Ohhh, noesss!!! Rob!!! RUNNN!!!!

Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus of “The Boondock Saints” visit the MTV Newsroom and make Robert Pattinson’s cardboard cut-out nearly pee its pants.  Wait… ummm.. nevermind.

The stars of “The Boondock Saints” and its new sequel, “All Saints Day,” stopped by the MTV newsroom the other day to chat about the film. While waiting for their turn in the interview chair, Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus (the titular Saints) took turns on our “Big Buck Safari” arcade stand-up. Unfortunately, neither of them had enough time for finish a full round, but the above shot just about makes up for it. Poor Robert Pattinson stand-up. What did you do to deserve this?

That’s what I’d like to know.  You’ve got some ’splainin’ to do!

Source.

Der Kinostart in Deutschland steht zwar immer noch nicht fest, aber hier nochmal der Trailer zur Einstimmung:

The Saints are coming…OST bzw. im Orginal von The Skids (thx @ Phil)

more: www.the-boondock-saints.de

Hier gibts noch die Opening Sequence:

I just watched about 25 minutes of the first Boondock Saints film, and I didn’t care for it too much. The screenplay wasn’t all that great to begin with, and the interpretation of the screenplay into film was pretty much terrible. Horrible from what I’ve seen. I might revisit it later tonight, but I’m not planning to… and I’m not looking forward to it.

If you’ve seen Movies and Other Things, you would know that I watch a pretty good amount of film. Here at my Other Blog, I’m going to try and daily post what I’m going to be watching.

Today, I plan on watching the cult classic The Boondock Saints. Plan on starting that in a few minutes. Then I might watch something else (no clue yet) before going into work

Finns det nåt värre än vuxna människor som tycker att “The Boondock Saints” är den bästa filmen som gjorts? Det är ungefär lika IQ-befriat som att tycka att Jeff Buckleys lustmord på Cohens “Hallelujah” är den bästa låt som gjorts. Eller att IKEAs varmkorv slår valfri Michelinkrog på fingrarna alla dagar i veckan.

So last Saturday night I watched The Boondock Saints again. Writing about an already critically acclaimed movie is about like me critiquing a Monet or Van Gogh. What am I going to say that hasn’t been said? Still I watched this movie most recently so I will write a bit about it.

I love this movie; it is witty and well written. The acting is great and the plot is really intriguing. The movie basically follows a pair of Irish immigrant brothers (Sean Patrick Flanery  and Norman Reedus) in Boston who become vigilantes with the help of their former mob friend. Also starring is Willem Defoe, who turns in an entertaining performance as the detective in charge of figuring out the bizarre happenings that nobody is talking about going on in the city.

The action scenes are very creative, often interjecting Willem Defoe into the action sequences as he reenacts what has happened before.

Perhaps the greatest part of this film is that it really challenges the viewer to examine his or her beliefs about our legal system and the issues of justice that we face. The Saints, basically play judge, jury and executioner to really bad guys. Nasty, mean mobsters who really have it coming. The kind of bad guys that everyone knows who they are, but nobody can do a damn thing about them due to the failings and red tape of the legal system. So what happens? These two brothers take down these guys, and the viewers find themselves cheering for the Saints in the process. Everyone knows our legal system is flawed, and everyone loves to see the bad guys get what they deserve, even without due process. It is what makes characters like the Saints or Rorschach from The Watchman so popular, absolute justice, but at what cost? And is it justifiable?

Consequently there is now a Boondock Saints 2 being released this weekend. It took them a long time to get the deal done, and rumor has it that it was either because A. Troy Duffy is incredibly hard to work or B. The guy who wrote it and holds the rights was demanding to direct the film, select the cast etc. Regardless of whether this is true or not, Boondock Saints 2 is now about to hit the big screen. Willem Defoe however is not listed in the cast and surprisingly enough, if you check IMDB, David Della Rocco, ie. “Rocco” IS listed in the cast. Flashbacks maybe? We can only hope so.

Of course, the real problem is whether or not it can keep to its low budget, surprise hit charm or if becomes a huge, over done, summer blockbuster ala Michael Bay style.

I give this movie 4 Babbles.

With ‘The Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day’ set to release at the end of this month.. we saw it only fitting… to roll up a fattie and chill on the couch and watch the original drama directed by Troy Duffy just to see what all the hullabaloo was about.

