Brüno Makes His Way to American "Soil"

Anyone who was a fan of 2006's "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" will be pleased to hear that Sacha Baron Cohen's newest film "Brüno" is currently in production.  And, it seems as though Cohen's character "Brüno" was spotted in Wichita, KS last week.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, Cohen was sighted in the Wichita, KS airport filming his newest project and was promptly asked to leave.  Apparently, Cohen had a permit to shoot in the airport, but because of his performance, security escorted him and his film crew off the premises.  Jeff Giles (of Rotten Tomatoes) wrote, "security workers became concerned when they began dancing in tight short shorts, kissing and fighting in the lobby."  He added, "Security couldn't find anything illegal about the performance, but asked the crew to leave."

Cohen,who is best known for his red-hot satire "Borat," seems to be recreating the gist of his previous project, but with a different character at the helm.  For those familiar with the series "The Ali G Show," they already know the character of "Brüno" from his many "reporting" spots.  For those who are new the character, just picture an Austrian gay man who is as brash as our friend "Borat" from Kazakhstan.

Many people, I know, do not understand or appreciate the annoying, rude, and often explicit style of comedy that Cohen brings to the table with these sorts of projects.  But, do try to keep an open mind, and dig a little for the beautiful irony and disturbing behavior displayed by we the American public.  There is a deeper meaning here than just surface potty humor.

Stay posted for updates on "Brüno," or it's rumored official title, "Brüno:  Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable in the Presence of a Gay Foreigner in a Mesh T-Shirt."

Until then, auf weidersehen.

(Photo taken from www.smh.com)

Fanboys Blows Up Like the Death Star

"Did you hear that? They shut down the main reactor. We'll be destroyed for sure. This is madness."

Ah yes, the famous opening lines of "Star Wars: A New Hope."  Too bad they apply to today's blogpost topic.

According to IFC.com, the latest film from Kyle Newman, "Fanboys," may never see the light of day again.  This comedic film highlights a group of "Star Wars" fans who journey across the country to George Lucas' "Skywalker Ranch" to steal a copy of "Episode I: The Phantom Menace" before it has been released.

The film casts Sam Huntington ("Detroit Rock City"), Chris Marquette ("Alpha Dog") and Dan Fogler ("Balls of Fury") among a long list of others.  George Lucas even gave his "seal of approval (wikipedia.org)" and donated original sound effects from the Star Wars films to its cause.

According to the posting, the film was set to release in August of 2007 and was pushed back until January of 2008.  Apparently, the film was granted a larger budget after it was completed and new scenes were shot by a different director - Steven Brill.  In addition, the original film included a cancer driven story plot that was being removed and re-edited with more "raunchy humor" to appeal to a younger audience, says wikipedia and IFC.

Funny enough, there are still two existing versions of the film and currently there is no release date attached to either of them.

At present, there is an internet movement entitled "Stop Darth Weinstein" calling Star Wars fans to boycott the newly edited version of the film.  The film's production company "The Weinstein Company" has begun to recognize the movement.

According to a press release by The Weinstein Company, "it plans to jointly release two versions of its highly anticipated film, 'Fanboys,' on home video, with the Company exploring options for its theatrical release."  

Check back often for updates on "Fanboys," and look for it in theaters this summer (cross your fingers).

(Photo taken from www.weinsteinco.com)

The Satellite of Love is Still in Orbit

If you're like me, you died a little bit in January of 2004 after the last official rerun of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3k) aired on the Sci-fi network.  (For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, it looks like you were deprived of a happy childhood.)  Mike Nelson and his robot pals stole countless hours of my youth and I loved every minute of it.  Now, I often spend many-a-night scouring youtube and veoh for memorable episodes to ease my pain.

After some recent web searches, I happened upon the web site of the show's creator, Joel Hodgson, and it seems as though he's at it again.  Hodgson has teamed up with Trace Beaulieu, J. Elvis Weinstein, Mary Jo Pehl, and Frank Conniff, to revive their brand of movie riffing for a project aptly named "Cinematic Titanic."

The premise is simple; a cheesy (very very cheesy) movie plays in the background, while silhouettes of the aforementioned actors clutter the foreground.  As you and the riffers watch this steaming pile of Hollywood trash, the silhouetted actors make fun of, or riff (as it is commonly referred to) the movie at hand.  For a better illustration, just watch the trailer below.

