Monthly Archives: April 2011

Podcast

MOV050: “The ones with Yodas and shit on ‘em”

The boys go back in time to revisit the Coen Brother’s classic “Raising Arizona”? Does the ensemble still hold up today? Then they spend…um, waste…their money and hour and a half of their lives watching “Your Highness”. Ooops…guess that review is already spoiled, so let’s just move on. They also review the teaser trailer for Kevin Smith’s “Red State”. Is the unique distribution model going to get this movie enough exposure so that we can all see it when it comes out in October? All of this and movie news about the Governator, post-apocolyptic Zorro, the re-release of LOTR at AMC, and ANOTHER Beiber movie?

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News:

The Past: Raising Arizona (1987)
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% Fresh / 82% Audience

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Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, Trey Wilson, John Goodman, William Forsythe, Sam McMurray, Frances McDormand

Trivia:

  • Fifteen babies played the Arizona quintuplets in the film. One of the babies was fired during production when he learned to walk
  • Kevin Costner turned down the lead role
  • The Coen brothers wrote Holly Hunter’s character specifically for her.
  • Nathan, Jr. doesn’t cry at all throughout the entire movie. But all the other main characters do at some point.

Talking Points:

  • Was the biker H.I’s father?
  • Maricopa County Jail – check out Lock Up on MSNBC

What We’ve Learned:

  • If a frog had wings, he wouldn’t bump his ass a’hoppin
  • With chairs you got a dinette set. No chairs, you got dick.
  • When preparing crawdads, be sure to add sand
  • When digging yourself out of prison, it’s always a good idea to scream really loud. Nobody will hear you.
  • It’s customary for the Tempe police department to shoot aimlessly into a residential neighborhood, even if their suspect is an unarmed diaper bandit wearing ‘hose over his head.
  • When robbing a bank, make sure to check the bag for exploding canisters of paint
  • Keep your grenades secure to avoid accidental pulling of the pin.

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: Classic Coen Brother’s movie, so good but not for everyone. Occasional rental for me but may be worth a buy to others.
Ray: Good movie if your into Coen Bro’s type of comedy… sometimes dark, almost always bizzare
Steve: Probably my favorite Coen Brothers movie. I’m a big Holly Hunter fan. Worth a rental!

The Present: Your Highness
Rotten Tomatoes: 24% Rotten / 49% Audience

Director: David Gordon Green

Starring: Danny McBride, James Franco, Rasmus Hardiker, Natalie Portman, Justin Theroux, Toby James, Zooey Deshanel

Trivia:

  • Although the film was written by writer Ben Best and actor Danny McBride, the dialogue is heavily improvised. Director David Gordon Green said there was never a script used on-set. Only the plot outline and written notes were used

Talking Points:

  • Would this have been a better movie if they didn’t try so hard to be funny?
  • Who the hell did Natalie Portman piss off to get stuck in this?
  • Stoner movie?
  • Will the Razzies even consider this one?

What We Learned:

  • You know a movie is going to be high class when it has boob jokes in the opening credits.
  • Beating off in front of a Pegasus is elementary
  • What the potentially worst movie ever made may look like
  • If you can’t take the horns, take the penis.

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: While it had it’s funny moments, not a good movie. But that’s Danny McBride for you.
Ray: I don’t think its possible to smoke enough weed to make this movie funny.
Steve: Absolutely hated it. Enough said. Don’t waste your time or money.

The Future: Red State

Director: Kevin Smith

Starring: Michael Parks, John Goodman, Kevin Pollak, Melissa Leo, Stephen Root

Trivia:

  • The Westborough Baptist Church planned to protest Red State at its premier at the Sundance Film Festival. Kevin Smith in turn planned a counter protest which he and his fans took part in. At the premier the counter-protesters heavily outweighed the handful of Westborough protesters who showed up. This occurred 12 years after Smith’s first film to tackle religious controversy, Dogma (1999), drew protests from certain sects of the Catholic Church. One of which Smith jokingly took part in himself.
  • There is no score for this film. The entire soundtrack consists of songs sung within the film itself.
  • Smith has an quick off-camera cameo at the end of the film, as a prison inmate, yelling the last line in the film.
  • Kevin Smith’s lowest budget film since Chasing Amy (1997).
  • Kevin Smith wrote the role of Abin Cooper for Michael Parks after seeing his performance in From Dusk Till Dawn. Smith has said that if Parks had not agreed to be in the film he would have dropped the project entirely.

