolutions for the new year as one of those 'big' films that I had missed theatrically, and thought it was great. I loved the use of a roaming camera doc-style approach to capture the weekend of a big family wedding and all the drama that ensues. And yes, a great performance by Bill Irwin made me a little weepy. I've also recent seen THE WRESTLER, which really didn't do it for me. Still no TITANIC.

So, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON was released last weekend to the utter giggly delight of teenage girls everywhere and made huge huge money. I've actually seen TWILIGHT, thought it was utterly dreadful. And that's all I'm gonna say about that.

io9 has a brief interview with Ryan Kavanaugh, producer on the Stephen Norrington penned and directed 'relaunch' of THE CROW, which is nearing the green light phase. Pretty much any remake/reboot/relaunch these days is gonna piss me off, so you'd think I'd be raging at this... Way back in 1994 when the original film was released, it was a touchstone of sorts, a perfect film for me and my black-clad cohorts. You could even say that it was my "TWILIGHT", as I was a huge fan of the comic book, and yes, had even dressed as The Crow for Halloween (back then I actually had the hair for the job!). I havn't seen the film the years, and at this point have no real interest, for fear that it won't hold up, but I do revisit the book every now and again, and it never fails to disappoint. Bad sequels starring Tara Reid, the completely forgettable tv series, and relaunches be damned, I'll always have the book.

Movie poster of the week: THE EVIL EYE

2009-11-16T11:08:00.000-05:00

What are you afraid of again?

2009-11-13T12:08:00.003-05:00

This is old news but I'm just catching up with it now, the Thai horror anthology PHOBIA, which screened at Toronto After Dark in 2008, has a sequel. Check out the trailer below, and a whole slew of posters over at Bangkok 1080

Will this KICK-ASS?

2009-11-11T09:40:00.002-05:00

Matthew Vaughn's adaptation of Mark Millar's KICK-ASS comic book finally has some teasers, in the form of posters and a trailer. Financed outside the studio system by Vaughn's own production company, we'll see how an R-Rated 'anti-superhero' movie even more obscure than WATCHMEN will fare with the everyday movie going masses.

Kick-Ass

Trailer Park | MySpace Video

Movie poster of the week: RAW MEAT

2009-11-09T15:04:00.002-05:00

"Based On Actual Events"

2009-10-23T10:33:00.004-04:00

Check out the teaser trailer for the short film BASED ON ACTUAL EVENTS, which happens to be written by my good friend Serena Whitney!

You think you're SO big!

2009-10-21T09:44:00.000-04:00

Sitges calling...

2009-10-02T12:31:00.001-04:00

Check out this fantastic poster for an equally stunning film. AMER, by first time feature directing team Helene Cattet and Bruno Forzani plays The Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia this year. It's a beautiful, haunting film described thusly:

Desire has always been linked to one’s look. And cinema too. Luis Buñuel knew that very well when he filmed the short of a razor over an eye with a detail shot. Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani recover this image in an experimental film with immaculate style. Someone watches a girl through a keyhole. The wind lightly lifts a woman’s skirt as a group of men look on. The fantasy of a dress tearing. Composed of fragments –of eyes, lights, shadows, gestures— and without dialogues, Amer delves into the life of Ana, always halfway between the real and the imaginary. A film of sensations, always shot skin-deep.

I wish I was in Spain to see this film again, but on the big screen where it's sure to transfix it's audience. Hell, I wish I was in Spain for a lot of reasons! Check out this year's line up here.

Thoughts on TIFF - Day One

2009-09-11T19:00:00.000-04:00

Here we go again. TIFF (the festival) will start for me later tonight at my first screening, as opposed to TIFF (my everyday job) where I am currently chained to my desk. Mainly I'm interesting in challenging and controversial films from around the world.

My first film, great idea, or worst idea ever?

But also I can't help but wondering if this year I'll meet any of my future ex-wives?

