So the Sly Stallone has proved most cynics (including myself) wrong when he proved that he could successfully resurrect his roles in the popular ‘Rambo’ and ‘Rocky’ franchises. Now, he’s prepared to reprise another popular role in his film career, and that is Gabe from ‘Cliffhanger.’
Cinematical give us these details:
According to PR Insider, “Sony executives are in negotiations with Stallone to revive the character for The Dam.”
Okay Sly, even though you have proved that you still can play strong characters despite your age, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! What’s next? ‘Over the Top 2?’ ‘Daylight 2? ‘Demolition Man 2.’ (Ooh…actually I would like to see a sequel done that one. :P)
Am I the only one who remembers when Sly Stallone said that he was set to retire his film career after he finished ‘Rambo 4?’ It looks like this man is becoming the “Jay-Z of actors.” Although, I liked ‘Rocky Balboa’ and ‘Rambo,’ I think he might be pushing his luck with yet another needless sequel.
Why not do something original? Why not return to comedy? (The man is actually very funny!)
So what are your thoughts? Do you want to see Sly Stallone in ‘Cliffhanger 2?’
Hey there folks. It was quite a weekend around here. The Oscars are getting closer and closer as the top party weekend on the industry’s calendar falls upon us. Still, other things are going on in the world of movies and so we focus on that stuff today..
At any rate, take some time to download or stream this installment of Uncut as Doug and I discuss:
1) The Movie Blog podcasts the Oscars
2) Lindsay Lohan nude pics
3) Can a Smurf’s movie really work?
4) Lack of Step Up 2 Reviews
5) Love Guru Poster with no Jessica Alba to be seen
6) New Knight Rider TV Movie
7) First pics of the new Hulk
All this and a few things more.
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It looks like Lindsay Lohan has decided to celebrate her nudity with the world! We get the following details, and were made aware of this story thanks to our friends at cinematical:
She’s done the DUI thing. She’s done the rehab thing. Now, Lindsay Lohan is mounting her comeback by posing completely nude — as Marilyn Monroe — in New York Magazine. The photos are meant to re-create Monroe’s famous 1962 shoot, shot by Bert Stone, called The Last Sitting. Says NY Mag: “But the pictures are also remarkable for the raw truths they seem to reveal. In them, we see an actress whose comedic talents were overshadowed by her sex appeal, a woman who is cannily aware of her pinup status, yet is also beginning to show her 36 years. In many shots, she is obviously drunk. This was an unhappy time for Monroe.”
I think this is a good move for Lohan. I have long thought that she should celebrate debauchery and become a B-Movie starlet championing the art of sleaze and trash. This is a foot forward in that direction, and I am certainly delighted. Now all we need is for her to star in a few women in prison movies and she will be set up nicely to follow in the footsteps of legends like Sybil Danning and Lana Clarkson (RIP).
Although I think her heart was in the right place, I do not like this photoset. Lohan isn’t a good Marilyn; Anna Nicole should have done this set when she was alive. Lohan looks much, much better as a brunette; the blonde just does not work on her and she needs to dye that shit back pronto. If she is willing to pose nude, she should certainly contact the good people over at Playboy. They will create pictures that flatter her look and character; rather than wasting her precious time and nudity with an awkward homage.
To see Lindsay’s full photo set please go here, then come back and discuss. My favorite picture is the one posted above - please share with us your personal favorite.
There is speculation brewing and bubbling round the web that the sequel to Cloverfield may be called Aladygma. We get word of these rumblings thanks to our friends at moviesonline:
Apparently from readers this is a new JJ Abrams project that is REPORTEDLY the code name for Cloverfield 2. It is however important to note that JJ Abrams has more then one untitled covert film in the works. He also has an untitled supernatural project in the works. So what is Aladygma? I have no idea but if you do shoot us an email.
So the word on the street is that Aladygma may be the name for Cloverfield 2; time will tell. I hope they don’t pull the same secretive marketing campaign this time around. It was fine for the first film, but now that we know what the skinny is - it would be nice to have trailers with the monster in it. I really don’t want to see a sequel for this film, I think once was enough. This movie had a very stand alone feel to it and I think a follow up is unnecessary.
