Critical Film Condition

Richard Kelly is getting closer and closer to becoming a one-hit wonder. “Donnie Darko” was a brilliant movie that got a little bit of cult status because it was so complicated… But it still was a brilliant movie, with a good cast, very creative and well-developed story-arc, etc. “Southland Tales”… Not so sexy. I actually got bored and still have to see the second half when I’ve got nothing else to do on a rainy Sunday.

“The Box” seems interesting, but it already starts wrong by thinking that casting Cameron Diaz for a serious role is gutsy… It’s not and it is just stupid instead. Look at the size of that mouth, man… She is FUNNY, and should stay FUNNY. But let’s not be unfair with this movie:

Diaz and James Marsden play a couple without any cash, like any other, that receive an offer from a strange man… This man is Frank Langella… And that is how you cast someone. The offer is the following: he gives them a box with a button. Each time they press this button, they get a million bucks, but someone, somewhere on the planet, dies. Here’s to hoping that they cover every single aspect of the dillema that “people die all the time but would you like to be responsible for one of those deaths” yadayadayada.

I’m curious, but not excited.

Popularity: 2%

I don’t care what you think about Roland Emmerich (personally, I don’t like 90% of his movies), but “2012″ looks massive. And in Emmerich terms (“Independence Day”, “The Day After Tomorrow”) that’s definitely sayin’ something. The movie deals with, well, the end of the world… And I don’t think it needs much more explanation than that.

Stars John Cusack, Danny Glover, Oliver Platt and a bunch of other known names. Even if it blows, the effects look amazing and it should provide an interesting take on the whole “how humanity deals with it” thing. His last movie to handle such a subject, “The Day After Tomorrow”, was actually one of his best, so yes, I’m looking forward to it.

Even if you don’t have the time to watch this now, just watch the firs few seconds to hear Emmerich say “Twoo Sausand Tvelve”… It’s worth it.

Popularity: 2%

We actually saw more of this “A Christmas Carol” couple of weeks ago in the Disney Press Event here in Munich. But here goes something for the general public (yes, I’m a snob).

Well, this isn’t a trailer, per se… I don’t think it even qualifies as a finished product, because “The Polar Express” actually looked better than this, CGI-wise. But the perfectly timed delivery of the punchline after this short 20 second clip just proves how good Robert Zemeckis is, by capturing the magic of Jim Carrey’s absurdly expressive mug in digital.

“I’d rather not”… LOVE IT!

Popularity: 9%

What ho! Here it is: the first trailer for the much-anticipated Guy Ritchie adaptation of „Sherlock Holmes“. It is very apparent, even in this 2 minute trailer, that this will be a though one to swallow for all hardcore fans. 221b Baker Street – Holmes and Watson don’t live here anymore.

I always thought that the next film version of Sherlock Holmes would have to star Hugh Laurie as Holmes and Stephen Fry as Dr. Watson. Alas, one can dream…
Arthur Conan Doyle’s original has undergone quite the histrionic transformation. Combining the basic characters played by Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in an off-beat bromance with Ritchie’s fast-paced trademark guns and gangster chic seems impossible at first glance. But when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. Or something…
I don’t think the original Holmes character ever moved as much as Robert Downey Jr. does in this trailer on any screen or book combined. And I don’t think that he packed quite that much muscle (but I am certainly not complaining about it). Ritchie’s version seems to be a far cry from 1939’s Basil Rathbone. Ritchie and Robert Downey Jr. mix Holmes’ trademark eccentricity, arrogance and intellect with some boyish humor, which seems to work for them. Holmes wooing ladies is quite an unfamiliar sight. Also, the original Holmes was a major coke-head, which was boiled down (pardon the expression) to some Dr. House style pill taking. Thank God we didn’t loose the pipe to political correctness.
Guy Ritchie’s trademark antics meet a metaphysical comedy-opera – and possibly some good old deduction. One thing is for certain: it will be interesting!
Holmes and Watson engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England on Christmas day.

