R.I.P. Stan Winston [1946-2008]

I am faced today with the unavoidable task of writing a goodbye to one of my childhood heroes. Before I wanted to be a writer or a comic book artist, I wanted to be Stan Winston. As far as I am concerned he was the greatest movie magician of the post-Star Wars era. For all the amazing comic book artists that made me want to go pick up a pencil, every time I draw something what I really hope it looks like is one of Stan Winston's creations. He was a four-time Oscar-winning master of make-up and visual effects, but it's in physical effects and animatronics that he wears the crown. If you don't know his name, then you surely know his work...



I learned about Mr. Winston through two of my favorite movies when I was in my early teens: James Cameron's Aliens and Terminator 2. When I found out that the same man was responsible for making these robots and creatures look so real, that was it: I wanted a career in special effects. I subscribed to Cinefex magazine and was all set to go to college at 14. Then I started reading comics...



I never mattered though, because I still love this work. I'll say it again: Winston made everything real. Whether it was hunter aliens with crab faces or dinosaurs tipping over trucks, he did something that computer effects just couldn't do, and note to George Lucas, still can't.




Looking over his credits, it was suprising to know he did far more than I thought he had. Edward's Scissorhands - that was Stan. The creatures of hell in Constantine - Stan. The only good thing about Spielberg's A.I., that robot bear - also Stan.



And if the aliens and terminators weren't enough for me as a teen, it was Jurassic Park that blew me away most. I think it was because everyone was talking about the incredible leaps forward in CGI, but to me the best scene in that movie is the sick Triceratops. Winston did all the physical effects for the movie, and when the walk up to that body, and the belly heaves with breath, well, you'd think dinosaurs were really back on earth.




And his genius extended to the very end. When Jon Favreau made the brilliant decision to make as much of Iron Man without CGI as possible, he turned to Stan Winston. Winston made the suits, and Tony Stark's escape from the desert cave in the original armor will stand as one of Winston's high points forever.



And so I say goodbye to one of my heroes, but am confident in the fact that his legacy will stay eternal in the history of film.
- IMDB news story
- IMDB credits

Netflix Diary 7

Aguirre, The Wrath Of God [1972]
I wanted to see this after enjoying last year’s Rescue Dawn, because I had always heard how good it was, and how in a lot of ways it is the…technical forerunner to director Werner Herzog’s 2007 expedition. But ya know what? I was bored to tears by Aguirre. I understand how much of an impossible feat the production was, trekking a film crew and actors in full suits of real armor through the South American jungle – it’s all right there on the screen – but that doesn’t mean it makes a good film. The story is skeletal, with half the scenes being improvised, and the acting is alternately forced, amateurish or nonexistent. It’s not a completely bad film, illustrating madness and paranoia pretty well, and the craft does count for something, but I just found it profoundly disappointing for all the cultish hype it gets.



A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints [2006]
I really really wanted to like this movie, because, as I’ve said, I like Shia LaBeouf, and I really like the recent choices of Robert Downey Jr. Actually, I did like this movie, and I do recommend it, but I do so with some reservations. The movie totally hinges on the good performances of these two lead actors (playing the young and old versions of the same person, Dito Montiel), as well as the fact that it’s simply a filmed autobiography, adapted and directed by Montiel himself. NOW, the rest of the movie is merely good. The situations are interesting, though sometimes not well drawn enough, and unfortunately the characters are mostly unlikable, though Irish Mike is cool...but I can’t shake the fact that I wanted young Dito to escape his world not because I was rooting for him, but because I was rooting against the world. Apparently, this is just one of the short stories from the original book, which continues with Dito fronting a hardcore band among other things, so maybe that’s the place to start. Otherwise, this is just another in a long line of coming-of-age dramas that take place in the five boroughs of New York City.

Netflix Diary 6

2 Days In Paris [2007]
I want to recommend this, but I hesitate because your enjoyment kind of depends on your sense of humor. If you like slapstick and Adam Sandler lowbrow type of stuff, you’ll hate this. If you like what I call “uncomfortable humor” – like if you love Christopher Guest’s movies, love The Office, but prefer the Ricky Gervais Office to the Steve Carrell Office – you’ll probably dig this. I was on the fence, because I did an equal amount of laughing out loud and cringing in discomfort. If I was Adam Goldberg’s character, I would’ve split way early in the trip. Overall though, Julie Delpy does a pretty good job of juggling the raunchy writing, semi-guerrilla directing and bi-lingual acting.



The King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters [2007]
I don’t want to form too much of a pre-opinion for you – I’ll just say that it’s a fucking masterful documentary, one of the best I’ve ever seen. If you like documentaries or just movies in general, you need to see this. Hollywood wishes it could write a screenplay this fuckin' perfect.

Netflix Diary 5

The Wild Bunch [1969]
Easily one of the ten great Westerns of all time, this is just as revolutionary as Bonnie & Clyde when it comes to pushing the boundaries of film in the late 1960’s. Besides the fact that the violence is still fairly excessive by today’s standards, with the body count up around 150, it’s also one of the earliest films I can think of off the top of my head with gratuitous nudity in it (nothing like a few Mexican whores swimming in vats of red wine). Not just that, but the film’s finale is a pioneering example of the kind of jump cut editing that would become popular in the post-MTV late 80’s and early 90’s, William Holden and Ernest Borgnine are spectacular as aging desperados attempting to retire, and Sam Peckinpah’s direction is flawless throughout, especially on the tense (and improvised) train robbery sequence.



Bridge To Terabithia [2007]
I read a really good review of this movie when it came out, but never found the time to see it. I was flipping past the SAG Awards and saw that the girl lead, AnnaSophia Robb, was nominated for Best Young Actress, and so I was curious again. I had it on my Netflix, but ended up catching it on cable one weekend morning, and I was surprised how good it was. The studio totally botched the advertising for this one, because not one ad hinted at the power of the story, instead trying to pimp the Walden Media effects team, which is really only 20% of the film, if that much. All the kid actors are great, especially Robb, who looks like a future star from the moment she gets on screen. The climax is heavy duty, so have your tissues at the ready. It’s not a film revolution, but it is a really good movie about how kids deal with loss, guilt, and regret, and the filmmakers made an honest movie that doesn’t insult their audience’s intelligence like the studio’s marketing did.

