X-Men; Comic-Action; Freigegeben ab 12

X-Men 2; Comic-Action; Freigegeben ab 12

X-Men: Der letzte Widerstand (OT: X-Men: The Last Stand); Comic-Action; Freigegeben ab 16

relevante Themen:

A lot of people consider The Usual Suspects to be a great movie.  I don’t even consider it good.  Here’s why:

Imagine you were watching a movie (not hard to imagine), and in the vein of Citizen Kane, there is a question that keeps getting asked over and over and over again (E.g. What is rosebud?  Why Rosebud?).  That one’s a little more difficult.  Better yet, think about it in terms of a mystery–Who is the serial stalker?–and people keep asking “Who did it?” over and over and over again.  You expect that from some movies.  In the case of mystery movies, it really drives the plot, it’s the essential question that motivates why the story movies along and what goal the investigator has.

In a more complicated (not that most mystery movies aren’t complicated), movie like Citizen Kane where you have a guy at the beginning of the movie calling out “Rosebud!  Rosebud!” and people wonder what it is, the essential question works  a little differently.  In Citizen Kane, it was a starter to the almost epic biography of a man, his life, and what he most valued, which it turns out is Rosebud–this isn’t answered until the end of the movie, as a big reveal to explain what he really valued in life even though he couldn’t have it.

The Usual Suspects

Then there’s The Usual Suspects, which operates like a high class caper film.  It’s like a mystery, a mystery with the driving question: “Who is Kaiser Soze?”  (And, if you’re familiar with the restaurant Moe’s, which I love, then you’ll know the movie was popular enough for them to make a ‘Who is Kaiser Salsa’ salsa flavor after the movie.  That’s some pretty big stuff.  You know a movie has real popular weight when it’s satirized in restaurant food names.)  And, if you know the tricks of mystery capers, the solution will be one of three.

1. Kaiser Soze will be a character we know, possibly the character we know the best in the film. (E.g. Fight Club)
2. Kaizer Soze will be a minor character introduced at the beginning of the film with a small motive that is referenced at the end of the film with a big reveal.
3. Kaiser Soze will be a character we don’t see until the last scene of the movie, a reveal that gives satisfaction to a something like a real life chase. (E.g. Zodiac)

But we know the answer before we start the film because the film was directed by Bryan Singer.  And Bryan Singer is a film nerd.  He’s actually a nerd in many senses (e.g. comic book) but he’s a film nerd.  He probably knows movie history in and out, has seen all the film noirs like Laura, The Big Sleep, and The Maltese Falcon that defined The Usual Suspects.  So he knows which way the pendulum must fall.  The greatest, and most personally pleasing solution for directors like Bryan Singer (please note any movie by M. Night Shayamalan).  The most pleasing solution is to have the answer in front of you the entire time.  He will always choose option one.  No questions asked.

This makes the movie, plotwise, almost boring to watch because we’re only introduced to one main character that plays through the entire movie–Verbal.  So the answer is staring (literally, staring) at us right from the beginning. Also, the plot doesn’t make much sense.  We are told a story from the beginning through Verbal, but I couldn’t not really keep track of the story.  At once we were in California, then New York, and characters saying things that should mean something but meant nothing.  They decided to kill someone.  I knew not who the person was or what their importance was.  I was bored.

Thank goodness Singer is an excellent filmmaker.  Because technically, the movie is quite creative and interesting to watch.  He sets his film shots up very well, does a lot with color, tone, and mood in his scenes, and though unevenly edited, has a good overall flow to his film.  He made a great film noir, in the tradition of The Big Sleep, and for that I can fault him nothing.  The Big Sleep is so twisted with its own plot complications that the movie itself doesn’t actually make sense–this is a pretty well known fact in the film community.

But, let me say this.  I think the movie is pretty good–if only for the knowledge that it does well what a filmi noir is supposed to do.  That being, confuse, confound, confirm the dearth of life, and potentially have an interesting reveal at the end.  But the plot isn’t there, and it should be there.  A movie is in essence a story in pictures first.  And if I like the pictures, but don’t really get the story, why should I care?

At least The Big Sleep flowed.  A movie I consider to be only a step below The Usual Suspects is The Black Dahlia, which is a pretty awful movie in its own right–a film noir like The Usual Suspects, with too much plot for an audience to care.  Usual Suspects is a far cry from the much more carefully laid out, and classier film noir, LA Confidential.   It does not, cannot compete.  So, while The Usual Suspects may have its thousands of die-hard fans, this guy here isn’t, and there’s a reason why: it’s just not interesting enough to be good, let alone great.

You judge for yourself.  6/10.

Okay, as you probably know by now: I’m a fan of Superman Returns. I may or may not be listening to the soundtrack right now.  But YOU probably hated it so now I have to think of who else I’d want to direct another Superman movie. Fortunately, since V for Vendetta, James McTeigue, director of the upcoming Ninja Assassin, has been at the top of my list, and, pretty much since V for Vendetta came out, he hasn’t stopped talking about what HE would do with the movie.  And what would HE do with a Superman movie?  Well to  sum it up for him:  make it awesome.  And I’m okay with that.  Read more!

Next up on my fanboy wishlist is Len Wiseman, director of Live Free of Die Hard.  I don’t know what the hell he’s been up to since and I’m too lazy to look it up (I lied — not much.)   I’d also be interested in somebody like Paul Haggis getting a crack at a tent-pole like Superman.  Or I might give up my first born for Alfonso Cuarón.

If given the opportunity to post a pic of V on my blog, I'll take it.

