Never say never on, “Wild Hogs 2″, folks. I think there’s a chance that a different studio will want to buy the rights to make the sequel. If that happened with “Chronicles of Narnia: Dawn Treader”, the same could happen to, “Wild Hogs”. Maybe Warner Bros or Twentieth Century Fox will buy, “Wild Hogs 2″. I hope so. I was hoping another “Wild Hogs” movie would happen ’cause I loved the first film so much. I don’t see it being canned for good.

More on it here:

http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/15940/disney-cancels-wild-hogs-sequel

Kev

Shorts | Robert Rodriguez, 2009

Robert Rodriguez is a creative individual. He is not a particularly talented director, but he is good enough to translate his creativity to the screen in a simple way. Of all the movies he has made so far, his movies aimed at children have been the weakest, with the exception of the first Spy Kids. Shorts continues this trend.

Going into the movie, I just knew that this was about a wishing rock and that James Spader was evil, and it had Leslie Mann, John Cryer, William H. Macy, and Kat Deenings. That’s a good cast, too bad they are given nothing to do here. Okay, so the story is about this wishing rock and the mishaps it creates in a town called Black Falls where they make the Black Box, a gadget that does it all, literally. However, it is flawed and Mr. Black (Spader) wants it to be perfect, but that doesn’t come into play until the end. The first three fourths of the movie are dedicated to the mischief of the kids. And in the end they try to make the movie about being “green” and how you have to be careful what you wish for.

As you might imagine, I am not a fan of the script or of the movie for that matter. Were I 6 year old I might have liked it but I’m not so I can see all the flaws the movie has, and it has no other redeeming factors what so ever. The visual effects and sets were bad, the actors are just sleep walking through the movie as if saying “ok, just a few more days before I get my check.”

Like I said, Rodriguez is a creative guy, and this is a creative movie, but this would have been a much better fit for a TV show. It even has the production values of a TV show.

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What?

Paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) devoted his entire life to the study of dinosaurs, but he never imagined he´d have to be face-to-face with them…again.

Eight years later, InGen´s debacle as well as the political and economic climate have taken their toll in the area of dinosaur research, as public and private funding are becoming increasingly extinct. Desperate to fund research for his new theory of Velociraptor intelligence, Grant is particularly vulnerable when wealthy adventurer Paul Kirby (William H. Macy) and his wife Amanda (Tea Leoni) approach him with a proposition. They will open their checkbook to him if he will accompany them on an aerial tour of Isla Sorna, a second InGen site. Just adjacent to Isla Nublar, this quarantined island has become both a primordial breeding ground for John Hammond´s creations and a magnet for thrill-seekers eager to encounter them.

Where?

At Home.

With?

The dog.

Why?

It wasn’t in the plan but I was stuck with dog sitting tonight and was channel hopping. Whilst waiting for a new episode of Mock the Week to start, I watched the first ten minutes of JP3…and the next ten….and the next ten….then i just watched the whole thing.

Worth It?

It’s a decent film. It’s flawed to hell and is easily the weakest in the trilogy but there are some fantastic moments.

My main problem is the T-Rex taking a backseat to the actually quite lame Spinosaurus, a dinosaur that’s basically like the T-Rex only quite annoying. Also….the raptors…they talk.

But the counter, more positive side is the set pieces that DO work, specifically the pterodon attack. Initially in the original book, it was shifted to the third movie and doesn’t seem out-of-place and is easily the most exciting moment and rivalled some of the key moments from the original flick.

Not a bad way to spend an evening, but Jurassic Park III’s main purpose seems to be to remind you just how absolutely stunning Jurassic Park is.

7/10

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In honor of Jason Reitman’s third feature, “Up in the Air,” opening today, I wanted to use the “F.I.L.M. of the Week” for the first time in correlation with the release of a movie in theaters.  This week’s “F.I.L.M.” is Reitman’s first feature, “Thank You for Smoking.”  A satire that bites with the sharpness of piranha’s teeth, this look at the lobbying industry is absolutely brilliant.  I have come to expect nothing less from Reitman, but he exhibits the deftness of an old pro as a newcomer.

Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) has the gift of oratory and the art of spin, making him the perfect person to argue on behalf of the tobacco industry.  He never tries to justify himself or tobacco; he simply uses the rationale that by proving the other person wrong, you must be right.  Affectionately titled a “Merchant of Death,” he often meets for lunch with his respective counterparts in the alcohol and firearms industry (Maria Bello, David Koechner).  The film follows Nick after the announcement of a proposed Congressional measure to put a “POISON” label on all boxes of cigarettes by a peevish Vermont senator (William H. Macy).  However, Nick’s main struggle is not the label that threatens to destroy the product he promotes, but rather the struggle to balance the job he does with his requirement to be a good father to Joey, his budding adolescent son.  The film is at its best when the contrast between the two is evident: Joey has very black-and-white morals and can’t seem to understand why Nick has such grey ones in lobbying for an industry that kills millions of people each year.

Reitman also penned the screenplay, which is packed to the brim with piquant wit and exciting characters.  He also gets the best out of his actors, and the performance on celluloid matches their panache on the page.  Especially exciting to watch is Aaron Eckhart as he really gets to the core of Nick Naylor.  We really see what makes him tick, and as the story progresses, Eckhart really wrestles with his demons.  He gives us one of the most full and electrifying characters that comedy has ever seen, a true sensation.  ”Thank You for Smoking” would be a crown jewel for an accomplished director, but as a first feature, Jason Reitman has set the bar extremely high for his masterpiece.  And if “Up in the Air” is as good as I hear, that bar is up in the atmosphere.

Three Oscar winners and an Oscar nominee walk onto a set to make a funny movie – wait, stop snickering. This isn’t a joke. Though if it were, the punchline would go something like “and it wasn’t funny.” Ba-dum-bum. Be here all week. Kindly tip the waitress, and don’t even think of pulling a drink-and-dash. 

Really, there’s no kinder way to say it: The only thing remarkable about “The Maiden Heist” is how unremarkable the film is. (Although the fact Peter Hewitt’s mild-mannered caper comedy got released at all should is astonishing, since distributor Yari Film Group filed for bankruptcy last December.) With this kind of mind-blowing star power — Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken, William H. Macy and Marcia Gay Harden? In the same movie? — the potential seems limitless. It isn’t. These four try hard to rise above the limitations of the unthrilling plot and the lackluster script, yet they succeed only sporadically. How can this be? I suppose even Nelson Mandela needs a breather now and again.

But back to that “unthrilling plot.” It revolves around a surprisingly humdrum art heist scheme cooked up by two Boston museum security guards, Roger (Walken) and Charles (Freeman), after they hear their two favorite paintings will be transferred to a collection in Denmark. For men who’ve spent 30 years memorizing every brush stroke, absorbing every nuance in these works, this is unimaginable. Roger’s efforts to convince his wife Rose (Harden) to move to Denmark – he’s certain the weather is delightful “for a few weeks every year” – are fruitless. So he and Charles enlist the help of another guard George (Macy), whose deep love for a certain bronze sculpture inspires him nightly to get naked and pose beside it (“I don’t know what you think you saw, but I’m a happily married man!” he insists). Security tapes don’t lie, and while the jig is up, his pants are down.

Heist plans are mapped out, and hijinks ensue. (Bungled capers seem to follow Macy like lost puppies, no?) What began as a sneak-and-steal manuever turns into a beast of a plan that involves commissioning forgeries and switching them with the originals during the collection move. Enter a complication involving Rose, who won’t quit nagging about that trip to Florida Roger promised her. A naked man ends up in a crate that ends up in the back of the wrong van. But we should expect as much. The film’s tagline warns us these three are “bad thieves.”

Still, this is a comedy, though, so at least the fumbles are comical, right? Sometimes, at least when Macy is the one doing the fumbling in “The Maiden Heist.” He specializes in playing men with Napoleon-sized egos and Foghorn Leghorn-sized brains. Even makes these dolts seem likable, which George is. His belief that old-timers like Walken and Freeman can rappel down a brick wall is good for a chuckle; watching him do it is priceless. Macy even hams it up (well, as much as he can “ham up” anything) in the Big Switch scene, providing the bulk of the film’s precious few sidesplitting moments.

