Tag Archives: Bruce Willis

MOV053: “LeeLoo Dallas Multipass”

The boys kick off year two with a few new bells and whistles, while heading back in time to bring back “The Fifth Element”. After Jeff finishes his orgasm, they head to the theaters to check the post-apocalyptic vampire flick, “Priest”. If that’s not enough saving the world, they check out the new trailer for “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”. Will the Michael Bay train stay on track or will we be as disappointed as we were with Trans 2? The boys also bring you up to date on “Akira”, “Thor 2” and “Titanic” in 3-D? Doesn’t the boat sink the same in 2-D? For the heck of it, they also reflect on their favorites from year one. Whether a long-standing fan or a newbie, this is definitely a show you don’t want to miss! Leeloo Dallas Multipass

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The Past: The Fifth Element (1997)

Rotten Tomatoes: 72% Fresh; 84% Audience

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Director: Luc Besson

Starring: Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, Chris Tucker

Trivia:

  • The language spoken by Leeloo was invented by director Luc Besson and further refined by Milla Jovovich. By the end of filming they were able to have full conversations in this language.
  • The explosion in the Fhloston main hall was the largest indoor explosion ever filmed. The resulting fire almost got beyond control.
  • Early in the film, Gary Oldman’s character quotes Friedrich Nietzsche, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” Oldman’s costar, Bruce Willis, released a record album on Motown Records with that title in the 1980s. 11 years later, Heath Ledger said a variation of the famous line in The Dark Knight (2008) (also starring Gary Oldman).
  • This is one of two science-fiction movies featuring Ian Holm in which there is a character by the name of Dallas. The other one is Alien (1979), which stars Tom Skerritt as Captain Dallas.
  • Ruby Rhod was not the original name for Chris Tucker’s character, it was Loc Rhod. The original name appears in the script and the movie novelization.
  • When Korben Dallas wakes up, the date can just be seen on his bedroom wall: March 18th, 2263. 18 March is director Luc Besson’s birthday (a day before Bruce Willis’).
  • The only phrases from Leeloo’s alien language that are included in the captioning are “mlarta,” “big ba-dah big boom,” “akta,” “seno akta gamat,” “san agamat chay bet. Envolet,” “danko,” “domo danko,” and “apipoulai.” Everything else appears as Unknown Language or, after it’s specified, the Divine Language.
  • When the Mondoshawan aliens appear in 1914 Egypt, the Professor, panicking, says, “A… A… Are you German?” In the German version he says “Sind Sie… hier von der Erde?” which roughly translates as “Are you from here… Earth?”
  • The hero (Bruce Willis) and the villain (Gary Oldman) never meet, nor do they communicate in any way.
  • Luc Besson wrote the original screenplay when he was in high school.
  • Leeloo’s full name is “Leeloo Minai Lekarariba-Laminai-Tchai Ekbat De Sebat”. According to the subtitles in English DVD Region 1.
  • At the time, this was the most expensive production in Gaumont’s history.
  • At US$80 million, the special-effects budget of the film was the highest of its time.
  • At the time, it was the most expensive film ever produced outside of Hollywood.
  • According to the Ultimate Edition DVD, Prince and Lenny Kravitz were sources of inspiration for the part of Ruby Rhod.
  • In every New York visual effects scene with flying traffic there is a flying bus with the Digital Domain (the facility responsible for most of the VFX) internal reference, or shot name, stenciled on the roof of a bus. The instructions for the visual effects team were to include one bus with the shot name but then all other buses and traffic could have personal references including birthdays, initials, etc. The front marquee for a bus’s destination and side billboards were customized by the artists at Digital Domain to reference, invisibly or subliminally, some personal stamp or message.
  • The flying traffic created by the visual effects team at Digital Domain allowed artists to create personalized license plates. Though never visible in the film, the state slogan printed on all license plates reads, “New York, The Fuck-You State.”:
  • The text scrolling across a Times Square theater marquee as Korben dives down through traffic is actually an excerpt from an e-mail dispute between several artists at Digital Domain. Other signs on digital and practical, miniature buildings contain similar in-jokes and references and the large cylindrical tanker truck that Korben’s cab almost hits at the end of his decent is decorated with the logo of a Venice, California, pizza parlor that was a favorite of Digital Domain artists.
  • The people populating the roofs, decks and windows during the visual effects sequences in New York are actually the artists and employees at Digital Domain who worked on the film.
  • Bruce Willis ad-libbed the line, “Whoa, lady, I only speak two languages, English and bad English.”
  • Luc Besson, an admitted comic book fan, had two famous French comic book artists in mind for the film’s visual style when he started writing the movie in high school. Jean Giraud (Moebius) and Jean-Claude Mézières. Both artists have long-standing comic book series in France. Moebius is best known for “Blueberry” and the (French) Magazine and (US) movie Heavy Metal (1981). Mézières is best known for the “Valerian” series. Both series are still in production today. Moebius and Mezieres, who attended art school together but had never collaborated on a project until The Fifth Element (1997), started renderings for the film in the early ’90s and are responsible for the majority of the over all look of the film, including the vehicles, spacecrafts, buildings, human characters and aliens. However, only Giraud is credited, and even then he wasn’t even granted a premium when the movie was eventually produced.
  • As Korben and Leeloo approach an intersection in his cab the camera whips forward to reveal to the audience that six police cars are waiting for him ahead. In the far background, behind the police cars, is a chase between a police car and a long black car complete with muzzle flashes to represent gun fire between the two cars. Ever an eye for detail, Luc Besson noticed the embellishment the first time the visual effects shot was reviewed, thought that it was funny and it remains in the final film.
  • Part of the song that the Diva sings is from the opera “Lucia Di Lammermoor”, and very often goes by the title “The Mad Song”, as it is sung by Lucia just after she murders Arturo (whom she was forced to marry) on their wedding day – Lucia is hallucinating that she has married the man she really loves; Edgardo, her brother’s nemesis.
  • When filming began, the production decided to dye Milla Jovovich’s hair from its natural brown color to her character’s signature orange color. However, due to the fact that her hair had to be re-dyed regularly to maintain the bright color, Milla’s hair quickly became too damaged and broken to withstand the dye. Eventually a wig was created to match the color and style of Leeloo’s hair, and was used for the remainder of the production.
  • Plavalaguna, Diva’s name, is actually composed of two words: Plava and Laguna. “Plava” in Serbian, Croatian, Montenigrin, Macedonian and Bosnian language means Blue (feminine, masculine would be “plav”). “Laguna” in same languages means lagoon, though Laguna is used in English as well as in Laguna Beach, California. So her name is Blue Lagoon. (‘Mila Jovovic’ also played Lilli in Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991).)
  • When composer Eric Serra showed soprano Inva Mula (who dubs the voice of the Diva) the sheet music for the Diva Dance, she reportedly smiled and relayed to him that some of the notes written were not humanly possible to achieve because the human voice cannot change notes that fast. Hence, she performed the notes in isolation – one by one, as opposed to consecutively singing them all together and they digitized the notes to fit the music. There are a few moments when you can hear the differences in the vocal tones of The Diva’s voice.
  • WILHELM SCREAM: Heard when Zorg blows up Right Arm at the airport and when Leeloo tosses two Mangalores out of the Diva’s room.
  • Nick Dudman’s creature crew created a group of spindly, long-nosed alien garbage collectors that never made it to the final film. In the scenes at the spaceport, there’s a huge pile of garbage which has gone uncollected because the garbage collectors are on strike (as explained in some dialogue). These creatures would have been seen amidst the garbage, holding sandwich board signs reading “On strike” if they had made it to the final cut.
  • While cartoonist Jean-Claude Mézières isn’t directly credited in the movie, he is indeed the confirmed author of most sets, as his album ‘My Fifth Element’ (Mon cinquième élément) was published at the same time the movie came out in France, reusing the movie’s logo on the cover. Similarly, at the time the movie was being shot, Christin and Mézières published ‘Les cercles du pouvoir’ which contained a hovercraft taxi (which led Luc Besson to rewrite the movie’s opening scenes) and a caricature of Besson.
  • Cartoonist Jean-Claude Mézières of ‘My Fifth Element’ also says that Luc Besson approached him for ideas, telling him: “I want to make a movie based on your visuals. But I am ready to pay you for the work.” The nuance is because there has long been a controversy that many elements in the Star Wars series (several aliens, Darth Vader’s costume, Leia’s golden bikini, Han Solo’s carbonite) were lifted almost unmodified out of Valerian (in particular ‘L’Empire des Mille Planètes’, published in 1971) – of which George Lucas is known to own several original editions, as seen during interviews in his study.

