Hey, watch your tongue on "A Perfect Getaway". 'Twas an engaging thriller with gorgeous Puerto Rico scenery (who wouldn't want to visit there?) and a terrific performance by Tim Olyphant. Also, Thor was in it, so, respect, huh?
Okay, so yesterday the complaining. Today it's time to look ahead with gusto to the cinematic events that will make our year, or so we hope.
One or two - or maybe more - of the items on this list will fall to massive nerd derision by the end of the year; such is the way of things. The way of the Force. But to those who withstand will come the power. The power to be almighty. The power to rule supreme. The power to be...masters of our movie year!
Prepare the fresh meat, for these are the films that the flames of our fandom will roast in the months to come:
10. Evil Dead.
Quit complaining about how you don't want to ever see a remake; you already did, and it was called Evil Dead 2, and you loved it. Besides, since this new version has completely different characters, it could be an in-continuity sequel anyway for all you know, and it has the endorsement of both Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. Here's what we do know - the first cut submitted to the MPAA was rated NC-17. Yes, the studio backed down to an R, but when was the last time you heard of a horror movie even coming close? Also, no CG. Give us some practical sugar, baby.
9. Iron Man 3.
Robert Downey Jr. reunites with the director of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang to figure out if Tony Stark can still be interesting without any other Avengers around him. Considering he kickstarted the cinematic Marvel universe with only a post-credits assist, that's probably a fairly secure bet. Now, can the decidedly English Ben Kingsley pull off Asian archvillain The Mandarin while affecting a somewhat dubious American accent ("Some people call me a turrrist...I consider myself a teachurrrr")? And will it be tougher than playing Maori in Ender's Game? That is the bigger dilemma here.
8. Wrong.
Fichtner power! The first of two movies on this list to feature William as a key character sees him play a Harvey Dent-scarred guru with a penchant for kidnapping dogs, in a surreal comedy from the director of Rubber, the greatest killer tire movie ever made. In this topsy-turvy world, it rains from the ceiling, clocks strike 7:60, and turds have memories that can be accessed by video feed. Just like the way real life ought to be.
7. Riddick.
I loved Pitch Black. I wish I loved The Chronicles of Riddick, which had some of the silliest sci-fi pseudo-jargon I've ever heard. The third feature in the series supposedly ditches the dorkiness of the Underverse for a tighter battle on yet another planet of hostile aliens, and I'm all for giving it another shot. Katee Sackhoff's in it also, which is a plus, because nobody really cares that Karl Urban is back (if you can quote a single line uttered by him in the prior film without looking it up, I'll be amazed). Here's hoping David Twohy's last movie, A Perfect Getaway, a.k.a. cheap excuse for filming a tropical vacation with last-minute twist, doesn't represent the extent of his talent today.
6. Man of Steel.
Like everyone else on this planet, I still feel very mixed signals as far as Zack Snyder's Superman reboot goes. Is it pseudo-Terrence Malick hokum? Is it Snyder-style slo-mo writ large? Will General Zod's lack of mustache feel gratuitous? Is Jimmy Olson now a woman for no reason? Why does Supes have a beard in early clips, and will we see him shave? If David Goyer says one more time that they're approaching this movie like real; life as opposed to a comic book, will we all want to smack him? Believing a man can fly feels like a reasonable task these days compared to our modern demands, but we'll all be there to see how it shakes out, no matter what.
1 | 2 | Next Page >>
More links from around the web!
141 comments
1 Like
I keep forgetting Elysium is coming out this year. That's a definite opening day watch for me.
But as much as I love Neill Blomkamp, Pacific Rim is still at the top of my list. I grew up on kaiju movies, still love kaiju movies, and have been waiting forever for a film that can make all the mundies see what I see in the genre, and I think Pac Rim just might be it.
And yeah, I just called non-geeks "mundies." Do something about it.
2 Like
The ONLY mixed signal I get from Man of Steel is the tone. If it's too serious, it'll be like dead weight when Superman is meant to SOAR! But from the start, this has been a very Batman Begins operation.
