Cinematical Seven: Seven Actors Who Should've Played Scrooge By Now
Filed under: Cinematical Seven, Lists
For many kids this Holiday season, their first exposure to Ebenezer Scrooge will be Jim Carrey's kinetic, flailing mo-cap performance in Robert Zemeckis' A Christmas Carol. Carrey has always done the "living cartoon" thing well, but I prefer my Scrooge more Alastair Sim and less Ace Ventura. In fact, Sim's 1951 portrayal of the character stands as the definitive Scrooge performance to me. Sim is believable at every turn in A Christmas Carol, and he gives Dickens' oft-repeated dialogue a vitality that set the bar for everyone that proceeded him.
There have been a handful of great Scrooges over the years -- Albert Finney, George C. Scott, Patrick Stewart, even Bill Murray -- but there are some actors who seem born for the role.
The Geek Beat: Man of (Impossible) Steel
Filed under: The Geek Beat
If you've been following the trials and tribulations of Warner Bros and Superman, then you know the Last Son of Krypton has been shelved for the time being. Anne Thompson reiterated that last week, noting that the studio is using the legal woes as an excuse to stave off development, though the truth is that no one really knows what to do with the character. Do they reboot, as they breathlessly announced they would last summer? Do they invite Bryan Singer back? Or do they just avoid looking at the property for another five or ten years before reinventing it all over again?
It really is a dilemma, and one we've discussed quite often on Cinematical. No matter where you stand on superheroes and their adaptations, I think we all agree there seems to be something criminal in keeping him shelved when all his compatriots are flying free on the silver screen. Superman is an icon whose reach extends beyond the comic page. His shield is tattooed on many a bicep, and you can't go anywhere without running into Superman merchandise. You could probably go to the frostiest point of the Arctic Circle and find a Superman t-shirt for sale next to the reindeer fat and snowshoes. Yet he's too problematic to make into a movie. Why is this?
The answers are pretty battered from the repetition. He's boring. He's too perfect. He doesn't work in an era of dark and gritty superheroes. Bryan Singer mucked up his mythology. It's impossible to put him in conflict. Yet readers continue to flock to his "boring" adventures on the page week after week, month after month, and they tune into his Smallville adventures. Superman has never gone out of print or popularity, and yet he's proving more impossible to adapt than Watchmen.
It really is a dilemma, and one we've discussed quite often on Cinematical. No matter where you stand on superheroes and their adaptations, I think we all agree there seems to be something criminal in keeping him shelved when all his compatriots are flying free on the silver screen. Superman is an icon whose reach extends beyond the comic page. His shield is tattooed on many a bicep, and you can't go anywhere without running into Superman merchandise. You could probably go to the frostiest point of the Arctic Circle and find a Superman t-shirt for sale next to the reindeer fat and snowshoes. Yet he's too problematic to make into a movie. Why is this?
The answers are pretty battered from the repetition. He's boring. He's too perfect. He doesn't work in an era of dark and gritty superheroes. Bryan Singer mucked up his mythology. It's impossible to put him in conflict. Yet readers continue to flock to his "boring" adventures on the page week after week, month after month, and they tune into his Smallville adventures. Superman has never gone out of print or popularity, and yet he's proving more impossible to adapt than Watchmen.
What Makes a Successful Career?
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy
When it comes to talking about careers and success, there are a lot of factors that come into play -- money, security, recognition, happiness... For the most part, it's success in the eye of the beholder, but that doesn't stop us from evaluating others' lives. After reading yesterday that Alec Baldwin thinks his career is a "complete failure" because he doesn't have a starring role where his performance drives the film to "a soaring critical or commercial success," I wonder what the world-at-large considers success in Hollywood. (While also wondering what colleagues think of Baldwin's load of projectile verbal horse manure.)One might just blow this off and say it's the person with the most money and fame, but is it really? Fame is hard to hold onto, and even if a star does manage to grab tight, they must then deal with the ramifications of fame -- the sometimes-scary fans, the paparazzi, the gossip rags. On the flip side, maybe someone becomes an excellent character actor, finding continual gigs and a steady flow of money with moderate fame. But the work must keep on going for those checks to come in. And then there's those who find that one franchise that makes them enough to live on for the rest of their lives, or those who use initial fame to springboard into other careers in politics and other areas, or those who love their work but fall victim to unrealistic physical demands.
So, what is Hollywood success to you? And who's the most successful?