Operazione Valchiria è un film del 2008 thriller storico ambientato nella Germania nazista durante la seconda guerra mondiale. Il film descrive il momento in cui degli ufficiali dell’esercito tedesco preparano il piano, fino alla messa in atto, per assassinare Adolf Hitler e di utilizzare l’operazione Valchiria come piano nazionale di emergenza per prendere il controllo del paese.

Leggi altre notizie su: | Bryan Singer | Tom Cruise | Kenneth Branagh | Bill Nighy | Tom Wilkinson

Qui a Latveria, siamo dei ragazzi semplici. Ci piace leggere i fumetti, andare in birreria, limonare duro e andare al cinematografo. Quando qualcuno decide di trasportare su grande schermo le imprese di qualche nostro beniamino, noi siamo più che felici di andare a dare dei soldini a qualche annoiata cassiera. Anche se tutti ci fanno notare che abbiamo una certa età, che siamo laureati, che ormai siamo delle persone quasi rispettabili e che il panettiere del quartiere ci riconosce e ci tiene via il pane nei giorni di festa… insomma, ci siamo capiti… nonostante tutto questo, noi giovani e semplici ragazzi di Latveria, non vediamo l’ora di sederci al buio di una sala per vedere dal vivo, dal vero veramente, ciò che su carta ci ha emozionato per una vita intera… E spesso, quasi sempre, usciamo sconfitti, delusi, arrabbiati che ci viene da sbavare, roteare i pugni vero il cielo, sbarrare gli occhi e urlare “Perché? CRISTO, MA PERCHÉ?”

La redazione è dunque fiera di fare i nomi e i cognomi dei colpevoli dei 15 più orribili crimini contro l’umanità mai commessi in ambito fumettistico-cinematografico. Come ai tempi di Dj X & Maurizio Seimandi, andiamo con ordine, calma e parsimonia: oggi andiamo a scoprire chi c’è dalla posizione 15 alla 13…

15- Superman Returns, Bryan Singer, 2006

Il problema con i film di SuperMan è che gli si fa solo spostare-evitare-aggiustare-modificare oggetti inanimati e mai gli si lascia la libertà mollare due ceffoni. E dire che Supes nella sua carriera fumettistica non si è risparmiato in ceffoni.
Nonstante ciò (Do you know Bizarro? Mongul?…etc) nei film il suo unico grande avversario è sempre e comunque (con dovute ma anche risibili eccezioni) una pietra colorata. Non si parte benissimo.

SuperMan alla fine agisce come una gru blu e rossa. Un film in cui non fa altro che sollevare qualcosa.

I grandi avversari e sfide di SuperMan in SM Returns:

Solleva aerei, globi di metallo e donne in carriera (senza provocare upskirt)!

Naturalmente anche il gran finale del film è costituito da una scena in cui SuperMan solleva qualcosa, in questo caso una Capri di Kryptonite.

Tutto questo senza fare riferimenti all’irritantissime storie sul figlioletto di Superman (mai bambino fu più irritante) e su Lois che si spupazza Ciclope.

Attore di pregio che qui mette a rischio la sua carriera:
Frank Langella

14- X-Men: Conflitto Finale, Brett Ratner, 2006

Mentre Bryan Singer era alle prese con il sollevatore di ferro di cui sopra, le redini del terzo e atteso film sui nostri mutanti prefe di sempre, passa nelle manone tozze di Brett Ratner. Il regista di tanti video di Mariah Carey, colui che ha rovinato la carriera di Jackie Chan in terra americana, ce la mette tutta per girare un film all’altezza dei primi due. Sfortunatamente le ambizioni del film si scontrano e si sfracellano contro una sceneggiatura orribile, attori costretti a dire a fare delle cose che li rendono stupidi (il povero Hank McCoy per esempio qui ne esce malissimo) e un regista che giustamente adesso fa i video per Miley Cirus. Si riesce nella difficile impresa di buttare in vacca tutta, TUTTA, la Saga della Fenice Nera. Il bambino “cura” Cameron Bright fa venire voglia di invadere la Polonia. Unica cosa notevole: l’inseguimento tra la nostra amata Kitty Pride (interpretata da Ellen Page) e il grande Vinnie Jones aka Jaggernaut (il Fenomeno in italiano). Infatti…

Attore di pregio che qui mette a rischio la sua carriera:
Ian Mckellen

13 – La Leggenda degli Uomini Straordinari, Stephen Norrington, 2003.

Già dal titolo si capiscono un paio di cose: dagli Straordinari Gentiluomini del libro di Moore, siamo passati ai ben più ordinari Uomini Straordinari di Norrington. Per la cronaca, il nome completo di questo straordinario cretino è Stephen Norrington. Che a confronto Stephen Sommers è Otto Preminger. Ci si nasconde dietro a un “liberamente tratto” per non incappare in denunce da parte di Alan Moore . il quale ovviamente si è tenuto lontano da questa mega cazzata – e poter poi fare di testa propria. Con la simpatica conseguenza di aver rovinato uno dei racconti metaletterari più divertenti e intelligenti degli ultimi anni. Oltre ad aver aggiunto ad cazzum due personaggi come Tom Sawyer e Dorian Gray, si brancola nel buio cercando di trovare almeno una storia da raccontare. Con scarsissimi risultati. Sean Connery col toupé ai minimi storici. I soldi per gli effetti speciali devono essere finiti dopo i primi tre giorni di produzione per cui, dopo una sequenza iniziale con almeno un po’ di verve (leggi: qualche esplosione), il resto sembra brutta televisione. Una nota per coloro che hanno curato l’edizione italiana: Graphic Novel non si traduce Novella Grafica (perché io ve lo giuro, nei titoli di testa c’è scritto così…). Dovreste ridarci i soldi. O almeno la decenza di cambiare lavoro.

