O produtor Ryan Kavanaugh falou ao Latino Review sobre o remake de O Corvo e confirmou que o filme não será uma refilmagem e sim um reinício na franquia.

O roteiro está atualmente sendo revisado e  Kavanaugh está esperando receber o sinal verde, mas disse que tem certeza que o projeto vai acontecer. O produtor ainda falou sobre quem será o novo intérprete do personagem principal, que ficou famoso na pele do ator Brandon Lee :

“Será um ator conhecido. Estamos com as opções abertas. Podemos ir tanto para o lado do ator conhecido quanto para o lado do ator talentoso mas que ainda não seja conhecido”, impressão minha ou  Kavanaugh foi meio contraditório nessa resposta.

O produtor também falou sobre o famoso visual do personagem e como ele será nesse recomeço, Kavanaugh revelou que a maquiagem será diferente e comparou com as diferenças entre o primeiro filme do Batman e Batman Begins e acrescentou que o personagem terá o mesmo estilo dark, só que para o público atual.

Já perdi as contas de quantas vezes assisti ao filme original, gosto bastante do longa e principalmente do visual dele, que marcou a geração dos anos 90. Kavanaugh para variar fez uma triste comparação com Batman, o filme da moda e que todo mundo quer copiar, mas a história original de O Corvo já é sombria e qualquer mudança nela só a estragaria.

Stephen Norrington é o responsável pelo roteiro e direção do filme.

Les Voyeurs #87 – Les films maudits

Diffusion le : jeudi 12 novembre 2009 à 18h sur Radio Grille Ouverte
vendredi 13 novembre 2009 à 18h sur Radio 16.
Rediffusion le samedi 14 novembre 2009 à 10h sur RGO.
En téléchargement pendant une semaine ici.
Et en écoute permanente là.

Actualité

Aux Arcades d’Alès :  A l’origine de Xavier Giannoli, Panique au Village Vincent Patar et Stéphane Aubier.
Sortie en DVD : Antichrist de Lars Von Trier, La haut de Pete Docter et Bob Peterson, Public Enemies de Michael Mann, Coffret Lautner/Audiard : Les Tontons flingueurs, Les Barbouzes, Ne nous fâchons pas
Ressortie : L’Étranger de Luchino Visconti, Les Ailes du Désir de Wim Wenders.
Projets : De Force de Franck Henry, nouvelle trilogie Jurassic Park.
Les essais de Kurt Russel pour jouer Han Solo dans Star Wars ici.

Dossier de la semaine : Les film maudits

Les films inachevés

L’Enfer d’Henri Georges Clouzot de Serge Bromberg et Ruxanda Medrea sortie mercredi 11 novembre
Une partie de Campagne de Jean Renoir
Napoléon de Stanley Kubrick
Don Quixotte d’Orson Welles
L’Homme qui tua Don Quichotte de Terry Gilliam
Lost in la Mancha de Keith Fulton et Louis Pepe

Les comédiens morts pendant les tournages

Les Rumeurs de malédiction

Superman : les comédiens ayant joué Superman ou Lois Lane sont victimes d’accidents, de suicide, de folie…
L’exorciste de William Friedkin : 9 morts pendant le tournage, un incendie inexpliqué…
Poltergeist : plusieurs morts après le tournage…
Rosemary’s baby de Roman Polanski
Le Conquérant de Dirk Powell : tournage sur un lieu d’essais atomique. 96 cancers, 46 morts dont John Wayne

La bande originale de la semaine :

Thème de Mon nom est Personne par Ennio Moriconne.
Extrait de la bande originale du film Mon nom est Personne (1973) de Tonino Valerii et Sergio Leone

Chronique : La Carte Postale Sétoise

Neo publishing le site

Musique :
Cursed par Kiki Bohemia

Extraits :
L’Enfer
L’Homme qui tua Don Quichotte
L’Imaginarium du docteur Parnassus
Le jeu de la mort
Superman

Présentation : Erik Antolin, Jérôme Bauzon, Cédric Cance
Carte Postale : Jan Jouvert
Réalisation : Jérémie Adrian

Thanks Dee.

'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus'

Al Pacino stands at the top of a staircase, machine-gunning the army of hired killers that has overwhelmed the defences of his mansion. With scant regard for his own safety, he wanders to and fro, loosing off insults and volleys of bullets in the direction of the intruders below. Eventually, inevitably, he is shot; not once, not twice, but many, many times. As his shirt turns tomato-ketchup-red, he fights back, killing and maiming as many of his persecutors as he can, before collapsing into a water feature, a bloody, lifeless mess.    