Talking Points:

Summary:

Three teenagers come across an online personal advertisement from an older woman looking for kinky group sex. But what begins as a fantasy takes a dark turn as they come face-to-face with a terrifying fundamentalist force with a fatal agenda.

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: I want to see it, but still not sure if I’d like it.
Ray: I’m excited, simply because I want to see how Kevin does a horror flick.
Steve: Looks good to me…even though it’s just a teaser trailer, it packs some awesome images that really draw me in.

Coming Attractions

The Past
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The Present

The Future

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MOV049: “This Is Our Once A Year Day”

In the 49th reel, the boys go back in time to check out the musical about working in a 1950’s pajama factory.  Yes, that’s correct..working in a 1950’s pajama factory!  Does “The Pajama Game” still fit today?  (Ba-dum-dum)  In current film, they FINALLY check out the ILM animated feature “Rango”.  Did they find any redeeming qualities in the random cast of desert animals searching for water or should they have just died of thirst?  Lastly, the boys check out the trailer for the upcoming “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”.  Is Jack Sparrow still relevant or should he just down with the ship?  All of this and movie news about remakes of “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “The Crow” (yeah, that’s what we thought too!), along with updates on the sequels to the not yet released “Thor” and “Captain America”, and what’s going on with George Takei (rhymes with gay).  Don’t pass up this “jammy” packed episode!

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News:

The Past: The Pajama Game (1957)
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% Fresh / 66% Audience

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Director: George Abbott, Stanley Donen

Starring: Doris Day, John Raitt, Carol Haney, Eddie Foy Jr., Reta Shaw, Jack Straw, Ralph Dunn, Barbara Nichols, Thelma Pelish

Trivia:

  • 39% of the cast is from the original Broadway production.
  • The soundtrack LP, released by Columbia Records, vaulted to ninth position among “Billboard”‘s popular albums.
  • A song written specifically for Doris Day, “The Man Who Invented Love” (music and lyrics by Richard Adler), wound up on the cutting-room floor. Currently, the recording can be listened to on the soundtrack CD from Collectables, and the footage can be watched on the DVD from Warner Home Video.
  • The original Broadway production of “The Pajama Game” opened at the St. James Theater in New York on May 13, 1954, ran for 1,063 performances and won the 1955 Tony Award for the Best Musical. Shirley MacLaine was in the ensemble and was an understudy to Carol Haney. Miss MacLaine did go on for Miss Haney at least once during the Broadway run, allowing her to perform the popular songs “Steam Heat” and “Hernando’s Hideaway”. John Raitt, Carol Haney, Eddie Foy Jr., Reta Shaw, Thelma Pelish, Ralph Dunn, Ralph W. Chambers, Mary Stanton and Buzz Miller were in the original cast and recreated their roles in the movie version.
  • Frank Sinatra turned down the lead role in The Pajama Game (1957), which would have paired him up with Janis Paige, who played the role on Broadway. As a result, Paige lost out on playing the part to Doris Day, who was considered a bigger box-office draw

Talking Points:

  • What does this say about the state of society at the time it was made?
  • Undertones of Romeo and Juliet?

What We’ve Learned:

  • The second hand doesn’t understand that your back may break and your fingers ache and your constitution isn’t made of rock
  • 7½ cents doesn’t buy a heck of a lot
  • Its not ok to hit employees, but its ok to shove them
  • Not only is free beer at a company picnic acceptable its encouraged!
  • Just knock 3 times and whisper low that you and I were sent by Joe

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: There’s a special place in my heart for this movie as I had an amazing time being in the play in High School. Best shape I’ve ever been in.
Ray:I dig musicals, but this one was a no go for me.. I kept falling asleep
Steve: I am a huge fan of musicals…especially many classics in film. However, it was difficult for me to get into this one, despite knowing it was highly successful.

The Present: Rango
Rotten Tomatoes: 89% Fresh / 72% Audience

Director: Gore Verbinski

Starring: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Ned Beatty, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy, Stephen Root

Trivia:

  • This is the first animated feature produced by special effects company Industrial Light & Magic.
  • Rattlesnake Jake was modeled after Lee Van Cleef.
  • Ned Beatty based his performance on that of John Huston’s in Chinatown (1974).:
  • Johnny Depp character Rango was modeled after Don Knotts character Barney Fife from “The Andy Griffith Show” (1960).
  • The first cat that Beans talks to in Dirt is an obvious vocal impression of staple western actor Pat Buttram.
  • Spirit of the West was modeled after Clint Eastwood.
  • The wanted posters in the sheriff’s office offer rewards for “Lockjaw Smith” and “Disco Lovejoy.”