Attore di pregio che qui mette a rischio la sua carriera:
Sean Connery

Adriano & Fede MC

Apt Pupil fue la peli que hizo Bryan Singer en 1998 justo después de Usual Suspects y que le significó su reconfirmación como estrella de Hollywood.

En esta peli un joven quinceañero se entera que su vecino es un ex oficial de la Gestapo y fascinado por las historias que puede contarle sobre la Segunda Guerra Mundial abusa de su sed de chantaje con revelar su secreto a las autoridades locales hasta tal punto que se le devuelve y desencadena una serie de eventos que marcan su vida y su carácter.

Esta peli tiene un terrible registro de producción. Basada en una novela de Stephen King se buscó producirla en cine a principios de los 80’s pero dos actores que se contrataron para realizar el papel de Dussander murieron. Cuando se lanzó la producción en forma en 1987 tenía tanto lastre financiero que el proyecto se canceló. Después de casi quince años los derechos volvieron a King y fue gracias a él que la peli se hizo con Singer quien redujo la historia, la violencia y cambió el final para finalmente tener el producto que podemos apreciar hoy en día.

La obra no deja más que admiración por un monstruo de la literatura norteamericana como lo es Stephen King. Qué impresión la influencia que es este señor en Hollywood (además que es de mis autores favoritos) y el listado tan extenso de pelis basadas en sus obras. De esta, una notable actuación del actor fetiche de Singer, Ian McKellen quien de la mano de su colega Brad Renfro fueron rotundos ganadores ese año en festivales independientes.

Excelente fotografía a cargo de Newton Thomas Siegel un importante engranaje en el equipo de Singer desde siempre, que lo ha acompañado a lo largo de su carrera cinematográfica e incluso televisiva en el capítulo que Singer dirigió de House M.D. ( si es buena esta serie? Debería seguirla? No se cada vez me parece que me estoy perdiendo de algo verdaderamente importante pero nunca lo tengo muy claro).

Finalmente, el dramatismo se complementa con una cara reconocida en este blog: John Ottman. Compositor de Valkyrie, The Invasion, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, X-Men 2, The Cable Guy, Usual Suspects y Public Access (estas últimas pertenecientes a la opera prima de Singer).

Una buena peli, Singer no desentona, por el contrario entretiene con su trama bien lograda. Me la quería ver hacía mucho tiempo y por fin la pasaron en Cinemax.

I enjoyed this movie and may be one of the few that was not annoyed by the idea of Tom Cruise in this role.  As I’m sure, most people know this movie is about the failed assassination attempt of Adolf Hitler. Of course it failed but despite the inevitable conclusion the film maintains itself throughout.

The acting was very good in most respects. I actually enjoyed Tom Cruise’s performance but he did not take the lead as strongly as he should have. He did what had to be done but he could have elevated this movie like he has done to others in the past. His role needed that maverick type attitude like he provided in Born On the Fourth of July. His non-German accent was not an issue, rather it was the strength that he displayed in his performance that was disappointing to many. This movie was certainly a chance for him to build his career back up to a more serious level but he clearly did not impress too many with his role as Stauffenburg to do that. Still, he was enjoyable in some extent to watch, at least to me.

The supporting cast though was great. Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy and Tom Wilkinson were all pivotal in the success of this movie and they certainly filled in perfectly. All around they were great performances but who I especially liked was Christian Berkel whom also appeared in Downfall as well as Jamie Parker.

The directing of Bryan Singer was sublime. He provided an amazing amount of suspense to a movie that (hopefully) everyone knew the ending to. For a good half hour I was totally frozen watching as the plot unfolded. I also thought the movie was paced very well and he brought the best out of the supporting cast. Of course it was shot very well with a great production throughout. The movie was written very nicely but as many people have said, it would have been great if there was more emotional depth added to the characters to make the audience feel more attached them.

This movie certainly had a lot of potential but it stayed within the realm of mostly a suspense action movie. It’s carried through by its well picked supporting cast. Valkryie reminded me of a WWII movie from the 50s and 60s with its style and pacing. It’s very interesting to think about what ifs’ and it’s a bit fascinating in at least the context of the movie to think they almost pulled off the impossible without killing Hitler. Valkryie perfectly illustrates how the smallest of things can have the biggest impact.

Pre-Production is when the filmmakers and Producers have been green lit to make a film and are finishing the script, gathering funds, casting and hiring. There is a good chance the film will be made at this point, though until it’s in post-production, there is never any guarantee. And sometimes there’s no guarantee it will be released even when it’s completely finished.

But, on IMDB Pro, here are some of the films listed as in Pre-Production:

Saw 7 - In 3D! (I’m not kidding.)

Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2

Wanted 2

Lethal Weapon 5

Kung Fu Panda 2

Rambo 5: The Savage Hunt

Scream 4 (Do you see a theme with sequels? There are plenty more coming.)

The Three Stooges - with Benicio Del Toro as Moe and Paul Giamatti as Larry. Sean Penn was originally Larry, but dropped out. I loved the Three Stooges growing up, but I’m shocked at the quality of actors they are getting. This may actually be pretty good.

Total Recall – This is still in the script phase. The original film with Arnold Schwarzenegger is super cool. They better not cast someone like Vin Diesel in the lead role.

Red Sonja - Rose McGowen starts, but her boyfriend Robert Rodriguez is not directing, only producing this film. I’m a Rodriguez fan, but with him not at the helm, I’m uncertain about this film. I’m not a big McGowen fan.

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea: Sam Worthington from Terminator is Captain Nemo. There’s potential here.

