tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48369152181703975472024-02-20T17:19:56.455-05:00You Should Watch FilmsA celebration, meditation, rumination, and examination of the movie-going experience.KJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648071657536242824noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836915218170397547.post-23708103259195771442012-03-18T04:25:00.004-04:002012-03-18T04:36:08.062-04:0021 Jump Street is THE New Benchmark for TV-to-Movie AdaptationJonah Hill and Channing Tatum star in "21 Jump Street," a film that is raunchy and completely irreverent in every sense of the word. It hits the perfect balance of being self-aware and still hitting the necessary notes for a dutiful adaptation of the show. There are cameos for the fans, and hard-hitting jokes for everyone else. <div><br /></div><div>In films such as these that provide a laugh a minute, or at least try to, there are some misses. But the hits are entirely worth it. "21 Jump Street" rewards big crowds and packed theaters. Catch a late showing, and sit back. The supporting cast is great, and Michael Bacall ("Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," "Project X") has a great ear for teen dialogue and random bon mots. </div><div><br /></div><div>Phil Lord and Chris Miller ("Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs," "Clone High") make their live-action debut and they do their fellow animator-gone-live-action compatriots proud. The film is flashy in the appropriate spots and lovingly sends up the action tropes and cop movie cliches. The less I say, the better. If you wait for a rental, at least invite as many of your pals over as possible. That said, you will not be disappointed by springing for a ticket. </div><div><br /></div><div>(***1/2, three out of four stars)</div>KJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648071657536242824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836915218170397547.post-31529367375993295492012-02-29T18:34:00.002-05:002012-02-29T18:58:41.693-05:00John Carter: Word of Mouth = Dough<div><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Note: This was originally a response to an AICN article reviewing the Disney release, "John Carter". This article can be found <a href="http://www.aintitcool.com/node/53943">HERE</a>.</span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><span>This movie is going to have legs. I was at the Hero Complex screening, and it was astounding. I'm just going to say it: it was LOTR good. Modern classic good. It never made my eyes roll like Avatar did, and it never played into irritating mega-blockbuster politics, like Avatar (insert end credits song here).</span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><span>The marketing is head-scratchingly awful. If I had to guess, someone had it in for Stanton. Someone high up in Disney; perhaps someone new. The team is trying to make up for it now, as in no longer hiding what the movie is. But too little, too late. Any want-to-see is going to be from word-of-mouth (anyone not into movies would very confused from that sentence).</span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><span><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><span>There is imagery, singular images in this movie, that have been etched into my mind in a way I haven't felt since, dammit, Jurassic Park. That's how good JOHN CARTER is. And yes, I did expect more from Giacchino; he proved what he could do with UP. Still, you'll see how the film does. Just watch.</span></div>KJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648071657536242824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836915218170397547.post-34836733871798504902012-01-22T18:52:00.003-05:002012-01-22T18:56:12.844-05:00Red Tails: The Legend of the Tuskegee Airmen<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">RED TAILS is a very important film, but almost entirely for political reasons. African-American history is full of struggles and triumphs, pain and glory. A film which mythologizes that history has an extremely delicate balancing act to pull off. MALCOLM X. GLORY. ROOTS. All works of great length, gravitas and grit. So, how does a 2-hour action adventure fit into these? Not easily. </span><br style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><br style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Hemingway and</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> Lucas essentially co-directed this film, with a great cast that does their best to craft the Tuskegee Airmen story into a modern legend. However, should this story be treated like, say THE UNTOUCHABLES treated Ness vs. Capone, or Westerns and other genres treat historical figures? I think it can be pulled off, but Lucas' brand of myth and the 332nd's fight for respect is an uneasy mix.<br /><br />I was thrilled by the dogfighting, and I can't remember seeing an all-Black film with a production value this high. The film is almost retro in its characterization, dialogue and simplification of the battles of the Airmen, akin to war films of the late 40's and 50's. But will a modern audience accept that? Will they watch a big-budget, sanitized Black war film (and should they)? Can they have fun while watching what is essentially a Civil Rights action movie? I sure hope so, because I did.