Movie Preview: Three Kingdoms - Resurrection of the Dragon
Big-budget Asian epics have lost their novelty about the time Zhang Yimou came out with his “Hero” and “House of Flying Daggers”. Now it seems like every Asian filmmaker is going for the “historical action epic” movie, and one of the most highly anticipated is Andy Lau and Maggie Q.’s “Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon”, which is based on the ever-so popular “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” novels written by Luo Guangzhong nearly 600 years ago. (John Woo’s own “Battle of Red Cliff” is also based on parts of it.) Variety says “Resurrection of the Dragon” has been budgeted at $20 million, and is now shooting in China under helmer Daniel Lee (”Black Mask”), who also wrote the screenplay adaptation.
Movie Preview: 1408, Trailer and Stills
The upcoming John Cusack/Samuel L. Jackson horror movie “1408″ looks really good, but I have two reservations about it: 1) It’s adapted from a Stephen King short story, so the movie adaptation (unless it’s by a guy named Frank Darabont) will probably suck. 2) It’s adapted from a Stephen King short story, so the “ghost” will probably end up being some spider alien from outer space or some spider creature from the center of the Earth. But anyways, here are some promo images from “1408″, starring John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Jasmine Jessica Anthony, Christopher Carey, Mary McCormack, and directed by Mikael Hafstrom (”Derailed”).
Jessica Alba in GOOD LUCK CHUCK, Trailer
In “Good Luck Chuck”, Dane Cook plays a guy name Charlie who is cursed with good luck — for people he has sex with, that is. It seems that whenever Chuck has sex with someone, they immediately find their soul mate the next day, and it ain’t him. This seems like a great scam, as he gets to have sex with tons of willing and desperate women (or at least according to the trailer). But then he meets Jessica Alba, who wants to have sex with him, but since he likes her, Chuck doesn’t want to have sex with her lest his curse drive her into the arms of another man. So what’s a guy to do when Jessica Alba is parading around in skimpy undies and soaking in bubble baths? Watch the trailer, I guess.
Testing Your Strength: How Fractured Are You?
If you look close enough, you’ll find everyone has a weak spot. Sometimes a person’s greatest strength is also his or her greatest weakness. In the upcoming film FRACTURE, Anthony Hopkins stars as Ted Crawford, a perfectionist who discovers everyone’s weakspot, except maybe his own. How much do you know about your own weaknesses? Take this quiz to find out which character in the film you are most like.
Can These Movies Take Down “300″?
This weekend’s new slate of movies (six of them) are all hoping to take down Zach Snyder’s “300″, but will they? Let’s see… The film with the best chance would probably have to be the Adam Sandler movie “Reign Over Me”, but will Sandler’s audience of immature dorks pay good money to see their idol act all serious? I dunno. The next contender is “The Hills Have Eyes 2″, which is a guaranteed genre money maker. But genre films rarely perform that well against tough competition, so I’m going to say no on this one. “Pride” is the new Terrence Howard movie that you’ve seen 5 billion times before, and looks just as sugary and disgustingly predictable as the rest of them, so if this one topples “300″, I’ll be mad just on principle. Mark Wahlberg’s “Shooter” takes a shot at America, and will piss off some people, so I’ll no…
Movies I’m Looking Forward to: “Shooter”
Antoine Fuqua’s “Shooter”, the big screen adaptation of Stephen Hunter’s “Point of Impact”, is one of the few movies I’m looking forward to that isn’t called “Transformers” or “300″. It’s got an intriguing premise, Mark Wahlberg is great in this type of physical action roles, and for some reason, movies about snipers and the art of sniping gets me all giddy, which is probably why I’ve seen all three “Sniper” movies with Tom Berenger when 99% of the population has no idea there were more than 1. The trailer for “Shooter” also rocks all kinds of ways, with the lovely Kate Mara playing Wahlberg’s love interest and Rhona Mitra in badass babe mode.