Disney Remaking 'The Black Hole' With 'Tron' Team
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Disney, Scripts, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
It's a new day at Disney with their new studio chief, Rich Ross, and everyone has been rather eager to see what new direction the studio moved in, and what projects they fast tracked. It turns out that their new vision is a rather old one. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney has dug deep into the vaults and decided to remake The Black Hole. They've put Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski and producer Sean Bailey on the project, hoping that they can make The Black Hole as cool as they've made all things Tron. I feel terrible, but I have absolutely no memory of this film. I know I probably saw it at some point, but its lovable droids have been wiped out by multiple viewings of Star Wars, so allow me to recap. The 1979 original centered on a group of space explorers discover the lost USS Cygnus, floating dead on the edge of a black hole. Logically they haven't seen Event Horizon, so they happily board the ship to what's become of the crew. There they meet a scientist and his group of robot friends (some cute, and one mean, red, and named Maximilian), and he claims his crew deserted him when he tried to travel through the black hole. Of course, he's not telling the truth. The robots are the former Cygnus crew, and the scientist has no intention of letting them leave. Dun dun dun ...
Naturally, the remake won't be a straight-up retelling, and Disney is keeping the plot a secret. The only thing they're willing to reveal is that the menacing robot Maximilian will return, and that the black hole will be more of a plot point. Science will also be involved, and I imagine a little Star Trek too. Will it inspire the instant excitement of Tron: Legacy? Or will it be an entirely new concept to most moviegoers?
Site of the Day: My Life is Twilight
Filed under: Fandom
Just when you thought it was safe to welcome that delirious Twi-hard family member back into your life comes a new website that's just ... well, all kinds of hilarious. It's called My Life is Twilight, and it consists of a bunch of little notes from fans who want you to know that their life is all about Twilight. I'm sensing an MTV True Life episode in 3 ... 2 ... 1...
But seriously now ... no wait, how can we really be serious about this? I know, they're young kids obsessing over a harmless entertainment property -- which, I imagine, is better than doing hard drugs or killing squirrels or whatever it is bad kids do these days. However, some of these little notes are just ... yeah. Here's a sample from the site:
"Today, as in every day, when I reread all of the Twilight books, I will cry, and when my boyfriend walks in the room I will intentionally start a fight with him & yell at him for "not being Edward Cullen". He knows now not to come in the room while I'm reading."
"Last year, my friend and I were out dancing. It was the middle of winter, so when her boyfriend came in from outside, he was freezing cold. Snatching his hand in hers, she proceeded to place it on my face, proclaiming "He feels just like Edward."
"Today I realized that ever since I read Twilight I highlight the word "twilight" in every other book I read just to give myself satisfaction that it MUST be a good book!"
"I work with juveniles that have just been arrested. Even though I know these kids have just committed a crime, I smile a little wider and act a little nicer when I talk with one named Edward."
Read the rest over here, and tell me if this is completely normal behavior or if there really is some sort of weird epidemic at play here.
Is This the World's Worst Film Critic?
Filed under: Newsstand
Hate and ye shall have a voice. Exercise shocking taste and ye shall have a voice!I guess it was inevitable. News programs have slowly become overrun with sensationalism, voices comfortably spewing out the most shocking commentaries they can, annoying those who disagree and rile up those who love a little inappropriate sass with their politics. And it's only natural that this would slowly leak into the movie reviewing world. Guardian has thrown up a love/hate piece for film critic Fiore Mastracci, who they call "a critic so dreadful he's bordering on genius." A once under-the-radar critic, his review of The Road has been making the rounds.
Where many critics love flicks like The Road or Fantastic Mr. Fox, Fiore is a lover of Punisher: War Zone, The Pink Panther (2006), Hitman, Transporter 2... In other words, he's that Regular Joe type moviegoer who equates good cinema with those brainless adventures on the big screen. Then again, the Guardian says he was also a film teacher and used to have his own cable show. So, somewhere, there seems to have been some schooling.
Maybe he's the Gwar of the film critic set, one whose fame and art is nothing like their education and smarts. Whatever the case, his reviews are full of catch-phrases like "celluloid masturbation" and "excrement on celluloid," and he loves throwing in an Obama jab when he can.
Is he merely the best-worst film critic out there? Or an expert in sensationalized film critique for that part of the public that hates to feel anything but laughter and adrenaline rushes while in that theater seat?
'Office' Writers Acquire Some 'Low Self Esteem'
Filed under: Comedy
If you're a regular viewer of The Office, then you already know that Mindy Kaling is pretty hilarious. Not only is she one of the popular series' long-standing writer/producers, but she's also Kelly Kapur, of course. And dang if Kaling doesn't steal just about every scene she inhabits. So here's some good news for Kaling fans: Variety reports that she and Office co-writer Brent Forrester are about to sign a deal to bring something called The Low Self Esteem of Lizzie Gillespie to the big screen: "Story centers on a woman whose lack of self-worth has limited her choice in men to losers. Just as she is about to hit the bottom of the barrel, her life takes an unexpected turn when she is pursued by the hottest guy ever." And while casting hasn't begun yet, we are assured that Mindy K. will have an onscreen assignment as well. And that's just more good news.
