I think I need to befriend Adam Sandler's new character...
No, I'm not talking about Zohan. I'm talking about Skeeter Bronson in Bedtime Stories. He's a hotel handyman who discovers that the bedtime stories he's telling his niece and nephew are starting to come true. When Skeeter realizes his talent, he tries to take advantage of the situation by improving his life, "but it's the kids' unexpected contributions that turn Skeeter's life upside down."
In the picture above (which Disney sent around yesterday as a part of their fall/holiday preview), he finds himself in a shower of what looks like a whole slew of gumballs. I'm betting that he's thanking all the powers-that-be that he didn't tell stories about it raining cats and dogs... While most of Sandler's current work has not even begun to pique my interest, this sounds like it could be a cute holiday film. But is a storm of candy enough to get you to the theater?
Back in May, our Eric D. Snider made clear a common complaint regarding the latest Narnia offering, in that it was far too violent -- with or without blood -- for its given PG rating. The film went on to under-perform at the box office, for a litany of other reasons, but it was hard to ignore the potentially dominating influence of family-friendly Disney and their little Christian parable/looming blockbuster sequel on the decision.
Now, after stateside concerns along the same lines, come reports from the UK that box office behemoth The Dark Knight has merited a record number of seventy complaints in its first week of opening regarding the 12A equivalent from the British Board of Film Classification, which itself admitted to facing a modicum of pressure from studios who want lower ratings that in turn draw younger and wider audiences.
As someone who has seen that film more than once, in audiences that more than once had a parent shielding their child's eyes from the very badly burnt likes of Two-Face (um, spoiler?), it's obvious that the caution of a PG-13 (and the relative intensity of predecessor Batman Begins) failed to steer them away from the draw of the Caped Crusader.
So let's play the old-fashioned game of Point the Finger:
Are we to blame the MPAA and BBFC for their lenient judgments?
How about the parents who so willingly dismiss the ratings that actually are appropriate?
For our more responsible readers, what measures do you take before allowing your children to see certain films? Do you see a film before they do and determine what's A-OK? Do you rely on reviews or websites tailored to providing custom criteria regarding a film's content?
Sex, violence, or language: which of these factors will most likely send your child and the world at large on a moral decline from which we may never recover?
The movie DVD choices from this week's release schedule are quite scarce, but there is Abigail Breslin swinging in to save the day.
Nim's Island In the vein of classic family adventure scenarios, Breslin stars as Nim, a young girl who lives with her scientist father on a far-off tropical island. Life is idyllic until Nim's dad (Gerard Butler) is stranded far away leaving Nim to not only survive on her own, but also fight off the tour companies that threaten her island home. But she needs help and unknowingly turns to the worst person for the job -- the agoraphobic author (Jodie Foster) of her favorite literary adventure character, Alex Rover.
The DVD has a healthy amount of features for those looking to dip behind the scenes. You can choose between two commentaries -- one with Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin, and the other with directors/writers Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett. There's also 3 featurettes, a piece called "Abigail's Journey and Working on Water," and finally, deleted scenes.
Having already thrice not understood the words coming out of Chris Tucker's mouth, it seems smart that Jackie Chan will go ahead and head towards the considerably greener pastures of family-friendly actioners. After all, just these past few months have seen The Forbidden Kingdom and Kung Fu Panda post respectable grosses (even if he only had the slightest voice part in the latter).
However, it's a shame to see the star come under the direction of one Brian Levant, who helped bring the world Are We There Yet? and Snow Dogs, not to mention that Scooby-Doo prequel that Scott made mention of the other day. The project itself is called The Spy Next Door, and according to the Hollywood Reporter, it has Chan playing the role of reluctant babysitter to the neighbor's kids, one of whom has inadvertently downloaded some super-secret code and thus attracted the attention of secret agents unlikely to anticipate his kung-fu mastery. (I'm just taking a stab here - to boot, he and the kids will probably come to form a bond (pun points!), and just in time for the wacky outtakes reel, right?).
Sorry for the snark, but I just find it hard to believe that this project is going to live up to the man's potential. After such a physically demanding career, I shouldn't begrudge the man a safe bet like this at the age of 54, but really, is an inverted version of The Pacifier the best we - and, in turn, he - can offer?
First, the obvious news: There will soon be a third live-action Scooby-Doo movie.