Overpriced Popcorn: Iron Man

Overpriced is right - $5.45 for a medium that would be a small at any other theater. But that's OK. Last night, I'm at the world-famous Ziegfield Theater in New York City. For as long as I can remember - literally, since I was like 2 years old - I've wanted to see a movie in this theater, because for my whole life, seeing TV stories on the rampant success of the original Star Wars Trilogy, the Ziegfeld was always shown as the theater to premiere these great fan-friendly summer blockbusters, like NYC's less pretentious answer to Mann's Chinese Theater in LA. And now I'm here, with the ornate lights on the walls and velvet and leather everywhere. It looks like the Playboy Mansion. The reason I am here is because my oldest friend Chris recently completed an internship at Marvel Comics, and before he left, they put him on the list +1 for the company's Iron Man screening. What, I said? I get to see Iron Man with the Marvel offices, complete with rah-rah speech by former comic-art-genius and present Marvel head Joe Quesada?? Count me the fuck in, for realz son! But let me get to the point - is the movie any good?

Yes. A hundred times yes. Taken with the grain of salt that comes with the genre of comic book films, this is nearly as much of a success as Batman Begins was three years ago. Director Jon Favreau (Zathura, Elf) has put together a flashy action film that is stuffed to the seams with emotion, fun and A-list acting. Robert Downey Jr. carries this film on his (come)back the whole way, with at least as much coolness as he had in the masterful (and sorely overlooked) Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - CSR's top film of 2005; he exudes so much charm and honed personality as the billionaire weapons manufacturer Tony Stark that you have to know something special is going on here. It is. Having realized the folly of hiring two first-time writers to draft the screenplay, Favreau and Marvel Studios (this is the comic powerhouse's first experiment in developing a film on its own; Hulk reboot to follow in June) went out and got the writing duo who worked magic with Children Of Men - CSR's top film of 2006 - to add some weight to the high-speed smashings and bashings. It definitely worked, but also of note is that they weren't done writing when the film started shooting last year. Downey joked on David Letterman's show last night about throwing out the script every morning, and it turns out he wasn't entirely joking; Downey's ability to improvise flawlessly within the tone of the scene coupled with Favreau's feel for the whole piece apparently need to get a hell of a lot of credit for the success of this film.


As a blockbuster chosen to open the summer, Iron Man is perfect. Audiences will have so much fun with this movie even if they have no idea about the comic book background like they did with the big four - Spidey, Supes, Bats, & the Mutants. In the scheme of superheroes on the big screen, only the aforementioned Begins and Spider-Man 2 are better. Downey inhabits the role of the self-centered, alcoholic womanizer with flair, and his efforts are followed by an equally kind & sexy performance by Gwyneth Paltrow and a correctly-measured over-the-top villain turn by Jeff "The Dude" Bridges. Even further, the combinations of physical effects (robot suits by action movie GIANT Stan Winston) and brilliant visual effects by - duh - ILM are almost as good as Downey. The Iron Man suit is every bit as good as the Transformers were bad, and the aerial sequences and climactic battle are wonderfully orchestrated, divebombing kamikaze popcorn spectacle. No matter how much the popcorn costs, the price of admission is cheap for the rollercoaster thrills you'll get at Iron Man.




Special superhero film rating:

Summer Movies. Part Two.

Hmmmm...Curiosities...These would be films that look somewhat interesting, and I'm riding the fence between matinee and Netflix...

Redbelt [May 2]
David Mamet will hold a special place in film history one day. I don't know what that place is, but it will involve a lot of great, albeit stiff dialogue with lots of swearing. I feel bad that he has to resort to jumping on the UFC bandwagon to get an audience, but regardless, he's got Chiwetel Ejiofor, and he is by far the most underrated actor around today.
[TRAILERS]

War, Inc. [May 23]
Long-delayed, but Cusack has earned a little faith. Basically looks like Grosse Pointe Blank gone political satire, which is fine. I just don't know, after the last five years of relentless, ubiquitous political humor, if it's $10 fine.
[TRAILER]

Mongol [June 6]
Genghis Khan biopic. I know three things: the trailer looks cool, nominated for an Oscar this year (Foreign Language), and supposed to be the first of a trilogy. OK, tell me more...
[TRAILER]

Kung Fu Panda [June 6]
LOL! Oh, Jack Black voicing a Panda who goes chop socky. How original - fat comic actor voices fat comic animated character. Wow! Genius! ...Anyone remember Shark Tale?? How'd that work for ya?? My little-kid side is a little intrigued, but really, am I supposed to be blown away by the A-List talent supporting in an animated film?? Here, for everyone to gawk at: Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, Ian McShane, Michael Clarke Duncan & David Cross. Whoopee!!!
[TEASER]

The Incredible Hulk [June 13]
Pros: All things Edward Norton, acting, producing, writing, co-directing?, generally being more fun than Eric Bana. Also, a villain (what a novelty) played by...is that Tim Roth? He's still alive?
Cons: Liv Tyler is not Jennifer Connelly. CGI Hulk is an upgrade but not enough. No word of the plot = Raz nervous again.
Meh: William Hurt. The Transporter director (I swear if Hulk does one bit of martial arts, goddammit I'll...).
[TRAILER]

Hancock [July 4]
I've already put my faith in Peter Berg's corner as a director. We've covered that, and it will come up again. Premise is fun. Will Smith is Will Smith, and I can just hope this is better than that mess I Am Legend. Don't like Theron, or as Rick calls her, Chuckie. That leaves Jason Bateman. Save us, brother.
[TRAILER]

Hamlet 2 [August 22]
Two words: Steve. Coogan. Give this man a Golden Globe cuz an Oscar is too stuffy for him. High school drama teacher makes sequel to centuries-old masterpiece. Kind of Chris-Guest-esque, and yet Stand & Deliver. Early word is mixed, but still...Coooooooogan. Also, Poehler says "Suck my balls!"
[NSFW REDBAND TRAILER]

Babylon A.D. [August 29]
Vin Diesel in a sci-fi action epic? I'm not sure anymore. Children Of Men has a kid with Total Recall? OK, maybe I'm might be in. I am one of the few people you'll probably find who liked Chronicles of Riddick, but it wasn't a classic or anything. I'm thinking this is his last chance to wow me.
[MAKING-OF TEASER]

Summer Movies. Part One.

