Kevin Kelly
-
Superbowl 2010: All The Movie Trailers In One Spot
Filed under: Trailers and Clips
The Superbowl brings together millions of fans, two extremely talented teams, billions of cans of beer, zillions of potato chips, and an audience hungry for one thing: the best commercials you'll see all year. Which is a real shame. Why save them up for only one day? And I don't know about everyone else, but that Snickers commercial with Betty White and Abe Vigoda was pretty damn good. Hopefully this will quell the rumors that Vigoda is dead for some time to come, and get White that well-deserved spot hosting Saturday Night Live.
On the flipside, did anyone catch the painful, poorly written HomeAway commercial "Hotel Hell Vacation" where Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo reprised their roles as Clark and Ellen Griswold? If you didn't, make sure you catch the entire fourteen minute long version for extra torture. To say the writing was horrible would be a compliment -- did they cast a Joe Pesci as David Ferrie in JFK lookalike contest loser as Rusty? Good grief. However, it did give me faith that another Vacation movie could work with a kick-ass script. Just watch Chevy Chase singing in the shower. That's the Clark Griswold we grew up loving. Someone write us a new Vacation, and make it good.
So, everything else aside, some of those commercials were new movie spots for upcoming films. Sadly, none of them star Betty White, Abe Vigoda, or Chevy Chase, but here are new looks at Alice in Wonderland, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Robin Hood, Shutter Island, The Crazies and The Wolfman. Watch all of the video spots after the break, and tell us which one was your favorite. After seeing these, I think The Last Airbender just jumped way up my charts.
Sundance Review: The Kids Are All Right
Filed under: Sundance, Theatrical Reviews
No, The Kids Are All Right is not that documentary about The Who, as the name might have you thinking. That would be The Kids Are Alright from back in 1979. One look at the photo above will dispel any of those notions. Instead, this is a light drama that could have been called My Two Moms. Plus it left us with a much better impression of Mark Ruffalo than he'd left us with his Sundance directorial debut, Sympathy For Delicious. Here, he turns in a solid performance, along with some powerful acting from Julianne Moore and Annette Bening who shine as the two halves of a couple whose world is shaken when their kids meet their biological father.
Joni (Mia Wasikowska of the upcoming Alice in Wonderland) is 18 years old, and therefore old enough to find out who her biological sperm-donor father is. After continual pestering by her brother Laser (Josh Hutcherson from Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant) she makes the call, and the two of them are introduced to the cool and exciting Paul (Mark Ruffalo), whose sperm was used to impregnate both Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore). However, he's also the monkey wrench that gets tossed right into the middle of this family.
SXSW 2010 Announces Feature Film Lineup
Filed under: SXSW, Festival Reports, Newsstand
The SXSW Film, Music, and Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas just announced their list of features at this year's festival, and I have to say my excitement level has pinged up a couple of notches. I'm actually looking forward to this more than I was to Sundance, even though many of the same films are playing at both festivals. The all-seeing eye of the geek is on Kick-Ass, which will open the festival, but there are a ton of other projects that sound impressive, including the documentary The People vs. George Lucas, James Franco's SATURDAY NIGHT project about Saturday Night Live, MacGruber (my own personal jury is still out on this one), and Bernard Rose's Mr. Nice.
SXSW differs from most other film festivals in that it also encompasses a massive music festival as well, and it's nice to see that reflected in the film selection. Films include music documentaries about Lemmy Kilmister (Lemmy), Stephen Merritt and The Magnetic Fields (Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and The Magnetic Fields), The White Stripes (The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights) and a David Byrne concert film (RIDE, RISE, ROAR), among others.
The Sundance Bonus Round: If you missed Cyrus, The Runaways, Winter's Bone, Get Low, Enter the Void, and several others that were at Sundance, they'll be playing here as well, giving you a second shot at seeing them.
SX Fantastic Fest: Last year, SXSW kicked off a collaboration with Fantastic Fest that continues this year, and will feature several FF-themed special screenings at the Alamo Drafthouse, like Tae-Kyun Kim's Higanjima and a super secret TBA world premiere..
Cinematical will be at SXSW in full force, so stay tuned in the days leading up to the March 12 launch of this year's festival, and throughout the event for reviews, interviews, and breaking news. Read the full breakdown of this year's many films that will be playing at SXSW just beyond the break.
Interview: Will Arnett
I'm not going to use this to knock on When in Rome, especially since our own Jenni Miller already did that. Well, to be fair, she did it a lot sweeter than I would have. It's a cute romantic comedy idea that just doesn't work. However, one of the hapless souls who has their love life screwed around with in this movie is Will Arnett, and we loves us some Will Arnett. It feels like he's just a few steps away from headlining movies on his own, paired with some straight guy or girl. Or better yet, appearing with his wife Amy Poehler. (Watch them together in a Parks & Recreation episode.)
Most people know Arnett from his spin as Gob on the awesome Arrested Development, which will hopefully, finally, eventually be getting a movie soon, but he's held his own in some smaller comedies, including the underrated Let's Go To Prison and The Brothers Solomon. We talked to him about When In Rome, the Arrested Development movie, the other project he's working on with Mitchell Hurwitz, video games, and more. Read on after the break for the full interview.
Sundance Review: Winter's Bone
Filed under: Sundance, Theatrical Reviews
"Redneck" or "country noir" isn't anything new. Just look at Blood Simple and No Country For Old Men as examples. But when you replace the grizzled detective or outdated lawman with a 17-year-old girl trying to take care of her family, that's where things swing wildly off course in Winter's Bone. Jennifer Lawrence previously impressed in Lori Petty's autobiographical film The Poker House, and she turns in an incredibly powerful performance in this movie, directed by Debra Granik and based on Daniel Woodrell's novel of the same name, that explores the dark nature of family and secrets in the Ozark Mountains. It won both the Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Dramatic category and the Waldo Salt screenwriting award, and is well-deserving of both.
Ree Dolly (Lawrence) is busy trying to take care of her younger brother and sister, her nearly catatonic mother, and a bevy of stray cats and dogs in a ramshackle cabin out in the boondocks when she's visited by the sheriff who has some unsettling news: Her father has put up both the land and the house for his bond for cooking crystal meth, and if he doesn't show up for his court date, they'll lose everything. So Ree has to find him before the law does, or before some of the other unsavory characters that live in this no man's land.
First Look: Jeff Bridges in 'Tron: Legacy'
Filed under: Images
Here's Jeff "The Dude" Bridges, fresh off his Oscar nominated role in Crazy Heart, and now appearing as a white-robed, disc-wearing Flynn (we assume?) in a new image from Disney's upcoming Tron: Legacy. It's obviously meant to be the same stark, white set that we saw in the concept footage from Comic-Con two years ago, but what's up with that disc on his back? And boy, what would 1982's Flynn say about all that hair? He'd probably call him a corporate old-dude and steal his password.
We received absolutely no details with this new image. Is he a prisoner? Is he in self-imposed exile? Is he running the show from upstairs? Is he just visiting Magneto in his plastic prison from X2: X-Men United? Whatever the case, it has us on pins and needles for the movie, which will probably be the one of the most anticipated sequels with a 28-year gap between installments ever. Tron: Legacy hits theaters on December 10th, 2010.
For those who aren't as familiar with the original, is this film on your radar? Do you think the gaming technology will connect with the younger generations regardless of whether they know or watched or heard about the original film. Curious to hear what you all think ...
Sundance Review: Animal Kingdom
Filed under: Slamdance, Theatrical Reviews
Animal Kingdom is a taut, Australian crime drama that some might accuse of being slow, but I accuse of taking the time to fully flesh out and develop characters. Crime films these days, especially in America, have a car chase, an explosion, or a gun battle every 2.5 minutes. There's an entire mathematical formula developed for it. Okay, not really, but Stephen Hawking could probably generate one. You're lucky if you fully understand a character these days, or really appreciate why they are heroic or creepy.
Director David Michod has created a well-paced, dark and moody thriller with this film, and the main reason it works is because it's deliberately slowed down so you can peek inside the train cars that would normally be racing by, which lets you appreciate the performances from all of the actors, and particularly Jacki Weaver, who is pictured above. Sharp-eyed readers might recognize her as Minnie from 1975's Picnic at Hanging Rock, but in Animal Kingdom she's a ruthless and lethal matriarch of a crime family.
Sundance Interview: Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine on 'Tucker & Dale vs. Evil'
Filed under: Comedy, Horror, Sundance, Interviews
If you're a Firefly fan, or a Reaper fan, then this post probably had you at Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine. If not, then you need to get your geek on if you want some street cred. Although both shows were canceled early, they were perfect vehicles for sci-fi and horror, and were backed by terrific performances from these two actors. Both of them are a lot more comedic than you'd expect, and they really got to show that off in Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, the wacky Sundance comedy horror film (which, of course, we reviewed for you right here.)
We spoke to Tudyk and Labine the day after their midnight premiere, where they were alternating between pints of beer and mocha lattes, which is probably the best hangover cure in Park City. We talked to them about the film, their geek appeal, and what's next (Tudyk's answer will probably surprise you, unless you're the webmaster of AlanTudykMegaFan.com). Head on after the break for the video interview.
Sundance Interview: 'Frozen' Director Adam Green
Filed under: Sundance, Interviews
It's not possible to watch Adam Green's Frozen without thinking of Open Water. Well, it is possible, but that means you've never seen nor heard of Open Water. Frozen takes the same premise -- divers stranded in the ocean -- and turns it into three skiers stuck on a ski lift with no hope of being found until the resort opens again a week later. Plus, it's cold. A fact that the title should have clued you in to. The film opens in a week, and you can check out Cinematical's review of it here.
Adam Green came up with this idea when he saw a background weather forecast shot of empty ski chairs at the Big Bear ski area in California, which reminded him of how scary it can be when the lifts stop. As the movie illustrates, there's a lot more to fear than just the drop to the ground. We talked to Adam at Sundance, and he let us know about the production, the actors, and what it took to bring this to the screen. One thing I accidentally caught off-camera was how many Iceman jokes Shawn Ashmore had to put up with. The answer: tons.
Head on after the break for the full video interview from a snowy exterior in Park City.
Sundance Interview: Director Vincenzo Natali on 'Splice'
Filed under: Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sundance, Interviews
Splice was my favorite dark, science fiction horror film at Sundance. What's that? It was the only one in that particular niche category? Fine. I'll kick it up by saying it was one (it's a short list) of my favorite films at the festival this year. Yes, it's dark. It's scary at times, and it's got a ton of genetic experimentation in it, landing it squarely in the sci-fi camp. It's one hell of a freaky ride, and with any luck this will be gracing a big screen near you soon so you can see it with an audience. It's definitely not for everyone,
Before this, director Vincenzo Natali had crafted films that were far outside the typical Hollywood fare you'd see at a multiplex. Movies like Cube, Cypher, and Nothing. He's even directed the Getting Gilliam documentary on the Tideland DVD. So when I saw his film in the program, I knew I'd have to see this film, and it doesn't disappoint with powerful performances from Sarah Polley and Adrien Brody (and yes, David Hewlett is in it, after all, it's a Natali film!) I'd blather on, but I already did that in my review over here.
However, Natali is the real star of this show, and we spoke to him at length about Splice, his other films, and what his next project will be. Jump on through for the full video interview straight from Sundance.
Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams Reunite for 'Mission Impossible 4'
'Big Top Pee-Wee': The Original Benicio Del Toro Wolfman
Spin-ematical: New on DVD and Blu-ray for 2/9
Watch This: Brilliant Oscar-Nominated Short 'Logorama'
Chris Nolan to Lead 'Superman' Reboot!?
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
