Tag Archives: Morgan Freeman

MOV115: “Fear, Chaos, Pain”

In this reel of COL Movies, It’s another “very special episode” as the boys talk about the Dark Knight Trilogy. They kick off with the original Nolan-verse creation, “Batman Begins”, and move on to what they feel is the gem of the series, “The Dark Knight”. In theaters, of course, they review the conclusion of the triumvirate, “The Dark Knight Rises”. In trailer news, they look at the (spoiler alert) utterly forgettable preview of “The Expendables 2”. In brief movie news, we bring up John Favreau’s partnership with Pixar and Peter Jackson’s attempt at making “The Hobbit” into a trilogy! It’s the 115th reel of COL Movies…”Fear, Chaos, Pain”

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News:

The Past: Batman Begins
Rotten Tomatoes: 85% Fresh; 90% Audience

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The Past: The Dark Knight
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% Fresh; 96% Audience

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Director: Christopher Nolan

Staring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Heath Ledger

Trivia:

Talking Points:

  • The flaw of the microwave emitter
  • When you first saw this did you expect it to be a trilogy?

What We Learned From Batman Begins:

  • The world is too small for a man like Bruce Wayne to Disappear
  • A vigilante is just a man lost in the search for his own gratification
  • Death is not considerate or friendly
  • We fall, so we can learn to pick ourselves up.
  • All creatures feel fear, especially the scary ones.
  • Invisibility is simply a matter of patience and agility
  • You always fear what you don’t understand
  • It’s not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you.
  • Never go into business with someone without finding out their dirty secrets.

What We Learned From The Dark Knight:

  • What doesn’t kill you makes you stranger.
  • When your the Gotham D.A. if your not getting shot at your not doing your Job right
  • You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain
  • Criminals aren’t complicated you just have to figure out what they are after.
  • Some men just want to watch the world burn.
  • The night is darkest just before the dawn

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: Nolan has really taken an amazing approach to what has to be my favorite superhero ever. He stays relatively true the the Batman story but knows that it’s his universe and Batman does things differently in his world. Heath Ledger’s Joker was amazing and perfect for the world. I can’t recommend these movies more.
Ray: Anyone who is a fan of superhero movies needs to watch these, but the great thing about these especially The Dark Knight is that you don’t have to be. I consider The Dark Knight one of the best Crime Dramas to come around in the last 10 years, plus it’s pretty cool that Batman is in it too. Cemented by an amazing performance by Heath Ledger that also demands to be seen.
Steve: OK…I admit that I enjoyed the Dark Knight the most! Heath Ledger is awesome – although Maggie G just didn’t do a darn thing for me. That’s one time I missed Katie Holmes. Batman Begins just kind of set the stage for the rest of the films…and drags for me.

The Present: The Dark Knight Rises

Rotten Tomatoes: 86% Fresh; 93% Audience

Director: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard

Trivia:

Talking Points:

  • The tale of two annoying voices. – Bane – Raz al Ghul
  • The soundtrack.. good or bad?
  • The Ending – could it have been done differently?
  • Sequel in the nolanverse?
  • Wait! What? Talia’s in this movie!
  • Plot Holes!

Critic Notes

  • Positives: Production value was extremely high and Nolan knew the look he was going for and delivered it; the conclusion was a fitting end to the story and the epicness of the hero;
  • Negatives: “clunky”; an ordeal to sit through; acting was manufactured; hard to understand the dialogue; extremely stretched out because every recollection had to be done in flashback; overall Nolan tanked or dialed this one in.

What We Learned:

  • Detectives are not allowed to believe in coincidences
  • People don’t pay attention to you until you put on a mask
  • Hope is really the key to torture
  • A hero can be anyone

Trailer:

Recommendations :
Jeff: I was right. This movie did not pull out the amazing awesomeness that The Avengers did and I don’t expect it to perform as well in the box office still. It still was an incredible ending to the Nolan Batman story line but this was still I movie I could have waited for and just suffered from a pre-release lack of enthusiasm. I think it’s definitely worth seeing in the theaters but I wouldn’t say there’s much off a rush.
Ray: A good strong finish to the Trilogy but not my favorite of the three. This is very much the “Return of the Jedi” of the series for me, but instead of annoying ewoks, it’s got annoying vocal performances and plot holes. A must see if your a fan of the other two though.
Steve: Definitely not my favorite, except for Tom Hardy of course. Just didn’t have the same punch as the others and seemed like it was just there to wrap up the story. It was pretty though. I actually liked that they did bring stuff in from the previous movies – made it feel more complete than just 3 stand alone films.

The Future: The Expendables 2

Release: August 12, 2012

Director: Simon West

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Bruce Willis, Liam Hemsworth, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jet Li, Chuck Norris, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture

Summary:

After taking a seemingly simple job for Mr. Church (Bruce Willis), the Expendables find their plans going awry and one of their own is brutally murdered by rival mercenary Jean Vilain (Jean-Claude Van Damme).[2] The Expendables set out into hostile territory – with their new members Bill the Kid (Liam Hemsworth) and Maggie (Yu Nan) – to put a stop to a deadly weapon and gain their revenge against the people who killed their brother-in-arms

Talking Points:

  • Why are we reviewing this trailer? Did we not destroy the first film?

