Tag Archives: Emile Hirsch

Podcast

MOV110: “Gunter glieben glauben globen”

It’s the 3rd week into our annual pride month extravaganza, and this week we are double fisting it! First we take a double jump into the past, examining the life and times of 1970’s activist and first openly gay politician Harvey Milk in Gus Van Sant’s 2008 film “Milk” Next up we jump back to the present by examining the film version of the Broadway musical “Rock of Ages”. Was this film truly Built on Rock and Roll? or will it have us heading for a heartbreak? Finally we take a look at yet another remake as we strap ourselves into the memory blender of “Total Recall” Is this a total retelling or a total ripoff? Rob Zombie is finally making something other than a Horror film, Paul Verhoeven is gearing up to make a film about Christ, and Angelina Jolie gets in on the fairy tale action all this plus more on the 110th reel of COL Movies, ““Gunter glieben glauben globen”

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News:

The Past: Milk
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% Fresh; 84% Audience

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Director: Gus Van Sant

Featuring: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, James Franco,

Trivia:

  • Matt Damon was originally cast as Dan White, but had to back out due to scheduling conflicts with Green Zone.
  • Thousands of people agreed to take part in the film as extras for free.
  • The filming location for Harvey Milk’s business, Castro Camera, was the real storefront where the actual business had once been. At the time of filming (mid-2008), it was a gift shop called “Given”; the film crew worked with the owner of the gift shop to recreate the look of Milk’s camera store inside the space and restored it to its 2008 appearance after filming.
  • During a July 2008 interview with the Orange County Register about Pineapple Express, the interviewer told Seth Rogen and James Franco that he prepared for the interview by watching the classic stoner comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High the night before. When he asked Rogen and Franco if they prepared likewise before making Pineapple Express, Franco said he prepared by making out with Spicoli (a reference to his having shot Milk, in which he and Sean Penn play lovers).
  • It was widely reported that while filming a scene at the old Castro Camera, some of the actors claimed that they saw a man come in and sit on a couch. After the scene was filmed, nobody else claimed to have seen the man, and the actors themselves went on to claim that it was perhaps the ghost of Harvey Milk.
  • Director Gus Van Sant has been involved with the making of Harvey Milk projects for over fifteen years. For his unsuccessful attempt to film The Mayor of Castro Street (2011) in the early 1990s, many actors were under consideration for the role of Harvey Milk including Robin Williams, Richard Gere, Daniel Day-Lewis, and James Woods.
  • Veteran police officer and actor Brian Danker, seen in this movie in his first speaking role in the homicide scene, actually served in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971 in the same unit as Dan White – the 173rd Airborne.
  • During the filming of the scene in which Dan White’s son Charles is christened, the real Charles White was on the set.
  • On Roger Ebert’s year-end list of the 20 best movies of 2008. Ebert did not rank his picks this year, opting instead for an alphabetical list. (He later said that Milk was the most deserving of all the Best Picture Oscar nominees.)
  • On the American Film Institute’s year-end list of the 10 best movies of 2008 (this list is decided by a group of film scholars, journalists, and professionals, including Jeanine Basinger, Mark Harris, Elvis Mitchell, Daniel Petrie Jr., Richard Schickel, Robert Towne, and Leonard Maltin).