I will always have a crush on crazy-pixie Drew Barrymore (WHIP IT)

I'd have to duel my buddy Andrew over Penelope Cruz, but it would be worth it (BROKEN EMBRACES)

Eva Green... bites knuckle! (CRACKS)

And sure, every fanboy in town is drooling over Megan Fox, but she's almost TOO hot sometimes, in a scary way, like she can rape you with her eyes!

In the Midnight hour...

2009-09-10T09:59:00.001-04:00

I'll sleep in 10 days!

It's beginning to look a lot like TIFF!

2009-09-07T22:33:00.001-04:00

Not counting Midnight Madness, here are the films I will definitely be at. Wondering if there is any way to fit in the other 37 I want to see?

Behind the screens, in Print Traffic @ tiff

2009-09-07T21:52:00.007-04:00

Touching JENNIFER'S BODY ;)

The future?

BITCH SLAP goes both ways.

Giving Uncle George another chance with his latest.

Toronto After Dark 2009 line-up is complete!

2009-08-06T15:51:00.014-04:00

Here are the other 9 flicks for this year's fest, it all starts in 8 days!

ROUGH CUT, the South Korean action flick that takes place on the set of an action flick, MUST LOVE DEATH, a German take on American Rom-Coms and gory horror all mixed into one, THE DARK HOUR, an understated Spanish post-apocalyptic story, THE WARLORDS, a 19th century Chinese epic starring Jet Li, STRIGOI, a tale of greed and vampires in a small Romanian village, THE REVENANT, an LA zombie-buddy-comedy, DEAD SNOW, Nazi zombies, nuff said, THE CHILDREN, a chilling British tale of the kids going all wrong, and opening night Blaxploitation throwback extravaganza BLACK DYNAMITE!

And because I hated TRANSFORMERS...

2009-08-06T15:39:00.004-04:00

I admit it. I'll be at the midnight screening tonight. I'm hoping it's as ridiculous as it should be! This could be my big dumb summer popcorn flick.

First wave of Toronto After Dark 2009 announced!

2009-07-08T10:01:00.003-04:00

The Dark comes a little earlier this year. Moving the Toronto After Dark Film Festival to August (14th-21st) was an interesting maneuver, that leaves me wondering what the Hell am I going to do in October?
Anyways... the first 8 titles for this year's fest have been announced!
In alphabetical order:

BLACK, a modern French riff on a mystical blacksploitation bank job, EMBODIMENT OF EVIL, the return of Brazil's cult icon Coffin Joe, THE FORBIDDEN DOOR, a stunning Lynchian noir from Indonesia, FRANKLYN, an ambitious alternate worlds fantasy starring my future ex-wife Eva Green, GRACE, where motherhood becomes a nightmare, SOMEONE'S KNOCKING AT THE DOOR, comes with the tag line "Caution, you might be too old for this film!", TRICK 'R TREAT, the highly anticipated Halloween night omnibus flick, and this year's bizzaro gore-fest from Japan VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL.

I'm Nancy?

2009-07-07T13:50:00.002-04:00

If you've seen the trailer for (500)DAYS OF SUMMER you know what this is about, if you havn't, I'm not speaking to you!

Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt Cinemash "Sid and Nancy"

FANTASIA 2009 teases us!

2009-06-30T18:12:00.010-04:00

This year's Fantasia International Film Festival is almost upon us, 21 days of genre cinema in the great city of Montreal. The full line up will be announced on July 3rd, but until then they've given us a taste. Here's what caught my eye:

DREAD

CRYPTIC

CANARY

YATTERMAN

THE CHILDREN

WHITE LIGHTNIN'

DEAD SNOW

LOVE EXPOSURE

THIRST

TRICK 'R' TREAT

I hope to take in a weeks worth of films this year, reviews to found here and at Quiet Earth. Check out all the films announced so far right here.

Kids need hugs, not drugs

2009-06-24T11:23:00.004-04:00

Here's something I'd really like to see. Screened at the EIFF yesterday was the latest colaberation between Shane Meadows and Paddy Considine, an improvised faux-rockumentary called LE DONK & SCOR-ZAY-ZEE, which was shot in just 5 days, for 30,000 pounds, without any script to speak of. The film follows Le Donk's quest to find fame through his one client, rapper Scor-zay-aee, by getting him an gig opening for the Arctic Monkeys.