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: Hey, The Expendables again. . . . Would love to see this on Netflix streaming.
Ray: Move along…nothing to see here.
Steve: Slept through the first one…I image it will be more of the same.

The Past:

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The Present:

The Future:

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MOV085: “How Much For That Mogwai In The Window?”

It’s 85th reel of COL Movies, and Carlos joins the boys in on the fun! They start in the past with the non-traditional Christmas classic, “Gremlins”. From one Spielberg film to another, they head to the theater to check out his first animated film “The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of the Unicorn”. For the future, they review the new trailer for “The Dark Knight Rises”. Along with some updated movie news, it’s the 85th reel of COL Movies…”How much for that Mogwai in the window?”

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News:

The Past: Gremlins (1984)
Rotten Tomatoes: 79% Fresh, 70% Audience

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Director: Joe Dante

Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Howie Mandell (VO-Gizmo), Frank Welker (VO-Stripe)

Trivia:

  • Originally planned and scheduled for a Christmas release, the film was rushed into production shortly after Warner Bros. found out that it had no major competition against Paramount’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom or Columbia’s Ghost Busters for the summer movie season
  • Generally credited (along with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) to influence the MPAA to create the PG-13 rating, as many felt the scenes of violence in both movies were too much for a PG rating, but not enough for an R rating.
  • This was the first movie in years to use Warner Bros’ “shield” logo
  • In Cantonese Chinese, mogwai means devil, demon or gremlin. The Mandarin pronunciation is mogui
  • The set for Kingston Falls is the same one used for Back to the Future. Both movies were filmed in the Universal Studios backlot.
  • Though he followed the basic outline of the script, Hoyt Axton is said to have improvised nearly all his lines.
  • After watching his earlier short films, Steven Spielberg considered Tim Burton to direct the film. But decided against it because at the time Burton had never directed a full feature length film.
  • Jon Pertwee and Mako were both seriously considered for the role of Mr. Wing.
  • According to Joe Dante and Michael Finnell, the original rough cut of the film ran 2 hours and 40 minutes.
  • In this film, the Amblin Entertainment logo makes its first on-screen appearance.
  • Within the story, Gizmo was capable of singing or humming. Jerry Goldsmith wrote Gizmo’s song as well, but Howie Mandel never sang it. A girl member of Goldsmith’s congregation was hired to sing Gizmo’s song, although she had never worked in films before.
  • The time machine prop from Time after Time can be seen behind Rand Peltzer when he’s on the phone with his wife, while attending the convention.
  • Chris Columbus’ script went through a few drafts before a shooting script was finalized. His original version had the creatures killing the dog and cutting off the mom’s head and tossing it down the stairs. These elements were never shot due to the fact that both, Joe Dante and Warner Bros. wanted the movie to be more family oriented.
  • Mr. Hanson, the science teacher, originally died with dozens of hypodermic needles stuck in his face. But, by request from Steven Spielberg, this scene was re-shot it with just a single needle in the buttocks
  • At the end, Gizmo pulls a window blind which exposes Stripe to the sunlight. But, originally, there are two window blinds and Gizmo pull the first one and then Billy pulls the second one. This scene was edited because Steven Spielberg believed that Gizmo was the hero of the movie and not Billy and therefore Gizmo would be the one responsible for the demise of Stripe.

Talking Points:

  • Non traditional Christmas movies (this movie was a summer release)
  • Intended audience and the addition of the PG-13 rating
  • The Logic Flaw
  • Practical Effects – hold up? (Creepy skeleton Stripe)
  • Voice actors (Howie Mandel & Michael Winslow…among others)

What We’ve Learned:

  • Having cable is not a successful way to pick up girls
  • Gremlins have perfect pitch
  • Suicide rates are always highest during the holidays
  • The smaller the animal the faster the heartbeat
  • Don’t expose them to light, Don’t get them wet and never feed them after midnight.

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: An incredibly classic movie but I didn’t feel like it held up. Still feels very dated. But getting past that, still love it. Made me want to watch the sequel.
Ray: This is one of my favorite non-traditional Christmas movies – I think its worth watching, but make sure you watch it yourself before deciding if if its appropriate for younger children to watch.
Steve: A great film. I still have my Gizmo 🙂 I love that it’s practical and even if it doesn’t stand up to the test of time, it’s a classic.
Carlos: This gets violent, and subversive, even for a well-known piece of holiday counter-programming. It has pieces of bitter chocolate even in all the Xmas happy.

