Summer2009 Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Cinematical Seven: Wicked Hangovers on Film
Filed under: New Releases », Johnny Depp », Cinematical Seven », Lists », Summer Movies »
If Benjamin Franklin is right (and I suspect he is) that beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy*, then hard liquor may be proof that Satan exists, and laughs at our agony the morning after indulging. But if there's a silver lining to a hangover, it's that it inspires a movie actually called The Hangover, allowing us to laugh about our own drunken antics ... and sigh in relief that they've never been bad enough to land us with a tiger, a baby, or a Mike Tyson punch. Then again, depending on what college or parties you've attended, you may have preferred to wake up with all three and a missing tooth rather than whatever or whoever you found yourself with. It doesn't always stay in Vegas.
So, in honor of the hard-partiers in The Hangover, here's seven wicked hangovers captured onscreen. It's difficult to narrow it down to just seven, so I've tried to represent just about everything except Cocktail. There's individual scenes, dark tales, and laugh out loud fratboy antics here, and ranked completely at random. They might actually make you think twice about accepting another shot of tequlia. Of course, if we ever learned from cinematic example or past experience, we'd probably never bite the lime or shout "Nastrovia!" more than once in our entire lives.
*There's no proof Franklin ever said this, but let's just lie and say he did
So, in honor of the hard-partiers in The Hangover, here's seven wicked hangovers captured onscreen. It's difficult to narrow it down to just seven, so I've tried to represent just about everything except Cocktail. There's individual scenes, dark tales, and laugh out loud fratboy antics here, and ranked completely at random. They might actually make you think twice about accepting another shot of tequlia. Of course, if we ever learned from cinematic example or past experience, we'd probably never bite the lime or shout "Nastrovia!" more than once in our entire lives.
*There's no proof Franklin ever said this, but let's just lie and say he did
Make It a Double Feature Weekend!
Filed under: Animation », Classics », Horror », New Releases », Disney », Universal », Fandom », Family Films »
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.
The 'Terminator' Anxiety Support Group
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Warner Brothers »
I see Terminator: Salvation next week. I am really nervous about it. It's a deplored "fanboy" habit, I know -- to whine about a geeky franchise flick before it's even released. Haven't you anything better to do than worry about a summer blockbuster? Get a life.
But the thing is that I care about movies, and the Terminator series means more to me than any other franchise that's still kicking -- more than Star Trek, more than Indiana Jones, more than any of the superhero flicks. Terminator 2 is the greatest action movie ever made, and one of the greatest films, period. The Terminator scared the crap out of me when I was a young 'un -- a "formative" film experience if ever there were one. The third film obviously had its detractors, but I thought it was a damn fine actioner that honored the story. It's true sci-fi, with a deep, interesting mythology; it even makes a genuine effort to get time paradoxes right, and gets kind of close.
But Salvation... aaaaaaaargh. McG has worked hard to make a case for himself as the right choice for the franchise, but the fact remains that he's never really made a good film. People will point to the Charlie's Angels flicks as the cause for concern, but I'd want to talk about We Are Marshall, which is about as tedious and tone-deaf as movies get. Then there's the news that the story has been written and rewritten, and not always for the best reasons -- changed endings, a bigger role for Christian Bale -- which isn't a harbinger of a confident, thought-through movie. And the trailers have not exactly inspired confidence, at least in me, though the last one was a bit more promising.
Girls on Film: A Summer Guide to the X Chromosome
Filed under: Fandom », Exhibition », Summer Movies », Girls on Film »
Talking about the girls of summer usually means one thing (even if some toughies like Marion Ravenwood popped up in summer blockbusters): hot female flesh. Yes, these women are attractive, but with the increased summer heat, movies will do anything to add some moisture: the sweat in the desert, the undeniable need to swim in a pool ... you get the drift. It's surprising that there's even an anti-perspirant industry with all these sexy moisture images popping up year after year.
For 2009 however, while we might have a sadly plentiful dose of sadly typical romcoms, and our second helping of The Fox v. The Robots, there are some women to look out for while the sun is high in the sky.
MAY
We might see Alison Lohman fighting her way free of Sam Raimi's hell, and some women fighting off the future's machines, but this month is reserved for the character and woman that takes the manic pixie into a new world and life -- Rachel Weisz's Penelope in The Brothers Bloom. On the surface, she seems like your typical floofy, airheaded heiress, crashing her fancy car wherever she drives it, and living outside of public scrutiny. But it quickly becomes apparent that she's a lot more than meets the eye -- spending her rich isolation not daydreaming, not going crazy, but rather absorbing all the knowledge she can -- both impressive and trivial. She's ridiculously multifaceted, carefree but rational, and much like her female partner in crime Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi), a lot more than meets the eye -- enough that she should get time to shine front and center on the screen.
Plus, keep an eye out for Julia, Summer Hours, and Jessica Biel doing something a little different with Easy Virtue.