Talking Points:

  • Anyone catch the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas reference?
  • Lots of facial close ups.
  • Does knowing how this movie was filmed make you appreciate it any more or less?
  • What do you think about the animation itself?
  • Did you have a favorite character?

What We Learned:

  • If you want to find water you must find Dirt
  • The desert and death are the closest of friends
  • Cactus root is a natural laxative

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: A couple of funny reference moment, but the movie overall was just okay. Amazing animation though.
Ray: Kudos to ILM for amazing visuals… Story was ok, but I felt it went on way too long.
Steve: I thought it looked great, although some of the characters were creepy looking (Dark Crystal). Not sure that I feel it’s a kid’s movie – kind of in the vein of Nightmare Before Christmas – but I overall liked it. The voice acting was very good.

The Future: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Starring: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane

Trivia:

  • The title was revealed by Johnny Depp in character as Jack Sparrow, at Disney’s D23 Expo on September 11, 2009.
  • Disney’s Head of Production Oren Aviv said that this would “hopefully be the first of another trilogy.”
  • Johnny Depp said he agreed to star in this, before “there was a script or anything”.
  • This film is loosely based on the 1988 pirate novel ‘On Stranger Tides’, by Tim Powers. The novel’s protagonist is a pirate named Jack, but his character is significantly different from Jack Sparrow
  • In May 2010, Disney announced that this movie will be filmed using 3-D cameras. The special effects, however, will be rendered in 2-D then converted to 3-D to keep the budget lower.
  • This is the only “Pirates” film to not be directed by Gore Verbinski.
  • Penélope Cruz was pregnant during the filming of the movie

Talking Points:

  • Penelope Cruz – draw or detraction?
  • Is this franchise worth our time or has it “jumped the shark”?

Summary:

When Captain Jack Sparrow crosses paths with the enigmatic Angelica, he’s not sure if it’s love — or if she’s a ruthless con artist who’s using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the “Queen Anne’s Revenge,” the ship of the legendary pirate Blackbeard, Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know whom to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica, with whom he shares a mysterious past.

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: Yes, we do need another Pirates Movie. I like the idea of just making each one an individual story.
Ray: I have really no interest in this series anymore, it’s hard to get excited about it.
Steve: I am not particularly interested in the franchise anymore…but I do admit that this one looks better than any of the previous to me.

Coming Attractions

The Past
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The Present

The Future

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MOV048: “Chunky Asses”

The boys go back to 1985 to check out the Eddie Murphy “classic” (used liberally), “The Golden Child”. Once they recuperate from that experience, they take on the James Wan’s “Insidious”. Did Jeff jump under his seat? Only he really knows… Finally, they review the trailer for “Captain America: The First Avenger”. Is everyone ready for one of many, many superhero movies that will hit big screens soon? In news, the boys talk about the 20 most common box office misconceptions and the Superman reboot. All this is much, much more!! Tiptoe through the tulips with us!

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News:

The Past: The Golden Child (1986)
Rotten Tomatoes: 26% Rotten / 49% Audience

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Director: Michael Ritchie

Starring: Eddie Murphy, J.L. Reate, Charles Dance, Charlette Lewis

Trivia:

  • John Carpenter was offered the job as director.
  • Originally intended as a serious adventure drama with Mel Gibson in the lead role. After Gibson turned the film down and Eddie Murphy replaced him, the script was rewritten as a partial comedy.
  • Although the Golden Child is referred to as a boy throughout the film, the character was actually played by a girl.
  • John Barry was originally hired to compose the score, but backed out of the project during production. Although Michel Colombier completed the score, a few cues by Barry remain in the film, and one, “Wisdom of the Ages” was released on the soundtrack LP.
  • According to an early-1990s interview with Eddie Murphy, a love scene between him and Charlotte Lewis was filmed, but cut from the final print.
  • The Aja-Yee Dagger Chandler Jerrold goes to Nepal to find, later defeating Sardo with, was named after fellow comedian Franklyn Ajaye.
  • George Miller was Eddie Murphy’s first choice for director.

Talking Points:

  • Eddie Murphy.. the action star? do you think this would have been more successful without the comedy?
  • Some people credit this movie with killing eddies career.