Movie Preview: “Skinwalkers”
I love me a low-budget horror movie. No, wait, let me rephrase that. I love me a cool low-budget horror movie. A horror flick needn’t have a big Hollywood budget to draw my attention, and “Skinwalkers” doesn’t have a big budget from the looks of it, but director Jason Isaacs seems to have gotten the most out of it. Two things that indicates this is the kind of movie that will look good on DVD but not so much on the big screen: obviously bad actors and a kind of “where’s the common sense?” script. Yes, I can tell both those things from the trailer. But hey, it looks pretty damn good, with plenty of werewolf and supernatural action, gunplay, and hot chicks involved in gratuitous sex scenes. Me likey! Keep reading…
Movie Preview: “Resident Evil: Extinction”
“Resident Evil: Extinction” is the third installment in the popular horror videogame turned successful movie franchise. In fact, it’s probably the most successful videogame-to-movie transfer that I can think of. (”Street Fighter” coming in a close second, of course. And by “close second” I of course mean it sucks major balls.) Best of all, “Extinction” has managed to bring back its original star, Milla Jovovich, who once again assays the role of Alice. This time Alice is in the Nevada desert getting ready to take out the Umbrella corporation. Read on…
Movie Preview: Christina Ricci in “Penelope”
Produced by Reese Witherspoon, PENELOPE (official site) is a modern day fairy-tale starring Christina Ricci and James McAvoy opens in theaters nationwide on April 6, 2007. PENELOPE is the story of a young woman, Penelope Wilhern (Christina Ricci), born to wealthy socialites (Richard E. Grant and Catherine O’Hara). Penelope is afflicted by a secret family curse that can only be broken when she is loved by one of her own kind. Hidden away in the family’s majestic home, she is subjected to meeting a string of blue-bloods through her parent’s futile attempt to marry her off and break the curse. Each suitor is instantly enamored with Penelope (and her sizable dowry)… until the curse is revealed.
Movie Preview: “Fracture”
“A cat-and-mouse game ensues between a hapless district attorney and a man who believes he has committed the perfect crime.” That’s the premise of the movie “Fracture”, a thriller starring Ryan Gosling, Anthony Hopkins, Embeth Davidtz, and of course, the oh-so-lovely Rosamund Pike. Gosling versus Hopkins? I don’t know they they didn’t cast Edward Norton and call this thing “Red Dragon 2″ and be done with it. In any case, the trailer looks interesting, if only because Anthony Hopkins can read the phone book and it’d look interesting to me. Plus, let’s not forget, Rosamund is in it, too, and she’s always worth a rental in my book.
Movie Preview: “The Hills Have Eyes 2″
You can’t keep a family of cannibalistic hillbillies down. “The Hills Have Eyes 2″ is coming, and this time a group of young National Guard trainees are attacked by mutants during a training mission in the New Mexico desert. Don’t you hate it when that happens? The flick opens March 23rd, 2007, and you can catch some hi-res trailers for it here. Some stills from the horror sequel remake (wha???) below. The film stars Daniella Alonso, Michael McMillian, Jessica Stroup, and Flex Alexander, and is directed by Martin Weisz ( Butterfly: A Grimm Love Story).
Is “Ghost Rider” Going to Skip the Critics? Maybe…
It’s a $120 million dollar comic book movie starring Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes, and the studio that made it might think it sucks so bad they’re going to skip the critics altogether and just dump the film into theaters on an unsuspecting populace. Maybe. The New York Post broke the story here: “Sony is dodging opening-day print reviews for “Ghost Rider,” which opens a week from Friday. Critics are being invited to the premiere the night before the opening as well as a “courtesy” screening on Friday, which means reviews will be buried in the Saturday papers.” Wow. We’re talking about a movie with a $120 million price tag here, kids, not some low-rent, $5-million dollar teen horror movie. What exactly does this say about the quality of “Ghost Rider”? I dare not opine.
Movie Preview: “Days of Glory”
Who doesn’t immediately associate the words “French army” with “complete surrender”? I mean, come on, these guys haven’t won a war in, well, I don’t think they ever won a war, have they? Wasn’t the last time they won a war, they burned the girl who led them to victory at the stakes? But anyways, the French war movie “Days of Glory” is determined to change that view of their native Frenchmen, and they’re going to start doing that February 16th when “Days of Glory” gets a limited release in the U.S. So what’s it about? Read on.
Your Weekend Movie Preview: The Messengers, Because I Said So, Factory Girl, and Constellation
The Pang Brothers make their Hollywood debut with a ghost movie that you’ve seen them do 100 times already (if you know who they are, that is); there’s “Because I Said So”, which earns its “chicks flick” status by showing the women in the movie dancing in the trailer; Sienna Miller tries to convince the world she’s more than a spoiled skank in “Factory Girl”, and black and white collides in the indie “Constellation”. Obviously if you’re a girl you’re going for “Because I said So” based entirely on the estrogen dripping from the film’s trailers, and if you’re a guy and under 18 you’re heading for “The Messenger”, since you think “originality” is for suckers.