First they hired an extremely perfect director for the project. Superman demands a visual director, which whether you like Snyder or not (and I've never understood the hate) he is in spades. Next they started casting, and they seemingly nailed it for each part. I remember thinking when Batman Begins was in production, that they got the guy who directed Memento and than cast the same actor I would as Batman if I were making the movie and then Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson (they never fooled me, I walked in knowing he was Ra's), etc. I've gotten the same vibe with Man of Steel...needless to say, I'm very optimistic about this film.
7 Like
So if I read things right: Elysium is preemptively pissing off some for perceived left-wing politics, while Ender's Game is preemptively pissing off some for perceived right-wing politics.
Topless Robot, Fair and Balanced.
I can't take Pacific Rim seriously. It just looks SO MUCH like Neon Genesis Evangelion and if they wanted to make an Evangelion movie they should have just made an Evangelion movie.
@LealahLupin3 If it didn't have Del Toro's tentacles everywhere, I wouldn't even bother with it, but I'm intrigued.
@LealahLupin3 You do know giant mecha came long before Evangelion after all, right? To which the Eva units aren't even mecha per say. Evangelion would make an awful live action feature. This was realized a long time ago. They've been eating up the remakes in Japan, but to the rest of the world, it's too esoteric for a mainstream sell.
5 Like
@LealahLupin3 Look at it this way - if they'd made an Evangelion movie, they undoubtedly would have fucked it up, changed several key elements, ended up with a movie that is sort of similar to but not nearly enough like the source material and we'd all have wished they just made their own version and called it something else.
This is that movie.
@DrAbraxas @LealahLupin3 Good question: too early to tell since it isn't out yet. The possibility of such masturbation may actually make me go see this.
1 Like
Technically, Evil Dead 2 isn't a remake as much as the first few minutes retcon Evil Dead 1.... jus' sayin'.
2 Like
Considering how pissy the MPAA rating board has been getting lately, the NC-17 rating might have been because someone said "aw, fuck" after stepping on a tack.
4 Like
@arivalscientist you didn't get the memo? the part of vin disel is now played by rodriquez
@kwyjibo I think it's pretty safe to say 'genre' is another term used for speculative fiction. No need to start picking nits with it using this article.
2 Like
@Canadian.Scott@kwyjibo This right here. When someone says a "Genre" film, they mean a film that can be classified as part of a genre, that was made with the intent of attracting people that are already part of it, but usually it's used as short hand for "nerd bait."
1 Like
@Canadian.Scott @kwyjibo That's a lot. They all need an umbrella genre. I suggest "Cyan & Orange".
@kwyjibo Valid point. But based on the talk we had yesterday, i think for us, "genre" means anything sci-fi, horror, fantasy and all their sub-genres. But i think we should probably get in the habit though of not saying it.
@kwyjibo @Gallen_Dugall oh this - I was thinking about how all the big sci-fi writers now-a-days are no longer in the sci-fi section with the shelf after shelf of Star Wars books
frankly I don't get LYT, but then I never got Rob either
1 Like
@Gallen_Dugall @kwyjibo This article isn't marketing, is it? Why wouldn't the headline just say sci-fi?
@kwyjibo not shame - marketing, if you take "sci-fi" off of it you quadruple your sales.
3 Like
@Canadian.Scott @DrAbraxas @kwyjibo What? The article title says "10 genre movies..."
Which genre? "Genre" itself is not a valid genre. There is an unfortunate trend amongst sci-fi creators to avoid calling their work sci-fi because they're ashamed of being associated with schlock.
1 Like
@DrAbraxas @Canadian.Scott @kwyjibo Correct! I will give him/her credit for the great Simpsons reference in their user name.
@DrAbraxas @Canadian.Scott @kwyjibo Either way, this is a very odd question with little context...
3 Like
GI Joe 2's more compelling than about half the stuff on this list. Pacific Rim and Star Trek are the two I'm looking forward to the most, but Riddick might be interesting from a trainwreck standpoint because they keep trying to take a character that worked well in isolation into an epic hero and it just doesn't work.