But that’s OK, because it’s only a movie. Whatever we think of Tony Montana, we can rest easy that some day soon Al Pacino will be back, pouting and strutting around our screens as if none of this ever happened.

You see, in the movies there’s death and there’s Death. The former is something that we’re very comfortable with. It’s Martin Sheen being pushed off a rooftop in The Departed; it’s Ali MacGraw slowly slipping away in Love Story; it’s Guerrilla Number 7 having his neck snapped by an angry Rambo. Death with a capital D is very different. When a Heath Ledger or a River Phoenix or a Marilyn Monroe dies – I mean really dies – between films, we find ourselves cheated and curious, and left with a whole new kind of relationship with the images they left behind. 

Last year we were offered Heath Ledger’s tour de force, a manic, final performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight. And now – hang on! – here comes another final performance, in the shape of his curtailed scenes as Tony in Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

In truth, it’s all but impossible to see either performance in any kind of an objective light. In Parnassus, a messy film to begin with, the scenes that Ledger was shooting just before he died are intercut with scenes where three of his Hollywood buddies – Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell – give their own interpretations of the role. And in The Dark Knight, Ledger’s performance, while certainly impressive, was overshadowed by all of the expectations placed on it in hindsight. Was this the second or third great performance from an actor who would have gone on to better things? Or was it an amusing, well-crafted one-off, magnified out of all proportion by his untimely death?

What Death with a capital D does is focus our attention on the actor himself, and on what we know of his life story, when we should probably being paying attention to the film. Even the most high-minded of viewers will find themselves thinking occasionally during Parnassus, ‘I wonder if this is the last thing he shot’ or ‘Oh dear, he doesn’t look too well there.’ Big screen death makes ghouls of us all.

How else could you explain the phenomenal success of 1994’s The Crow? Well, OK, you could say that teenage Goths will always be suckers for a slick, dark comic book adaptation. But still, it was the death of Brandon Lee during the shoot that gave the film its initial notoriety and that has contributed much to its cult status since.

Clift, Monroe and Gable in 'The Misfits'

Sometimes, of course, death lends a rare poignancy and degree of feeling to a film. Would The Misfits be half the movie it is if we didn’t know that it was both Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe’s last, and that Montgomery Clift would be dead within five years of making it? That’s not to say that we look back at all dead movie stars in the same way (everybody dies after all), but that when the young and the beautiful pop their clogs the images that they leave behind affect us in ways that we don’t always fully understand. If their beauty can be taken away in an instant, then so can ours. It is our own mortality that is up there on the screen, and the way that the stars react to it teaches us important lessons about how we live our lives. So we can choose to cock a snook or two like James Dean, or flutter through life like Marilyn, or build a tower to our torment like Clift. Meanwhile, on the screen, the actors themselves march towards their doom, unaware of whatever fate posterity has in store for them.

At the other end of the scale, old actors die too, and sometimes this holds an equal fascination. In Sunset Boulevard, a grizzled Buster Keaton plays poker and a dignified Erich von Stroheim plays butler, the glory days of silent actor and director long behind them.

'Catastrophe'

John Gielgud spent much of the nineties playing dying men on TV and in film, and in his last performance in 2000 was reduced almost to the status of a corpse. In David Mamet’s six-minute adaptation of Samuel Beckett’s Catastrophe, Gielgud stands speechless and almost motionless on a stage while a director and his assistant consider how to position him for a spectacle, and which parts of his body to ‘whiten’.

For most of the piece, Gielgud stands with his head bowed. Only in the film’s last shot does he raise it slightly, allowing us a glimpse of those aged, watery eyes. And what do we see in them? A man on the brink of this world and the next? A time-torn thespian shuffling off this mortal coil? Or was the old actor simply thinking of another day’s work done, and wondering what to have for his dinner?

La cinta de Alex Proyas titulada The Crow, en la que actuaba Brandon Lee, hijo de la leyenda de artes marciales Bruce Lee, y en la que falleció por una rara forma en la que un arma no estaba cargada con salvas sino con balas de verdad, se convirtió -quizá por esta tragedia- en una película de culto que marcó a una generación. Su premisa era la de un hombre que es asesinado y, gracias a un cuervo, es vuelto a la vida para vengarse de quienes le hicieron mal.

Pues bien, hoy Relativity Media, casa productora, ha confirmado que ya se encuentra en preparativos de pre-producción para realizar el remake de este clásico, que ahora será dirigido por Stephen Norrington quien, entre sus credenciales, se encuentra el haber hecho la primera parte de Blade.