Eternal Sunshine of Being Paul Giamatti?

2009-06-19T13:24:00.006-04:00

Watch the trailer for COLD SOULS and it's easy to see where the knee jerk Charlie Kaufman comparison comes from. Paul Giamatti plays an actor named Paul Giamatti, struggling with his upcoming performance in an off-Broadway production of "Uncle Vanya", he decides after reading an article in The New Yorker about soul removal to undergo the procedure. Hijinks ensue? I'm intrigued to see where this all goes.

8-Bit Schlock!

2009-06-19T12:16:00.002-04:00

Remember those classic NES movie games, like Gremlins 2 or Dirty Harry? Me neither. But someone clearly does, so Something Awful's Photoshop Phriday is running with the idea of some not-so-blockbustery games that could have been, check out the 8-bit schlock!

Nic goes "FULL CAGE" for Herzog!

2009-05-28T09:54:00.006-04:00

Witness the first trailer for BAD LIEUTENANT : PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS.

There are no words.

The Most Important Movie Of The Year?

2009-05-14T16:47:00.002-04:00

Well, Esquire Magazine seems to think so. Check out the first trailer for THE ROAD over at Yahoo.

English Blood

2009-05-01T16:28:00.005-04:00

While cruising around the always fantastic TWITCH site I see that there is finally an English trailer for BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE. Pretty sweet, but what's with using that same bit of music that was in the IRON MAN trailer? That was only LAST YEAR! Lazy.

Welcome to District 9

2009-05-01T09:22:00.005-04:00

Back in July I noticed that the viral marketing had begun for DISTRICT 9, and today we finally get our first look with this teaser trailer. Click the ship below to check it out in glorious HD!

It was a couple of years ago now when Peter Jackson was involved in adapting the wildly successful XBOX game HALO into a feature, and had chosen Neill Blomkamp to direct. When financing fell through they decided to turn Blomkamp's short film, ALIVE IN JOBERG into a feature, and thus we have DISTRICT 9.

An extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth suddenly find a kindred spirit in a government agent that is exposed to their biotechnology.

I love the look of this so far, the documentary feel, the slow reveal, plus I'm a sucker for a good viral, and the sites they've set up are massive. This is one of the few 'bigger' summer films I'm really looking forward to.

TOKYO! comes to Toronto

2009-04-15T16:28:00.005-04:00

If you're lucky enough to be in Toronto this May you might want to check out Over The Top, a 4 day music, theatre, and film festival that has just announced it's first 3 flicks: the Zach Galifianakis comedy VISIONEERS, the Viking adventure SEVERED WAYS: THE NORSE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA, and a flick I've been most keen to see, the three story omnibus TOKYO! Check out the trailer and official synopsis below.

In TOKYO!, three visionary directors (Michel Gondry, Leos Carax and Bong Joon-ho) come together for an omnibus triptych examining the nature of one unforgettable city as it’s shaped by the disparate people who live, work (and run amok) inside an enormous, constantly evolving, densely populated Japanese megalopolis — the enchanting and inimitable Tokyo.

INTERIOR DESIGN (Michel Gondry).
A young couple tries to set themselves up in Tokyo. The young man's ambition is clear — to become a film director. His girlfriend, far more indecisive, cannot escape the vague feeling that she's losing control of her life. Directionless, both are beginning to go under in this vast city until the young woman, utterly alone, becomes the object of a bizarre transformation...

MERDE (Leos Carax)
A mysterious creature spreads panic in the streets of Tokyo by means of his provocative and destructive behavior. This man, dubbed "The Creature of the Sewers" by the media, arouses both passion and repulsion...until the moment he is captured...