What We’ve Learned:

  • Always lock the Temple door before partaking in your reincarnation ceremony
  • Secret to long life? Get raped by a dragon
  • You should always give a woman two chances to say no
  • Bikers like glam metal
  • Always check your oatmeal for blood before eating

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: Okay, so not as bad as I remember it, but still only okay.
Ray:..I’m with the audience and Roger Ebert on this one.. the movie is stupid and silly, but entertaining
Steve: Absurd, but that’s why I..I..I..I..like this movie. Cheese!

The Present: Insidious
Rotten Tomatoes: 64% Fresh / 79% Audience

Director: James Wan

Starring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Sympkins

Trivia:

  • This is the second movie where Ty Simpkins plays the son of Patrick Wilson’s character.
  • In the scene where Josh is dismissing his class, director James Wan’s name can be seen on the blackboard, underlined twice.

Talking Points:

  • Were you getting what you expected?
  • What was up with the matching monkey pajamas?
  • Husband? annoying? Hey babe.. hey buddy.
  • Poltergeist?
  • Saw franchise connections to this movie….Wan (Blackboard in school room)

What We Learned:

  • Tiny Tim…always scary.
  • People just standing there can be hella scary.
  • Just freak the audience out by using screechy dissonant sounds and creepy font.
  • If you can astral project, don’t get lost!

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: While not like a school girl, I did scream at a couple of points. I applaud the film makers.
Ray: It made me jump, I thought the last 20 minutes of the movies was ..odd
Steve: Two thirds of this movie was awesome…a little Paranormal Activity-ish…but the last 20 mins or so just went wackadoo. Still better than The Last Exorcism and I would definitely watch again.

The Future: Captain America : The First Avenger

Starring: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell

Trivia:

  • Jon Favreau was originally chosen by Marvel Studios to direct this film, but he chose to direct Iron Man (2008). Nick Cassavetes, was also considered to direct this film, and had been set as a director for Iron Man (2008) in December 2004.
  • Despite being “The First Avenger”, it is the last solo Avenger film to be released before the team-up film, The Avengers (2012).:
  • According to producer Avi Arad: “The biggest opportunity with Captain America is as a man ‘out of time’, coming back today, looking at our world through the eyes of someone who thought the perfect world was small-town America. Sixty years go by, and who are we today? Are we better?”
  • Joe Johnston was chosen as the film’s director for his work on the period adventure films The Rocketeer (1991) and October Sky (1999).
  • Louis Leterrier viewed some of the concept art for the film, and was impressed enough to offer his services, but Marvel Studios turned him down. However, his film The Incredible Hulk (2008) features a small appearance by Captain America: a deleted scene set in the Arctic features his body hidden in a slab of ice.
  • Screenwriter David Self, who wrote a draft of the script, claimed Captain America was his favorite childhood superhero: “My dad told me I could one day be Captain America.”
  • Sam Worthington and Will Smith were in early talks for the role of Captain America. Later on Garrett Hedlund, Channing Tatum, Scott Porter, Mike Vogel, Sebastian Stan, Chris Evans, Wilson Bethel, John Krasinski, Michael Cassidy, Chace Crawford and Jensen Ackles were on the final shortlist for the role. Kellan Lutz, Ryan Phillippe and Alexander Skarsgård carried out auditions, but ultimately the role went to Chris Evans.
  • Alice Eve and Keira Knightley were considered for the role of Peggy Carter. Emily Blunt turned down the role.
  • Tommy Lee Jones who plays Colonel Phillips in this film, also appeared as Two-Face/Harvey Dent in Batman Forever (1995). Both Captain America and Batman faced off in the Marvel vs. DC crossover in 1996.
  • This is the fifth live-action adaptation of the superhero. The first was the serial Captain America (1944); the second was the TV movie Captain America (1979/I) (TV) and its sequel Captain America II: Death Too Soon (1979) (TV); and the fourth was the theatrical film Captain America (1990).
  • Chris Evans was attracted to the role of Captain America by its character: “Even if it wasn’t a comic book. I think the story of Steve Rogers is great. He’s a great guy. Even if it was just a script about anybody, I would probably want to do it. It wasn’t necessarily about the comic itself. He’s a great character to play; he just happens to be a comic book character.”
  • Hugo Weaving based the Red Skull’s accent on renowned German filmmakers Werner Herzog and Klaus Maria Brandauer.
  • To prepare for her role as Peggy Carter, Hayley Atwell trained six days a week.
  • Originally cameo appearances were planned in the film for James Logan Howlett (Wolverine) and Erik Lensherr (Magneto), who were present during World War II (Logan was a soldier and Lensherr was a prisoner of war). These cameos were scrapped due to rights issues.
  • Chris Evans fifth comic book movie after the two Fantastic Four movies, The Losers (2010/I), and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010).
  • The final Paramount Pictures film produced with Marvel Studios. Disney bought the rights to The Avengers (2012) and Iron Man 3 (2013).
  • Chris Evans declined the role three times before accepting the part. After that, he had a meeting with the director and the producers who convinced him to take the role.
  • Originally cameo appearances were planned in the film for Namor the Sub-Mariner, the Prince of Atlantis, but this was scrapped.
  • Sebastian Stan was considered for the role of Captain America, but got the role of Bucky instead.
  • Hayley Atwell based her performance as Peggy Carter on Ginger Rogers: “She can do everything Captain America can do, but backwards and in high heels.”
  • To prepare for his role as Bucky, Sebastian Stan watched many World War II films/documentaries, and drew inspiration from “Band of Brothers” (2001).
  • Stanley Tucci took the role of Dr. Reinstein because the role enabled him to use a German accent, which he always wanted to do.
  • The film was originally meant to be a standalone film, but after Joss Whedon was hired to direct The Avengers (2012) he was given a copy of the film’s script and made a few rewrites to tie it in to the Marvel Cinematic Universe: “I just got to make some character connections. The structure of the thing was really tight and I loved it, but there were a couple of opportunities to find his voice a little bit – and some of the other characters – and make the connections so that you understood exactly why he wanted to be who he wanted to be. And progressing through the script to flesh it out a little bit.”
  • Joe Simon, who created the “Captain America” comic in 1941 (before Stan Lee revived it in 1964), was approached to make a cameo appearance in the film
  • The Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) searches for a powerful artifact, the Cosmic Cube. In Transformers (2007), Weaving voiced the villain Megatron, who also searched for a similar cosmic cube-shaped relic (the AllSpark).

