On the sixth of every month, Zack Snyder sends forth another Watchmen production diary. This month, the hosting honor goes to Yahoo! Movies, and I have to gently scold them for getting it online so late in the day. Half the point is the date! It's a countdown, after all. But given the insane amount of Watchmen stuff we've had recently, I'm going to generously forgive them. Go watch it, and come back to say how much you want to climb inside of it.
This month, it's all about the biggest star of this year's ComicCon -- the Owlship! It shows the hard working men and women who constructed the goggle-eyed ship, a few shots of it "flying" around the set, and a look at its highly detailed interior. (No shot of its coffee machine, though.) It's spoiler free, so those of you new to the story can watch and enjoy. I now covet a miniature version of the ship, such as Zack Snyder is zooming around the set. If something similar is not on store shelves come March, I will be bitterly disappointed.
A bunch of new photos from the highly anticipated The Roadhave premiered over atUSA Today. (Check out two more photos in the gallery below, then head on over to USA Today's photo gallery for the rest) They are bone-chillingly bleak and powerful, enough to send a shiver down your spine even in the middle of summer. All of the scenery is real, and the film is employing no CGI to create its post-apocalyptic landscapes.
I don't want to engage in eager hyperbole, but I can't get over the desperate look in Viggo Mortensen's eyes in the second photo. If his performance lives up to the early images (and I can't believe that it won't), I wouldn't be surprised if he garnered another Oscar nomination. We still have such a long wait (it's released November 14th) that I hope we see a trailer soon. In the meantime, I still need to read the book ...
I can't think of anything hotter than Megan Fox as a sexed-up Mother Teresa in an NC-17-rated film. We should just call that Atheist Porn. I kid, I kid. But anyway, the entire movie world was thrown for a loop when this mysterious trailer for a hardcore Mother Teresa flick starring Megan Fox showed up online. Was this an older film Fox starred in before she became hot-famous? Was this leaked footage from Michael Bay's private fetish collection? Or ... was it another one of those fake trailers for a movie within a movie? Unfortunately for all the disturbed individuals who'd love to watch a full-length, NC-17-rated Mother Teresa biopic, the latter is indeed true and the above fake trailer is part of the marketing campaign behind Fox's next flick, How to Lose Friends and Alienate People.
The fake film, titled Mother Theresa: The Making of a Saint (official website here), stars Sophie Maes (Megan Fox) as Mother Teresa. Maes, we assume, is the name of Fox's character in How to Lose Friends. That film, in case you're wondering (watch the real trailer over on Moviefone) is based on Toby Young's memoir and tells of a bumbling celebrity journalist (Simon Pegg) who's hired by an upscale New York magazine and proceeds to, well, lose friends and alienate people. How to Lose Friends and Alienate People arrives in theaters on October 3. Meanwhile, Megan Fox's NC-17-rated Mother Theresa movie is currently available for download in your dreams.
The documentary Beautiful Losershas been building buzz ever since it premiered at this year's SXSW Film Festival. It nabbed the Documentary Jury Award at Cinevegas earlier this summer and we now have a trailer (above, as well as news on a unique distribution partnership with Nike Sportswear. Oh yes, you heard that right -- Nike has partnered with Sidetrack Films and will help release the film in five markets, while also providing prints and advertising support (according to this indieWIRE story).
Directed by Aaron Rose and Joshua Leonard, Beautiful Losers features such celebrated artists as Harmony Korine, Mike Mills, Todd James, Ed Templeton, Tobin Yelland, Geoff McFetridge and more, and, through their own unique voices, we share with them memories of how each discovered their art and subsequently created an entire movement in the early '90s. From the synopsis on the film's official website: "Beautiful Losers focuses on the telling of personal stories. It speaks to themes of what happens when the outside becomes "in" as it explores the creative ethos connecting these artists and today's youth."
Beautiful Losers opens at New York's IFC Center this Friday before expanding to other cities. Check it out.
Since it doesn't open for another week, I'm not allowed to spill much about what I thought of Tropic Thunder, but suffice it to say, the laughs get off to an extra-early start with a collection of fake trailers featuring our leads as the film's stars in other projects. Along the same lines came promotional efforts that included a fake trailer for a fake making-of doc (well, the DVD will prove that one) and several websites for those characters and their movies.
One of those websites was for Ben Stiller's character, Tugg Speedman, in his high-profile bid for awards glory as a mentally disabled farmhand in Simple Jack. However, out of context, this high-concept faux-site has stirred up concern from the likes of many very real disability rights groups -- among them, the Special Olympics -- and according to Variety, the site has been pulled down in response.
