Film School Rejects » Guest Author

Top 5 Films w/ Director Sebastian Gutierrez

Guest Author — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:00:57 +0000

Editor’s Note: Originally hailing from the capital of Venezuela, writer/director Sebastian Gutierrez has had a strange cinematic trip to where he is today. Starting in 1998 with the solid thriller Judas Kiss starring Carla Gugino, Gutierrez got an unexpected bump in popularity after writing a little film called Snakes on a Plane. The man has been involved with a couple pulpy films about undead reporters and mermaids, but he’s made a truly fantastic (and strange) film with Women in Trouble, and he did it by calling up a few friends and filming on the weekend. The sequel Elektra Luxx is already in post, and he’s working on a third installment as we speak. In November, American audiences will get to see Women in Trouble, so we thought it would be fun to have Gutierrez share his Top 5 Films with us. The parameters aren’t exactly defined, like most things here at FSR, so it’s unclear whether these are his Desert Island Movies, the five that most inspired him, or the five that simple hit him the hardest. Luckily, he’s added his own caveat by simply saying:

These Are My Top 5 Today

Ask me tomorrow, and the list would surely have Blue Velvet, Buñuel and something with Marcello Mastroianni in it.

The Long Goodbye (1973)

Of my favorite quintessential LA movies (Chinatown and The Big Lebowski being the other two), this is the most underrated. It is also hands down my favorite Robert Altman picture. Elliot Gould is just terrific as Phillip Marlowe, navigating the usual noir obstacles while trying to clear his friend’s name of a murder he (hopefully) didn’t commit.

Sterling Hayden is great as the boozing Hemingwayesque writer (in a role Nick Nolte would play perfectly today) and the use of music (that darn theme song in every possible permutation: as supermarket muzak, as jazz number, as radio pop song) and locations (topless hippie girls as neighbors, Malibu colony richfolk mingling with shady shrinks) is peerless. It also features a bizarre cameo by a mustachioed Arnold Scharzenegger stripping to his underwear. The script is by the mighty Leigh Brackett (Empire Strikes Back) and the whole thing just seems to float effortlessly, wrapping anti-establishment 60s-meet-the-70s sentiment into a super sharp detective flick with a sting in its tail.

Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down (1990)

I mean, what’s not to like: a plot that reads like a comedy version(!) of William Wyler’s The Collector (in truth, partial inspiration came from Wyler’s The Desperate Hours, but that’s another story), Almodovar’s uber-sexy fable has Antonio Banderas (with finely honed comic timing and a killer smile) freshly released from an insane asylum and on a beeline to kidnap recovering junkie pornstar Victoria Abril (in her sexiest role) until she can fall in love with him. Accused in the US of all sorts of political incorrectness and hit with a ridiculous NC-17 rating (thanks to a hilarious little plastic scuba diver swimming up against Victoria Abril in a bathtub), this movie amps up Almodovar’s Hollywood fetish (if Women On the Verge riffed on Preston Sturges, this one has great Hitchcock references and a score by Ennio Morricone) and manages to poke fun at tv commercials and musicals, all the while seducing us with two of the most winning star-crossed in recent memory.

Bedazzled (1967)

Not the Elizabeth Hurley remake, but the genius Stanley Donen original. I still don’t understand how the guy who directed Singin’ In the Rain (and one of my all-time-faves, Funny Face), ended up doing a Peter Cook-Dudley Moore Swinging 60s London comedy, but there you go. Featuring one of my favorite ever songs in a movie — the title track — sung hilariously by ultra suave Cook in his debonair rockstar persona, easily one-upping needy Dudley Moore with his “Love Me!” pop hit, this also includes a classic bit of comedy in a car where Dudley Moore and the girl of his dreams can’t quite bring themselves to have sex because of the horrible guilt they feel. Oh yes — and a scalding hot Raquel Welch as Lust in an over-marketed cameo that so threatened to derail the marketing campaign it prompted Cook to try and change the title of the movie to “Raquel Welch”.

Just so the poster could say: Dudley Moore and Peter Cook in… Raquel Welch!

Le Cercle Rouge (1970)

I could pick Le Samourai or Army Of Shadows just as easily, but every couple of years, the rumor pops up that this is being remade, and right now there’s a Liam Neeson project in preproduction, so I say — see the original before they destroy it. Melville made movies that were so freakin’ cool that even the French New Wavers couldn’t snub their noses at him (and French guys really know how to do that). This one is the culmination of all his themes — honor among men, fate, the minutia of crimework and policework (in short, all the things that Michael Mann often gets wrong and John Woo simply adorns with white doves and slo-mo) with impossibly cool Alain Delon in his best overcoat yet, masterminding a heist with a freshly-escaped convict and a recovering alcoholic ex-cop, played by the amazing Yves Montand. This character has maybe my favorite intro in any movie, so I won’t spoil it here, but it’s bizarre. Add to that a smart police inspector with three pet cats, sexy Paris clubs with choreographed numbers and a super tense (and unbearably silent) heist and you have a perfect movie.