*Toke toke…..* We got off the couch.. and hit repeat… and watched it again.. we suggest you roll a fattie.. and do the exact same thing… until ‘All Saints Day’ releases…  In the meantime.. here’s a cool poster we dug up and a trailer for your ass too!  Don’t forget to check out the soundtrack to the coming ‘All Saints Day’ with music artists ‘The Dirges’ featured on it.

Closing in on the “tentative release date” for The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day I thought this was the perfect time to do a write up for a film I like very, very much.  To many people out there I suspect The Boondock Saints is a love it/hate it type of film.  Any conversation I’ve had with friends in the past has either been, “Dude, that movie rocks” or “it was stupid“…and trust me I asked guys and girls alike and got a little of both from each party.  Whether you like it or not, you have to admit that there is a pretty large cult following behind it.  Not nearly as big as Rocky Horror but I think it mirrors “Horror’s” split fan base.  To those who “get” it, “Saints” is a very loved movie.  To those of you don’t, I hold no grudges.

With a very solid cast (albeit random), “Saints” tells the tale of two Boston brothers Connor (Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus) who, fed up with the world’s scum and villainy, decide to take care of the crime and injustice in their own way.  And they do with a sort of  “blessed by the Lord and armed like The Terminator” manner.  In Duffy’s extraordinary debut film, a shoot-em up flick had never felt so good giving the bad guys precisely what they deserve and all with a patented Irish flair.  I don’t think I’ve heard more curse words outside a Trenton trucker’s convention but while you’re parents would cringe at the dialogue (some of it I do admit is unnecessary) “Saints” is a very fun and wild ride.  Bordering on visionary, this film is a tongue-in-cheek roller coaster ride of good music, great gunfights, very witty (almost brilliant) dialogue and the perfect actioner to watch with your friends.   Troy Duffy, who being the product of an English teacher, penned this eclectic story with imaginative characters, brilliant quips and exciting action sequences and montages.  The two actors you will undoubtedly derive the most pleasure from are from David Della Rocco (who surprisingly is not an actor) and Willem Dafoe (in top form) as they are just the right level of extreme to the Saints’ level and divinely focused fraternal persona.

The characters are so interesting that at the finish, you are supremely disappointed because Connor and Murphy are so fleshed out and likable you don’t want the story to end.  Now, as much as I enjoy the movie, I never really liked the ending.  I do give Duffy some credit for trying a different approach but it does end a bit short (making you wonder if there’s a missing 25 minutes floating around on some cutting room floor).  Though, for all you morally conscious viewers, the whole “news story” angle is a unique attempt at making the audience ponder the film’s events and asking (subliminally) “what would you do if you had the power?“.  Through passionate and constant word of mouth, this film has nearly worked it’s way up to the level of phenomenon and the sequel (though cheap looking ) is almost upon us.  At the end of the day “Saints” is an escapist, no-brainer action flick with some very clever writing and interesting characters that you’ll be quoting for days (at least).

The one thing I find so very impressive about this awesome film (which you may not know) is that it almost never happened…surprising huh?.  It was over 10 years ago that this little 6 Million dollar film set out to impress the world.  But through Duffy’s own (stubborn) actions, his ego got the better of him causing the subsequent sabotage of the film’s development.  It was so bad that the movie is only now starting to make money…and after all this time none of it has gone to Duffy.  But as anyone who saw his documentary Overnight knows, he did it to himself, pretty much signing his own name on the infamous Hollywood “blacklist”, and took everyone else down with him…pity.  It has taken this long for him to give us the sequel we all wanted but since he’s pretty much ‘verboten’, this sequel looks diluted as it’s lacking the treatment sequel is known to receive after a successful 1st film.

In summation, if you take nothing from this movie you can at least enjoy the ride.  There’s bits of brilliance to this film and I’m sad that we’re only now getting to see what Duffy has up his sleeve.  No matter how that one turns out, it’s hard to deny the effect “The Boondock Saints” has had on audiences and is still great effort from a first time writer/director.  Personally, I’d best equate it to Pulp Fiction with it’s take or leave it plot.  But what holds it all together (like Pulp Fiction) is it’s slick and savvy style of story telling and air-tight dialogue.  Regardless, (thankfully is more like it) “Saints” was released and we all have Duffy’s kick ass actioner to share with out friends, enjoy after a long boring week, or play Irish drinking games where the goal is to drink every time an F-bomb is dropped…yeah, you never make it more than 15 minutes before passing out:P

G-S-T Seal of Approval: GRANTED

Nok den film i år jeg glæder mig mest til udkommer i år! Den har premiere d. 30. oktober i år, præcist 10 år efter den første.