The Present: The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of The Unicorn
Rotten Tomatoes: 75% Fresh, 80% Audience

Director: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Nick Frost, Simon Pegg

Trivia:

  • Thomas Brodie-Sangster was originally set to play the titular character, but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. Jamie Bell, who had worked with Peter Jackson on King Kong, then came aboard to play Tintin.
  • The first animated film directed by Steven Spielberg.
  • In the early 1980s, Steven Spielberg hired E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial writer Melissa Mathison to write a draft of the script. Her script featured a battle in Africa between Tintin and ivory poachers.
  • After Simon Pegg had completed How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, Steven Spielberg invited him to the film’s set and offered him the role of Thomson.
  • Originally, Steven Spielberg was going to do a live-action adaptation of Tintin, and called Peter Jackson to ask if his VFX company Weta Digital would work on the film, in particular creating a CGI Snowy. Jackson, as it turned out, was a longtime fan of Tintin, and convinced Spielberg that live action would not do justice to the comic books, and that motion capture was the best way of representing Hergé’s world of Tintin. However, Snowy would still be CGI.
  • Steven Spielberg has always shot his films traditionally, but since he was going to film what he saw was an animated film he didn’t mind shooting it digitally.
  • Claude Berri and Roman Polanski were interested in directing.
  • Screenwriter Steven Moffat claims he was “love-bombed” by Steven Spielberg into writing the script for this film, with Spielberg promising to shield him from studio interference with his writing.
  • Steven Moffat finished a draft of the script, but could not polish it because of the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike, and afterwards becoming executive producer of Doctor Who. Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson amiably allowed him to leave and fulfill his duty to the series (Jackson being a fan of the Doctor), and brought in Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish to rewrite Moffat’s draft.
  • This is Steven Spielberg’s first comic-book adaptation. He had earlier been considered to do Superman.
  • Steven Spielberg has been an avid fan of ‘The Adventures of Tintin’ comic books since 1981, when a review compared Raiders of the Lost Ark to Tintin. His secretary bought him French-language editions of each book, but Spielberg did not have to understand them: he immediately fell in love with its art. Meanwhile, ‘Tintin’ creator Hergé became a fan of Spielberg (reports say he “thought Spielberg was the only person who could ever do Tintin justice.”)
  • When the film was in development in 1984, Steven Spielberg wanted Jack Nicholson to play Captain Haddock.
  • This is Andy Serkis’s third collaboration with Peter Jackson, as well as his fourth motion-capture role (he had earlier played the creatures Gollum and King Kong in features directed by Jackson and Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes). Sometime after being cast, Serkis joked that he was worried Peter Jackson would cast him as Tintin’s dog Snowy.
  • To prepare for his role as Captain Haddock, Andy Serkis read the majority of the “Tintin” comics. He later commented that they had a surreal quality, similar to the Monty Python films.
  • ‘Danny deVito’ was considered for the role of Senor Oliveira de Figueira, but the character was cut from the script.
  • Daniel Craig (Red Rackham) had collaborated with Toby Jones in Infamous and Jamie Bell in Defiance, and appeared in the Steven Spielberg film Munich.
  • According to Steven Spielberg, when shooting he always keeps one eye closed when framing a shot, so that he can visualize the film in 2D (“the way viewers would”). But on this film he had both of his eyes open, as it was 3D and he wanted to treat the film like live-action.
  • During filming, Guillermo del Toro, Stephen Daldry and David Fincher paid a visit to the set.
  • Steven Spielberg’s cinematographer Janusz Kaminski was brought on to act as a lighting consultant for Weta, as Jackson wanted the film to look “film noir-ish, and very atmospheric.”
  • Steven Spielberg shot his portion of the film in 32 days (taking up March 2009). Peter Jackson was present for the first week of filming, and supervised the rest of the shoot via a specially made iChat videoconferencing program. Simon Pegg said Jackson’s voice would “be coming over the Tannoy like God.”
  • Steven Spielberg enjoyed working with the virtual camera so much, he did a lot of his own camera work in the movie.
  • Michael Kahn has collaborated with Steven Spielberg as an editor for over 30 years. He has always cut his movies on a Moviola and KEM when working with Spielberg. This will be his first movie that he will cut digitally with Spielberg using Avid (though he has cut movies digitally before, such as Twister).
  • Steven Spielberg is the first Oscar-winning director to direct a Nickelodeon film. Peter Jackson (the sequel’s director) will be the second.
  • Steven Spielberg has had the rights to Tintin since 1983.
  • This is Nickelodeon’s first involvement with Tintin in 20 years. The Nickelodeon channel originally aired The Adventures of Tintin.
  • The Crab with the Golden Claws’ is the most frequently filmed Tintin adventure. It was previously adapted to the screen in 1947 as a stop-motion puppet film, and adapted twice for TV: Once in 1959 and again in 1990.
  • During the final dock scene, a bunch of cans with a crab symbol falls from a crate. These are the same canned crabs that serve as a McGuffin in the original “Crab with the Golden Claws” album.
  • The crab with the golden claws from the Tintin tale of the same name can be seen on display in Sheik Salaad’s palace.
  • At the beginning of the movie, when Tintin is having his likeness drawn, the other likenesses posted in the background are of characters featured in various Tintin books and as shown in the inside covers of every Tintin book.
  • The credits, especially the opening ones, are in the same typeface as the books’ titles.
  • The Adventures of Tintin was released 30 years to the day Indiana Jones was released in 1981, also directed by Steven Spielberg
  • The movie fittingly starts with a closeup of a painter’s palette. On studiobriefing.net, Steven Spielberg said of his experience filming Tintin: “I did feel like a painter in a way, and that was exciting for me.”
  • The ship in the bottle and the Unicorn are based upon the “Soleil Royal”, a large French ship of the line that was launched in 1669.
  • The opening credits feature several references to Tintin books (such as the iconic rocket from ‘Destination Moon’). The departure board shown also features destinations from Tintin books.
  • The framed newspapers on the walls of Tintin’s apartment feature headlines and photos that recall his other adventures. Example: The headline “Tintin Breaks Up Crime Ring,” with a picture of several Egyptian mummy cases, refers to “Cigars of the Pharaoh.” The headline “Tintin Recovers Valuable Sceptre” refers to “King Ottokar’s Sceptre.”