My Fair Lady - A remake to star Kiera Knightley as Eliza Dolittle. She looks the part (Audrey Hepburn played the part in the original film, though she didn’t sing.) Can Kiera sing? Guess we’ll see. Wonder who will play Professor Higgins? An interesting note: Emma Thompson is writing the screenplay.

Spring Awakening - A very successful new musical. I’m very curious to see who will be cast. The girl from Glee was in the original Broadway production. Maybe she has a shot.

Mary the Mother of Christ - with Al Pacino as Herod. Oh, the jokes, the jokes…

The Warriors – A remake Benny is super excited about. No news on casting yet. Probably will be mostly unknowns.

Hamlet - Another one? This one with Emile Hirsch. The Speed Racer guy? He better have the acting chops for this or it could be a disaster. I am always interested in who will be Ophelia. Kate Winslet rocked it in Kenneth Branagh’s version and the best part of the Mel Gibson one was Helena Bonham Carter’s Ophelia.

Jack and Jill - with Adam Sandler playing both parts. Was Jim Carrey busy?

Excalibur - Bryan Singer is doing this film. Love him. The Usual Suspects is an all time favorite of mine and I love the King Arthur mythology. However, the original Excalibur film is awesome, so I’m not sure what Singer can bring to the story. No casting news yet. I wonder if they will remake Camelot the musical too?

Battlestar Galactica- I’m a huge fan of this series and I’d love to see a film version. Right now Bryan Singer is also slated to direct this, though it looks like it’s a long way from being a done deal.

Warcraft - Directed by Sam Raimi, this could be fun.

This B is really more of an average, splitting the difference between an A for tone, structure, and gore, and a big fat EFFFFF for camera work. I’m looking for a way to express how catastrophic the camera work is for Trick ‘r Treat, and I’m landing somewhere between soft-core porn and Lifetime original movie.

Oh yes. That bad.

It essentially felt like the film had been formatted to fit [your] screen, with lots of pan and scan and poor framing, but I was watching a blu-ray DVD on a very nice, wide, flatscreen television, so I don’t understand how that could be possible. There’s not much more I can say about how abysmal the camera movement was, and obviously no pictures will do it justice because the actual shots were all lovely, the camera just moved over them in the crappiest way possible, so you’ll have to take my word for it. Essentially: cheap, cheap and glossy. Like rayon or cubic zirconia!

However, there were other things! Awesome things! The opening was sweet, despite Tahmoh Penikett’s penchant for Wolverine-style scream-acting:

and the comic book credits were pretty cool, too. See for yourselves!

As you can see at the link, this movie starts out with a bang! Porn and blood! Trick ‘r Treat is actually an anthology of four scary Halloween stories (in addition to the opening), and they’re all very cool and twisty.

Story 1:

Dylan Baker, get away from that kid! I’m sorry, I just do not trust him around males under the age of 15 after Happiness. Can you blame me? Unfortunately for poor type-cast Mr. Baker, my mistrust is accurately placed here. Dude is creepy.

Hilariously so! Baker plays Mr. Wilkins, the local principal, although he’s less of a ‘pal and more of a, you know, serial killer. With crotchety old Brian Cox as a neighbor!

Best curmudgeon ever! I could seriously enjoy a spin-off starring Cox and Baker as wacky neighbors. Shit, make it a sitcom.

Story 2:

A handful of bitchy little kids decide to freak out the local adorbs weirdo girl by playing an atrocious prank on her at the site of this school bus massacre that took place thirty years ago. The flashback to the massacre is the only genuinely frightening part of this movie. Don’t get me wrong, I dug the hell out of Trick ‘r Treat; it was funny and gross and hard-core, but it wasn’t scary. Except for THIS!

BLURG! Take off those masks, scary disturbed children! You are wigging my ass out!

Oh and don’t worry, the adorbs weirdo kid totally got back at the bitchy little pranksters. In a highly satisfying manner.

Story 3:

Anna Paquin, what are you doing here? Oh, Bryan Singer must have traded on his X-Men currency to snag you before you started filming True Blood. It sure is nice to see you with brown hair again. You’re so much prettier this way! See?

That bleach job does nothing for your complexion! Where were we? Oh yes, Trick ‘r Treat. A movie in which you are inexplicably featured. Paquin plays the virginal Little Red Riding Hood amidst her slutty fairy tale companions.

Snow White, Cinderella and whatever-the-pink-one-is-supposed-to-be (besides the perennially naked girl in Smallville and Lost Boys: The Tribe) decide it’s time to get Red laid. They split up and Red is stalked by a mysterious vampy-type.

Despite the fact that they are totally cloak-buddies, Red doesn’t want anything to do with MysteryVamp. And then…some incredibly awesome stuff happens that I just can’t bring myself to spoil no matter how badly I want to. This review is spoiler-free! I will only say that there is an ubiquitous horror scene that has never before been executed in such a freshly grotesque manner, and Trick ‘r Treat just NAILS it. GAH I want to tell you! But I won’t, so here are just some more pretty shots of Anna Paquin being pretty.

What is it about the image of Little Red Riding Hood that is so intrinsically artistic? 

Story 4:

AKA, Kreeg the Curmudgeonly Neighbor Gets His Own Storyline!

Kreeg hates Halloween, has a mysterious past, and is being tormented by Sam, the creepy little thread who runs throughout Trick ‘r Treat.

Sam cameos in all of the above stories but takes on more of a starring villain role in Kreeg’s house. Trick ‘r Treat writer/director Michael Doughterty  manages these disparate threads with a deft hand, in that there are dozens of subtle allusions and visual hints that weave them all together. The writing is frankly great, and I really dig the tone, because it’s just so absurd and yet still wholeheartedly, intensely fucked up. I have to admit, I cringed when the Marilyn Manson cover of “Sweet Dreams” played over a scene, because dudes, this is not 1995, but that could quite possibly be an intentionally quirky decision on the director’s part.

