The mummy 3 Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Discuss: How Many Chances Do You Give An Actor?
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », New Releases », Remakes and Sequels »
But there is a time I would have gone to see it solely for its leading man, Brendan Fraser. I used to really like him. I don't think his poster ever decorated my wall, but one of his numerous photographic appearances in People's "Sexiest Man" issues probably did. But now I just feel annoyed by him and his films. I feel like Fraser is one constant comeback -- he makes a few big movies, and a few small ones which garner him critical acclaim. Then he vanishes into obscurity, only to come roaring back with a blockbuster, his return heralded with "Fraser! I wondered what happened to that guy!" It feels like this is the third comeback round of Fraser's career, only this time, it seems absent of the buzz that followed him after the first The Mummy.
Review: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », New Releases », Universal », Theatrical Reviews »
I haven't seen the previous two movies in the Mummy series, although people have recommended them to me as rollicking old-fashioned action-adventure movies, from the same Saturday-afternoon-matinee roots as the Indiana Jones series -- not exactly brain teasers, but good silly fun. The good news is that if you too haven't seen the preceding movies, you can watch The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor without fear of getting confused or lost or not understanding the recurring characters. The bad news is that regardless of whether you've watched the other films, the third Mummy entry is a headache-inducing mess that piles on unimpressive special effects to stretch a slight and often incomprehensible storyline.
The movie begins with an extended backstory: the history of the Dragon Emperor from thousands of years ago, in which a ruthless tyrant (Jet Li) bargained with an infamous witch (Michelle Yeoh) in his ambitious drive to seek immortality. The backstory, narrated in a manner befitting the History Channel, goes on for far longer than necessary. (Hellboy II did this so much better and faster, and with cool puppetry too.) It's a full 10 minutes before the story begins and we encounter the leads from the previous Mummy films, Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) and his wife Evelyn (Maria Bello this go-round), who have retired from the action business and are trying to lead humdrum lives in the English countryside.
Vulture Declares August a Cursed Movie Month
Filed under: Casting », New Releases », Box Office », Newsstand »
Beginning with the summer of Surf Ninjas and concluding with last year's Underdog, Vulture has compiled a list arguing that August movies generally blow. Sifting through the titles from the past fifteen years, it's hard to ignore their point. If Bushwhacked, Spawn and The Thirteenth Warrior don't convince you, how about Hollow Man? The Adventures of Pluto Nash? Anacondas? August usually means a lot to America. It's big for vacationers. The sun comes out and everyone gets one last hurrah before the summer recedes for the year. So why would studios dump their worst movies at this time? Maybe it's just a coincidence, but either way, it's hard to say whether or not this August will break the trend. Swing Vote seems to confirm Vulture's dire prediction, but Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder will surely find some appreciative audiences. And we all know The Dark Knight will continue to make bank. However, before you start thinking that a turnaround is on the way, consider the third Mummy movie -- and, once again, Vulture might have something here: Variety has called it "cheeseball stuff." Could that be the codeword for "typical August movie"? It would seem so.
Cinematical's Comic-Con Preview!
Filed under: Festival Reports », Fandom », Movie Marketing », Comic/Superhero/Geek », ComicCon »
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In less than 24 hours, myself, Scott Weinberg and Elisabeth Rappe will be in San Diego, overdosing on all things geek for the next five days. That's because the 2008 San Diego Comic Con is upon us, and there are literally hundreds of different things to do. We'll be sitting on panels (catch yours truly on the Masters of the Web panel), attending panels, interviewing stars, hanging with Storm Troopers, playing with cool toys, going to screenings (Fanboys, Tropic Thunder, Mutant Chronicles, etc ...) and, well, getting our dance on at some of the coolest parties this side of the galaxy. It's intense. We're excited. And if you're not able to attend, then you best be checking out Cinematical all day long later this week as we'll be shoveling out tons and tons of content.
And speaking of content, here's a taste of what you can expect from your pals at Cinematical:
Panel Coverage:
Masters of the Web
When: Thursday, July 24th -- 10am.
Who: Robert Sanchez (IESB.net), Garth Franklin (Darkhorizons.com), Mike Sampson (Joblo.com), Erik Davis (Cinematical.com), John Campea (TheMovieBlog.com), Brad Miska (Bloody-Disgusting.com), Eric "Quint" Vespe (Aintitcool.com), Devin Faraci (CHUD.com), Paul Christensen (Movieweb.com), and Kellvin Chavez (Latinoreview.com). Moderated by directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (Crank 2, The Game). Room 32AB
Watchmen
When: Friday, July 25th -- 11:55am
Who: Zack Snyder, Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Patrick Wilson
Much, much more after the jump ...
Discuss: When Characters Are Recast
Filed under: Casting », Fandom », James Bond », Harry Potter », Remakes and Sequels »
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This summer may be confusing to some less blog-literate moviegoers thanks to two recast roles. In both The Dark Knight and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, a prominent character is played by a new actress. In the former sequel, "Rachel Dawes" will be played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, replacing Katie Holmes, who had the role in Batman Begins. In the latter, "Eveyln Carnahan O'Connell" will be played by Maria Bello, subbing for Rachel Weisz, who appeared in both The Mummy and The Mummy Returns.
This certainly isn't the first time characters have been recast with different actors, and over at The Onion, the A.V. Club has listed 20 such memorably jarring switcheroos, which they're calling The Darrin Effect (after the famous character replacement on TV's Bewitched), in television and film. Surely everyone recalls when Sarah Chalke took over the part of "Becky" on Roseanne; the writers even occasionally even slipped in some reflexive jokes about it. And let's not forget the glaring problem of recasting Jodie Foster's Oscar-winning role of "Clarice Starling" -- Julianne Moore played the part in Hannibal. Or the tragic yet surprisingly respectable replacement of Michael Gambon for a deceased Richard Harris in the Harry Potter movies.