Talking Points:

  • “First Look In 3D” at AMC
  • The Uncanny Valley, physics, story elements
  • Indiana Jones
  • Camera Motion
  • The Violence (gun play) and alcohol use

What We Learned:

  • American = all hair, oil, and no socks
  • The aggressive ones always seem to be the first to roll over on their backs
  • Police work is not all glamour and gunfights
  • There are worse things than sobering up
  • Realist is just another word for failure

Trailer:

Recommendations :
Jeff: I really liked this film. Something about the motion capture made things seem a little weird but it still ended up being fantastic. Reminds me of adventure movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Ray: It was a fun film..although it dipped and weaved in and out of the uncanny valley – Way more violent then I expected it to be, so be aware before taking the kids. Overall though I’d recommend people go see it. 3D was done well but not necessary.
Steve: Didn’t hate it. I actually thought it looked better than other films, like the most recent Indiana Jones and Pirates movies. If think they should have done Young Indiana Jones like this. Didn’t particularly feel it was a “kids” movie…perhaps more PG 13, especially with the violence (swords, guns, etc).
Carlos: Probably the best directed of the cgi animated films. The camera roves around like some hyper but talented 14 year old. It’s an impressive achievement with some sincere emotional hits.

The Future: The Dark Knight Rises

Release: July 20, 2012

Directors: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Marion Cotillard

Summary:

Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, the terrorist leader Bane arrives in Gotham City, pushing it and its police force to their limits, forcing its former hero Batman to resurface after taking the fall for Harvey Dent’s crimes.

Trivia:

  • Christopher Nolan is the first director to complete a full trilogy of Batman films, but the second to direct a full trilogy of films on one superhero (after Sam Raimi completed his Spider-Man films).
  • Christian Bale has stated that he would not play Batman if Robin appeared anywhere in the trilogy. Christopher Nolan agreed not to include Robin as it would undermine the dark tone of his series.
  • Christian Bale is the first live action actor to portray Batman/Bruce Wayne in three Batman films. Kevin Conroy has played the character in seven animated films as of 2011 (including Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker).
  • Cinematographer Wally Pfister has expressed interest in shooting the entirety of the film in the IMAX format, as both Pfister and Christopher Nolan have expressed distaste for shooting the film in 3-D. Ultimately, the film would feature approximately 50 minutes of IMAX footage, while the rest was shot in a combination of 35mm and 70mm, as IMAX cameras proved to be too noisy for shooting the films dialogue scenes.
  • Eva Green, Angelina Jolie Blake Lively, Rhona Mitra, Charlize Theron, Abbie Cornish, Vera Farmiga, Jessica Biel, Natalie Portman, Gemma Arterton, Kate Mara, Charlotte Riley, Emily Blunt and Keira Knightley all auditioned for the role of Selina Kyle. After the initial audition process, Biel and Mara all screen tested. Ultimately, Anne Hathaway won the role.
  • Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts, Rachel Weisz and Marion Cotillard were considered to play Miranda Tate before Cotillard finally got the role.
  • Robin Williams was rumored to play the role of Hugo Strange.
  • There was much speculation in the press when Anne Hathaway was announced as Selina Kyle if the actress would actually portray Kyle’s costumed alter-ego, Catwoman. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey following her stint as host of the Academy Awards, Hathaway let slip that her character indeed would don the Catwoman costume.
  • According to Gary Oldman, Christopher Nolan told the actors the ending of the film verbally to avoid any leaks.
  • One of the reasons why Christopher Nolan cast Tom Hardy as Bane was because of his performance in the film RocknRolla. Hardy stated that he thought he was cast because of his role in Bronson. He arrived on set only to learn that Nolan has never even seen Bronson.
  • Around 10,000 extras were used to shoot the Gotham Rogues scene in Heinz Field. Some of the Pittsburgh Steelers played football players, including Hines Ward, who played himself.
  • Chloë Grace Moretz and Jennifer Lawrence auditioned for Juno Temple’s role.
  • According to The Hollywood Reporter, Anne Hathaway’s stunt double broke one of the IMAX cameras when she crashed the Batpod into it. This marks the second time an IMAX camera has been destroyed on a Christopher Nolan Batman film – a previous camera was smashed when filming the Joker’s underground truck chase in The Dark Knight.
  • Joseph Gordon-Levitt , Leonardo DiCaprio , James Holzier, Ryan Gosling, and Mark Ruffalo were considered to play John Blake. Gordon-Levitt was ultimately cast.
  • Anne Hathaway, who plays Catwoman, had been cast as Black Cat (Felicia Hardy) in The Amazing Spider-Man in 2010, which at that time was under Sam Raimi’s direction as “Spider-Man 4” and was going to feature the Vulture and Black Cat.
  • The character of Bane in this film is more reverent and closer to his comic-book counterpart, unlike Batman & Robin, which reduced him to a mindless henchman. In the comic Books, Bane is a general, a strategist and a one-man army, literally forcing Batman to meet his match (and upon their first encounter it would turn out to be the case).
  • According to Christopher Nolan, Bane was chosen as the film’s main antagonist “to test Batman mentally as well as physically.”
  • To prepare for her role as Catwoman, Anne Hathaway worked out five days a week on a regime that involved vigorous exercise, stunt training and dancing. She called it her most physically demanding role to date.
  • To prepare for his role as Bane, Tom Hardy gained 30 pounds in weight, and studied various fighting styles to use in the film.
  • Tom Hardy described Bane as an absolute terrorist: “He’s brutal, but also incredibly clinical in the fact that he has a result-based and oriented fighting style. The style is heavy-handed, heavy-footed… it’s nasty. It’s not about fighting, it’s about carnage!”
  • After The Dark Knight released, Aaron Eckhart expressed interest in returning as Harvey “Two-Face” Dent, as the film had left his role relatively open-ended. Christopher Nolan stated that Dent was definitely dead, and that his death would leave lasting repercussions across Gotham.
  • Composer Hans Zimmer collected online recordings of chanting to incorporate in the film’s score.
  • This is the third Batman film to feature Catwoman after Batman and Batman Returns.
  • Anne Hathaway previously appeared in Alice in Wonderland, which was directed by Batman/Batman Returns director Tim Burton and featured the previous Alfred, Michael Gough in his final role before his death.
  • Marion Cotillard previously appeared in Big Fish, which was directed by Batman/Batman Returns director Tim Burton. Danny DeVito played The Penguin in Batman Returns which, like this film, also features Catwoman.
  • Reunites Inception stars Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy and Marion Cotillard.
  • Like Batman Returns and Batman & Robin, not only does this feature a female villain, but the villain is portrayed by an Oscar nominated actress. Michelle Pfeiffer (Batman Returns) was nominated for Dangerous Liaisons, The Fabulous Baker Boys and Love Field. Uma Thurman (Batman & Robin) was nominated for Pulp Fiction. Anne Hathaway (this film) was nominated for Rachel Getting Married.
  • This is the fifth film in a row that Christopher Nolan has worked with Michael Caine. The other films were Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, and Inception.
  • Is set eight years after the events of The Dark Knight.
  • With their appearances in this movie, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy and Gary Oldman will have each appeared in three Batman movies. Only Michael Gough and Pat Hingle have done the same thing.
  • Christopher Nolan picked Bane as the main villain. Coincidentally, with no known relation, the name of one of the creators of Bane for the comic books is Graham Nolan.
  • In the comics, Bane carried an apparatus that contains a steroid that amplifies his strength and fighting ability. In the film, the apparatus he carries contains an anesthetic as he is in constant chronic pain.
  • The filmmakers cite the “Batman” comics ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ (an aged Batman operates in a future Gotham), ‘Knightfall’ (Bane pushes Batman physically and mentally, causing him to burn out) and ‘No Man’s Land’ (Gotham descends into gangland territory) as major influences on the film.