  • Number 2 on Lisa Schwarzbaum’s Entertainment Weekly Magazine list of the 10 best movies of 2008.
  • Number 9 on Owen Gleiberman’s Entertainment Weekly Magazine list of the 10 best movies of 2008.
  • Sean Penn’s cosmetic transformation in the film included a prosthetic nose and teeth, contact lenses and a redesigned hairline. His makeup was done by Academy Award winner Stephan Dupuis.
  • Actor Denis O’Hare who plays anti-gay Senator John Briggs in the film is in reality openly gay.
  • The real Cleve Jones has a cameo in the film as Don Amador.
  • The apartment that was used in the film is the real apartment Harvey Milk lived in on the Lower Haight in San Francisco.
  • Scott Smith’s last name is never mentioned until the epilogue, and Jack Lira’s last name is only given in the credits.
  • When Gus Van Sant was planning a biopic of Milk in the early 90’s he offered the part of Cleve Jones to River Phoenix, who he had just worked with on My Own Private Idaho.
  • Sean Penn became only the ninth actor to win two Academy Awards for Best Actor after winning for this movie.
  • Josh Brolin doesn’t appear until 45 minutes into the movie.
  • The last public appearance of Harvey Milk’s life, two days before he was killed, was attending a San Francisco Opera performance of Puccini’s opera “Tosca” featuring the legendary Italian soprano Magda Olivero. Not only is this event depicted in the movie, but it was in honor of that appearance that the filmmakers chose to use “Tosca” for all the operatic music heard in the film.
  • After his first kissing scene with James Franco, Sean Penn texted his ex-wife Madonna saying, “I just broke my cherry kissing a guy.” (Her texted response: “Congratulations.”)
  • Bradley Cooper auditioned for the role of Scott Smith.
  • Chris Evans auditioned for the role of Scott Smith, but lost out to James Franco.
  • The movie starts out with Harvey talking into a tape recorder on November 18, 1978; that is the day that the Jonestown Massacre happened.
  • During the sequence dealing with Proposition 6, one of Milk’s friends says “Even Reagan doesn’t support it.” Former Governor Ronald Reagan was so opposed to the measure that he publicly went against the Republican Party on the issue, even though he had been mentioned as a serious candidate for the Presidential election in 1980 and risked alienating his conservative support base. His support was given a great deal of credit for Proposition 6’s defeat and contributed to his growing national profile ahead of his two elections as President of the United States.
  • Josh Brolin, who played Dan White, was welcomed by the gay community and given praise for portraying “The most hated man in San Francisco’s history”.
  • Carol Ruth Silver: The real Carol Ruth Silver has a cameo in the film as Thelma.
  • Dustin Lance Black: The screenwriter appears as one half of the couple that walks by the Castro camera shop after it’s closed, when Harvey Milk is inside and one of the men asks if Harvey was going to win this time.
  • Tom Ammiano: The California Assemblyman and former San Francisco Supervisor plays himself. He was a founder in the No On 6 Campaign.
  • At the end of the film, images of the actors costumed as their characters are replaced by photographs of the real people the actors portrayed. Many of these photos were taken by Daniel Nicoletta, who is the photographer played by Lucas Grabeel in the movie.
  • Daniel Nicoletta: The real Danny Nicoletta has a cameo in the film as the person in Harvey Milk’s office before Milk gets assassinated by Dan White. In real life, Nicoletta was the last person to speak to Harvey Milk in his office at San Francisco City Hall, just before his assassination.