Talking Points:

  • Anyone see any of the other Captain America Movies?

Summary:

After being deemed unfit for military service, Steve Rogers volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending America’s ideals.

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: I’m always up for Super Hero movies.
Ray: Looking forward to this exponentially more than thor
Steve: I didn’t know some of the stuff about CA’s background until I saw the trailer. Looks good to me!

Coming Attractions

The Past
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The Present

The Future

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MOV047: “You’re A Sexist, Egotistical, Lying, Hypocritical Bigot.”

This week we check out the classic Nine To Five, the present Jake Gyllenhaal film Source Code, and look the Kung Fu Panda 2 trailer. This plus movie news all in this reel of COL Movies.

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News:

The Past: Nine to Five (1980)
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% Fresh, 69% Audience

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Director: Colin Higgins

Starring: Jane Fonda, Lilly Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Dabney Coleman

Trivia:

  • Dolly Parton’s first film
  • The TWA flight shown taking Roz to the Aspen Language Center was used in reality on the ill-fated TWA 800, which exploded off of Long Island, NY
  • Violets Fantasy Characters were to reference Snow White, and Robin Hood
  • A VHS Release was planned the same day as the Theatrical release, but was pushed back 3 months due to complaints from Theater owners.

Talking Points:

  • What 3 women would you cast if this movie was made today.

What We’ve Learned:

  • Xerox Machines can be operated by morons
  • Always check for a skull and crossbones when making your bosses coffee
  • Smoking in a hospital is always acceptable
  • Doctors don’t talk to candy stripers… piss off
  • Corpse Stealing, Kidnapping, Hostage Taking, Trespassing, Signature Forging, Credit Card Stealing are all OK as long as you get your boss promoted.

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: It’s a wonderful movie. Had a bunch of parts where I wanted to run and hide but in this case, it’s all good parts of the movie. I think I need this for my collection.
Ray: Another movie I watched over and over in my childhood…
Steve: One I hadn’t watched in a long time. Definitely smiled and reminds me of the female comedies of the 80s like Outrageous Fortune, Big Business, and similar.