Se espera que la cinta se estrene en algún punto del 2011, pero la gran pregunta aquí es: ¿quién va a poder llenar los zapatos de Brandon Lee y su megaasesinatoescandaloso? Recordemos que las secuelas que se hicieron de la cinta original fueron muy malas.

I’m still not happy about this, because this is one of those movies that I loved in the day. Granted a lot of it was because Brandon Lee was hot as the sun, but overall it’s a pretty good movie. I never watched the series and or the sub-par sequels, so I have no idea what they were like. But, I don’t think this one is quite old enough for a reboot just yet.

Oh, well no one cares what I think, here’s the skinny: Comics2Film (C2F) at Mania reported that “a source close to the production” has claimed the latest draft for the film’s screenplay by director Stephen Norrington has been “very well received” by production company Relativity Media.

Beside breaking the story on the status of the screenplay, C2F also provided updates on what the filmmakers are planning to do next for the re-invention of the action thriller. Citing its source once again, the site noted “the project is moving forward” with the current attention being turned to the film’s casting.

Now here’s the part which kind of annoys me a bit. It won’t be a “remake” per se of the 1994 film. This new “The Crow” allegedly won’t be the remake to Alex Proyas’ 1994 film. Instead, Norrington has been reported to plan on creating new character and storyline for this reboot. “Whereas Proyas’ original was gloriously gothic and stylized, the new movie will be realistic, hard-edged and mysterious, almost documentary-style,” the director described his vision.

So, why are we calling it The Crow?

from AceShowBiz.com

The draft written by director Stephen Norrington reportedly is ‘very well received’ by the Relativity Media that the attention is now turned to the casting.

“The Crow”, a relaunch of the franchise spawned by James O’Barr’s graphic novel, is inching closer to materialization. Comics2Film (C2F) at Mania reported that “a source close to the production” has claimed the latest draft for the film’s screenplay by director Stephen Norrington has been “very well received” by production company Relativity Media.

Beside breaking the story on the status of the screenplay, C2F also provided updates on what the filmmakers are planning to do next for the re-invention of the action thriller. Citing its source once again, the site noted “the project is moving forward” with the current attention being turned to the film’s casting.

This new “The Crow” allegedly won’t be the remake to Alex Proyas’ 1994 film. Instead, Norrington has been reported to plan on creating new character and storyline for this reboot. “Whereas Proyas’ original was gloriously gothic and stylized, the new movie will be realistic, hard-edged and mysterious, almost documentary-style,” the director described his vision.

“The Crow” is originally a comic book series created by James O’Barr. It revolves around a young man named Eric Draven who after being left for dead on the side of the road by a gang of street thugs, is resurrected by a Crow and seeks vengeance. The first film adapted from the comics stars the late Brandon Lee.

Amazon Specials!

According to STYD Relativity Media really likes Stephen Norrington’s (Blade) script for The Crow. Norrington has turned in his script and the film is moving forward. It looks as if they will start casting soon.

Word is that it will not be remake of the Brandon Lee picture, but a reboot featuring a new character. Norrington has already explained in past reports, “Whereas [Alex] Proyas’ original was gloriously gothic and stylized, the new movie will be realistic, hard-edged and mysterious, almost documentary-style.”

I’m still not sure whether we need a reboot of The Crow, but I do like the sound of an documentary-style feel to a new version. I would prefer it is they didn’t actually follow The Crow but instead amp up the mythical side of him so that you barely see him but his (or maybe her) presence is everywhere.

Oh, they are the best! They depict emotions in a raw, powerful form. And by revenge, I’m not talking about an underpaid, overworked guy sticking it up to boss’s ass. Nope. I am talking about when a loved one is murdered and the one who left behind takes justice into his own hands. The latest promising avenger movie is Law Abiding Citizen, starring Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx.

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN (2009)

Butler’s character is the avenger. But the wonderful think about the film is he won’t be just taking care of the murderers that took his family’s life. He will also come after the prosecutor who cut a deal with them, the judge who let him and basically the whole system. Don’t worry, I didn’t give away any spoilers. It is all in the thriller. You can check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMoP35u8oN0.

I for one can’t wait till it comes to a theater near me. Until it does, I decided to pay a visit to some of the revenge movies I love.