The writing is certainly not the problem here, nor the tone, nor the set design, which I truly enjoyed:

No the problem lies entirely with the camera work. Michael Doughtery heretofore has worked as a successful screenwriter in a couple Bryan Singer films (X-Men 2 and Superman Returns, hence Singer’s involvement with presenting Trick ‘r Treat) and I don’t know, maybe he should stick to his day job. Although the cinematographer was Glen MacPherson, and he’s shot tons of stuff I’ve seen, including The Final Destination and Resident Evil this year alone, and I don’t remember those films reeking of the Cinemax After Hours treatment, so lord, who knows who’s to blame.

Still and all, Trick ‘r Treat is fun and original with a wicked sense of humor and I’m not displeased to hear that Doughtery is already talking sequel. The original is definitely worth a rental, especially next Halloween season! 

Link Drop!

Various tidbits of things I care about!

JJ Abrams finally stops trying to give me a heart attack and realizes he is not the man for The Dark Tower movie! (thanks for the link, Ray!)

Speaking of screamy old Tahmoh, the inevitable has come to pass: Dollhouse is a goner.

Holy lord, I love this season! The CW is presenting the two-parter Justice Society eps as a 2-hour movie event on January 29! This may interrupt my plans to throw a birthday party for my dog on that day. Sorry, Zelda! (thanks for the link, Mandy!)

Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job! Season 2 (Adult Swim/ Madman) is so cheesy, so wrong and so damn surreal in it’s stupidity and wrongness that watching it you begin to question your own sanity. It’s like time stretches out, consumes you and when it spits you out you can no longer trust your senses. Yes that’s right it’s TV LSD. It’s outsider comedy, filled with freaks and weirdos doing weird freaky things that are absolutely nonsensical. But it’s genius nonsense. It’s the kind of work that David Lynch would be doing now if he went for Cheetos and Baconaise instead of transcendental meditation. They’re obsessed with dodgy videotape and crappy visual effects. It’s like public access TV set in a psychiatric hospital letting the inmates do what they want. Both John C Reilly (Magnolia) and Jeff Goldblum appear regularly, even Dave Navarro pops up – but he doesn’t appear to have been let in on the joke.

Bryan Singer’s (X-Men/ The Usual Suspects) little seen debut feature Public Access (Dark Horse/ DV1) is the bastard child of his oeuvre. It’s incredibly stylish, visually assured and the acting in particular is creepy and engaging. Yet there’s a NQR quality that makes it compelling. It’s so open ended, like they trashed half the script, not bothering to connect the logic or expand upon the motivations underlying the characters behaviors. In Hollywood land where everything is over explained as if we’re skittish 9 year olds with learning difficulties, this is refreshing. The key is the manipulations of the impossibly smooth Wiley, who enters a small town and immediately books time on the local cable station. His show stirs up underlying tensions and pits townsfolk against each other in this Blue Velvetesque descent into what lies behind the white picket fences.

Polyester (Reel) is John Waters doing John Waters doing Joseph Sirk, a knowingly hysterical melodramatic soap opera brimming with wrongness and stupidity. All the senses are heightened. Some shouldn’t be, like the screen gimmick Odourama, in which the audience was to scratch and sniff a card everytime the corresponding number appeared on screen. Unfortunately the card doesn’t appear with this DVD, so you can’t enjoy the aromas of fart or dog doodoo in your lounge-room. Waters, who had only recently graduated from making people eat dog feces on camera, supplies many putrid oddly chace moments of outlandish debauchery. He’s obsessed with 50’s suburbia and where Sirk attempted to mine the subversion beneath the perfect veneer, Waters puts the subversion front and centre. Life is terrible for modern transvestite housewife Divine. Her husband is rooting around with his mousy looking secretary, her possibly brain damaged daughter (she never stops dancing) has been knocked up by the local hoodlum, and her glue sniffing son’s foot fetish has him wanted by the police. No wonder she’s an alcoholic. However when she meets the chiseled Todd Tomorrow and embarks on a tempestuous affair things are looking up, yet you know in Waters hands it can’t be that simple. There’s a great directors commentary too.

All you need to do is look at the cover of the Machine Girl (Eastern Eye), to find out everything you need to know – a young hottie in a Sailor Moon outfit splattered with blood who’s left arm is a gattling gun. Replacing body parts with weapons is almost a genre to itself these days, what with Rose McGowan’s machine gun leg in Planet Terror, though the Japanese have been doing it best since Tetsuo. The Machine Girl is another in a long line of shamelessly over the top, impossibly gory, ultra violent and very funny films the Japanese have been churning out recently. We’ve got metal bras that double as drills, amputations, geysers of blood, a touch of necrophilia, and ninja yakuza’s, in what is ultimately a revenge flick, that’s totally outlandish, shocking and proudly gratuitous.

The Savage Innocents (Umbrella) features some of the greatest laughter you will ever see/ hear in a film. Of course laughter is sex in this 1959 foray into the world of the Eskimo from Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without a Cause). Whilst Anthony Quinn plays the lead character Inuk and the mix between location and studio footage is a little obvious, this film is a real gem, highlighting the culture clash between the encroaching West and the Eskimos in a sensitive, compelling and slightly kitsch manner.

La serie Battlestar galactica, famosa serie de los setenta, fue tan popular que ya tuvo un remake para la televisión con cuatro temporadas y que, además consta de un spin-off, llamado Caprica. La serie ha gozado de tanta popularidad, que miles de fans se congregaban ante su ordenador para descargar cada nuevo capítulo.