SHAKING TOKYO (Bong Joon-Ho)
For more than 10 years, he's been a hikikomori. He lives shut up in his apartment, strictly limiting all contact with the outside world to an absolute minimum. When a pizza delivery girl faints in his home during an earthquake, the unthinkable happens — he falls in love. Shortly after, he learns that the girl has in turn become a hikikomori. Will he dare cross the threshold that separates his apartment from the rest of the world?

Wild Things are here!

2009-03-25T15:39:00.001-04:00

The trailer has finally arrived, in HD! Run to it! RUN!

Tree of Life?

2009-03-23T13:26:00.003-04:00

Hardly a fan per se, but very intrigued by this first pic from Lars Von Trier's ANTICHRIST, starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Nabbed from indieWIRE.

Noticed while cruisin' by the interweb

2009-03-18T14:27:00.006-04:00

So IRON MAN 2 is apparently casting Mickey Rourke as a 'Russian villian' and Scarlett Johannson as the Black Widow. Guess who's picture I'm gonna post?

Finally a poster and trailer for Park Chan-Wook's THIRST.

Here's what the David Fincher produced animated film version of the Dark Horse comic THE GOON will look like.

YES!

2009-03-18T09:34:00.000-04:00

Yes!

2009-03-18T08:26:00.000-04:00

Empire has the first look at Olga Kurylenko in Neil Marshall's latest film CENTURION.

“Etain is kind of revenge incarnate,” says the writer/director, speaking to Empire exclusively on set. “Her family were butchered by the Romans, she had her tongue cut out by the Romans, she’s had a hell of a time and she’s out for Roman blood.”

So far, I'm in love!

You've got red on you

2009-02-25T10:03:00.003-05:00

Edgar Wright has taken over the Bloor Cinema for THE WRIGHT STUFF, presenting a selection of his favourite movies every week from March 1st through April 12th, check out all the deets here.

I'm having trouble deciding which films I won't be attending. There's RIKI-OH: THE STORY OF RICKY, which has been described repeatedly to me as one of the goriest films ever made, there's the film that REPO wished it was anywhere near as good as, Brian De Palma's PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE, plus a dose of CanCon with David Cronenberg's uber-creepy THE BROOD, just to name a few.

And it all starts with the Wright double bill of SHAUN OF THE DEAD and HOT FUZZ. Sweet.

Check out the cool promo put together by The Bloor Cinema Street Team.

The films of Yuki 7

2009-02-20T15:38:00.006-05:00

If only these films actually existed! Check out more work by artist Kevin Dart here.

Here's Johnny!

2009-02-18T14:45:00.001-05:00

Check out more here.

Really [REC]'ed again

2009-02-17T10:00:00.004-05:00

It's just a tease, and it looks like at least part of the sequel takes place directly after the events of the first film.

Femmes de Pilgrim

2009-02-09T09:31:00.002-05:00

So we all know that Edgar Wright is in my home town doing pre-production on SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD, based on the Scott Pilgrim comics, and has recently been teasing us with pics of the cast. Above is Mary Elizabeth Winstead who plays Ramona V. Flowers, and below is Ellen Wong who plays Knives Chau.

There are some guys in the movie too. If you wanna follow this production with the obsessive eye of a stalker I suggest Wright's Flickr set entitled Edgar's Photo A Day 2009.

Berlin controlled by aliens!

2009-01-27T13:09:00.003-05:00

Someone take away John Nada's bubblegum!

Via SUPERPUNCH.

It's still the new year... sorta

2009-01-27T12:48:00.014-05:00

Is it too late for a New Year Resolution Meme? Piper from Lazy Eye Theatre tagged me almost 2 weeks ago. I'm not big on resolutions in general. I've discovered that I can't even walk into a bar and say "I'm just staying for one drink", because during the course of a certain film festival I said that every night I walked into the bar after a screening, and it turned out never to be true. By the third night a common response was "Yeah sure rummy, just have a seat, you want the usual I assume?"

I've said too much.

So... here are the rules:

1. Post a list of nine movie-related resolutions for the new year. These can be as serious or light-hearted as you want them to be, and it also gives you a topic at the end of the year to post about when you take a look back at the resolutions.

