Easy on The Spirit's

Saw the highly anticipated The Spirit.
Reviews have been positively terrible and box office earnings in the US glum. The Spirit is about rookie cop Denny Colt who returns from beyond the grave as The Spirit, a hero whose mission is to fight against the bad forces in Central City. The cast is wicked cool with Gabriel Macht as the title character, Eva Mendes as Sand Saref, Jaime King as Lorelei Rox, Stana Katic as Morgenstern, Samuel L Jackson as super-villian The Octopus and Scarlett Johansson as evil sidekick Silken Floss aka the best name ever.

Consensus? The plot is ridiculous. The dialogue is as corny as a crate of Dorritos. The action scenes are laughable. Infact, my instincts are telling me it’s a bad film but I just can’t help love it. The whole film is kitsch beyond belief and is essentially so bad, it’s good. Don’t get me wrong, the visuals are beautiful. The Spirit is ingeniously brilliant to look at and goes beyond the initial groundwork seen in Sincity. Frank Miller is the director and people will be more familiar with him due to his reputation as a ground breaking graphic novelist. His version of Batman titled The Dark Knight Returns is largely credited with reinvigorating the winged crusaders comic book series and graphic novels Sincity and 300 were both hugely popular and spawned film adaption’s. I honestly don’t know how Frank Miller was able to sell the concept of The Spirit to studios because the ridiculousness of it obviously stems from the source material. I put down the films existence down to Miller’s previous work doing so well on the big screen. This definitely has the feel of an exploitation film and the trademarks are there: deadly babes toting deadly weapons, indulgent action sequences and an insane plot. Therefore I can understand why mainstream audiences and critics wouldn’t respond to this, the same way they didn’t respond to Grindhouse products Planet Terror and Death Proof. The only lyrical song featured in the film is called Falling In Love Again and is belted out by Christina Agulira who gives a seductive, Marilyn Monroe-esque performance during the end credits. Importantly, Miller also gives a shout out to Robert Rodriguez in the `thank-you’ credits (Movie Mazzupial #1 favourite director) who taught Miller how to direct and operate camera equipment. For a good laugh and sheer entertainment value I recommend The Spirit. Be sure to leave a portion of your brain at the door though and don’t question the dialogue! Notable mentions also need to go to the costume designer because the outfits of the femme fatales are mind-blowing (just like Mendes and Johansson’s lady humps).

Note: I also adore the fact that Miller credits the cat that appears in the film as Arthur the Cat: Himself in the credits.

Best Lines:

The Spirit (to Octopus): I'm gonna kill you all kinds of dead.

Comissioner Dolan: Is every goddamn woman in this goddamn hell hole out of her goddamn mind?
Morgensten: No, sir. We're just equipped.

Dakota FANGing?

Oh and the New Moon news keeps on coming. You may remember earlier this month I wrote about the possibility of Vanessa`the undresser' Hudgens being cast as werewolf Leah Clearwater in the Twilight sequels. The latest news from the New Moon camp (that is as solid as Taylor Lautner's return as Jacob Black) is that Dakota Fanning is in the final stages of sealing a deal to play vampire Jane in New Moon. In an interview on the red carpet at Push premiere, Fanning confirmed she has a meeting with studio execs early this week to sign the final papers which would see her as Jane in New Moon. If the deal goes through Fanning would be on board for Eclipse and Breaking Dawn as well where she plays larger roles. Jane is a member of the ancient-Italian vampire clan, the Volturi, and is described as baby faced and with an angelic voice in the book. Her character is also incredibly evil and if Fanning secures her involvement, it will be the first time she has ever played a villain. Thoughts? Jane, her twin brother Alec, Leah Clearwater and Volturi leader Argos were the only roles left uncast for New Moon. Considering the sequel starts filming in less than six weeks now, casters must be frantically trying to decide who the best actors are to fill the roles and no doubt they would have hundreds of potentials to choose from. In my imaginary world where I get to choose who plays who in the Twilight movies, the role of Jane has been the hardest to cast. When I heard Fanning is the prime candidate for Jane . . . .I got excited. She is an amazing little actress and there is something discreetly dark about her which I could see being utilised to give a truly evil performance. For those who say she's too innocent and young to play such a terrifying character, look at the rave reviews she's getting for her recent potrayal of a rape victim who finds refuge in the music of Elvis Presley (the film is called Hounddog folks). This chick is only 14 and she was willing to play the victim in what is apparently a very graphic rape scene. This role is not beneath her and Fanning will bring the benefits of yet another experienced actor to the table in New Moon, despite her youth.

. . .but you can have the rest of my Milk.

Gus Van Sant's new film Milk is one of the top two films I wanted to see most in 2009. The trailer was epic and gave me all sorts of goosebumps. Watching Margaret and David's review of Milk in December as part of their summer special only fueled my intense desire to see this film with Margy giving it 4 and a half stars and Davy giving it (for the first time in my memory) a perfect five star review. I was finally able to catch an advanced screening of it last night and I was not disappointed. This is the kind of movie film students are going to study in years to come and definitely one of Gus Van Sant's best films which is saying a lot. Undoubtedly he is one of the best film makers of our time with creations such as; My Own Private Idaho, Good Will Hunting,Finding Forrester and Elephant (to name a few). But Milk is something else. A true story, Milk is based on California's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk, a San Francisco supervisor who was assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone. Sant seamlessly merges archive footage with acted scenes to the point where you're sometimes uncertain whether you're watching the actors or the real-life characters home movies, a newspaper clipping or tv news archive. Sant and his casting director have also done a brilliant job at not only rounding up a superb ensemble cast, but the actors bare an unbelievable resemblance to the real-life movers and shakers. The performances are nothing short of AMAZING especially for supporting cast members Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch and James Franco particularly who is beyond convincing as Harvey Milk's long time lover. You cannot, however, get past the brilliance that is SEAN PENN. He is in my number one favourite actor of all time and even I was blown away by this performance. SEAN PENN IS HARVEY MILK. I honesty thought nothing could beat Penn's performances in Mystic River and Dead Man Walking. I was wrong. wrong, wrong and Penn delivers his most subtle, heart-wrenching and memorable portrayal to date. He trumps Mickey Rourke in best performance by an actor in a leading role and Milk trumps Slumdog Millionaire for best major motion picture. Gus Van Sant trumps Danny Boyle for best director. Openly gay himself, to Sant's credit the bet thing he does is restrain any notion of over production. Although he has obviously and painstakingly crafted this film in a very intricate fashion, one of its biggest assets is Sant's lets the amazing true-story and incredible performances appear to do the work while his inventive and inconceivably creative camera techniques subtly add to the calibre that makes Milk a masterpiece in its own right. If I could have my way I'd give Milk every Oscar I could pry from the Academy's steel grip but frankly, whether it wins or loses in the coming weeks is irrelevant. Milk is and will always be an important film with a universal message of hope.