Talking Points:

  • Could anyone but Chris Tucker played Ruby Rhod as well?
  • Jean-Paul Gautier’s influence on the film
  • What is the fifth element?

What We’ve Learned:

  • You can’t drink a toast with water
  • If they don’t chase you after a mile.. they don’t chase you.. wait maybe that’s two miles.
  • Life comes from disorder destruction and chaos
  • If you’re going to transport Mystic stones for the ultimate weapon against evil, hide them inside the body of an alien opera diva
  • Ugly, big forehead. big ears, must be a Mangalore
  • Mangalores won’t fight without a leader
  • Flying a starfighter is like driving a cab

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: One of my favorite films of all time. This needs to be in everyone’s DVD/Blu-Ray collections
Ray: This is what I call the perfect storm… Sci Fi action comedy’s are hard to nail.. but this one does it repeatedly.
Steve: I think it’s alright. Creative, but a schitzo film. I do really like Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich in it!

Intermission: Favorites of the Past Present and Future

The Present: Priest
Rotten Tomatoes: 18% Rotten; 49% Audience

Director: Scott Charles Stewart

Starring: Paul Bettany, Karl Urban, Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q, Lily Collins

Trivia:

  • Director Stewart says, “The priests of our story are like Jedi knights. They have these supernatural abilities to fight vampires and they saved humanity before the movie even begins. Now, a generation later, society has moved on from war, and the priests are like pariahs. They’re almost like Vietnam vets—they’ve been cast aside by society and they’re now reviled and feared.”
  • Gerard Butler and Steven Strait were originally cast.
  • The film is based on the Korean comics Priest by Min-Woo Hyung.
  • The film diverges from the comics in following a different timeline of events. The director described Priest’s vampires as not being human in origin, and humans bitten by vampires became familiars instead. There are different forms of vampires, such as hive drones, guardians, and a queen.
  • Since the vampires were intended to move quickly, they were fully computer-generated for the film. While vampires are harmed by sunlight in most lore, the film’s vampires are instead photosensitive, being albino cave-dwellers.
  • Director Stewart said, “They are the enemy we don’t really understand, but we fought them for centuries. They are mysterious and alien, with their own culture. You sense that they think and communicate, but you don’t really understand what they are saying.”
  • The Director also called Priest an homage to The Searchers with the title character being similar to John Wayne’s character and the vampires being similar to the Comanche.
  • Priest was panned by critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 18% based on reviews from 57 critics and reports a rating average of 3.9 out of 10. It reported the overall consensus, “Priest is admittedly sleek and stylish, but those qualities are wasted on a dull, derivative blend of sci-fi, action, and horror cliches.”
  • Priest was released in the United States and Canada on May 13, 2011. The film’s release date changed numerous times in 2010 and 2011. It was originally scheduled for October 1, 2010, but it moved earlier to August 27, 2010 to fill a weekend slot when another Screen Gems film, Resident Evil: Afterlife, was postponed. When the filmmakers wanted to convert Priest from 2D to 3D, the film was newly scheduled for release on January 14, 2011. It was delayed again to May 13, 2011 so the film could attract summertime audiences.

Talking Points:

  • Mad Max meets Bladerunner meets Blade – in a Western with a steam punk twist?
  • What’s it trying to say about religion?
  • What do you think the story is trying to say? (Return from war? PTSD?)
  • Sets are awesome!

What We Learned:

  • Being a priest sucks when there is no war against the vampires!
  • Want to prove there is a vampire menace? Throw the head of one at the Pope!
  • All vampire movies must have a red-headed female character named Lucy.

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: I love post apocalyptic action movies, especially if martial arts or other hand to hand combat is involved. Wish there was more action though. Not terrible, worth seeing in the theatre in 2D otherwise, okay to waive for DVD.
Ray: This movie bored me to death.. It seems like most of the action sequences were all shown in the trailers.. nothing new to see.
Steve: I liked it…didn’t particularly care for the “vampires”, but thought the concept was cool. Enjoyed the action sequences a lot. Found it pretty thoughtful as I watched.

The Future: Transformers: Dark Of The Moon

Director: Michael Bay

Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Ken Jeong

Trivia:

  • Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who worked on the screenplay for the previous two films, declined to work on this film due to schedules with other films and because they “risked getting stale.”
  • When Megan Fox dropped out shortly before filming began, Gemma Arterton, Ashley Greene, Brooklyn Decker, Miranda Kerr, Bar Refaeli, Amber Heard, Camilla Belle, Katie Cassidy, Heidi Montag and Anna Kendrick were all rumored to replace her before Rosie Huntington-Whiteley was cast.
  • This is director Michael Bay’s first threequel (third instalment in a series/trilogy).