<br /><br />Red Tails is exactly the film it sets out to be. The film is intentional in its presentation, and frankly it's up to the filmmakers to make sure that the audience understands the tone. Unfortunately, Red Tails may be ill-served by its marketing, as even Black audience members will be expecting a film with more grit and anger, which this film is not.<br /><br />In fact, some may say that a kinetic, adventurous tone is unfit for a story such as that of the Tuskegee Airmen. The great thing about cinema is you can tell any story any way you please. An Italian comedy about the Holocaust. A drama about the making of Facebook. A farm boy leading a rebel alliance against an evil empire. Only thing is, you better be pretty damn good at it.<br /><br />I'm triply biased towards Red Tails; Hemingway (TREME), McGruder (THE BOONDOCKS) and Lucas. The crew attempted to make a Black film for everyone to watch, and they succeed, for the most part. This is the Legend of The Tuskegee Airmen, the Tale of the 332nd. I recommend it, but not without a number of caveats. Yes, it can be cheesy, at times. Yes, the dialogue can be pat and wooden, at times. And yes, there are hits and misses. But dammit if I wasn't inspired by the end of it.</span>KJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648071657536242824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836915218170397547.post-62152227499371711902012-01-18T02:46:00.002-05:002012-01-18T12:24:07.440-05:00Why The Prequel Trilogy was a Good Thing<div>George Lucas basically sacrificed the prequel trilogy in the name of digital filmmaking. Shooting with the Cinealtas. On-set motion capture. Fully CGI characters. Digital backlot environments (overdone, yes).</div><div><br /></div><div>Wooden dialogue and rushed plotting aside, Lucas didn't let anyone else direct the films because, and here's what sad (very sad), the stories weren't the point. Anyone who tried to make a legitimate story out of the prequels would have only interfered with George's true aim: ushering in a new age of digital cinema.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Star Wars films did this single-handedly. No Jar-Jar, no Gollum. No Sony F3 Cinealta, no James Cameron 3D rigs. You get the picture. The prequels are bad to the point that they make you question your own sense of taste and moral compass. Unless you look at them only as what they are: science experiments.</div><div><br /></div><div>Granted, Lucas gave it his all on Episode III, which is still rated Fresh on RT and Metacritic (so take that, motherfuckers), going so far as to enlist Tom Stoppard on dialogue and Steven Spielberg on 2nd Unit. But by that point, Lucas had accomplished what he set out to do: allowing films to use a completely digital workflow.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, now with effects technology having broken down all barriers (cloth, fur, hair, skin, water, fire, you name it) and possessing the ability to make ultra-realistic CGI planes or Iron man suits or whatever, George can make Red Tails or Koyaanqatsi 4 or whatever. It took tearing his Star Wars universe in two, literally, and alienating a major swath of fans, but now Lucas can do anything he wants.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yeah, I'm pissed about the original trilogy's original versions being only available on VHS or as a bonus on the limited edition DVDs. I'm pissed that Lucas makes Vader moo at the two most important moments of his life. But whatever. Those movies are still a part of me. Watching the Special Edition in theaters with my family. Playing Super Star Wars on Saturday morning. Reading Tag & Bink, and the New Jedi Order trilogy. This is what we do. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, either go see Red Tails, or Phantom 3D, or fucking not at all. It doesn't matter. The landscape has been changed forever. 48 frames per second, that's next. Feature films shot on iPhones and 5Ds. VFX of the same caliber on film, television and gaming. You have one man to thank for that. Okay, several. Several hundred in fact, but the point is Lucas played a big hand in that.</div><div><br /></div><div>As for myself, I'm gonna go check out Red Tails. I'm anxious to see what a Lucasfilm production looks like without Indy or Jedi. Peace out, and stop hatin'. Jeez.</div>KJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648071657536242824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836915218170397547.post-69718045588601306802011-06-22T18:05:00.000-04:002011-06-22T18:06:09.039-04:00I Left My Heart on Oa<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; "><div class="BVRRReviewTextParagraph BVRRReviewTextFirstParagraph" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="BVRRReviewText" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Spoiler Alert: Screw this movie.</span></div><div class="BVRRReviewTextParagraph" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="BVRRReviewText" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">I say that as a former reader of DC's Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, and even my dad's old issues of Green Arrow/Green Lantern. Decades of rich storytelling, cosmic mythology, and intergalactic heroics ruined in two hours of franchise-building, quadrant-pandering, and story-by-committee.</span></div><div class="BVRRReviewTextParagraph" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="BVRRReviewText" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">I could literally hear the different timbre of multiple keyboards being struck by the writers. That's how much of a mash this movie is. No piece fits with the other. No piece is strong in and of itself. It tries to be all things to all audiences, and fails. Like a cinematic equivalent of Hershey's Take 5. Instead of being a good adventure movie, it's a date movie, a douche a-hole buddy comedy, a Cronenberg body horror flick, and a Spielbergian sci-fi extravaganza. Each one of these movies suck.