I thought Cloverfield was a cool idea, but I wasn’t a huge fan. I wanted to see a movie about a monster and the war against it. I can appreciate a different take on a monster movie; but It did not move me to excitement. If they do make a sequel, it is my hope that the film is more like Godzilla than Cloverfield. I certainly do not want to follow another couple as they work out their relationship issues on the run.
We will be sure to keep you up to speed on the rumor surrounding the name Aladygma and all updates regarding Cloverfield 2.
Executve producer Herb Gains has made a point of sharing his experience with Zach Snyder wrapping up principal filming on the Watchmen.
Coming Soon quotes Gaines statement:
I now sit in my Vancouver hotel room one year later, and guess what? We did shoot all of it — every frame of it, and not just the title sequence drawings but all of Zack’s drawings are now committed to film. The combination of modern-day technology and the level of artistic ability of so many people has made the Watchmen experience second to none. The spirit behind the making of this film was nothing short of total pleasure and love. As I wandered from room to room at the wrap party, there was not only a sense of accomplishment from everyone involved but a feeling of sadness that it’s coming to an end. The one thing that remains for me is the anticipation and excitement of seeing the finished product, knowing that we’ve all worked on something very special.
I want to get so pumped about this. The movie version of this awesome graphic novel SHOULD be stunning. Great story, great message, great everything. But we all know how adaptations just never meet everyone’s expectations.
I am holding my breath. I think it is a good sign that Gains is stoked about his whole experience producing this movie, but I wonder how many other movies that were not well received were also thought of as such a great project at this stage.
Hasbro has been unleashing its toylines for the upcoming year and with that some insights into some of the biggest movies - IronMan, Indiana Jones, Star Wars and the Hulk.
Coming Soon reports:
The presentation included the debut of new behind-the-scenes footage from the upcoming The Incredible Hulk, early footage from Lucasfilm’s animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars, both being released this summer, and a sizzle reel that previewed next year’s G.I. Joe movie directed by Stephen Sommers, which started shooting last week. Hasbro also showed off some of their new “Indiana Jones” line-up, which gave a few more hints about what to expect from Steven Spielberg’s upcoming Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Toys Toys Toys. The instant capsulizing of movie magic is adorning my computer workstation in the form of Star Wars Unleashed figures and Transformers. A big part of the movie marketing and money grab is the merchandising and we suck it up like there is no tomorrow. If only I could get my kids to stop playing with them. Yes, I know they are toys son, but these are not to be played with. That makes NO SENSE to a 5 year old.
Some of the following tidbits might be considered SPOILERS, so if you dont wanna know, just stop reading and skip down to the article about the Smurfs.
Iron Man was revealed to have figures for his MachI and MachIII digs, but also a figure for IronMan’s Hulkbuster Armour from the comic book series and Titanium man linking it all with the upcoming game.
Incredible Hulk is implied to be a sequel in that there has been 5 years passing since the first movie. Much news reported that this was a redux ignoring the first, but now we get contradicting reports.
GI Joe animatics revealing an “accelerator suit” giving super speed powers to its wearer, and revealing that the only two girls in the movie will “anchor the movie with two love stories”. Doug just popped a blood vessel.
Indiana Jones will be treated to figures spanning his entire movie career, including a Shia Labeouf Mutt Williams figure. Now you too can collect Indiana’s greatest treasures!
Star Wars: The Clone Wars gives us an idea into the CG animated feature film and following TV series coming this fall.
END SPOILER ZONE
I can’t wait for the goodies to arrive, especially Star Wars. I will likely acquire at least one IronMan fig, but it won’t be him in his IronMan car. Thats just too silly. IronMan doesn’t need an IronMan gadgetmobile.
(PS: The Hello Kitty Vader was modeled after this guy. Hasbro had what I assume to be an unpainted Vader on display and I couldnt resist editing him in there.)
