bruce campbell Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Since its earliest days of development, the value of most computer animation was judged by how accurately it represented or substituted for reality: are skin tones believable, are textures authentic, is motion natural or smooth? But at least as far as animated movies are concerned, many (including lots of audience members) have forgotten that many of the medium's best examples were ones where abstraction and exaggeration were a big part (if not the biggest) of their artistry; notwithstanding feature-length classics like Snow White or Dumbo, filmmakers like Chuck Jones and Tex Avery entertained audiences by expanding their imaginations with punch lines, characters and even worlds that were anything but realistic.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is the most cartoonish animated film I've seen in a long time, and I mean that as a compliment. Taking inspiration from Looney Tunes classics, Buster Keaton, and Jerry Bruckheimer movies in equal measures, co-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have adapted Ron and Judi Barrett's kids book into a true larger-than-life tale, creating a world that scarcely resembles anything that could or would happen, and manages to be all the more exciting because of it.

Given the long and fruitful friendship of Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell, it should really come as no surprise that Campbell is going to be in Spider-Man 4. What could be surprising is how much screen time he might earn this time around.

Campbell told Access Hollywood that Spider-Man 4 is set to begin shooting January 2010, and that he's been told by Raimi that he has "a major part. The kicker is that the well-chinned actor knows not what that role might be. Access Hollywood immediately began speculating that he'll be stepping into the villain's shoes, and says fans are touting him for Mysterio. But hey, in our own comments we currently have one vote for Campbell as Mysterio and one for him as Lizard, so I'm going to borrow their investigative technique and say that fan consensus is divided.

As Slashfilm notes, "a major part" could simply mean that Campbell's recurring cameo could throw another kink into Peter Parker's life. As Spidey and Campbell fans know, every time he's appeared in the series he's done something to nudge the superhero into his destiny, and it could be that he does something very drastic to Parker's life. Perhaps he's Mephisto and he'll pull a One More Day, reverse the entire franchise series, and that's how we'll get our reboot.

I'm not sure how it hasn't happened yet, but we haven't reveled in all things Army of Darkness for Scenes We Love yet ... until now! It's time for some Sam Raimi love, instead of Raimi rants.

When it comes to beloved scenes, no actor or film reigns supreme than Bruce Campbell in Evil Dead 3. It's a movie of epic one-liners, ones so unforgettable that even Evil Dead: The Musical uses them (well before Ash uttered them!). Yes, it's also a movie with some great slapstick, but nothing beats the words that pass through Campbell's lips.

Whenever I watch it, I wonder if the franchise have been as popular without the third film and those oft-recited quotes. Would Ash have had even half the staying power, or would have been merely a genre hero? Whatever the case, we can be happy he's here, and he got to utter phrases like "Give me some sugar, baby," "This is my boom stick," and my favorite: "Well, hello Mr. Fancy Pants." No other man could've pulled that off, and that's what I love about it.

That scene is second in the compilation after the jump (see it in its entirety here), a mix that includes most of the famous lines Bruce uttered. But there are some that are missing. There's no Chinese fighter pilots, and no "Hail to the King," even though the original incarnation of the musical had a whole song dedicated to it. Check out the Ash wonder and then weigh in below: What's your favorite Ash line?

Hail to the king, baby! Our Ash is one step closer to being back.

I officially forgive Sam Raimi for any disagreement we have over Kirsten Dunst and Spider-Man. The director recently had a long chat with Empire magazine, and he had a lot of good things to say about the long-anticipated sequel in the Evil Dead series.

So far, he's seven pages into a script for Evil Dead 4, with brother Ivan, just as he hoped: "Every time I'm with my brother Ivan, we write another page of it. It's in Detroit and in my garage." Raimi continued: "There's some dialogue. Ash being an idiot. Ash taking some abuse. Some character stuff and then some structure of Act Two. Just other possibilities for things that could happen. It's ideas, jokes, things we'd like to see."

Of course, Bruce Campbell is "firmly in mind" to star, but I bet it would be more accurate to say that there's no project without him. Some recasts might work, and I might love Ryan Ward in Evil Dead: The Musical, but there is NO replacing Campbell's Ash.

The Raimis have secretly outlined what they want to see in the sequel, but what would you folks like to see?

Woohoo, let's check one horror remake off the list for 2009! Yes, I was fortunate enough to experience the 3-D splatteriness of My Bloody Valentine at the jam-packed BNAT 10 last weekend -- and while I was equal parts skeptical and intrigued, I'm pleased to opine that this is one fun little gore-fest. Feel free to check out my review at FEARnet and / or Devin's over at CHUD for some specific thoughts. (Big fan of the original Valentine? Then check out this interview re: the new DVD!) Oh, and here's the newest teaser trailer:



Hmm, what else happened while I was down in Austin? Ah yes, Rob Zombie was officially locked in to directing Halloween 2, which excites me in the same way that would Uwe Boll directing a remake of The Thing. With all due respect to Robby Z. and his legions of fans ... I just hate his movies. Despite actively trying to enjoy each flick (more than once!), each one feels like a sweaty barbecue with the world's most disgusting inbreds. Not scary, just ugly and unpleasant. And since Halloween 2 holds a strange little place in my heart, I think I'll just forget about this project until it hits the screens this October.

Hey cool: Looks like that geek-friendly Outlander flick is finally touching down on January 23. Sounds good. Also in January? Sundance and Slamdance! My red-penciled genre flicks are as follows: Dead Snow, Grace, The Killing Room, and Moon (from Sundance), plus Conjurer, I Sell the Dead, Mum & Dad, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Undead, and Zombie Girl: The Movie (from Slamdance). Oh, and all the dramas and comedies and such...

True or False: There is such a thing as too many Bruce Campbell interviews. (Answer: False.) And Happy Horrodays! Here's a list of cinema's ten scariest Santas! Last and probably least: Anyone out there want to see Steven Seagal as a vampire slayer? This might cure you.

Even the most die-hard Bruce Campbell fans often approach the actor's latest films with trepidation. You never know whether you're going to end up watching something sublime and smart like Bubba Ho-Tep, or something that is ... not, like Alien Apocalypse. My Name is Bruce may be selling out quickly on its tour where actor/director Campbell is traveling with the film to promote it, but that doesn't mean anything ... some people would watch him read the phone book. It was a relief to discover that My Name is Bruce is a bundle of good cheesy fun. The gags tend to work, the storyline is eye-rollingly ridiculous but rarely dull, and Campbell is at his lovably jerky best.

Campbell plays Bruce Campbell -- a less successful and more obnoxious version of himself. This Bruce lives in a trailer that has seen better days, yet acts like a numero-uno prima donna on the set of his latest Grade-Z movie, Cave Alien 2. He drunk-dials his ex-wife, he shares bottles of cheap booze with his dog, he hangs out in topless-dancing bars. Meanwhile, a small town is being tormented by an ancient Chinese ghost, and the teenager responsible for unleashing the spirit is the world's biggest Bruce Campbell fan. He convinces the townspeople that they should kidnap Bruce and bring him to their town to play the hero.

If you haven't seen Bubba Ho-Tep, then stop reading this post immediately and go to your movie renting outlet of choice. If you have (and I imagine everyone on Cinematical has) then you may continue.

There has been talk of a sequel to Bubba Ho-Tep for I don't know how long. I would venture to say that we were all pretty favorable to the idea, because more Bruce Campbell is always a good thing. But then came word that Campbell wouldn't be reprising his role as Elvis Presely in Bubba Nosferatu ... and well, who wants that?

Everyone associated with Bubba Nosferatu, apparently. Last year, director Don Coscarelli said he would replace Campbell with someone equally lovable. Word has it, according to an interview Ain't It Cool News held with Paul Giamatti, that the new Elvis is none other than Ron Perlman. Says Giamatti: "Our thinking was kind of like, "Well who the hell do we find who is a really good actor and a guy who is going to fit right?" You know what I mean? It was sort of like, for a while we let the thing sit and then all of a sudden we were like 'Well, maybe we should go to Ron Perlman,' which just seemed like a great idea and he was up for it." The plan is to start shooting Bubba Nosferatu in the spring, with Giamatti still attached as Col. Parker.

Call me a Debbie Downer, but my interest in Bubba Nosferatu died when Campbell dropped out. It kills me to say it, because the plot sounds terrific and I'd love to see Giamatti as Col. Parker. But I can't see Perlman, talented as he is, as this particular Elvis. It might just be me, though, and everyone else will be happy enough to see Elvis ride again.

If you read my recent Cinematical Seven about my favorite Bruce Campbell moments, you know already how much I enjoy watching the actor/filmmaker onscreen. I was one of the people who refreshed her browser window continually in order to be able to score tickets to the Austin screening of My Name is Bruce, Campbell's latest film, which he directed and starred in. The first screening sold out in Austin in record time. (They added two more screenings as a result, which also sold out quickly.)

So you can well imagine my reaction when given the opportunity to interview Campbell while he was in Austin for the screening. I had fleeting nightmare visions of the interview sounding like Bridget Jones interviewing Colin Firth in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, or like one of those interviews Chris Farley used to do on Saturday Night Live ("You know that scene in Army of Darkness where you were fighting yourself? That was awesome."). Fortunately none of that happened, and the professional interviewer won out over the fangirl. After I saw My Name is Bruce and enjoyed a lively audience Q&A -- Alamo Drafthouse has posted video highlights on YouTube -- I met Campbell in a small office at the back of Alamo Ritz. We chatted about My Name is Bruce and the road tour Campbell's doing for the movie, other projects he's working on, and of course the whole Evil Dead 4 thing. Check it out after the jump.

I don't ask for autographs, I don't send fan letters, and I certainly don't wait around in front of hotels or press lines -- but I do get to attend some verrrrry geeky movie events, I do have a few very cool friends, and (get this) I'm a pretty friendly and sincere guy. So sometimes I get cool snapshots. Call it a hobby inspired by the time I did a (very brief) Sundance interview with the monolithic James Woods and walked away without a photo with one of my actor-heroes. (Despite the fact that I had a perfectly good camera in my pocket.) Plus I work for a cool movie blog, which means I can get photos like these and actually call it ... work! (muffled giggles)

My gracious thanks to everyone in and behind the photos. And my apologies to everyone else for my always looking so bald, sweaty, and tired. (You only see pictures of me when I'm exhausted. Plus I'm just plain old goofy looking, so save your comments.)