Ninja Assassin Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Review: Ninja Assassin
Filed under: Action », New Releases », Theatrical Reviews »
By: William Goss, reprinted from Fantastic Fest '09
One can't ask too much of a film called Ninja Assassin -- that's a given -- but James McTeigue's proper directorial follow-up to V for Vendetta does its damnedest to take that insta-pulp title and weave around it a worn-out tale of forbidden love, family betrayal, and government conspiracy. Complete with some hard-to-see fight scenes and some harder-to-hear dialogue, all delivered with a poker-straight face and capped off with some super-splattery kills, it's like a graphic novel adaptation with comic book punctuation, a film so flagrant in its fakery that it almost forgets to have any fun.
Raizo (Korean pop star Rain, of Speed Racer and "Colbert Report" fame) was once an orphan, raised by a secretive clan to, um, assassinate as, well, a ninja would. One forbidden fling and one shamed father later, and our pariah protagonist is off to Berlin in order to save Europol* agent Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris) from the grisly fate that her criminal investigations have inevitably drawn.
Box Office: Foxy Ninjas and Fantastic Dogs
Filed under: Action », Animation », Comedy », Family Films », Box Office Predictions »
As I'm sure everyone has heard by now, the newest Twilight film made CRAZY money over the weekend. The Blind Side made a pretty respectable showing as well, though still taking a distant second. Here's the top five:
1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon: $142.8 million
2. The Blind Side: $34.1 million
3. 2012: $26.4 million
4. Planet 51: $12.29 million
5. A Christmas Carol: $12.28 million
This weeks new releases offer one part action to one part comedy, plus we have a kids film going into wider release.
Ninja Assassin
What's It All About: A skilled assassin swears vengeance on the secret order that trained him after they murder his friend.
Why It Might Do Well: This is produced by the Wachowskis, the team behind the Matrix films, so I imagine the martial arts action will be something to behold.
Why It Might Not Do Well: A lack of star power may be a problem.
Number of Theaters: 2,500
Prediction: $10 million
Old Dogs
What's It All About: Robin Williams plays a middle aged man who suddenly finds out that he has six-year-old twins with a woman he hasn't seen in years, and his bachelor buddy John Travolta helps him adjust to life as a father.
Why It Might Do Well: I really love that bit in the commercial where a terrified Seth Green sings "All Out of Love" to a gorilla.
Why It Might Not Do Well: I suspect that gorilla gag may be all the film has to offer, as the film is only getting 10% over at Rottentomatoes.com.
Number of Theaters: 3,300
Prediction: $32 million
1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon: $142.8 million
2. The Blind Side: $34.1 million
3. 2012: $26.4 million
4. Planet 51: $12.29 million
5. A Christmas Carol: $12.28 million
This weeks new releases offer one part action to one part comedy, plus we have a kids film going into wider release.
Ninja AssassinWhat's It All About: A skilled assassin swears vengeance on the secret order that trained him after they murder his friend.
Why It Might Do Well: This is produced by the Wachowskis, the team behind the Matrix films, so I imagine the martial arts action will be something to behold.
Why It Might Not Do Well: A lack of star power may be a problem.
Number of Theaters: 2,500
Prediction: $10 million
Old DogsWhat's It All About: Robin Williams plays a middle aged man who suddenly finds out that he has six-year-old twins with a woman he hasn't seen in years, and his bachelor buddy John Travolta helps him adjust to life as a father.
Why It Might Do Well: I really love that bit in the commercial where a terrified Seth Green sings "All Out of Love" to a gorilla.
Why It Might Not Do Well: I suspect that gorilla gag may be all the film has to offer, as the film is only getting 10% over at Rottentomatoes.com.
Number of Theaters: 3,300
Prediction: $32 million
Interracial Harmony: 'Ninja Assassin' vs. 'Blind Side'
Filed under: Action », Drama », New Releases », Fandom »
What major movie production features an interracial friendship that defies all the expected stereotypes? Hint: it's not the one starring Sandra Bullock.
On its own merits, The Blind Side is a heartwarming story of the modern South, in which a rich white 40-something woman (Bullock) befriends a poor black teenager (Quenton Aaron). Their relationship develops to the point that the young man feels a part of her family. I agree with our reviewer, Jette Kernion, who described it as "a very good example of a sports-related family film, with quality performances and writing." She also notes the "seeming visual message that the African-American community can't or won't care for their own, and that the saviors here are rich white conservatives." The film is based on a non-fiction account, but it still makes me wonder why, exactly, we needed another film depicting that particular racial dynamic -- beyond providing a great starring role for Bullock and the aforementioned heartwarming elements.