Some summers are packed with options. Others are not. At first, when I looked at the schedule for this summer, I thought, wow, there appears to be a blockbuster on every Friday. But we all know that's never how it goes. Many of those studio hopefuls turn out to be D.O.A., and after reconsideration, this year looks to be a long one for the studios' money men, sweating repeats of some of the higher profile nosedives of the past few summers.

Here are your TEN best bets for the summer of 2008...Enjoy.

Your Ten Best Bets:
10. The International [August 15]
The long-awaited English-language debut by Run Lola Run director Tom Tykwer is an espionage action-thriller starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts as an Interpol agent and a NYC A.D.A., respectively, uncovering the illegal evils and conspiracies of a massive worldwide bank. Sounds like the Bourne films without the Kung Fu.

09. The Happening [June 13]
A lot of people are fed up with M. Night Shyamalan. I am not one of them. Unlike most sheep, I think Unbreakable is his best film, and I even liked both The Village and Lady In The Water. But even if you are not like me, you might concede that this film could be his "return to form".
[TRAILER]

08. Tropic Thunder [August 15]
I hate Ben Stiller, but damn if this doesn't look like a genius comedy. By all reports, this is the Robert Downey Jr. performance everyone will be talking about come the end of the summer.
[TRAILER]

07. Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull [May 23]
What can I say really? It's Indy. I love him like an uncle I've never met. He nurtured me when Han Solo and Dr. Peter Venkmen weren't around . But alas, as much as I want to see this, and as inspired as I think Shia LaBeouf's casting is, the heavy dose of special efx and an Area 51 alien storyline make this smell more like the Temple of Doom than the other two. Besides, it has Lucas' prints on it, and after the last decade of disasters, that makes me very nervous.
[TRAILER]

06. Iron Man [May 2]
Here's why this is going to be good: At least a few people must have seen the finished product by now, and the promotion machine is ahead-full-steam. That equals confidence. That means they think it's good enough to lead off the summer. Jon Favreau has yet to direct a classic, but all his films have been very good, with Zathura looking to hold the most hints to this one. A superb cast can't hurt.
[TRAILER]

05. Pineapple Express [August 8]
Considering how untouchable the Apatow posse is right now, how can this possibly miss?? These films should be just more of the same old thing, and yet they're not. They have a human heart underneath all the fratboy excess. Oh, and M.I.A. rules.
[NSFW REDBAND TRAILER]

04. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army [July 11]
Trailer 1 looked amazing enough, but with the recently released second trailer revealing all sorts of new, wonderful, and completely fucking crazy visions from Del Toro's warped mind, this is looking like one of the greatest fantasy films of all time. Watch both, compare and contrast.
[TRAILERS]

03. Son Of Rambow [May 2]
It's a winner, in that it will win us all over. Garth Jennings, as much a fantastic visionary as Guillermo Del Toro, had the unenviable task of making the Hitchhiker's Guide movie, and I personally think he did a great job. Now what does he do for an encore? He updates the movies he used to make as a kid with his friends. This is a must-see, a film with a beating heart in the season of high-gloss.
[TRAILER]

02. WALL-E [June 27]
It's fuckin' Pixar, muthafuckas!! You better recognize!!
...robot voices by Ben Burtt, Oscar winner for "voicing" your last favorite robot.
[TRAILER]

01. The Dark Knight [July 18]
Hmmm...let's see...Batman Begins is the greatest superhero/comic book film adaptation of all time, no contest, by a fairly large margin. Christian Bale is easily one of the ten best actors around right now, while Christopher Nolan must be among the five best directors. No Katie Holmes; Maggie Gyllenhaal = upgrade. More Caine, Oldman, & Freeman. Aaron Eckhart is a great idea, and they're saving him, not putting him in the trailers. And of course, Ledger, you tragic man... your lost soul will leave us with what your peers are calling one of the most twisted, deranged, frightening, haunting performances of recent memory. I hope they're right. You're already going to be remembered, but if you do the nerd fanboy coalition a solid, and do an iconic favorite proper, they will make you immortal. Ask the Fellowship.
[TRAILER]

Netflix Diary 4

The Game [1997]
I’m a big David Fincher fan, and Fight Club is one of my favorite films of all time, so it is a complete mystery why I’ve never seen this decade old film. Well, now that I’ve seen it, and been suitably blown out of my shorts by it, I think I want to make a big statement: The Game is Fincher at his Hitchcockian best. That’s right. I said it. It’s rare that I feel as satisfied by the journey in a film as I did when this movie was finished. Everything was in its right place, and that’s kind of the point; if there were any goofs or loose ends, the film wouldn’t work. The ending got me just as it got Michael Douglas’s character; I was totally suckered, and I loved every minute of it.

Overpriced Popcorn: In Bruges

Anyway you explain the story, it sounds like comedy gold: two hitmen hide out in quiet European tourist town. The town is in Belgium. One hitman (Colin Farrell) is a rookie, the other (Brendan Gleeson, ‘Mad Eye Moody’ in the Harry Potter films) is gay. The gay hitman loves the sightseeing, while the rookie is a foulmouthed lout. The rookie meets the girl of his dreams, and she turns out to be a drug dealer who tries to have him mugged (by her ex, with a gun, loaded with blanks). And there’s a midget who gets high with whores and makes racist remarks, and later dresses as a schoolboy. NOW, all that is hysterical on paper (and probably on weed, which is likely where a lot of these ideas came from), and it mostly translates onto the screen as well, in gloriously filthy and politically incorrect fashion, but there’s also a downer of a subplot with Farrell dealing with his shocking...error during his first kill. So if there’s a problem with In Bruges, it’s that the director couldn’t decide whether he wanted to make a screwball comedy or a sobering drama, so he made both at the same time. Luckily, the comedy wins as far as screen time.