We have some pictures of the new Indiana Jones And The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull LEGO figures that were on display at Toy Fair. Thanks to MTV Movies Blog for the hookup!
These look cool enough for LEGO, but what is the deal with the skull guy? Will the Crystal Skull come alive and do battle in the movie?! I certainly hope so, that would be insanely kick ass; Indy has yet to fight a magical skeleton monster, and I am all for it. We will wait and see if this is the case, or if LEGO is just using creative license to make a skeleton toy. My curiosity has been piqued, of this there is no doubt.
Nothing punctuates my childhood sugar coated cereal scarfing early Saturday Morning Cartoons experience any more than the 90 minute block of the Smurfs. These characters will forever embody the innocence of my youth before I discovered the rebellious tones of Knight Rider and Dukes of Hazzard.
Well they are making a movie of the Smurfs, and an astute superfan Brad, at Mushroom Village forums: says:
I stumbled onto this video news report that features what looks like footage of the Smurf MOVIE!! in production! The shot is at the very end of this clip, which shows a 3D smurf being animated in a 3D program.
So there you have it. Potentially the first peek at a 3d Smurf.
Granted, seeing the 2d blue wonders that were only to stand 3 apples high in 3d form wouldnt be the first time. Very popular in the hieght of Smurfy fandom was a collection of Smurf miniatures that were in their plastic glory, and fully modelled in 3d. This would simply be the first time we see them on screen. And see them we will. Paramount plans on releasing this as a Trilogy. Epic Smurfs.
I am a little excited about this film and for once, this remake (movies based on TV shows qualify as remakes) seems to cover all 4 of TMB’s Rules before making a Remake.
1) The original has to have a good story - The smurfs were a good story. Original and full of adventure and life lessons.
2) Majority of current audience hasn’t seen the original - Its been off the air for 19 years (not counting syndication) and most people I know under 25 have no idea what I am talking about when I say Smurf. Enough people remember, all of the target audience wont.
3) Original has to be at least 20 years old - Last Season was 1989. Pretty damned close. Will be well over when the proposed 2010 film release hits.
4) The story would benefit from a modern telling - Everyone needs a little smurf in their life. This is complete escapism.
I just hope that this doesn’t turn into an “Alvin and the Chipmunks” The formula is the same, but the movie doesn’t have to suck so bad. As long as they keep the smurfs in a hidden villiage, and Gargamel is a medieval warlock who craves the tasty smurfs for their magical properties, I will be cool with it.
That will be perfectly smurfy.
We have obtained the poster for the upcoming Mike Meyers film The Love Guru through our friends at ropeofsilicon. Check it out!
I would have preferred if the Love Guru had a daisy in his hand for this poster, tt is the classic “she loves me, she loves me not” flower. Meyers has a good look for the kind of character he is going to portray, but I am wondering how different he will be from Austin Powers. Austin is a spy but his love of life comes from his addiction to sluts and perversity.
Jessica Alba is the co-star for this film, and that is not good news. People have been raising a unified voice against her acting ability; and the consensus is that the international friends want to see less of her on the silver screen. Having her in “leading roles” is not a good idea, if you must have her in your movie, a side character may be the best compromise. To have her as the straight-man to Meyers; seems like a disaster in waiting.
International friends, what are your thoughts?
The time is upon us retro movie geeks. The Knight Rider TV Movie airs tonight.
It might just suck balls, and the retro purists will hate the voice (Val Kilmer digitized) and the car not being a TransAm, but we will have to see. If this actually gets good reviews, rumour has it they will base an ongoing TV Series on it.
Check your local listings.
And in case you missed the teaser trailer:
My friend Wintle bought me a 50 pack of Sword And Sandal films before I left for Hollywood. He then bought a pack for himself, and we began discussion about going through the series together. Soon after we decided to share our journey with all of you; and thus the Macho Movie Review was born.