Talking Points:

  • Do we need a Harvey these days?
  • Franco’s performance
  • The “we are going to pull you out of the closet” agenda
  • The Times of Harvey Milk

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Critic Notes

  • Positives: Penn and the ensemble cast are amazing; A passionate history lesson; A master class in how a biopic should be done; The first solid film to discuss the gay rights movement
  • Negatives: Undersells the importance of the title character; How dare Hollywood take 30 years to show this important figure in history

What We Learned:

  • You can’t be both a political activist and a republican
  • If your gonna get elected in San Francisco you need the Old Queen vote
  • You have to give people a reason for optimism
  • You cannot live on hope alone, but without hope life is not worth living.

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: An extremely well done docudrama by Gus Van Sant with excellent performances all around. Definitely a must see for anyone.
Ray: I’m a bad gay for not really knowing the story of Harvey Milk prior to watching this film, but it is definitely a good film with some outstanding performances especially by Penn and Franco. I recommend everyone should watch this at least once.
Steve: While good, it dragged for me. I though Penn was awesome and I really felt for the struggle the whole group went through as they tried to make headway. I may not agree with all of Milk’s politics, but I appreciate that someone took a stand to try and make change.

The Present: Rock of Ages

Rotten Tomatoes: 41% Rotten; 64% Audience

Director: Adam Shankman

Starring: Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Russel Brand, Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Paul Giamatti, Tom Cruise, Mary J Blige

Trivia:

  • Will Ferrell and Steve Carrell were considered to play Dennis Dupree.
  • Taylor Swift was considered to play Sherrie, but Julianne Hough was cast.
  • Anne Hathaway and Amy Adams were offered the role of Constance, but both declined due conflicting schedule for a superhero film. Hathaway was busy shooting The Dark Knight Rises and Adams was shooting Man of Steel. Malin Akerman, who appeared in Watchmen, was ultimately cast.
  • Gwyneth Paltrow and Olivia Wilde were considered for the role of Constance Sack before Malin Akerman was cast.
  • Constantine Maroulis plays a record executive in this film. He originated the role of Drew Boley in the Broadway production and was nominated for the 2009 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance.
  • The scene set under the Hollywood sign was actually shot on a garbage dump landfill in Pompano Beach, Florida.
  • In the “song duel” outside the club, the anti-rock protesters, who are obviously modeled on the Parents’ Music Resource Center (the group who imposed the “Parental Advisory” warning stickers on recordings), sing Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” In real life, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister was one of the PMRC’s most outspoken critics and testified against their proposals in the September 1985 Senate hearings.
  • Cameos
  • Eli Roth: the music video director for the Z Boyeezz’s music video.
  • Kevin Cronin: lead singer of the band REO Speedwagon, singing “We Built This City” with the people supporting The Bourbon Room.
  • Nuno Bettencourt: former guitarist/vocalist for the band Extreme (Who’s song “More Than Words” is featured in the film.), singing “We Built This City” with the supporters of The Bourbon Room.
  • Debbie Gibson: in the crowd of Bourbon Room supporters singing “We Built This City”.

Talking Points:

  • Did it feel like they were cramming as much music in there just to do it?
  • Emotional connections, or lack there of.

Critic Notes

  • Positives: Cruise has the outstanding performance of the movie; It’s just fun – don’t take it too seriously; The actors seem to be having a good time; The production value of the songs and situations is very good
  • Negatives: Nothing more than movie star karaoke; Only keeps your toes tapping rather than bringing the audience to its feet; Takes itself too seriously when it should be poking fun at the cheesy excess of the 80s rocker lifestyle

What We Learned:

  • Taxes are so un-rock and roll.
  • You can’t trap a fire phoenix
  • The devil’s not qualified to close vaginas.
  • Concrete balls are very heavy
  • Z is a very popular letter among 14 to 21 year olds
  • No matter who’s singing it or why… Jefferson Starship is NOT ROCK AND ROLL.

Trailer:

Recommendations :
Jeff: An extremely mediocre movie that is just fun to see reminiscing about the rock of the 1980s. Probably worth seeing for anyone who lived through the era and exposed to it via personally or through older siblings. Well done, but not good enough to say you have to see it at the theater.
Ray: Goes to show that no matter how hard your try (or don’t) good music (I’m a child of the 80’s) cannot save a horrible horrible movie. Mostly Hollow performances from the leads with the exception of Tom Cruise and a monkey. I would say avoid at all costs unless you watch it on netflix.
Steve: I think I would have preferred to see the play than the movie. It was cute, but I can see it more like a Rocky Horror sing-a-long type movie than a serious film. Baldwin should never be allowed to sing again. If you want to see it, just wait until it’s on video and sing along at your home.