BRAVEHEART (1995)

It is a revenge movie. Yes, it is epic,and glorious and tells us how the real life Scottish folk hero led his people to freedom by fighting the English. But the urge to take revenge starts all that. Wallace was just an ordinary boy when his father was killed. But he was taken and raised by his uncle, who taught him to be an intelligent, world-savvy person. He came back to his town and he had no desire to fight. But then the English kill his wife- a woman he loved deeply and loved more than anything and everyone else. So, this drove him to edge. It is possibly one of the most noble acts of revenge, since he did not give up after finishing off his wife’s murderers and continued to fight for his and his countrymen’s freedom. All of the scenes are priceless. The movie has 5 Academy Awards, including Best Film and Best Director; both won by the film’s lead actor/director/producer Mel Gibson. If you haven’t seen it yet, and you are not against the concept of historical epic movies, you really shouldn’t miss this.

The Crow (1994)

Such a dark,gothic,powerful cult classic. A rock musician’s ( Eric Draven played by Brandon Lee) fiancée is raped and murdered. Moreover, he is murdered. The great thing about this movie is that the avenger is also dead, and yet he comes back to avenge his and his fiancée’s murders. It is also fascinating to watch as the bad guys go nuts trying to kill him because he just can’t be killed. After all, he is already dead. It would have been lovely to follow Brandon Lee’s projects after this one, but unfortunately he died during the making of this film, which adds to its dark atmosphere. Director Alex Proyas created a cult status for himself. Although Dark City was brilliant, he disappointed quite a few times with his other work. But hey, it is hard to measure up to a film like this.

Death Sentence (2007)

trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLT-sNZH7CQ&feature=related

Although it is not as highly rated and regarded as the two movies above, it is a solid example of the genre. Kevin Bacon plays a dad whose son is murdered and the guilty will not receive a slightly deserving punishment. He loses it. He kills the guy who did it. But where the other revenge flicks would normally end, this one actually starts. Now the gang the bad boy belonged to goes after the dad and the remaining of his family, which might end up in dad having to take revenge once again, more brutally and absolutely. I think revenge flicks should not be judged the originality of the script. Not that I find this one refreshing in some parts, I do. But this kind of drama takes its power from the actors and how the director handles the shots. And this movie was beautifully done. Bacon is apt at playing any character, good and bad. But I am guessing the fact that he is a father in real life and really big on his family, and his own fears helped him bring out such a powerful performance. Watch it. It is exciting, disturbing and emotional. I am not exactly a fan of Saw movies. Haven’t even seen the first one. But now that I found out that the director of the first movie,James Wan, directed Death Sentence, I have this newly found respect for the guy. May he make more movies like this…

Desperado (1995) :

trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZdZv3kT9xk

Oh yeah. The movie that will make me love its director Robert Rodriguez regardless of how I feel about his other projects. This is a glorious,well-funded sequel to the more modest El Mariachi,which as good as it might have been, lacked one very important element: Antonio Banderas. In the first movie his girlfriend was murdered so now he seeks to avenge her death. Oh, and he has guitar case stuffed with the good guns and he will get rid of you if you try to get in his way.

The revenge movie’s lead is so undeniably significant. He needs to be likable. Yeah, sure it is
easy to identify with a guy whose loved one has been murdered- who loved that person so strongly that they risked their own lives in the name of taking justice in their own hands. He needs to look like a lover and a killer. Brandon Lee was charismatic in spite of his make-up-which added wonders to the cult image. Mel Gibson was tough,strong and masculine, and yet vulnerable, despite the traditional kilt. Antonio Banderas makes a wonderful action hero. He is hot,dark,well-built and passionate. What he lacks in height is more than made up to by his charisma and extreme good looks. Oh, he also sings, plays the guitar, uses his guitar as a weapon and meanwhile he does seduce and is seduced by the gorgeous Salma Hayek. Desperado is pure action, 0 drama and kick-ass entertainment. It doesn’t get deep.It just gets even. Kevin Bacon comes from the theater. He started in H0llywood as nice guy roles but he made a name for himself playing the bad guys. So he has no problem at all portraying a guy who is driven to the edge. In fact, he looks like he is made for it.
These movies are all different from each other but they have the core in common: You root for the good guy, you love the blood shed from the bad guys and the action sequences are brilliant. With the exception of Death Sentence, I have seen the rest many times.Which reminds me, I definitely should add the Kevin Bacon film to my collection. It sure as hell deserves a second viewing. I think for an actor, the action role doesn’t get better than a good revenge movie.

Being a great rock musician sure can have its consequences. Such as, being murdered and thrown out of window while your girlfriend is being raped by a bunch of junkies. The ultimate anti-musician movie, I think i’ll try becoming a baker.

