Paranormal Activity – Brilliant Marketing

As some of you may have already seen, I posted a Trailer Watch article for the film Paranormal Activity. From what I hear, it looks like we have a new Blair Witch Project on our hands. The big difference, you know EXACTLY what you are walking into and this should prove to be ten times more terrifying. 

paranormal-activity-dwrks2

I got very excited for the limited release that was supposed to happen today… but I found myself to be extremely disappointed and surprised. 

I have a co-worker that attended the midnight showing of the film last night. He called into the office and relayed this to me: 

“Tell him that I’m running a little late. It’s because my alarm didn’t go off this morning and not because I had to sleep with every single light on in the house.”

According to my co-worker, you could feel the tension in the room when the film switched to night-time footage. People would shift in their seats and prepare themselves for an attack. 

Sounds like my kind movie!

So, being me, I hop online to find local show times. Thank goodness I live in Los Angeles, where limited release films are always sure to surface. However, my location didn’t help me at all! The movie isn’t showing ANYWHERE!

Turns out the films got a limited release in theaters across America for a midnight showing ONLY.

If you were one of the lucky and privileged few, now is the time to be VERY thankful. 

Paranormal Activity has had a hell of a time getting a theatrical release of any kind. Even though Paramount agreed to do it (and they did for the limited midnight showings) it would appear that they are reluctant to take it a step further.

Or are they?

This may be one of the most genius moves I’ve seen in a long time. The word of mouth on this film was already getting around, now there is even more to talk about. Viral marketing at it’s best my friends. I may not be able to see the movie now, but I think it is only a matter of time before it hit theaters nation wide. It took The Blair Witch Project awhile before it got its wide distribution. 

Keep your eyes pealed for this one.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Cowboy Bebop feature gets a rewrite!

This just made me smile in every way possible!

cowboy_bebop

For those of you who were not aware, there is a live action, feature film adaptation of Cowboy Bebop in the works. As of now, Keanu Reeves is set to be our “Lonely Space Cowboy” Spike Spiegel. I don’t know how I feel about the casting. I can’t say it’s a great idea, but I can’t say its a terrible one either. Regardless, that is neither here nor there for the purposes of this post.

In a recent interview with Keanu Reeves it turns out that the current draft of the script is TOO good. I didn’t know such a thing was possible.

“There’s a draft of the script, but the writer did such a great job [that] in order to make the movie, you would need half a billion dollars… So the studio went, ‘This movie is fantastic and it would cost half a billion dollars,” laughed Reeves, “so he’s doing a rewrite.”

Well isn’t that just peachy keen!?

According to the star, everyone is going to be in this movie. Obviously our main concerns are Jet, Faye, Ed, and Ein. It looks like we have another Science Fiction / Western on our hands. Cowboy Bebop is something that I hold pretty close to my heart, just as any good self respecting nerd would. The best news to come out of all of this is the writer of the script, Peter Craig, has promised to stay extremely faithful to the source material.

I’m pretty excited!

So let’s talk about this one kittens. If Keanu is signed as Spike, who would you like to see in the other roles?

More importantly, I will consider it a CRIME if Tank! doesn’t make it in the film. Opening credits… that may be the only place where it belongs!

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Trailer Watch: Paranormal Activity

Check out the potentially creepy trailer here.

paranormal-activity-movie-poster12

This is something that would’ve completely fallen off my radar had it not been brought to my attention from my movie loving roommate. He encouraged me to take a look at this trailer. According to him, this looks crazy scary.

His other commentary is the way that the trailer was constructed might be less effective in ACTUALLY freaking you out. I have to agree with him.

Paranormal Activity comes to us in the tradition of such films as The Blair Witch Project, Quarantine, and Cloverfield. Meaning, it’s made to look real without actually being real. The trailer didn’t really do it for me. My initial reaction doesn’t make me want to rush to the theaters. More over, it looks kind of cheesy.

It was how I felt about the trailer AFTER that will make me reach for those dollars in my purse in exchange for a ticket.