Pues bien, ahora Bryan Singer experimentado en la ciencia ficción gracias a sus adaptaciones con personajes de cómic, está en negociaciones con Universal Pictures para llevar la serie al cine.

El director, pretendería estrenar el film para 2011, pero aún no parece que haya consenso sobre el tema.

“Trick ‘r Treat”
a review by Darby O’Gill

It’s Halloween night, a night full of tricks and treats. Well, mostly tricks. But, the real treat is finally getting Michael Dougherty’s Trick ‘r Treat released. I know it’s not the theatrical release we were all hoping for, but it is finally out on DVD. In the spirit of Creepshow, Trick ‘r Treat takes four tales from one Halloween night and intertwines them into one fantastic story. It’s like Robert Altman and Wes Craven had a baby, and named it Trick ‘r Treat. Take a high school principal moonlighting as serial killer, a young woman searching for the perfect date, a childish prank that ends with disastrous consequences, and an old man that learns the true meaning of trick-or –treat, and what you have is one hell of a ride. Trick ‘r Treat was made in 2007, and spent two years just trying to get into theatres. It was receiving rave reviews at all the horror festivals, but for some reason Warner Brothers just didn’t believe in it enough to put it in theatres. It’s sad really. Great movies like this have to fight to see the light of day, but pieces of shit like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, have no problem finding their way into theatres. You know, there was another little horror film that was made in 2007 that couldn’t seem to find distribution. It was a little movie called Paranormal Activity. Ever hear of it? Maybe this will finally make Hollywood wake up. Most likely not, but it would be nice if other little movies like these would finally be given the chance they deserve, and not have to fight for two years just to see the light of day. I know. I know. It’s never going to happen. But, let’s get back to subject at hand. Trick ‘r Treat is a must see. With an amazing story, some brilliant cinematography, and fantastic performances, Trick ‘r Treat is a guaranteed Halloween classic. Oh, I haven’t even mentioned little Sam, the trick-or-treater demon that oversees the night’s events. He is a greatly welcomed addition to the Freddy and Jason’s of the horror community. I really hope they make more of these. I can’t wait to see Trick ‘r Treat 2! I just hope next time it’ll be in theatres on Halloween night, and not just a straight to DVD blow-off. Warner Brothers is sitting on a goldmine. They could make a new Trick ‘r Treat movie every year like the Saw franchise, but I guess we’ll just have to wait for them to realize that on their own. Until then, we’ll just have to keep fighting the good fight.

Rating:

DVD Special Features:

• Original Animated Short: “Season’s Greetings” with Optional Commentary by Michael Dougherty

Sadly, that’s it. One bonus feature, if you can call it that. Don’t get me wrong, it’s cool to see the animation short that became this movie, but come on! This movie had an incredible journey for two years, and you’re not going to do a commentary track for the feature film?! How about some behind the scenes footage, or maybe some deleted scenes? Hell, I’d be happy with even a trailer at this point! My only guess is that Warner Brothers was really on the fence about putting it in theatres, but at the last minute pushed it to DVD, and wanted to get it out before Halloween. If that is the case, we’ll hopefully get a Special Edition DVD at some point, but until then it’ just sad.

DVD Special Features Rating:

I love the kind of movie that surprises or shocks me. I am one of the most jaded people on the planet and it takes a lot to shock me. Trick ‘r Treat is the kind of movie that I love. It’s a fun little horror movie that isn’t about teenagers or vampires. It’s about Halloween and scaring the crap out of people. And, it’s a great movie from two of the people behind the first two X-Men movies. Produced by Bryan Singer and directed by X-Men co-writer Michael Dougherty in his directorial debut.

I wouldn't give this kid any candy. Cheap costume.

The movie is an anthology of four connected stories. The movie’s plot unfolds out of time, so at first you don’t really get what’s going on. That’s ok and part of the fun, though. It’s a Pulp Fiction meets Creepshow, while reading an old school EC horror comic book kind of movie.

The movie takes place on a Halloween night in a small Ohio town where nothing and almost no one is what they seem to be. From a group of kids trick or treating to a girl going out for her “first night”, you will be pleasantly surprised by what unfolds.

At first, the only thing that seems to connect the stories is Sam. A little demon in a burlap sack costume that’s a menacing presence on Halloween night. And, even he’s not all that he appears to be.

I cannot talk too much about the plot without spoiling the surprises and shocks the movie throws at the viewer.

The cast does a great job of playing it straight. Brian Cox (X-Men), Anna Paquin (True Blood) and Dylan Baker (Happiness) all give great performances.

This movie is a must watch for horror fans and should be the Halloween movie for adults to watch every year for the holiday.

I must point out that this movie is definitely not for kids or the squeamish. Some parents might have a hard time with parts of the movie. Don’t watch on a full stomach or after trick or treating.  But, definitely check it out.

The little town of Warren Valley, Ohio is the setting for the bloodthirsty revelers that give Hell Night its name.  With a parade that rivals the one in Greenwich Village, the costumed evildoers are cloaked among the innocents and the psychotics donning real freshly spilled blood-spattered clothing answer doors without suspicious glances or gasps for only one night in this town populated by the not so normal.

Meet Sam, a potato sack headed creature that bemoans the flames of extinguished Jack-O-Lanterns.  Never has burlap looked so cute as this little guy runs around in a burlap blanket sleeper. (Only Dr. Decker aka Button Face in Clive Barker’s Night Breed looks so stylized.)  All cuteness disappears when blades are wielding and its face is revealed.