The Crow stars Brandon Lee, in his final film, as Eric Draven, a rock musician who comes back from the dead to avenge his own murder, as well as that of his fiancée. Exploiting his undead ability to heal quickly, he delivers murderous justice with both glee and bitterness to each criminal who snuffed out his life on the brink of happiness. The ones he gets revenge on are lets just say not the most normal people in the world. Either there crazy ass junkies, Satan-worshiping Asians, or simply lets just put it bad guys.

While filming in the closing weeks of production, Lee was killed when a dummy bullet, which had become lodged in one of the guns, was fired into his abdomen. If this is the film for which Brandon Lee shall be remembered for, man, poor guy. He is not a very good actor, more of like his father, Bruce, he is just plainly an action star who has little talking that seems intimidating. His several little speeches about death and resurrection seem all too cheesy for a very dark film like this, and I believe are horribly delivered.

Despite Brandon Lee, the rest of the film is an action-packed neo-noir adventure straight from hell. The action scenes are awesome and very exciting, the look of the town is very depressing and dark, which is ultimately captured by the look and color. For some moviegoers this will not attract you, but for some very depressive 15 year olds Also not to forget the metal/rock soundtrack perfectly fits in with the setting.

Though in all I was entertained and visually stricken, The Crow for now will be a classic in the genre of art films. This is one of those typical revenge stories that are used through its vision and not so much its story and acting. Good film but not great. Rest In Peace Brandon Lee you will be missed.

6/10=Rental!!

Much like Yoo said it not ming, this post was inspired by a conversation I had with a coworker.

Bruce, Brandon, Jason Scott, Ang, and Jet all have two things in common: they’re of Chinese descent and have

“Lee” (or “Li” in Jet’s case) for a last name.

As for the Korean Lees, there’s Lee Minwoo from Shinhwa.  Lee JungHyun.  Lee ByungHun.  Lee Sora.

~!~

But, as Spike, Sara*, Ben, Amy, and Robert E. will attest, not all Lees are Asian. I decided to compile a list of Asian Lees and non-Asian Lees.  Wikipedia has saved me lots of surmising and brainstorming.  Here, you will find links to Lee as an English last name, Lee as a Korean last name, and Lee as a Chinese last name.  Nevertheless, since Sitting Pugs is a sports blog, I’m going to put down “Lee” athletes on the collegiate and professional levels.

On va commencer avec Football.

And what d’ya know?  UGA center Dallas Lee is not Asian.  And by the way, UGA wiped off some Vanderbilt smiles 34 to 10.

Clyde Lee is a wide receiver for  Boston College, who happened to conk the heads of the players for NC State 54 to 20.

Andy Lee punts for the San Francisco 49ers.

Donald Lee is a tight end for the Green Bay Packers.

~!~

Way Joe Lee, a Malaysian, swims for GaTech.

Jing Li also swims for GaTech.

Ben Lee dives for Emory.

By the way, GaTech slingshots over Virginia Tech 28 to 23.

~!~

On to the NBA.  Meet David Lee and Courtney Lee.

As for the MLB, Carlos Lee, Cliff Lee, and Derek Lee.

NHL has Brian Lee.

MLS has none.

~!~

When I was googling, I came across a neat article about a Chinese-Canadian man’s experiences with having the last name of Lee.  Here’s an excerpt:

When Lee received his science degree from the University of B.C. in 1960, he was one of just three students named Lee in a graduating class of 445.  When he began applying for teaching positions in Ontario, he said, employers would often look at his resume and assume he was white — then look disappointed when a Chinese man showed up for the interview…And while Don Lee may have once been mistaken for English or Irish, the shoe is now very much on the other foot.  Mario Lee, a social planner at the City of Vancouver, is an immigrant from Chile who got his last name from his great-grandfather, who was Irish.  He said he regularly gets mail delivered to him at city hall that is written entirely in Chinese — and at election time gets hassled by Chinese-speaking campaigners targeting the ethnic vote.

~!~

*Google image search reveals that Sara(h) Lees come in Asian and non-Asian varieties.

Following the premature and so far unexplained death of the Boyzone star Stephen Gately, we take a look at other celebrities who died young and under strange circumstances. Read more >>>

Hidden Secrets >>>

Strange Page Chatroom>>>

I am frequently asked about autograph dealers to be wary of when purchasing autographs. Two dealers who instantly come to mind that I would be very cautious of are Todd Mueller Autographs  and AACS Autographs (UACC RD #208) 

Both of these dealers regularly offer secretarial autographs as well as forgeries. Don’t believe all of Todd’s spiel on his website about how great he is. I would also like to know who does the authenticating at AACS; some of what they offer is ridiculous.