</span></div><div class="BVRRReviewTextParagraph" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="BVRRReviewText" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Hal Jordan's biggest moments in this movie are disrupted and undercut. Even the key realization of overcoming fear being more important than feigned fearlessness is made by Carol Ferris, not Hal Jordan himself. The flashback scenes are bungled to the point of absurdity. Hal crashes a plane because he can't stop thinking about his dad, who died in a crash decades prior. Why does he think about his dad? Because he looks at a picture of him in his cockpit. It's a wonder he doesn't crash his plane every time he flies, because all he has to do is LOOK AT THE PICTURE AGAIN.</span></div><div class="BVRRReviewTextParagraph" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="BVRRReviewText" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Things happen in this movie for no reason. People say things for no reason. It really hurts me to slam this movie, THIS MOVIE, as if it's a bad joke. I've enjoyed these comics ever since I was a kid, back when I swore they would never make a film based on Green Lantern. Not even Daredevil was this bad, but at least "Daredevil" didn't feel like Daredevil. "Green Lantern" is a Green Lantern movie through and through, steeped in the mythology and storyline. And it makes a vomit sandwich out of it all.</span></div><div class="BVRRReviewTextParagraph BVRRReviewTextLastParagraph" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="BVRRReviewText" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">It would have been better if this movie had never been made. Forget about Guy Gardner, or John Stewart, or the rebirth of the Corps, or Blackest Night, or even the Justice League. All that is over and done with. This film validates skipping the so-called B-list characters. It justifies the fatigue and cynicism that audiences have with superheroes, and with summer movies. It justifies waiting for video, waiting for Netflix, and flat-out avoidance of comic books in general. </span></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; ">Screw this movie.</span>KJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648071657536242824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836915218170397547.post-75762703002756267242010-12-13T21:09:00.010-05:002010-12-13T21:59:34.389-05:00Teeth on the Floor: Summer 2011<span class="Apple-style-span">I love going to the movies. I read up on all the latest news, as often as I can. I came upon an article from the LA Times<a href="http://herocomplex.latimes.com/"></a>, where director Jon Favreau had said,<br /></span><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span">It’s Omaha Beach, it’s going to be a blood bath. There’s never been a summer like this next summer. It’s going to be bloody. As we were sticking thumb tacks in a calendar we realized that this is going to be looked back upon as Omaha Beach. [The list is] pretty staggering. There’s not a weekend where there won’t be teeth on the floor.</span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span">It seemed a little dramatic. And then, I took the time to actually compile the list.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; ">APRIL </span><br />4/15 - </span>Scream 4<div><span class="Apple-style-span">4/29 - </span>Fast Five</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; ">MAY </span><br />5/6 - </span>Thor</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">5/13 - </span>Priest <span class="Apple-style-span">(based on comic)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">5/2<span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;">0 - </span></span>Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">5/27 - </span><span class="Apple-style-span">T</span>he Hangover 2, Kung Fu Panda 2, The Tree of Life <span class="Apple-style-span">(dir. Terence Malick)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; ">JUNE</span><br />6/3 - </span>X-Men: First Class, Beginners <span class="Apple-style-span">(Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">6/1<span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;">0 - </span></span>Super 8</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">6/17 - </span>Green Lantern</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">6/24 - </span>Cars 2, Rise of the Apes</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; ">JULY</span><br />7/1 - </span>Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Larry Crowne <span class="Apple-style-span">(Tom Hanks)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">7/8 - </span>Zookeeper <span class="Apple-style-span">(Kevin James)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">7/15 - </span>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II; Winnie The Pooh</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">7/22 - </span>Captain America: The First Avenger</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">7/29 - </span>Cowboys & Aliens, Horrible Bosses <span class="Apple-style-span">(dir. Seth Gordon, King of Kong)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; ">AUGUST</span><br />8/5 - </span>The Smurfs</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">8/12 - </span>30 Minutes or Less <span class="Apple-style-span">(dir. Ruben Fleischer, Zombieland), </span>Mr. Popper’s Penguins <span class="Apple-style-span">(Jim Carrey)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">8/19 - </span>Conan the Barbarian, Fright Night, Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">8/26 - </span>Final Destination 5</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />Damn. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">I love going to the movies. But I also love eating meals, and paying rent. Average ticket is $10 bucks nowadays, and that's $50 a month if you're a heavy moviegoer. Factor is 3-D surcharges, family outings and concessions, and you might want to take the gang out to the opera instead.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">As for studios, any monies they can hope to recoup from each film is going to be limited to that opening weekend. The trickling effect throughout the weeks will be diminished. It's not as if some small indie movies are opening on their heels, but honest-to-goodness blockbusters.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">"X-Men: First Class" opens June 3rd. The fans come out and cheer. Next weekend, the new J.J. Abrams film, with many of his fans being the same as X-Men fans. The next weekend? Green Lantern. So even if these films open big, say $50 to $80 million, the drops will be high-60% if they're lucky. Most of this slate's films will see more than half their gross come from just one weekend. That's insane.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">That's par for the course for a Fast and Furious, or a genre film with short legs, but not an entire slate. Any given summer, you may have three, four or five megablockbusters, not ten.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">2002 had a Spider-Man film, a Star Wars film and a Men In Black film in the summer.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">2010 had Iron Man 2, Toy Story 3, a Twilight movie and Inception. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Now, triple that.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Summer 2011's going to be a tough one.<br /><br />KJ</span></div></div>KJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648071657536242824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836915218170397547.post-42551287173938331372010-07-01T21:41:00.001-04:002010-07-01T21:41:57.280-04:00Airbent Out of ShapeThere's a tremendous message in this film about using peace and harmony with the elements in defeating an enemy instead of outright murder and killing. Having a superpowered pacifist is rare for a Hollywood blockbuster. That said, this entire movie was on fast-forward. Throughout, I just kept begging for 15-30 more minutes to be tacked on. Instead of rushing through so many key sections, why not take the time to know these characters? <br /><br />M. Night seemed to be operating under the assumption of us ALREADY knowing these characters. If that's the case, then what's the point of watching this movie? Why spend so much to get so many things right like the sets, costumes and creatures, and then get the basics wrong? Like character arcs, or multidimensionality (happy-sad-confused-angry-sad-happy vs. sad-sad-sad-sad-sad-sad). Don't talk about journeys; go have a journey. <br /><br />Don't tell a random kid a backstory; just have the flashback during a nightmare or a brooding session at least. Don't let random characters do important things, let important characters do important things. DON'T CHARGE EXTRA FOR 3-D YOU BARELY USE!!! Good will counts for a lot and when you sacrifice, you rarely get it back. I can always go back and watch episodes of the Last Airbender. Will I see another M. Night film? I want to say yes; the man gave me Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. But the fact I have to hesitate sums it all up.<br /><br />A good friend of mine unraveled Signs before my eyes. The Village and The Happening made no sense. I'm still afraid to watch Lady in the Water. But this? THIS?!! Experienced filmmakers like Shyamalan know better. Producers like Kennedy and Marshall know how much presentation counts for enjoying movies. Charging patrons extra to LESSEN their viewing experience is uncalled for. Choosing voiceovers instead of well-written scenes, scenes already in the friggin' cartoon, is uncalled for.<br /><br />Experienced, accomplished filmmakers don't make mistakes like these unless they want to. And if they wanted to, frankly, screw them.KJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648071657536242824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836915218170397547.post-73237837540458083942009-12-19T18:30:00.001-05:002009-12-19T18:32:33.893-05:00The Next New LevelCameron is a certified genius, or is at least smart enough to work with the right geniuses. And he's right about the higher framerate being the next step. If you've ever watched the 120 Hz mode that some HDTVs display, you can see a big difference in sports or movies.<br /><br />I haven't seen Showscan or any other high framerate formats, but I can imagine how vivid it'd be on the big screen. 24 fps is the bare minimum for the illusion of motion, and the earliest filmmakers had to make do. But in this digital age, we could and should do better.