Hvis ikke du har set etteren, kan det stærk anbefales. Den er anderledes, men samtidig en go film om en smuk fortælling.

Traileren til All Saints Day får du her:

The trailer for The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day came out a few days ago.  It looks awesome and it is not far from coming out either.  It will be out October 30, 2009.  I remember seeing the first movie and loving it. It is the same guy making this one so it should be just as good if not better.

Wow. Da muss ich Judge Recht geben, wenn er schreibt “Ich hätte nie gedacht das der Film schon so weit in der Mache ist.”. Hier zwar schon angekündigt, hier etwas vom eventuellen Inhalt verraten – und HIER der Trailer:

(YouTube)
Am 30. Oktober soll der Film in den Kinos starten – ich bin fassungslos. Ob die Fortsetzung gut wird? Keine Ahnung. Ich muss jetzt erst noch 20x den Trailer gucken, bevor ich mir da drüber Gedanken mache.

The Saints are coming!

Mehr zum Thema: Kurzkritik zu ersten Teil

The day has finally come to get our first look at the highly anticipated sequel to one of the most revered cult classics, The Boondock Saints.  I have posted the trailer below so please, sit back and enjoy…

Now I love the first Boondock Saints and it is one of the more played movies in my library.  Despite my feelings about the original, I have to say that this looks a little cheap, possibly (like the case of Crystal Skull)  too little, too late.  And oh, how the might have fallen.  The entire gang (sans Willem Dafoe) is back for this sequel but the years have not been kind to most characters, especially Detective Greenly (Bob Marley, yes that’s his real name) and Connor (Sean Patrick Flanery) who I actually thought was Daniel Baldwin in some scenes of this trailer.   After nearly 10 years of rumors, whispers and disappointments, I had given up hope of a sequel, and this trailer doesn’t really help me get any of it back.  To me it looked like the first movie could have gone on for another 20 minutes and actually led up to a sequel, instead of it just ending and possibly implying one.  Seeing this trailer makes me wish they had left it at one…but I could be wrong.

I believe the reason I loved the first one (and the reason it skyrocketed to “cult classic” status) is that it was such a surprise that came out of nowhere with little to no fan fare.  Its popularity came solely through word or mouth and from quasi-underground viewings in college dorm/frat rooms.  Then, once word of mouth got going…well you know how Family Guy got back on the air right?  Anyway, one of the most interesting things about the cult following surrounding the ‘Saints’ film is the back story of how Troy Duffy (writer,director) pretty much sabotaged himself, killed the golden goose and subsequently brought everyone else down with him.  Watch Overnight and you’ll see the sad story unfold…well, rather don’t watch all of it as it’s depressing and a train wreck of a documentary, so rent it and speed through some slow parts.

For those of you interested (me, I’m still on the fence whether I want to see this or not) Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day is set be be in theaters October 30th…but it is unclear whether it will be limited or wide release.  What do you fans think??

Talk about sneaking up on you like a vigilante in the night. The trailer for the long-in-the-making The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day made ist surprise debut today at IGN. I’m not surprised director Troy Duffy managed to get off the ground a sequel to his 1999 Boston-Irish take on Death Wish. Or persuade Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, and Billy Connolly to return or enlist the services of Peter Fonda, Judd Nelson, and a bug-eyed Clifton Collins Jr. Even though it made just $30,471 during its brief theatrical run in 2000, The Boondocks Saints inexplicably found a rabid following on DVD. And Duffy’s attained a certain infamy in the wake of Overnight, a 2003 documentary that chronicled his rise and fall in Hollywood. So there’s an audience out there for The Boondock Saints II, which will open Oct. 30 in time for Nov. 1’s All Saints’ Day. There are an awful lot of bad Boston accents to be heard in the trailer, but otherwise it rocks like “The Saints Come Marching.” It does its job of preparing you for more of the same Tarantinoesque violence and humor that informed The Boondock Saints. Willem Dafoe will be missed, but it looks like sequel slut Julie Benz will create plenty of fireworks as his FBI protégé.
Trailer Grade: B+

Artist: The Boondock Saints
Album: Release The Hounds
Release Date: March 28, 2000

Note to any of my friends reading this: if I ever come to you talking about a screenplay I just wrote and say that I think it would be a good idea to let my band and/or my friends’ band provide the soundtrack for the movie, remind me of The Boondock Saints.