This is a horrible forged Walt Disney autograph that was sold by AACS Autographs for over US$500

Clint Eastwood secretarial autograph sold by AACS Autographs

Brandon Lee forgery initially listed in an auction by AACS Autographs however later withdrawn from auction near the end of closing!!

 ΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞ

This is a horrible forged Clint Eastwood autograph that was recently sold by Todd Mueller Autographs

Caveat emptor

The ones in charge on ABC’s FlashForward are doing something right. They’re filling in their supporting characters’ spots with some great talent. With last episode’s White to Play, we saw a sneak peek of two characters who will probably play big roles in secondary storylines. And is it chance that they both happen to be actors who took their roles in FOX’s 24 to the next level? Probably not.

We’ve seen diabolical villains in 24, from Tobin Bell, Penny Johnson, and Dennis Hopper. In fact, it’s the antagonists and their schemes which refresh us every season – how will Jack Bauer deal with a new terrorist’ threat on the US?

Shohreh Aghdashloo from 24. Is it me, or are the best antagonists killed off halfway through the day?

Well, I’m more than happy to see that two of my favourites appear on Thursday’s episode of FlashFoward. The first being the latest an Emmy winner for Supporting Actress in a TV/Mini-Series Shohreh Aghdashloo.

In 24, she played opposite Jonathan Ahdout as a sleeper cell disguised as a happy family in the United States. Her role turned out to be quite complex since she was the new female antagonist since the death of Sherry Palmer the season prior. It was this role that proved 24 writers can create the top female characters on television. In following years, both Jean Smart and Cherry Jones were nominated for Emmys in their first season with the series. Jones did so well as the US President that she walked away with the award this past year.

With FlashForward, her character’s vision was reading the file regarding John Cho’s death. Turns out Cho’s fears about not having a glimpse of the future are true. He’ll die six weeks before April 29, 2010. This is a secondary story that I don’t think the creators will let fizzle away. Even though she is scheduled for next week’s 137 Sekunden, I hope we see more of her. Her presence is unforgettable.

Michael Massee is D. Gibbons.

And then there’s D. Gibbons. Sure, we didn’t get a clear look at his face, but how can you not recognize Michael Massee’s voice? It’s as identifiable as Bobcat Goldthwait’s. He’s one of the few actors that I actually get excited to see. His talent is extraordinary and unfortunately, isn’t in a lot. Therefore, it’s always a treat to see him.

He was the first terrorist to battle against Jack Bauer in the first half of the first season. He would later be replaced by Hopper, but proved to be much better and showed that he can keep up with some of the best.

If your unfamiliar with Massee, he has had quite the dark past in his career. The following clip shows an exclusive interview regarding the accidental shooting of Brandon Lee.

So, will we see more of Massee in the future? We better. D. Gibbons is one of two known people who did not black out in FlashForward, and other than Suspect Zero, has become what Jacob is to LOST.

“He who foresees calamities suffers them twice over.”

This is D. Gibbons only line. If you ask me, it sounds like foreshadowing for a character. We’ll see.

EL CUERVO

Ficha Técnica

Sinopsis

Eric Draven es brutalmente asesinado al ser arrojado por una ventana de su departamento y su novia, Shelly Webster, después de ser violada por varios hombres, es llevada al hospital y después de unas horas muere también, por una banda liderada en su plenitud por Top Dollar, que asola las entrañas de la ciudad. El asesinato se produce en una noche llamada la Noche Del Diablo (noche antes de Halloween). Un año más tarde, Eric resucita gracias a la ayuda de un cuervo que lo devuelve a la vida; regresa a la ciudad donde fue ejecutado con el único objeto de vengarse. Eric obtiene inmortalidad, una fuerza sobrehumana, visión sobrenatural (al tocar una persona puede sentir lo que ésta siente) y protección del cuervo, su guía espiritual que enlaza el mundo de los vivos con el reino de los muertos. Así, no se detendrá hasta dar por vengado el daño hecho a él y su novia, algo que conseguirá cuando, por fin, someta al rey del crimen y a sus seguidores.

Trailer

I love rock n’ roll musicians. Not all of them of course. I have certain favorites, role models guys whose music I love and whose egos I hate….I have grown up with some. And it is no secret that I love movies so this post was, well, inevitable.

There have been a lot of movies based on rockstars or movies that have characters who happen to be rockstars. Below are my fav. portrayals.

1) The Crow- Eric Draven, by Brandon Lee (1994)

Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) and his guitar

What and who else could I talk about first?