Walken and Freeman, on the other hand, make with the quiet humor. Well, they try, and sometimes they have their moments. Walken manages to give a smidge of depth to Roger, showing us a man who’s channeled his whole life into a painting to escape his own reality. He identifies with the subject of his cherised painting “The Maiden Heist” because she, like him, is filled with “desperate longing and overwhelming passion.” They are kindred spirits. Charlie and George are more of a mystery, with scriptwriter Michael LeSeiur devoting less time to their stories. Yet Freeman and Macy make these characterse mildly interesting in different ways: Charlie for the timidity inhibiting his artistic talent, and Macy for the blustering that masks his timidity. Harden’s a different story; she has no business in a role this flat. Even an actress with her gifts can’t turn Rose from a shrew into anything better. In a  nutshell, that’s the problem with “The Maiden Heist”: All these talents make the movie halfway enjoyable, but they can’t make it as good as it should be.

Grade: C+

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Theatrical Release:Aug 21, 2009

Shorts is set in the suburb of Black Falls, where all the houses look the same and everyone works for BLACK BOX Unlimited Worldwide Industries Incorporated, whose Mr. Black’s BLACK BOX is the ultimate communication and do-it-all gadget that’s sweeping the nation. Other than keeping his parents employed, however, Mr. Black’s BLACK BOX has done nothing for 11-year-old Toe Thompson, who just wants to make a few friends…until a mysterious rainbow-colored rock falls from the sky, hits him in the head and changes everything. The Rainbow Rock does Mr. Black’s BLACK BOX one better: it grants wishes to anyone who holds it. Before long, wishes-gone-wrong have left the neighborhood swarming with tiny spaceships, crocodile armies, giant boogers…and outrageous magical mayhem around every corner. But it’s not until the grown-ups get their hands on the Rock that the trouble really starts. Now Toe and his newfound friends must join forces to save their town from itself, discovering along the way that what you wish for is not always what you want

The Maiden Heist

Três seguranças de um museu, cada um obcecado por uma obra de arte, resolvem roubar essas obras ao saberem que toda a coleção foi vendida para um museu dinamarquês.

O que chama a atenção nesta simpática e modesta comédia é o elenco. Afinal, não é todo dia que vemos Christopher Walken, Morgan Freeman e William H. Macy juntos, e ainda com Marcia Gay Harden de coadjuvante!

E, realmente, o que vale a pena no filme é a atuação do trio de atores principais. Walken e Freeman, como sempre, estão um espetáculo como os seguranças fãs dos quadros. Mas o melhor personagem é o de Macy, o desequilibrado ex-militar fã da escultura. Os melhores momentos do filme estão com ele.

Pena que, fora as boas atuações, o filme é um pouco sem graça. Inclusive, o plano deles para roubar as obras de arte é meio bobo, aquilo nunca funcionaria na vida real!

A tradução literal de “The Maiden Heist” seria algo como “o roubo da donzela”, e se refere ao quadro pelo qual o personagem de Walken é obcecado, “A Donzela Solitária”.

Não li nenhuma notícia sobre o lançamento de “The Maiden Heist” aqui no Brasil. Pelo estilo, tem cara de que será lançado direto no mercado de dvd.

The Deal è un film americano del 2008 commedia satirica diretta da Steven Schachter. La sceneggiatura è di Schachter e William H. Macy è basato sul romanzo omonimo del 1991 Peter Lefcourt. Macy e Meg Ryan sono gli interpreti.

Leggi altre notizie su: | Steven Schachter | William H. Macy | William H. Macy Meg Ryan | Elliott Gould

There are certain films that seem so wide in scope and epic in proportions that they kind of make other films seem a bit pale in comparison.  I don’t want to necessarily say that they are “the best movies there are,” but they certainly make you contemplate your life, as well as other movies and how you view those.  Magnolia was easily one of those films.

The movie is long and wandering, and yet intimate and precise.  It deals with every day, real life issues, but tackles them as one might approach an epic journey, as well as adding on aspects of unreal, magic, and abstract vignettes.  It is a film of contradictions, both in plot and production.