Twelve Monkeys (1995)

I feel about this the way I feel about Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow. It’s not cool to say it’s your favorite movie by that director, but this is the one I keep coming back to. Yes, I was obsessed with Brazil and saw it a million times, but Twelve Monkeys has a particular pull for me in that it works perfectly as sci fi, as poetry and as a woman-going-crazy movie. This last reading, watching the movie from Madeline Stowe’s POV, is my favorite version. She is so convincing as this buttoned-down scholar obsessing over Cassandra complex, that I just keep wanting more scenes with her. It’s redundant to say it’s the best overall work Bruce Willis has done — he is actually sweet(!) in this — and Brad Pitt is hilarious channeling Dennis Hopper from Apocalypse Now (among others). I also love what Christopher Plummer does with two simple words: Women. Psychiatrists. Man, I love this movie. Great tango-influenced score and awesome source music too. This goes in my can watch any time, any day pile (along with North By Northwest and Raiders).

- Sebastian Gutierrez

Review: It Might Get Loud

Guest Author — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:14:50 +0000

Editor’s Note: This review comes to us from guest writer Aaron Turney who has written for several other publications and formed just as many bands.

By: Aaron Turney

Segovia famously denounced the idea of an electric guitar by likening it to a toaster. He despised the idea that such a beautiful instrument would be plugged in like a household appliance. But not many kids have posters of Segovia hung above their beds. They want to be Hendrix or Page with a wall of Marshall stacks flanking them on all sides. A Fender or a Gibson harnessed around their neck, slung low while tossing off musical acrobatics like “Stairway to Heaven,” a riff so famous many English music shops banned kids from playing it.

It Might Get Loud is a film for the bedroom dreamers and weekend warriors, a chance to see three of guitar rock’s finest players (by way of U2’s The Edge, Jimmy Page, and Jack White) on the same stage sharing licks, trading tips and talking about how they got to where they are. What are they going to impart to each other? Can the young guy teach the old dog new tricks? Will they all discover that they share a mutual love of crocheting?

You’re not going to get the Cliff’s Notes on being a guitar god from watching the film. There isn’t much instructional material for good reason. Who could teach Page anything? The Edge’s style is already so cemented that it’s not going to change. Jack White will probably start four new bands by the time you finish this review and won’t play guitar in any of them. But just because The Edge and White already have their own way of doing things doesn’t mean they don’t appreciate the classics. When Page stands in front of the two and starts strumming the opening lines to “Whole Lotta Love,” White and Edge both flash a damn-I-wish-I-had-written-that-riff grin – the same one they had in the bedroom at fourteen.

But these three did not get together to teach each other technique. Those looking for tips on how to speed up your right hand flat picking should pay for some music lessons. This film, like director Davis Guggenheim’s 2006 An Inconvenient Truth, takes what could be a plunge into tedious minutiae and focuses on the story so that your girlfriend that you dragged kicking and screaming into the theater like a Saturday afternoon at Guitar Center won’t dump you after the credits roll.

Guggenheim follows the timeline of the trio using archival footage as rare as film of Zeppelin’s first shows filmed for Scandinavian TV to a modern day U2 concert DVD that your dad probably got for Christmas last year. Some of the most revealing footage is of the guitarists’ stories of their first real instrument. Guggenheim takes each guitar and superimposes it against a black background, giving us a larger-than-life view of the instrument. The Edge discusses his beloved Gibson Explorer, Page his first Stratocaster, and White, an old Kay archtop given to him by his brother for helping moe a stove to his brother’s thrift store.

Despite solid interview spaces, one misstep in the film is Guggenheim’s choice of such an antiseptic location for the three to meet up. It’s a glorified airplane hangar with a small stage loaded with amps, guitars, sofas and a turntable. Instead of using tight shots trying to create an intimate feel in such a large space, he would have done well to have chosen a more intimate location, and perhaps one more historic like Sun Studios in Memphis – considered by many to be the birthplace of Rock ‘N’ Roll and the studio U2 used to record parts of “Rattle and Hum.”

