michael clarke duncan Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Before The Slammin' Salmon, I wouldn't have called myself a fan of the boys from the Broken Lizard comedy troupe, though I have some mild, slightly embarrassed affection for Super Troopers and Club Dread. But Salmon is 90 minutes of truly inspired comic mayhem. With valuable assists from the rest of their cast, Broken Lizard has crafted the funniest film of SXSW – and they had some fine competition. I know I said that you can't trust me, but trust me: this is great stuff.

Broken Lizard is Jay Chandrasekhar, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske and Kevin Heffernan. Heffernan directed and the entire troupe is credited for the screenplay. But in a shrewd move, The Slammin' Salmon revolves around an outsider: Michael Clarke Duncan, who plays a boxer-turned-restaurant owner named Cleon Salmon, a.k.a. "The Champ." In the best comedy tradition, the Champ combines dim-witted cluelessness with peerless confidence. That, combined with his enormous size, puts his employees in mortal fear of his wrath. So when, one evening, he announces that the waiter with the most sales gets $10,000 while the loser gets a "broken rib sandwich," the waitstaff – led by their officious manager (Heffernan) – step to.

While putting myself through the not good Street Figher: The Legend of Chun-Li, two aspects of the film seemed to merit particular note. The first would be Chris Klein's astoundingly bad faux-macho performance as a swaggering Interpol officer ("Nash out!"); the second would be every other line of Michael Clarke Duncan's dialogue as big, bad Balrog.

I bring this up because at any given moment, Duncan's Balrog is given to let loose with a hearty chuckle, and he does this at many given moments, as if director Andrezj Bartkowiak was concerned that he might've been too stoic on all those other days of shooting and just wanted to cover his butt.

I've already elicited some amusingly crude responses from pals, but even if you haven't seen the movie, I would like you guys and girls to complete the following sentence: Every time Michael Clarke Duncan chuckles...

(And "an angel gets its wings" is out of the running from the start. My game, my rules. Feel free to play off of that, though.)

I have yet to love a Broken Lizard movie, but I have a definite soft spot for the goofy comedy group, which somehow manages to be both lowbrow and esoteric. I missed Beerfest, but fondly recall individual moments of brilliance in Super Troopers (e.g. Kevin Heffernan flipping out on the fast food joint surveillance tape) and Club Dread (Heffernan again, losing his cool at the "fun police"). Their jokes can be vulgar and crude, but they can also be so subtle that they're almost not jokes, if that makes any sense. The way they embrace that dichotomy is really interesting to me.

Anyway, the Broken Lizard boys have unveiled a redband trailer for their latest effort, The Slammin' Salmon, and it's a gem. They've recruited Michael Clarke Duncan to play the lead role of a boxer-turned-enthusiastic-seafood-restaurant-owner, which makes perfect sense. He has one line in the trailer about a swordfish that may singlehandedly turn the film into a cult classic. Or if it doesn't, Duncan's girlish shriek certainly will.

I'm even more excited for The Slammin' Salmon because it was directed by Heffernan who, if it wasn't obvious, is far and away my favorite member of the troupe. Jay Chandrasekhar, who directed all the previous films (as well as the execrable Dukes of Hazzard remake) co-wrote with Heffernan and stars.

The movie premieres at Slamdance this month, and will be released this year on a date to be determined. (I'm hoping it shows up at SXSW in March.) Check out the trailer over at Collider.

The story behind the making of Delgo is heartwarming and inspiring. Fathom Studios, based in Atlanta, Georgia, has been creating commercial computer animation for more than ten years. When they decided to produce their own feature-length narrative film, they did it completely independent of the Hollywood studio system. They labored long and hard with a much smaller budget and a much smaller staff than the animation behemoths. They bravely posted "digital dailes" throughout production, a kind of progressive, online series of "making of" snippets. They recruited a slew of actors with name recognition -- Freddie Prinze Jr., Jennifer Love Hewitt, Val Kilmer, Malcolm McDowell, Louis Gossett Jr., Michael Clarke Duncan, Burt Reynolds, Chris Kattan, and the late Anne Bancroft in her last performance -- to voice the characters.