Over the next 50 weeks, every Week we plan to have a short podcast for you discussing the Sword and Sandal movie of the week. We will be going through the Warriors Movie Pack made available through Mill Creek Entertainment. You can find the set for about 20-30 USD. We encourage all interested to buy the pack, and/or download the films that are public domain. Many of these films are 40-50 years old and we find it a delight to mull over the Macho Movies of yesteryear, and would like nothing more than for you to join in on the discussion.
We are both fond of old warrior movies and are happy to be digging through the series for some glorious gems and wretched mistakes. Many of the films are Italian in origin and were made with shoestring budgets, often you will see rubber swords and the use of stock battle footage. None the less, a great story is a great story, and the Sword and Sandal film is always a celebration of the classic manly, macho hero.
The Rating System: To go with the theme we will be rating the films out of 9. The hydra has 9 heads, so we will be giving each film a rating out of that number - and will post a picture. For those of you that wish to skip the podcast and are not that keen on buying the set - keep an eye on the hydra. If you you see a film with 7-9 Hydra heads - you may want to track that particular film down.
Today Wintle and I discuss the third film in the series The Conqueror Of The Orient (1962).
A forgotten prince of a conquered sultan is informed of his birthright and assembles an army to reclaim the throne and the woman he loves. Through the guidance of his adopted father (the general of the his father’s army) he is instructed in the ways of combat and leadership. After a test of wit, strength and will his subjects rally behind him fully and storm the gates of the ruthless sultan Dakar!
Ladies and Gentlemen; it is my great pleasure to present to you, The Macho Movie Review for The Conqueror Of The Orient:
To Listen To The Podcast Click Here
Wintle bestows 7 Hydra Heads to this film
Nagy bestows 5 hydra Heads to this film.
Join us next week for The Last Of The Vikings!
Well, it looks like we will have an idea of what the new Hulk Will look like! We obtained pics of this to scale model from the set of the film. Thanks to Ty for the hookup:
Well, If this is how the Hulk is going to look, I will be extremely happy. I love the size, build and look of this Hulk and personally think they have nailed it. In the film we will see the CGI version of this fella, and as long as the same dimensions are kept - I have no doubt that we will see the Hulk of legend throwing all sorts of things. This is a Hulk born to delight and entertain. This film’s stock just raised a dollar for me and I cannot wait to see it.
International friends, what are your thoughts on the look of The Incredible Hulk?
Hail hail the gang’s all here! On this special edition of The Movie Blog Uncut, Doug and I are joined once again, via the magic of the internet, by Darren Conley and Bruxy Cavey! It’s a short show with some audio issues, but we’ll have those corrected for next time. Only 3 things on the plate today:
1) The new Indiana Jones 4 trailer
2) Suggestions to Michael Bay for Transformers 2
3) Star Trek pushed back 5 months to summer of 2009
Well the new rumor swirling about is that Dr. Parnassus will not be CGI after all. Heath Ledger’s role will be filled by not one, but three actors in Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell!? We get this outlandish and intriguing rumor today from our friends at AICN via cinematical:
AICN claims they know exactly how it will go down, and that Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell will all fill in for Ledger in a weird sort of I’m Not There-esque tribute to the actor. Needless to say, I cannot wait to see what this looks like — imagine watching half a film with Ledger, only to see it switch and be Depp, then Law and then Farrell (or some variation)? What will that look like? Either way, I’m sure Gilliam will probably open to his biggest box office take in years (fingers crossed), and the film could go down as something very very special. No official word on this one yet, but AICN seems to feel this one is locked and ready to roll.
Well this is adding strange upon strange. I thought they were full on CGI from the last bit of news that was released, and now it looks like Ledger will be replaced by 3 of the greatest actors alive today. If this is true it would not only be the greatest tribute ever, but an outstanding army of one.
Of all the rumors about the casting replacement, this is by far my favorite one. If you must have a character with many faces, 4 is better than 2. I think this could make for a delightful twist to the story and with the talent on board we very well could have a masterpiece on our hands. If this news be true, bravo to these guys for stepping up and chipping in to make sure Ledger’s final film is a celebration.
This is not confirmed, but I certainly hope that this is the story that proves to be non-fiction. International friends what are your thoughts on this news?