Popularity: 9%

I’ve actually been a blockbuster whore all my life. Even by being involved in the industry and knowing the bullshit that goes around in Hollywood, I seem to enjoy big explosions, special effects and such. But sometimes it’s nice to tone down a bit and, especially after “Little Miss Sunshine”, I started paying a lot more attention to independent movies.

I have a very special interest in small, New York-ish romantic comedies, like “When Harry Met Sally”… I hate New York as a city, but love it as a setting for romantic comedies… And this “Adam” is shaping up to be just my kinda movie. Hugh Dancy, which is an actor who I have a lot of faith in, plays Adam, a man with symptoms similar to autism who falls for his new neighbor, played by Rose Byrne.

A simple story, yet it seems that Hugh Dancy might be the big surprise when this movie comes, incorporating a charming, lovable and ultimately funny character. Rose Byrne is also a joy to watch and Frankie Faison, who plays Adam’s best friend, seems to make his always supporting roles enjoyable to watch.

The last punch-line is a killer… Definitely worth watching.

Popularity: 10%

After the terrible video was shown at Showest and Bay got his award, he gave the crowd something in return by showing some footage from the Transformers sequel… It looks GREAT, but I get that itchy feeling behind my back every time I see a bigger robot… Did they overdo it? If they did, is it still good?

Anyway, this new footage shows Megan Fox undressing, so it got my respects just for that. Bumblebee crying… Hmmm, not so much. Robot parts flying everywhere… HELL, YEAH, BABY!!!

You gotta live with what the audience wants, so I’ll just say I’m happy about this sequel, because I loved the first movie… AND, some of the new footage shown shows that this might become a darker movie all together (apart from the I’m going to college and you’re not coming… BOO-FUCKING-HOO) and the effects are looking to surpass the original (obviously). Please, Mike, don’t let me down… His last sequel experience was “Bad Boys II”… And that hurt :-(

PS: don’t lose hope… A full-lenghth trailer should be arriving in the next weeks, so stay tuned.

Popularity: 14%

The Harry Potter series had a nice, although inconstant, evolution from the Chris Columbus kid-friendly beginnings. But it always seemed that they wouldn’t dare go the extra mile, even with great directors such as Mike Newell and Alfonso Cuarón. According to this trailer, David Yates (who also directed “The Order of the Phoenix”) switched on n0-bullshit mode and this may finally be the Harry Potter movie adults have been waiting for so long.

When thinking about this series, one has to think that the public has matured with the flow of the story, and with one movie being released every year (this one being a welcome exception), the target audience grew up as wel. And in “The Half-Blood Price” it seems that the shit has really hit the fan. Voldemort invades our world, Dumbledore says that these will be the darkest of times and Harry and his buddies finally face the trials of death, danger, and… Sex?

I don’t know about you people, but I can’t wait to see it.

PS: Special note to the scene where we see Washington getting invaded by evil Wizards. I bet J.K. Rowling had multiple orgasms on that one :-)

Popularity: 9%

It seems that with all the financial, environmental, social, etc. crises documentaries have started to get their due space in mainstream cinema. There are subjects that need to be covered and revealed to the audience that mainstream fictional cinema can’t contain with the same effect on the public.

Michael Moore started a big movement with “Bowling for Columbine”, but he became a victim of his own sensationalism with “Fahrenheit 9/11″, so nobody cared for his latest movie “Sicko”. Al Gore had a great impact with “An Inconvenient Truth”, Leo Dicaprio produced “The 11th Hour” and so on and so forth.

“Food, Inc.” falls into a similar category. A movie that deals with a subject that is inconvenient for the powers that be, but manages to get attention as a result of the unstoppable power of cinema. The subject this time is how the food industry has evolved over the years and how science has become a great villain, with companies looking for profit while putting our health in jeopardy to achieve that goal. It definitely got my attention.

Watch the trailer… Are you sure you still wanna eat that steak?

Popularity: 7%