Now, three additional pieces of bad news:
1. It will be a direct-to-video production from Warner Premiere, which means we can probably expect it to be the kids' version of Lost Boys: The Tribe -- and I don't know any kids who deserve that sort of punishment.
2. It will be a prequel called Scooby Doo: The Beginning. Because the world just has to know how a normal dog becomes a pot-smoking food addict who can solve crimes and TALK.
3. The film will be directed by Brian Levant, who I'm sure is a very decent person, but just look at the films he's directed: Jingle All the Way, Problem Child 2, Snow Dogs, The Flintstones 2, and Are We There Yet? So ... yeah, I guess if WB is intent on going forward with this flick, they've found the right man for the job. The screenplay comes from a pair of brothers who are also turning the video game Spyro into a movie -- plus they just penned a film called Gym Teacher: The Movie.
According to Variety, Scooby Doo: The Beginning will premiere on DVD and Cartoon Network in late in 2009. (A live-action movie premiering on Cartoon Network? That's just crazy!) The IMDb has an early cast list up, but it could be erroneous at this early date -- but since I don't know who these actors are, I guess it doesn't really matter.
Did you ever think you would see the day when Sam Raimi would team up with Disney? Well, that day has come no matter what you did or did not predict, and it looks to be another sign that Disney is favoring some edgier fare in these post-Jack Sparrow years.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Raimi and Disney are developing The Transplants, a project that's being kept under tight wraps, but is described as a superhero story with a comedic bent. It was penned by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson (two writers who helped pen Not Another Teen Movie, but we'll try not to hold it against them) and was originally intended to be a comic book. Disney executive Kristen Burr liked it so much, she optioned it for the big screen for a large sum of money.
The whole deal is raising some eyebrows because of Raimi's bent towards gore and geekdom, but I think the man who directed three Spider-Man films can handle Disney. I would even venture to say that the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was a lot "edgier" than Peter Parker, if only for the copious amount of rum and wenches. I think this creative match-up could produce something very interesting. At the very least, it will introduce some original superheroes into the wider world, which I wish would happen more often. And in the best case scenario, we could end up with another The Incredibles! Let's hope some details leak out soon.
I'm as big a fan of Pixar movies as anyone, but I honestly miss the old-fashioned 2-D style animation from Walt Disney. I think there's definitely room for both hand-drawn and computer animated films, because as brilliant as movies like Toy Story, Ratatouille and Wall-E may be, they're a completely separate kind of filmmaking from the traditional Disney films. They shouldn't be compared to nor should they replace the kind of beloved fairy tale classics we've enjoyed from the Mouse House for 70 years. So, before commenting on the new teaser trailer for The Princess and the Frog(available here if the YouTube version is removed), let me just say, welcome back, 2-D!
OK, so what do I think? Well, upon seeing the New Orleans setting, my first response was unfortunately one of fear: what if Disney one-ups its Hunchback of Notre Dame pole-dance debacle with a scene involving Mardi Gras beads? Well, obviously Disney knows better than to be so blatantly naughty, though I wouldn't doubt that animators will find some way to slip in a hint of Big Easy-style debauchery.
Did you watch Space Jam and yearn for more? Better yet, did you watch Space Jam and think to yourself: "Darnitall! Marvin the Martian needs his own feature!" If you said yes to either, you might be happy to learn that the cute little Martian is heading back to the big screen -- for a starring role!
Variety reports that Warner Bros. is cooking up a feature film called Marvin the Martian, which will blend live action with CGI. Instead of basketball and Michael Jordan, this flick will focus on the Santa time of year. Developed as a Christmas story, Marvin the Martian comes to Earth not to destroy the world, but to destroy Christmas. Unfortunately, he's "prevented from doing so when he's trapped in a gift box." He should hook up with Damian Claus. That might help his plight.
I don't mind the thought of Marvin getting a feature film, especially since Martians don't get much Christmas play (besides, of course, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians). But if Marvin gets his shot, I think it's high time we got some Danger Mouse, with a healthy serving of Penfold.
When Weinberg made clear his sentiment regarding the prospect of sitting through a film titled Beverly Hills Chihuahua in this or any other lifetime -- his words: "[it] looks to be an endless migraine composed of forced cuteness and bad effects" -- he drew the ire of chihuahua owners who said that it looks to be every bit as adorable as their fuzzy-wuzzy-kins and that we all might as well cram our cynicism and good sense (not to mention ethnic heritage) come this fall.