Talking Points:

  • Did anyone contribute to the chant?
  • Has anyone seen the sneek peek before MI4?

Trailers:

Excitement:
Jeff: It’s nice to see more in this trailer. However, I’ve suddenly not as excited as before. It’s still one of the top movies on my list to see but something about the trailer, didn’t increase my excitement.
Ray: I was more excited by the sneak preview (Which is amazing) than the trailer.. so I am excited to see it but not because of the trailer.
Steve: Best Nolan-verse trailer to date. Finally one that excited me! OK, so perhaps it’s just Tom Hardy…but still. It’ll get me to the theater. 🙂
Carlos:

Coming Attractions

The Past

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The Present

The Future

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MOV060: “What’s in the box???”

In this 60th reel of COL Movies, the boys head back in time to revive the thriller “Se7en”, starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and perhaps the creepiest performance ever by Kevin Spacey. They head to the theater to check out “Transformers: Dark of The Moon” – if nothing else, just to see if Jeff will orgasm in the theater. Finally, the check out the trailer for the upcoming thriller “Straw Dogs”, starring the dreamy Alexander Saarsgard (otherwise known as Eric from True Blood). They hit up the movie news to talk about new stuff from Paramount, the Man of Steel, Transformer’s record breaking IMAX performance, as well as Ridley Scott’s upcoming “Prometheus”. This is definitely an episode you don’t want to miss..and oh, by the way…What’s in the Box???

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News:

  • Paramount Pictures announces Paramount Animation
  • Budgets up to $100 million per film
  • First Release targeted for 2014
  • “Paramount Animation’s mandate will be the development of the broadest range of family CGI animated films, with a key piece being titles under the label of Viacom’s Nickelodeon, the number one entertainment brand for kids worldwide. Paramount will also look to build on Viacom’s already thriving global consumer products business by seeking to capitalize on merchandising opportunities tied to all Paramount Animation releases.
  • Pictures from Man of Steel set released
  • Transformers Dark of the Moon Posts record IMAX opening
  • IMAX Corporation and Paramount Pictures announced today that Transformers: Dark of the Moon 3D, the third film in the blockbuster Transformers franchise, posted a record opening in IMAX(R) theatres, generating $23.1 million globally since launch. The total IMAX domestic take was $14 million, while the 146 domestic theatres that played Transformers: Dark of the Moon exclusively generated $88,500 per screen. The overall box office gross for the movie in the U.S. stands at $180,650,000 million through Monday
  • Lidelof, and Scott release synopsis for Prometheus
  • Visionary filmmaker Ridley Scott returns to the genre he helped define, creating an original science fiction epic set in the most dangerous corners of the universe. The film takes a team of scientists and explorers on a thrilling journey that will test their physical and mental limits and strand them on a distant world, where they will discover the answers to our most profound questions and to life’s ultimate mystery.