If only the film as a whole was as dramatic and lively as the behind-the-scenes story. Under the direction of Marc F. Adler and Jason Maurer, the 3-D animation is quite lovely to behold, but the characters are one-dimensional and the script, credited to six writers, spends too much time on convoluted plot mechanics. Delgo falls into an uncomfortable place where the technical achievement can be admired without the emotions ever being engaged, provoking nothing more than a tepid response ("meh") when the end credits begin to roll.

Set in a lush fantasy world of flying creatures, colorful reptiles, and the odd monster, beast, and giant insect, Delgo pits two races against one another. The proud, dominant, invading race lords it over the humble, subjugated, native race. Sound familiar?

You would think that if Legend Films was looking to improve the general opinion of their big-screen reboot of Street Fighter, they would have picked some more exciting photos to tease us with. Legend is now hosting a new gallery of behind-the-scenes photos for the video game flick, and, well, they're a little underwhelming. The shots are mostly comprised of the sets and a few extras, but there are a couple of recognizable faces (including Robin Shou and Kristen Kreuk) in the bunch. However, on the upside, we do get a glimpse of action to tide us over.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li centers on everyone's favorite "Hyakuretsu Kyaku" expert and Interpol Agent (as played by Kreuk). When her mentor and Tai Chi Master (played by Shou) is murdered by criminals, she goes on a quest for revenge. Justin Marks' script takes the character in a more realistic direction and even throws in some gangsters to go along with SF's usual baddies; Bison (Neal McDonough), Vega (Black Eyed Peas singer Taboo), and Balrog (Michael Clarke Duncan).

So even though I have yet to see anything that makes me think the film could work, I'll have to reserve judgment until I see something a little more final than a few on-set photos and the occasional blog entry. After all, isn't that what trailers are for?

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is scheduled for release February 27, 2009.

[Thanks: Coming Soon]

Luckily somebody over at the production blog for Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li has finally taken the hint and done away with the MySpace-style writing (I'm not sure how much more of that I could have taken). At least now it's way less annoying to catch up on the latest updates for the video game adaptation. First up is a picture of the newest addition to the story, Det. Maya Sunee, a half-Thai detective in Bangkok's Gangland Homicide division (played by Moon Bloodgood). For dedicated SF fans, the name is not going to ring any bells because Maya is a new character created just for the film. But that is not all; fans now have the chance to submit questions to be answered by cast and crew.

Legend focuses on the story of one of SF's favorite characters, Chun Li. It's the classic revenge tale about her search for her mentor's murderers. Smallville's Kristen Kreuk stars as Chun Li and Robin Shou plays her Tai-Chi master. Even though the story has been modernized slightly, some of Street Fighter's main baddies (including Bison, as played by Neil McDonough, Balrog, as played by Michael Clarke Duncan, and Vega still get to make an appearance. And as an added bonus, the site also gives a glimpse at the storyboard for a fight between Chun-Li and Vega.

Andrzej Bartkowiak is still shooting on location in Bangkok, so there is plenty of time for more updates in the coming weeks. Stay tuned. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li will arrive in theaters in 2009.

I'll admit that I'm not loving the writing style on the blog for Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li . Believe me, it's not easy to wade through all those descriptions of 'sweet footage' and sign-offs like "I'm out like a sonic BOOM" to get to the news (and I'm not the only one who feels this way). But that is why I'm here; I go through it so you don't have to. The site has just posted the first photo of Robin Shou (who despite a long and illustrious film career in Asia is best known here as Liu Kang from Mortal Kombat) as Gen. Shou plays a Kung Fu master who is also the mentor to a scrappy little gal known as Chun-Li (played by Smallville's Kristen Kreuk).

Legend will be doing away with the story set up in the 1994 film, and instead, Chun-Li is getting her very own origin story. Early reports had the action revolving around Li out for revenge for the death of her master, and there was also talk that the script would be pitting her against Hong Kong gangsters. But don't worry, Bison and some of his cronies are still getting some screen time.