The Present: Source Code
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% Fresh, 87% Audience

Director: Duncan Jones

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright

Trivia:

  • The Voice of Colter’s father on the phone was none other than Scott Bakula, from TV’s “Quantam Leap” and he started off his conversation by saying “Oh Boy” his catch phrase from the show.
  • Colter Keeps saying “Everything is going to be ok” a line he also spoke in the Alternate Reality mindbender “Donnie Darko”

Talking Points:

  • Not that you guys would notice, but I kept getting distracted by the things in Chicago that were “not quite right”
  • Quantum Leap on a Train?
  • The Doctor’s character…annoying?

What We Learned:

  • Chicago has WAY fancy commuter rail lines with huge bathrooms!

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: It’s a nice way of doing the Groundhog’s Day thing. Everything was well put together and enjoyable, just not great.
Ray: Although a bit predictable in certain respects.. it was an entertaining film.
Steve: It’s alright. Entertaining. Jake acted well.

The Future: Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom

Starring: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, David Cross, Lucy Liu, Dustin Hoffman, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Gary Oldman

Trivia:

  • The teaser trailer was shown with both 2D and 3D versions of the films Megamind, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Tangled, and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. The trailer was then released on the Internet on November 7, 2010. Three posters have been released so far.
  • The trailer was shown numerous times during the commercial breaks of the 2011 Kids Choice Awards.
  • On December 30, 2010, DreamWorks released a fifteen second TV spot for the film.
  • On February 4th, 2011, a thirty second TV spot was released on the internet, and was aired during Super Bowl XLV, on February 6th, 2011.
  • A full length theatrical trailer was shown in front of screenings of Rango and Hop. This was later uploaded on DreamWorks Animation’s YouTube page.

Talking Points:

  • Jack Black is like Will Ferrell

Summary:

Po (Jack Black), now a kung fu master, is fighting to protect the Valley of Peace alongside with Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) and the Furious Five; Monkey (Jackie Chan), Crane (David Cross), Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Viper (Lucy Liu), and Mantis (Seth Rogen), when a new evil, the emperor albino peacock Lord Shen (Gary Oldman), emerges to take over China with a weapon so powerful, it threatens the existence of kung fu itself. Po sets out with the Furious Five to vanquish this threat, but must first confront his own mysterious past in order to find the strength to succeed

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: Skadoosh!
Ray: Yes Yes Yes!
Steve: Loved the first movie…so I’m going to take the chance on this one, despite Jack Black.

Coming Attractions

The Past
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The Present

The Future

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MOV046: “Don’t Wake The Mother!”

The boys go back in time to review the childhood classic, “The Last Starfighter”. Does it hold up to all the shoot ‘em space and video game movies of today? They finally get to check out Zach Snyder’s “Sucker Punch” and see if the hype is worth it. Lastly, they look at the screen adaptation for Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged: Part 1”. Does it really predict the death of the American economy? Guess we’ll have to see! All this and movie news…in this week’s COL Movies!

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News:

The Past: The Last Starfighter (1984)
Rotten Tomatoes: 74% Fresh, 65 % Audience

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Director: Nick Castle

Starring: Lance Guest, Robert Preston, Dan O’Herlihy, Catherine Mary Stewart

Trivia:

  • Robert Preston’s Last Movie
  • Director Nick Castle played “The Shape” in Halloween
  • The Star Car is based on the Delorean
  • The First movie to do all of its special effects inside a computer on a Cray X-MP
  • The game was actually developed by atari and was to be released on home systems, but never made it past the prototype stage
  • The scenes shot with the “Beta Unit” were shot after the main fiming was complete, Lance Guest had to wear a wig for these scenes as he had cut his hair
  • In 2007 a musical based off the screen play was performed as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival
  • In addition to the major “Star Trek universe” roles later played by “Starfighter” cast members Wil Wheaton and Marc Alaimo, several others in the movie’s cast guest starred in various “Star Trek” franchises. They include Dan Mason, Barbara Bosson, Norman Snow and Geoffrey Blake. But notable among them is Meg Wyllie (“Granny Gordon”) who played one of the Talosian “keepers” in the “Star Trek” (1966) pilot, “Star Trek: The Cage (#1.0)” (1966).

Talking Points:

  • Very “Tron”-inspired, don’t you think?
  • Do you think Doc Brown’s car may have bit a little off the car in this movie?

What We’ve Learned:

  • You never know when a video game may be testing you!
  • When your chance comes, you have to grab it by both hands and hold on tight.
  • Who wouldn’t want a Beta unit?
  • Always wait till your at cruising altitude before removing your face.