In Bruges [uncensored trailer - NSFW]

Overpriced Popcorn: Cloverfield

[NOTE] "Overpriced Popcorn" is simply me giving my theatrical movie reviews a categorical title, like my album reviews are under the heading "Headphones". I'm doing this to set them apart from the "Netflix Diary", though the format will be basically the same.

I guess I should’ve reviewed this earlier seeing as my one overwhelming point is now kind of moot: if you ever want to see this film, you should probably see it on the big screen. On DVD, this film will most likely not work at all, unless you have the biggest HD flatscreen and the best in surround sound. My friend Tom has a TV like that, but his apartment is over his landlord's elementary-age kid's bedroom, so no dice on cranking up the volume. Being immersed in Cloverfield's alternate reality is essential to giving it its fair shake. The monsters are cool and pleasantly different than all the internet speculation; the smaller creatures in the subway reminded me of the "bugs" in Starship Troopers. The acting is...well tolerable at best - at the very least, it’s up to Lonelygirl15 standards. As a bonus, the soundtrack at the party is pretty good. Oh yeah, and it’s better than Blair Witch too, cuz at least you see the monster(s).

Netflix Diary 3

Stardust [2007]
A good, fun bit of family filmmaking by, of all people, Layer Cake director Matthew Vaughn; although I had gotten myself psyched up that it was gonna be a kind of next-gen Princess Bride, which I guess is too much to hope for, it was still mildly worth seeing, like on cable. It has a pretty good cast, highlighted by a radiant Claire Danes and an unforgettably ridiculous Robert DeNiro.





The Lives Of Others [2006]
Winner of the 2006 Best Foreign Language Oscar, but only hitting the US around when it won the award (early ’07), this instant classic from Germany would be a brilliant piece of filmmaking in any language. It not only deals with the place and power of art in a society, but how people’s attitude’s change towards art when the government tightens its grasp. Set against the police state of East Berlin in the 1980’s, the story of a Stasi Police investigator who has to struggle with the relationship between his politically sensitive profession and his silent opinions on the follies of his government’s policies produces deep, tangible characters with performances to match. This is a tense, genius drama as good as any from Hollywood in the last 5 years.

Netflix Diary 2

Bonnie & Clyde [1967]
1967 was the year that movies changed, and this was one of the great few that changed it (along with The Graduate, Cool Hand Luke, and In The Heat Of The Night, among others). I would say it’s not a hands-down masterpiece, mostly because it hasn’t aged as well as some of the other films of the time – Estelle Parsons’s Oscar-winning supporting actress turn comes off as a bit grating now – but its classic status is still evident when watching. The violence was definitely revolutionary as far as what you could show and how you could treat it emotionally, and Clyde’s sexual hang-ups were definitely an interesting development of how a male lead could be portrayed. Throw in Gene Hackman’s breakthrough, a bit part by a super-young Gene Wilder, and Faye Dunaway in one of the sexiest performances of the 60’s, and you have a cool flick to go back and discover.




The Host [2006]
I’ve wanted to see this for about a year, and so when I got Netflix, I put it right at the top of the list. I think it’s always interesting to see what big budget blockbusters look like when made in other countries. As a monster movie, this is way more fun than, say, the Matthew Broderick-led Godzilla, wisely choosing to have the creature be smaller than most movie monsters – this thing is about 20 feet tall – so that during the action, whichever human is there engaging it can be fit in the same shot, instead of separate giant monster shots and tiny ant-of-a-person shots. Add in some good acting and classic slapstick humor from the Korean cast, and a little social commentary in the script, and you have one satisfying viewing experience, destined to be a cult classic.

Netflix Diary 1

Disturbia [2007]
Ever since I saw The Battle of Shaker Heights, I try and check out Shia LaBeouf’s flicks; I think he picks good projects for his acting personality. This teen angst reimagining of Hitchcock’s Rear Window was a fun little slice of popcorn fare; as both teenage fare and as a thriller, it’s slightly above average. I don’t think it was worth a $10 ticket, but I enjoyed it. Good to see David Morse continuing to raise his profile too.

Heads Up: The Return of Junior

'You know son, I'm also named after the dog...'

The 2007 CSR Guide to Fall Movies, Part 2

Welcome back! Let's get right into November...

[Week Nine]
Friday, November 2 – Thursday, November 8
Unless you have kids and are forced to sit through The Bee Movie (stay retired, Seinfeld!), you have only one option this week, but that’s OK because it’s the biggest release of the season, and potentially the year. Director Ridley Scott, one of the greatest directors of the last 30 years, gives us American Gangster. It’s the story of Frank Lucas, probably the most revolutionary narcotics figure of the 20th century. In the early 1970’s, Lucas, played here by Oscar winner Denzel Washington (who has worked with Ridley’s brother Tony on three films), had the brilliant idea of smuggling Vietnamese heroin back from the war in the coffins of dead US soldiers. When that heroin hit the streets of Harlem, and the black community in general, it changed the world forever. Before African-Americans got on smack, the biggest criminal around the way was “the numbers man”, your local bookie. Lucas basically created the major drug trade in New York City, and now it was drug escalation; before him it was a little weed, a little coke. Heroin had been out of favor since the Bop days of Charlie Parker. Lucas’ heroin led to crack, crack led to Hip-Hop. Frank Lucas is one of those figures in American history that everyone should know, but doesn’t. Scott also reunites with Russell Crowe, who plays the cop who’s after Lucas, and the two know success together; Crowe won his Oscar with Scott on Gladiator. And the rest of the cast and crew is as just as good; the screenplay is by Steve Zallian, who won an Oscar for Traffic, and the supporters include the incredible Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cuba Gooding Jr, Josh Brolin, Idris Elba, Carla Gugino, Armand Assante, John Hawkes, Ted Levine, and Norman Reedus, as well as rappers like T.I., Common, and The RZA. This is as must-see a film as you’re going to get.
See: American Gangster