<br /><br />A tentpole release like Avatar, or Spider-Man or Disney's Pirates, would see its effects budget skyrocket, more than doubling its render time and processing needs from an increase from 24 fps to 48 or 60 fps. Movies released in 3-D already have a substantial cost added to them for re-rendering the effects for both eyes.<br /><br />However, if more special effects, not visual effects, were captured in camera, then the increase in framerate would be a non-issue. By now, matte painting, rear projection, miniatures, puppetry, animatronics, and make-up are becoming lost arts, but would become necessities and revitalized in a 48/60 fps production.<br /><br />Before Pandora's digital forests, Peter Jackson realized King Kong's Skull Island through big-a-tures. Independence Day was a perfect melding of digital and model work, as were Jackson's Lord of the Rings series. And the T-Rex attack in Jurassic Park wouldn't have been as visceral or withstood the test of time if not for Stan Winston's work.<br /><br />So, to realize a high-def, high-framerate feature in 3-D, and to maintain current costs in effects, concessions would be needed. 2000 effect shots in 24 fps would cost the same as 1000 shots in 48 fps, or 800 shots in 60 fps. And what happens next?<br /><br />Davy Jones becomes KNB makeup or Henson Shop animatronics? Worked for Predator. Worked for Ninja Turtles. Iron Man and War Machine are 100% Stan Winston suits instead of a shot or two? Worked for Robocop. More in-camera explosions? More live-action footage and plates? Why not? What better way to reproduce photorealism than to use photographic actuality? <br /><br />What better way to recapture the wonder of cinema? Without the Pace-Cameron Fusion camera to ground Avatar's live-action sequences, the film might have lost its moorings visually. There is still room for magicianship in cinema, and not just at the keyboard. And maybe the new next level is a very familiar one instead.KJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648071657536242824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836915218170397547.post-63236332102743787192009-03-17T01:27:00.001-04:002009-03-17T01:29:09.050-04:00The Adventures of TintinKJ here. This is another link to another of my hilarious, furious TalkBacks at Ain't It Cool. Here's the link: http://www.aintitcool.com/talkback_display/40467#comment_2562011<br /><br />And here's the talk! Enjoy:<br />Alright, geeks, time for some education. If you're an 80's kid that had HBO (not as many as you'd think), you'd remember such greats as Encyclopedia, Fraggle Rock, BABAR, Encyclopedia Brown (no relation to Encyclopedia, which was friggin' great!), and Tintin.<br /><br />For many of us, if any of us, it was our first exposure to the character, who predated Johnny Quest, James Bond, and Indiana Jones. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Spielberg namedropped Tintin in those INdy story conferences on mysteryman's blog.<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wik i/The_Adventures_of_Tintin<br /><br />Anyway, Tintin was a kickass show, for its time. Serious in a way no other show was before it, until Batman The Animated Series. Still, a great show, and a clear translation from the comics. Here's the opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =o82nM-NW4hE<br /><br />Cool, huh? No?<br /><br />Screw you, then. Anyway, those who'd like to know more (and you're cool, btw) can check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T he_Adventures_of_Tintin_(TV_se ries)<br /><br />The closest thing to doing a show like this, tapping into such a wellspring of history, would be doing a Jack Kirby Fourth World series (which was technically the last season of Justice League), or The Spirit (which is technically what Frank Miller did. But with humans).<br /><br />Ah, screw it. Here's, for all intents and purposes, the whole damn series: http://www.youtube.com/view_pl ay_list?p=8EA2E81D2D853E6C<br /><br />Enjoy, and educate yourself before opening your tech-mouth.<br /><br />Stop hatin'! Nivek out.KJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648071657536242824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836915218170397547.post-44779412650798401272009-03-06T14:55:00.003-05:002009-03-06T14:58:29.739-05:00I Watch The WATCHMEN (on IMAX!!!)KJ here. This is a link to a short review I gave for Watchmen. It's R-rated, as the film is, and quite graphic (I was surprised, but hey, it was the only way). So, if in your heart and mind, you're underage? Please don't follow the link. Anyways, here goes:<br /><br />http://www.aintitcool.com/talkback_display/40326#comment_2542629<br /><br /><a href="http://www.aintitcool.com/talkback_display/40326#comment_2542629"></a><br /><br />PEACE!<br /><br />And go see WATCHMEN! (On IMAX!!!)KJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648071657536242824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836915218170397547.post-5704211348645564722009-02-24T20:20:00.003-05:002009-02-24T20:32:22.507-05:00You Should Watch MY FilmsHey, everyone and all. KJ here. Since I am an independent filmmaker after all, I would be remiss if I didn't show you me very own films, now would I?<br /><br />Yes, I would.<br /><br />Take my word, and don't just look up "remiss" at m-w.com (even though I just did).<br /><br />This piece is titled "A Midnight Snack". It was my entry for YouTube's 'Project:Direct' 2009. It didn't win, or even place finalist, but I'm proud of it all the same. I shall let it speak for itself.