Entertainment Today and Beyond

Never Met a Zombi I Didn’t Like…

WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU – A crime drama well worth checking out on DVD

what Doesn't kill you posterWhile searching through a Redbox for a DVD to watch over the weekend I stumbled upon What Doesn’t Kill You. While I remember watching the trailer sometime last year, the movie never got much of a theatrical release so it was basically out of mind – out of sight. After viewing I have to say, if you’re a fan of the crime genre, which I happen to be, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the acting and really liked the raw believable look of the film. 

What Doesn’t Kill You is basically an old fashion crime drama that is compelling viewing for those who enjoy a solid character study. From the get go you are told that the story is an autobiographical take on the life and experiences of its director, Brian Goodman, who was a petty criminal and drug addict as well as a husband with a wife and two kids.

The story focuses on two characters, the aforementioned Brian (Mark Ruffalo) and Paulie (Ethan Hawke) who are childhood friends, growing up on the mean streets of South Boston. From a very early age the two are overtaken by the road to easy money and big time trouble with their negative environment greatly influencing a destructive lifestyle. In many ways the film is like watching a modest version of The Departed without the complexity. Brian and Paulie first start out as runners for the local organized crime boss (played by the director Brian Goodman), collecting money and doing other low level jobs of need. Eventually the two evolve from small time crime to full blown risk taking (including robbing drug dealers) in order to stay ahead of the curve.

What makes the character of Brian interesting is that he has a wife (a well meaning enabler well played by Amanda Peet) and two kids. While Brian is submerged in his dishonest world there is apart of him torn between that and his responsibility to his family. That small glimmer of reality is what kept me interested in his plight. There’s also a true sadness in his totally self destructive personality (his drug use is another vice) and, while it’s not easy to be empathetic with either him or Paulie, What Doesn’t Kill You is still a compelling piece of work that had me involved throughout. Ruffalo, Hawke and Peet are top notch and I certainly recommend the film for viewers who are into Goodfellas and The Sopranos. Considering its small budget this is a nice piece of work by a first time director who is proof that one can turn their life around no matter how bleak. I give What Doesn’t Kill You 3.75 out of 5. It was a nice find and a diamond in the rough. Glad I stopped by the Redbox – and all this for just a buck!

June 22, 2009 Posted by | Reviews | , , , | 1 Comment

HALLOWEEN 2 final POSTER

m_163_h2_1shtThe Poster is good but will the movie be? Director Rob Zombie’s first stab at re-telling John Carpenter’s classic tale was a misfire. This was primarily because his film focused way too much on the Michael Myers character and not the story’s true heroine, Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton – who can’t hold a candle to Jamie Lee Curtis), but one can only hope he can correct his mistakes this time around. Since the horse is now way out of the barn, with him stripping most of Carpenter’s Halloween mythology, let’s see what he has to offer in this second outing. Zombie has fully admitted he is taking things in his own direction with this follow-up.

If his talent was as big as his ego I would really be looking forward to this. It’s Halloween in August as the film opens August 28.

June 21, 2009 Posted by | And Beyond - Trailers & News | | 3 Comments

ZOMBIELAND TRAILER

ZOMBIELANDSony has released its trailer to Zombieland, a horror comedy starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin. Directed by first timer Ruben Fleisher the film mixes laughs with scares and certainly reminds me of Shaun of the Dead. There’s no doubt the horror comedy is one of the toughest tightropes to walk as the “too much comedy in a zombie flick” is never a good thing, at least in my opinion.

While I’m a fan of Shaun of the Dead, I would argue that the 1985 Dan O’Bannon directed Return of the Living Dead is even better. It’s one of my top five all time favorite Zombie movies and a perfect example of how to execute this premise to perfection. As for Zombieland, it looks pretty good and I look forward to seeing it. It always exciting to see a major studio finance a film in this genre as it guarantees that it not only has an ample budget but will be properly marketed. Look for it to hit theaters Oct 9, 2009.  Take a LOOK  

June 21, 2009 Posted by | And Beyond - Trailers & News | , , , , | Leave a Comment

TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen extended clip – Boy doesn’t that remind you of GREMLINS. It sure did for me!