[Week Ten]
Friday, November 9 – Thursday, November 15
This week, while your less intelligent human peers are shuffling like zombies to lay down cash for Fred Claus, you can feel smart having two brilliant choices to pick from, but both are among the most anticipated films of the year, so you should make every effort to see them both. The first is the new Coen Brothers film, No Country For Old Men. They’ve returned to crime noir on this go-round, and the film, starring Tommy Lee Jones, looks to be a classic. The other film is the super-long-awaited Southland Tales, director Richard Kelly’s extremely troubled follow-up to his adored Donnie Darko (no trailer yet - click for a clip). Southland Tales premiered 18 months ago at Cannes ’06, and was supposedly booed, though some dispute this. Since then, it’s been endless hours in the editing room for Kelly, honing what’s sure to be one of the oddest films you ever see, and hoping the studio will actually release it. It’s a sci-fi musical action comedy. Yes, you read that correctly. I think if you put a gun to Kelly’s head and made him pick a genre, he’d say it’s a satire. Dwayne Johnson (can we stop calling him “The Rock” yet?) stars as an action movie star trying to make a film, but his life starts imitating the script. Add in Sarah Michelle Gellar as an upwardly-mobile porn star, Seann William Scott as an LAPD officer, and countless wacky cameos and bit parts, from Mad TV’s Will Sasso to Mandy Moore, from Kevin Smith to an almost unrecognizable Justin Timberlake. Oh, and don’t forget the three prequels being released in graphic novel form; I believe the first two are out already.
See: Both, but seek out No Country For Old Men first.

[Week Eleven]
Friday, November 16 – Thursday, November 22 (Thanksgiving)
I think the big-budget animated Beowulf looks kinded lame, and could anyone care less about Dustin Hoffman ripping off Willy Wonka in Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, so you have another week to do some catching up. The one interesting film opening on Friday is Noah Baumbach’s follow-up to his 2005 breakthrough, The Squid & The Whale. The new one, Margot At The Wedding, appears to be a sobering family drama starring Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh as sisters, but with flashes of comedy because it also stars Jack Black as Leigh's fiancé. You know no matter how hard he tries to do serious work, he’ll accidentally be funny somewhere in there. Now, this next flick is more of a release for next week, but because of the holiday, Wednesday is a fairly popular release day every year. This year we get The Mist, which registers high on the curiosity meter. It’s yet another film adaptation of a Stephen King work, but what’s special here is that it’s the third one directed by Frank Darabont. The first one was a little film you might’ve seen – The Shawshank Redemption – yeah, and he followed it with The Green Mile. So, it’s been 8 years since, and it’s about time he gives us another film. No matter how good it is, and the first trailer looks...OK, Darabont’s name is still worth the price of admission.
See: Margot At The Wedding if you’re bored or if it gets good reviews. Check out The Mist for Turkey Day.

[Weeks Twelve & Thirteen]
Friday, November 23 – Thursday, December 6
Hey, I know you have to shop. Good thing for you I covered The Mist in Week 11, and I only have one film for you in these two weeks. Black Friday brings the release of Todd Haynes’ surreal Bob Dylan biopic, I’m Not There. This is one of the ones I’m really waiting for – who doesn’t want to see Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, and Richard Gere – ALL as Bob Dylan??!!? That’s awesome, not to mention David Cross as Allen Ginsberg. You can meet me at the front of the line. Other than that, take a week off and save a few bucks for the December onslaught.
See: I’m Not There

[Week Fourteen]
Friday, December 7 – Thursday, December 13
The Christmas season really gets going with an excellent batch of films. First, the big money is on The Golden Compass, which is already being positioned as the next Lord of The Star Potter saga, and it looks pretty massive. Second, from the director of Pride & Prejudice and its star, Keira Knightly, comes Atonement, a romance which looks like Cold Mountain set during World War II. Recent festival screenings have critics absolutely raving that it’s an instant classic and it will clean up at the awards; when people are saying a film is among the greatest of all time at the time of its release, it’s probably even money to go check it out. And third, I want to mention Leatherheads, directed by and starring George Clooney. I haven’t seen any footage yet, but it sounds interesting - a romantic comedy set against the backdrop of the beginning of what would become the NFL - it sounds kind of like Some Like It Hot meets Bull Durham, but with shoulder pads. I’m intrigued because I’ve loved Clooney’s two previous directorial endeavors; the down side is the woman being fought over is Renee Zellweger, but the up side is The Office’s John Krasiniski is playing Robbins to Clooney's Costner, and seems a better prospect than that horrible Robin Williams debacle this summer.
See: The Golden Compass; if you’re like me and you hate sitting in theaters with lots of kids, see it as late in the day as possible. Check out Atonement on a weeknight if you get a chance.

[Week Fifteen]
Friday, December 14 – Thursday, December 20
This is a grab bag week, with a lot to choose from. The blockbuster is going to be I Am Legend, starring Will Smith, and directed by Constantine director Frances Lawrence. The concept is incredible, with the tagline – "The last man on Earth is not alone” – saying it all, and I have a feeling it will be the rare big budget popcorn flick that delivers. Almost as tempting is the new Woody Allen picture, Cassandra’s Dream. A crime thriller in line with his 2005 masterpiece Match Point, this film concerns two cockney brothers (Ewan McGregor & Colin Farrell) trying to one-up each other for a girl, and how their criminal uncle (Tom Wilkinson) gets them wrapped up in wrong doing. Also, do not sleep on Juno, director Jason Reitman's follow-up to his great Thank You For Smoking. It's a teen pregnancy black comedy starring, as the knocked up pair, Ellen Page (Hard Candy, X-Men 3) and Michael Cera (Superbad); the brilliant cast also includes Kingdom duo Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner, as well as the hilarious Rainn Wilson, J.K. Simmons, and Alison Janney. Finally, way under the radar, is Youth Without Youth. I don't know much about it except (a) it's about Nazis, (b) it stars Tim Roth, and (c) it's the first film in a decade from legendary Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola. That all should be enough for a matinee.
See: well, all four, but if I personally had to pick one, after seeing the trailer, I would pick Juno...cuz ya know, who doesn't like to laugh?