Man of Steel... who the heck knows. That movie has more question marks than a Riddler cosplayer.
2 Like
I'm waiting for the Guillermo porn parody Pacific Rim Job: Sweat, Stink and Saltwater
2 Like
10. Call me back when Jane Levy has a chainsaw hand and goes back in time.
9. Yes.
8. First time I’ve heard of this. Maybe I’ll catch it as a rental.
7. Rental
6. I’m such a Superman junkie that I willingly suffered through 10 seasons of Smallville, of course, I’ll be going to see it even it is made by Zach “Sucker Punch” Synder.
5. Yes.
4. Rental
3. Midnight showing with my dad.
2. Oh, Guillermo, you had me when you showed me a giant robot punching a giant monster in the face.
1. Rental
2 Like
@arivalscientist On that recommendation I may take my mother to see it - seems like the sort of thing she'd enjoy
3 Like
@Gallen_Dugall @arivalscientist
Make no mistake.........it's still a Zombie movie.........so if she doesn't like gore and heads being blown off..........
4 Like
@arivalscientist Husband is taking me to see it this weekend! I'm really excited about it, actually. I think it looks like a ton of fun.
5 Like
I tell people that it's the Wall-E of Zombie movies.................But I think that this movie has done something unique, it's a date movie with Zombies
2 Like
@cliff.roswell@arivalscientist@rabidronnieWait a second, there is a Zombie Museum?
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/KNJaEYv.gif[/IMG]
3 Like
@Kozmik_Pariah @arivalscientist @rabidronnie
The book is a bit more intense........
4 Like
@arivalscientist @rabidronnie I went to an advance screening last night for free (thank you, Pittsburgh Zombie Museum!), and had the same thought. I was actually going to wait to see it when it hit home video, as I was on the fence about it, but my ex (who isn't into zombie movies at all) wanted to see it. Plus, free.
I was very pleasantly surprised at the film, charming, lovable, hilarious. Definitely a date movie for everyone!
4 Like
Definately the quirky, fun stuff.........It also mirrors the love story........I actually got to ask the director about the similarities at a Q&A screening and he mentioned that he was a huge Wall-E fan and did throw a little of it in the movie
4 Like
@arivalscientist @rabidronnie Wall-E as in adorable, quirky, and fun, or Wall-E as in surprisingly preachy about environmentalism? Because those are both very possible/divergent considerations.
4 Like
Judging by some of the comments on this article, it seems 'Ender's Game' is gearing up to be the Chik-Fil-A of summer movies. There will probably be boycotts at theaters and protests in the media. Other than that, I'll probably go see it. Hell, I've courted controversy before. I saw 'Passion Of The Christ' when it played in theaters simply to see what all the hubbub was about. It was interesting, just a gored up version of the crucifixion, but I didn't come out of the theater wanting to burn down synagogues. I'm pretty sure 'Ender's Game' will just be a movie. No more, no less. As for Orson Scott Card, yes his opinions are noxious, but just because I like an artist's work doesn't mean I'd want to share an apartment with them.
3 Like
@skrag2112 There's a difference between someone being an asshole and someone being a politically active asshole. If Card was merely homophobic and annoying but didn't try to force his opinions on people, I'd be OK with seeing the Ender's Game movie. But since he's on the board of NOM actively working to ban gay marriage, I don't want my money going towards his cause.
1 Like
This is how I feel. I simply don't want to give that man any money. If that means I miss out on an amazing book series and a fantastic movie, so be it. There are other books and films out there.
1 Like
@skrag2112 I'm going to have to agree with your position on this. I'm not a fan of Card's hatred of the LGBT community (among his other opinions), but I don't feel anything in Ender's Game reflects it. Aside from that, if I chose to not read or watch things because I disagreed with the opinions or actions of the artist, I'd probably be cutting out a large swath of media I normally take in. (For one thing, I'd sadly never be able to watch Chinatown or Rosemary's Baby ever again.)
1 Like
@mrm1138 @skrag2112 the Ender series is all about getting to know your enemy and not being afraid of what is different which is what makes his stance towards the LGBT so mind-boggling.