Terrific Trailers: The Fugitive
Filed under: Summer Movies », Trailers and Clips », Scenes We Love »
Taking a trip down the memory lane of 1993 led me to hit up YouTube for trailers. Movie marketing wasn't nearly as pervasive as it was today, and so I often find myself trying to remember when exactly I heard about this movie, or that one. I've always envied friends who remember when they saw the trailer for The Empire Strikes Back and how they felt, and I can't even remember how the hell I knew I wanted to see Braveheart. I have no memory for movie marketing prior to 1999, it seems, which why I started looking up the trailers for 1993. I only got as far as The Fugitive and decided it had to be shared as a Terrific Trailer.
Most trailers of the '80s and '90s were pretty cheesy, despite the sultry tones of Don LaFontaine. They're edited badly, they give too much away, and are the wrong tone for the fillm. The Fugitive could have fallen prey to all of that, but it's tight and mysterious. I like how it doesn't even tell you whether Harrison Ford is innocent or not. Of course they were working from a very well known television series, Ford was never a bad guy, and it would be rather difficult to sympathize with a fugitive who was guilty. But if all you saw was this trailer today, you would be forgiven for wondering exactly who the good guy would be. Would it be Ford, or Tommy Lee Jones?
Most trailers of the '80s and '90s were pretty cheesy, despite the sultry tones of Don LaFontaine. They're edited badly, they give too much away, and are the wrong tone for the fillm. The Fugitive could have fallen prey to all of that, but it's tight and mysterious. I like how it doesn't even tell you whether Harrison Ford is innocent or not. Of course they were working from a very well known television series, Ford was never a bad guy, and it would be rather difficult to sympathize with a fugitive who was guilty. But if all you saw was this trailer today, you would be forgiven for wondering exactly who the good guy would be. Would it be Ford, or Tommy Lee Jones?
Live from SFIFF: Evenings with Robert Redford and the World's Angriest Scotsman
Filed under: Comedy », IFC », Celebrities and Controversy », San Francisco International Film Festival », Summer Movies »
I tend to be skeptical of anything pitched as "an Evening with..." someone, because I don't generally melt from simply being in the presence of someone famous or talented -- they've got to, you know, do something. But when the San Francisco International Film Festival announced "An Evening with Robert Redford," they had a trump card: a brand new print of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, one of my favorite films that I had nonetheless never seen on the big screen. That seemed like a fair trade: you give me Butch Cassidy and I'll sit through the clip reel and onstage interview. Deal.
It was pretty painless, actually. The interviewer, the San Francisco Chronicle's Philip Bronstein, manages to just be mildly sycophantic, and Redford was thoughtful and articulate -- as charming as you'd expect. The audience questions were typically gushy and occasionally inappropriate (someone tried to pitch a documentary project, prompting a groan from the entire room -- who really thinks that a 1500-person Q&A is a good venue to talk business with Robert Redford?) but the man answered (or deflected) them with the aplomb of someone who has done this a gazillion times. At one point, we learned that Redford has not seen Butch Cassidy in the 40 years since its release, which is kind of remarkable when you think about it.
Cinematical Seven: Summer Counter-Programming
Filed under: Fandom », Cinematical Seven », Summer Movies »
This year it's Summer Appreciation at Cinematical, but summer doesn't just mean one lumbering tentpole blockbuster after another. In fact, smaller distributors and indie studio arms often use summertime to offer some great low-key alternatives -- not big Oscar contenders, but smaller-profile festival favorites. And this summer is particularly rife with other options if and when you tire of all the sequels and franchises. Here are seven small films -- most but not all of which I've seen -- that you might consider supporting in the next three or four months.
1. The Brothers Bloom (May 15) - Rian Johnson's sophomore feature -- a character-driven fairy tale masquerading as a con man flick -- debuted at Toronto last year to muted acclaim. It's no Brick, but it's actually a fantastic summer offering: sunny, whimsical and bittersweet. Summit was originally set to release the film last fall, then last winter, before finally bumping it to May. It's legitimately funny and whip-smart, which should make it an attractive option in mid-May.
The Geek Beat: Origins and Endings
Filed under: Fandom », The Geek Beat », Summer Movies »
You'll probably be getting a one-two punch of Wolverine this week and next, and I apologize -- but big popcorn flicks deserve a lot of digital ink, especially if they're kicking off the summer season. Plus, this is the solo adventure of my favorite superhero. Avoiding the topic is impossible.
Over the past year, I have shared a lot of opinions of what I wanted X-Men Origins: Wolverine to be, or where I hoped they would take the character, or issues I had with their portrayal of the Weapon X program. But you know what I really wish? I wish Wolverine could have remained mysterious.
