Tag Archives: Barry Sonnenfeld

Podcast

MOV108: “White Trash Even Feels Sorry For Me!”

The boys kick off their annual tribute to Pride Month with a look back at Del Shores’ play brought to the big screen in “Sordid Lives”. From there, they head to the theater to see if Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones still have it in the 3rd installment of the “Men in Black” franchise. In trailer-land, you know it’s a Steve-based show when they are forced to see another trailer for a based on true events paranormal flick…and this time it’s “The Apparition”. All this and news about a Justice League film, all you need to know about the Alien universe before you see “Prometheus”, as well as a Foo Fighter gets a big role. It’s the 108th reel of COL Movies…”White Trash Even Feels Sorry For Me!”

[display_podcast]

News:

The Past: Sordid Lives (2000)
Rotten Tomatoes: 37% Rotten; 86% Audience

[asa]B00003CY27[/asa]

Director: Dell Shores

Starring: Delta Burke, Bonnie Bedelia, Leslie Jordan, Beau Bridges, Kirk Geiger, Sarah Hunley, Beth Grant, Ann Walker and Olivia Newton-John

Trivia:

  • The original stage play premiered in Los Angeles on May 11, 1996 and ultimately won 14 Drama League Awards.
  • This film contains many of the original actors from the long running stage-production, with the actors who originated the Bonnie Bedelia and Beau Bridges roles (Mary Margaret Lewis and Mitch Carter) playing the receptionist Ethel and security guard in the mental institution.
  • Delta Burke’s role was originally suppose to be played as a larger woman, but when she showed up on the set having lost a lot of weight, a pivotal scene was played as if she had lost the weight, but her neglectful husband hadn’t noticed. (The role was originally to be played by Patrika Darbo.)
  • To keep the stories going, Logo produced twelve episodes of Sordid Lives: The Series. The television version begins at a point before that covered in the film, with Rue McClanahan as the mother, Peggy Ingram. Much of the film cast returned, including Leslie Jordan and Olivia Newton-John. Delta Burke was replaced with Caroline Rhea, while the part of Ty Williamson, formerly played by Kirk Geiger, is now portrayed by director Del Shores’ husband Jason Dottley.
  • Dottley has been on the national tour of the stage production of Sordid Lives since September 2007.
  • The television series began airing in July 2008. It ended after one season.

Talking Points:

  • Does it feel too much like a play?…flow.
  • Acting.
  • Ty’s coming out story
  • Brother Boy’s role in the film

Critic Notes

  • Positives: A trainwreck you can’t help but watch, While the film has large flaws the laughs are just as big!
  • Negatives: Shrill and unfunny, clumsily acted, did not translate well from play to screen, the straight-to-video quality is apparent with poor set choices, overacting, and too much going on.

What We Learned:

  • Any man who hits a woman is no man at all.
  • If you’re gonna play a homosexual, don’t waste it on theater.
  • When escaping the booby hatch, make sure to wear flats.
  • When in the house of the lord, cover up your titties.
  • Thelma was the one with the shitty husband.
  • Turn on the light when you get up to go to the bathroom!

Trailer:

Trailer provided by Video Detective

Recommendations:
Jeff: *clears throat* “Good lord this has a star studded cast. One of the best parts about this film is that the actors know exactly what this film is and act it out exactly how it should be. This is a fun romp around a serious situation but you cannot help but enjoy the film. Olivia Newton-John’s part is minimal, seems like she’s just there to sing, but the little nuances she puts in there are perfect. I think this movie would surprise and delight most straight people as well. I can’t recommend this enough.” Hmm, how come I feel like I’m repeating myself.
Ray: I really enjoyed the story, and would have loved to have seen the actual play. The “Shot on handycam” feel was a bit of a bummer, but I’m able to overlook that. I kinda wish maybe someone would attempt to re-make this. Highly recommended.
Steve: It’s not a conventional film and that’s why I like it. I can look at this film and see characters from throughout my Tennessee family. Steel Magnolias in a trailer park! Love it!