The Future: Total Recall

Release: August 3rd, 2012

Director: Len Wiseman

Starring: Colin Farrell, Bokeem Woodbine, Bryan Cranston

Summary:

As the nation states Euromerica and New Shanghai vie for supremacy, a factory worker begins to suspect that he’s a spy, though he is unaware which side of the fight he’s on

Talking Points

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: It looks kinda cool but not really thrilled to see it. I’d be okay to see it though, could be a nice comparison to the Arny version.
Ray: It’s starting to get some bad word of mouth on the net mainly due to the comparison trailer above, but I’m still pretty excited for this. I love Verhoeven though.. even cheesy horrible Verhoeven hopefully this film will do something to surprise me and keep me from comparing it to the original.
Steve: I just don’t know yet. I am very happy with the original and it’s cheesiness. Add in some bullet time and updated technology and that’s all I think that will be improved on the original.

The Past:

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The Present:

The Future:

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Podcast

MOV080: “If you weren’t such a goddamn puff, we could all be happy!”

Join us on this brand new reel of COL: Movies as we step back to look at 2009’s “A Single Man” A Sad but beautifully poetic film based on the 1964 novel of the same name. Some feel its beautiful, some feel its depressing. Will we enjoy it or feel like throwing ourselves off a bridge? Next we Jump into the present to watch “Immortals” a movie helmed by “The Cell” Director Tarsem Singh, and “300” Producers Gianni Nunnari and Mark Canton. Does it live up to its predecessor? Or do we wish it was buried under Mount Tartarus? Finally we look at the upcoming “The Darkest Hour” This Alien invasion Film is set to invade theaters on Christmas day, will we be rushing out to see it? All this plus movie news and more so grab your kleenex and your xiphos and join us for this reel of COL: Movies “If you weren’t such a goddamn puff, we could all be happy!”

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News:

The Past: A Single Man (2009)
Rotten Tomatoes: 85% Fresh, 78% Audience

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Director: Tom Ford

Starring: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode

Trivia:

  • Tom Ford’s directorial debut.
  • Despite having produced many movies, this is the first time Chris Weitz has worked as a producer on a feature film, without his brother Paul Weitz’s involvement.
  • Victoria Silvstedt auditioned for a role.
  • Colin Firth was originally not available for the role and someone else was cast. Then there was a shift in the movie schedule and Firth was eventually able to take the part.
  • Tom Ford revealed in an interview that the role of Kenny was originally given to a more famous actor (an article with E! Online states the original casting choice was Jamie Bell) who then didn’t show up to the costume fitting five days prior to shooting. Ford then remembered an audition tape by Nicholas Hoult.
  • Don Bachardy, the long-time partner of Christopher Isherwood (on whose novel this film is based) makes a cameo appearance. According to Tom Ford, in a December 14 2009 interview with Terry Gross, Bachardy was a huge help all through the writing of the film and, in the scene, is wearing a pair of lucky red socks that belonged to Isherwood.
  • Tom Ford explained in a Fresh Air interview that he created a back story for George’s suit based on the George character. He decided that George would have had his suit custom made on Saville Row on a trip home to England, which informed its cut and color. He also decided that, since ‘old-school’ British people of wealth tend to be thrifty with clothing, that his suit was a few years old. Ford even went as far as putting a label on the inside of the suit with his name and the date that it was made for him (1957).
  • Tom Ford financed the film himself.
  • The film was shot in just 21 days.
  • In the original novel, George is only known by his first name. The original screenplay gives him a full name: George Carlyle Falconer. “Carlyle” is also director Tom Ford’s middle name while “Falconer” is both the surname of Ford’s first lover – illustrator Ian Falconer – and the name of a brand of sunglasses Ford’s company makes.
  • In his acceptance speech when he won a BAFTA for Best Actor on 21 February 2010, Colin Firth revealed that he had been on the point of turning down the part and had the email to director Tom Ford in his outbox, waiting to be sent. Then a man arrived to repair his refrigerator and Firth reconsidered. He thanked “the fridge guy” in his speech.
  • A scene in the film shows a large drawing by the artist Don Bachardy, the longtime companion of Christopher Isherwood.
  • The scenes set at the college where George teaches were filmed on the grounds of what was once Ambassador College in Pasadena. Ambassador College was founded during the 1940s by then-famous radio preacher Herbert W. Armstrong to groom students for lives of service to their churches. Throughout the 1960s and ’70s, enrollment rose enough that other branches of the school were opened in the UK and Texas, but by 1990, enrollment had fallen so much that the Pasadena campus was closed (all campuses had closed by 1997). Since 1990, the former Ambassador Pasadena campus buildings have been periodically used by a high school, for church services, and by the A Single Man film crew, and the property has been the subject of a long-stymied mixed-use apartment and commercial development attempt called “Westgate Pasadena.”
  • “India”, the dog that George sees in the car, belongs to Tom Ford.
  • The glass-and-wood home that George and Jim shared is a real house in Glendale, California: The Schaffer Residence, built in 1949 by the mid-century Modernist architect John Lautner (1911-1994).
  • During the DVD commentary, Tom Ford says that when Jennifer (the little neighbor girl) speaks to George in the bank, some of what she says is based on Ford’s own childhood. For instance, she has a pet scorpion because Ford and his sister also had a pet scorpion when they were little; her older brother is named “Tom” because Ford’s own first name is Tom; she speaks of her brother Tom giving her hair treatments with eggs because that was something Ford did for his own sister many times; and she obliviously says that her brother Tom is “light in his loafers” (a slightly derogatory euphemism for being gay) because Ford is himself gay.
  • While reading on the couch, Jim shows that he is reading ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ by Truman Capote. Cast member Lee Pace appeared in Infamous, which chronicles Capote’s life during the writing of In Cold Blood.
  • Colin Firth is the only British actor playing a British character. His American partner and student are played by British actors Matthew Goode and Nicholas Hoult, respectively, while his British friend Charlotte is played by American actress Julianne Moore.
  • Several times, George and other characters refer to their “invisibility” as a minority (in their cases, as gay men in early 1960s American society). George is referring here to the concept of social “invisibility” of black people put forth by Ralph Ellison in his classic novel ‘The Invisible Man’, which was first published about ten years before the events of this movie take place.
  • Contrary to popular belief, Tom Ford did not design the costumes of the film. Arianne Phillips did.
  • Tom Ford had Colin Firth wear Creed’s Bois du Portugal aftershave during the shooting of the film as Ford believed it would help Firth get into the character of George Falconer.
  • Colin Firth’s character George mentions in a conversation with Nicholas Hoult that he once took mescaline and ended up shaving off one of his eyebrows. This actually happened to director Tom Ford; he was taking the drug with Stephen Spender when he went home, looked in the mirror and “thought it was taking over his face”.
  • George’s pistol is a Webley revolver, which was a standard firearm issued to British and Commonwealth troops for three-quarters of a century, from 1887 to 1963 (the year after the movie takes place). Firing the .455 caliber Webley cartridge, it was one of the most powerful handguns ever made.

Talking Points:

  • Wait, did they actually sleep together?
  • Depressing, Beautiful, or both?
  • Julianne Moore gave us a mix of Patsy and Edina
  • Mr. Potter – lol
  • Steve – I hate Fuzz for picking this movie this week…I’ll explain why.

What We’ve Learned:

  • Only Fools greet the day with a smile, and only fools could possibly escape the truth that now isn’t simply now.
  • When living in a glass house… Curtains can be REALLY important.
  • You can’t live in Los Angeles and be afraid of cars.
  • Sometimes awful things have their own kind of beauty
  • Lovers are like buses, sometimes you just have to wait a little while and another one comes along.
  • Most things don’t work out the way people plan.
  • One must always appreciate life’s little gifts.
  • Experience is not what happens to a man, but what a man does with what happens to him.

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: Kinda depressing but tugged at my heartstrings. I have mixed feelings, but still think it’s a worth see.
Ray: I found this film to be one of the most beautiful and sadly poetic things I have seen in quite some time. I can see how some people perceive it as being depressing, but really it has the opposite effect on me.
Steve: Definitely shows that people who think they’re at the end of their rope should open up their eyes to everything that is around them before giving in. If it were only that easy… Well acted movie, even though it was on the depressing side.

The Present: Immortals
Rotten Tomatoes: 36% Rotten, 75% Audience

Director: Tarsem Singh

Starring: Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, John Hurt

Trivia:

  • The film was previously named Dawn of War and War of the Gods before being officially named Immortals, and is loosely based on the Greek myths of Theseus and the Minotaur and the Titanomachy.
  • Director Tarsem Singh said that he is planned the action film using Renaissance painting styles. He then went on to say that the film is “Basically, Caravaggio meets Fight Club. It’s a really hardcore action film done in Renaissance painting style. I want to see how that goes; it’s turned into something really cool. I’m going for a very contemporary look on top of that so I’m kind of going with, you know, Renaissance time with electricity. So it’s a bit like Baz Luhrman doing Romeo + Juliet in Mexico; it’s just taking a particular Greek tale and half (make it contemporary) and telling it.”
  • The film had a production budget of $80 million ($75 million after tax rebates) to $120 million and cost “at least” $50 million to market.

Talking Points:

  • mmmm…Kellan Lutz (aka Posieden)
  • The Cinematography of the Action scenes vs Everything else. “Renaissance time with electricity”
  • What did you think of the movie’s telling of the myths?

What We Learned:

  • The Gods wear a lot of crazy jewelry and head pieces.
  • Mickey Rourke is truly typecast as Mickey Rourke in every movie he’s in.
  • That bull shaped oven is a crappy way to go.
  • Reminder ladies…you can get pregnant the one and only time you have sex.
  • Leave the titans be!

Trailer:

Recommendations :
Jeff: THIS IS SPARTA! All over again. I agree with both ratings of this movie. The critics are right and so is the audience, this was a fun action movie to watch, but they could have used the bow more and developed the story more.
Ray: Action Scenes.. Yay… Almost everything else… Booo.. unfortunately the Boo To Yay Ratio was much too High.
Steve: Solid mix of 300 and Clash of the Titans. Mickey Rourke was a surprise, but all in all I enjoyed it. Definitely has an epic feel and the 3D was well done.

The Future: The Darkest Hour

Director: Chris Gorak

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Max Minghella

Summary:

The story tells of a group of five young people who fight to survive in Russia after an alien invasion, the catch being that the aliens are invisible energy lifeforms.

Trivia:

  • Production was suspended for a planned two weeks due to the extraordinary air pollution caused by heavy smoke from the wild fires surrounding Moscow in August 2010. It eventually resumed three weeks later

Talking Points:

  • Another Skyline?
  • New TV spot and picture gallery – http://www.cinemablend.com/new/TV-Spot-Stills-Sci-Fi-Thriller-Darkest-Hour-28029.html

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: Meh, another sci-fi invasion movie. Neat concept for the invading aliens but feeling this will be a bad movie.
Ray: Cautiously optimistic……Timur can be hit (9,Wanted) or miss (Apollo 18, XXX Watch) with me…
Steve: Has the potential to be good. I like what I see from the trailer. Invisible predators are always creepy.

Coming Attractions

The Past

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The Present

The Future

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MOV017: “All Bones, No Bullshit”

The Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys, Machete, and Devil. Also it’s a slow news week. Yeah, that’s about it. But the show was good.

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News:

The Past: The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002)

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Director: Peter Care

Starring: Jodi Foster, Emile Hirsch, Keiran Culkin, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jena Malone

Trivia:

Chris Fuhrman died of cancer before completing the final draft of the book. The movie is dedicated to him at the beginning of the final credits.

  • The final shot in the scene where the boys find an injured dog was actually just footage shot of the actors “resetting” after a blown take. It was kept in since it so clearly shows their fatigue and frustration.
  • In order to adapt the book in an effective way, Director Peter Care and Producer Jay Shapiro decided to use segments of animation throughout the film. Since most of the book is from Francis’ perspective and takes place in his mind, they needed to find a way to stay true to this “internal narrative”. “Animation seemed like a natural way to go in and out of this interior world and use that as the thread that ties everything together,” says Shapiro
  • Neither filmmakers nor Jodie Foster had planned on Foster also playing the part of the stern Catholic school teacher and headmistress, Sister Assumpta, as well as being producer. Foster was somehow attracted to the role, and called producing partner Meg Lefauve up with the offer to play this role, who graciously accepted, saying that it’s not “traditional casting to see a young beautiful woman in that kind of a role.”
  • Although the novel by Chris Fuhrman was set in 1970’s Savannah, Georgia, the filmmakers wanted a more “universal look” and decided not to specify a place. Most of the filming for the movie took place in Charleston, South Carolina and Wilmington, North Carolina. There was also a lot of debate about whether the characters should have Southern accents, but to keep with this “universal feeling,” the producers decided against any strong accents.
  • In 2002, the film and Director Peter Care won the award for Best New Filmmaker from the Boston Society of Film Critics.
  • In 2003, the film won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature.

Talking Points:

  • Does Keiran Culken seem to play the same character over and over?
  • Did the animation enhance the movie?

What We’ve Learned:

  • 3 full servings of distilled and reduced nyquil has no effect on the average house cat
  • Statues of Saints are much heavier than they appear, but magically get lighter once they reach the ground.
  • Nuns make excellent comic book villains
  • That’s a really thoughtful question
  • Always better to wait a few dates before dropping the incest bomb on someone

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: It’s a cute movie, the animated scenes were integrated well, recommendable but couldn’t keep my attention outside the animated scenes.
Ray: A very unique and interesting coming of age story, I highly recommend.
Steve: Stand By Me in the 80s, in a Catholic school…but liked the unique twists.

The Present: Machete

Director: Ethan Maniquis & Robert Rodriguez

Starring: Danny Trejo, Robert DeNiro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Lindsay Lohan

Trivia:

  • The film was based on the fake trailer featured before Robert Rodriguez’s double feature for Grindhouse (2007), Planet Terror (2007), which was co-produced by Quentin Tarantino and is also the producer on this film.
  • Danny Trejo, Jeff Fahey and Cheech Marin who are featured in the fake trailer featured in Grindhouse (2007), reprise their roles for this film as well. Tito Larriva, one of Robert Rodriguez’s closest friends and who’s acted in several films was featured in the trailer but at this point not confirmed to be in this film. Fahey was also featured in Planet Terror (2007) which was written, produced and directed by Rodriguez.
  • This film marks the second time that Robert De Niro and Quentin Tarantino have worked together. They previously worked together on Jackie Brown (1997), which De Niro was part of the ensemble like this film and Tarantino wrote, directed and produced that film.
  • Cheech Marin and Don Johnson both co-starred in the hit CBS series “Nash Bridges” (1996), as well as the Kevin Costner golf film Tin Cup (1996). This is the first time they have been in a film together in 10 years, with the end of “Nash Bridges” wrapping in 2000/2001.
  • This film is being made because of the fake trailer’s popularity after being featured in the theatrical version of Grindhouse (2007) along with the other fake trailers and advertisements featured in the film. “Thanksgiving” is the other popular fake trailer included in the film and was directed by Eli Roth and is now in development to be made into a full length film.
  • According to some reports, Robert Rodriguez claims to have filmed half this movie while making the fake trailer to be included for the theatrical version of Grindhouse (2007). These have yet to be confirmed by Rodriguez himself.
  • Robert Rodriguez wrote the script back in 1993 after he wrote Desperado (1995).
    Actor Chris Cooper reportedly turned down a role in the movie saying “it’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever read” after getting the script.
  • Lindsay Lohan filmed her role in three days.
  • Steven Seagal’s first theatrically released film since Half Past Dead (2002).
  • This marks the third time Steven Seagal and Danny Trejo have appeared together in a movie. First, briefly, in Marked for Death (1990), and again in Urban Justice (2007).
  • While Steven Seagal has played an anti-hero on more than one occasion, this film will mark the first time he’s ever played a full-out villain.
  • A fake trailer for the film was released on May 5, 2010, through Ain’t It Cool News. The trailer opened with Danny Trejo saying, “This is Machete with a special Cinco de Mayo message to Arizona,” followed by scenes of gun fire, blood shed, and highlights of the cast. The fake trailer combined elements of the Machete trailer that appeared in Grindhouse with footage from the actual film, and implied that the film would be about Machete leading a revolt against anti-immigration politicians and border vigilantes. According to Fox News, critics of illegal immigration were offended by the contents of the movie trailer. Production of the film predates the legislation, however. Rodriguez later revealed the trailer to be a joke, explaining “it was Cinco de Mayo and I had too much tequila.” The official theatrical trailer was released on July 8, 2010.
  • Fake Trailer

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Talking Points:

  • Do you think the “Grind house” aspect of this is lost on typical audiences?
  • Why the hell would anyone bring kids to this movie?
  • Cheech Marin as a “serious” actor?

What We Learned:

  • How to steer a car with a machete through someones back
  • Intestines are 60 feet long and incredibly rope like
  • Weed Whackers make awesome weapons
  • Machete don’t text
  • DeNiro makes a more convincing Mexican than Seagal

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: It was confusing on what this movie wanted to be. Had good laughs and some good action scenes but was just too inconsistent, meh.
Ray: Loved it, cant wait to see the next “Grindhouse” movie, I will definitely own this one!
Steve: Enjoyed it. I realized I laughed out loud several times during tense moments.

The Future: Devil

Starring: Logan Marshall-Green, Bojana Novakovic, Geoffrey Arend, Chris Messina, Caroline Dhavernas, Jacob Vargas, Bokeem Woodbine, Matt Craven, Jenny O’Hara

Trivia:

  • In October 2008, Shyamalan announced, with the partnership of Media Rights Capital, that Devil will be made with the Dowdle brothers as the directors and Brian Nelson as the screenwriter. A year later, filming started on October 26 in Toronto. There was additional shooting for the film several months later in Los Angeles.
  • The film was set to have a release date on February 11, 2011 but was bumped up to September 17, 2010. The film’s trailer debuted online on July 13, 2010. The trailer is also attached with Inception, The Expendables, Salt, The Other Guys, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.
  • On June 23, 2010, Shyamalan announced the second film in The Night Chronicles, currently titled Fourteen Seconds. The film is about a jury discussing a case dealing with the supernatural. Chris Sparling is set to write the script but there is no director presently attached.

Talking Points: The Night Chronicles- Movies Written but not Directed by M.Night… at this point is his name hurting these films?

Summary:
Set in an office building, five strangers are riding in an elevator when they suddenly find themselves trapped. After several terrifying and inexplicable events occur, such as the local fire department unable to open the elevator, the people begin to turn against each other when they begin to suspect that one of them is in fact, the Devil.

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: Meh, Might be good but not that interested.
Ray: The first of the Night Chronicles… anything with M.Nights name on it makes me cringe, but the trailer does look interesting.
Steve: Trailer actually looks good to me. I like these “close quarters” kind of movies where everyone is a suspect. As long as I’m not able to figure it out right away, I’ll be happy.

Coming Attractions

The Past:  Indian Summer
The Present:  Resident Evil: Afterlife
The Future:  Gulliver’s Travels

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