Hugh Jackman has argued that he wasn't comfortable taking the character anywhere like Japan without first showing who Logan was, and where he had come from. But what kept Wolverine as such an enduring character (besides his gratuitous body count) was his shadowy origin. It was a big deal when he revealed his name was Logan. The way such information was handled was brilliant and brusque. When asked why he hadn't ever told anyone his name, he shrugged. "You never asked." He just appeared on the scene, a snarling badass. He was Marvel's Man with No Name. Fans loved it. We lived for the teases, flashbacks, and guessworks.
Terrific Trailers: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Disney », Johnny Depp », Remakes and Sequels », Summer Movies », Trailers and Clips », Scenes We Love »
The Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy is still in that so-popular-its-annoying stage, which is why I wince at bringing it up in our summer appreciation. Believe me, nobody can be more worn out on all things piratical than this humble writer. After all, my sister dates a professional Jack Sparrow, and this is the time of year when we dust off our tricorns, polish off our swords, and contemplate another summer of going "Avast, ye scurvy dogs!" up at the local Ren Faire. I'm pretty sure I only just put away the puffy shirt.
But in spite of this, I maintain that Pirates was one of the best things to happen to summer flicks in a long, long time. It was that rare thing in a summer blockbuster: a surprise. Of course it had a lot of press and buzz but few expected it to be any good, even with the likes of Johnny Depp and Geoffery Rush. What a rare treat it is to be collectively wrong. Of course, then the sequels started and what started out as something fun and original became bloated summer fare.
While I liked Dead Man's Chest, I can't muster up much of a defense for At World's End. Yet today's summer Terrific Trailer is At World's End because there's nothing more depressing than a crappy film with a fantastic trailer. The film promised here is ten times better than the one shoved into theaters. You watch it and wonder "How the hell did they screw that up?" because it hints at exactly what should have followed Dead Man's Chest. Remember this trailer as you line up for this summer's movies, because five seconds of coolness (like that brilliant swords-and-music moment of 1:58, or the introduction of the pirate lords) can result in 2 1/2 hours of total disappointment.
But in spite of this, I maintain that Pirates was one of the best things to happen to summer flicks in a long, long time. It was that rare thing in a summer blockbuster: a surprise. Of course it had a lot of press and buzz but few expected it to be any good, even with the likes of Johnny Depp and Geoffery Rush. What a rare treat it is to be collectively wrong. Of course, then the sequels started and what started out as something fun and original became bloated summer fare.
While I liked Dead Man's Chest, I can't muster up much of a defense for At World's End. Yet today's summer Terrific Trailer is At World's End because there's nothing more depressing than a crappy film with a fantastic trailer. The film promised here is ten times better than the one shoved into theaters. You watch it and wonder "How the hell did they screw that up?" because it hints at exactly what should have followed Dead Man's Chest. Remember this trailer as you line up for this summer's movies, because five seconds of coolness (like that brilliant swords-and-music moment of 1:58, or the introduction of the pirate lords) can result in 2 1/2 hours of total disappointment.
'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' Gets Sharp With Merchandising
Filed under: Fandom », 20th Century Fox », Newsstand », Movie Marketing », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », Summer Movies »
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is now at the saturation point where I consciously stop paying attention, and avoid the stills, the clips, and the television spots as much as I can. But now the merchandising is hitting the shelves much to my amusement (and horror -- just think how much of this stuff ends up in a landfill) and though Wolverine is the first movie of the summer, I think it takes the merchandising prize with this: The Limited Edition Schick Quattro Titanium Razor.
I don't know why its marketing logic makes me laugh, but it does. Of course anything with a metal blade is an obvious tie-in, but the commercials aren't about razor sharp claws, they're themed around Wolverine's legendary muttonchops! Schick is even running a contest to award the man with the finest Wolverine facial hair a bunch of prizes. If this leads to a muttonchop comeback, I'll be really happy, provided you boys keep them as nicely groomed as Logan's. Unfortunately, that "limited edition" label will keep a lot of dudes from even opening the package. Ugh.
Of course, if they really wanted to be obvious and true to the character, they would have slapped Wolverine on some beer advertisements, but that pesky PG-13 rating gets in the way. He can chug brews on screen, but off? He has to sell milk.
I don't know why its marketing logic makes me laugh, but it does. Of course anything with a metal blade is an obvious tie-in, but the commercials aren't about razor sharp claws, they're themed around Wolverine's legendary muttonchops! Schick is even running a contest to award the man with the finest Wolverine facial hair a bunch of prizes. If this leads to a muttonchop comeback, I'll be really happy, provided you boys keep them as nicely groomed as Logan's. Unfortunately, that "limited edition" label will keep a lot of dudes from even opening the package. Ugh.
Of course, if they really wanted to be obvious and true to the character, they would have slapped Wolverine on some beer advertisements, but that pesky PG-13 rating gets in the way. He can chug brews on screen, but off? He has to sell milk.
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