The Past: Se7en (1995)

Rotten Tomatoes: 85% Fresh; 94% Audience

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Director: David Fincher
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey

Trivia:

  • While filming the scene where Mills chases John Doe in the rain, Brad Pitt fell and his arm went through a car windscreen, requiring surgery. This accident was worked into the script of the film. Ironically, the original script did call for Pitt’s Det. Mills character to be injured during this sequence–but to something other than his hand.
  • The autopsy of the first killing, as originally scripted, was incorrect according to the research of makeup man Rob Bottin (who viewed a real human autopsy as part of his prep work). The scene was truncated from the original script and shows only the sewn-up corpse of Gluttony, not the actual autopsy.
  • Originally, Morgan Freeman drew his pistol with his finger on the trigger. Police officers that were on the set as technical advisors quickly corrected him, as that is not correct police procedure.
  • The original script had a strange, dwarf-like woman as part of the forensics team, appearing in every one of the “cleanups” after a murder and hurling foul language and epithets at Somerset and Mills.
  • An edited-out sequence near the beginning had Somerset looking over the country home he’s planning on moving into. He uses his switchblade to cut loose a rose on a fragment of silk wallpaper and carries it with him throughout the movie. The rose falls out of his jacket as he is taking off his gun before eating with the Mills family. (This touch was edited out, too. Both sequences are in the supplementary section of the Criterion laserdisc.) The rose is briefly visible in the opening scene, sitting atop a handkerchief on Somerset’s dresser.
  • The screenplay had references to a partner Mills had when he still lived in the country, named Parsons. Parsons was shot and killed while on a bust with Mills, and consequently Mills is overprotective of Somerset in some scenes. All references to Parsons were deleted before shooting began.
  • All the building numbers in the opening scene start with 7. The climactic delivery was scheduled for 7pm.
  • New Line executives originally balked at the film’s ending, but Brad Pitt refused to make the film if the ending were changed.
  • Charles S. Dutton has a cameo as the cop who keeps the press out of the Greed crime scene.
  • The producers intended that Kevin Spacey should receive top billing at the start of the movie but he insisted that his name not appear in the opening credits, so as to surprise the audience with the identity of the killer. To compensate, he is listed twice in the closing credits: once before the credits start rolling, and once in the rolling credits in order of appearance. Another advantage from Spacey’s point of view, as he saw it, was that he was excluded from the film’s marketing during its release, meaning he didn’t have to make any public appearances or do any interviews.
  • When Somerset is in his apartment, he can be heard listening to a radio broadcast of John F. McClellan. McLellan was a Boston disc jockey (among other things) who did live Tuesday night broadcasts from the Boston club Storyville, on WHDH radio in the early 1950s. In the clip in the movie, you can hear McLellan’s voice announcing some of the members of the band at Storyville that night, including Charlie Parker with Herb Pomeroy on trumpet.
  • All of John Doe’s books were real books, written for the film. They took two months to complete and cost $15,000. According to Somerset, two months is also the time it would take the police to read all the books.
  • R.E.M’s Michael Stipe was once considered for the role of John Doe.
  • As preparation for his traumatic scene in the interrogation room, Leland Orser would breathe in and out very rapidly so that his body would be overly saturated with oxygen, giving him the ability to hyperventilate. He also did not sleep for a few days to achieve his character’s disoriented look.
  • The film was the subject of a lawsuit brought by a photographer whose work was used in the background of John Doe’s apartment. The case was decided in the filmmakers’ favor. Sandoval v. New Line Cinema Corp., 973 F.Supp. 409, 412-414 (S.D.N.Y 1997).
  • Morgan Freeman’s son, Alfonso Freeman, played the part of a fingerprint technician.
  • Denzel Washington turned down the part that went to Brad Pitt, telling Entertainment Weekly that the film was too “dark and evil.”
  • When looking for the part of Victor, David Fincher stated that he wanted to find someone who was incredibly skinny, around 90 lbs. Michael Reid MacKay auditioned, and at the time weighed 96 lbs. Fincher gave him the part and jokingly told him to lose some more weight. Much to his surprise, MacKay turned up to filming having lost another 6 lbs.
  • The song “6ix” from the Evan Dando album “Car, Button, Cloth” gives away the ending of the film.
  • This was voted the eighth scariest film of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
  • The word “fuck” and its derivatives are said a discernible 74 times throughout the movie, mostly by Brad Pitt.
  • According to earlier versions of the script, the unspoken name of the police captain is Captain Lucas.
  • David Cronenberg was offered a chance to direct this but he turned it down.
  • The box full of photographs at the “Sloth” scene has written on the side “To the World, from Me.”
  • Before Kevin Spacey was set to shoot his first scene, he asked director David Fincher if he should shave his head for the role. David Fincher replied “If you do it, I’ll do it.” Both Fincher and Spacey were bald for the remainder of the movie production.