As finely-edged as a new razor blade, Ninja Assassin establishes itself as a contender for "CGI Fu Movie of the Decade" in its very first sequence, gleefully slicing off body parts with the abandon of an extreme gore flick that would satisfy most horror hounds. It rocks back and forth between ponderous philosophical pontifications and riotously preposterous action scenes like a ticking time bomb, exploding in geysers of blood at regular intervals. Our reviewer William Goss was much less taken with the film than I am -- I think it's fair to say he hated it -- so bear in mind that your mileage may vary wildly. However, I feel confident in saying that Ninja Assassin presents a rarely seen relationship: a friendship between two people that makes no mention of their racial differences.
Fantastic Fest Review: Ninja Assassin
Filed under: Action », Thrillers », Warner Brothers », Fantastic Fest »
One can't ask too much of a film called Ninja Assassin -- that's a given -- but James McTeigue's proper directorial follow-up to V for Vendetta does its damnedest to take that insta-pulp title and weave around it a worn-out tale of forbidden love, family betrayal, and government conspiracy. Complete with some hard-to-see fight scenes and some harder-to-hear dialogue, all delivered with a poker-straight face and capped off with some super-splattery kills, it's like a graphic novel adaptation with comic book punctuation, a film so flagrant in its fakery that it almost forgets to have any fun.
Discuss: Which Film(s) Are You Anticipating Most This Fall?
Filed under: Action », Animation », Comedy », Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », New Releases », Fandom », Family Films », Movie Marketing »
I may be a jaded and cynical movie 'professional', but that doesn't mean I don't like to get in touch with my innocent side every once in awhile -- which is why, after all this time, I still get excited about the fall movie season. Now, traditionally, the fall season is the time to release those serious Oscar-type films (or awards contenders), but this year there's more to offer than just drama, and this year's slate has a little something for everyone.
This season is littered with kids movies, sci-fi and horror, and a little touch of comedy -- basically you're looking at a line-up that's all over the map. But, everyone has their own tastes, and what makes me froth at the bit may leave you cold, and inevitably some films just naturally find their way the top of your must-see list. So today, I've laid out some of my most anticipated fall flicks, and I hope you'll do the same.
September:
Well, we're already a week into the start of the season, and we've gotten Mike Judges' Extract and the action no-brainer Gamer from Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, but there are still some pretty tasty selections coming in the following weeks. So let's get started, shall we?
9 (09/09/09)
Shane Acker's tale of a post-apocalyptic world packed with 'stitchpunks' and killer machines may have had the bonus of getting a bit of a boost from the reputations of its producers (Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov), but there is still plenty of reasons to recommend the animated sci-fi tale. Judging by the buzz surrounding this flick, it could turn out to be one of the big sleeper hits of the season, but there's still the small matter of whether or not Acker's flick will be more than style over substance.
After the jump: the rest of what September has to offer, and my top picks for October and November...
New Images from 'Jennifer's Body', 'Lovely Bones' and More
Filed under: Fandom », Images »
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I went back and forth for about a half hour as to whether or not I was going to post about this, but in the end I figured I owed it to the three people out there who enjoy looking at new images of Megan Fox from Jennifer's Body. Luckily, though, there's more for the lot of you as MTV has just revealed their big fall preview full of new images from a ton of upcoming films, like The Lovely Bones, Ninja Assassin, Sherlock Holmes, Amelia, A Christmas Carol, Whip It, A Serious Man and many more.
In Jennifer's Body (which, mind you, I've been hearing good things about), Megan Fox stars as a hottie cheerleader who turns all demonic and begins to off the boys at her school in the most horrific ways. Amanda Seyfried stars as her best friend, who eventually has enough of it all and attempts to stop her devilish gal pal before the end credits begin to roll. Juno scribe Diablo Cody wrote the script, and it's due out in theaters on September 18.
Also, in related news, Megan Fox will host the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, which I hope will include at least one sketch about lame internet bloggers who constantly write flattering things about the girl because she looks good in a tight skirt but has very little talent.
Check out a larger version of the above image below, and the rest over at MTV.
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Pop Star Rain Up for 'Enter the Dragon' Remake?
Filed under: Action », Casting », Warner Independent Pictures », RumorMonger », Remakes and Sequels »
Every once in a while you come across a piece of movie news that leaves you feeling a little conflicted. On one hand, the mind reels at the thought of somebody trying to replace Bruce Lee in a remake of the legendary martial arts flick, Enter the Dragon. But on the other hand, I'm not about to turn down the chance to stare at Korean pop star Rain for two hours -- I mean, have you seen the abs on this guy? So lustful thoughts aside, it's about time I got to the news, isn't it? Latino Review is reporting that their sources have confirmed that the singer/actor is the front-runner to star in an update of the 1973 classic.