Look, just because you like an animal doesn't mean that you have to enjoy a film centered around them. My family may own six dogs, but you wouldn't see me eagerly lining up for and giving a pass to Kiss My Basset, simply because they constitute exactly one-half of above-mentioned population. The upcoming Hotel for Dogs may look silly, but it's nowhere near as downright stupid as BHC still appears to be as of this latest trailer. (The fact that actress Piper Perabo seems to be recycling what I suspect was her Coyote Ugly audition towards the end certainly doesn't help matters.)
Man, does anyone in Hollywood still think that Babe earned a Best Picture nod on adorable alone? Alas, Disney seems to be banking on that indeed -- that, and a parade of cringe-inducing Mexican and Hispanic stereotypes -- and I have little reason to think that the American moviegoing public won't go and prove them right. The Mayans may have believed that the world would end on December 21, 2012. My vote goes to October 3, 2008.
Tim Burton has cast the title role in the new adaptation of Alice in Wonderland he's working on for Disney. It is not, as was rumored a couple weeks ago, Ryan Nikole Parker, but it's not anyone more well-known, either. The role has gone to Australian actress Mia Wasikowska -- and holy crap, I have nothing but respect for anyone who can break into Hollywood and retain a name like Mia Wasikowska. Up until now, her only high-profile credits have been as a regular on HBO's In Treatment and in the much-hyped but little-seen killer crocodile flick Rogue. But the 18-year-old has parts in the upcoming Defiance (Edward Zwick's latest pitch to AMPAS) and the Earhart biopic Amelia, so she should be recognizable by the time Alice in Wonderland surfaces.
The film will be a combination of live-action and motion-capture animation, and will be released in digital 3-D -- but what big new movie won't be, these days? It was written by Linda Woolverton, who worked on The Lion King, and it starts shooting in November for a 2010 release.
I'm as big a Tim Burton devotee as you'll find (don't believe me? Find me one other person who will admit to liking the Planet of the Apes remake), so I'll gladly swoon over a Burton version of the Lewis Carroll classic. In fact, this is such an on-the-nose project for Burton that I'm kind of surprised it took him this long to get to it. But I'll take it.
Magical trends just never end! According to Variety, Walden Media has hired Karen Janszen to adapt Ingrid Law's book Savvy, which only just hit bookstores a few months ago. The rights have been optioned at least that long, but it looks like Walden is really racing it into production.
Savvy follows a family called the Beaumonts, who all boast remarkable superpowers. The hero of the story is young Mibs, who is quickly approaching her thirteenth birthday and the discovery of her own superpower or "savvy." Unfortunately for the Beaumonts, disaster strikes right on the fateful day, and Mibs finds herself in the midst of an adventure, where she will have to try to hide her new "savvy" when it makes itself known. It sounds like The Incredibles, with a dash of Harry Potter and X-Men for color.
Interestingly, the story behind Savvy's publication is reminiscent of J.K. Rowling's. Law hails from my home state of Colorado, and all kinds of press outlets are making much of the fact that she resides in a mobile home with her daughter. That's not a bad thing! My grandma lived in one, and I have very fond memories of it. Anyway, if the success of Savvy has allowed her to move on to a grander home, that's cool, and I wish my fellow Rockies resident continued fortune.
If you're interested in reading the book for free, Penguin has released it online. Unfortunately, this freebie ends today, so I hope you're a fast reader. And if you've read it already, please sound off on its movie potential below!
Imagine you're a filmmaker and you've got this cockamamie story about astronaut chimps that just won't go away. You don't have much money, but the story involves lots of technology and outer space effects. What do you do? You could use your imagination and shoot in darkness with lots of odd angles and perspectives, like Mario Bava's sci-fi masterpiece Planet of the Vampires (1965). But that would raise all kinds of questions about how to present the chimps. You could do a hand-drawn animated cartoon, something like Persepolis, for comparatively little money. But that would expose the fact that you really don't have much of an idea. So you decide to make a big, computer-animated film, make it fast, fill it with annoying jokes and hope no one notices how cheap and unfinished it looks. But what you don't do is open it three weeks after the astonishing WALL-E so that everyone notices the difference.