The film begins by discussing three classic urban myth coincidences, all shot beautifully and interestingly.  Unfortunately, I don’t think the movie itself quite tied back to those original ideas.  I was expecting some sort of major payoff, where everything converged nicely.  Like real life, there were minor coincidences and unexpected relationships, but never the magical dues ex machina i was expecting.  I understand why thematically  that wouldn’t have been necessary, but I still felt a little misled.

I don’t know if I loved all of the less realistic aspects of the film.  In one memorable scene, all of the characters, in their own private worlds, sing along to an Aimee Mann song.  The song was pretty and relevant, but… why?  I don’t know if the movie really gained anything from that sing-along session.  We get it: all of these characters lives and stories are interweaved, and they are all going through oddly similar things.  We don’t need to hear them singing a song like this in order to recognize that.  On the other hand, I thought the frogs were actually kind of interesting.  And the only reason it really worked was because of the way the characters responded to it.  People didn’t start freaking out or thinking that the world was going to end.  It was just something that was happening and they dealt with it accordingly.  They noticed it and took it in, but didn’t over-react or completely lose it.

Is it weird that one of the most interesting factors of this movie (to me) was its pretty strict adherence to Aristotle’s Unities?  Everything takes place in the valley in one day.  The unity of action has always been a bit fuzzy to me, but I think it could easily be argued that Magnolia adhered to this as well.  For a movie of its scope, Magnolia is also intimate and small in its own way.

Not really sure what else to say about it.  I’m still thinking about the connections and relationships, which is impressive no doubt.  The performances were all stellar, with special mention going to the old and the young.  PTA does a great job of managing this ensemble cast.  The recognizable stars did an awesome job of playing against their types, which is always fun to watch.  The movie doesn’t so much end as go on and on, like life.  It often feels like story lines are being neglected, but there is just so much going on at the same time (like real life), it is impossible to give the appropriate amount of focus to any one thing or person.

So, if you couldn’t tell, I really did love this movie.  It is FAR from perfect, but if anything I appreciate it for it’s ambition and unavoidable imperfections.  Probably the seminal PTA film, although I may still like There Will Be Blood more.  I’ll have to keep thinking about that one, though.

EDMOND
Dirigida por Stuart Gordon
Con William H. Macy, Julia Stiles y Mena Suvari

Si “Taxi Driver” fuese una comedia, quizás sería “Edmond”. En apariencia, las dos pelis van de lo mismo: del afán de sexo/comunicación de un hombre bueno perdido en la jungla urbana. Pero Stuart Gordon no es Scorsese, sino el director de “Re-Animator”. Así que este drama realista es también relato de terror. El terror del cuarentón confuso en su decadencia; el de quien confunde el subidón de adrenalina de la violencia/sexo con la revelación de su destino. Esto pasa mucho. A William H. Macy, en esta peli, tras acuchillar a un negrata y echarle un kiki a una camarera cariñosa. Hay que tener el talento de David Mamet para reproducir en la ficción la palabrería metafísica del hombre corriente, ésa que todos hemos practicado: para poner verosímilmente en boca de un necio los interrogantes manoseados sobre el sentido de la vida. Macy está genial en su perplejidad. Quería cambiar su vida, y lo consigue. Vaya que sí. Al final de la peli, se cuestiona sobre el infierno y besa a su amante, antes de acostarse a su lado, sin comprender que vivir es lo que ocurre, no lo que se medita.

Brave Despereaux prepares to leap into the unknown.

(Universal) Starring the voices of Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Robbie Coltrane, Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Kline, Emma Watson, Tracey Ullman, William H. Macy, Stanley Tucci, Ciaran Hinds. Directed by Sam Fell and Rob Stevenhagen

It is far easier to judge someone on the way they look than on the way they act. It is also not uncommon for people of smaller stature to be overlooked. Still, it’s not the size of the mouse in the fight but the size of the fight in the mouse.

The kingdom of Dor is a wonderful, magical place ruled by a king and queen who are kind and generous. The best thing about Dor, however, is its soup. Chef Andre (Kline) is a genius, concocting new and wondrous creations that are famous far and wide. At the annual spring festival, Andre debuts a new creation that is shared by every citizen. Roscuro (Hoffman) is a shipboard rat with a taste for the good life. Curious about this wonderful soup, he hangs out at the ceremony in which the soup is tasted for the first time by the King and Queen. Unfortunately, Roscuro sets into motion events that cause tragedy for the kingdom and will cause an animosity between humans and rats that is so severe that the very sunshine is taken from Dor, leaving it drab and grey.