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: Total classic, so glad I finally bought it.
Ray: I spent the remainder of my childhood trying to be The Last Starfighter
Steve: Always loved this movie as a kid. First time I’ve watched it in years…still think it holds up.

The Present: Sucker Punch

Director: Zack Snyder
Starring: Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Jamie Chung, Carla Gugino, Oscar Isaac, Scott Glenn

Trivia:

  • Amanda Seyfried was the first choice for Babydoll, but she dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.
  • Emma Stone was in early talks to star as Amber, but dropped out to star in Easy A (2010).
  • Evan Rachel Wood was the first choice for Rocket but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts and Jena Malone replaced her.
  • Zack Snyder told Vanessa Hudgens that this feature would be his first action movie, despite the fact that 300 (2006) is considered an action movie.
  • Vanessa Hudgens says she’s looking forward to being seen by a whole new audience that might not necessarily be familiar with her work in the “High School Musical” films.
  • Olivia Thirlby was at one stage rumored to replace Amanda Seyfried as Babydoll before Emily Browning replaced her.
  • Eric Dane was one of the choices to play High Roller.
  • Zack Snyder’s first film that is not based on another work. Dawn of the Dead (2004) was a remake of a 1978 film by ‘George A. Romero’. Both 300 (2006) and Watchmen (2009) were based on graphic novels. And Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (2010) is based on a children’s fantasy book. However, the film does heavily feature motifs from Lewis Carroll’s book ‘Alice in Wonderland’ – the movie’s logline while being pitched to studios was even “Alice in Wonderland with machine guns.”
  • Tim McGraw was considered for the role of High Roller.
  • Before Jamie Chung replaced Emma Stone as Amber, Freida Pinto was considered to play the role.
  • The two banners beside Scott Glenn’s character as shown in the trailer are a famous couplet from ‘The Art of War’ by Sun Tzu: “Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain.” This was later made into a famous battle standard by the Japanese warlord Takeda Shingen.
  • Zack Snyder’s first live action film to not receive an R rating in the U.S.

Talking Points:

  • The new Matrix? Is this title deserved?
  • Did this movie Gel for you?
  • Did some things move very quickly? (Got that the exposition moved quickly to get to the point – then all of the characters started dying so fast!)
  • Supposedly there were 18 minutes cut out of this film along with a musical number
  • Did anyone stay for the credits?
  • Music!

What We Learned:

  • Baby Doll can dance!
  • Men are pigs.

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: I can see where the bad reviews come from, but it’s a great popcorn movie. Loved it.
Ray: I really don’t understand where all the hate is coming from this movie, I liked it.. I saw it twice already!
Steve: I liked it a lot! I love a good kick-ass girl movie.

The Future: Atlas Shrugged Pt. 1

Starring: Taylor Schilling, Paul Johansson & Annabelle Gurwitch

Trivia:

  • Based on the 1957 novel by Ayn Rand.
  • Rand, a former Hollywood screenwriter herself, began writing her own screenplay, but died in 1982 with only one third of it finished.
  • According to Variety, The Godfather (1972) producer Albert S. Ruddy spent years trying to bring the novel to the big screen, attracting the interest of Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway along the way.
  • In the late 1970s, NBC had plans to bring the novel to television as one of the multi-part mini-series popular at the time. Ayn Rand wanted Farrah Fawcett to star, but the project never materialized.
  • Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron and Maggie Gyllenhaal were among the actresses considered to play Dagny Taggart, with Brad Pitt being considered to play John Galt.

Talking Points:

  • Who is going to see this movie? Who is it geared toward?
  • Considering the “point”, will this do well or are we too concerned about escapism at this time?

Summary:

It was great to be alive, once, but the world was perishing. Factories were shutting down, transportation was grinding to a halt, graineries were empty–and key people who had once kept it running were disappearing all over the country. As the lights winked out and the cities went cold, nothing was left to anyone but misery. No one knew how to stop it, no one understood why it was happening – except one woman, the operating executive of a once mighty transcontinental railroad, who suspects the answer may rest with a remarkable invention and the man who created it – a man who once said he would stop the motor of the world. Everything now depends on finding him and discovering the answer to the question on the lips of everyone as they whisper it in fear: Who *is* John Galt?

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: I’m going to see it just because it’s Ayn Rand
Ray: ??? I don’t know what to make of this trailer.. i feel i should be more interested than I actually am.
Steve: It took me watching a couple documentaries on line to understand this trailer. A little too existential for me.

Coming Attractions

The Past

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The Present

The Future

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