<br /><br /><br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8KCZkfugcko&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8KCZkfugcko&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><br />Up next is a short called "Election Day", which I directed and co-wrote with my brother, who produced. It was submitted into the 15 Annual Hayti Heritage Film Festival, where it won Best Short Film. I'm quite proud of it, as you can see. Anyhoo, here it is.<br /><br /><br /><embed id="VideoPlayback" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=6965462379466433012&hl=en&fs=true" style="width:400px;height:326px" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"> </embed><br /><br /><br />Thanks for checking out the films, and I hope you enjoyed them. I'll let you know when the next one comes around. 'Til then, take care. And go watch some more movies!!!<br /><br />PEACE!<br />KJKJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648071657536242824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836915218170397547.post-56288398324681544322008-10-05T11:52:00.001-04:002008-10-05T11:52:16.795-04:00You Should Watch Skits<div>This is the funniest skit from SNL I've seen in years. Check out Andy Samberg's delivery of the word 'goat'.</div><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/48e8e2b06aeb0e40/4727a2501a2a0f59/4bb5254c/widget.js"></script>KJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648071657536242824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836915218170397547.post-34402131650082687862008-09-26T11:40:00.002-04:002008-09-26T13:27:39.643-04:00Concerning GHOSTBUSTERSOn <a href="http://www.aintitcool.com/node/38496">Aint-It-Cool-News</a>, an article was posted on Bill Murray commenting on developments for Ghostbusters III. Murray had mentioned that "the wounds of Ghostbusters II are healed," and that he would be interested in doing another one. One talkbacker had this to say:<br /><br />"What Wounds from GB2? was it a bad shoot or something?"<br /><br />Now, I've loved Ghostbusters as long as I can remember, and as much as anybody else. I had this to say in return: [beware foul language]<br /><br />"Compared to the original, Ghostbusters II is a train wreck, albeit a financially successful one. It undoes every triumph of the first, on screen and off screen, and completely focuses on set pieces, no matter how detrimental it was to the characters.<br /><br />Every last one of them in the beginning of GB2 were LOSERS. Down on their luck, defeated, and marginalized. You could say they were even worse off than before the start of GB1. The fuckin' cartoon showed how viable a continuing fight against the paranormal could be. JMS (Bab 5) wrote episodes that rivaled the first film, let alone beat the shit out of part 2!<br /><br />Ackroyd and Ramis reset the characters out of laziness, so they could virtually remake the team buildup of the first movie. Dana is apart from Venkman so they can fall in love all over again, when the script really works if that was Peter's son all along.<br /><br />Reitman allowed this farce to happen so he could make lots of money easily - he's directed so many of those same beats before, he might as well have been on auto-pilot. Ramis already showed he's a better wielder of Murray's talents on Groundhog Day, which is much more of a spiritual sequel to Ghostbusters, or any other Murray-Ramis-Reitman teamup.<br /><br />Columbia was going to make fistfuls of money no matter what kind of shit they flung on screen. Ditto for any other franchise in the 80s, 90s, and today. It's up to the fans to scream "you fucked up" and that didn't start happening until I dare say five years ago. Even Lethal 4 and Beverly Hills Cop III got a pass. Now, Live Free and Indy IV get the shit beat out of them. What chance does GB3 stand UNLESS they go back to the irreverential, gutsy, character-driven approach of the original, not the Bobby Brown-pink slime-everyone in New York forgot that ghosts exist-bullshit of part 2.<br /><br />When I was a kid, I loved it but even then something didn't feel right. Not when my favorite film AND cartoon heroes are suddenly downtrodden, and untrusted. Not when the life lesson is that heroism and intelligence is all for nothing in the end. Not when the story structure is so similar to the first, that subliminally you're left unsatisfied with what is essentially a re-quel.<br /><br />Bring on GB3, bring on the game. Even Extreme GB was a step up from part 2! So, in response to [xxxxx_xx], what wounds? All you gotta do in just pop in the tape and take a look for yourself. That, and Wikipedia. Signing off."<br /><br />That Talkback and others can be found once again on <a href="http://www.aintitcool.com/node/38496">Aint-It-Cool.</a> More coming soon, I promise.KJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648071657536242824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836915218170397547.post-18596392848411264782008-08-10T23:55:00.001-04:002008-08-10T23:55:02.402-04:00SnagFilms Is Now.<div>Shortest post ever (even though it's only my second post ever). Free films on blog. You should watch. Now. PEACE!</div><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://cs85.clearspring.com/o/4837b4759c19ccae/489fb81332c0eaf7/4837b4751ee98c68/a339ae31/widget.js"></script>KJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648071657536242824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836915218170397547.post-44149240802913143722008-07-04T03:12:00.000-04:002008-07-04T03:24:14.156-04:00You Should Watch Films, Vol. 1Hello, one and all. My name is KJ, a movie buff turned film student turned what-the-hell-do-I-do-know/blogger. The following will be a series of posts, rants, reviews, and musings that began as emails I sent to my classmates in film school. In the future, I may give alter this format, but in the mean time I hope you enjoy.