This new clip from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was released by Paramount this week; it’s a scene between Megan Fox and the Decepticon Wheelie. While I know director Michael Bay used a lot of humor in the first Transformers film, which I really enjoyed, this scene makes some of the stuff in the original film seem almost serious. After watching the clip three times I can’t help but think that Bay has watched Joe Dante’s 1984 Blockbuster hit Gremlins more than a few times as the tone of this very scene feels like Gremlins with robots instead of well, Gremlins.

In many ways Bay’s Transformers was structured like Dante’s film as it featured a young outsider (Shia LeBeauf basically playing the Zach Galligan part), who gets the hot girl (Megan Fox filling in for Phoebe Cates) and they wind up trying to survive an invasion from a force they have never encountered before. There’s even a Gizmo cameo in Bay’s first film. (you see his likeness on the side of a truck in the film’s last act) If you think about it, this was and still is a smart move on Bay’s part. Gremlins was a great genre film that worked beautifully for what it was trying to do – pure entertainment and audience involvement with adventure and humor guided by an appealing young couple. I fully understand that not everyone digs Bays work, but I must say I do! What do you think?

June 21, 2009 Posted by | And Beyond - Trailers & News | , | Leave a Comment

Disaster Movie Glory – Trailer to ROLAND EMMERICH’S 2012

Take a LOOK at director Roland Emmerich introducing the trailer to his disaster epic 2012.  As a huge fan of the genre, I must say this looks pretty awesome from a visual point of view. Clearly Emmerich, who has already brought us “Independence Day” and “The Day after Tomorrow”, has a real fondness for this genre as he’s on record as being a big fan of the late great Irwin Allen, the master of disaster whose claims to fame were “The Poseidon Adventure” and “The Towering Inferno”. 2012 stars two really likeable actors, John Cusack and Amanda Peet. It blasts into theaters November 13, 2009. Also take a look at my list of top ten all-time favorite disaster films and LISTEN to our radio broadcast discussing the genre. It’s my favorite broadcast. (scroll down in radio archive)

June 18, 2009 Posted by | And Beyond - Trailers & News | Leave a Comment

BATMAN 3 status Clearly up in the Air

batman-art

The very reliable Batman-On-Film is reporting that there has been practically no movement on a the third entry in Warner Bros current Batman franchise and director Christopher Nolan is not even signed to helm the third film. His series started with “Batman Begins” and left off with “The Dark Knight”. According to the article written by Bill Ramsey, since there is no script or even story ideas, fans should not expect another entry in the franchise until 2012 or 2013 at the earliest. According to his source for this conclusion, Ramey’s guy says, “the death of Heath Ledger rocked Mr. Nolan hard,” and the project is back to square one with a virtually non-existent story due to the initial planned inclusion of the Joker in the third film.

It has been reported that Warner Bros does have a short list of directors that they would call on if Nolan walked a way from the property. Zach Snyder (Dawn of the Dead, Watchmen) is one of them. The question I have is – does Nolan owe it to the studio and the legion of Batman fans to finish his work as a trilogy and do a third film? Well you know what Rocky said to Paulie in Rocky 3 – “Nobody owes anybody anything; they do because they want to do”. Personally I really don’t agree with that statement in this case but if he walks he walks. I, like many, would be greatly disappointed and hope for the best but whoever took over would have enormous shoes to fill, especially given the last installment. The Dark Knight was an amazing film, ending with Batman on the run and more story to tell. In many ways, if some other director takes over the franchise it would be like David Fincher (an unknown at the time) taking over the Alien franchise from James Cameron after his masterpiece “Aliens”. You simply couldn’t make a better Alien film than what Cameron created with Aliens. History has proven that to be true. The person who would take over if Nolan leaves would have to not only have the talent but the balls to do so! It’s one high mountain to try and climb.

It would truly be a high pressure task for whoever does it especially if it wasn’t a high profile director like Michael Mann (Heat). Some are already throwing that name into the ring and it would be an interesting choice. The only person I feel confident could really pull it off would be James Cameron, but I doubt he would want to. However, he was preparing to do Spiderman at one point almost a decade ago so you never know if this genre would spark his interest – especially with the challenge of a Batman film. Sam Raimi (Spiderman) would also be a person I would seriously consider because he knows the genre and he’s a terrific talent who’s very creative.

Before Nolan took over the reigns in 2005 with Batman Begins I would have thought about the possibility of Joe Dante (Gremlins) but not now as Nolan has upped the quality so high he would be a major gamble for the studio and that’s not going to happen. As for Zach Snyder, I like him and respect his work. His “Dawn of the Dead” was a quality film and I think he did a great job on “Watchmen” ( I never read the graphic novel but really liked the film) but can he pull off what Nolan started? I simply can’t answer that question until he does it. He certainly can’t rely on any slow motion shots in a Batman film. It just wouldn’t work in that universe – at least I wouldn’t like it.

Being a businessman myself I find it hard to believe that Nolan and the studio don’t have at least a handshake deal Particularly since he’s directing his sci-fi thriller “Inception” for the studio with a budget close to 200 million. Do you really sit in a room and close that deal and not discuss his status on Batman? Again, after negotiating many deals myself in another industry, it just doesn’t seem possible but you never know.
Another point – with or without Nolan would you consider having another actor play the Joker even if the character plays a smaller role in this next film. I say that’s a real tough choice. Initially I would have said no, but now that time has passed I think I would consider it. I fully understand the circumstances of this situation are different than say Jodie Foster passing on the Clarice Starling character and being replaced by Julianne Moore in The Silence of the Lambs sequel Hannibal. While Foster simply decided to take a pass, Heath Ledger’s departure is a very different story even though life does go on and the Joker is a central figure in the Batman universe. I would think by 2013 fans would understand and be ready for another actor to play the clown prince of crime. It’s no doubt an incredible act to follow but eventually The Joker will be back on the big screen. The point is will Chris Nolan finish what he started? I really do hope so and I’m prepared to wait until he’s ready, but will the studio? Certainly not forever…

June 18, 2009 Posted by | And Beyond - Trailers & News | | 2 Comments

The CW’s new MELROSE PLACE Extended PREVIEW

 The CW network has released an extended preview trailer to its new fall show Melrose Place, a reboot of the popular Aaron Spelling nighttime soap opera that ran from 1992-1999 on the Fox network. This slick looking program focuses in on a group of twentysomethings but also features two characters from the original show, Sydney Andrews (Laura Leighton) and Michael Mancini (Thomas Calabro). While Spellings original was known for it’s over the top and sometimes ridiculous storylines, this new version seems a lot more conventional. This will be an important program for the fledgling network as it’s badly in need of a hit. Look for this Melrose reboot to be paired with 90210 on Tuesday Nights this September. 

June 17, 2009 Posted by | Reviews | | Leave a Comment

NOAH WYLE to HEADLINE new Spielberg ALIEN invasion series for TNT

Noah Wyle 1According to Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Ausiello, Steven Spielberg is pursuing actor Noah Wyle (ER) to star in his untitled alien invasion pilot for TNT. The plot of the show begins six months after evil extra-terrestrials decimate mankind. Wyle would headline the series, playing the leader of a surviving group of citizens who try to bring down the aggressors. While I’m all in for this, it certainly sounds a lot like the classic NBC miniseries (later a series) V which ran during the 1980’s. Interesting enough ABC is bringing back V as a mid-season War of the worldsreplacement next season. It will star Elisabeth Mitchell (Lost) and Scott Wolf (Party of Five) and the trailer the network released looks really good. As for this new Spielberg series, I like Wyle in the lead as he has a solid presence and is a heck of a good actor. I loved his work during the five episode stint on ER this season, reprising his long running role of Dr. John Carter. Spielberg and Wyle already have a working relationship as the director of “War of the Worlds” was one of ER’s founding producers. As for TNT, they are becoming a force in scripted television shows with programs like “The Closer” attracting a solid 7 million viewers a week. This should make their stable of programming even stronger.

June 16, 2009 Posted by | And Beyond - Trailers & News | , | Leave a Comment

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