Into this world is born Despereaux Tilling (Broderick), a mouse half the size of his peers but with gigantic ears that more than make up for his lack of height. His parents and teachers do their best to teach Despereaux to be timid and fearful, survival instincts for every mouse. He reads stories of brave and noble knights and longs to be like them.

His refusal to adhere to mouse behavior and to actually contact a human – and not just any human, the sad and deluded Princess Pea (Watson) herself – leads to his exile. Once away from the mouse city he makes his way to the rat city where he befriends Roscuro. Despereaux’s quest to save the Princess inspires Roscuro, but her rejection of him leads him on a road of destruction and rage that may ultimately cause further catastrophe.

What is most intriguing about this movie is not so much the story which is pedestrian (although based on four Newberry Award-winning books by Kate DiCamillo) but the animation which is very different than what we are getting. It looks like an illustration come to life but with a life-like quality, particularly to the mice and rats. There is a rich detail in the animation that stacks up nicely to some of the better work of Pixar; indeed, this is some of the most complex, detailed animation ever seen.

There is some very good vocal work. Hoffman channels Ratso Rizzo in his performance and you get the impression that he was having a great time. Ullman also has some great moments as a scullery maid who dreams of being a princess and plays an important role in Roscuro’s revenge. There is also solid work from Broderick, Kline, Hinds as a scheming rat, Tucci as a magical being who assists Chef Andre and Weaver as the film’s narrator.

There is definitely a sense that this is meant for smaller children than larger ones, but there is so much heart in the movie that it’s easy to overlook that focus. There are moments of humor that are offbeat and surprising enough adults may wind up appreciating more than their tykes. However, one of the things I found most enchanting was the worlds of the rats and mice that are created – each with a distinctive look that thoughtfully echoes the philosophy of each race.

Once upon a time, magic and charm was enough for a movie to get by. These days we seem to look for a lot more. Granted, something like Up or Wall-E deserve more critical acclaim because they take chances with their stories that The Tale of Despereaux simply doesn’t take, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a good movie. This is a movie that does the heart good and leaves you with a warm feeling not unlike a batch of cookies fresh from the oven baked by someone who loves you.

WHY RENT THIS: This is a movie that is breezy and full of heart with an offbeat sense of humor that adults may like as well. Some superb vocal acting, particularly from Hoffman, Ullman and Coltrane.

WHY RENT SOMETHING ELSE: The animation is more like a painting than what animated features are doing right now; this might be off-putting to some less adventurous kids. The movie is a bit heavy on the fluff and light on the substance.

FAMILY VALUES: Some scenes of jeopardy but nothing any child can’t handle.

TRIVIAL PURSUIT: Despereaux was originally to be voiced by Justin Long until the producers settled on Matthew Broderick.

NOTABLE DVD EXTRAS: There is an interactive map of the Kingdom of Dor that allows for descriptions of characters and places, an amusing featurette called Ten Uses for Oversized Ears and a pair of interactive games on the DVD. There is also a card creator on the Blu-Ray edition.

FINAL RATING: 7/10

TOMORROW: The Death of Mr. Lazarescu

The Maiden Heist

“The Maiden Heist” directed by Peter Hewitt is a comic presentation of three workers in a museum who haven’t met each other join hands to commit a crime of high intensity in an interesting manner. Roger (Christopher Walken), Charles (Morgan Freeman) and George (William H Macy) plan to hijack the exhibits purely out of the passion they have towards them when the new curator decides to move the art works to another museum in Denmark. Read More

Owen Wilson has decided to go from acting opposite a dog in Marley & Me to actually being a dog. He has joined the live-action/CG movie Marmaduke, and will voice the rascally Great Dane in Fox’s adaptation of the long-running comic strip. I put my head in my hands in despair. This does not bode well.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the story follows a family named the Winslows who move from Kansas to Orange County with their dog Marmaduke, a slobbery pooch who creates chaos wherever he goes.