<br /><br />Caution: there is some foul language (PG-13 level), and links to red band trailers with questionable material. You know; good, clean, American fun. This blog's born on the fourth of July, baby!!<br /><br />YOU SHOULD WATCH FILMS, VOL. 1<br /><br />It’s the most wonderful time of the year: summer.<br /><br />The year: 1989. I was 6, about to turn 7. The place: South Square Mall, Durham, North Carolina. The film: BATMAN.<br /><br />The wait: 2 hours in the hot sun.<br /><br />You see, there was no Internet in those days. No pre-ordering tickets, no multiplexes. You had to suffer for your films, in long, long lines in the blistering heat. And I loved it. Seeing everyone wearing a Bat-logo shirt. People humming the theme song to the Adam West show (before Danny Elfman’s iconic score was heard).<br /><br />That summer was the summer I fell in love with movies. Sure, I had watch VHS tapes of The Trilogy (you know which one) countless times, along with E.T. and Star Trek IV: Voyage Home. But I hadn’t experienced the pure bliss of the big screen, the primal communion of the darkened theater. Movie magic.<br /><br />Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Ghostbusters II. Lethal Weapon 2. Back to the Future Part II. Batman. I didn’t stand a chance. Ever since then, I’ve been going to movies in the theater as often as possible. It’s not my place to say whether or not this summer comes close to ‘89, since it’s not over yet, but being in film school adds a layer of appreciation to the whole affair.<br /><br />I’ve had the good fortune to go to the movies with several of my classmates. I consider them the perfect audience, honest about their likes and dislikes, champions of what they favor and merciless towards what they don’t. And God bless ‘em for it.<br /><br />IT WAS THE SUMMER OF 08<br /><br />Okay, it's no Bryan Adams, sure, but it’ll do.<br /><br />I brought up the summer of ’89 for a reason. Well, two: Indiana Jones and Batman. The first time I had seen either of those characters on the big screen. And now, we have another summer with Indiana Jones and Batman.<br /><br />Indy 4 (or IJATKOTCS for short) had its share of detractors. I, for one, loved it, and am apparently alone in that regard. After all, this is the film that spawned the phrase “nuked the fridge,” which is replacing “jump the shark” in some circles. But think about all the long awaited sequels recently. Rocky Balboa. Rambo. Live Free or Die Hard. They’re all about tapping into nostalgia.<br /><br />The Indy films are nothing but about nostalgia for another time. This time, for the 1950s instead of the 1930s. At this point, the series is serving a different purpose conceptually, emulating ‘50s B-movies instead of ‘30s cliffhanger serials, and feels different for it. A lot of people didn’t get it, but once you do, I believe it makes the film easier to accept. The giant snakes, the monkey vine scene, the flying saucers. Even the nuke scene makes sense and is all worth it just for this line:<br /><br />“Maybe you didn’t notice, but I just survived an atomic blast!”<br /><br />That’s the new Indy film in a nutshell. Hate it or love it. I loved it.<br /><br />IRON MAN, I can’t review without The Incredible Hulk. I’m a comics fan, a geek if you must, and I’m thrilled to see continuity between different film franchises. I hate to say it, but to me, they’re kind of the point of the films. Iron Man did everything right, and deserves all of its success.<br /><br />Hulk 2 at least does nothing wrong, and corrects of all the mistakes of Ang Lee’s first Hulk. TV theme music? Check. Glowing green eyes? Check. Sonic cannons? Check. A villain to beat the crap out of? Double check.<br /><br />However, that’s my biggest beef with the Marvel films. Your standard comic book villain is “The Bigger, Badder Version of You.” For every Wolverine, there’s a Sabretooth. For every Spider-Man, there’s a Venom. It’s creative bankruptcy to have your heroes fight a bigger, meaner Iron Man and a bigger, meaner Hulk.<br /><br />Don’t get me wrong; visually, nothing works better. But there are so many better villains to choose from, and none of you guys know that because none of you read f#@ckin’ comics!!<br /><br />So, I won’t hold it against you or Marvel. It’s an easy sell to the “Hey-I-know-nothing-about-comics-Oh-look!-that guy’s-fighting-an-evil-version-of-himself-I-wanna-see-that” folks out there.<br /><br />Marvel is 2-for-2, and I want to see them keep going. Watching heroes team up in the comics is thrilling and I can only imagine how that would be on the big screen.<br /><br />CLOVERFIELD was a decent movie, but it wasn’t released in the summer, so there.<br /><br />SPEED RACER was awesome! The only problem is that it’s only 15 minutes long, and is followed by a 2-hour movie called “Where The Hell Am I?” starring a chimpanzee. Furthermore, there’s no point in seeing it in regular theatres – it was built for IMAX. It’s a sustained sensory overload, and anyone not raised on a diet of comics, video games and anime had no choice but to hate the shit out of it.<br /><br />Even I was getting tired by the hour-long mark. There are only so many ways a car can spin in the air. Three axes of rotation; that’s it. It’s gets old. Kinda like this blog.