So begins the first slaughter and the four stories are interwoven:  The psychotic principal, a group of kids that go to the scene of a school bus that plunged to the deaths of “special” unwanted school children, Sam’s inflicted terror on old man Kreeg, and Laurie and her band of sisters that have a party in the woods.

The psychotic principal has his own form of punishment for the little porker that is a glutton for candy and smashes pumpkins.  As daddy deals with the mischievous trick ‘r treater, the principal’s young son interrupts and is told to watch Charlie Brown, the young boy delivers the greatest line ever spoken from a window, “Charlie Brown is an asshole.”

Anna Paquin is currently starring in HBO’s True Blood.  Here she is Laurie, taunted by her older sister and two other trollops for her overt shyness as she is in need of a date for a party that evening.  The three other girls find dates as the sheepish Laurie looks on.  Dressed as Little Red Riding Hood, Paquin parts company in search of a man.

Does this taunted 22 year old virgin live up to the written laws of horror that the virgin always survives or is she going to be eaten by the big bad wolf?  Her party segment is really cool and it is complete with horror film gratuitous female nudity.  The Canton, Ohio native rocker Marilyn Manson lends his anthem Sweet Dreams to this anything but sweet party.

The school bus segment gives a history lesson that the sickness in this town has been going back for quite awhile.  And lest we forget little Sam as he takes on old man Kreeger.

Trick ‘r Treat is not a true horror film.  It’s more “horroresque” dabbed with comedic bits.  Comedy is used by Hollywood as a backup just in case the horror (or the romance or the drama) in a film doesn’t work.  They think comedy is a film saver.  It is not.  It’s the fail-safe that makes Hollywood filmmaking so lame.  Honestly, how funny is a blade to the abdomen or a recently slain woman thrown among parade onlookers?  If you hate Saw or any of the Rob Zombie’s films, then you like Horror-Lite.  This is the film for you.

This film was in production in 2006.  It had a few festival screenings that were all favorable and for whatever reason it was shelved by Warner Brothers and now, October 2009, is released on DVD.

The writer/director Michael Dougherty is the screenwriter of X2 and Superman Returns, both which were directed by Bryan Singer.  Mr. Singer is credited as a producer on this film.

The film is fun and well crafted with all the trimmings that money can buy: expensive sets, costumes, well done sound design as well as visual special effects.

Trick ‘r Treat is exactly that; a piece of cinema candy for the holiday readily devoured again when the festive spirit of Hell Night lurks next season.

بعضی از ما روی فیلمهای مورد علاقه مان تعصب داریم و به راحتی جای آنها را به فیلمهای جدید یا جدیداً دیده شده نمیدهیم. گاه اتفاق می افتد که روی فیلمهای مورد نظرمان با دیگران بحث هم میکنیم تا بتوانیم دیگران را هم متقاعد کنیم که از نظر ما پیروی کنند.
گاهی وقتی شروع به دیدن یک فیلم میکنیم با این اندیشه همراه میشویم که “این فیلم نمیتواند نظر من را عوض کند. این فیلم هم مثل بقیه فیلمهایی که چنگی به دل نمیزنند”.
من هم با یک اینچنین فکری فیلم را شروع کردم.تعصبم روی فیلمهای دیگری بود و قرار را بر این گذاشته بودم که از این فیلم خوشم نیاید(یک جور لجبازی خدا دادی).
فیلم شروع شد. چند دقیقه اول فیلم میان سردرگمی غوطه ورم. به خودم تبریک میگویم که حدسم و نظرم درست از آب در می آید. صحنه ی ابتدایی فیلم مربوط است به آتش، جایی که دِین کیتون با بازی گابریل بایرن روی زمین افتاده و در حال روشن کردن سیگارش است. نمای آتش در پشت سر مشهود است. نمایی مثل جهنم برای انسان تداعی می شود. سیگار کیتون با کبریت روشن می شود. مردی ناشناس قدم بر می دارد تا نزدیک کیتون، گویی او از میان آتش و جهنم آمده است. سیگارش را با فندکش روشن می کند، دیالوگ کوتاهی بین او و کیتون در میگیرد و با وجود اینکه هنوز بیننده میخواهد باز هم بشنود و بداند، اسلحه ی مرد ناشناس به سمت کیتون نشانه می رود و شلیک می شود. سپس مرد ناشناس با آرامش به راهش ادامه می دهد و سیگار روشنش را بر روی زمین می اندازد. زمینی که پر است از بنزین. انفجاری رخ میدهد.
این صحنه ها بر روی یک کشتی اتفاق می افتد و انفجار تمام کشی را در بر میگیرد. چیزی شبیه قیامت.
از این لحظه به بعد کارگردان قصد دارد که بیننده را هم به دنیای راز آلود فیلم وارد کند. کامیونی دزدیده شده و 5 نفر مضنون توسط پلیس گرد هم آمده اند. این پنج نفر بعلاوه پلیسی که موضوع انفجار کشتی را پیگیری می کند،کل داستان فیلم را رقم میزنند. 5 نفر مضنون که نماینده 5 شخصیت متفاوت هستند. این پنج نفر شرکای جنایتکاری هستند که همه از کیتون دستور میگیرند. مضنونین از بازداشتگاه پلیس خلاص می شوند و برمیگردند سر زندگی جنایتکارانه شان. بد نیست به معرفی این پنج نفر بپردازیم. مضنون شماره یک، دِین کیتون که شخصیتی ست با هوش مرموز ، آینده نگر، منطقی و آرام. مضنون شماره دو، وربال با بازی کوین اسپیسی، مرموزتر از کیتون، باهوش، سربزیر، چلاق و علیل، پیرو، با چشمانی بسیار پر رمز و راز و مظلومیتی بچه وار. مضنون شماره سه، مک مانس با بازی استفان بالدوین، باهوش، سریع، جوشی و تا حدی نیمه روانی. مضنون شماره چهار، فنستر با بازی بنسیو دل توره، کسی است که همیشه با مک مانس کار میکند ولی آرام تر و کمی ترسو، برای امنیت بیشتر با جمع می ماند ولی اندیشه های خودش را دارد. مضنون شماره پنج، باکنی با بازی کِوین پولاک، متخصص مواد منفجره، بیخیال و در همه چیز جز طمع متوسط.
داستان فیلم آمیخته ای از زمان حال و فلاشبک هایی به زمان گذشته است. مامور پلیس که خود را باهوش میداند در اتاقی شلوغ و به هم ریخته، در حال بازجویی از وربال است. وربال اعترافاتی می کند و همراه با اعترافات او فلاش بکی زده می شود به صحنه های گذشته.
مامور پلیس اصرار دارد تا رابطه ای بین کیتون و آتش سوزی کشتی پیدا کند. او همچنین میخواهد بداند که آیا کیتون زنده است یا نه.
با هر فلاشبکی قسمتی از ناگفته های فیلم بازگو می شود. کارگردان با شروع فلاشبک ها شما را هم به دنیای خود وارد می کند.
در میانه فیلم نامی عنوان می شود که تا انتهای فیلم چهره ای از او به نمایش نمی آید. “کایزر شوزه”. بر اساس گفته های وربال تبه کاریست مجارستانی، بی عاطفه و رحم که بعد از قتل اعضای خانواده اش و کشتار عده ای از تبه کاران خود را از نظر ها پنهان می کند. همه از او میترسند ولی او را ندیده اند. پلیس دنبال این سوال است که “کایزر شوزه کیست؟”
این سوال تا انتهای فیلم بی پاسخ میماند و اگر بخواهید از حوزه فیلم هم خارج بروید تا انتهای زندگی شما بدون پاسخ خواهد ماند.

