If ever there was a sign that today’s youth is in danger of cultural brain rot, the trend in “comedy” that has included Date Movie, Epic Movie, and now Meet the Spartans is it. Fortunately, critics everywhere are jumping at the opportunity to get creative in trashing this film, and that’s got to do at least something to squash its chances. At the moment, there are 15 reviews posted at Rotten Tomatoes, giving MtS a cumulative score of 0%. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie that every single critic gave no right to exist.
Maybe it’s not as cool as the Beowulfone I put up yesterday, but I’m no less excited by Iron Man.
With a release date of next May, clearly this is Marvel’s attempt at filling the Spider-Man void (till the 2009 release of Spider-Man 4, according to IMDb, but it’s hard to say how official that news is…) I’m curious to see if a relatively more obscure comic book hero like Iron Man can translate to a big box office hit the way the Spider-Man and X-Men franchises did. The trailer looks great. It’s got star power in Robert Downy Jr. and Gwynneth Paltrow, plus a nicely character-driven story line. (Tony Stark, Iron Man’s secret identity, is a billionaire weapons tycoon with a drinking problem and physical limitations.)
Then again, Ghost Rider had all that going for it, too…
I have long said that Robert Zemekis is one of the most underrated directors alive, especially when it comes to pushing the technology envelope. But this new Beowulf trailer is truly amazing. Look at the screen capture above. Did you realize that it’s 100% computer animation? I didn’t pick up on the fact that it was animated until viewing the trailer a second time… and I knew already! This is why I love fall movies!
Fall has long been my favorite season. The leaves go orange, the air turns crisp, and the mindless summer tentpoles give way to passion project Oscar bait. Of course, we’re not free from knock-offs of previous box-office champs, nor from standard Hollywood drivel. Still, the percentage of art-house fare rises, and I couldn’t be happier. There are quite a few I’m looking forward to this fall and winter.
I think the movie I most expect to love is Elizabeth: The Golden Age, coming October 12. Queen Elizabeth was a badass, and so is Cate Blanchett. If the trailer is to be believed, this movie will move past political intrigue to full-on war. Sweet. After a summer dripping with franchise sequels, here’s a story that actually begs for a trilogy. I’m glad director Shekar Kapur was able to convince Blanchett that this needed to happen.
Next would have to be Sweeny Todd, due December 21. I’m preparing myself for the kind of disappointment I felt from Corpse Bride and Sleepy Hollow. Tim Burton can only do so many Johnny Depp, Helena Bonnam-Carter movies, wallowing in cartoony darkness, before we all turn on him. But something tells me that tackling a Sondheim musical with a story that just shouldn’t be will summon up the best in Burton. Bringing us the demon barber of Fleet Street, in song, will no doubt push Burton out of his comfort zone, and that’s often where the best art happens. Allan Rickman may be the aspect to which I most look forward form this outing.
Then, on January 18, we get “Cloverfield.” Not since The Blair Witch Project has a movie so effectively generated preliminary buzz. Considering we haven’t even been told a damn thing about the movie, (Cloverfield isn’t even its real name…) some marketing guy somewhere clearly deserves a promotion. It has worked on me. There’s no way the movie can deliver on the promises of the marvelous trailer, but I’ll still be in line when it comes out.
You know what movie was pretty darn good? Bridge to Terabithia. It has been sitting unwatched on my desk for a couple weeks, as other Netflix movies have come and gone, and tonight I put it in for background noise, expecting Narnia lite.
The trailer for this movie was second in recent memory only to Pan’s Labyrinth in setting up false expectations. In both cases, we’re led to believe we will see a story of children entering a fantasy land of mysterious creatures, but in neither is that what the movie is ABOUT. Terabithia is a coming of age piece exploring themes of loss, imagination, and young love/friendship. Best child actors I’ve seen in a while. The movie captures the moment between child and teen in a way that few stories can.
If you’re at all given to family fare with adult appeal, it’s worth renting. I’m going to read the book.
Blessed be the filmmakers who actually honor their source material. After that atrocious poo-eating moment in the Alvin and the Chipmunks trailer I posted last week, I thought it would be a good idea to put up a trailer reminding us that CGI can also be a force for good, instead of evil.
Fall has long been my favorite season. The leaves go orange, the air turns crisp, and the mindless summer tentpoles give way to passion project Oscar bait. Of course, we’re not free from knock-offs of previous box-office champs, nor from standard Hollywood drivel. Still, the percentage of art-house fare rises, and I couldn’t be happier. There are quite a few I’m looking forward to this fall and winter.