<br /><br />THE CHRONCILES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN is the most violent PG-rated film I’ve ever seen. Can you tell me how a film where a little girl stabs a human soldier to death with an arrow and a mouse that slits people’s throats is still PG? Alien vs. Predator didn’t have this much violence in it. If I was a father, and I took my kids to see this movie, I’d be… No, I’d still take them to see this.<br /><br />Still, Disney bought their way out of a PG-13.And any charm that the first Narnia film had is gone. We don’t even get a cool “Lazy Sunday” short to go along with it. What the hell am I gonna do with all these Red Vines?!! (Google ‘Lazy Sunday’ if you don’t get it. Not my fault.)<br /><br />THE HAPPENING by M. Night Shyamalan is the funniest movie I’ve seen all year. M. Night has done it again! Mark Wahlberg has never made me laugh so hard – I was in tears. If you like random death scenes, and no plot whatsoever with your humor, this is your movie. Sheer genius.<br /><br />GET SMART was a show I used to watch as a kid on Nick-at-Nite. The movie does it justice and the way the cast plays it, all of the characters have a real sense of familiarity with one another, like it’s the 3rd season of a TV show. The problem: it’s still feels kind of TV-ish, but with extremely good production value. It was funny enough, and seeing it digitally projected (it was shot on Panavision Genesis) really helped.<br /><br />By the way, see whatever you can on IMAX, digital projection, or in 3-D. You owe it to yourself as a filmgoer.<br /><br />THE LOVE GURU is pure shit. If shit could shit, it would shit out The Love Guru. And be repulsed by what it just shat out.<br /><br />I remember when Goldmember came out, and Mike Myers hit the talk show circuit. He kept remarking how easy the script was to write (“Easiest thing I ever wrote!” he’d say), and how that film just recycled old bits from the past two Austin Powers movies. And for its trouble, it cleaned up at the box office.<br /><br />Well, karma’s a bitch.<br /><br />The jokes don’t work, the actors are terrible, the segues are horrible, Jessica Alba is smokin’ hot, and the whole thing is just rotten! The film’s one redeeming moment: Jessica Alba as a belly dancer in a Bollywood dream sequence. Ruined immediately by the appearance of Mike Myers.<br /><br />It will outgross Speed Racer (even The Visitor will outgross Speed Racer), but this movie might do irreparable damage to Mike’s career. Which is a shame: he was one of my favorites. At least Jessica Alba’s hotter than Tia Carrere. Or do I have to take that back?<br /><br />WANTED, based on the comic (Yay, comics!!) by Mark Millar, was made by the same Russian director who did “Night Watch” and “Day Watch” (Timur Bekmambetov or something like that) and those films were pretty interesting, visually. The action sequences are alive and kinetic, but unfortunately derivative. Really, the whole movie’s like that. Another title for Wanted could be “RUSSIAN FIGHT MATRIX CLUB.” And how do you think a movie like that would be?<br /><br />Kick-ass.<br /><br />And that’s exactly what Wanted is and does. James McAvoy takes all that “Atonement” anger saved up and goes whupp-ass on everybody. And Angelina Jolie, in an essentially silent part, steals the movie every time she’s on screen.<br /><br />Speaking of silent, I have to mention WALL-E, which for its first act is a silent film (more or less). It is a masterpiece; the best film I’ve seen this year. It almost became my favorite Pixar film, but I had to rewatch “The Incredibles” to make sure. WALL-E is an extremely close second (I’m way too heavily biased towards superheroes), and beats nearly everything else.<br /><br />The visuals of a ruined Earth, the robot language on display (and the resulting lack of conventional dialogue throughout much of the movie), the music, everything about this movie is perfect. Wall-E becomes an almost Messianic character, sort of a Robot Jesus for Earth. Pretty heady stuff for a G-rated movie.<br /><br />Even Roger “I’m-the-best-and-there’s-nothing-you-can-do-about-it” Deakins consulted on the visual look of the film. I can’t recommend anything better this summer.<br /><br />Except for maybe THE DARK KNIGHT.<br /><br />And TROPIC THUNDER. And STEP BROTHERS, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, and THE FOOT FIST WAY. And MONGOL. Why not?<br /><br />Normally, I’d include links for all of the trailers. So, here they are:<br /><br />http://thedarkknight.warnerbros.com/<br /><br />Tropic Thunder Red Band: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCDtdhiCm6A<br /><br />Step Brothers Red Band:<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6FUldvRYY0<br /><br />Pineapple Express Red Band:<br />http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/6f25e84ca3<br /><br />Foot Fist Way Red Band:<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXaR4wlGu3s<br /><br />Mongol Red Band:<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu_moia-oVI<br /><br />It looks like it’s going to be a great summer for movies. So, fill your car up for forty bucks, grab a ten dollar bucket of popcorn and a five dollar soda, and sit back and enjoy your movie! Which cost 9.50 a ticket.<br /><br />Or you could go for a walk. Eh?<br /><br />Have a happy Fourth of July.<br /><br />PEACE!<br />KJKJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648071657536242824noreply@blogger.com0