It looks like we have another star studded voice cast for an alien animation film titled Planet 51. We get the scoop today from the professionals at Variety:
Johnson, who just completed “Get Smart,” will voice astronaut Chuck Baker. Thinking he’s the first to set foot on the surface of Planet 51, he finds it is inhabited by green people who live in an innocent world right out of the 1950s, complete with the paranoia that they will be overrun by alien invaders. Joe Stillman, a writer on “Shrek” and “Shrek 2,” penned the script, and the film is produced by Madrid-based Ilion Animation Studios. Jorge Blanco (co-creator of the vidgame series Commandos) is directing, and Javier Abad and Marcos Martinez co-direct.
Any animated feature with aliens is alright with me. With animation there are no limits to alien design. You can create the most outlandish and bizarre sorts of creatures imaginable. It is this sort of freedom that allowed the creation of Marvin The Martian.
I am not a huge fan of getting well known actors to do the voice work in animated films. I much prefer when professional voice actors get the job. Voice actors not only do a better job (in most cases) they also specialize in that field, so they should be given the work. People who dedicate their lives to the voicing of cartoon characters should be rewarded for doing so, with the available work.
This film is scheduled to begin production in March 2009 and is slotted for a release date of July 24, 2009
Without question, the single most talked about movie in the history of The Movie Blog has been “Transformers”. From some of the earliest podcasts years ago we were buzzing and talking about the (at the time) upcoming project brining our beloved Autobots and Decepticons to the big screen. We talked about it weekly, we posted about it almost daily. This went on for years until, and after, the film was finally released. A lot of people would complain that we were talking about Transformers too much, but I didn’t care. Aside from Phantom Menace, I had never looked forward to a movie more in my life, and I was excited to talk about it.
We were also pretty much the only website around that endorsed the news that you were selected to direct the movie. To be totally upfront and honest, I didn’t applaud your selection because I thought you were one of the best directors in Hollywood at all, but rather because I thought you were the right fit for this project. I always thought your style, and your particular set of strengths were what Transformers needed.
Then the film came out and unlike Phantom Menace, I wasn’t disappointed in the least. I LOVED your incarnation of Transformers. I’ve never been in a theater where the whole audience stood and cheered so many times through the film. It was more like a rock concert atmosphere than a movie. I loved it, so much so that while I very rarely see any film in theaters these days more than once, I went to see Transformers on the big screen 8 times (including once at its Imax premiere here in Los Angeles. I bumped into you there, but I was honesty too distracted by how hot the chick you were with was to bother saying “hi”).
No, I don’t think Transformer will, or should, go down as an all time cinematic masterpiece, but you did exactly what I hoped you would do… you gave me an insanely fun time at the movies, and for that experience, as a film fan, I feel I am in your debt.
Having said that…
With the joyous news that Transformers 2 is already moving full steam ahead, I wanted to drop you a note, from the perspective of a fan of the first movie instead of as a critic, to humbly ask you to consider 2 things that stood out to me as weaknesses in the first film, and literally thousands of Movie Blog readers have emailed me about since the summer. I’m not going to knit-pick about everything everyone likes to complain about. Just two general items that everyone seems to agree on that I hope you’ll file away somewhere in the back of your mind as you develop and start to shoot Transformers 2.
REQUEST #1 - LESS SHAKY CAMERA DURING ACTION SHOTS
The set pieces in the first Transformers film were epic. The visual effects work by the wizards at ILM was Oscar worthy. However, many people have lamented that much of your designed set pieces and the visual effects wizardry was wasted at times because of the rapidly and violently shaky camera during some of those scenes. Since we, as an audience at times, couldn’t tell what on earth was going on up on the screen, your action design and the effects work were wasted. We loved the stuff you designed, we loved the ILM effects, we loved them so much that WE JUST WANT TO SEE THEM. It wasn’t nearly as bad as some other films (ie the Bourne movies) but I beg you… nay… millions of people beg you… when taking these fantastic action sequences from your imagination and start putting them to film for Transformers 2, please reduce the amount of violent shaky camera and hyper rapid cut edits, so that we, as your audience can appreciate what it is you want us to see and experience.