[Weeks Sixteen & Seventeen]
Friday, December 21 - New Year's Eve
I combined the last week and a half of the year because most of the movies are opening on Christmas Day, which is a Tuesday. There are a total of 14 films coming out within these 10 days, so I'll try and cut off the excess. The must see is going to be P.T. Anderson's long-awaited There Will Be Blood [12/26], starring a spooky Daniel Day Lewis and Little Miss Sunshine's Paul Dano. A loose adaptation of Upton Sinclair's 1927 novel Oil!, it is the third of the gritty westerns I've been mentioning, but it's the only one to feature a score by Radiohead's virtuoso multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood; it looks positively epic. After that, the next movie I would recommend is National Treasure: Book Of Secrets [12/21]. I know you might feel this damages my credibility, but as a man that grew up on Indiana Jones, I think it's refreshing to see a family-friendly action movie in an age of increasingly explicit films. Plus, the entire cast and crew from the original is returning, and they've added Helen Mirren, Ed Harris and Bruce Greenwood - so how could it go wrong? Beyond those two films you have some interesting options. Sweeney Todd [12/21] is yet another teaming of director Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, so even though I'm not a fan of musicals, it still bears mentioning. The Savages [12/26] has Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman, which is always good. Hoffman also pops up in Mike Nichols' political drama, Charlie Wilson's War [12/25], starring a couple of up-&-comers named Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. I wasn't going to mention Walk Hard [12/21], cuz I'm really not sold on it yet, but I'm a big fan of Jenna Fischer's, so her starring role warrants the mention. And finally, AVP: Reqiuem [12/25]. I had to do it. C'mon, nothing could be as bad as the first one.
See: There Will Be Blood

So, that's a wrap! Let's do a little recap with my list of the
Top 17 Must-See Films of the Fall.
17. Atonement [12/07]
16. The Assassination Of Jesse James... [9/21]
15. Gone Baby Gone [10/19]
14. Into The Wild [9/21]
13. Cassandra's Dream [12/14]
12. I Am Legend [12/14]
11. Southland Tales [11/09]
10. We Own The Night [10/12]
09. Juno [12/14]
08. Control [10/10]
07. The Golden Compass [12/07]
06. There Will Be Blood [12/26]
05. 3:10 To Yuma [out now]
04. I'm Not There [11/23]
03. The Darjeeling Limited [9/29]
02. No Country For Old Men [11/09]
01. American Gangster [11/02]
Thanks for reading, have fun at the theater, and stay tuned for more goodness here at CSR.

The 2007 CSR Guide to Fall Movies, Part 1

Welcome to Raz's film festival...or something...
I had to split the list in half because it was getting too huge, and I want everyone to actually read it. So, September and October today, November and December next Saturday.

This fall looks to be packed with brilliant films from high profile directors and actors, but there are only 17 weeks until the New Year (and you need to fit in Football too). How will you ever know which movies to see so that you don’t waste your time and money?? Don’t worry. I got you covered. I have planned out your entire fall for you, so you know which films to see and when to see them, in order to cram in all the blockbusters, art-house fare, and of course, the Oscar hopefuls. Not everyone’s the same, so feel free to switch movies around or omit a few of the lesser picks, and as usual, pay close attention to word of mouth, whether it’s from the big paper critic or the old woman in the cubicle next to you; you should know by now whose opinion to trust...well, other than mine. I’ll guide you through week by week, and then at the end give you my top 17 must-see films. Get out your pens & paper, or um, I guess you could just warm up your printers. Enjoy. Oh, and click on movie titles for the trailers.
[All info from IMDB.com - You better recognize.]

[Week One]
Friday, September 7 – Thursday, September 13
Friday night, you should have been rushing out to see James Mangold’s 3:10 To Yuma, a gritty western starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale which should be one of the best films of the year (I'm seeing it tonight). Mangold is a pretty solid bet, having the underrated Cop Land and Girl, Interrupted on his resumé before hitting a grand slam with Walk The Line. Because of that film’s success, he was able to snatch up Crowe and Bale. If Russell Crowe is such an asshole in real life, then it’s about time he played a villain again, and as far as Bale, if you know someone who doesn’t like him, then you should stop being that person’s friend, like seriously right now. If you have time in the rest of the week and are fixing for another film, check your local art-house for I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With. Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Jeff Garlin wrote, directed and stars in this romantic comedy, and he makes the odd but potentially hilarious choice of casting Sarah Silverman as his leading lady.
See: 3:10 To Yuma is a must.

[Week Two]
Friday, September 14 – Thursday, September 20
This week is kind of a free-for-all. The big commercial picture is going to be The Brave One with Jodie Foster, but I’m skipping that one since they pretty much give away the whole movie in the trailer. Instead, I’m pointing you in the direction of two releases that look interesting. The first is Across The Universe, the troubled Beatles musical that is finally coming out, and curiosity should at least be worth a matinee. The second is Eastern Promises, another collaboration between director David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen, who worked together on A History Of Violence. In this film, Naomi Watts stars as a midwife who gets wrapped in a Russian Mob conspiracy when she investigates a baby born to a teenage girl who died during child birth. Both these films should be released semi-wide, as far as I know, as should the last film that might be worth checking out, as a substitution or addition to your schedule: The Hunting Party, a black comedy/political drama starring Richard Gere and Terence Howard. It’s a true story about the American news media in the warzones of Bosnia in the 90’s, and it’s directed by the guy that did The Matador with Pierce Brosnan.
See: Across The Universe or Eastern Promises