Fans of MST3k will notice its similar yet distinctly different style to the original television show.  According to Hodgson, "[he] didn't want it to be as cute," as the original show.  Yes, that means no more puppet robots.  The show isn't scaled down in the least, however.  Now, in addition to the characters on screen, silhouetted props are utilized for added effect.

While this is all well and good, there still remains one crucial factor: Are you a Mike or a Joel kinda guy (or girl) (or zombie).  For those foreign to the series, Mike J. Nelson took over the show for Hodgson, who used to be the main character, during episode 512 until it's eventual cancellation.

Fear not my Mike-loving compadres.  Mike has his own version of MST3k too, entitled Rifftrax.  This does differ from the original MST3k episodes as well because they're audio tracks designed to accompany famous movies (rather than B-movies).  These MP3's can be downloaded for the low price of $3.99 and a player has been released to help facilitate the process.

So far, over 50 releases have been made, including "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," "Cocktail," and "Raiders of the Lost Ark."  Each has a number of various guests to help Mike with his parody fest.

If you've never experienced an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, I highly recommend you find one on the net or rent one of the DVD releases.  It is a comedic triumph not to be missed.

For the rest of us, let's help Joel and Mike keep doing what they do best and get some laughs along the way.  Keep and eye out for "Cinematic Titanic" and "Rifftrax..."  ...Because you never know when you may be abducted by a mad scientist and forced to watch B-movies against your will...

Killer Tomatoes

Well, today's blog is a huge departure from my normal ones.  Well I guess it's only a slight digression, but none the less I find this entertaining.

Today RottenTomatoes.com reported that there will allegedly be a remake of "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes," from 1978.  According to the website, Kent Nichols and Douglas Sarine will be penning the screenplay.  For those of you who are fans of "Ask a Ninja," this is where Nichols gained his acclaim.

For those who are going, "What are you talking about?"  "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes," was a film from the 1970's about killer tomatoes that begin to wreak havoc causing the government to set up a specialized task force to handle the hostile fruits.  

If this movie sounds dumb, that's because it is.  But, that's also why you need to watch it.  Take it upon yourself to laugh at the cheesy jokes, bad timing, and Adolf Hitler cameo and make sure you turn your brain off before your DVD player on.

Personally, I think this sounds rather strange and exciting if they can pull it off correctly.  The original movie is a hilarious blend of campy humor, music, and giant killer tomatoes.  What more could you want (I guess besides a movie that doesn't suck).

If, in the slim chance you do find these types of movies entertaining, I suggest watching "Killer Clowns from Outer Space" (a personal favorite), "The Blob" (the 80's version), and the "Critters" series.  Like I said before, don't expect much from these horrors of Hollywood.  Just sit back, relax, and add some cheese to your diet.

(Photo taken from www.sallys-place.com)

The Assassination

I seem to write a lot about films that people have missed over the years, but I find that it is important to keep these diamonds in the rough glistening for all to see.  This entry will be no exception.  With all of the Oscar buzz surrounding "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" this year, another film with a western theme seemed to be left in the shadows.

That film was "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford."

Wow, what a title huh?  If that's not a mouthful then I don't know what is.   At any rate, "The Assassination" (as I will now refer to it) is a beautifully shot, intrinsically moody and an undeniably haunting tale about the final days and assassination of Jesse James, played by Brad Pitt.  Pitt is joined by Casey Affleck (Robert Ford), Sam Rockwell (Charley Ford), and Paul Schneider (Dick Liddil); all of whom give brilliant performances, in particular Casey Affleck.

Affleck plays Robert Ford, the brother of a member of the James' Gang who is seeking entry to the posse.  Through some stroke of luck, Robert Ford is admitted to the gang where he begins to idolize Jesse and emulating his every move.  After being ridiculed by James for his awkwardness and youthfulness, Ford begins his plot to assassinate James.

This is where the film gets really good.  Affleck carries an eerie mood with him throughout the entire movie.  From start to finish, you never really feel like you can trust his character.  According to Roger Ebert, Affleck exhibits an almost homosexual-like obsession over his leader James.  "[He's] certainly not gay, but the Coward is so powerfully mesmerized by him that hero worship shades into lust," Ebert said.  Affleck's performance alone warrants a viewing of this film.

In addition to the wonderful acting all around, the film has a beautiful art direction and a magnificent sense of cinematography.  Gorgeous landscapes, intricate portraits and attention to detail (as far as the time period is concerned) hold "The Assassination" together at the seams.