The project will arrive courtesy of Mandate Pictures and John Malkovich's Mr. Mudd production company, two of the entities that brought us Juno. All I know is that whenever I hear of good sitcom writers moving over to features, I grit my teeth a little. The transition is not always a good one. And that's me being nice.
Check Out Concept Art From Marvel's Futuristic Theme Park
Filed under: Fandom, Exhibition, Comic/Superhero/Geek
Two years ago the Al Ahli Group announced a partnership with Marvel Entertainment that would see to fruition a massive, cutting-edge amusement park to be built in Dubai and feature rides and exhibits tailor themed to the likes of Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Hulk, The X-Men, and all the rest of Marvel's impressive stable of superheroes (and villains). Obviously a lot has changed since then. First, Disney purchased Marvel outright, and though there was plenty examination of what that meant for future Marvel film franchises and existing properties, I don't recall any talk of this new theme park being bandied about. Second, and more recently, the financial crisis world wide has taken a particularly heavy toll on the rather lofty model Dubai had based its construction-heavy economy on, halting many planned projects.
Considering those two bits of news, chances aren't looking too good that the Marvel park will ever be a reality, but that doesn't mean we can't run down what could have been. The Disney and More blog has posted a fascinating smattering of concept art developed by the Chimera Design Company, showcasing a number of different attractions planned for Marvel Dubailand. Obviously rollercoasters are a mainstay of any theme park, but this hypothetical wonderland looked to have been hiding a few tricks up its sleeve. Though the designs lack full explanation, some of them are too intriguing to be immune from speculation. Take the concept art above, for example, which features Spider-Man fighting off the Green Goblin and Dr. Octopus while a group of people are in free fall from a skyscraper.
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New 'Iron Man 2' Photos Have Everyone Thinking
Filed under: Action, Paramount, Fandom, Movie Marketing, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, Images
On the heels of the first Iron Man 2 poster come a few official stills straight from Paramount. Everyone looks very serious. Whiplash is seriously working on something, surrounded by pictures of Tony Stark to keep his hate burning and his ethic cheerful. Black Widow is seriously up to no good, even if she looks slinky doing it. Even Tony isn't taking things lightly -- not the destruction to his house, and not whatever he's brewing in his latest science project.
There's nothing really new on display here -- the Black Widow photo has been around in varying degrees of resolution since before San Diego Comic Con -- but it's just nice to see the characters out and about, isn't it? If you're given to intense plot speculation, you can all give your take on just what Tony and Whiplash have brewing, and just who caused Tony's marble floor to shatter into a dozen pieces. Did he fly through the ceiling again? Is he building an access portal so that it doesn't ever happen again? Or did some nefarious individual blast a hole into his luxurious tile, hoping to get into his secret lair of Iron Man suits?
We'll know on May 7th, 2010. Until then, just spin your own stories, and delight in a peek at the finished product. The first stills from a film always remind me of the good old days of Disney Adventures when this is all you'd have to go on until summer rolled around.
Free Flick of the Day: Vexille
Filed under: Action, Animation
How about a little feature-length anime to brighten the first day of December? Brand-new on SlashControl is Fumihiko Sori's eye-dazzling Vexille, which is a sci-fi action tale that's way too complicated to cover here. Suffice to say it's got lots of cool ideas, epic moments, awesome action sequences, and a rather excellent Paul Oakenfold score.
As a matter of fact, I actually reviewed this film from the Toronto Film Festival way back in 2007. Here's a piece from that review:
"On a technical scale, Vexille (aka Bekushiru: 2077 Nippon Sakoku) is an undeniable treat for the eyes. Combining 2-D and 3-D animation (as in his earlier Appleseed), Sori eschews belabored backstories and mystical blather in favor of a straightforward sci-fi action-fest. Plus the two main heroes are women, which I found to be a nice switch. (And again, the stuff in between the action is actually interesting!) Fans of the manga comic book of the same name may be interested to know that Vexille is a new story within the established serial, but speaking as a complete newcomer to the series I thought it was a fun, flashy way to spend two hours."
And while you can see and enjoy the film right after the jump, I'd consider it just a teaser. Yes, you get the whole film (and free of charge!) but if you like Vexille ... you gotta see it on DVD in HD widescreen. Just lovely.
Check Out Concept Art From Marvel's Futuristic Theme Park
Chris Weitz to Direct Two-Part 'Breaking Dawn' Finale?
Girls on Film: The Academy's Shallow Actress Pool_thumbnail.jpg)
Alec Baldwin Becomes Latest to Threaten Retirement
The First 'Iron Man 2' Poster Appears!
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