  • The Autobots have upgraded their alternate modes: – Bumblebee has received an upgrade and is now a 2011 Chevrolet Camaro – Ratchet’s color scheme now includes white and his green is more grass-green than his previous neon/yellow green – Sideswipe is now a Chevrolet Centennial Corvette convertible
  • James Avery is the second actor from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” (1990) to star in a Michael Bay film. The first was Will Smith, who did the Bad Boys series.
  • In view of the technology’s rising popularity, Paramount/Dreamworks were adamant to have this film either shot for 3-D or converted in post-production. Director Michael Bay was initially wary of the technology, calling it a “gimmick” in various interviews and noting the poor quality of post-production conversion. Vince Pace, the co-found of PACE 3D who developed 2D and 3D cameras with James Cameron reported in July 2010 that he was working on Transformers 3 and that it will be shot in on PACE 3D cameras. However, for scenes that required higher image quality or were in slow motion, traditional anamorphic 35mm film was used and converted into 3D in post production.
  • Optimus Prime’s trailer bears a resemblance to the original one from “Transformers” (1984) with the decorative stripe running along its side.
  • Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is playing Carly, a primary character that was introduced in the second season of “Transformers” (1984).
  • During filming in Washington, DC, the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro that plays Bumblebee was struck by an metro police K-9 SUV responding to a bomb alert. The police officer involved sustained minor injuries, and Bumblebee sustained considerable damage. Filming was able to continue, as there were copies of each automobile for shooting purposes.
  • A tilting office set was constructed to simulate a Decepticon attack.
  • The Wreckers take the alternate modes of NASCAR Chevrolet Impala automobiles, resembling those of Juan Pablo Montoya (#42 Target), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (#88 AMP Energy/National Guard) and Jimmie Johnson (#48 Lowe’s/Kobalt).
  • The “dark of the moon” is defined as a phase (approximately three days) when the light of the moon is obscured, and thus absent (i.e. a no-moon time), and precedes the new moon and the beginning of a new lunar cycle. Symbolically, it represents a time of inner stillness and contemplation, and preparedness for a new beginning.
  • The Autobot Wheeljack’s alternate mode in “Transformers” (1984) was a Lancia Stratos sportscar, but this was revised to a Mercedes-Benz E550 automobile.
  • The idea of Apollo 11 being connected to the discovery of the Transformers had been previously put forth in the Transformers (2007) tie-in prequel novel ‘Ghosts of Yesterday’.
  • Production stalled in Chicago as Gabriella Cedillo, an extra was seriously injured driving her own car as background for a stunt shot. The stunt was taking place in the opposite lane and a metal object – rigging from a snapped cable – went flying through her windshield and struck her in the skull. Cedillo suffered permanent brain damage, included left side paralysis and limited vision in her left eye. Paramount Studios provided an undisclosed amount of money to cover the cost of her medical care.
  • Corey Burton, who voiced Shockwave in “Transformers” (1984) and “Transformers: Animated” (2007), was approached to reprise Shockwave for the film, but turned it down as he’d done that role too many times. He had earlier been approached to voice Jazz and Brawl for the first film.
  • Megatron’s alternate mode in this film is a Mack Titan tanker truck, his first Earth disguise. This was chosen to put him on parallel with Optimus Prime (the filmmakers described him as “a demented version of Prime”). This mode also pays homage to the “Transformers: Robots in Disguise” (2001) Decepticon Scourge (also known in Japan as “Nemesis Prime”), who is an evil clone of Optimus Prime.
  • Michael Bay described the tone of the film as “a homeland version of Black Hawk Down (2001) with giant alien robots.”
  • Sentinel Prime is primarily based on his role in the “Transformers” comics (Optimus Prime’s yellow-colored predecessor) and his lance and shield were taken from his “Transformers: Animated” (2007) incarnation, but his later form on Earth – a red Rosenbauer Panther fire truck – is a homage to “Transformers: Robots in Disguise” (2001)’s Optimus Prime, whose alternate mode was a fire truck.
  • Laserbeak’s alternate mode in “Transformers” (1984) was a tape cassette, but that was considered old-fashioned. He retains his robotic condor form throughout the film.
  • This is the first movie that starts with Megatron being conscious. In previous installments Megatron was awaken or resurrected.
  • A Decepticon attack leaves Simmons in a wheelchair. This is a homage to Chip Chase, a wheelchair-bound human from “Transformers” (1984) who was an ally of the Autobots.
  • Michael Bay compared Megatron to Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now (1979): “He’s hiding in the jungles of Africa, nursing his wounds and vainly hiding his pulverized visage while plotting – what else? – revenge!”
  • Peter Cullen’s favorite moment in the film is when Optimus Prime meets with astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