I can watch just about any horror movie without reacting or freaking out. The issue I have is after I go home I get super paranoid. I see every dark corner as a potential death trap. I lock doors, walk backwards through halls, and turn on every single light available.

This film, although completely fake, will most likely strike an emotion cord. For those of you who saw Cloverfield, you know what I am talking about. I can only assume that the character investment in Paranormal Activity will be just as deep and when all is said and done, the audience will be left out of breathe.

In limited theaters September 25th

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Megan Fox Blasted by the Crew of Transformers

This is one of the most interesting things I’ve seen pop up in awhile.

Recently Megan Fox has been speaking out about the director that made her famous, Michael Bay.

megan_fox2808

“He’s like Napoleon and he wants to create this insane, infamous mad-man reputation. He wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is. So he’s a nightmare to work for but when you get him away from set, and he’s not in director mode, I kind of really enjoy his personality because he’s so awkward, so hopelessly awkward. He has no social skills at all. And it’s endearing to watch him.”

Yes, Michael Bay is infamous for being a complete “ass-hole” on the set. That’s actually a rumor that I’ve heard more than once over the past couple of years. I will say that I believe Megan Fox. Regardless if she is right or wrong – I do not believe that it is appropriate to bite the hand that is feeding you. Megan Fox is a star because of Transformers...

Her comments were just the beginning.

In response, three crew members of the Transformers franchise responded in a open letter:

“This is an open letter to all Michael Bay fans. We are three crew members that have worked with Michael for the past ten years. Last week we read the terrible article with inflammatory, truly trashing quotes by the Ms. Fox about Michael Bay. This letter is to set a few things straight.

Yes, Megan has great eyes, a tight stomach we spray with glycerin, and an awful silly Marilyn Monroe tattoo plastered on her arm that we cover up to keep the moms happy.

Michael found this shy, inexperienced girl, plucked her out of total obscurity thus giving her the biggest shot of any young actresses’ life. He told everyone around to just trust him on his choice. He granted her the starring role in Transformers, a franchise that forever changed her life; she became one of the most googled and oogled women on earth. She was famous! She was the next Angelina Jolie, hooray! Wait a minute, two of us worked with Angelina – second thought – she’s no Angelina. You see, Angelia is a professional.

We know this quite intimately because we’ve had the tedious experience of working with the dumb-as-a-rock Megan Fox on both Transformers movies. We’ve spent a total of 12 months on set making these two movies.

We are in different departments; we can’t give our names because sadly doing so in Hollywood could lead to being banished from future Paramount work. One of us touches Megan’s panties, the other has the often shitty job of pulling Ms. Sour pants out of her trailer, while another is near the Panaflex camera that helps to memorialize the valley girl on film.

Megan has the press fooled. When we read those magazines we wish we worked with that woman. Megan knows how to work her smile for the press. Those writers should try being on set for two movies, sadly she never smiles. The cast, crew and director make Transformers a really fun and energetic set. We’ve traveled around the world together, so we have never understood why Megan was always such – the grump of the set?

When facing the press, Megan is the queen of talking trailer trash and posing like a porn star. And yes we’ve had the unbearable time of watching her try to act on set, and yes, it’s very cringe-able. So maybe, being a porn star in the future might be a good career option. But make-up beware, she has a paragraph tattooed to her backside (probably due her rotten childhood) easily another 45 minutes in the chair!

So when the three of us caught wind of Ms Fox, pontificating yet again in some publication (like she actually has something interesting to say) blabbing her trash mouth about a director whom we three have grown to really like. She compared working with Michael, to “working with Hitler”. We actually don’t think she knows who Hitler is by the way. But we wondered how she doesn’t realize what a disgusting, fully uneducated comment this was? Well, here let’s get some facts straight.

Say what you want about Michael – yes at times he can be hard, but he’s also fun, and he challenges everyone for a reason – he simply wants people to bring their ‘A’ game. He comes very prepared, knows exactly what he wants, involves the crew and expects everyone to follow through with his or her best, and that includes the actors. He’s one of the hardest working directors out there.