Milk opens in cinemas this Thursday, January 29.

My musings on the Oscar nods

First of all, why the hell was The Dark Knight not nominated for best motion picture? WHY? Seriously, you can not argue that a) the dialogue is TDK is not as good, nay, better than Frost/Nixon b) the special effects and acting is not 1000 times better and more concise than all of the other nominees put together and c) TDK  in story, direction, production, editing and execution is not a more worthy nominee than Frost/Nixon, The Reader and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I understand the Academy has a tendency to neglect the obvious brilliance of films in the action adventure category but how can they honestly justify not including TDK (as a nominee at the very least)? It is a masterpiece, pure and simple. The worlds most respected and experienced film critics have all agreed on this point so why the mongoloids at the Academy couldn't take their dick out of their hands and acknowledge the same fact is beyond me. For imagery purposes only, if there was a movie heavyweight title The Curious Case of Benjamin Button would be Woody Allen and TDK would be Muhammad Ali and, naturally, it would beat that bitch into a coma. Sigh. Moving on from my original frustration, I'm quite content with the rest of the nominees in the other categories. Particularly Heath Ledger and Robert Downey Jr for best supporting actor because obviously they were both amazing. I'm also particularly happy about Penelope Cruz's nomination for best supporting actress for Vicky Cristina Barcelona as her performance was UNREAL and award worthy. 

Above: Aussie lass Catherine Martin has been nominated for the best costume design Oscar for her work on Australia

I'm also happy Australia wasn't over looked like it was at the Golden Globes and got the nomination it deserved. TDK and In Bruges are some of my other favourite nominees. However, the real surprise and underdog has to be British rapper M.I.A's Oscar nomination with A.R Raham for best song written for a motion picture for `O Saya' which they wrote and produced for Slumdog Millionaire. Wow, its been a big year for M.I.A (pictured below) whose song `Paper Planes' got an awesome boost of publicity when it was used as the theme song for Pineapple Express which in turn helped put the song at #5 on the Billboard charts even though it was released six months earlier. `Paper Planes' was nominated for a Grammy for single of the year, M.I.A had a baby with her long time boyfriend and now she has been nominated for an Oscar. Wow. I certainly hope they take it out especially because rap songs (an alternative rap song at that) rarely get nominated, let alone win in this category. 

And the Oscar nominees are . . .

Performance by an actor in a leading role

• Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
• Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
• Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
• Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
• Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

• Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)
• Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
• Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
• Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

• Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
• Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

• Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)
• Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
• Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

Best animated feature film of the year

• “Bolt” (Walt Disney), Chris Williams and Byron Howard
• “Kung Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount), John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Andrew Stanton

Achievement in art direction

• “Changeling” (Universal), Art Direction: James J. Murakami, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt, Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Peter Lando
• “The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Art Direction: Michael Carlin, Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway
• “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Art Direction: Kristi Zea, Set Decoration: Debra Schutt

Achievement in cinematography

• “Changeling” (Universal), Tom Stern
• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Claudio Miranda
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Wally Pfister
• “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Anthony Dod Mantle

Achievement in costume design

• “Australia” (20th Century Fox), Catherine Martin
• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Jacqueline West
• “The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Michael O’Connor
• “Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Glicker
• “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Albert Wolsky

Achievement in directing

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Fincher
• “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Ron Howard
• “Milk” (Focus Features), Gus Van Sant
• “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Stephen Daldry
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Danny Boyle

Best documentary feature

• “The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” (Cinema Guild), A Pandinlao Films Production, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
• “Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment), A Creative Differences Production, Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
• “The Garden” A Black Valley Films Production, Scott Hamilton Kennedy
• “Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures), A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn
• “Trouble the Water” (Zeitgeist Films), An Elsewhere Films Production, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal

Best documentary short subject

• “The Conscience of Nhem En” A Farallon Films Production, Steven Okazaki
• “The Final Inch” A Vermilion Films Production, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant
• “Smile Pinki” A Principe Production, Megan Mylan
• “The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306” A Rock Paper Scissors Production, Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde

Achievement in film editing

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lee Smith
• “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
• “Milk” (Focus Features), Elliot Graham
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Chris Dickens

Best foreign language film of the year

• “The Baader Meinhof Complex” A Constantin Film Production, Germany
• “The Class” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Haut et Court Production, France
• “Departures” (Regent Releasing), A Departures Film Partners Production, Japan
• “Revanche” (Janus Films), A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production, Austria
• “Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production, Israel

Achievement in makeup

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Greg Cannom
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan
• “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (Universal), Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Alexandre Desplat
• “Defiance” (Paramount Vantage), James Newton Howard
• “Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Elfman
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A.R. Rahman
• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Thomas Newman

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

• “Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyric by Peter Gabriel
• “Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Gulzar
• “O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam
  

Best motion picture of the year

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), A Kennedy/Marshall Production, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
• “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers
• “Milk” (Focus Features), A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production, Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers
• “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production, Nominees to be determined
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A Celador Films Production, Christian Colson, Producer

Best animated short film

• “La Maison en Petits Cubes” A Robot Communications Production, Kunio Kato
• “Lavatory - Lovestory” A Melnitsa Animation Studio and CTB Film Company Production, Konstantin Bronzit
• “Oktapodi” (Talantis Films), A Gobelins, L’école de l’image Production, Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
• “Presto” (Walt Disney), A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Doug Sweetland
• “This Way Up” A Nexus Production, Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes

Best live action short film

• “Auf der Strecke (On the Line)” (Hamburg Shortfilmagency), An Academy of Media Arts Cologne Production, Reto Caffi
• “Manon on the Asphalt” (La Luna Productions), A La Luna Production, Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont
• “New Boy” (Network Ireland Television), A Zanzibar Films Production, Steph Green and Tamara Anghie
• “The Pig” An M & M Production, Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh
• “Spielzeugland (Toyland)” A Mephisto Film Production, Jochen Alexander Freydank

Achievement in sound editing

• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Richard King
• “Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Tom Sayers
• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
• “Wanted” (Universal), Wylie Stateman

Achievement in sound mixing

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt
• “Wanted” (Universal), Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt

Achievement in visual effects

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin
• “Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan

Adapted screenplay

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Screenplay by Eric Roth, Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
• “Doubt” (Miramax), Written by John Patrick Shanley
• “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Screenplay by Peter Morgan
• “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Screenplay by David Hare
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

Original screenplay

• “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics), Written by Courtney Hunt
• “Happy-Go-Lucky” (Miramax), Written by Mike Leigh
• “In Bruges” (Focus Features), Written by Martin McDonagh
• “Milk” (Focus Features), Written by Dustin Lance Black
• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

Awesomeness comes from Mars

I HAVE JUST HEARD POSSIBLY THE BEST NEWS EVER!

Forget a vaccine for cervical cancer, the news I just heard is 1,000 times better! In fact, I'm 8,000 times more excited than when I first heard Twilight was being adapted in to a movie. Alright, prepare yourselves . . .

A VERONICA MARS MOVIE IS ON THE WAY!

Above: The cast of Veronica Mars

That's right, my second favourite show OF ALL TIME is coming to the big screen and I'm about to spontaneously self-combust in excitement. Besides Buffy The Vampire Slayer there's no other television series I have come to love more than this noir action drama based around the life of amateur sleuth Veronica Mars. The television series was first created in 2004 by Rob Thomas (NOT the douche from Matchbox 20, they just happen to have the same name) and starred the delightful Kristen Bell as Veronica. The first season fellows her as she tries to solve the murder of her best friend Lily Kane as well as working part time at her fathers private detective agency and solving mysteries for her class mates. The show was a critical hit with everyone from Stephen King and Buffy creator Joss Whedon publically applauding the inventiveness and sheer brilliance of the show. Although Veronica Mars consistently came last in its prime time slot (against shows like Desperate Housewives etc) it gained a huge cult following which saw it in to a second series. The second series followed Veronica in her senior year as she tried to solve the mystery of a tragic bus accident which killed several classmates. A third season was moved to a later time slot and followed Veronica and friends at college. A few episodes out from the season three finale the show was canceled and fans were in uproar at how Veronica Mars was cut to an abrupt end without resolving some of the major storylines. Petitions were written, protests were held and nothing was achieved except Thomas making a season four pilot where Veronica was working at the FBI. The pilot had a huge response but the show was not refinanced for another season. The actors and executives went on to other projects. Kristen Bell went on to star in Heroes and films such as Pulse, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Fan Boys. Amanda Seyfried went on to star in Big Love and scored the major role in Mammia Mia. The other actors pursued various projects and Rob Thomas concentrated his efforts on other tv series and films. There was always talk of a Veronica Mars film which would tie up loose ends from the series but the major players were always too busy.

NOW THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!

In an interview with If Magazine Rob Thomas confirmed that he is currently writing the Veronica Mars movie and that he considers it his next project. He went on to say:

"But my writing the movie is half the battle. Someone else has to pay for it. Joel Silver (producer) does have a certain pile of money. He called on me saying 'Can we do this now?' Kristen [Bell] wants to do it. Joel wants to do it and I want to do it. For me, that's the next project."

On the storyline, the 43-year-old confessed that he's been struggling to figure out one crucial point on the plot

"...it's 70 percent broken in my head. I've been struggling with this one plot point and I'm hopeful to figure that out. I watched the final episode of the series a few weeks ago and there were a lot of gaps and the plotting for the original came to me. I mean for the movie, I'm feeling like I'm on the right track now. But I don't want to give that away yet. The one thing that I will say is where it will pick up. I know we did that F.B.I. 'what if' thing, but we would not go to that place. I think it would open just days before the Hearst College Graduation. So Veronica would be sort of at the end of her college career."

How excitement!!!!!!! Ahhhh I can't wait to see all my favourite characters back! Particularly Dick, Wallace, Weevil, Logan, Keith, Mac, Piz, Parker and who knows? Maybe Duncan will have a cameo! I seriously can't wait! Stay tuned for every tiny Veronica Mars movie update because I will be all over it like white on rice.

Above: Kristen Bell as Veronica Mars

Kirk Hilarious

You know, until I watched the press interviews on the promotional trial for Ironman, I didn't realise Robert Downey Jr was funny. I thought he was one of those Russel Crowe-types who is always serious and focused intently on the character, film and begrudgingly making it through any media commitments he has to do. However,  in the months before Tropic Thunder's released videos of Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr sparring. Funny as Stiller is, Downey Jr was hilarious. The following video was posted on Empire Magazine's website a few hours ago and it looks at Downey Jr's transformation in to Kirk Lazarus for Tropic Thunder. Note the clips where Downey Jr is talking to the camera they made me rarf and rarf and rarf. 

Watch the video here.

While you're at it you should check out this genuis marketing ploy created by the execs behind Tropic Thunder. They've created an official website for the fictional character of Kirk Lazarus. Visit it here and pay particular attention to the very creative biography. Rarf-tastic.

Obama who???

So apparently there’s some dude getting inaugurated in America today (or tomorrow for us Aussies). All I’ve been hearing is blah blah Obama this blah blah going to get assassinated that blah blah. Seriously people, doesn’t a black guy get inaugurated all the time? This isn’t that important! Oh, wait . . .what’s that you say? This is rare? Unique? The event has historical significance? Ha! I’ll tell you what has significance - this darn Obama fella is already annoying me by drawing attention away from the Oscar nominations which are announced tomorrow. This is undoubtedly one of the most exciting Oscar races in recent years and be sure to check Movie Mazzupial for the latest news on 2009’s nominees . . . .

Double trouble

Thought I’d combine two reviews given I practically saw them back to back. The first puppy (pardon the pun) I saw was Slumdog Millionaire. Yeah, you know the one. It’s pretty much taken out the top prizes at every awards ceremony so naturally with such an impressive wrap I was prepared to be disappointed. I wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, if director Danny Boyle was in a football team I’d be at every game with a novelty foam finger that says `DB is #1’. I’m quite the fan (28 Days Later is one of my favourite films EVER and Trainspotting, Sunshine are also super). Slumdog Millionaire in comparison is a very different film. Perhaps, that’s what I like about Danny Boyle as a director, he’s always trying something different and no two Boyle films are the same. Based on the book Q&A, Slumdog Millionaire tells the tale of Jamal, a lad from the slums in Mumbai, India. The film opens with him being interroragated by the police as they try to find how an uneducated kid from the slums is able to get to the last question on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? For the remainder of the film we follow Jamal as he explains to the detectives how he knew the answers by drawing on events from his past. A great concept that could have fallen flat on its face if executed poorly. The film is magnificent and Boyle pulls out every magic trick in h

is directors hat. At times funny and action packed, in other moments sad and brutal. Combined with what I think is the best soundtrack of the year, the biggest wrap I can give Slumdog Millionaire is that it sincerely deserves every shred of praise it has gotten. If I had my own movie review show on the ABC at 10pm every Wednesday, I would give Slumdog Millionaire four and a half stars. A worthy contender for any and every best picture award.

Now to a completely different film, Role Models. The trailer for this comedy flick has been one of my favourites in the past few months featuring some of the funniest one-liners and scenarios I’ve seen since the Pineapple Express. In a nutshell Role Models is about yep, you guessed it bromance. It’s not as main stream as other big comedies this year (Tropic Thunder, Don’t Mess With The Zohan) but isn’t too far left of centre either. Basically the whole movie is full of that autistic humour I love. Paul Rudd, who not only stars in Role Models but wrote the screenplay, is in his element here and is probably one of the best things about this film (besides Ronnie). The finale is unexpected and hilarious, and Role Models is worth every cent of the ticket price. Don’t feel like getting all depressed by watching The Wrestler, Revolutionary Road or Doubt? Then laugh yourself in to a state of bromance joyfulness (which is the prescribed antidote to too many serious dramas). The best line I’ve heard in relation to Role Models is from Empire Magazine reviewer Michael Adams who gave the film four out of five stars. He summed it up with the following: “Constantly funny, sometimes eye-wateringly so, this is a great example of familiar comic material made fresh with affectionate irreverence.”

Edward in real life

Did you scream madly in the theatre when you saw Twilight? Did you jump up and down in your seat while enthusiastically punching the arm of the person next to you? If so, then you’re going to lurve the soon-to-be-released Twilight action figures from NECA. Pictured below is the Edward action figure accompanied by the Cullen family crest and trademark scowl.
Bahahaha! Seriously, who is going to want to play with a doll that looks like it swallowed a litre of cat piss! That has to be the ugliest doll I’ve seen since the Baby Spice barbie. And what’s with the hands? The action-figure looks like it’s about ready to spring to life and throttle someone. Super creepy.
Summit Entertainment has also announced the special features on the Twilight DVD as listed below:
-Audio Commentary by director Catherine Hardwicke, and stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart

-Five Extended Scenes with introductions by the directorFive Deleted Scenes with introductions by the director

-Three Music Videos from Muse, Paramore and Linkin Park

-The Adventure Begins: The Journey from Page to Screen

- A seven-part documentary Comic-Con Phenomenon featurette

Tween heads are going to be exploding across the globe with the prospect of more scenes with Edward and Bella. More! How can they take any more!

Total Eclipse of the heart

A total eclipse of . . . .. . .the heart.
You know, it frustrates me because I’m pretty sure that’s the only decent headline I’m going to come up with in relation to the Eclipse movie and I’ve used it up already. Oh well. And so the drama continues in relation to the movies based around the Twilight books with scriptwriter Melissa Rosenberg denying Vanessa `the undresser’ Hudgens has been cast as Leah Clearwater in New Moon because she hasn’t even written the furry, female character in to the second film. In fact, she suggests they probably won’t introduce her until the third or fourth film. The next dilemma is who will direct Eclipse? You may remember a few days ago I reported that they intended to film New Moon and Eclipse back to back this year. Well, Twilight and New Moon producers Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger have come out saying they intend to have a different director for each film meaning in just a few months time . . . Chis Weitz will be on his way out. Given the strength and success of the first film under the direction of Catherine Hardwicke, there’s no shortage of filmmakers lining up for a shot at making Eclipse. The two front runners are Spanish lad Juan Antonio, director of The Orphanage and 3:10 to Yuma director James Mangold.

Best. Choices. Ever.

Both The Orphanage and 3:10 to Yuma were two of my favourite films of the year and I think the respective directors are superb! I feel super sorry for the dudes who have to decide between these two brilliant filmmakers as both would do an excellent job. Stay tuned to find who is jumping aboard the Eclipse choo-choo train. All aboard.

"I'll have the Craven crunch with M&M's mixed in please."

Above: a potential Scream 4 poster, as designed by Movie Mazzupial

Hot damn y’all! Wes Craven seems to be the flavour of the month. You may remember a post I wrote back in August, 2008 titled `Scream 4’ about, would you believe, the possibility of a fourth film in the Scream franchise. Turns out the rumours are true (for once) and the film is in the early stages of development. As usual bloodydisgusting.com had the latest info on the horror-satire project including the news Kevin Williamson is going start writing a draft in the coming weeks. Williamson wrote the first two films and had a character credit on the third. He’s well known for writing the brooding teen series Dawson’s Creek as well as killing off the stereotypical characters he created in I Know What You Did Last Summer and Halloween H20 which he also wrote. Whether Craven will be back to sit in the directors chair is uncertain but there’s a strong likelihood he will return to the project one way or another. Finally, and what I feel is the most important aspect of the new film, is Scream 4 will be made up of a newer, younger cast. However financial offers are being made to Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox Arquette and David Arquette to appear in cameo roles. Yowza. I can’t wait to hear more news from the wacky kids creating this project. Lets hope Scream 4 lives (or dies) up to the brilliance of the previous three films, particularly the first two.

Step Up 2 The Spoof

These days it feels like there's at least 50 terrible spoofs for every movie genre. Look no further than recent efforts: Disaster Movie, Meet The Spartans, Epic Movie, Date Movie and so on. Majority of these are notoriously known as the worst reviewed films of the year thanks to the obvious, crude and unfunny puns that are littered throughout. However, it wasn't all bad. The first hugely popular movie to kick start the modern spoof film was Scary Movie. The sequel, Scary Movie 2, was also hilarious but from there things started to deteriorate within the franchise and spoof films stopped being funny. 

A friend recommended I be brave and check out the trailer for the latest spoof movie, Dance Flick, which pokes fun at the tired genre of dance movies. To my surprise, the trailer is REALLY funny. It's not sharp, political satire but it is what it is. View the trailer here.

I've always found the Wayan brothers funny and I hope this is a return to form for them. Dance Flick is out later in Australia, in the second half of this year.

Vanessa Hudgens is a dog (but this time on-screen)

Ashley Greene aka Alice Cullen in Twilight let slip in an interview with MTV today that Disney starlet Vanessa Hudgens has auditioned for the role of Leah Clearwater in New Moon. If the High School Musical skank gets the role that means she’ll be hanging around for Eclipse and Breaking Dawn films as well. Noooooo! I don’t know if I can handle watching Hudgens play this character for three films, especially when she’s a schmuck actor to begin with. Leah Clearwater is supposed to be Native American by the way and she is the only female werewolf in the Quilette pack. Whether Hudgens has actually got the part, no one really knows but the internet is buzzing with this juicy piece of casting gossip. One site even labelled the character of Leah Clearwater as a ‘cheerleading werewolf’. Hmmm . . . I think they’re getting confused with the type of characters Hudgens usually plays because I’ve read that series of books three times and am pretty damn sure there’s no mention of Leah Clearwater as a cheerleader. I bet Stephenie Meyer would love to throw that character detail in there if it would mean a boost in popularity for the film adaptations, however, if Hudgens gets this role I’m going to be seriously concerned about the quality and authenticity of New Moon and following sequels.

It’s going to be a busy year . . .

To launch the New Year I wrote a post titled `51 Films Movie Mazzupial is looking forward to in `09’ in December. I know the whole idea was to have only 51 but in the past few days I’ve come across a few more I’d like to add to the list. The same rule as before applies, I’m merely providing the movie names and you will have to google them at your own leisure. They are:

• Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea
• The Countess
• Mary and Max
• Sunshine Cleaning
• The Boat That Rocked
• Julie & Julia
• Funny People
• Toy Story 3
• Drag Me To Hell
• Taking Woodstock
• The Reader
• W.
• Cirque Du Freak
• Pride and Glory
• Rachel Getting Married
• Valkyrie
• Gran Torino
• Duplicity
• Love The Beast
• The Boy In The Stripped Pyjamas
• $9.99
• Jennifer’s Body
• Guerrilla
• The Road

Someone has got a Craven!

By someone I mean the studios behind the remake of Wes Craven’s sadistic classic The Last House On The Left. Yes, I nearly died when I heard they’re remaking the 1972 original because it’s something that SHOULD NOT BE TOUCHED! I’m not being biased just because Craven is one of my favourite directors and, in my opinion, one of the greats of modern horror. I sincerely believe this film should not be remade because it was perfect the way it was and has become a historic film as far as horror movies go considering the sheer number of theatres and countries it was banned in due to the graphic violence and horrific themes. Okay, the camera work was a bit dodgy but The Last House On The Left is like a time capsule and I honestly can’t think of one good reason why you would want to tear apart and adapt the original. Obscure indie director Dennis Illiadis is taking the reins on this tale about a gang who, after kidnapping and butchering two teenagers, unknowingly find refuge with the parents of one of the victims -- hosts who devise gruesome revenge. Monica Potter is playing the heartbroken mother and personally I think she’s too soft an actor to handle this intense role. There’s one scene in particular I’m referring too. The only saving grace is the delightful Sara Paxton as one of the unfortunate teenage victims, Mari. I’m seriously pissed anyone decided to touch this subject material and no doubt the director will be loving how the original was already bloody, violent and gory enough for today’s Saw and Hostel market. The remake is out in Australia later this year and you can watch the trailer here.
Above: you've got to love the very kitsch cover for The Last House On The Left 20th anniversary edition :o)

Transformers: More than meets the red, glowing eye

It’s no secret I disliked the Transformers movie and spent the entire film laughing my head off at the shameless product placement, shotty acting, over the top script, self indulgent special affects and utter Bayhem that was Michael Bay’s hugely successful creation. Yes, it cut me deep within my soul to know this trashtastic film made so much money and even spawned a generation of f-wits getting the Transformers logo tattooed on them. Seriously, the number of people I’ve seen with a Transformers tattoo freaks me out to no end. Being the box office smash that it was, several sequels are inevitable with the first, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, being released in Australia on June 25 this year. As much as I'd promised myself not to write any news on the Transformers sequel I have a friend who is hopelessly in love with the movies and all Bayhem related projects. So this post and image is for you and only you. Please note, I’m getting no enjoyment out of this. Empire Magazine online posted the first image from the up and coming Transformers sequel on their site yesterday.

The image has got quite a lot of hits which leaves me asking the question, why? The poster depicts the main baddy of the film (The Fallen) but all you can really tell about the Wall E related robot is he has two, red glowing eyes. Whoopdy freakin doo. I’m pretty sure I can create a better marketing poster in paint. And just to further push myself in to the good books online blogging site comingsoon.net has a rough image of Sideswipe, one of the new robots to be featured in Tranformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Click here to check it out.

And the junior Oscar goes to . . . .

The Golden Globes are all but over and here's a complete list of the winners:

• Best Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, “The Reader”
• Best Original Song: Bruce Springsteen, “The Wrestler”
• Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Movie: Tom Wilkinson, “John Adams”
• Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Dern, “Recount”
• Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama: Gabriel Byrne, “In Treatment”
• Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama: Anna Paquin, “True Blood”
• Outstanding Animated Feature: “WALL-E”
• Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: Sally Hawkins, “Happy-Go-Lucky”
• Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: “John Adams”
• Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
• Best Foreign Language Film: “Waltz With Bashir”
• Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Laura Linney, “John Adams”
• Best Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, “Slumdog Millionaire”
• Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy: Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”
• Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Paul Giamatti, “John Adams”
• Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy: “30 Rock”
• Best Original Score, A.R. Rahman: “Slumdog Millionaire”
• Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy: Tina Fey, “30 Rock”
• Cecil B. DeMille Award: Steven Spielberg
• Best Director - Motion Picture: Danny Boyle “Slumdog Millionaire”
• Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: Colin Farrell, “In Bruges”
• Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
• Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture -Drama: Kate Winslet, “Revolutionary Road”
• Best Television Series - Drama: “Mad Men”
• Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”
• Best Motion Picture - Drama: “Slumdog Millionaire”

Thoughts? Feelings? Deepest, darkest secrets? The last part was a joke but I'm curious to know what everyone thought of the results. It was definitely a night for the underdog and suprisingly I think majority of the awards went to the right people, for once! It's good to see the Golden Globes give two awards to Kate Winslet because although she definitely deserved them, the judging panels tend to steer away from awarding the same actor twice. I must admit I'm dissapointed James Franco didn't win for Pineapple Express but Colin Farrell's performance was definitely better and I'm SO SO SO stoked he got the globe for it! And kudos to Anna Paquin, now she has another Globe to go with the others (and her Oscar) for her role in the vampire tv series True Blood, based on the cult Sookie Stockhouse novels. Get a Woody! It's nice to see what I thought was Woody Allen's return to form Vicky Cristina Barcelona getting the chops it sincerely deserves. Good on ya Woody and lets keep the good work up. But, the night was all about HEATH LEDGER and director Chris Nolan accepted the award for best supporting actor on his behalf. Lets hope this winning momentum carries through to the Oscars where Heath SHOULD win best supporting actor.

In conclusion, I don't think I can ever remember being so satisfied with the results of an awards ceremony. No doubt, I wanted Milk to pick up a few awards however Slumdog Millionaire is apparently brilliant and a worthy winner. The official Oscar nominations are being released on Tuesday, January 20 and I think it's about time The Dark Knight gets nominated for best motion picture. Just because it's an action film and not an emotional drama, that doesn't make its brilliance any less warranted. Come on Academy, give it the nod it clearly deserves.

Getting closer to the elsuive 50 movies!

I haven't posted any further additions to the list of 50 movies featured in the CineBuzz Club ad since the two December posts (`A Few More Additions' and `Funner Than Playing Hungry, Hungry Hippos'). But after seeing two movies in two days I have a few more movie titles to add to list. Yay I've got 33 out of the 50 famous movie titles now! Only 17 to go.
-One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
-Saw
-Kiss The Girls
-Cinderella Man
-The Devil Wears Prada
-Swordfish
-Titanic
-March Of The Penguins
-Fast And The Furious
-Matchstick Men
-Walk The Line
-Ironman
-Raging Bull
-Million Dollar Baby
-Thin Red Line
-Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
-Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels
-Signs
-The Hills Have Eyes
-Spiderman
-Cool Runnings
-The Birds
-Pirates of the Caribbean
-Napoleon Dynamite
-Anchorman
-Iceage
-Kiss of the Spider Woman
-American Graffiti
-The Queen
-Hot Fuzz
-A Clockwork Orange
-The Last Samurai
-To Kill A Mocking Bird

To give credit where credit is due I have to thank krno for commenting on one of my last posts and adding Pirates of the Carribean to the list. If ANYONE has anymore please help me because I've hit a wall. Comment below.

The Junior Oscars

I read the above term on Empire Magazine’s website and thought it was such a perfect way to describe the Golden Globes, I decided to borrow it. And yes, the Golden Globes are underway right this second in the US. No results are known yet but be sure to keep checking this site for a comprehensive list of winners in the warm-up event to the Oscars. Will Slumdog Millionaire succeed as hot favourite to take out best picture? Will Sean Penn conquer Mickey Rourke for best actor? And the question on everyone’s lips, will Heath Ledger will the posthumorous Globe he clearly deserves for best supporting actor? Only time will tell . . .

Happy Birthday to me!

Technically it’s not my birthday but I had to write something to mark my 101st post since creating the Movie Mazzupial blog. A lot has changed since I first created this site in June, 2008 and below is a short list of the most significant changes:

-My readership has doubled 100% with two people now reading Movie Mazzupial as opposed to just Rick.
-Have stooped to the point of writing a celebratory post on the number of articles written in a bid to create some notion of self worth.
-The appeal of Movie Mazzupial has spread to fundamentalist Christian groups who regularly leave `insightful’ comments on this site.
-Have still not cracked the 50 films hidden within the notorious CineBuzz Club ad. 29 is close though, right? Right?

I hope you all (yes, both of you) will hang around for more fun times in the future. Play your cards right, and I may just write another exciting birthday post at 201 articles! Here’s hoping.

Without a Doubt

Saw Doubt today. The first thing most people know about Doubt is acting powerhouses Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman face off. The trailers did a good job in promoting this perception and one of the strongest things about this film is two of the most acclaimed people in showbiz pull out all the stops to create spine tingling performances. Streep and Hoffman do all they have promised to do their whole careers and that’s amaze audiences. However, my favourite performance in Doubt comes from another acclaimed actor, Amy Adams, who has had so many Oscar nominations in her short mainstream career it’s ridiculous. Hopefully she doesn’t end up like poor Leo Dicaprio and practically get nominated for an Oscar for every role yet never manage to take home the golden statue. Moving on, Adams is brilliant and her performance is nearly as good as her breakout role in Junebug and Enhcanted. Doubt is heavy, hard hitting and confronts more issues than Wiona Ryder in a group therapy session. But if you’re not looking to sit through almost two hours of fluff and want something substantial from you’re cinema outing then Doubt is the way to go. Based on the Pulitzer and Tony award winning play Doubt is set in 1964 and centres on a nun who confronts a priest after suspecting him abusing a black student.. He denies the charges and the remainder of the film follows a power struggle between the two. The dialogue is fired quickly and themes of religion, morality, race, equality and authority are tackled without a moments pause. The writer of the original play, John Patrick Stanley, makes his second directorial outing in 18-years and to his credit succeeds in setting the mood for his subject material to shine. Sometimes the camera angles he uses are odd and it’s quite obvious what he’s trying to do for the audience. My problem with Doubt is although it’s a movie, it feels like a play. It IS a play. The scenes are long, the sets are minimal and the acting is fierce. I think Doubt would have been magnificent as a play but as a film it doesn’t really work. It’s still good but I feel that’s because of the messages more than the quality. Interesting none the less.

What a Rourke-us!

If you’re looking for creepy coincidences look no further then my review on The Wrestler posted yesterday where I said Mickey Rourke was as suited for the role of Ram as Robert Downey Jr was for the role of Tony Stark aka Iron Man. Turns out casting directors made a more significant link to Rourke and Iron Man with Variety reporting he has been cast as a villain in Iron Man 2. According to the rag he will play a heavily tattooed bruiser (no surprises there) who is basically a Russian version of Tony Stark complete with his own arms business. Oh, and he’ll battle Iron Man in his own nuclear powered armored suit. The Hollywood Reporter have gone on to suggest the character, who is at the moment unnamed, will be either The Crimson Dynamo or Whiplash as featured in the comic series. Naturally Robert Downey Jr is returning as Tony Stark, Don Cheadle is replacing Terrence Howard as James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes, Gwyenth Paltrow is back as Pepper Potts and Samuel L Jackson is playing Nick Fury the super-spy (pictured below). Jackson played Fury in the original Iron Man movie (2008) in a post-credits scene at Tony Stark’s home where he tries to recruit Iron Man to join the Avengers. The casting news that has really got my juices going is Movie Mazzupial favourite Sam Rockwell in the role of Justin Hammer, head of Hammer Industries comic books’ and another of Stark’s main adversaries in Iron Man 2. Seriously, Rourke and Rockwell as foes? Could this movie sound more awesome? Besides The Dark Knight I doubt there has been a cast this diverse and talented for a comic-book adapted movie. The first Iron Man was witty, fun and action packed but not in a hollow Spider-Man kind of way. It was one of my favourite films of `08 and I questioned how they would be able to make a sequel better than the first. Now with the original crew and cast back on board plus the added talents of Rourke, Jackson, Cheadle and Rockwell “wow” pretty much sums up my general response. And who better than Rourke to play a villain? We all know Rockwell is great as a conniving evil-doer (see Charlie’s Angles for further proof) but Rourke has rarely been given the opportunity to play a truly bad dude. Yes, he’s played many a lovable bad guy but I want to see him pure evil darn it! Everyone knows Rourke eats puppies for breakfast with a side of baby seal salad but I can’t wait to see what he can do on screen in this part. With a swashbuckling cast, an awesome predecessor and a 2010 release date, Iron Man 2 is shaping up to be a major blockbuster with meat.