  • This was regarded as the first “A” production for New Line Cinema, proving that they could attract “A-list” directors and cast.
  • Brad Pitt earned $7 million for this film.
  • Andrew Kevin Walker had enormous difficulty getting a studio to buy the rights to his script because he was a complete unknown in Hollywood. Allegedly he put together a list of agents that represented writers that work in the crime and thriller genres, and just called each one up until he got a positive response.
  • The closing credits for this movie scroll from the top of the screen to the bottom, instead of from the bottom to the top like in most other movies.
  • Gwyneth Paltrow was David Fincher’s first choice for the part of Brad Pitt’s wife, having impressed him with her work in Flesh and Bone (1993). Paltrow was initially not interested so Fincher had to ask her then boyfriend – Brad Pitt – to get her to come in and meet with him.
  • Kevin Spacey was cast two days before filming began.
  • At exactly 7 minutes into the film Mills picks up the phone to be called over to the Gluttony scene.
  • An interesting coincidence is that Se7en portrays religion in a pejorative light, and in private life, Brad Pitt openly admits his disdain for religion of any kind.
  • Andrew Kevin Walker The writer of the film appears as the first corpse.
  • The victim tied to the bed for a year was not an animatronic model, but a very skinny actor made up to look even more corpse-like. Rob Bottin used a set of exaggerated teeth to make the head look smaller and more shrunken from malnutrition.
  • R. Lee Ermey originally auditioned for the part of John Doe. After the part was given to Kevin Spacey, Ermey was offered, and took, the part of the police captain.
  • The prison jumpsuit John Doe wears at the end of the film has the words “Bardach County Jail” written on it. Elinor Bardach was the costume supervisor for this movie.
  • One version of the script contained a few scenes following the final confrontation between the detectives and John Doe. In one, Somerset is recovering in the hospital after being shot by Mills, and the captain delivers a letter to him from Mills which reads, “You were right. You were right about everything.”
  • In one scene, Mills belittles Doe as a “Movie of the Week”. When this film was shown on network television, the line was changed to “Book of the Month”. (The line has since been restored in subsequent showings on Cable television.)
  • Even though he’s probably one of the most horrifying and sadistic killers in cinematic history, John Doe isn’t seen killing anyone on screen.
  • To appease the producers, who wanted to soften the dramatic ending a bit, an alternate version of the ending was storyboarded, with Somerset saying that he “wants out”, and killing John Doe, thereby preventing Doe from winning, and Mills from ending up in jail. In the mean time, the crew shot a test ending, which is basically the theatrical ending without some of the dramatic shots. This finale was so well received in screenings that it convinced the producers to go along with it, and not even film the alternate ending.
  • The ending in the movie is the ending in the original draft of the screenplay. Producer Arnold Kopelson had it rewritten and the ending became a race to save Tracey’s life. When David Fincher, Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman read the new ending, they all demanded the that original ending be put back in or they wouldn’t do the movie. (From the Platinum Series DVD).
  • One of the re-written endings of the film involved Somerset discovering that John Doe was raised by an abusive priest in a church orphanage. Doe kidnaps Mills and lures Somerset to a decrepit church decorated with artwork depicting the Seven Deadly Sins, intent on making Somerset murder him out of vengeance. Instead, Doe and Somerset engage in a shootout, and Somerset lawfully kills Doe to protect Mills’ life.
  • It is raining every day in the movie except for the last day. The reason is less about thematic issues and more about continuity. It rained on the first day that Brad Pitt filmed so they kept it going as they were rushing to do all of Pitt’s scenes before he left to go make Twelve Monkeys (1995).
  • Kevin Spacey as the antagonist, John Doe, made his first appearance in the film, as the photographer taking pictures of Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman at the sloth crime scene. If you pause the film at 54:45, when Pitt’s character was slapping the camera out of the photographer’s hand, you can clearly see that, it is Kevin Spacey.
  • John Doe only kills one of the “sinners” himself, and even that one is by accident (kicking Gluttony to wake him up, which makes his stomach burst). All of his other victims either kill themselves (Greed & Pride) or are killed by other people (Lust & Envy) or survive (Sloth & Wrath). The only murder John Doe actually commits intentionally by his own hand is Tracy Mills.
  • The ending narration of Somerset quoting Hemingway was an added compromise that neither David Fincher or Morgan Freeman particularly cared for. The decision came from New Line after poor test screenings regarding the dark ending.

Talking Points:

  • If you saw this movie in the theater, what made you go? Trailer? or word of mouth?
  • The end!

What We’ve Learned:

  • When you want somebody dead, you drive by and shoot them.
  • No matter how emotional you get, you need to keep focused on the details.
  • Just because you have a library card, doesn’t make you yoda
  • Apathy is not a virtue only a solution
  • Love cost’s, takes work and effort.
  • ‘The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.’ I agree with the second part.