The Latest 'Mummy' Trailer, Courtesy of Papa John's Pizza
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Thrillers », Universal », Movie Marketing », Remakes and Sequels », Trailers and Clips »
Perhaps sensing that the dough was going to rise (ha!) on this puppy, Papa John's Pizza is sponsoring the new trailer for The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor over on director Rob Cohen's blog, in preparation for the three-quel's forthcoming premiere on big screens and large pizza boxes everywhere come August 1.
Anyway, what's the difference between this new trailer and the one we got just a month back? Not all that much, really, which means that the film still looks to be an improvement over its noxiously overblown predecessor. Yes, after seven years, Brendan Fraser's character remains vocal about his wearying habit of fighting mummies. No, you're not crazy, Rachel Weisz isn't just bearing a passing resemblance to Maria Bello. Sure, their son seems to have aged ahead just enough to be both handsome and cocky in equal measure.
But all qualms aside, it isn't often when one gets to say that a movie looks to have a cooler Yeti than it does a three-headed dragon, so check out Cohen's blog for that trailer and other behind-the-scenes material, and here's to hoping that the film itself manages to be the most entertaining action-adventure blockbuster surrogate for the Indiana Jones franchise since... well, last month.
The Teaser For 'The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor' Now Online!
Filed under: Action », Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Thrillers », Universal », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »
It is up courtesy of Yahoo! Movies (along with a bunch of new photos), so unfortunately we can't embed it. While it looks better than I expected it would, there isn't much to inspire a lot of excitement for me. I thought the one thing this movie would have in its favor was a new location. But despite being located in China, it manages to boast as many desert battles as the previous two installments. Now, I know there are deserts in China, but that isn't exactly the geography the country is most famous for. Wouldn't you take advantage of the beautiful mountains and bamboo forests? Unless, of course, you were banking on using those dissolving sand effects again, already evident on the poster. (They do venture into the Himalayas at some point from the looks of things. Dissolving snow effects?)
Still, it looks like there are some impressive action sequences. Those terracotta soldiers have always given me the creeps, so bonus points for managing to play on one of my archeological fears. And its nice to see Brendan Fraser again -- like Johnny Depp, he must have a portrait of himself aging in an attic somewhere. His movie son looks older than he does.
The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor will be released August 1st. What do you think -- a good way to spend the end of the summer, or are you just going to buy another ticket to Indiana Jones?
(In addition to the trailer, Universal released a slew of new Mummy images. Check those out in the gallery below.)
EXCLUSIVE: New Images from 'The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'!
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Mystery & Suspense », Fandom », DIY/Filmmaking », Movie Marketing », Remakes and Sequels », Images »
Cinematical has just received a batch of exclusive images from The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (see gallery below for more). The first poster for this sequel hit the other day, and I imagine a trailer will be knocking on all our doors real soon. In this third Mummy installment (technically fourth if you include The Scorpion King), father-and-son duo Rick (Brendan Fraser) and Alex O'Connell (Luke Ford) find themselves in the Far East where they unearth the mummy of the first Emperor of Qin. Needless to say, said Emperor (as played by Jet Li) is your basic, run-of-the-mill shape-shifting entity, cursed by a wizard centuries ago, and out to wreak some havoc. The beautiful Maria Bello and Michelle Yeoh round out the cast.
Rob Cohen directed this one, and if you like what you see in the gallery below, make sure to head on over to Rob's official Mummy production blog. Dude's been keeping that loaded with all sorts of tasty goodies ever since production first began, so definitely check that out, as well as the film's official website (which just went live). The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor arrives in theaters on August 1.
'The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor' Poster Debut!
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Thrillers », Movie Marketing », Remakes and Sequels », Images », Posters »
Ignore me, I'm just annoyed that Rachel Weisz won't be appearing. I loved her brainy Egyptologist until they sexed her up in the sequel. That was so cheap. Girls who decipher ancient languages are sexy on their own -- keep that in mind while filling her retro shoes, Maria Bello! Are you guys excited about this one? It's funny that it comes out at the tail end of summer, another archealogical adventure to fill the void left by Indiana Jones.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor arrives in theaters on August 1.
Confirmed: 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' Trailer Arrives Next Week
Filed under: Action », Fandom », Movie Marketing », Remakes and Sequels », Trailers and Clips »
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What would we do without Variety? The trade confirms tonight what all the movie sites have known for awhile: The first Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull trailer will debut in front of The Spiderwick Chronicles on February 14, and debut on the web shortly thereafter. I'm sure the trailer will hit online prior to its official release, and if it somehow makes it all the way to February 14, many You Tubers will record the thing on their camera phone and it will be up online in no time. And then Paramount will force all of us to post the crappy version (because, c'mon, it's the first Indy trailer; it could come silent, fuzzy and in lime green -- everyone would still post it).
So, hopefully, the studio will realize this and put the trailer online the morning The Spiderwick Chronicles debuts. Don't leave it to those idiotic camera phone rats. The reason for the delay, by the way (and according to Variety), is that a lot of the trailer material wasn't finished. However, producers also feel they don't have to sell Indiana Jones -- the character's already sold himself over the last couple decades.
As the trade also points out, we still haven't seen trailers for The Incredible Hulk (which, in my opinion, really needs to sell itself) and The Mummy 3. They also mention Sex and the City, but we've seen a teaser and -- well -- it's SATC. It has its fans. And they will show up.
Our Favorite Summers: 1981
To the Calendar! Comic-Con 2009 Schedule Released
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Raja Gosnell to Direct Live-Action 'Smurfs'
First Look: Ellen Page Ready to 'Whip It'
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