The solo interviews are where the unguarded personality of each performer comes out. When Page rifles through a stack of old 45s and throws Link Wray’s “Rumble” on the record player, Page plays air guitar to the track, grinning like a little kid when the sound gets aggressive. The Edge breaks out a box of old cassette tapes, many unlabeled. What he discovers are demos for “Sunday Bloody Sunday” with Bono yelling out time signatures over the band as they build the track from the ground up. It’s these moments that make you see each of them in less guitar-godlike form. They are just teenagers trying to capture a sound or finish writing a four-minute pop song. The on-location shots of The Edge roaming his high school to find the first stage U2 performed on and Page’s guided tour of Headley Grange, the home the band used to record Led Zeppelin IV, offer us a much-needed inside look at the artist’s creative environments.

While the focus of the movie is clearly the instrument, it could be argued that technology is just as much a part of the story. Page is the pioneer of the instrument, and one of the first people to use the new distortion boxes in the mid-60s. By the time the Edge picks up a guitar there are dozens of pedals on the market and much cheaper than the first generation of effects boxes. In the first few minutes of the film the Edge doing his own version of yoga at his home in Dublin, his Blackberry outstretched at arms length. In his home studio he tinkers on his laptop with effects surrounding him. He is a geek for technology. You would be dreaming if you think there’s a cell phone in White’s suit pocket.

“Technology was a big destroyer of creativity in the 1980s,” Jack White says while driving his 50s style Cadillac around a Nashville suburb. When he plays his favorite song: an a cappella track by bluesman Son House, it’s as if his eyes quit working and shift all their energy to his ears. He’s transfixed by the track.

The technology that White claims hampered creativity was the thing that helped a Dublin youth who was pissed off at the spandex, hair spray and cocaine fueled 18-minute solos that ruled the airwaves create an alternative sound. But Page single-handedly invented the cocaine fueled 18-minute solo. It’s an interesting lineage to investigate, but it’s kept to the biographical parts of the film and away from the group meeting. Otherwise we might have actually seen the fistfight that White predicts before the trio meets in person

Unfortunately the awkwardness of the initial meeting carries through most of the film. The real value is in the independent interviews where the story can focus on the relationship between performer and his instrument. By the time the three perform the Band’s “The Weight” on acoustic guitars with the Edge and White taking lead vocals (Page insists he doesn’t sing), they have developed a level of comfort. As they play the song it feels as casual as a nighttime jam session around a campfire. Perhaps that’s because after talking about guitars for an hour and a half it’s more fun to just play.

Top 5 Films w/ ‘Collector’ Director Marcus Dunstan

Guest Author — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:00:03 +0000

Editor’s Note: Marcus Dunstan got his start with writing partner Patrick Melton when they won Project Greenlight for their original screenplay Feast. He continued on the dream career path co-writing Saw IV, Saw V, and the upcoming Saw VI. His directorial debut, The Collector, hit theaters on Friday, so we thought it would be fun to have Dunstan share his Top 5 Films with us. The parameters aren’t exactly defined, like most things here at FSR, so it’s unclear whether these are his Desert Island Movies, the five that most inspired him, or the five that simply hit him the hardest. Luckily, in his own words, Dunstan offers up what he calls…

The Five Films That Keep Comin’ Back

There are days made bad when a tire goes flat.

There are days made devastating with tragedy or when a loved one passes.

Then there is a particular kind of bad day that can only be categorized as a bizarre-bad day. A day so strangely bad that it is as if a little cosmic challenge tests one’s desire to stay on one path or pick another.

That sort of day happened for me six years ago when I sneezed and filled my pants working the late shift at Blockbuster Home Video only to find myself in light colored Khaki’s side-stepping the new release wall as I began to compromise the integrity of the room. A customer was locked in the sole bathroom for a mile…and I was seconds from giving up a layer of dignity that would never grow back.

I crouched in an aisle, my mind didn’t know whether to repeat curse words or say a prayer. My eyes pulled focus and I was face to face with my “Employee Picks” section. The titles I had selected now simultaneously mocked and described my current plight: Midnight Run, Frequency, Southern Comfort, HELP, and Open The Fucking Door Please, You Slow Bastard Patron…

I took off my Navy ‘Buster blouse and tried to wave away the cloud of sour air that was forming around me. The faces of customers began to shrivel. Oh lord…any mili-second they would know it was me…then CLICK! The restroom door opened, and I dove in, football-style.

I hid the destroyed boxers in a Subway sandwich sack and buried said sack at the bottom of a trash hamper. I finished the remaining five hours of the shift in a paper-towel diaper. On the drive home, the flu blessed me with the first streams of a thick, neon mucus that ran free from my nose like a rapids.