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: Classic thriller, I’m glad I have this in my DVD collection.
Ray: Awesome film, awesome ending.. if you haven’t seen this you should be ashamed of yourself
Steve: Amazing film…I’m glad I took the time to watch it again. Was just as into it as I was the first time.

The Present: Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

Rotten Tomatoes: 37% Rotten; 90% Audience

Director: Michael Bay
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson, Buzz Aldrin, Frances McDormand, Peter Cullen, Hugo Weaving, Leonard Nimoy

Trivia:

  • Tony Todd, who voiced the title character of The Fallen in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), was going to play a human character in this film, but his role got written out of the script.
  • 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
  • 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. His head is also luminescent, in homage to his appearance in the series where two bulb-like appendages on his face regularly lit up.
  • 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.
  • US$1 million was spent during the two days of filming at the Milwaukee Art Museum.
  • 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 “Black Convoy”), 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 awakened or resurrected.
  • The Autobot Steeljaw was originally a robotic lion and a minion of Blaster in “Transformers” (1984), but this was revised to a robotic hound and minion of Leadfoot.
  • To film the skydiving sequence, Michael Bay attached cameras to the divers’ helmets to capture their descent into Chicago.
  • The Autobot Mirage was originally a Formula-1 race car but this was altered to a Ferrari 458 italia
  • Scenes from Michael Bay’s The Island (2005) freeway way chase were recycled for the chase on the freeway between The Autobots and the Decepticon Dreads.
  • This is not Leonard Nimoy’s first appearance in a Transformers movie. He provided the voice of Galvatron (the upgraded Megatron) in the 1985 animated Transformers movie, which also had Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime; the two had no lines together in that movie, however, as Optimus was killed before Galvatron was created.
  • There are several homages to storylines from the original Transformers (1984) cartoon. Megatron removing Abraham Lincoln from the Lincoln Memorial and using the chair as a throne, the Decepticons creating a Space Bridge to pull Cybertron into orbit around Earth, as well as the Autobots being exiled and forced to leave Earth to the mercy of the Decepticons all happened in the cartoon series.
  • The character, Sentinel Prime, as voiced by Leonard Nimoy, uttered a familiar and famous phrase in the later half of the film … “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few,” which is a direct quote from his most memorable character, Spock, from the film ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan”
  • Megatron’s characterization in this film heavily reflects that of Galvatron, Megatron’s upgraded form, from the original series (“Transformers” (1984)). This being, after the destruction of Galvatron’s Master, Unicron, he becomes a little more than insane in the series, in the same way, the destruction of The Fallen from the previous film (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)) has caused Megatron to go slightly insane.
  • The Gulfstream III private jet in which Sam and Mearing travel to Florida is owned by Michael Bay. Its tail number – 4500X – is the same as the helicopter Blackout used as a disguise in the first movie.
  • Early in the film a scene from the original Star Trek is shown along with the comment that “this is the episode where Spock goes insane”. This foreshadows Sentinal Prime’s insane plan later in the film as Leonard Nimoy played both Spock in Star Trek and the voice of Sentinal Prime.
  • 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.
  • Michael Bay conceived the Driller’s destruction of the skyscraper while doing stomach-crunch exercises.
  • When the employee is pushing the buttons on the photo copier that later transforms into Laserbeak, the distinct tones of the copier form the title theme song of the animated Transformers TV series.
  • The _Star Trek (TV Series 1966-1969)_ episode watched by Brains and Wheelie, where Spock “turns evil”, foreshadows the later betrayal by Sentinel Prime, who was voiced by Leonard Nimoy.

Talking Points:

  • How was the 3D
  • Anyone catch the nod to Star Trek 2?
  • Rosie’s performance
  • Shockwave – worth the wait?
  • The two annoying bots…again.

What We Learned:

  • Mark Ryan is hot. Oh wait, that’s a reference to the previous two movies.
  • Michael Bay lied about not having annoying bots in this movie.
  • See, 3D can be good if you try.
  • Peter Cullen’s Voice is orgasmic.
  • The Warriors path is a solitary one
  • Russian is like all the buttons on a calculator you never push
  • The Needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few……or the one

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: Eye and ear candy extravaganza! See it in 3D! Although 2D would be fine if you can’t see 3D anyway
Ray: This movie might be good if there were no people in it. I enjoyed watching Chicago burn.
Steve: I enjoyed it. The actors weren’t exactly great…but the action was! See it in 3D!

The Future: Straw Dogs

Director: Rod Lurie
Starring: James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgård

Trivia:

  • It is a remake of Sam Peckinpah’s 1971 film of the same name, in turn based on the Gordon Williams novel The Siege of Trencher’s Farm.

Talking Points:

  • Anyone see the original? 1971 Dustin Hoffman
  • Falling down? History of Violence?

Summary:

L.A. screenwriter David Sumner relocates with his wife to her hometown in the deep South. There, while tensions build between them, a brewing conflict with locals becomes a threat to them both.

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: Meh, looks alright. Could be interest . . .zzzzzzzzz
Ray: I never saw the Original..although I may see it now… not sure why this film had to be remade
Steve: I think this looks like it’s going to be a good one! Seems a little like “The Strangers”, but with more to it. I think I’m going to like 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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News:

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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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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