My original attitude towards this film was dismissive. I’m not a big science fiction fan in general, the title Last Days On Mars felt juvenile, and I’ve had some issues with Liev Schreiber ever since I saw The Omen.
However, I then did some research and discovered that this film is an Irish/American co-production.
Therefore, as a proud Irish-American, I’ll give the film a chance when it opens on December 6th.
Director Alexander Payne is a perennial Oscar contender and this year, he’ll be offering up Nebraska. At this year’s Cannes film festival, veteran actor Bruce Dern was named best actor for his performance in this film and chances seem to be good that he will, at the very least, score a nomination when the Oscar nominations are announced next year.
Red band trailers remind me of those commercials for GoDaddy that always feature Danica Patrick wandering around in a towel. It’s like the filmmakers are essentially saying, “Yeah, our film sucks but hopefully, these boobies will keep you from noticing…”
Speaking of which, here’s the red band trailer for Ghost Team One.
For all of you folks who have been saying, “Why can’t someone combine Paranormal Activity with Project X!? WHY, GOD, WHY!?”, Ghost Team One will be released on October 11th.
When Dario Argento’s Dracula 3D premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, the reviews were almost universally negative.
But you know what?
I don’t care.
When it comes to a film like this, the critics don’t matter. Does anyone seriously think that any mainstream critic is going to give a film directed by Dario Argento a chance? No way. Film snobs hate Argento but even Argento’s worst films are usually more entertaining than anything Michael Bay has ever come up with.
What’s important is that Dracula 3D is a vampire film that’s coming out in October and, judging from the trailer, it appears that it will feature Rutger Hauer going overboard in that wonderful way that only Rutger Hauer can.
Dracula 3D will be in American theaters on October 4th. See you there!
On the Road may get all the attention but Big Sur, in my opinion, is the best book that Jack Kerouac ever wrote. Telling the story of Kerouac’s attempt to deal with both sudden fame and his growing alcoholism, Big Sur is a meditation on existence that somehow manages to make even the contemplation of self-destruction seem life-affirming.
As for the upcoming film version of Big Sur, I can’t say that I’m hopeful. As last year’s film adaptation of On The Road demonstrated, Kerouac’s books have rarely gotten the film treatments that they deserve.
However, judging from the trailer below, the film adaptation of Big Sur does get at least one thing right.
Jean-Marc Barr appears to be perfectly cast as Jack.
“Let’s dance boys!” — Bayonetta
One of the most entertaining and fun games of this current generation of consoles that I’ve ever played came out in the Spring of 2010. The game I speak of is the hack-and-slash title Bayonetta from Platinum Games. It’s a game that was born from the hyper-kinetic action game series Devil May Cry. In fact, the game’s designer was also the designer for the Devil May Cry series and it shows in this heroine-led title.
As I had mentioned on a very early review of the title, Bayonetta is quite the over-the-top game with unique-looking visuals and imagery that combined Judeo-Christian art designs with the anime-inspired aesthetics that has been the design staple of the Devil May Cry series.
I was actually surprised that the game didn’t get an anime series right away to complement it the way some Japanese games tend to get when they become popular. Yet, despite waiting over three years to get one fans of the game will finally have their wish.
Bayonetta: Bloody Fate is an anime series due out this November from studio house GONZO. It looks to be an adaptation of the game’s storyline and will have Fuminori Kizaki of Afro Samurai fame in the director’s chair. The art design of the series will lean heavily on the game’s original character designs by Mari Shimazaki which should be good news to Bayonetta fans everywhere.
The trailer for the anime already hints at using the fan service moments from the game that made the title so popular but at the same time so controversial within some of the gaming community. The anime will be shown in a limited release in Japan this November with no word yet on whether it will make it over to the West in one type of release or another. I bet on it becoming a video release down the line.
Source: Anime News Network
This year, we can look forward to two royalty-based films being released just in time to get some Oscar attention.
Unfortunately, neither one of them is about my favorite royal in-law, Pippa “It’s My Sister’s Wedding And I’ll Wear White If I Want To” Middleton.
Instead, Diana will star Naomi Watts as Diana, the late Princess of Wales and has already managed to inspire some amazingly negative reviews in the UK.
Meanwhile, Grace of Monaco, will star Nicole Kidman as the legendary Grace Kelly. Judging from the trailer below, Grace of Monaco looks like it could at least be trashy fun. If nothing else, I’m looking forward to seeing it for the costumes and the decor.
The Wind Rises aka Kaze Tachinu is the latest anime offering from Studio Ghibli and will be getting an Oscar-qualifying run later this year. It’s the latest from acclaimed Japanese director Miyazaki Hayao (My Friend Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away) and, most likely, his final work as he’s announced that he’s retiring.
The film is a fictionalized account of one Jiro Horikoshi. It’s a decades-long retelling of Jiro’s early life as a boy through his post-war life. Those who know their history will recognize the name of Jiro Horikoshi as one of the engineers responsible for the development of the legendary WWII fighter most commonly-known by the name given to it by the Allies during the war, The Zero.
While all of Miyazaki’s films have always have had the mature element in addition to the whimsical nature of the story he’s telling in his anime it look like The Wind Rises may just be Miyazaki’s most mature offering to date.
The Wind Rises has been making the film festival rounds of late and hopefully gets limited release dates announced before year’s end.
Lisa Marie posted earlier that 2013 was the Year of Franco. She may just be right since there’s another film coming out this year that has him starring.
Homefront has James Franco going mano y mano with another name who seems to be in at least a couple films every year for the past ten years. It’s Statham vs. Franco and while this awkward yet awesome match-up looks like it should be something that went Direct-to-Video there’s a weird vibe around the trailer that looks like it’s the better remake of Peckinpan’s Straw Dogs. We even have Kate Bosworth all up in this film though she’s definitely looking like she may have went a tad bit too method in portraying a meth-head mother.
The cast alone tells me that I must see this when it comes out: Statham, Franco, Bosworth, Winona Ryder, Clancy Brown, Vince D’Onofrio, Frank Grillo and Mischa Barton. One could almost see “guilty pleasure” waving in the background.
So, if there’s nothing else to say about Homefront other than Statham going all Transporter on a meth-dealing biker gang from the bayou it’s the fact that this film will be Hollywood’s birthday gift to me when it comes out on November 27, 2013. Just in time for my birthday.
Franco may have just met his match in Statham.
Escape From Tomorrow, which got a lot of attention at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, was filmed guerilla-style at Walt Disney World. That’s why a lot of people suspected that the film itself would never get a general release. However, apparently, it is scheduled to be released in both theaters and via VOD on October 11th.
Through the Shattered Lens 