Flickchart

The Present: Men In Black III
Rotten Tomatoes: 69% Fresh; 75% Audience

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin

Trivia:

  • Michael Bay expressed interest in directing.
  • Screenwriter David Koepp, who was originally involved with Men in Black II but left to write Spider-Man, signed on permanently for this film.
  • Sacha Baron Cohen was considered for the role of Boris.
  • This is Will Smith’s first film in 3.5 years, since the release of Seven Pounds in December 2008. This is the longest he has gone without appearing in a movie since his film career started in 1993.
  • Gemma Arterton was originally cast as young Agent O, but scheduling conflicts prevented Arterton from taking the role.
  • Josh Brolin plays a younger version of Tommy Lee Jones’s character Agent K. Brolin’s wife Diane Lane appeared with Jones in Lonesome Dove. In the sequel Streets of Laredo, Lane’s role was taken over by Sissy Spacek, who played Tommy Lee Jones’s wife in Coal Miner’s Daughter and is the cousin of MIB co-star Rip Torn.
  • The previous film Men in Black II released the same year as Spider-Man. This film, the sequel, releases ten years later; the same year as the reboot The Amazing Spider-Man.
  • This is the second threequel Steven Spielberg produced that involves Apollo 11 in its storyline. The first was Transformers: Dark of the Moon which focused on a Transformer ship discovered by Apollo.
  • According to the trailer Agent J travels from 2012 to 1969, 43 years into the past. He wakes up and sees a young Agent K, played by Josh Brolin. Brolin is only 21 years and 5 months younger than Tommy Lee Jones, who plays the older Agent K.
  • Yuri Lowenthal, who voices Knuckles the graffiti alien, had voiced Ben Tennyson in the Ben 10 cartoons; the Tennyson family is connected to the Plumbers, an organization similar to the Men in Black.
  • Special makeup effects artist Rick Baker makes a cameo in the film as an alien with an exposed cranium.
  • Will Smith’s personal makeup artist Judy Murdock appears as a blue-skinned alien.
  • Nicole Scherzinger listened to Led Zeppelin to get her in the mood for the role of Lily Poison.
  • The number CRM-114 makes two appearances in this movie in the form of text that appears on the outside wall of the Lunar Max prison (seen after Boris breaks out) and the ID for the bunker on the beach at Cape Canaveral. These numbers are a nod to director Stanley Kubrick, who used this number in his movie Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.
  • The zip line escape system shown at the Apollo launch pad really did exist. It was installed for the Apollo program and enhanced for the Space Shuttle program. In some pre-launch emergency scenarios, the crew would have ridden steel cages down the zip lines to explosion-proof bunkers. Astronauts practiced using the system as part of their training, but it was never used in an actual emergency.
  • Will Arnett plays J’s alternate timeline partner, Agent AA.
  • Lady Gaga appears on a holographic monitor as Agent J searches for Agent K in the MIB headquarters.
  • Director Barry Sonnenfeld appears on screen as one of the people watching the Apollo 11 launch on a couch, drinking a cup of coffee.
  • The film’s premise was first proposed to director Barry Sonnenfeld by Will Smith during the filming of Men in Black II in 2002, with Smith suggesting that his character, Agent J, travel back in time to save his partner, Agent K, while at the same time exploring Agent K’s backstory. Sonnenfeld said the idea “turned out to be a very long process of development, mainly because of the knotting [sic] issues of time travel…”.
  • Unlike the first two films, Men in Black 3 was filmed in 3D
  • For the film, the Ford Taurus SHO was selected as the MIB’s official car, replacing the Ford LTD Crown Victoria and Mercedes-Benz E-Class from the first two films. For the 1969 scenes, a 1964 Ford Galaxie was used as the MIB’s official car.
  • This is the first time Frank the Pug was absent in a Men in Black movie, as well as Chief Zed or Jack Jeebs. Zed is written in the story as having passed away and immortalized at MIB Headquarters. A portrait of Frank can also be seen in J’s apartment. An advertisement for Frank the talking dog can be seen as Agent J enters Coney Island.
  • Both Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones have said that they would “consider” appearing in a Men in Black 4. Director Barry Sonnenfeld joked, “…for Men in Black 4, Will is out and [his son] Jaden Smith is in.” Jones said it would be “easy to pick up where we left off. We know what we are doing, we know how to do it. It’s just a hell of a lot of fun.”