REQUEST #2 - MORE TRANSFORMERS DIALOG
The other major common criticism that even fans of the first film share, was the lack of significant Autobot, and especially Decepticon, interaction and dialog. Although the crowd I first saw Transformers with was overwhelmingly positive about the movie, I still remember the first negative thing I heard someone say as we were walking out which pretty much sums up the feelings a lot of people had:
“So let me get this straight. A Transformers movie, over 2 hours long, and there was just 1 fucking line said between Starscream and Megatron?”
The interaction between Megatron and Starscream exemplifies the problem. Starscream as a matter of fact, a much beloved character, only had one line of dialog in the entire movie (if you don’t count his one Cybertonian subtitled line). Several of the deceptions had no lines at all.
Hey, I totally understand budget issues. But when Megan Fox has more speaking lines in a Transformers movie than Starscream, Megatron and all the Decepticons combined do, well, it doesn’t sit right, and many people complained about it, and I think were justified in doing so.
TO SUMMARIZE: I loved Transformers and eagerly look forward to the next installment. As you are aware there are many out there who don’t share my enthusiasm, and they have some legitimate objections to the first film. I didn’t want to run down everything they commonly lament over, but just highlight the two major things that almost all Transformers fans and detractors alike agree on. 1) Less shaky cam and rapid cut edits in the action sequences so we can actually see and understand what is going on, and 2) Make the movie ABOUT the Transformers giving more dialog to the Cybertonians than to Megan Fox alone.
Doing these two things certainly won’t make everyone happy and this certainly isn’t an exhaustive list, but I think it would be a huge tip of your hat and acknowledgment to the fans out there if even just these two issues were addressed in your next Transformers installment… for which I will be in line for opening day regardless.
Both your fan and critic ~John
Ellen Page is on fire! She recently just signed onto star in YET ANOTHER movie! The Oscar-nominated actress will star alongside ‘The Dark Knight’s Cillian Murphy in the upcoming thriller, ‘Peacock.’
Yahoo!News gives us this:
The independently financed film is set in the small town of Peacock, Neb., where a man with a split personality (Murphy) fools the town into believing that his two alter-egos are man and wife. Page will play a struggling young mother who sparks a battle between the personalities.
Hmm…this sounds like a mighty interesting concept for a film. (Kind of reminds me of ‘Glen and Glenda.’) However, I need to comment on the ever rising star power of Miss Ellen Page. In the past month, I have written 3 articles about her being cast in three different movies. She will be in Drew Barrymore’s ‘Whip it,’ and Sam Raimi’s ‘Drag Me to Hell.’ Even though all three of these films are being produced by Mandate Pictures, no one can deny that the ‘Juno’ star is becoming one of the most sought out actresses in Hollywood.
If she takes home the Oscar next Sunday for best actress, you can pretty much guarantee you will see this actress FAR more than we’ve seen in the last year. (Move over, Sarah Polley!! :P)
Your thoughts?
It looks like NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt is going to be getting his own biopic; we get wind of this glorious news thanks to our friends at comingsoon:
Producers Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher have brought on board their Red Wagon production company to a biopic on NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. Wick and Fisher have made a deal to tell the life story of the stock car driver, who was killed in a crash in the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
Earnhardt’s widow, Teresa, and son Dale Jr. have both pledged their cooperation on the biopic even though their relationship is strained — he left DEI after his stepmother refused his request for majority control. Earnhardt, who drove the famous No. 3 black Chevy, won seven NASCAR Winston Cup titles, 76 career races and more than $40 million in purses, finally winning Daytona in 1998 after losing the prestigious race 20 times.
If there is a Valhallah for NASCAR drivers; Dale Earnhardt is on the throne. Think what you will of NASCAR, I know people that love it as much as a person can love a sport. When NASCAR lovers talk about Dale Earnhardt is is like hearing most any Canadian talking about Wayne Gretzky. There is a great reverence and respect for the man that was only magnified 100 fold after his untimely death. I am not a NASCAR fan but the day he died, I felt for his family and for the fans around the globe. A hero died that day.