The film is, however, a slow ride.  These beautiful moments are strung together almost like a series of moving still-life's.  Much of the story is told through the emotions and brilliant acting of the characters with the occasional voice over to add detail and narrative when needed.  Even still, I believe that this was done very intentionally as to keep the audience guessing what James was feeling as much as the other characters in the film.  

In addition to the exquisite visuals, the story-line is fascinating.  Just don't expect the film to shovel it down your throat in 90 minutes.  This puppy is a whopping 160 minutes (almost 3 hours), but it's well worth the wait.

If you consider yourself a patient movie-goer, then look no further than "The Assasination of Jesse James."  I guarantee you will find yourself lost in the beautiful aesthetics and remarkable acting in the film.  Just make sure you take a nap before the movie so you can make it through in one sitting.

(Photo taken from www.slashfilm.com)

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Today's post will be short, but I guarantee it will be ever so sweet.

While perusing IMDB today I came across Wes Anderson's new project "The Fantastic Mr. Fox," and I must say it sounds quite intriguing.  The film is based on Roald Dhal's book of the same title and tells the story about a bunch of farmers who are fed up with a sly fox eating all of their chickens.  The farmers take action and decide to get rid of the fox and his whole family (IMDB).

According to Wikipedia, the film will employ several different styles of animation with a focus on stop-animation.  Anderson will be working with his usual crew of animators from the Life Aquatic days.

As far as talent is concerned, George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, and Bill Murray have already signed on to the project.  There are talks concerning the acquisition of Jason Schwartzman and Angelica Huston, but these plans have yet to be finalized.

If you have absolutely no idea what I've been talking about for the past few paragraphs it's time to do some research of your own!  Wes Anderson was the brilliant director of (my personal favorite) Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Life Aquatic: With Steve Zissou.  If you haven't seen them, then do so and don't forget to check back for more updates concerning "The Fantastic Mr. Fox."

(Photo taken from www.cs.princeton.edu)

Iron Man Lives Again!

Wait, wait wait.  Now, I know exactly what you are thinking:  "But "Iron Man" is a.) a super-hero movie, b.) definitely not independent or not well known, and c.) probably not worth our time."  Well, just hang on a minute there hot-shot.

Jon Favereau's newest film "Iron Man" is due out in theaters this May and personally, I'm pretty pumped (and for me to be pumped about a super-hero flick says a lot).  Favereau is known for his direction in such movies as "Elf," "Zathura," and "Made."

For those who aren't well versed in the world of comics, here's the skinny on the comic aspect of this metal-clad juggernaut.  "Iron Man" was originally a comic created by famous comic book artist Stan Lee.  Iron Man's human counterpart, Tony Stark, built the Iron Man suit to save and sustain his life after a devastating injury.  Due to the nature of the suit, i.e. it's strong and gives him some "super human powers," he decides to fight crime.  The only catch is that earlier in life Stark was forced to create another suit for his nemesis Jim Rhodes.  From this conflict stems much of the series' action and plot.

This movie has an all-star cast as well as some names you might not expect.  Robert Downy Jr. lends his talent to the role of "Iron Man/Tony Stark" and Terrance Howard is playing "Jim Rhodes."  I was pleasantly surprised to find that Jeff Bridges will be playing the part of "Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger."  Bridges has, of late, been primarily acting in smaller independent roles, so this will be a big change for him.

And now for the good stuff, more specifically point "a"  What has me so excited for "Iron Man" is the fact that Favereau allegedly used practical effects whenever possible (Canmag.com).  Obviously, when Iron Man is soaring over the Californian skies, practical effects aren't so practical.  But, for the little things that make the cinematic world believable, it should make all the difference.  Favereau says that he "looks to use CGI in a subtle way that does not take you out of the movie."

As for point "b," there's no way of getting around the fact that this movie will be a summer blockbuster.  There is, however, some hope for this film.  According to IMDB, Favereau shot this film from an "independent" perspective.  He also name dropped "Batman Begins" as an influence for the film.  Just keep your fingers crossed.

And now for point "c."  As for now, "Iron Man" looks as though it will be shaping up as the premier super-hero movie of 2008.  It has gorgeous special effects, top notch talent, and good direction to boot.  Here's hoping it turns out for the best.

Check back for more updates on "Iron Man," and be sure not to miss it in theaters this May 2nd.

Photo taken from www.toxicshock.tv.