Talking Points:

  • Entertaining?
  • What was up with TLJ’s Face?!
  • Acting
  • Did the storyline (aka ending especially) surprise you?
  • How does it compare for you to the other 2?

Critic Notes

  • Positives: Entertaining, better than MIB2, Josh Brolin’s impression of Tommy Lee Jones was excellent, Nice shot in the arm for a dead franchise, Better than the first one! (Ebert)
  • Negatives: Lifeless and pointless, simply made to be a summer blockbuster to bring in cash, all the excitement of the movie and CGI could not make up for a pointless story

What We Learned:

  • There are things out there that you don’t need to know about.
  • To time jump, you really have to jump.
  • All models are aliens.
  • The bitterest truth is better than the sweetest lie.
  • Sugar (Regret?) is the most destructive power in the universe.
  • A miracle is something that seems impossible but happens anyway.
  • The secret to living a happy life is not asking the questions you don’t want answers to.
  • Trust the pie

Trailer:

Recommendations :
Jeff: I’m just a fan of the Men In Black movie. The Men In Black movies have a certain style which I always enjoy. I feel biased in saying, totally go see it. 3D is okay but there really isn’t much to it.
Ray: ugh. I had a hard time with this one.. it felt very much pieced together and sloppy. Josh Brolin was AMAZING as a young Tommy Lee Jones though. I’d say skip it and wait for Blu-Ray or netflix.
Steve: I found it to be entertaining and much better than the 2nd installment. Where the first one really set the tone, this one should have probably followed it so that you were more invested in the characters and their stories, before the 2nd movie came along. I have to admit I was surprise they decided to “reinvigorate” this franchise, but it’s a nice way to end it.

The Future: The Apparition

Release: August 24, 2012

Director: Todd Lincoln

Starring: Ashley Greene, Sebastian Stan and Tom Felton

Summary:

When frightening events start to occur in their home, a young couple discovers they are being haunted by a presence that was accidentally conjured during a university parapsychology experiment. The horrifying apparition feeds on their fear and torments them no matter where they try to run. Their last hope is an expert in the supernatural, but even with his help they may already be too late to save themselves from this terrifying force and death.

Talking Points

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: Is it just me or do trailers for horror movies just make me yawn. Same old, same old.
Ray: Looks like it could have some good scares.. which to me is what it’s all about. The trick is not giving away all the good ones in the trailer. I would watch this, not sure I’d go out of my way to see it in the theater, but Id definitely watch it on the home theater system.
Steve: OK…it’s not anything amazing. But, I did like that it seems to take the haunting genre into a different place. I thought it was an interesting premise, although I doubt it will take it to new heights. I am over the “true events” side of things, though. If you can’t give me the background – leave it be.

The Past:

[asa]B002SAMMLK[/asa]

The Present:

The Future: The Hobbit

Download Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast

MOV088: “This is no time to talk about time. We don’t have the time!”

In this reel of COL Movies, the boys go into the future to go back in time to play with the Borg in “Star Trek: First Contact”. Upon returning to the present, they head to the theater to see Mark Wahlberg’s “Contraband”. As for the future, they once again head to the present to go back in time to check out the trailer for “Men In Black III”. In news, they do some Muppet Blu-Ray release talk, and a crowd sourced Star Wars remake? All this and Steven has skype issues on the 88th reel of COL Movies, “Timeline? This is no time to talk about time. We don’t have the time!”

[display_podcast]

News:

The Past: Star Trek: First Contact(1996)

Rotten Tomatoes: 92% Fresh, 83% Audience

[asa]B00078XGRO[/asa]

Director: Jonathan Frakes

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LaVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, James Cromwell

Trivia:

  • For inspiration prior to filming, director Jonathan Frakes says he viewed the films Alien, Aliens, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Blade Runner, and Jaws.
  • The Borg makeup and suits had to be constantly touched up. Several of the Borg actors lost a considerable amount of weight while in costume due to the heat of the sets and temperature in L.A. during the shooting.
  • At the end of filming, actor/director Jonathan Frakes got the nickname: “Two takes Frakes” because of the efficiency of his style.
  • The deflector dish is labeled AE35, the name of a component of a satellite dish in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
  • The USS Defiant introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was built for the sole purpose to fight and defeat the Borg. This movie features the only time the ship fights the Borg.
  • When Dr. Crusher says “In the 21st century, the Borg are still in the Delta Quadrant”, it was intended as a teaser for upcoming episodes of Star Trek: Voyager, in which The Borg were featured prominently.
  • The eyepieces of the Borg flash the Morse code of the names of people associated with the production.
  • Certain USS Enterprise bridge set pieces from previous Star Trek movies were built into parts of the Enterprise-E bridge. These pieces include the turbolift foyers, which are the only surviving parts of the set from the first Star Trek movie, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and the aft master display station, which was a piece of the Enterprise-A bridge set originally built for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
  • The first Star Trek movie to receive an MPAA rating higher than PG.
  • In an early draft of the screenplay, the character Lt. Hawk (Neal McDonough) was gay, and therefore was to have been the first openly gay character in any Star Trek series or movie; however, any reference to his sexual orientation was excised from later drafts of the screenplay. Lt. Hawk was later confirmed as having been gay in the Star Trek tie-in novel Section 31: Rogue by Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin.
  • The “first contact” in this movie takes place at a “missile silo in Montana”. Montana’s missile base is Malmstrom AFB in Great Falls, Montana, site of many of the more famous “UFO” sightings over the past few decades.
  • Cochrane asks La Forge, “Don’t you people in the 24th Century ever pee?” This is a reference to the fact that toilets are never shown in the series.
  • 5th April, 2063 – First Contact day – will be a Thursday.
  • The Borg Queen was created because the writers were having difficulty in writing dialogue for what was intended to be the Borg’s central computer.
  • The eyepiece of one of the Borg contains the front canopy of a ‘Star Wars TIE Fighter’ toy made by Kenner
  • The film was released on November 22, 1996, the anniversary of the date that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and the characters land on Earth on April 4, 2063, the anniversary of the date that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.
  • In this film, the EMH says “I’m a doctor, not a doorstop”. This is a nod to Dr. McCoy from the original series. Whenever McCoy was given a non-medical task, he would say “I’m a doctor, not a… (bricklayer, moon shuttle conductor, escalator, etc.)”
  • One of only three Star Trek movies to have any swear words spoken. The others are Star Trek: The Voyage Home, and Star Trek: Generations. In each case, the cursing was a single use of the “s**t” word.
  • Alice Krige suffered much discomfort throughout the film. Her costume was too tight, causing blisters, and the silver contacts she had to wear were so painful they could only be kept in for four minutes at a time.
  • Geordi LaForge’s visor is replaced here with “ocular implants.” LeVar Burton lobbied for years to have his visor replaced so people could see his eyes. He always felt it limited his acting ability. His request was finally granted here.
  • One of the reasons Jonathan Frakes was chosen to direct was because the producers wanted someone who understood Star Trek. Indeed, amongst the cast, he was the show’s most prolific director. Reportedly, Ridley Scott and John McTiernan both turned down the chance to direct.

Talking Points:

  • Did y’all know that Lt. Hawk was a homo? The Character not the Actor.
  • Did this feel like a movie or an episode?
  • Did the Vulcan ship get moved?

What We’ve Learned:

  • Resistance is not Futile
  • Touch can change your perception of an object.
  • If your going to issue in an era of peace, pick something ironic to do it with, like a weapon of mass destruction.
  • Borg Implants have been known to cause severe skin irritations
  • Don’t go criticizing Counselor Troi’s Counseling Technique.
  • The Borg.. are definitely not Swedish.
  • With the safeties off even a holographic bullet can kill
  • Believing one self to be perfect is often the sign of a delusional mind
  • For an Android, 0.68 seconds is nearly an eternity

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: This is my favorite Trek movie followed closely by Wrath of Kahn. Almost wish there was more of the Enterprise in action but it worked very well for a TNG movie.
Ray: Not my favorite trek movie, but it was the first with the TNG cast that truly felt cinematic in it’s scope. I think this one is pretty accessible to non Trek fans even without knowing the whole Borg/Picard/Locutus back-story in detail.
Steve:

The Present: Contraband
Rotten Tomatoes: 46% Rotten, 75% Audience

Director: Baltasar Kormákur

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Giovanni Ribisi and Kate Beckinsale

Trivia:

  • Baltasar Kormákur, director of the film, was the lead actor of the original film, Reykjavik-Rotterdam, playing the same role as Mark Wahlberg.
  • This is Baltasar Kormákur’s first Hollywood movie.

Talking Points:

  • Giovanni Ribisi’s side burns and voice.
  • Shaky out of focus camera

What We Learned:

  • You got a spend a little money to make money
  • If you wanna make a run, you better pay your fare.

Trailer:

Recommendations :
Jeff: I actually enjoyed the movie. Which was a surprise since it felt a little Gone In 60 Seconds. Giovanni Ribisi’s side burns and voice annoyed me though. Not a waste of money to see in the theater but you can wait for the DVD.
Ray: Somewhat enjoyable, if not predictable. Yes it is the smuggling version of GISS. But nothing in it like Fancy cars to make it really enjoyable for me.
Steve:

The Future: Men In Black III

Release: May 25, 2012

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin

Summary:

Agent J travels in time to MIB’s early years in the 1960s, to stop an alien from assassinating his friend Agent K and changing history.

Trivia:

  • Michael Bay expressed interest in directing.
  • Screenwriter David Koepp, who was originally involved with Men in Black II but left to write Spider-Man, signed on permanently for this film.
  • Sacha Baron Cohen was considered for the role of Boris.
  • Betty White was originally rumored to have a role.
  • This is Will Smith’s first film in 3.5 years, since the release of Seven Pounds in December 2008. This is the longest he has gone without appearing in a movie since his film career started in 1993.
  • Gemma Arterton was originally cast as young Agent O, but scheduling conflicts prevented Arterton from taking the role.
  • Josh Brolin plays a younger version of Tommy Lee Jones’s character. Brolin’s wife, Diane Lane, appeared with Jones in ‘Lonesome Dove (1989)(TV)’. In the sequel, ‘Streets of Laredo (1995)(TV)’, Lane’s role was taken over by Sissy Spacek, who played Tommy Lee Jones’s wife in Coal Miner’s Daughter, and is the cousin of cast member Rip Torn.
  • The previous film Men in Black II released the same year as Spider-Man. This film, the sequel, releases ten years later; the same year as the reboot The Amazing Spider-Man.
  • This is the second threequel Steven Spielberg produced that involves Apollo 11 in its storyline. The first was Transformers: Dark of the Moon which focused on a Transformer ship discovered by Apollo.

Talking Points:

  • Is this necessary? Did this franchise need a sequel.

Trailers:

Excitement:
Jeff: I’ve always been a fan of the MIB movies. Excited for another one.
Ray: Been a fan, but not sure the series needs another movie. I do like the fact we are getting a glimpse of the old MIB organization, just hope they can pull off the Tommy Lee Jones character and voice through the whole movie.
Steve:

Coming Attractions

The Past

[asa]B004AOECUG[/asa]

The Present

The Future

Download Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download