It was only a matter of time before we saw a biopic about his life, and in order to do this, the help of his Wife and Son were needed. Although the two probably hate each others guts right now, it is classy and appropriate that they put their differences aside in order to provide background information for the film. I look forward to this one. This champion was a legend and he died doing what he loved best, there is something very romantic about that; and this a story that begs to be told.
Yesterday while many people were enjoying Valentine’s Day, and showering themselves with gifts and having romantic dinners, I had taken my single ass to the theatres to see the Toronto pre-screening of the fifth installment in George A. Romero’s popular “Dead” series. Yup, instead of staying at home and feeling like I’ve had my heart ripped out, I opted to go the movies to hopefully see characters get their hearts ripped out….literally. Since the film was filmed in Toronto, the audience was lucky to see some of the main actors of the film who came out to support it. I’ve been very excited to see ‘Diary of the Dead’ for a long time, and was hoping it would blow my mind away. Did I get what I was hoping for? Read on to find out!
General Idea: A film crew shooting a horror movie for a class project suddenly realizes the world is being taken over by the “walking dead.” They decide to document their horrific experiences of trying to stay alive on camera for the public. They later piece together and re-edit footage from their camcorders, camera phones, security tapes, and the news to make a film entitled ‘The Death of Death.’
The Good: You have to give it up to George A. Romero. The man knows how to stay consistent. Like all his movies, the zombie outbreak takes place in the Present, and the reasons why the dead walk the earth still remains an enigma. (Something I’ve always loved.)
Also, something I always admired about this man is his ability of adapting and growing with the times. Most people know now that his ‘Dead’ movies are not just about zombies taking over the earth, but more importantly about current social issues and examining how ugly the human condition can be. In ‘Diary of the Dead,’ he makes the audience observe society’s current and ever growing obsession of blogging and social network groups like facebook, MySpace, and YouTube. While I watched the film, I realized that the zombie outbreak wasn’t the only thing infecting the humans. It became apparent that Romero was trying to point out how we have become a generation of people that would rather watch people living out their lives on a computer screen, instead of living our own. In fact, the characters in the movie become so immersed with filming, that their need for survival starts to diminish. This was an excellent point to get across to the audience.
Additionally, the kills in this movie were fantastic! Romero has some of the most inventive and creative kills I have ever seen in a movie! (There’s a particular one involving a cardiac defibrillator that was pure gold!) The audience was cheering every time one of the undead met their demise. This to me was (visually) the strongest point of the film, so I won’t spoil all the memorably gory moments.
The audience is also introduced to the greatest character ever seen in a horror movie. When you see Samuel, the elderly deaf zombie killing Amish man, believe me that you will have a giant smile on your face. (Too bad he wasn’t in the film more.) Honestly, if they had made the movie just about him, I would have been cheering the whole way.
The Bad: Although Romero’s creative twist on the new “hand held” sub-genre was a fairly original concept*, (*showing us a documentary that’s been re-edited by the characters to look like an actual horror film) it unfortunately didn’t succeed in wowing me over.
While popular hand held movies like ‘The Blair Witch Project,’ ‘Cloverfield,’ and ‘Rec’ made you feel like you’re watching real-life footage because of gritty and jerky camera work and natural acting from the leads, ‘Diary of the Dead’ had sleek camera work and actors who LOOKED like they were acting. (Poorly I might add.) For the entire running time I was completely aware I was watching a movie, instead of watching an illusion of real-life events.
Also, although I can’t believe I’m going to write this, (considering this IS a zombie flick) my suspension of disbelief was definitely pushed to the limit.
Somehow, these college kids all managed to have perfect aim and gunmanship when it came to killing the zombies. (Even the drunken professor had extremely accurate bowsmanship.) They also managed to constantly make stupid moves and mistakes which frustrated me to no end. (If you were in your friend’s house and was convinced her undead family was hiding in the house, would the first thing you do is tell her to get her childhood toy to calm down? NO…I didn’t think so.) I also found it very hard to believe that friends would not only tape, but re-edit a documentary of most of them getting picked off one by one to look and sound like a slasher film. (However, considering what Romero was trying to do with this film, this might not be a bad thing after all.)
Last but not least, one of the biggest letdowns of this film was realizing Romero’s tactful way of covering all the social commentary within his ‘Dead’ films was long gone. No longer is there any under-lining subtext for the messages he was trying to get across in this entry. Unlike ‘Cloverfield,’ which was able to demonstrate how we have become a press-whoring youtube and MySpace generation through one scene where crowds of panicked people foolishly stop running for their lives to take pictures on their camera phones of the decapitated head of the Statue of Liberty on the ground, ‘Diary of the Dead’ spends the entire running time of the movie drilling this message in our heads through many ostentatious voice-overs, and characters without the ability to retain any inner monologue, reminding us how bad our society has become. Although, I know it wasn’t Romero’s intention at all, it still felt like he had underestimated his audience’s I.Q. Unfortunately, this was disappointing to see.
Overall: ‘Diary of the Dead’ is a movie that was beautifully directed, yet horribly acted. Although the movie’s message was a powerful one, it would have been far more powerful if the movie hadn’t treated its audience like Wile.E Coyote and constantly hit us over the heads with ACME-sized “social commentary” anvils. This is honestly the first time I feel horrible for not being able to like the movie more than I did. (This is probably because George Romero just happens to be one of the sweetest and most charismatic directors alive.) However, despite the movie’s flaws, I still would recommend this for fans of the series, because it definitely delivers the goods that horror fans crave for.
I give this movie…. (GULP) a 6.5 out of 10. (I’m sorry, George! :P)
It looks like Conan The Barbarian is back in the court of law to seek out justice and fair distribution of bounty! We get the scoop from none other than the caves of Yahoo:
Beverly Hills-based Conan Properties Int’l, the creator and owner of the underlying rights to the “Conan the Barbarian” films, is suing several parties, including Lionsgate, Edward R. Pressman Productions, Modern Times Group, and others, seeking a piece of net profits from the films. The lawsuit comes as indie film company Nu Image plans to begin production on a remake of “Conan the Barbarian,” which Lionsgate will distribute next year. The film series, based on the 1930s pulp novels by Robert E. Howard, was conceived in 1977; at the time, Conan Properties licensed rights to Hollywood producer Pressman in return for five percent of all net profits from the film and its sequel.
Five years later, when the film finally came out, Pressman’s firm sublicensed the film, kicking off a series of handoffs. Conan Properties sued Pressman in 1983 and that matter was settled. But according to this complaint, the chain of custody, which assigned rights to the film from Pressman to Paradise Films to December Associates to Modern Entertainment and finally to Lionsgate, left Conan Properties forgotten. The defendants have breached the original Pressman agreement and 1983 settlement, the complaint alleges, by “failing to remit to (Conan Properties) 5% of 100% of all net profits derived from the exploitation of the first film…and any sequel…based upon the Property, including but not limited to domostic and international distribution on DVD.”
Well, it looks like we may have to wait a bit longer for a new Conan film to be made. It appears that when rights trade hands, more often than naught lawsuits abound. somebody gets left out of some part of the pie and the lawyers are called stat. This problem has lingered on for years and I am certain digging up and trudging through years of history will be a tricky and daunting task 1833 - now is longer than some of our readers have been alive.
I am not sure if they are able to continue on with the project with a lawsuit pending; or if they would even want to. You certainly don’t want people trying to fight over money on a movie that you are about to release. I yearn for more Conan movies and it seems like they are damned to a life in purgatory. One thing or another always seems to halt production. We hear a new Conan is going to be made, a problem occurs followed by a year or two of silence and then a new round of Conan rumblings begin.
We will keep you updated on this news and with hope, it will not change plans for a new Conan production.