In adapting the strip created in 1954 by Brad Anderson and Phil Leeming, the script by Tim Rasmussen and Vince Di Meglio sees Marmaduke navigate a volatile Mutts vs. Pedigrees turf war, woo the purebred of his dreams and overcome a fall from grace.

Judy Greer, Lee Pace and William H. Macy play the humans, while Fergie, Emma Stone, George Lopez, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Steve Coogan, Damon Wayans, Marlon Wayans supply the voices.

Whoa. Hold up. The Wayans brothers are in it so my misgivings were misplaced. This is bound to be comedy gold! –disengage sarcasm

Tom Dey is directing, and John Davis is producing the family comedy, which has a June 2010 release date.

Source: MovieWeb

Wedding Crashers star Owen Wilson has been cast to voice the cartoon strip dog Marmaduke for a feature length film. The film will be about The Winslows who move Kansas to Orange County with their Great Dane Marmaduke who causes chaos everywhere he goes.

Judy Greer, Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies) and William H. Macy (Pleasantville) play the humans, while Fergie (Planter Terror), Emma Stone, George Lopez (The George Lopez Show), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad), Steve Coogan, Damon Wayans (In Living Color), Marlon Wayans (White Chicks) supply the voices.

Marmaduke will hit theaters on June 4, 2010

NOTA : 7

Download subtitrare The maiden heist

Trailer The maiden heist :

The outcasts that ban together movie, yeah we have seen that all before but this time its superheros.

Nick Naylor é o maior porta voz das grandes empresas de cigaro,Niki é constantemente desafiado por agentes de saúde e pelo oportunista senador Ornolan K.Finistirre,que deseja rotular maços de cigarro com imagens com dizendo veneno.

Nick chama atenção do poderoso agente Jeff Megall que diz promover o cigarro em seus filmes e da repórter Heather Holloway que deseja investigá-lo.

Obrigado por fumar é um filme movimentado,que tem um ritmo bastante pra cima, e esse fato do filme ser movimentado podia ser algo muito mal aproveitado caso os roteiristas fossem incopetentes mas muito pelo contrário, pela competência incrível dos roteiristas,eu acho Obrigado por Fumar um dos melhores filmes de 2005.

Um filme movimentado como esse não podia errar em aspecto algum e se eles erraram foi em alguns aspectos técnicos,porque Roteiro,Direção e Edição (característica positiva pro filme) trabalham em incrível sintonia e o mais legal é que em todo esse ritmo acelerado,o filme é absurdamente claro,sem enrolação e facilmente vem ao que mostra,e parece fácil o modo em que o roteiro equilibra drama e comédia sem ser meloso ou pastelão.

O filme levantas questões interessantíssimas como claro os danos que o cigarro pode causar e a questão mais bacana de todo filme,até onde a mídia pode influenciar a vida das pessoas?

Já os atores são competentíssimos,só acho que devem parar um pouco de dar personagens gritões a JK Simmons,ele é ótimo de qualquer jeito e não precisa gritar pra provar,pra ter noção do quão bom achei o trabalho de atores achei até Katie Holmes ótima,coisa rara.

Já Aaron Eckhart dá uma aula de atuação,Aaron entra no espírito de Outdoor das indústrias de cigarros perfeitamente,utiliza o cinismo e a coerência de formas perfeitas e a coisa mais impressionante da atuação de Aaron é que Nick é tão bom argumentador que nos faz acreditar e apoiar suas teorias sobre o cigarro (Heath Ledger Feelings),e tudo graças ao charme e competência de Eckhart.

Por fim Obrigado por fumar é um filme essencial,um filme que mesmo com tamanha descontração é um tipo de filme que se precisa se aprofundar e se entregar total a ele.E viva a liberdade de escolha!

Nota:9/10

Obrigado por Fumar (Thank You For Smoking,2005)

Diretor:Jason Reitman

Roteiro:Jason Reitman

Elenco : Aaron Eckhart,Maria Bello,David Koechner,JK Simmons,William H.Macy,Cameron Bright,Katie Holmes,Rob Lowe,Adam Brody,Sam Elliot,Robert Duvall