Space Chimps comes from the folks who brought you the universally despised animated film Happily N'Ever After (2006), and although I didn't see the earlier film, I'm told Space Chimps represents something of an improvement. Regardless, everything here has a kind of mechanical sheen rather than organic textures, and it feels like something closer to Tron than a cartoon about monkeys. Then comes the story: Ham (voiced by Andy Samberg) is the grandson of a famous chimp astronaut, who actually went into space. The younger Ham works at the circus, getting himself shot out of cannons. In the film's opening scene, he rockets toward the moon and reaches out for it, disappointed when gravity's pull inevitably begins dragging him back toward Earth.
I'm fairly certain that a good majority of you will be taking full advantage of the summer weather this weekend by playing some friendly summertime games with the neighborhood children. However, if you happen to get the urge to visit your local multiplex (or IMAX theater) to watch one of them moving pictures in color and surround sound, then we here at Cinematical would be interested to know what you'll be watching.
In one corner we have the year's heavyweight champ of movie marketing in The Dark Knight. He's big, he's a bat and he's ready to take your hard-earned dollars. In another corner, we have one of Broadway's most beloved musicals arriving on the big screen for the first time: Mamma Mia!For the kids too young for Batman, we also have Space Chimps -- and for those in desperate need of an indie fix, we have Transsiberian. I'm happy to say there's a little something for everyone this weekend ... but what will you be watching?
Aw yeah, this is just about my own personal version of Christmas Eve. The first wave of titles for the Austin's lovely Fantastic Fest has splattered into my inbox, so instead of me rambling on about how great Austin is in late September, especially if you're a massive fan of films gory, scary, sexy, twisted and weird, I'll just direct you to a very handy FF press release.
But not before I say this: Of the flicks chosen already, I've seen precisely five: Let the Right One In, Donkey Punch, Spine Tingler, Terra, and Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer. A Swedish vampire coming-of-age story, a British thriller about boat-bound terror, an American documentary about a beloved schlock-slinger, a multi-national animated adventure story, and a scrappy little indie full of monsters that Rick Baker would adore. So from just one random sampling, this is one eclectic mixture of movies. Oh, and for the Hollywood fans: DJ Caruso's Eagle Eye will have its premiere at Fantastic Fest. By only a few days but damn cool anyway. Oh, and a screening of The Tingler? Beyond cool.
Click on in for the first full press release on Fantastic Fest 2008.
"While waiting in line for the screening of Hellboy II: The Golden Army, I overhead someone say that Guillermo del Toro's latest is being seen as his audition tape for The Hobbit," observed Jonathan Pacheco in his review for The House Next Door. Of course, Del Toro already had the directing gigs for the two Hobbit films before Hellboy II hit theaters, but that won't stop audiences from evaluating the current parade of fairies, demons and evil elves with Del Toro's Middle-Earth-to-be in mind. Needless to say, it's a narrow perspective.
It would make more sense to expect that these upcoming features will negotiate between the gothic horror of Pan's Labryinth and the blockbuster approach of Hellboy II. In the latter work, it's clear that Del Toro has more interest in placing these loony supernatural beings in relatively conventional action sequences, allowing the specificity of the characters to create a sense of ingenuity. Pan's Labryinth, on the other hand, offers a single package of storytelling: The art direction, special effects and even the violence directly relate to the drama. The best case scenario for the Hobbit films would be a happy medium: Glorious visuals that reflect Tolkien's deeply involving mythology.
Having already thrice not understood the words coming out of 
First, the obvious news: There will soon be a third live-action Scooby-Doo movie.
Did you ever think you would see the day when 
Did you watch 
When Weinberg made clear his sentiment regarding the prospect of sitting through a film titled 
Tim Burton has cast the title role in the new adaptation of Alice in Wonderland he's working on for Disney. It is not, as was 
Magical trends just never end! According to 
Imagine you're a filmmaker and you've got this cockamamie story about astronaut chimps that just won't go away. You don't have much money, but the story involves lots of technology and outer space effects. What do you do? You could use your imagination and shoot in darkness with lots of odd angles and perspectives, like Mario Bava's sci-fi masterpiece 
Aw yeah, this is just about my own personal version of Christmas Eve. The first wave of titles for the Austin's lovely 
"While waiting in line for the screening of 