[Week Three]
Friday, September 21 – Thursday, September 27
This week you have an excellent choice of three movies, and any one should be worth your cash. Into The Wild is Sean Penn’s adaptation of Jon Krakauer’s book. The trailer sells it perfectly, from the wonder of the locations to the deep cast including Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden. But it will be Lords of Dogtown’s Emile Hirsch that benefits the most, getting to show his range and maturation from kid actor. Next you can check out The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, opening in NYC, LA, Toronto and Austin. It's the second of the three big westerns reaching for the gold statue this fall. You’d think I’d be crazy to say the draw here is not Brad Pitt, but one look at the breathtaking trailer shows you that Casey Affleck is bringing his A-game this fall. Last is the under-the-radar Trade, in limited release, a film that was supposed to be released at the beginning of the year, but got pushed for Oscar contention. Kevin Kline is looking for another statue, this time playing against type as a cop in this abduction thriller that has the same international feel as recent greats like The Constant Gardener, Babel, and the Bourne films.
See: All three, but if it can only be one, I’d go with Into The Wild.

[Week Four]
Friday, September 28 – Thursday, October 4
You get a little break this week, since the only major film of interest is Peter Berg’s massive The Kingdom, boasting a great lineup of Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, Jason Bateman, and Jeremy Piven. At first, I was skeptical, but here’s two reasons why you might want to check out this Middle East terrorism drama:
1) It was originally slated to be an early summer popcorn flick, but it got pushed for Oscar season. That means either it tested really well, or the studio heads have a lot of faith in it. That has to equal it rising above its just-OK action movie trailer.
2) Director Peter Berg has quietly been building up to this kind of big Hollywood statement film. After starting out with some black comedies, he made The Rundown, cramming it full of good camerawork and great comedic timing, resulting in a fun adventure movie which is way better than any of the comparable Arnold or Sly throwaways from the 80’s. Then he followed it up with the great football chronicle Friday Night Lights, which had a spectacularly stark look and one of the best soundtracks ever. He’s definitely due for his breakthrough.
See: The Kingdom.
Of course, if it’s not your cup of tea, then you can always catch up on one of the films from the previous weeks.

[Week Five]
Friday, October 5 – Thursday, October 11
This is a weird weekend because, as of right now, there are no movies really worth seeing coming out (you can keep your Ben Stiller reuniting with the Farrelly Brothers). However, on Saturday, September 29th, Wes Anderson’s new film, The Darjeeling Limited, premiers at The New York Film Festival. The early word is that it would also have a limited release, but it seems crazy to me to be opening a film on a Saturday. I would look for it on October 5th. Keep in mind that whatever effect lead Owen Wilson’s suicide attempt might have on promoting the film, it seems that the release might be at the mercy of nervous studio execs. The only thing I can be absolutely sure of is it will be out by New Year’s Eve, to qualify for Academy eligibility. Also in limited release, on Wednesday, October 10th, is Anton Corbijn's Control, the story of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis, which looks absolutely fantastic.
See: The Darjeeling Limited and Control are both musts. Seek them out.

[Week Six]
Friday, October 12 – Thursday, October 18
In 2000, James Gray made a great little film almost no one saw with some big name actors; The Yards was a dark drama about conspiracy in the railroad union, and it featured excellent performances from Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Charlize Theron, James Caan, Faye Dunaway & Ellen Burstyn. Seven years later, Gray has finally returned, reuniting with Wahlberg and Phoenix, and adding Eva Mendes and the immortal Robert Duvall, for We Own The Night, sure to be another great crime thriller. It’s already being compared to last year’s Best Picture winner, The Departed. Your second choice for the week is the courtroom drama Michael Clayton, which was bumped from September. It may sport a top-notch cast including George Clooney, Tilda Swinton and Tom Wilkinson, but the draw here is that it’s the directorial debut of Tony Gilroy, who wrote the three Jason Bourne films.
See: We Own The Night. Fit in Michael Clayton if you have time.

[Week Seven]
Friday, October 19 – Thursday, October 25
This is by far the most crowded week of the season, but Week Eight is pretty empty, so you can carry some of these over. The definite must see this week is Gone Baby Gone, the directorial debut of Ben Affleck. Affleck was smart when picking this project; he adapted a story by the guy that wrote Mystic River, set, of course, in Affleck’s hometown of Boston, and then he cast his brother Casey in the lead, along with trusted support men like Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris. If the trailer is any indication, this should be a huge hit. The other film this week that I've been watching out for is Wristcutters: A Love Story, which looks wonderfully twisted. Beyond that, you have the popcorn vampire flick 30 Days of Night, adapted from the award-winning graphic novel by Sam Raimi and Hard Candy director David Slade, and two big-name Oscar dramas; Reservation Road (Phoenix! Ruffalo! Connelly!), from the director of Hotel Rwanda, and Rendition (Witherspoon! Gyllenhaal! Streep!), from the director of '06 Best Foreign Film winner Tsotsi.
See: Gone Baby Gone

[Week Eight]
Friday, October 25 - Thursday, November 1
Saw 4...yawn, no thanks. Steve Carrell has this Dan In Real Life, which looks painfully unfunny, which is sad following the obvious failure of Evan Almighty. Like I said, this is a slow week, so it's good to catch up with anything you missed. There are a few small films of interest, but only one that looks like it might be worth a matinee. Run, Fatboy, Run, is the directorial debut of David Schwimmer, and he's lucky enough to have gotten Hot Fuzz star Simon Pegg to fill the lead role. I wasn't really sold on the film until I saw the teaser trailer, which had me in hysterics. Other than that, if you're looking for more, and maybe you want a scary movie for Halloween, search for the limited release of Michael Haneke's brutal hostage thriller Funny Games, the English-language remake of his own 1997 cult classic, this time starring Naomi Watts, Tim Roth and Michael Pitt (sorry, no trailer yet).
See: Run, Fatboy, Run

And that's the end of Part One folks. Come back next Saturday for Part Two. Don't be late cuz we're gonna start with a BANG!