The character of Eric Draven is everything that we the rock fans- and especially the female rock fans idolize : A handsome young rocker. A passionate yet compassionate lover. A guy you can laugh with. A guy you can share everything with. He is romantic and he is loyal. He is the one. Did I mention he has this amazing voice when he speaks and plays electric guitar and looks freaking good in leather?

But amazingly, this is not what Eric is all about. When he loses his fiancée Shelly, and he himself is also killed by the psychotic gang, he comes back from the dead. To avenge her. As he kills the gang members one by one, all he can think of is Shelly and when he can go back to her. Every memory haunts him. He is not just a rock star. He is a former rock star who comes back as an undead avenger. The message is that real love is more powerful than anything and it lasts forever.

He is the guy who takes his revenge in black leather clothes, white/black clownish/KISS type of make-up and plays his guitar on a rooftop. He is a lone rider. His pain and his love make the storypowerful; and Brandon Lee unforgettable.

I don’t care what movies he played in before. He is Eric Draven. And always will be.

video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poWHoUu_AOE&feature=related

2) The Doors- Jim Morrison by Val Kilmer (1991)

The movie poster

This movie is not exactly my cup of tea. I don’t like Oliver Stone. Although I like some of The Doors’ classics. I don’t like Morrison as a personality. I don’t get him. I don’t think many people do either. But Val Kilmer’s performance is pure brilliance. He is a fantastic actor. He can be outstanding in almost any role, in a movie of any genre. He can do shallow, he can do deep. He can do psychotic, complicated, romantic, funny… you name it. He is a good actor. But with The Doors, even I was surprised. It is hard to portray a celebrity whose voice, face and attitude are so well-known. How do you convince people that you are Jim Morrison? Well, if you genuinely look like him and sound like him and are one of the best actors of your generation- and are old enough to have existed in the era where Jimmy became a cult, well- voila-you can pull it off. Val Kilmer was so…Jim Morrison.Val even sang his vocals!

As for the appearance:

Videos

* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3h_VEaOZvE&feature=related

* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXxBtLe3UzI

3) Rent- Roger Davis by Adam Pascal (2005)

Adam Pascal on the right

Rent is a famous, sold-out rock musical that has been staged on broadway. Of course a movie version had to be made. I am not being sarcastic here. I love rock and I love movies- combine it right and the result will rock. The concept is simple. A close-knit of friends/neighbors dealing with broken dreams, poverty, trade off between the good life and the selling of your soul, diseases, drugs and relationships.

Roger is a rocker. Let’s say he is a former leading man/guitarist. His world and faith in love have been shattered when he has lost his girlfriend to OD (and AIDS). Roger also has HIV and is barely scraping by with his best mate/roommate.

Adam Pascal as Rogerc with Rosario Dawson as Mimi

Roger has all the right ingredients of a sexy rocker: He is hot- longish blonde hair, sexy voice, handsome face. He wears jeans and shirts and leather. He also look a little like Jon Bon Jovi- which is never a bad thing in my book. He is a good actor and an awfully talented singer. He is so good, I will be disappointed if he doesn’t have his own band in real life.

His character is fictional on the surface. Truth is, Roger is not about one person. He reflects the lifestyle of a lot of 90s musicians. See Rent. But please stay away if you don’t like rock music. It’s not gonna ring well in your ears…

Videos from Rent the movie:

1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkScM71Pngc

2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TOQxSvA_zs&feature=related

(For the second video, Adam’s part begins right in the middle)

***

WARNING: SPOILERS EVERYWHERE

Being a huge fan of dark gothic tales, I thought I’d have to give ‘the Crow’ a try. I know it’s a shame I’ve never seen it before, because it’s become a very famous film. Especially when the news came out that main character actor Brandon Lee had gotten shot and killed by accident during the shooting of this movie. So let’s see what’s really behind the classic story the Crow later became.

The story is about a rock-guitarist called Eric Draven. His fiancée Shelly Webster was raped and killed by a criminal gang. They made Eric watch and killed him afterward. One year later, a crow comes to Eric’s grave and makes him rise again so he can take revenge on the criminal gang.

The main theme of the movie is ‘putting the wrong things right’. I thought this was a really nice theme, it just feels so right. It comes back many times throughout the movie. In the first place of course because he is taking revenge, but he can for instance also cleanse someone’s blood from morphine. Morphine being the wrong thing and Eric putting it right. That was a nice touch.

There are more interesting things about this movie. I liked the fact that whenever Eric touches something or someone, a memory he had of it comes back. That’s also how he first finds out what happened to him and Shelly before they died. You see the memories in quick flashes in bright red and yellow colours. That makes it more dramatic and kind of unearthly, which works really well.

Now let’s talk about the dialogue. I have a lot to say about that. There are some very cool lines, for instance: “he was already dead. He died a year ago, the moment he touched her. They’re all dead, they just don’t know it yet”. I really liked that. But some of the dialogue, most of it, unfortunately, is kind of lame and cliché. Sometimes it’s because it is, in my opinion, pronounced the wrong way or without much conviction, for example when Eric says: “You are all going to die”. And sometimes it’s just weird. Take for instance the scene where the Crow (Eric) and officer Albrecht first meet. Albrecht is distracted for a moment, and when he turns around, Eric’s disappeared, and this is what Albrecht says: “Oh great, Albrecht. Guy shows up looking like a mime from hell, and you lose him. Well, at least he didn’t do that ‘walking against the wind’-shit, I hate that”. I don’t know about you, but I just thought that was weird. More than once I felt like the Crow was disrespected by the other characters. It makes him seem less cool because the other characters are often not impressed by the (awesome!) war paint on his face. They say things like: “are you supposed to be a clown or something?” and “Great outfit, not sure about the face though”. I thought they didn’t explain enough about why he‘s wearing make-up anyhow. Then again you get the chance to make up your own mind about it, but still, it wasn’t necessary. Also, I know it’s probably stupid to compare the Crow to ‘the Joker’ from Batman. I couldn’t help but see the likeness. But anyway, in the ‘Dark Knight’ no one disrespected the Joker, because they all knew how dangerous he was. I wish this was also the case in the Crow.

There’s also a lot of humour in this movie, that is often very weird or misplaced, but sometimes also very funny. There is a scene where the Crow tells a joke, a Jesus-joke. And it was a funny joke, but I still felt like it would have been more appropriate if the joke actually had more to do with the character, or the situation. That’s what the Joker would have done (here I go again, can’t help myself!) Because now the only reason he started telling the joke was because some other guy said: “Jesus Christ!” And it wasn’t that bad, and I know I’m overreacting, but I’m just saying it would have been nicer. I just think that unfortunately the humour can make you take the movie, and the characters, less seriously. Which I think is a shame.

Now let’s finally talk about leading man Brandon Lee. Even though there were some tiny things I think he could have done better, for instance his voice being too sweet and boyish for the character, I loved loved loved him in this movie. As I said before, the war paint looks incredible. I love Brandon Lee as a person, in interviews and stuff, because he is sweet, intelligent, and has an amazing charisma. And I loved how this all came back in the character he was playing. He gave the Crow a huge amount of humanity. You can really see that in his relationship with the character Sarah. He’s really a father-figure to her. I loved the scene where Sarah was in Eric and Shelly’s old apartment, knowing that Eric was there and talking to him. But Eric didn’t show himself because he felt a certain responsibility that he should not rip up old sores on Sarah, because he’d been dead for a year and when he would be gone again she’d have to go through a mourning process all over again. It brings a lot of depth to the story to see how caring Eric is towards some people.

When Eric has almost taken his revenge on everyone, there comes an amazing fight-scene. It’s really beautifully done, the choreography, the lighting and the music, it’s all perfect. It’s almost art. And it was really good that it didn’t look too much like martial arts (Brandon Lee will always be Bruce Lee’s son of course). If it would look too much like martial arts it wouldn’t be very realistic, because the Crow is a rock-guitarist, not a fighter.

I think this movie is a nice mixture of action, drama and rock ‘n roll. Speaking of rock ‘n roll, the soundtrack is also very cool. Different rock songs forming the soundtrack of a movie is now kind of common, but in 1994 (the year the movie came out) it was very unusual. But it worked and it’s a good soundtrack, many awesome bands worked on it, such as the Cure, Nine Inch Nails and Rage against the Machine.

All in all I think this movie has it’s flaws, but still I loved it and after seeing it the first time I ordered the DVD and watched it many times more. You also have to see it in the right perspective, because many things that seem flogged to death or lame now, were very new and original in those days. But the main thing that makes this movie worth while is Brandon Lee. I therefore think it would be a very bad idea to do a remake of this movie. I know we’ve all heard the rumours, and it’s just a bad, bad idea. Because this isn’t a bad movie, and Brandon Lee did a great job. This movie doesn’t deserve to be remade, I like it way too much. So although it seems suitable, there’s just no use in putting the wrong things right in thìs movie.