Talking Points:

  • Lots of references to old school Transformers
  • Why do all of the Decepticons look the same?
  • Transformers meets V meets Battle: LA?

Summary:

The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the Moon, and race against the Decepticons to reach it and learn its secrets, which could turn the tide in the Transformers’ final battle.

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: Ooo, shiney. Here’s my money.
Ray: Im going just to watch chicago burn.
Steve: I hate Shia, but I’ll still see it.

Coming Attractions

The Past
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The Present

The Future

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MOV023: “I Kill People, Dear”

The Crow is being remade with possibly Mark Whalberg?! Brandon Rother might get back into tights, Iron Man 3 being released by Disney, Jamie Lee Curtis looks like Jeff’s cousin when she was younger, Helen Mirren with guns just kicks ass, and the Unstoppable Trailer.

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The Past: Halloween (1978)

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Director: John Carpenter

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, Nancy Kyes, P.J Soles

Trivia:

  • Though set in fictional Haddonfield, IL. the movie was shot in Pasadena, CA. (You can see the CA licence plates on all the cars)
  • Jamie Lee’s first feature film
  • All the leaves were fake, purchased and painted … and reused for every outdoor shot
  • Made for 325k and grossed 47 Million Domestically

Talking Points:

  • OMG! THE HAIR! – The Scariest thing in the movie? – Jeff
  • Music’s role in this movie – Ray (Similar sounds like The Howling – Steve)
  • Anyone notice the movie playing on the TV? -Ray
  • No sympathy for most of the characters… except Jamie, Intentional? -Ray
  • Use of Steadicam was innovative for the time – Steve
  • Remake any good?

What We’ve Learned:

  • Boys who have been institutionalized since early childhood are excellent drivers.
  • Why does Jamie Lee Curtis look like a younger version of my Cousin Lisa?
  • Cops have no sense of smell
  • Its best just to ignore the teenage girl screaming hysterically outside your door..
  • Virgins always survive.
  • In the 70s, you could steal a car with State plates and markings – and no one will notice.

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: I think the only part of the movie I got excited for was the last 10 minutes. But worth a rental for being a classic.
Ray: You cannot call yourself a horror fan without seeing this movie. This is the one that set the standard for the next Decade (At least)
Steve: Solid movie that set the standard for a long time to come. Shows a horror movie can be done well with just actors and a movie camera.

The Present: RED

Director: Robert Schwentke

Starring: Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Mary Louise Parker, Helen Mirren

Trivia:

  • John C. Riely was to play the role of Marvin, which went to John Malkovich and Meryl Streep was considered (only considered?) for the Role of Victoria
  • While filming in Toronto, the police received several phone calls reporting machine gun fire after local residents mistook the movie’s gunshot effects for the real thing.

Talking Points:

  • Supposedly the story was changed from the graphic novel to make the story longer… oy? really? -Ray

What We Learned:

  • It must be easy to sleep through a hail of gunfire at 3:45am.
  • Duct Tape can be used on the first date
  • Combat boots go well with a white evening gown
  • There’s a reason they are classified as retired and extremely dangerous and usually that means just leaving them alone.