2007 Film Wrap-Up (so far)

With all the excitement surrounding the blog's album countdown, I keep forgetting to do movie reviews, so to make up for it, here's some (too) short takes on the ten best films I've seen so far this year.

[10] Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix
Director: David Yates
Hey, it's not Prisoner of Azkaban, but it's still pretty good fun. The overall cast is the strongest part of this entry in the series, with all the new additions making a big splash, and the kids coming along nicely. I'd also like to single out the great finale in three parts. Way to take a pretty good film and bump it up to being a really good film. The only thing that kept it from being great was the middle third's heavy reliance on montages breaking the momentum.
Raz's Rating for the Potter gang:



[09] Grindhouse
Directors: Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino (with Rob Zombie, Edgar Wright, and Eli Roth)
While it may be completely retarded, it was also the most fun I had in the theater this year. The studio totally botched the advertising, because this one should've been a no-brainer; at least a $60 million domestic gross (It didn't even make half that). Absolutely as gory and exploitive as can be, it also featured some of the best make-up and stunts in recent memory; stuntwoman Zoe Bell becomes a legend before your eyes. Oh yeah, and Rose McGowan's ass is so perfect, it made me tear up. No joke.
Raz's Rating for gore, stunts, & booty:



[08] Superbad
Director: Greg Mottola
The best teen movies are the ones that don't sugar-coat the true high school experience. Superbad ranks along side greats like Cameron Crowe's twin towers of Say Anything and Fast Times at Ridgemont High as a story about kids that feels real, with enough heart to not only make you care what happens to the characters, but also to see yourself in them. All that plus it's fucking hilarious, continues Judd Apatow comedic dominance, and puts Jonah Hill and Michael Cera in front of the world, where they belong.
Raz's Rating for McLovin' (What up gangstas??!!):



[07] Rescue Dawn
Director: Werner Herzog
I know this is gonna sound harsh and a bit inconsequential but, who knew Steve Zahn could act?? Yeah, you get to see that actually happen, not to mention yet another of Christian Bale's classic performances; this time his transformation is so perfect and complete, it might finally get him noticed by the Academy. Herzog shot in the jungle, documentary style, and the result is breathtaking; you can tell the crew is stuck in the shit with the actors. Brilliant filmmaking.
Raz's Rating for another strange trip with emaciated Batman:



[06] The Bourne Ultimatum
Director: Paul Greengrass
A lot of people are quick name the third Jason Bourne the best of the Trilogy, and I wholeheartedly disagree - I believe that, despite being the best action movies since, um, ever, none of them are perfect and they all kind of equal out in the end. By all rights, this should be the best though, a perfect 10 that ends up an 8 because there's too much to complain about. An underused Julia Stiles. Not enough dialogue for Matt Damon. A cheesy, underwhelming end/beginning to the amnesia plot. But it's still the best action flick this year for your 10 bucks.
Raz's Rating for the best action hero since John McClane forgot his shoes:



[05] Zodiac
Director: David Fincher
Like any good David Fincher film, Zodiac lingers with you. You see it, you think it's the tits, sure, and you tell your friends how good Gyllenhaal, Ruffalo, & Downey are in it. But you forget about it for while. Then the images keep creeping back into your daydreams, and you're just that little bit more afraid of the dark. You should be, because even Charles "Roger Rabbit" Fleischer (in one of the greatest cameos in film history) can make you lock your doors. Just keep telling yourself - it's just a movie.
Raz's Rating for amazing work by amazing artists, all around:



[04] The Lookout
Director: Scott Frank
The one film I actually reviewed this year is one that will stick with you because of the brilliant performances. The actors disappear into their parts, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Oscar-worthy portrayal of Chris Pratt going a long way to further cementing his place as the best young actor in Hollywood. Scott Frank made a cousin to Memento, but stuck it in a classic Howard Hawks box; the result is so effective, you forget it's his directorial debut.
Raz's Rating for Neo-Noir the way it's supposed to be:



[03] Hot Fuzz
Director: Edgar Wright
At this point, director Wright, writer/star Simon Pegg, and sidekick Nick Frost could make spoofs of Hallmark made-for-TV movies and probably have it be the best comedy ever. While Hot Fuzz isn't quite as consistently funny as Shaun of The Dead, it's better written and the movies being spoofed are done so in classically subtle ways. The entire film references over 50 films and TV shows according to IMDB, and the hysterical climactic shootout will have you doubled over in laughter.
Raz's Rating for shooting the gun in the air and yelling "Arrrghh!!":



[02] Ratatouille
Director: Brad Bird
When critics and fanboys talk the best directors of today, no one mentions Brad Bird, and that is a fucking crime. The man has now made three of the greatest animated films of all time: The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and this little gem. But what makes the films special is that he doesn't sacrifice palatable human emotion in favor of visual delights. He gives you both, like an American counterpart to Japanese master Hayao Miyazaki. And that's why you leave the theater feeling stuffed, with a smile on your face.
Raz's Rating for another perfect Brad Bird film:



[01] Knocked Up
Director: Judd Apatow
To try and nail down the variety of comedic influences that Judd Apatow has wrangled in Knocked Up is impossible because he's drawing from pretty much the entire field. At this point, Apatow is Comedy, and Knocked Up is one of the best film comedies of all time. Forget for a minute that the lead couple (Seth Rogen & Katherine Heigl) are a classic Odd Couple set-up, and think of his group of friends, and how they act like teenage boys. Now realize that these were the type of characters that you hated in the American Pie and Farrelly Brothers movies, but here you love them. And you love her sister and brother-in-law even more, beautifully drawn by Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd. Apatow has written a brilliant, honest movie, and is fortunate enough to be backed by a trusted crew of actors and actresses who fill these roles and make them real. Here's to them ruling the comedy landscape for years to come.
Raz's Rating for the best film of 2007 so far: