gi joe Tagged Articles at Cinematical

If the unofficial end of summer arrives with Labor Day Weekend, then all we've got left are a few more days to discuss the summer that was before she rides off into the sunset with her billions in box office dollars and a few more sequels already green-lit. But how does she compare to the summers of the past? A quick glance shows us that, unlike 2008, this summer we didn't get a Dark Knight or an Iron Man ... though we did get a Star Trek and a Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. We didn't get a Wanted, a Hellboy 2 or an Incredible Hulk, but we did get some smaller, smarter sci-fi films like Moon and District 9.

Pixar came through yet again, but the rest of this summer's animation slate seemed pretty weak. Same goes for comedies, with the exception of The Hangover, which kinda made up for the disappointing Land of the Lost, Funny People, I Love You, Beth Cooper, I Hate Valentine's Day, The Ugly Truth and The Goods. Sam Raimi returned with a pretty awesome horror flick in Drag Me to Hell, though, and Harry Potter rolled in with what was perhaps his most entertaining installment of the franchise. G.I.: The Rise of Cobra surprised some with its fun, cheesy vibe, and Wolverine did just enough to score himself another go-round in Japan.

One of the bigger surprises of the late-summer movie geekery is that Stephen Sommers' G.I. Joe is getting surprisingly positive reviews! I guess it's just that late-summer action flicks are assumed to be moronic by default, but that hasn't prevented a big fistful of online movie geeks from expressing their incredulous praise for the family-friendly action flick. Our own Todd Gilchrist saw and enjoyed the flick, and we'll throw you a teaser excerpt after the jump, but he reminded me that there's nothing really like hyper-kinetic and virtually mindless action films when you're in the mood for something fun.

With that in mind, I humbly offer a few of my favorite "Mindless Mayhem Moments."

The final car chase in Doomsday. Well-cut, well-scored, and wonderfully manic.
ANY car chase in Death Race.
The alley brawl in Charlie's Angels.
The alley brawl in They Live.
The ridiculous car chase in The Rock that was actually a late re-shoot.
The phenomenal opening scene of District B-13. And the casino brawl.
The dislodged mill wheel sword fight in Pirates 2.
Gene Hackman delivering a Denzel bitchslap (twice!) in Crimson Tide.
Con Air. Deep Rising. Hard Rain. Yep, all three.


Or if you're in a big hurry, throw Crank, Running Scared and Shoot 'Em Up into a multi-disc player and push "random scene." Do dvd players have that button? Well, they should.

One of the most mystifying things about the summer of 2009 has been how, months ago and without any actual information to go on, it became gospel that G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra was going to be a ridiculous train wreck. This is especially bewildering in light of the moderate-to-positive buzz that preceded the release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, also for no apparent reason. Who decided that G.I. Joe would be terrible? When? Why?

I have, as they say, no robotically enhanced dog in this hunt. I certainly do not expect G.I. Joe to be any sort of season's highlight. I don't have any specific expectations for it, to be honest. But here's the information I have: this is a summer action movie directed by Stephen Sommers, whose last three blockbusters have ranged from tolerable mediocrity to delirious fun. Its cast includes character actors like Christopher Eccleston and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (as the arch-villain, no less). Its trailer is no more or less ridiculous than you would expect from a movie based on action figures, and actually struck me as lighter on its feet than other recent tentpoles. Why it's fated to be the summer's biggest disaster escapes me entirely.

I mean, look at this USA Today piece about the film's "bad buzz". What facts does it actually contain? Anonymous, generalized "complaints" about elements of the trailer. (Was it really that bad? I just don't see it.) The notion that "the script was hurried into production" to beat the writer's strike -- legitimate, but shamefully vague. And a positive review from Harry Knowles, which I guess some people would consider a bad sign, but I'm not sure that's the point the article was making. The piece doesn't even mention the absurd rumors -- not helpful, though proven false -- that Stephen Sommers was kicked off the project in post-production.

Sorry, Jason Statham fans. He's not going to be your "Real American Hero." Statham had been rumored as the likely choice to play Action Man in the upcoming G.I. Joe flick, but Statham insists he has nothing to do with the film. "The old Internet can be quite misleading at times," he tell MTV Movies Blog. "I don't know where that came from." Statham is keeping busy without Joe though, bro. The Bank Job is due out in 2008, and he's currently on the set of Death Race with a surprisingly excellent cast that includes Ian McShane and Joan Allen. That film is being directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (the terrible Soldier and the almost-terrible Alien Vs. Predator). I always wondered why that guy didn't change his name. You'd think years of people being disappointed when he's not Paul Thomas Anderson would get to the guy.

In addition to those projects, the ass-kicking Statham is lining up some sequels that will bring him back to some of his more popular roles. For starters, there's Crank 2, which Statham promises will be "effing ridiculous." "If you thought the first one was crazy, this is ridiculous. It's mad," he says. "I couldn't resist working with those chaps again. It gives me a chance to go wild in the aisles." For more on the Crank sequel, check Scott's report here. And yet another Statham sequel is in the works -- Transporter 3. "I have a massive yearning to do Part 3 with Luc (Besson). I think it will happen (soon)," says Statham. I haven't seen the Transporter films, though I hear great things. I do happen to think Crank is one of the finest pure action films in years. I'm dying for a sequel, if only to see how they make up for the fact that it sure looked like Statham's character -- spoiler warning -- died in the original. Oh, and bring Dwight Yoakam back! Man, I love that guy.

Usually Hollywood waits until a movie's a hit to pounce on everything similar. Transformers hasn't even come out yet, and already just about every 80's toy and cartoon is being violently dragged back into the public eye. I just told you about the dueling scripts for G.I. Joe, He-Man is in the works, and now we've got another show I didn't watch headed for the big screen -- Thundercats. (Seriously, how did I miss all of this stuff as a child? Mom?). Pot-fueled discussions I've heard at parties are now becoming actual films. "Duuude, you know what show was awesome? Thundercats!" Paul Sopocy wrote the script for the live-action feature film, which will be released by Warner Brothers. Thundercats focuses on "a group of humanoid cats (with feline names like Lion-O, Tygra, Panthro and Cheetara) who must flee their planet of Thundera after it's destroyed. Once crash-landing on another planet, Third Earth, they must thwart Mumm-Ra, an evil sorcerer bent on killing them off." Oh. So that's why I didn't watch it!

Sopocy's script will be an origin story, and will "expand on the major heroes and villains from the animated series." The plot will center on Lion-O's coming of age and eventual ascent to the leader of the Thundercats. No word on possible cameos from Heathcliff and Garfield, or whether or not the film will feature Andrew Lloyd Webber musical numbers. Who do you guys see getting cast in this thing? G.I. Joe's a little easier to call, and the success of 300 should make actors a little less wary about hopping into the He-Man wardrobe. But can you think of any major stars who wouldn't mind dressing up in a cat costume? I have a feeling Pacino won't be on the call sheet. What are your feelings on a Thundercats movie? Will it be a meow-sterpiece or a cat-astrophe? If I said I thought it'd be purr-fect, I'd be lion to you! Want me to stop? I'll stop.

I'm beginning to wonder what exactly I watched as a child. While all of my friends talk excitedly about the big-screen adaptations of Transformers and now G.I. Joe, I find myself completely left out. I was the perfect age for those shows, but never saw an episode. What the hell was I watching -- Gummi Bears? (I do know the entire theme song, which I think answers my question. "Bouncing here and there and everywhere!") Erik just told you about Paramount's plans to move forward with a live-action G.I. Joe film, and also shared Latino Review's extremely unfavorable script review. Fear not, plastic man fans -- according to iesb, that leaked script was a rushed and incomplete first draft by Skip Woods, writer of Swordfish. (And Lord knows that guy couldn't write a bad movie!)

Woods' take was more of an "origin story," but it seems that his is not the only G.I. Joe script out there. A few years ago Paramount hired David Elliot and Paul Lovett (Four Brothers) to write a draft that was more of a straight-up adaptation of the series. That script (read LR's positive review here) included Duke, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Hi-Tech, Heavy Duty, Wild Bill, General Hawk and General Flagg. The villains were Destro, the Baroness, Storm Shadow and Cobra. And now, in an unusual move, Paramount is asking both parties to finish their scripts at the same time. Woods will complete his first draft, Elliot and Lovett will begin a third draft. And then I assume Paramount will either make a choice or combine elements of both. Apparently Hasbro and Paramount are making this move to get the movie into theaters as quickly as possible, and before the possible Writers' Guild strike. Now then, what does a red-blooded American male have to do to get a Jem movie fast-tracked? That would be truly truly truly outrageous!