He gets the best from his crews, many of whom have worked with him for 15 years. And yes, he’s loyal, one of the few directors we’ve encountered who lowered his fee by millions to keep Transformers in the United States and California, so he could work with his own crew.

Megan says that Transformers was an unsafe set? Come on Megan, we know it is a bit more strenuous then the playground at the trailer park, but you don’t insult one of the very best stunt and physical effects teams in the business! Not one person got hurt!

And who is the real Megan Fox? She is very different than the academy nominee and winning actors we’ve all worked around. She’s as about ungracious a person as you can ever fathom. She shows little interest in the crew members around her. We work to make her look good in every way, but she’s absolutely never appreciative of anyone’s hard work. Never a thank you. All the crewmembers have stopped saying hi to Ms. Princess because she never says hello back. It gets tiring. Many think she just really hates the process of being an actress.

Megan has been late to the sets many times. She goes through the motions that make her exude this sense of misery. We’ve heard the A.D’s piped over the radio that Megan won’t walk from her trailer until John Turturro walks first! John’s done seventy-five movies and she’s made two!

Never expect Megan to attend any of the 15 or so crew parties like all the other actors have. And then there’s the classless night she blew off The Royal Prince of Jordan who made a special dinner for all the actors. She doesn’t know that one of the grips daughters wanted to visit their daddy’s work to meet Megan, but he wouldn’t let them come because he told them “she is not nice.”

The press certainly doesn’t know her most famous line. On our first day in Egypt, the Egyptian government wouldn’t let us shoot because of a permit problem as the actors got ready in make up at the Four Seasons Hotel. Michael tried to make the best of it; he wanted to take the cast and crew on a private tour of the famous Giza pyramids. God hold us witness, Megan said, “I can’t believe Michael is fucking forcing us to go to the fucking pyramids!” I guess this is the “Hitler guy” she is referring to.

So this is the Megan Fox you don’t get to see. Maybe she will learn, but we figure if she can sling insults, then she can take them too. Megan really is a thankless, classless, graceless, and shall we say unfriendly bitch. It’s sad how fame can twist people, and even sadder that young girls look up to her. If only they knew who they’re really looking up to.

But ‘Fame’ is fleeting. We, being behind the scenes, seen em’ come and go. Hopefully Michael will have Megatron squish her character in the first ten minutes of Transformers 3. We can tell you that will make the crew happy!”

-Loyal Transformers Crew”

WOW on a stick. I have to say that this is one of the most ballsy things I have ever seen. This is a potential PR nightmare for a variety of reasons. With that being said, the “Good Man of the Day” award goes to Michael Bay and his beyond classy response:

I don’t condone the crew letter to Megan. And I don’t condone Megan’s outlandish quotes. But her crazy quips are part of her crazy charm. The fact of the matter I still love working with her, and I know we still get along. I even expect more crazy quotes from her on Transformers 3.

- Michael

He protected Megan and himself… job well done Michael.

Now for the crew. They tried to be vague to protect themselves, however they were just specific enough. Anyone who actually works on the set can probably put the pieces together. I think it’s safe to say that I witch hunt is currently in the works for the three. If they are discovered, they will never work in this town again. As cliche as that sounds… it’s completely true. No one likes a tattle-tale. In this business, they protect their own, whether they deserve it or not.

I can’t say that I feel that Megan Fox has been victimized in way. I’m sure these crew workers have had enough experience with the actress to feel the way that they do. In reality, she did throw the first stone and has been trash talking Michael Bay for months now. Their letter was an attempt to lash out against the actress and her claims against the director that keeps them not only employed, but someone they actually enjoy working with.

Despite Michael Bay’s reputation, he handled this the best (regardless if this is actually how he feels or not).

There is definitely a lesson to be learned from all of this. Sadly is goes back to the phrase everyone’s mother has uttered at least once, “If you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all.”