Jacob Back, yes, Back

It’s official. The pitchforks and flaming torches can be lowered as Taylor I’m-going-to-be-so-hot-in-four-years-time Lautner (pictured above) is coming back as Jacob Black for the Twilight sequel New Moon. Some of you may remember a passionate rant titled ‘More disturbing than a Hancock sequel’ which I posted on this blog last month after news broke that the devil reincarnate aka Stephenie Meyer and the new director Chris Weitz were trying to replace Lautner for an older looking actor. Thank-freaking-halleluiah because Weitz finally grew some balls and announced that 16-year-old Lautner will be back as Black for New Moon. For those unfamiliar with the novels you don’t deserve to live. Nah, just joking but it’s important to note Jacob Black and his Quilette bros step forward as central figures in the second book/film. Because Black changes dramatically in New Moon (physically) Lautner is now busy trying to gain 19 pounds of muscle before shooting starts in just eight weeks time. Director Weitz said in a statement that Lautner was “emotionally right” for the role and obviously they’re just making him get shapely for the physical aspects. I’m glad the right thing was done by Lautner here who definitely deserves this role for the reasons I outlined last month. Ohhh I can just imagine Stephenie Meyer: all read in the face, jumping up and down while stamping her foot because she didn’t get her way with Michael Copon as Jacob Black. Sucked in Meyer. That’s what you get for not letting the directors who have paid to adapt your novel have creative licence and it’s about time someone pulled your dirty Mormon finger out of the pie.
Okay, that was nasty. I’m probably going to end up married to a Mormon as one of his seven wives thanks to that last comment but I really had to get it off my chest. Moving on, exciting New Moon updates start now as Summit Entertainment has already tagged a November 20, 2009 release date for the film in the US. Probably early December release for us Aussies. Hot damn that’s soon! Thank heaven they’re not going to make fans wait a few years between each movie (cough cough that means you Harry Potter execs). New Moon is being filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia and Canada. The most exciting part about all this is the Eclipse sequel is being filmed straight after New Moon, back-to-back, so you can expect a quick release date for that puppy as well. I have to admit, I was sceptical when Weitz signed on as new director after Catherine Hardwicke. To give credit where credit is due this lad has certainly got the Twilight train in motion. I’m pumped! Although probably not as pumped as Taylor Lautner will be in eight weeks but still . . . .

PS. No news yet on whether Prince Caspian aka Ben Barnes has been cast in his `dream' role of Aro yet for New Moon.

Wrestle this

There are few films I have been more anxious to see in recent months than The Wrestler. I have heard great things from pretty much every critical corner and Mickey Rourke is being touted as a major Oscar contender for this role. Director Darren Aronofsky is getting all sorts of praise which is looking good for boosting the buzz around The Fighter starring Mark Wahlberg and Brad Pitt which he is also directing. But this film is all about Mickey, Mickey, Mickey. Rourke plays Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson who, after being forced to retire from the minor wrestling league due to a heart condition, finds himself sad and alone. Rourke plays a role that is as suited to him as Tony Stark aka Ironman was for Robert Downey Jr. Described as a washed up piece of meat trying to find his way back to human, the character of Ram is executed to perfection by Rourke in a standout performance. Credit also needs to be given to the two fine supporting actors Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood who this film would be nothing without. The Wrestler isn’t shot in some avant-garde fashion like recent critical smash Hunger (blah), instead Aronofsky uses a hand held camera for majority of movie. He makes you feel like you’re part of Ram’s life, following him through his highs and lows. To combat this simpler style of camera work Aronofsky also uses several other beautiful techniques which truly cement his position as a skilled director. Personally I found the wrestling scenes difficult to watch but undoubtedly they’re choreographed very well and executed to perfection by Rourke and the many other wrestlers starring in the film.
My consensus? I loved it. I especially loved how Aronofsky didn’t overdo anything and instead let the story and superb performances take the audience on a sad, touching and truly magnificent journey. Every glowing review this movie has had, it deserves. Like the title character, The Wrestler is raw and confronting but if you can get yourself along to see this you won’t regret it. The Wrestler opens this Thursday, January 15 at most main stream and art house cinemas so be sure to get in early.

All men aren’t created evil

Well, well, well. Just when I was about to give up on animated movies, someone pulled the switch and threw this gem in the mix! Alright, you know that’s an outright lie. The truth is I doubt I will ever be able to give up on animated movies as long as people keep making little beauties like Igor. Unfortunately this film hasn’t been promoted well and, given it’s dark nature, is screening in limited release despite appealing to kiddies and adults alike. John Cusack voices the main character of Igor in this animated fable about a cliché hunchbacked evil scientist's assistant who aspires to become a scientist himself, much to the displeasure of the rest of the evil science community. Molly Shannon, John Cleese, Steve Buscemi, Jennifer Coolidge, Jay Leno, Eddie Izzard and Christian Slater also lend their voices to make up the rest of the characters. Written by Chris McKenna, one of the writers of American Dad, Igor is hilarious, witty and dark in a way similar to Tim Burton classics such as The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride. The animation isn’t as beautiful as a Tim Burton film but it’s still great to look at. I’d go as far to say this is too dark for kiddies and most of the jokes will go straight over their head. It’s brilliant none the less and by the end of it I was left wondering how I could have so many favourite parts. Steve Buscemi is perfect as Scamper, a suicidal bunny invented by Igor and his attempts to kill himself (despite being indestructible) are a hilarious running joke throughout the film. He also has the best lines along with fellow side kick Brain.
There are so many genre jokes and inside puns on the monster film you’re barely given a second to recover before you’re hit with the next line. Politically incorrect in too many ways to count but cinematically correct in sheer entertainment value. This is an intelligent animated film somewhere between the sheer brilliance of Wall E and side splitting humour of Madagacar 2: Escape to Africa. I would go as far to say this is the best animated film I’ve seen since The Incredibles. A lot of the credit has to go to director Anthony Leondis who started out as a writer and animator with Disney and has now moved on to directing as well. He also voices a minor character in the film. In conclusion, how can you NOT love a movie that closes with 20 blind orphans singing the Johnny Nash classic “I can see clearly now” on stage? Answer: you can’t. Igor is at selected cinemas now but be quick before they chuck it on DVD, given the dark quirky nature of this film I doubt that will take long. SEE THIS!
Watch Igor trailer here.