Release the Hounds is the closest thing to an official soundtrack that Troy Duffy’s film The Boondock Saints has. The Boondock Saints (formerly known as The Brood) are fronted by Duffy, and two of his band’s songs appear in the film. Unlike the great (albeit highly out-of-context) music that the film has, Release The Hounds is disappointingly dishwater grey. Released in early 2000 to a collective cold shoulder from the world (It allegedly sold a mere 690 copies in its first week of release), Release the Hounds sounds like an overly self-indulgent Alice In Chains in a time when Creed had the market on radio-packaged post grunge cornered. The album seems to mirror of the film experience as well, in that it starts out sounding pretty good, if not great, and then as you continue onward or go back for repeat listens, you start to realize just how flawed and unimpressive it is (my friends and I have had numerous conversations about this, and The Boondock Saints might be the most deceptively goood movie ever made). Release The Hounds starts out as a great rock album, something that you find hard to believe was so unsuccessful in its release. “Paper Sun” is a heavy rocker with seemingly fantastic imagery and great lyrics, while “Holy Fool” is an anthemic fight-inducing cut that works well in the context of the corresponding movie. But if you dig a little deeper, there’s no substance behind the pretty words and pictures. It’s just empty-headed rock that makes Chad Kroeger’s lyrics look nearly Shakespearean in comparison.

Look, I’ll be the first to tell you that there’s nothing wrong with musical brain candy like Nickelback or The Boondock Saints. Not all music needs to be like War and Peace. But just know that’s what you’re getting into with both The Boondock Saints and Release the Hounds; the sharp dialogue and hooks may fool you, but don’t get tricked into thinking anything exciting or revolutionary quietly happened in the mind of Troy Duffy.

The Boondock Saints – Pipes [iTunes] (YSI)

==TJ==

Ryu Murakami can’t be stopped. He might as well live up to Stephen King because after the adaptation of several novels (Audition, 69,  Love & Pop and many more), In the Miso Soup is next. The adaptation of the 1997 thriller novel, known for it’s original perspective on Japanese culture, can count on star Willem Dafoe.

Willem Dafoe (Spiderman, American Psycho, The Boondock Saints, Platoon, The Last Temptation of Christ, Shadow of the Vampire) will play the ominous Frank. The rest of the cast is unknown at this moment, but this is likely because most of the cast will be Japanese since Frank is the only western character in the novel.

The German director Wim Wenders (Don’t Come Knocking, Paris, Texas) will handle the screenplay and they will shoot in Tokyo to follow the novel’s setting. It’s not his first time to visit Japan. He already managed to capture Japan in his documentary Tokyo-Ga and his road picture Until the End of the World.

The story follows Kenji, a twenty year old Japanese guide who navigates foreigners around the sex clubs and hostess bars of Tokyo. His latest client, an American named Frank, is so odd that Kenji begins to suspect he has murderous desires. Kenji unwillingly descends with Frank into an inferno of evil, from which only his sixteen-year-old girlfriend, Jun, can possibly save him.

In the Miso Soup is one of my all time favourite novels. Let’s look forward to this movie. I’m sure Willem Dafoe can portray an excellent Frank.

Troy's Tragedy

Pride before the fall – that’s Overnight in a nutshell, the rapid rise and just as rapid descent of Troy Duffy. And what a name that is, a Greek hero (well in ‘hero’ in his own eyes at least) in a Greek tragedy. An Icarus who could not survive his flight too close to the sun.

Duffy was an Irish-American barman who became an overnight sensation when he sold a script for his film The Boondock Saints in an extraordinary deal to Harvey Weinstein. Not only was he going to direct his screenplay, the band he had formed with his brother and friends would create the sound track and he would end up as co-owner (with Weinstein) of the bar he then worked in. He roped in a couple of other friends to manage the band and also make a film that would chart his rise. Overnight is the result, ending up not recording his success but documenting his fall. It was not guaranteed to go like that. Strange things have happened in the past. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck starred in their own self-scripted film, Good Will Hunting which went on to be a huge success, launching their careers.

However, once given his chance, Duffy had to deliver. And that he conspicuously failed to do. It soon becomes painfully obvious that Duffy’s ego way outstretches his ability.

He doesn’t even seem to show any love for the genre, never mind skill. He has not gone through all the knock-backs and sheer grind of a low-budget film-making apprenticeship and appears to think that everything would then simply come to him on a plate, strutting about proclaiming himself ‘Hollywood’s new hard-on’. The few times we actually see him ‘working’, he’s horrifically bad. The phone message he leaves to Kenneth Branagh about a role is almost criminally inept.