The concern is fairly grounded, but it's a relatively minor kerfuffle that will damage neither the image of the represented individuals nor the performance of the film when it opens... a film which just so happens to boast a terrifically astute assessment of performances similar to Speedman's in the real industry, no part of which can stand to be repeated here and especially now.
With the much buzzed-about Transsiberian expanding to Los Angeles this Friday, August 8th, Cinematical has been given an exclusive clip from the film for you to check out. Above, watch as Ben Kingsley, Emily Mortimer and a four-eyed Woody Harrelson discuss the advantages and disadvantages to living in the old U.S.S.R. while on a Trans-Siberian train ride from China to Moscow. Eventually, our young American couple (as played by Mortimer and Harrelson) will meet another couple and find themselves entangled in a web of drugs and murder. Cinematical's Jeffrey M. Anderson says Transsiberian "is more like a classic thriller in the Hitchcock vein, even taking place on a train as many of Hitch's films did." And speaking of Jeff, he's been all over this one -- check out his review over here, as well as interviews with both director Brad Anderson and star Emily Mortimer. Word of mouth is very good for this one (85% on Rotten Tomatoes), so definitely check it out when the film arrives in your neck of the woods.
Here's the current release schedule:
Aug. 8 Los Angeles (see theater list below)
Aug. 15 Chicago Washington DC San Francisco Aug. 22 San Diego Atlanta Denver Houston Dallas Seattle
The most we can hope for now is the unrated director's cut of Kevin Smith's Zack and Miri Make a Porno, because the filmmaker has won his appeal with the MPAA and received an R rating, according to the Associated Press. It's been a long road for Smith's movie, which was unsurprisingly smacked with an NC-17 last month -- as if we didn't see it coming due to Smith's track record and the fact that it's a movie about a couple who, yes, that's right, make a porno. Oh, and of course there was that raunchy trailer, which gave us some semblance of the material the movie is dealing with (coprophilia jokes are likely always deemed adults-only content, at least in the initial ratings board screening).
So much for the MPAA and National Association of Theatre Owners' plans to remove the stigma attached to the NC-17. If ever there was a popular filmmaker to usher in a new wave of non-porn adults-only fare, Smith would be that person. And considering that Zack and Miri is about porn, it would be an appropriate gateway for the rating. Last week, when Smith spoke to AICN about the appeal, he seemed fine with the need for an R rating, stating that it's just "part of the process." Of course it is. The process consists of toning down a film to ensure an R and then releasing the original raunchier version on DVD in order for Hollywood to get the most buck for its bang.
Update: When Cinematical reached Smith for a quote, he had this to say on the decision:"I'm very happy with the result of the appeals process. Sadly, however, it doesn't cure my biggest headache: I'm still grossly overweight."
Have you seen the recently-released trailer for the animated Wonder Woman? If not, you can check it out above.
Firstly, I must admit that they certainly did a great job portraying Wonder Woman's toughness, although it's a bit tainted by the lone piece of dialogue in the trailer: "It's not polite to hit a lady." There's nothing to weaken the muscles of toughness like references to ladies and impoliteness. If they changed "lady" to "goddess," then I'd be good -- it would be a nice play on words.
Anyway, what really surprises me is that there's no dialogue, save for the above quote. Sure, it's important to show the action, but considering the voice talent connected to this project, I see no better way to get people interested. Keri Russell is Wonder Woman, Virginia Madsen is Hypolyta, Nathan Fillion is Steve Trevor, Alfred Molina is Ares, Oliver Platt is Hades, Rosario Dawson is Artemis, and David McCallum is Zeus.
Now that's the sales kicker for me. The feature will hit shelves in February of 2009.
I don't necessarily have a soft spot for westerns -- although 3:10 to Yuma, Seraphim Falls, and The Proposition certainly didn't hurt that cause -- but because we as moviegoers aren't exactly inundated with them, it always feels like they tend to have more effort and care put into them than most other genre fare.
Toss in a supporting cast that includes Jeremy Irons and Lance Henriksen (that reminds me, The Quick and the Dead merits mention as well), and the benefit of my doubt at least has been earned. Appaloosa is scheduled to play Toronto in September, followed by an October 3rd release.
If there's one film that's going to finally beat The Dark Knight at the box office this weekend, it's the hip, hysterical Apatow-produced stoner action/comedy Pineapple Express. Seth Rogen stars as a process server/stoner who, along with his flaky pot dealer (James Franco), go on the run from a crooked cop and a drug kingpin after witnessing them commit a murder. While you can't see the movie in theaters until tomorrow, we've got you covered: Rogen and Franco sat down for another installment in Moviefone's fabulous Unscripted series, where stars interview one another using your questions and some of their own.
Above you'll see an outtake from their chat that's only featured here on Cinematical (the boys talk Hudson Hawk, Shane Black, etc ...), then you can skip on over to Moviefone and watch the entire thing. In it, Rogen and Franco talk about Pineapple Express, they wonder what their Freaks and Geeks characters would be up to today, why James Franco won't be acting much in the near future and what they consider to be the best stoner movie of all time, among a slew of other things. Definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of either dude, or you just feel like laughing a little this morning. I'll be back later with some more quotes from the Pineapple Express NT press day where Rosie Perez was looking totally hot. You go girl!
Cinematical has just received this exclusive final poster for Igor (click image to enlarge), who just looks like the most adorable little awkward hunchback I've ever seen. With a voice cast that includes folks like John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, Eddie Izzard, Christian Slater ... and, well, look at the poster for a complete rundown ... Igor centers on that dude in purple right there -- the hunch-backed assistant to an evil scientist who has dreams of winning the Evil Science Fair and becoming a Mad Scientist too. (And some kids wanna be doctors and lawyers -- screw that!)
Igor arrives in theaters on September 19, and it really does look like a lot of fun. Go check out the trailer after the jump; it's kinda like Young Frankenstein meets Tim Burton meets a CGI flick you won't mind spending a few bucks on. Pull the switch!
Things get a little lively on The Rocchi Review this week, as we look at Comic-Con's biggest surprises and let-downs with Alex BIlington of First Showing. But there's plenty else going on, too -- from all the reasons James and Alex are dreading The Spirit to the question of if Comic-Con is selling sexiness or sexism, as well as what recent films in development are earning enthusiasm or scorn, and a brief argument about entertainment journalism vs. 'entertaining' journalism. ... Cinematical's podcast is now available through iTunes; you can subscribe at this link. Also, you can listen directly here at Cinematical by clicking below:
As ever, you can download the entire podcast right here -- and those of you with RSS Podcast readers can find all of Cinematical's podcast content at this link.
Ladies (and gentlemen), start your drooling. Entertainment Weekly has two new photos from Baz Luhrmann's romantic epic Australia, and if the photo to your right is any indication; this is going to be one sexy flick. Back in June the film was the subject of a photo shoot for Vogue, and those images were stunning (and pretty romantic). This latest photo, though, has a little more carnality on the brain. Mind you, I'm not complaining; anything that facilitates a half-naked Hugh Jackman is okay by me.
News about the film has been pretty scarce, but we do know that Stuart Beattie's (G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra) script centers on an English lady (Nicole Kidman) left in control of a cattle station in Australia during WWII. When a drover (played by Jackman) shows up to help her bring the cattle across the country, their relationship becomes something more -- and judging from that photo, there's going to be a lot more.
Its been a bumpy road for Luhrmann's epic; there have been casting changes, and the occasional act of god. But don't feel bad, the film also has a lot of things going for it: namely that epic romances sell, especially during Oscar season. Australia will arrive in theaters on November 14th, 2008.
Now it's your turn, do you think Australia could be the landlubber's Titanic at the box-office this fall? Sound off below...
... Because when you woke up this morning, the first thought to hit your brain was, "Wouldn't it be great to get a good look at some naked blue ass at some point today." That's what we're here for!
All kidding aside, Warner Bros. has released some really cool Watchmen character posters, all of which you can check out (in giant form) by clicking through the gallery below. Watchmen was among a small group of films that had a major presence at this year's San Diego Comic Con. Director Zack Snyder had his entire cast in attendance, and he also brought with him an extended trailer for the flick that had fans (including our own Elisabeth Rappe) all giddy and whatnot. I plan to start reading the graphic novel for the first time next week (so I can actually know what the hell I'm writing about as the film's release date grows closer), but in the meantime feel free to tell us what you're most excited about seeing.
Cinematical has just received this exclusive poster for the film Doubt (click image above to enlarge), starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, Doubt was written, adapted for the screen and directed by John Patrick Shanley (whose last directorial effort came in the form of the very awesome Joe Versus the Volcano). Set at a Catholic School in the Bronx in 1964, Doubt tells of a stern principal and nun (Streep) who accuses a priest (Hoffman) of "acting inappropriately" with a young black student, and the younger, inexperienced nun (Adams) who comes between the two.
While on Broadway, Doubt was the talk of the town, and we expect this big-screen version to give us more than one buzz-worthy performance, especially with a cast like this. I can't be the only one looking forward to a little Doubt this December. Have you seen the play? Whaddya think?
Since it doesn't open for another week, I'm not allowed to spill much about what I thought of 
The most we can hope for now is the unrated director's cut of Kevin Smith's 
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