شایزر شوزه از طریق واسطه ای به این تیم تبه کار پنج نفره پیشنهاد میدهد تا برایش کاری انجام دهند. قرار بر این می شود که این پنج نفر در زمان معامله ی کوکائین به محل معامله وارد شوند و مانع انجام آن شود. کار به خوبی انجام می شود ولی همه ی تیم بجز یک نفر، توسط نیرویی اهریمنی کشته می شوند. آن یک نفر کسی نیست جز وربال با پای کجش جان سالم به در میبرد.
در انتهای فیلم میتوانید برداشت خودتان را داشته باشید که شایزر شوزه واقعاً کیست؟ وربال به دنبال این است که پلیس را متقاعد کند که شایزر شوزه همان کیتون است و به این هدف هم میرسد و با فراق بال از اداره پلیس خارج می شود. در همین حین پلیس متوجه اصل مطلب می شود. او متوجه می شود که شایزر شوزه کسی نیست جز خود وربال. بدنبالش میدود ولی مثل همیشه شایزر شوزه از دیده ها پنهان می شود. دیگر پای وربال کج نیست. بیننده تازه متوجه میشود که در ابتدای فیلم چه کسی کیتون را کشت.
فیلم به شما می گوید هر کسی که شایزر شوزه را دیده باشد، مرده ای بیش نیست.
اگر نگاهی اجمالی به کل بیاندازیم متوجه می شویم که فیلم در ابتدا ،بغیر از موسیقی جذابش، حاوی صحنه هایی ست تکراری و بدون ارتباط. ولی با ادامه فیلم همه ی قسمتهای پازل دانه به دانه جلوی شما قرار داده می شود تا تصویر مورد نظر کارگردان را درست کنید. بعد از نگاه کردن به این تصویر و متقاعد شدن شما که همه چیز فیلم برایتان رو شده است، تازه برگ آخر کارگردان رو می شود. بهت زده می شوید. نمیدانید چه بگویید. در مستی این حالت هستید که با دیالوگی به یادماندنی آخرین ضربه را تحمل میکنید: “بزرگترین حیله ی اون شیطان این بود که داشت دنیا رو متقاعد میکرد که وجود نداره”.
دیدگاه های فلسفی و غیر فلسفی، مادی و غیر مادی، دنیای ماده و ماورای ماده، همه و همه به هم گره می خورند.
اگر بخواهم پیشنهادی بدهم این است که:
“وقت زیاد است. نیازی نیست مجدداً فیلم را همین حالا نگاه کنید تا صحنه های ابتدایی را بازبینی کنید. فقط بشینید و کمی فکر کنید.”

حالا با تمام لجبازی هایی که بعضی از ما داریم، باید جای این فیلم را بین فیلمهای به یادماندنی و مورد علاقه مان خالی کنیم.

Bryan Singer dirigió las dos primeras partes de X-Men y la tercera la dirigió Brett Ratner, puesto que Singer dirigió Superman Returns, pero Bryan Singer ha comentado que le gustaría volver a dirigir una de las películas de los mutantes.

Todavía estoy esperando la posibilidad de regresar a la franquicia ‘X-Men’ -comenta Singer-. He estado hablado con Fox sobre el tema. Me encanta Hugh Jacman. Me encanta el reparto -comenta el cineasta refiriéndose a los actores-.

Sí él está deacuerdo y la Fox y los productores de X-Men también podría encargarse de una de las muchas adaptaciones que planean los de Marvel sobre X-Men: X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2, X-Men Origins: Magneto, X-Men Origins: Deadpool, X-Men: First Class y X-Men 4.

Hasta de cinco películas se puede encargar Bryan Singer, aunque yo opto a que dirigirá X-Men: First Class o X-Men 4 o puede que las dos, ya veremos…