Along with Duffy the documentary makers, are exactly not brilliant filmmakers themselves and they don’t tell the whole story. We see Duffy bragging about how his coming meeting with Ewan McGregor is going to be this big Irish/Scottish piss-up. What we are not shown and that I later learned via looking into Duffy’s story on the internet, is apparently McGregor was horrified by this, expecting a professional meeting and immediately backed off from the project.

What Duffy didn’t realise was at the time it was better for producers just to buy up projects to stop the other guy having them. Weinistein had heard that New Line were interested in Duffy’s script so he pounced with an over the top, publicity-making offer. But then Weinstein, as he had done in the past, just left his choice to make his film, moving on to other things. Without help Duffy floundered.

After not getting the cast Miramax wants Duffy’s film goes into the dreaded turn-around (Weinstein cancelling the contract.)

Duffy is reduced to screaming down phones as he sees his chance starting to slide away from him. He blames other people but perhaps turning up for meetings hung-over, unshaven and dressed like a hillbilly in dungarees was not a good idea after all. He wants to a working class hero… an ordinary guy who all the other blue collar workers can look up to, to see ‘one of the us’ has made it, though his self-image is a bit confused when earlier we have see him seemingly pleased in people thinking he’s a thug.

He lives in a world of denial and fully expects the people who have rejected him to come back begging once he’s ‘made it’. The cut-aways to the rest of his gang during the meetings show longer and longer faces.

Look mean

But he has another chance! The film gets picked up and actually made (but with a much lower budget) and the band get resigned and get to make their album. Unfortunately they take the film to Cannes and there’s not a single buyer. The album bombs on its release. Duffy rants on with racist and sexist insults to all who he sees are behind his fall (Weinstein in particular). The ego-mania slowly turns into full-blown paranoia as Duffy, after nearly being hit by a car before the showing of the movie, thinks Weinstein is now out to kill him. The others in his circle start to look even more sick of him. The photo-shoot for the album cover – all ridiculous, dark ‘gangster’ hats and coats and Rottweilers – sees them particularly sour-faced. Especially as Duff has kept any money that came in for himself: ‘You deserve it… but you’re not going to get it’

The subject transcends the deficiencies of the film-makers. It’s fascinating to watch, but horrific to see, the monster slowly drowning. But, having such an abrasive personally, it’s hard ever to fell sorry for Duffy. It’s the rest of his gang you end up feeling sorry for. Especially his quiet brother, who seems to be the real talent in the band.

At one point a record producer wanders if any of them get any pleasure from what they are doing or, it’s implied, are they, and especially Duffy, just in it for the hope of fame, money and especially the ego trip.

In the end they all end up back where they started in dead-end jobs. Duff is filmed in secret – long having fallen out with the filmmakers – overweight, lurking outside another bar. There’s strong irony in the fact that his film became a minor cult hit on video but his contract excluded any of that revenue for him.

Now, you Irish cops are perking up. That’s two sound theories in one day, neither of which deal with abnormally sized men. Kind of makes me feel like Riverdancing.

– Paul Smecker

Many people have heard of Troy Duffy’s movie, The Boondock Saints for a while, since the it was released almost tne years ago.

Everybody generally know the story of the numerous delays with the release of the film because of Columbine. Duffy saying that studios were fighting over the movie to get to produce it, etc. Duffy’s ego almost leaving him broke and all that being in the documentary, Overnight. Personally, it wasn’t worth it.

The McManus brothers, Murphy (Norman Reedus) and Connor (Sean Patrick Flanery) are local Irish vigilante heroes living in Boston. When their mutual friend, Doc’s (Gerard Parkes) bar is threatened to be shut down by the Russian mob, the brothers kill the henchmen.

The police are all over the case, including the kooky Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe) along with Detectives Dolly (David Ferry), Duffy (Brian Mahoney) and Greenley (Bob Marley).

The brothers turn themselves in and they become unlikely heroes of the neighborhood. Another friend of theirs, “Funny Man” Rocco (David Della Rocco) joins the brothers to dole out their own form of justice.

Every time that the groups kills the scum of Bostonia, Smecker knows everything that they have done. When he comes to the scene, there is a flashback to what happened.

There are some ridiculous situations. They are not professional hitmen, but they could hang upside down falling out of the ceiling and shoot up the entire room. WTF! They are deeply Catholic men, but they are killing people. Would that conflict with their religious beliefs?

I read that this movie has a sequel coming out this year. Why? It’s a gratuitous display of guns, violence and gore that is not necessary. The plot meandered. There was no point in their motivations.

Judgment: This movie is cult classic, but I beg to differ with that assessment.

Rating: **1/2