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Trailer Watch: Whip It

Check out the trailer for Whip It here.

whip-it-poster

Ellen Page is back. Let’s face it, this girl belongs in Indy films.

This looks pretty simple and neat all at the same time. You’ll get a heartwarming tale of a girl who finds her passion and discovers herself in the process. The cast is great: Ellen Page, Kristin Wiig, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Marcia Gay Harden, and Zoe Bell. I have to say that out of this whole list of people, Ellen Page, Kristin Wiig, and Zoe Bell excite me the most. For those non-geeks out there, look up Zoe Bell and become a fan… ASAP.

This film will be the directorial debut for Drew Barrymore. She’s been a producing heavyweight for sometime and officially taking the dive into directing, which seems like the next logical choice. So far, it looks like Drew has made some pretty good choices thus far and Whip It should be a film worth seeing.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Trailer Watch: Fantastic Mr. Fox

In the name of everything that is sacred watch this trailer here!

fantastic-mrfox-posterdebut-full

Once again my love for Wes Anderson has been renewed! 

When you start to watch this trailer, it’s difficult to not have a raised eyebrow and a voice in your head asking, “What in holy hell is happening?”

The animation style is disjointed stop animation. Even gems like Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, and Coraline looked pretty fluid despite the style. However, it doesn’t look disjointed because they don’t know how to do it right, it looks this way on purpose and it apart of the style of the film. I think it’s kind of brilliant!

The Royal Tenenbaums is one of my favorite movies of all time and since then Wes Anderson has failed to recapture my heart. However, Fantastic Mr. Fox has grabbed my attention in a very serious way. 

This film looks absolutely endearing and hilarious. While at first it’s extremely off putting I think this is mere brilliance at work! I’m stoked!

In limited theaters November 25th

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

9 **Theatrical Review**

9-poster 

 

9

PG-13

1 hour, 19 minutes

Starring: Elijah Wood, Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connolly, and Crispin Glover.

 

 

 

 

FINALLY! I can’t tell you how long I have been waiting for this film to hit theaters. Ever since I saw the trailer I was completely in love and this was one movie that I was actually looking forward to seeing.

9 tells the story of nine doll like creatures who have been given the spark of life while they try to survive in a post apocalyptic world. There is not a single living organism left on the whole planet, all that remains are these dolls and the machines the destroyed humanity.

Something as original as this film hasn’t been produced in a very long while. The vision itself is amazing. Surprisingly, it’s an animated film with a PG-13 rating and extremely action driven. Who says that cartoons are for kids? I did like this movie for all that it did provide, but overall I am disappointed because it could’ve been so much more.

There is a quote from the film that describes my sentiments perfectly, “We had such potential.”

The biggest problem that 9 suffered from was a severely under developed script. The movie felt like watching an outline that got made into a full length feature. The movie doesn’t even hit the 90 minutes mark. They had all the time in the world to develop something very strong. The trailer had such an strong emotional kick to it (thanks to Coheed and Cambria) that the film failed to bring out. The set up is great, but the overall explanation to the mystery of their creation is a little glossed over and lacking in importance and urgency to the characters. 

The characters, although you grow to know and love them, are seemingly one dimensional. For characters that are surviving with no purpose in life in a destructive and dangerous world, you would think they would be a little more emotionally scarred. They would’ve established relationships of love and hate amongst their small group as well as good and bad histories. However, the movie doesn’t take nearly anytime with its characterization and simply moves onto the next plot point. I think that had they explored deeper into the relationships between the characters it would’ve have a much heavier impact on the audience and create a more memorable film. 

Overall it’s fun to watch and certainly nothing you’ve ever seen before. I just wish that it had a little more kick to it. Unfortunately in a couple of years I think people will forget about this one. 

2.5 out of 5

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Fantastic Four set for a Reboot

 

Evans, Chiklis, Alba, and Gruffudd as The Fantastic Four

Evans, Chiklis, Alba, and Gruffudd as The Fantastic Four

Fox has just announced that they plan to reboot the Fantastic Four franchise. 