Somewhere inside Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins -- buried in frenzied improvisations and manic mugging, adrift in a sea of easy sentiment and familiar family-drama moments -- there's a kernel of a good idea, as successful L.A. self-help guru Dr. R.J. Stevens (Martin Lawrence) comes back home to the South for a family celebration. R.J.'s got it all -- the syndicated, Montel-styled talk show, the beautiful fiancée, the Hollywood good life -- but that doesn't seem to impress the family he hasn't seen in 9 years, who know him as Roscoe Jenkins. Much like Dan in Real Life, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins puts a self-help expert who is in desperate need of help for himself into the middle of a sprawling, squalling family, and that environment makes the distance between the persona and the person readily, painfully apparent. And, much like Dan in Real Life, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins skims the surface of that idea, scooping up a few laughs and a bit of drama, but it never digs too far below that, or really engages with the central plot.

While it presents some fantastic ideas and includes enough larger-than-life elements to entertain any kid on a rainy afternoon, The Last Mimzy ultimately leaves your mind feeling like your stomach does twenty minutes after scarfing down a giant helping of Chinese food -- empty, confused and a tad bit guilty. Based on Lewis Padgett's short story, Mimsy were the Borogoves, The Last Mimzy marks Bob Shaye's (New Line's founder, co-CEO and co-chairman) triumphant return to the director's chair after 17 long years. But, unlike the campy Book of Love, Mimzy provided Shaye with more complex material and universal themes that, if pulled off properly, would leave the audience hanging onto the edge of their seats, rooting for two ordinary kids faced with an extraordinary task: to save the world. Sadly, the only thing I was hanging onto was a small piece of the armrest I shared with the little kid who fell asleep next to me.

Noah (Chris O'Neil) and Emma (Rhiannon Leigh Wryn) aren't superheroes or crime-fighting vigilantes; they're your average brother and sister out looking for a little fun as the family -- complete with mom and dad (as played by Joely Richardson and Timothy Hutton) -- arrives at their isolated summer home with a generous portion of rest and relaxation on the agenda. When a clunky black box washes up on shore, the two are immediately intrigued by the mysterious symbols etched into its side. What is this? Where did it come from? And why are there black rocks, a sea shell and a stuffed bunny rabbit inside? It doesn't take long for the kids to figure out that the contents of this box, while unusual, provide those in its possession with strange physical and mental powers. So, naturally, they do what any young kid would do upon discovering a priceless artifact -- hide it from mom and dad.

Like Johnny Depp to Tim Burton, actor Michael Clarke Duncan is attached to director Michael Bay in a very recognizable way. Sure, it isn't to the level of the Depp-Burton relationship, but the two have worked together twice now (The Island and Armageddon) and tend to speak of each other in very glowing and friendly terms. It is quite obvious they repsect each other's talents and enjoy working together on set.

Because of this, it took no one by surprise when M.C. Duncan was among the earliest cast members reported for Bay's upcoming Transformers flick. Given the film is centered heavily around around the U.S. military, it is very easy to see how Duncan would make a good fit. However, the early reports were inaccurate, and a Duncan vs. the Transformers battle is not to be, much to the regret of the big man. Latino Review caught up to him at a press junket for The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and he had this to say: "You know what and I hate to tell you this, but I am not in Transformers. I am so mad that I have to tell you that, but something happened and we didn't get the deal done and I was really hurt about that, because my friend Michael Bay is directing."

Duncan went on to praise Bay's directorial skill and emphasis his disappointment in missing out. He excitedly described a role as a Navy Seal in which he would have lead his men against some Transformers: "Man, that is like heaven! To dream that you head up a SEAL team to go against the Transformers?" How did this deal fall through? Duncan certainly didn't share any details, and it seems as though he's not at all upset with Bay (he promised to see the movie twice opening weekend), so for now we are left to wonder exactly what happened.