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: Helen Mirren with guns. Awesome.
Ray:. Wowed by the Actors, Bored by the Script…
Steve: My favorite movies in a long time! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

The Future: Unstoppable

Director: Tony Scott

Starring: Denzel Washington, Christopher Pine, Rosario Dawson

Trivia:

  • Been in development since 2004
  • Based on a real life incident from May 2001 when a 47 Car CRX train left a Toledo,OH rail yard without an engineer and wasn’t stopped before it went 66 miles and through 3 counties

Talking Points:

  • Is this an overused formula?
  • Is this film unique enough to be a success?

Summary:
A rail company frantically works to prevent an unmanned, half-mile-long freight train carrying combustible liquids and poisonous gas from wiping out a city.

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: Despite formula-ity, I’m excited to see this.
Ray: Normally I wouldn’t be excited by this .. except for the Director.
Steve: Seems like Armageddon on train tracks. Looks nice, but not excited about it.

Coming Attractions – Steve

The Past: Fright Night
The Present: Paranormal Activity 2
The Future: Monsters

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MOV016: “Bunny, Ball Ball”

This shows recording bandwidth brought to you by Starbucks.  Jeff just turned 30 so he though we should review his favorite movie, Hudson Hawk, but did they all like it?  We also reviewed Takers and the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

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The Past: Hudson Hawk (1991)

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Director: Michael Lehmann

Starring: Bruce Willis, Danny Aiello, Andie MacDowell, James Coburn

Trivia:

  • The tones that the handcuffs make are the same as the tones used in Our Man Flint (1966) and In Like Flint (1967) for the telephones. James Coburn appears in all three movies.
  • Coburn plays “George Kaplan”, which is the name of the fake agent from North by Northwest (1959).
  • Igg and Ook both mutter their own names as their last words.
  • Bruce Willis says, “Directions even your brother can understand,” to co-star Frank Stallone. On the script, this jab is directed at the character of Antony Mario, but it doubles as an off-screen jab at Stallone’s real brother Sylvester Stallone.
  • Nintendo humor abounds in this movie. “New Jersey’s third-largest crime family” is known as the Mario Brothers. Additionally, Hudson Hawk has been in prison so long he does not know what a Nintendo is.
  • Isabella Rossellini was originally cast as Anna Baragli, but when the movie was delayed because of scheduling issues, the part was re-cast with Maruschka Detmers. However, due to back problems, she had to leave after a few days of shooting, and was finally replaced with Andie MacDowell.
  • Michael Ballhaus was the original Cinematographer on the project, but due to delays and overruns in principal photography he left the project and was replaced by Dante Spinotti.
  • In the bar, Bruce Willis talks about “reindeer-goat cheese pizza”, which he also mentions in The Last Boy Scout (1991).
  • The Brooklyn Bridge tollbooth scene was actually filmed at the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, as the Brooklyn Bridge had no toll at that time.
  • In this film Danny Aiello plays the Italian ‘criminal’ Tommy Five-Tone . This could be seen as an in-joke at The Godfather: Part II (1974) where Danny Aiello’s character, one of the Rosato brothers, attempts to murder Frankie Pentanglis, a.k.a. Frankie Five-Angels.
  • The film generally received negative critical reviews and was overall a box office bomb. James Brundage of AMC filmcritic said the film was “so implausible and so over the top that it lets inconsistency roll off like water on a duck’s back.”[2] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone said of the film, “A movie this unspeakably awful can make an audience a little crazy. You want to throw things, yell at the actors, beg them to stop.”
  • It received Razzie Awards for Worst Director, Worst Screenplay and Worst Picture.
  • Part of the reason for the box office failure is that the film is clearly intended as an absurd comedy and yet was marketed as an action film one year after the success of Die Hard 2. When the film came to home video the tag line “Catch The Adventure, Catch The Excitement, Catch The Hawk” was changed to “Catch The Adventure, Catch The Laughter, Catch The Hawk”.
  • A video game based on the film was released in 1991 for various home computers and game consoles. It is a side-scrolling game where the player, as the Hawk, must steal the Sforza and the Codex from the auction house and the Vatican, respectively. Then Castle Da Vinci has to be infiltrated in order to steal the mirrored crystal needed to power the gold machine. On his journey, Hawk must face many oddball adversaries, including dachshunds that try to throw him off the roof of the auction house, janitors, photographers, killer nuns, and a tennis player (presumably Darwin Mayflower).

Talking Points:

  • Have we become the Bruce Willis Fan Club?
  • Could we put more genres into one film, please?

What We’ve Learned:

  • There are 673 Wong’s in the phone book
  • Swinging On A Star is 5 min 32 seconds
  • You dont have to be quiet to be a cat burglar
  • The Pope Watches Mr Ed.
  • Although we love her, Sandra Bernhardt cannot act
  • Bruce Willis is so cool he can turn a nun!
  • If Divinci Was alive today he’d be eating sushi naked in the back of a Cadillac

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: I love this movie and I actually do NOT agree with anyone that it’s a bad movie.
Ray: A bad movie, but I love it.. I can watch this over and over.
Steve: What did I watch? I’m still processing it…

The Present: Takers

Director: John Luessenhop

Starring: Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen, Matt Dillon, Michael Ealy, Idris lba, Steve Harris, T.I., Jay Hernandez, Zoe Saldana

Trivia:

  • The first film applicable under futures and option trading based upon box-office returns in the United States. The controversial proposal was approved by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in June 2010.