After reading the statement I just sort of stared blankly at my computer screen. It’s the same stare you give when you watch your best friend about to trip over their own feet, but you want to see if they’ll catch themselves, but you watch them fall over anyway.

Fox is freaking out because Disney just bought Marvel, now they need to capitalize off of the property while the opportunity is still for the taking. Problem is, they screwed it up already, so what makes them think they can do it right this time around?

Word on the street is Michael Green is set to pen the script. His credits include Heroes, Kings, and Smallville. He is also responsible for the script for the Green Lantern film. Say a little prayer children. 

Now the real questions we should all be asking ourselves is: who is the cast?! I would love to hear your thoughts on the casting for Fantastic Four. I have a little dream team in mind, but I want to hear what y’all think!

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Oscar voting changing

bill-eppridge-oscar-the-academy-award-statuetteThe Academy Awards are changing the way that they do things, yet again. As some of you may recall, the Best Picture category has expanded to from 5 films to ten.

If you don’t remember this, you can check out the article here.

As a result of this, the bosses at the Academy awards are changing the way that everyone votes on the best picture as well.

In the past, they asked that everyone just pick one as the winner. Instead, they will be rating each film in order preference. They want to see which film as the most support from the Academy.

Bruce Davis, Executive director to the Academy, says. “There are certain mathematical dangers with more nominees. You could really get a fragmentation to the point where a picture with 18 or 20 percent of the vote could win, and the board didn’t want that to happen.”

Sadly, I really don’t understand this. Wouldn’t the picture that most people pick as their number one choice be considered the film with the most support? Honestly, I don’t know enough when it comes to calculating votes and such. It only seems natural that when you have more options to choose from, the vote will be more divided.

Does this mean that if there isn’t an overwhelming support based on the number one vote, but nearly everyone chooses a particular film as their number two, than the number two film will win best picture?

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Disney buys out Marvel

3574785269_0ef793fe3f_oThis is probably one of the strangest and most random news stories to come out in awhile. The best part about it? It’s 100% true!

Disney has bought out Marvel Entertainment. That means that they same people that own Mickey Mouse and peddle off gems like Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers now OWN every single character in the Marvel catalogue. 

This feels like an episode of the Twilight Zone. I don’t really understand the purchase. Obviously Disney sees some long term financial benefit for needing Marvel. It just seems like a terribly strange mis-match.

In the future, Disney will most likely be the people distributing the Marvel Studios films as well as their expanding animated films. For now, they are honoring all of the existing distribution deals; Paramount Pictures and their deal for the Iron Man franchise.  

I’m still trying to decide how I feel about this one. 

I can see many benefits for Marvel and their characters. Disney has money falling out of their pockets and they are always willing to throw down serious piles of cash for the big sure-to-be-money-maker films. Since Disney is more well known for the animation, maybe some full length animated Marvel films are in our future?

The reality is, Marvel (as a brand) conflicts with Disney (as a brand). Fans of their superheroes love the hardcore action, violence, and strong emotional stints that these characters carry. Will the fact that Tony Stark (Iron Man) is an alcoholic conflict with the Disney brand? Doesn’t Disney stand for family and good, clean, wholesome fun? Although we have characters like Captain America, who is the biggest boy scout on the Earth, but then you have characters like the Punisher, who goes around murdering people. 

How active is Disney going to be in Marvel and their content. I can’t imagine Disney wanting to but their name on a violent action film. What is the alternative? Is Disney going to water-down the characters I have known and loved since I was a child?

What does this mean for Marvel and Disney?

Addition from original post: I made a bit of an error in this blog by forgetting something VERY important. Disney has a couple of different production companies, namely Miramax, Touchstone, and Hollywood Pictures. I think it’s quite obvious to say that the Disney Pictures logo won’t be appearing along side Marvel but will most likely be distributed by the companies mentioned above.

With that being said, I can only hope that they outlook for Marvel is nothing but optimistic.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

WordPress Themes