2. Tag five other people with completing this meme.

3. Link back to my blog in your post so I can keep track of how many cool people are going along with this, and also for the purpose of compiling a list of the most interesting resolutions.

OK, here I go:

1. Blog this blog more. Hurm... that one's easy enough.

2. Attend more screenings at my local Cinematheque. Normally a little high-brow for my tastes, but it's time I branched out, such as when I went to see CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA last week. Not that it played the Cinematheque, but I never thought I'd go see a Bollywood movie either.

3. Watch TITANIC. I've screamed up and down for years that I absolutely do not need to watch this bloated crowd-pleaser, but I'm getting rid of my absolutes this year, and can at least bask in it's Kate Winslet-ness.

4. Host more movie nights. A few friends, a DVD, a theme drink. First up: ROADHOUSE!

5. Finish my screenplay. It's like Fast Food Nation with zombies and a kung-fu priest. Obvious yes, but it's purely an exercise.

6. Sneak more food into movie theatres. I'm tired of bending over at the counter and spending an absurd amount of money for sugar water and a Kit Kat. Sure, I've already brought my own pop, candy, and wine in, but next I'm thinking a sandwich!

7. Make out session! Ok, maybe not a full on sloppy neckin' fest, but a little kissin' in the back row when you're not missing anything on screen (you hear me Max Payne?) is in order.

8. Give INLAND EMPIRE another chance. Maybe I was really tired that day, maybe not, but I'm a big fan of Lynch so this requires another attempt.

9. See more movies in the cinema. Sure, I'm out there fairly often, but films keep slipping by me, most notably of late RACHAEL GETTING MARRIED and THE WRESTLER.

As far as the tagging bit goes, I'm thinking I'm a little late in the game, but I'm tagging my buddy Jay Clarke @ THE HORROR SECTION just for kicks!

On board with Zooey

2009-01-22T14:04:00.012-05:00

So I had this dream where I was on the bus with Zooey Deschanel...

Not really... but I sure wish I did. The pic above, taken from the teaser trailer of (500)DAYS OF SUMMER, looks an awful lot like the bus that drives you to heaven! Yes dear readers, this robot is totally smitten. How could I not be? Granted, she's been getting a lot more press lately as the indie boys' movie-star crush of choice, thanks to roles in WINTER PASSING, ALL THE REAL GIRLS, and THE GOOD GIRL. Not to mention a small roll on the tv show WEEDS, and a couple of big (although awful) films in 2008 that I won't even mention. AND her breakout as a dreamy-voiced chanteuse in the band She & Him.

One might be accused of jumping on the Zooey bandwagon, but my moony-eyed optical circuits have been gazing at her since her small role as Patrick Fugit's sister in ALMOST FAMOUS, one of my favouritest movies ever.

"Listen to Tommy with a candle burning, and you'll see your entire future."

So I was greatly intrigued when I first heard about (500) DAYS OF SUMMER, billed as 'Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Girl doesn't.', an anti-romantic comedy starring Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Count me in! On top of the obvious Zooey factor, I'm a big fan of Gordon-Levitt after watching him in MYSTERIOUS SKIN, BRICK, and THE LOOKOUT. Word out of Sundance is very positive, so I'm keen to see this when it's released in July.

Also, I just wanted an excuse to post more pics of her :P

The End Is Nigh...

2009-01-19T14:52:00.004-05:00

Now that the litigation is over...

UPDATE: Now with even more virals!

One ticket to the planet Spectra please!

2009-01-16T16:39:00.007-05:00

When did the evil Zoltar get so freakin' hot???

Actually, these are the first pics of the villianess Doronjo (Kyoko Fukuda) from Takashi Miike's live-action adaptation of the 1970s anime series YATTERMAN, which I know nothing about but suddenly find myself very interested in! Check out The Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow, they know about such things.

"I've seen bits of it..."

2009-01-16T11:05:00.000-05:00

from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

THE SPIRIT review

2009-01-15T14:24:00.000-05:00

My review screams.