Talking Points:

What We Learned:

  • If you’re a Police Officer, don’t follow perps with your kid in the car!
  • T.I. is a bad MF, but could stand some more acting classes
  • If you’re a big-time criminal, be sure to live as extravagantly as possible – no one will notice.
  • Even thieves have things going on in their personal lives

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: It’s meh, See The Italian Job or the Real McCoy instead.
Ray: enjoyable, but an inferior and someone boring copy of previous heist movies.
Steve: As predictable and formulaic as it was, I enjoyed it. Worth seeing at least as a rental if you like the genre.

The Future: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Helen McCrory, Bonnie Wright, Tom Felton, Jason Isaacs

Trivia:

  • The seventh of eight movies based on the Harry Potter book series by J.K. Rowling.
  • M. Night Shyamalan was interested in directing this installment.
  • Guillermo del Toro expressed interest in directing this installment.
  • At first, this was meant to be only one film, but due to the size of the book, and the decision that nothing could be left out to squeeze into one movie, the producers decided to split it into Part I and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (2011).
  • David Holmes, 25, Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt-double, was seriously injured on the set at Leavesden Studios, near Watford, Hertfordshire. He was performing an aerial sequence when he fell to the ground following an explosion, which was part of the stunt, and sustained a serious back injury.
  • John Williams, who composed the scores to the first three films, has expressed interest in returning to score The Deathly Hallows.
  • Bill Weasley is played by Domhnall Gleeson, son of cast member Brendan Gleeson.
  • The character Griphook was played by Verne Troyer in the first film; making him one of the few Americans cast; but was voiced by Warwick Davis. In this film, Davis plays Griphook in both body and voice. Davis will also be playing Professor Filius Flitwick as he did in the previous six films.
  • Cast members John Hurt and Bill Nighy have both played prominent roles in adaptations of another well-known fantasy series, The Lord of the Rings. Hurt was the voice of Aragorn in Ralph Bakshi’s 1978 film. Nighy was the voice of Sam Gamgee in the BBC Radio broadcast.
  • Composer Nicholas Hooper turned down the opportunity to score the final two films, saying that working on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) took a toll on his family’s personal life.
  • Daniel Radcliffe developed a cold from having to be in mud and dirt while filming the movie.
  • This film along with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (2011) are the only Harry Potter films to be released in 3D in cinemas in their entirety (only select scenes were available for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) and only in IMAX).
  • Josh Herdman announced on 9 August 2009 that Jamie Waylett would not be reprising his role as Vincent Crabbe for this film. Waylett’s character will be written out with his role in the plot taken over by Herdman’s character, Gregory Goyle.
  • First time that Brendan Gleeson and David O’Hara have appeared in the same movie since Braveheart (1995).
  • Bruno Delbonnel declined to return for the final two films, saying that “I think I was scared of repeating myself.” Subsequently, the filmmakers hired fellow French-Portuguese cinematographer Eduardo Serra.
  • Despite having stated that she would not be returning as Professor Sybil Trelawney for this film previously, Emma Thompson recently reported that she had just finished two days worth of filming as the character after all.
  • Jason Isaacs originally considered not returning for this film, fearing that his character’s arrest and imprisonment at the end of the fifth book and film would mean very little if any screen time in the finale. Upon meeting J.K. Rowling, he begged to be let out of prison. She told him “You’re out. Chapter one.” This immediately convinced him to sign on for the film.

Summary:
Voldemort’s power is growing stronger. He now has control over the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Hermione decide to finish Dumbledore’s work and find the rest of the Horcruxes to defeat the Dark Lord. But little hope remains for them, so everything they do must go as planned.

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: I’m so so excited.
Ray: Cant wait, wish there was less time between both parts
Steve: Looks good, but I’m kinda over HP.

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MOV014: “I’m just a little bi-furious!”

Evangelion 1.11: You Are (Not) Alone, Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, RED, and much discussion on Star Wars coming to Blu-Ray

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News:

The Past: Evangelion 1.11: You Are (Not) Alone

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Director: Hideake Anno (supervising)

Staring: Megumi Ogata/ Spike Spencer (Shinji), Megumi Hayashibara/Brina Palencia (Rei), Kotono Mitsuishi / Allison Keith(Misato)

Trivia:

  • Based of the Series Neon Genesis Evangelion – Which ran in Japan for 26 episodes from 1995 to 1996 in Japan – and has grossed over 150 billion yen.
  • As an April Fools joke for 2009, USA and Canada distributor FUNimation Entertainment released a bogus but well known cast list for the main characters, in the vein of the success of the Hollywood cast in Afro Samurai: Resurrection (2009). It included Shia LaBeouf as Shinji Ikari, Lindsay Lohan as Rei Ayanami, Miley Cyrus as Asuka Langley Sohryu, Angelina Jolie as Misato Katsuragi, Samuel L. Jackson as Gendou Ikari, and Sean Penn as Pen Pen.
  • In the Japanese version – The Character Shinji Icari is played by a girl and the Voice Actress who plays Rei Ayinami refuses to voice any other characters in Japanese anime other than Rei and Pikachu
  • Studio basically stopped paying its taxes to have the money to fund this and the second movie of the planned Tetraology – has since gotten the ok from the studio for and “Unlimited” budget and “Unlimited” Timeframe to work on the remaining two films.
  • The DVD Release featured over 266 shots that received minor enhancements from the theatrical release.
  • A real version of the cellphone used by Misato was released by Sharp – The limited edition phone sold for $900 US and easily goes for over $1000 on ebay, all 20,000k phones available for pre-order sold out in 5 minutes.

Talking Points:

  • English or Japanese – How did you watch it?
  • The Differences between American and Japanese perceptions of Animation (for kids / for adults)
  • Live action Evangelion Movie “In Development Hell” would it work?
  • There is much debate as to if this movie is a re-telling of the original series, or a sequel to the series – How does this movie stand up to viewing if you have never seen the original series

What We’ve Learned:

  • In Japan – Everything Explodes!
  • Japanese Cities are amazingly resistant to everything that explodes!
  • Extremely complicated artificial beings are amazingly easy to operate with very little training
  • Whiny insecure emotionally neurotic children make the best mecha pilots
  • Warm Water Penguins can read the newspaper
  • You Mustn’t run away.
  • Misato Did Indeed Change the Carpet (inside joke to EVA fans)

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: Amazing! Anime fan, buy it. Not an Anime fan, rent it.
Ray: Check it out, If you dig it, check out the series and two original movies then come back and watch this movie again.
Steve: Great story, visually appealing. As a fan of Robotech, I approve as an upgrade.

The Present: Scott Pilgrim Vs The World

Director: Edgar Wright

Staring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Ellen Wong, Anna Kendrick, Alison Pill, Mark Webber & Johnny Simmons

Trivia:

  • In 2009 Edgar Wright started a year long photo blog where he would take at least one picture every day and post it on his website. Much of the cast and crew appeared in this daily photo blog while they were shooting, most of the time with no direct credit given and their faces partially obscured in some way.
  • One of the evil exes that Scott (Michael Cera) must defeat is Roxy Richter (Mae Whitman) who previously played Cera’s character’s girlfriend in “Arrested Development” (2003).
  • During the editing process, Edgar Wright showed filmmakers Quentin Tarantino, Jason Reitman, and Kevin Smith a rough cut of the film, to which they responded positively.
  • Edgar Wright thought of casting Michael Cera as the titular character after watching episodes of Arrested Development (2003) during the writing of Hot Fuzz (2007).
  • The stunt doubles of Lucas Lee are actually the stunt doubles for Chris Evans. Only a quarter of the doubles resemble Evans.
  • Edgar Wright obtained permission to use the famous theme song from the NES title, The Legend of Zelda (1986), by writing a letter to Nintendo, saying that it is considered to be “the nursery rhyme of this generation”. He was also allowed to use the “Seinfeld” (1990) theme song for a sitcom-style sequence.
  • The wide open eyes of Knives Chau was not created with any practical or CGI effects. Ellen Wong, who plays Chau, did it herself.
  • Although Anna Kendrick (cast as Stacey Pilgrim, age 18) plays the younger sister to Michael Cera’s character (Scott Pilgrim, age 22), in real life Kendrick is nearly 3 years older than Cera.

Talking Points:

  • Did you have any sort of emotional connection with the main characters?
  • This movie didn’t do so hot its opening weekend, why? surprised?
  • Some of the best Fight Choreography Ive seen, Very little use of the ADHD Handheld shakey cam editing technique! Thank god!

What We’ve Learned:

  • Everyone has Baggage.. some peoples baggage can be fatal
  • It snows a lot in April In toronto
  • Orgasms can be fatal

Trailer:

Recommendations:

Jeff: AMAZING!
Ray: Highly Entertaining, visually Striking, Story is a little hollow.
Steve: Very entertaining, kept my attention, big fan of the quips that make you think

The Future: RED

Starring: Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Mary Louise Parker

Trivia:

  • Based on The Graphic Novel from DC comics
  • John C. Reilly was set to be in the movie but dropped out and was replaced by John Malkovich.
  • While filming in Toronto, the police received several phone calls reporting machine gun fire after local residents mistook the movie’s gunshot effects for the real thing.

Talking Points:
This looks like a whole lot of fun! story looks a little played out (retired spy/secret agent forced back into service)

Summary:
Frank (Bruce Willis), Joe (Morgan Freeman), Marvin (John Malkovich) and Victoria (Helen Mirren) used to be the CIAs top agents but the secrets they know just made them the Agencys top targets. Now framed for assassination, they must use all of their collective cunning, experience and teamwork to stay one step ahead of their deadly pursuers and stay alive. To stop the operation, the team embarks on an impossible, cross-country mission to break into the top-secret CIA headquarters, where they will uncover one of the biggest conspiracies and cover-ups in government history.

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: Very excited despite the fact that John Malkovich is in it.
Ray: Ill see this Just for Helen Mirren
Steve: Helen Mirren as a contract killer/CIA agent? I’m in!

Coming Attractions

The Past: The Craft
The Present: The Expendables
The Future: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

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MOV013: “We Are All Monkeys”

James Cameron talks about the Avatar re-release, sequels and the future of 3D, Kevin Smith is working on a new movie, some cool promo stuff comes out for Scott Pilgrim, 12 Monkeys, Cats & Dogs, Looney Tunes return, and Howl

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News:

Feedback:

  • iTunes Shout Out – Vizshuns

This is one of the few movie podcasts that gives you great reviews, news, and film trivia all in one package! They do their research and it shows. Stop readying this and go listen already!

The Past: 12 Monkeys

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Director: Terry Gilliam

Staring: Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt

Trivia:

  • Director Terry Gilliam first met Bruce Willis while casting his film The Fisher King (1991). He was impressed by the sensitivity shown by Willis in the scene from Die Hard (1988) where McClane (Willis) talks about his wife while pulling glass from his feet. Talking to Willis, Gilliam discovered that this part was ad-libbed by Willis. Gilliam remembered this, and was convinced to cast him in this film
  • Bruce did the movie for free. It was only after the movie was released that he was paid
  • Terry Gilliam’s first choice for the lead role was Jeff Bridges, whom he had enjoyed working with on The Fisher King (1991), but the studio wanted a bigger star, so he cast Bruce Willis. Ironically, Willis had originally auditioned for “The Fisher King”, but lost out to Bridges.
  • A tagline originally suggested for this film was; “The future is in the hands of a man who has none.” This was considered to be a confusing tagline, as it made it sound as though he had no hands, as opposed to having no future.
  • Brad Pitt was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, but lost to Kevin Spacey in The Usual Suspects.
  • In the beginning of the movie, James is brought into the interrogation room and told to sit in a chair which is attached to a vertical rail on the wall. A sphere supported by a metal armature is suspended directly in front of him, probing for weaknesses as the inquisitors interrogate him.Architect Lebbeus Woods filed a lawsuit against Universal Pictures in February 1996, claiming that his work “Neomechanical Tower (Upper) Chamber” was used without permission. Woods won his lawsuit, earning over $1 million from Universal, and allowed the studio to continue distribution of the movie.

Talking Points:

  • Brad Pitt plays good crazy…and the addition of the funky eye was good

What We’ve Learned:

  • Were all monkeys
  • The People on the outside are just as crazy as the ones on the inside
  • Monkeys Make very good sandwich delivery systems.
  • Foot tapping in the airport bathroom always gets you into trouble
  • Airport security was a Joke in 1996

Trailer:

Recommendations:

Jeff: Definite buy. Although you might want to rent it first.
Ray: Love it, proof that an inception like movie doesnt have to be over complex
Steve: I’m still confused, but I think I enjoyed it.

The Present: Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

Director: Brad Peyton

Staring: James Marsden, Nick Nolte, Christina Applegate, Katt Williams, Bette Midler, Neil Patrick Harris, Sean Hayes, Roger Moore, Wallace Shawn, Joe Pantoliano, Michael Clarke Duncan, Chris O’Donnell

Trivia:

  • Coincidentally, Chris O’Donnell (Shane) and Sean Hayes (Mr. Tinkles) were both born on June 26, 1970.
  • Former James Bond star Roger Moore plays a character named “Lazenby”. George Lazenby played James Bond before Moore took over the role.

Talking Points:

  • Looney Tunes short.
  • Odd looking 3-D at times (or poorly done CGI?)

What We’ve Learned:

  • its been 12 years…the hamster dance is still not funny.
  • Wile E Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons are still Hilarious after all these years.
  • Those naked cats are creepy looking

Trailer:

Recommendations:

Jeff: Worth seeing for rental at least but even better in the theater just to see “Coyote Falls” before the show in 3D!
Ray: Skip it.
Steve: I should have brought my nieces and nephew just to watch their reactions. It is tolerable.

The Future: Howl

Starring: James Franco, Mary-Louis Parker, Jon Hamm, Jeff Daniels

Trivia:

  • Principal photography of the film took place in New York City
  • The film consists of three interwoven aspects: the early life of Ginsberg (James Franco) in New York City and his evolution as a writer and poet; an animated re-imagining of the poem “Howl”;[4] and the obscenity trial San Francisco poet and City Lights Bookstore co-founder, Lawrence Ferlinghetti (Andrew Rogers) faced after publishing the titular poem, in which Ginsberg made references to drug use and homosexuality (the latter of which in the 1950s was still considered taboo).

Talking Points:

Summary:

The story of how poet Allen Ginsberg’s seminal work broke down societal barriers in the face of an infamous public obscenity trial. In his famously confessional style, Ginsberg – poet, counter-culture icon, and chronicler of the Beat Generation – recounts the road trips, love affairs, and search for personal liberation that led to HOWL, the most timeless work of his career. HOWL interweaves three stories: the unfolding of the landmark 1957 obscenity trial; an imaginative animated ride through the prophetic masterpiece; and a unique portrait of a man who found new ways to express himself, and in doing so, changed his own life and galvanized a generation.

Trailer:

Excitement:

Jeff: I’m interested, we’ll see what happens when it releases.
Ray: Ginsburg seemed like an interesting guy, id probably check this out
Steve: So not my kind of movie. Not something I’d see on my own.

Coming Attractions

The Past: Evangelion 1.11: You Are Not Alone

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The Present: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

The Future: RED

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