Kate Mara and Mark Wahlberg in “Shooter”
Mark Wahlberg and Kate Mara (Remember her? The wacky redhead from Season 5 of “24″ who crossed paths with our beloved Chloe O’Brian?) teams up to bring down Washington political scumbags in “Shooter”. The movie is a contemporary reworking of the original novel “Point of Impact” by Stephen Hunter, about an ex-Marine sniper who is tricked out of retirement, set up by some political scumbags, and then must clear his name as a nationwide manhunt for him begins. The narrative sounds a lot like “The Bourne Identity” minus the amnesia and France, but don’t let that stop you from watching it anyway. The film has some promise; not only does the plot sound good, but Wahlberg has gotten some major creds coming off his insanely good role in “The Departed”. And Kate Mara is curiously very appealing to me.
John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson in “1408″
Samuel L. Jackson in a haunted hotel movie. Why not? Adapted from the short story by Stephen King, a renowned horror novelist Mike Enslin (John Cusack) believes only in what he can see with his own two eyes. But after a string of bestsellers discrediting paranormal events in the most infamous haunted houses and graveyards around the world, he has no real proof of life - or afterlife. Enslin’s phantom-free run of long and lonely nights, however, is about to change forever when he checks into suite 1408 of the notorious Dolphin Hotel for his latest project, “Ten Nights in Haunted Hotel Rooms.” Defying the warnings of the hotel manager (Samuel L. Jackson), the author is the first person in years to stay in the reputedly haunted room. Another bestseller may be imminent, but first he must go from skeptic to true believer - and ultimately survive the night.
Your Weekend Movie Preview: Blood and Chocolate, Catch and Release, Epic Movie, Seraphim Falls, and Smokin’ Aces
The guys who made “Underworld” tries for two in a roll with “Blood and Chocolate”, about a teen werewolf who falls in love with a human, causing all kinds of furry situations (get it? furry?); Jennifer Garner returns to romcoms with “Catch and Release”, co-starring that guy from “Deadwood”, minus the wacky walk; “Epic Movie” is yet another attempt to parody everything in sight, but if the commercials are any indication, this movie is going to be as funny as watching Keith Olbermann on MSNBC; and finally, carnage, bullets, and a hot Alicia Keys ensues in “Smokin’ Aces”, from the creator of “Blood, Guts, Bullets, and Octane”, so you know it’s got to be good. Right?
Movie Preview: “The Messengers”
The Pang Brothers (Oxide and Danny) take Hollywood by storm with “The Messengers”, a horror movie about kids who sees ghosts and dumb ass adults who don’t. If you don’t know them, the Pangs are notable for their Asian horror movies, having been responsible for major hits like “The Eye” (soon to be remade into an American version, of course, as if you didn’t see it coming), “The Eye 2″, and just for kicks, “The Eye 10″. And if you haven’t seen “The Eye 6″ — oh boy, you’re missing out! But I digress. It looks like the same-o, same-o: ghost kids, spooky sounds, and probably a murder mystery that needs to be solved and blah blah blah. I have little hopes for this one, which is too bad, because I’m a major fan of the Pangs. I love me some Pangs.
Your Weekend Movie Preview: The Hitcher and The Italian
In this corner, the Hitcher! In that corner, the Italian! Who will win? Who cares? That’s your choice for this weekend. The remake of the ’80s thriller “The Hitcher” has no competition to speak off, with only “The Italian” opening in limited release, which means even if it’s a steaming pile of bird doo doo, the totally unnecessary (and from the trailers, totally insipid) remake will make some good money. Whoever programmed the film to release this weekend knew what they were doing and deserves a raise.
Preview: Danny Boyle’s Sci-Fi Actioner “Sunshine” Trailer
Danny Boyle is a pretty good filmmaker with an insanely eclectic filmography. The dude went from a wacky drug-out flick in “Trainspotting” to a wacky (but pleasantly cool) romantic drama in “A Life Less Ordinary” to a zombie marathon in “28 Days Later”. His latest is “Sunshine”, a sci-fi thriller about astronauts in the near future sent to “re-ignite” a dying sun or else mankind is doomed. Boyle re-teams with “The Beach” and “28 Days Later” writer Alex Garland (who recently made noise by being paid a cool $1 million to write the now-defunct “Halo” movie). Check out the trailer and some movie stills for the flick. It definitely looks good, but I still have reservations about how the subject matter and constrained locales will translate into an action movie.