For all the people who thought this was gonna be SIN CITY 2. For all the people who cheered when Robert Rodriguez gave up his membership in the Directors Guild of America when it told him he couldn't share the credit with Frank Miller on SIN CITY. For all the people who drooled over the prospect of a bevy of powerful and beautiful women kicking asses and takin' names.

My review screams.

It was with a stunned silence at the preview screening that I watched the end credits of this film roll past. Now I've never read any of the original Will Eisner comics, so I wasn't judging it based on the source material. I really dug SIN CITY, as a film and a graphic novel, I got a kick out of the bloody and fascist spectacle that was 300, and I'm a big fan of some of Miller's comic book work, including two of my favourite Batman stories (THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and BATMAN: YEAR ONE). So let's just say that I was cautiously optimistic about Miller's first solo attempt at directing a film.

But then there was the footage leaked from the San Diego Comic Con’s panel in July... this does not look good. In fact, it looks like a joke, a bad joke. A slapstick brawl between The Spirit (Gabriel Macht) and his arch-nemesis The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson) in the mud, including a shot to the groin and the use of an actual toilet as a blunt instrument.

*blank stare*

This is the scene they chose to show on a panel at one of the largest geek* conventions of the year. This was the calling card to their hard-core demographic.

*I can say geek because they are my people.

Months go by and I keep wondering, could it really be as bad as it looks? Contrary to what you might think, I don't walk into any theatre hoping to watch something bad enough to trash up and down the interwebs. I hope for greatness, I hope for at least some lovely moment or idea or line of dialogue to ponder and cherish. I WANT TO BELIEVE. I say this so you understand my full meaning. I'm not jumping on the bandwagon on harsh criticism. (15% on Rotten Tomatoes) And I'm not punishing Miller for All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder.

THE SPIRIT is an utter train-wreck of a film.

It is the story of a former rookie cop who returns mysteriously from the dead as The Spirit to fight crime from the shadows of Central City. His arch-nemesis is The Octopus, who is chasing down an artifact that will grant him true immortality. Then there are the shiny distractions of the beautiful and murderous women who do very little but pant over The Spirit (who's apparently something of a man-whore) and get plenty of costume changes, but not as many as The Octopus, who has seemingly raided a Halloween costume shop and perfected the use of sad goth eye make-up.

I'll work again, no one knows who the hell I am!

The film looks like unfinished footage from Sin City, existing in a vaguely 1940's film noir world, except for the occasional cell phone and digital camera. The dialogue is the same clunky Sin City speak that never finds a groove, or an actor who can rise above it. It's therefore hard to fault their performances with so little to work with, except for Samuel L. Jackson, who was apparently given no direction and ran with every idea for costumes or volume of delivery he could dream up. Miller needed to tell him no, at least once, but never did. Jackson chews up the scenery with great glee and somehow manages to become tedious about half way through this flick.

The cat-eye glasses I don't look through are UP HERE!

Worst of all is the overall tone of the film. Billed as a "classic action-adventure-romance" it comes across for the most part as a goofy 'comedy' that I intentionally chuckled with 2 or 3 times. Most of the time I was rolling my eyes and wondering how much longer it would go on. There are a few moments of spectacle that should be seen, such as Jackson and Johansson dressed as Nazis, or the brief glimpse of Eva Mendes' bum, but otherwise I would avoid this like the plague. It's only going to give Miller the idea that he should direct another movie, and that is not something the world needs.

Tötungzombies!

2009-01-14T09:42:00.005-05:00

Is it just me, or does DEAD SNOW look like the greatest zombie-Nazi-horror-comedy ever? You bet it does! Check out Twitch for clips and coverage. It's screening on Friday January 23/11:59 PM @ the Egyptian Theater in Park City, in case you wanna pop down to Sundance next week.

Blade Runner... anime?

2009-01-14T00:37:00.001-05:00

Courtesy of Mark Brooks.

Where are they now?