The original film was the first kung fu flick to be produced by a major studio, and starred Lee as a Shaolin martial artist sent undercover to a hidden island in a fight to the death. The film is infamous for being Lee's last before his untimely death at the age of 33, but was also a passion project for Lee who wanted to celebrate Chinese culture and make a kick-ass action flick. I think we can all agree that he succeeded.
James McTeigue Wants to Quoth 'The Raven'
Filed under: Classics », Horror », Thrillers », Scripts »
Edgar Allan Poe died almost 160 years ago, but his life and death is still surrounded with enough mystery and spooky theories to make the old 'scaremaster' proud. A few years back, there had been talk of a Poe biography from Sylvester Stallone (with Robert Downey Jr. allegedly circling the role) but it looks like Sly's not the only one with Poe on the brain. /Film recently got the chance to speak with James McTeigue (V for Vendetta) about his latest, Ninja Assassin, and he told them that he has also started working on a Poe-inspired thriller, titled after the famous poem, The Raven. If you happened to have skipped high school English, The Raven was Poe's poem about a man haunted by his lost love (and, if you need a quick refresher, just watch The Simpson's classic Treehouse of Horror episode). But McTeigue isn't interested in trying to improve upon previous Poe films (like Roger Corman's classics) and instead, his film will be a fictional take on Poe's final days, and put the author smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation.
Hannah Shakespeare and Ben Livingston have already completed a script about Poe on the trail of a murderer who's using his literary works as a source of inspiration. It sounds pretty clever on paper, and McTeigue told /Film, "It's like the poem, The Raven, itself, crossed with Se7en. It should be pretty cool. The script is really good and everyone responds to it really well. I'm in the middle of casting."
Maybe if Stallone's project doesn't make it out of development hell alive, Downey could play Poe for McTeigue instead, what do you think?
Trailer Park: Assassins, Mystery and Wonder
Filed under: Fandom », Trailer Trash », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »
Alice In Wonderland
Tim Burton's take on the classic Lewis Carroll book is just as creepy as you might expect. Johnny Depp is the stand-out as The Mad Hatter, but Tweedledum and Tweedledee will give you the willies too and the Cheshire Cat has more teeth than could possibly fit comfortably in his mouth. This may be the movie Burton was born to make. The tumble down the rabbit hole begins on March 5.
The Book of Eli
This trailer basically shows Denzel Washington being a bad ass in a bleak post apocalyptic future set thirty years after a global war has wiped out most of the population. Washington's character is walking across the wasteland carrying a book that can somehow save humanity. Gary Oldman and Mila Kunis also star. Look for this on January 15.
Whiteout
Kate Beckinsale stars as a U.S. Marshall stationed at an Antarctic research base who must find a murderer before the sun sets for six months. Based on a series of graphic novels, this kind of reminds me of 30 Days of Night mixed with elements of The Thing. This will be out on September 11.
'The Box' Moves Up from Thanksgiving to Halloween
Filed under: Action », Drama », Thrillers », Mystery & Suspense », Warner Brothers », RumorMonger »
Tempted though I may be to do so, I won't take credit for Warners' moving up the release of Richard Kelly's hopefully good The Box after I blathered on about it for too long and then some last month. According to BOM, the thriller is now scheduled to open on October 30th and just opposite Saw VI -- and between us, if it was between either the fifth Saw sequel or a title with both Richard Kelly and Richard Matheson's names on it, my moviegoing dollar would surely find its way to the latter.Going instead into the newly vacated 11/25 slot is the Wachowski-produced Ninja Assassin, helmed by James McTeigue (V for Vendetta, the third act of The Invasion) and starring that guy Stephen Colbert hates so much. Not much has come of that film beyond a "we're making it!" press conference -- no trailer, no poster, no nuthin' -- but the film has been formally rated R for "strong bloody stylized violence throughout, and language," which suggests that the film is completed.
And when you have a completed film on your hands, you generally release it. (And then this'll be the part where the "More You Know" star will shoot overhead...)
Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
Shelf Life: Fight Club_thumbnail.jpg)
Watch: Famous 'Matrix' Scene Re-Created with LEGOs
Peter Jackson Says Spielberg's 'Tintin' is Done Filming, but...
Interracial Harmony: 'Ninja Assassin' vs. 'Blind Side'
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