Cinematical

Lots of movie geeks (yes, like us) have been abuzz with the vague discussions regarding the Predator remake / reboot / sequel / whatever. All we really knew was that the generally kick-ass Robert Rodriguez was on board to oversee, as the producer, but now we have confirmation have Robert's good pal that the director has been named. And that name ... is Nimrod.

Nimrod Antal, to be precise, who fest-goers will know from Kontroll and thriller fans will recall from Vacancy. Harry's got a whole bunch of cool info on the project right here, but I've chosen a small segment that makes me particularly happy: "It involves a very intense group of people stranded on a Predator planet discovering unspeakable horrors." Yes! Plus Mr. Rodriguez shares some enthusiasm from a Fox colleague: "No one is going to talk about AVP again after this movie. I stake my life on it."

Hell, just give us a knock-down, drag-out Predator fest with a few meaty characters, a whole lot of action, and maybe a few storytelling hooks. That'll make a whole lot of people happy. Speaking only for myself, heck, I thought both of Antal's films were darn good, so I've no reason to doubt RR's call on this one!

Dictionary.com defines "addiction" as "the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice," and I offer the definition of such a basic word to illustrate a point: I am addicted to Flickchart.com. Tickled, fascinated, enamored, and addicted. It's a remarkably simple idea: You log in and you're offered two films. You pick which one you like more. (There's also a "haven't seen it" option, so be honest!) Then you repeat that process over and over for three hours until you realize it's 4am but you want to vote on just a few ... more ... pairs...

Flickchart is still in its beta mode, but it looks like the plan is to open the doors wide in mid-July. But what's coolest about the site is not the fun of picking your favorite movies ... it actually collates all your choices into one massive and mathematically unimpeachable list of YOUR favorite films. My advice is to pick the flick you like more, not the one you think is more reputable. Gone with the Wind is great, obviously, but Die Hard gets my vote. Also fun: You can post comments on specific matchups, as I did last night when greeted by a choice between Catwoman and Double Team. (Halle got the vote for being pretty.)

After the jump I've included a nifty little trailer that illustrates how Flickchart works (and a few cool notes), but of course you should visit the website and nose around a bit. Membership is currently accessible by invitation only, but it seems like they'll be opening the doors soon. Aw, what the heck? The Flickchart fellas say "Any friend of Cinematical is a friend of ours, so click right here to bypass the invitation process and log right in! Enjoy! (Add me as a Flickchart friend if you like: scottEweinberg. Just like on the Twitter.)

I'm used to getting a little misty-eyed around Pixar's flicks. Those animation magicians are as good at studying the human condition as they are at making pretty pictures that walk and talk ... but this is something pretty special. I'll refer you to the full story at The OC Register, but the short version is this: A 10-year-old girl was dying of cancer, and her last request was to see Pixar's Up. Unfortunately she was too fragile to make a trip to the multiplex ... so Pixar sent someone to her house with an Up screener and an armful of presents.

Young Colby Curtin died about seven hours after the movie.

Our hearts go out to her friends and family, and (once again) we owe a debt of gratitude to the Pixar people. They did all they could to make Colby's final hours as sweet as possible, and they never once looked for any attention or praise for their actions. Well, we want to give it to them anyway. Stay classy, Pixar.

Yes, we're genre-flick crazy here at Cinematical!

At Horror Squad

• A Peek at the Friday the 13th Part 4 dvd goodies (and they're great!)
• Some early photos from Blood: The Last Vampire
• Tony Scott talks new Hunger movie
• I get all excited over the new Scorsese film. For a change.
• Discussion: Finest Horror/Sci-Fi Combos?
• Comics to Movies: Deadworld
• Terror Tuesdays Kick Ass in Austin!
• The Horrors of E3!

And gore more!

At SciFi Squad:

• The director of Moon discusses classic science ficion
• Is Predators close to landing a director?
• Was Whedon offered the new Buffy project?
• Del Toro begins his Hobbit casting!
• More Moon!
• JJ Abrams Contemplates Trek 2
• E-Rappe disects Ant-Man! (ew!)
• "Good news, everyone!!"

Warp here!

If things seem a little crazy at Cinematical this week, it's because our esteemed EIC, Erik Davis, and his lovely wife Jocelyn are welcoming their first baby! The adorable Zoe Sophia Davis was born this past Saturday, 7 pounds 2 ounces, and perfectly flawless in every way. (Erik totally denies that Zoe was named for the Gina Torres character in Firefly, but I'm pushing that rumor just so Whedonesque.com picks the story up.) Please join the Cinematical / Moviefone / Horror & SciFi Squad family in congratulating Erik and Jocelyn and welcoming a tiny new movie geek to the world!



One request from the proud papa: What should Zoe's FIRST movie be? (He refused to ask me for fear I'd say Friday the 13th or something.)

If you love all things flick-related, well then obviously you're at the right blog. We're very proud of the fact that Cinematical covers everything from indie and foreign to big-time blockbuster, and all the films in between. But there are certain genres that demand a little extra focus, which is why we've decided to kick-start two new movie blogs! One dedicated to the Police Academy series, and the other devoted to all things related to Brett Ratner.

Nah, just kidding. One is called Horror Squad and the other is SciFi Squad. Yes, you may notice a few articles that seem a little ... familiar, but that's because we have such a stellar backlog of genre-intensive pieces, and we'd rather reprint good stuff than let it vanish forever. Also, you can expect a LOT more original content (from some familiar names and some new ones) as time goes on.

So if you're a horror hound or a sci-fi psycho, well, here are two more links to add to your "favorites" collection. Or your RSS feed. Or your Twitter page. Please keep in mind that we want YOUR feedback on these new blogs, because that's how we'll know what sort of stuff you like to read. As always, thanks for your clicks.

Site descriptions after the jump ...

I'll keep this short: There's a horror flick coming out later this year called Grace. Lots of people (including me and Eric Snider) like it a lot, such as former Cinematical scribe (and mother of five) Kim Voynar, who went to the Sundance screening after I basically commanded her to. When I saw her later she was both grateful (for recommending it) and angry (for not seeing it with her). Then it hit Austin and earned even more fans -- and not just horror geeks, mind you, although they're the ones who seemed to dig it the most.

The flick is still shuffling through the festival circuit, but Anchor Bay will deliver the DVD before year's end, and it looks like my pals over at FEARnet have scored the first look at the "red-band" (R rated) trailer for Grace. Click right here to take a look at the rather impressive new promo clip, and then come back for some friendly advice. (Pause.) OK, back? Good: This movie is not suitable for pregnant women. Frankly you should spend three years in jail if you show Grace to a pregnant woman. Ten years if you make it a double feature with Inside.

The old-school Sam Raimi fans are having a ball this weekend (I hope) with the director's long-awaited return to horror, the very cool Drag Me to Hell. And of course all of you know Mr. Raimi as the director of the Evil Dead trilogy and / or the Spider-Man trilogy, but it's easy to forget that this filmmaker has one rather impressive batting average. Doubly so if you're into good-time matinee-style genre flicks! So here's a chance to look back over some of the man's other films, mostly ones you've heard of (and probably seen by now), but flicks that are certainly worth a fresh look every now and again. I'll start with one of my true favorites ...

The Quick and the Dead (1995) -- Raimi's ode to the old-school western is an addictively entertaining mixture of A) a great ensemble, B) tons of nifty visuals, and C) tongue-in-cheek affection for the old-fashioned western tales. Plus it's not every day you see Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, Leonardo DiCaprio shoot it out amongst themselves. And if you're a fan of character actors, this movie is an all-you-can-eat buffet of colorful performances: Keith David, Kevin Conway, Lance Henriksen, Tobin Bell, Pat Hingle, Gary Sinise, and on and on it goes. Great fun, especially if you love westerns.

Darkman (1990) -- Long before he was handed the keys to Spidey's cinematic web, Sam Raimi was already thinking about superhero movies. And he didn't even bother going with an established character! He and his brother just created one called Darkman! Just about everything that works so well in the Spider-Man series is included here, from the playful tone and stylish action to the crafty compositions and strong performances. Liam Neeson as a faceless vigilante! How can you not love that?

Aside from Star Trek, I've been rather unimpressed with the summer of '09 thus far, which is why this weekend couldn't pop up at a better time. Today marks the arrival of two (very different) wide releases, and each one of 'em is better than Wolverine, Angels & Demons, and Terminator 4 combined.

The first flick is, of course, Up, which comes from the stunningly reliable Pixar crew and was just reviewed by our own Jette K. right here. I won't steal her thunder, as her review is quite good, but I will say this: Up is one of the strangest, sweetest, warmest, and funniest animated films I've ever seen. The kiddies will lap up every single frame, obviously, but I suspect the film will strike its strongest chord with the grown-ups of the audience. About as close to perfect as a family film can get, Up is (easily) one of the best movies of the year.

And you just know an animated flick is good if I focus on it before I even get into a new horror movie! From Sam Raimi no less! Yes, after you're done flying high from Up, you're going to adore that sinking feeling once Raimi starts dragging you through his old stomping grounds. Drag Me to Hell is a straightforward but deliciously twisted morality play in which a frantic young woman tries desperately to rid herself of a gypsy curse. It's like a campfire tale combined with one of the better Tales from the Crypt episodes. (Check out the review by Peter M.)

So yeah: For the first weekend in many a month, I offer one simple suggestion: the double feature. Most theater chains offer cheaper tickets for the pre-noon screenings. Start movie one right there and you'll still have plenty of day left with which to go home and watch DVDs. Like a Pixar classic or Evil Dead 2.

My inbox, Facebook, and Twitter page were semi-flooded with messages of support and condolence when this A L I E N remake gossip hit the wires, and that's because (as anyone in the universe can tell you), it's my #1 favorite film of all time. Mainly because it's just about the perfect horror film, but also because it's a movie that helped plant me on the road of movie freakdom, and for that I'm eternally grateful. Plus it has Sigourney Weaver in her underwear.

So if a film as undeniably flawless as A L I E N can be considered for a remake, it begs the question: What movie won't they remake? Keep in mind that Psycho, Halloween, The Manchurian Candidate, and King Kong have already earned remakes, which tells me that all bets are off. Not even Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, or The Wizard of Oz are safe. Therefore, clearly, remakes are a force of pure evil.

Then again, there IS the old Shakespeare argument, the one that says "Hey, the Bard's plays have been remade over and over for centuries, and surely you wouldn't call Casablanca superior to King Lear, would you?" To which I would respond, "Good point. And no, Casablanca is definitely not superior to King Lear. But A L I E N certainly is."