2009-01-13T16:38:00.008-05:00

The so-called 'Golden Age of Hollywood' certainly knew how to build a theatre. Check out these pics and sketches by architect S. Charles Lee here. Below are a few of the theatres he designed in Los Angeles County during the 30's and 40's.

Space is in trouble! Now’s your chance!

2009-01-13T15:26:00.001-05:00

Far, far away, beyond the galaxy
The flames of justice light the night sky
To protect the peace in space, you’ve got to defeat Darth Vader
Laser beams, spitting red fire
Swing your lightsaber
Space is in trouble! Now’s your chance!

PALANCE!

2009-01-12T21:18:00.003-05:00

"Jason Statham drop-kicks the Pope..."

2009-01-06T15:55:00.004-05:00

Comedian Patton Oswalt is "GAY-THAM FOR STATHAM", and has some interesting suggestions on how this year's crop of Oscar bait films might be better served if they starred THE STATH.

GRAN TORINO: Jason Statham glowers at Clint Eastwood, who glowers back, creating a Glower Vortex which destroys the planet.

Check out the rest here!

[REC]'ed again!

2009-01-06T11:10:00.005-05:00

This is supposedly a teeny tiny teaser for [REC]2, but I call shenanigans! Though my Spanish is rudimentary at best, I'm fairly sure that AULLIDOS.COM has debunked it, and surely FILMAX would have placed it on their own YouTube channel, rather than letting it float around the interweb randomly.

Oh well. Apparently shooting has recently wrapped, and we'll soon get our first glimpse into the sequel. Let's see if Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza can deliver the goods a second time.

Merry X-Mas silly humans!

2008-12-25T21:55:00.002-05:00

Need to know what the weather is like in LA...?

2008-11-26T16:11:00.003-05:00

Click on David Lynch to find out.

MAX PAYNE review

2008-11-25T14:50:00.008-05:00

Yes, I will admit right off the bat that I actually paid money to see this film in the theatre, and NO, I didn't expect it to be good... exactly. I had been nursing a sick fascination with the film ever since finding out that Mila Kunis was playing an assassin and laughing my ass off (but on the inside) while watching the Mark Wahlberg Talks To Animals skit on SNL.

Who's a cute little assassin?

Judging from the many posters, I was expecting a lot of Max Payne staring down at Hell (or maybe he keeps dropping his keys), and looking up to Heaven (but with his eyes closed). And if the trailer was any indication, it would be very dark, snowy, and slow-motion(y). I really liked the video game when it came out in 2001, one of the first to utilize the "bullet time" feature where you could leap into the air, slow down time, and spray your opponents with bullets. That was fun. This movie, on the other hand, was not fun. Not one bit. And what the heck is Olga Kurylenko doing in this film when she was just in another video game movie HITMAN?! Thankfully she's moved on up to a role in the OK but not great QUANTUM OF SOLACE, but too bad she's a traitor to her country. :/

Now that I'm on about other video game movies, has there ever been a good one? RESIDENT EVIL is a guilty pleasure of mine, I just love it when the lovely Milla Jovovich kicks that evil dog in the head! Then there's Christophe Gan's version of SILENT HILL, which looked fantastic and was pretty creepy, but the story, as it is in the game, is pretty confounding. Now that only leaves IN THE NAME OF THE KING: A DUNGEON SIEGE TALE, which was the best comedy I saw in 2007! Perhaps there's hope in the future, when Gore Verbinski takes a stab at BIOSHOCK in 2010.

What was I talking about? Oh yeah, so Marky Mark, American Psycho 2, Ludacris, and Robin walk into a movie... Groan! I'm already bored talking about this, it's pretty dreadful on every level, and just listen to Payne's opening voice-over:

I don't believe in Heaven. I believe in Pain. I believe in Fear. I believe in Death.

I believe I regret paying money to watch this damn film!

From WTF?! to Meh? to AwesomeSauce!!

2008-11-11T15:57:00.014-05:00

After a very long robot hiatus, this is the world I woke up to:

Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are planning to collaborate on a remake of Park Chan-wook's OLDBOY, according to Variety.

Sammo Hung to star in WAR MONKEYS???

Will JJ Abrams make STAR TREK relevant again to more than just the Trekkies?

More WATCHMEN character posters and a new trailer!

Check out the work of Astron-6 Video International

One...

2008-10-24T14:58:00.000-04:00

Two...

2008-10-23T09:40:00.001-04:00

Three...

2008-10-22T11:31:00.001-04:00

Toronto After Dark 2008 Complete Line-up!

2008-09-25T13:57:00.012-04:00

We're only 22 days away from this year's Toronto After Dark Film Festival, and they have just announced the 2nd half of their features line-up. Be sure to check out the TAD site for more info, including the list of Canadian and international shorts that screen as well.

Home Movie

South Of Heaven

4bia

TIFF Day One: Notes from Underfoot

2008-09-04T20:08:00.001-04:00

This is your insiders look at The Toronto International Film Festival from a lowly grunt in the organization, a view from the 'feet' of The TIFF.

Here's where I'm trapped during the day, very glamourous. And honestly, The TIFF picks no favourites! :/

In preparation for the long hours and poor nutrition of the next ten days, we're offered a free B12 shot, by a 'doctor' mind you, and yet for some reason I'm the only one who bled. I call butchery!

My first film was Ari Folman's animated documentary WALTZ WITH BASHIR.

5 word review: Must see, gorgeous, deeply affecting.

Next up was the opening night party, which I'm sure is supposed to be an important event, judging by the 'character' of party goer. Tying this shindig into the opening night film, the Canadian World War One 'epic' PASSCHENDAELE, seemed like an odd decision. There were tanks stationed at the front door and men in military uniforms wandered around the party among the young, overly-modified party girls. For some reason it reminded me of R&R in Saigon in '69.

Now the smart move would have been to go directly home after the FF&D, but instead a bunch of us ended up at the uber-trendy Drake Hotel. Many drinks and embarrassing dance moves later, I got to bed at 4:30am... For The Love Of Film!

First look at Toronto After Dark 2008!

2008-08-25T10:17:00.013-04:00

Thanks to an awful head cold/allergy attack this weekend, I mostly sleep-walked through this year's Fan Expo, but I did pick up on Toronto After Dark's sneak peak at their first 8 films.

Marry me?

2008-08-22T14:45:00.004-04:00

Pinched from FRANKENSTEINIA, the blog that covers all things Frankenstein, is this saucy Bride of Frankenstein! Click the pic to find more on the photographer's blog.

There's clay everywhere!

2008-08-22T09:35:00.004-04:00

Not many posts recently, as I'm in the swamp of film festival madness. In the meantime, check out CHAINSAW MAID!

Who Watches The Pin-Ups?

2008-08-01T15:11:00.004-04:00

Here's a link to some hi-res versions of the Watchmen character posters that were seen at Comic Con, courtesy of /film. And below is the Vargas-esque portrait of Sally Jupiter, played by Carla Gugino that was created by artist James Jean, it can be glimpsed oh so briefly in the trailer at the 1:32 mark.

G.I. JOE vs. The Thing?

2008-07-31T11:11:00.005-04:00

Check out this fantastic stop-motion tribute to John Carpenter's THE THING on what I assume is the filmmakers MySpace or on YouTube. Described as such:

First non-official video clip made for Zombie Zombie, the electrifying French duo of Etienne Jaumet and Cosmic Neman. Directed by Simon Gesrel and Xavier Ehretsmann thanks to their favourite toys... the GI Joes ! The video is an hommage to the director AND soundtrack composer John Carpenter, especially one of his masterpieces : THE THING.

BTW, there's a rumour going around that 30 DAYS OF NIGHT creator Steve Niles is adapting a script for John Carpenter to direct. A good match, no?

The Brothers Bloom

2008-07-30T13:38:00.004-04:00

Here's the trailer for THE BROTHERS BLOOM, from some of the people who brought you BRICK, a great little neo-noir flick that a lot of people took notice of in 2005.