I took a look at was what left of myself in the rearview mirror and thought, “…Okay, if I can keep my double-chin up on a day like this…why not keep pushing and give this pursuit of the horror movie business one more year…?”

Fortunately, a visit from “luck” occurred in the subsequent year and today, I submit for any and all that care to see, my current Employee Picks…

1. Suspiria

I was 12. This was the first film I watched through my fingers. I had to sit very close to the old wood-encased Zenith TV for I watched it late a night as my family was sleeping twenty odd feet away. Sitting that close to Mr. Argento’s tale of witches in a ballet academy was a magnificent, all encompassing experience. The Goblin score shook-trembled the old wood floors beneath my pj’s and the bold colors washed over the blanket around my head like a Willy Wonka snuff film. I don’t know why I have such love for an experience so damn traumatizing…but that is how the cookie crumbled. Suspiria allowed horror to be beautiful. It allowed savage violence to be mesmerizing. For every tale a child could hear to keep them on the straight and narrow…Suspiria seemed to be that tale for the adult that wanted to be scared like a kid once more…What a gift!

2. Escape From New York

I have a friend with one eye, and the fact he has a sci-fi hero to look up to that is cooler than any Marvel concoction is a tribute to how dry-ice cool this film still is. It is built on a foundation of attitude and frustration and yet made with a discipline that is telling of every drop of sweat that went into it. The horror lover in me was thrilled when the crazies attacked Snake Plissken and he displayed…fear. An action hero meeting up with a force that the audience could find terrifying and the hero found terrifying as well was an ultimate thrill. Action films by and large have built heroes so indestructible and calm under pressure that the urgency of any plight is undercut. Kurt Russell’s version of a badass showed up with an organ missing, a chip on his shoulder and an adroit sense of when to cut and run. The smooth, gliding camera work of Dean Cundey is the silent stalker amongst the cast. The camera prowls and exposes vulnerabilities that Snake’s good eye may not even pick up. Escape From New York is caffeine for the eyes. It makes one grateful for two middle fingers.

3. John Carpenter’s The Thing

Yup. I watch this one about every six months to remind myself how horror and sci-fi should hang out more often and to never ever think there isn’t enough room for a powerful social metaphor in any film. I first saw this epic when I learned the hard way I was allergic to the pesticides sprayed on a local golf course. I was as swollen and immobile as the frozen victims of the Arctic Outpost and it was on this night…I learned it could be cool to grow a beard. However, I was 11 and that would have to wait another decade or so. Mr. Carpenter’s The Thing is the perfect answer to the “why do all these remakes?” question. For every twenty or so crappy re-do’s, a genuine triumph emerges. There is affection for the horror and a wondrous awe presented in the sci-fi elements of the tale. The performances are top-notch and the crisp whites and steel blues of the anamorphic cinematography add up to a magnificent experience. John Carpenter’s The Thing is the old friend that never let’s ya down.

4. Being There

Peter Sellers. Nuff said. This film is an inarguable classic, and so I won’t dare repeat what film historians have already written more eloquently. However, I will explain the lasting impact that this film had on my life. I was about to be rejected from the fifth film school I had applied to. All of my work was about horror, creatures, and backed up by KISS tunes. I had acne to boot and so dates were out of the question and yet horror movies were always there. My weekends were spent in the basement watching them again and again with my parents and sister. We bonded over the jumps and the cheesy mysteries. I didn’t read a lot beyond Stephen King and Fangoria. That was what I loved…and yet…apparently…it was holding me back from moving on in the eyes of academic world. On the last application I filled out for a college with a film program, I had to submit a review for a movie. It couldn’t be a horror movie, however. So, I watched Being There. The entire time my head was turning over itself thinking how great this movie was but my brain just didn’t think like that. My first nineteen years just didn’t shape that. And then the last line of the film comes up…”life is a state of mind.” I picked the pursuit of horror movies right then and there, damned what anyone else found proper, and never sent in the last application. With all the punches that can be hurled one’s way…it was a simple relief to see Peter Sellers walk on water and just roll with them.

5. TIE: The Crow and Slapshot

The Crow: In 1994 I remember painting my face up and driving out to the Coralville, Iowa 3 Plex to buy tickets for myself and buds to see this film opening night. I then found myself watching it another twenty-four times over the next couple of years. Over and over again this stark revenge tale sucked me in with a pulsating score & soundtrack that honored the graphic novel’s inspirations as much as the cinematography honored the novel’s panels. I knew I wasn’t the only one this film affected for on subsequent Halloween’s, no matter which University Of Iowa kegger one may attend, there were always a handful of ‘Crow’s’ quietly hanging out in a circle with filled red cups and bobbing their heads in unison. Every now and then a film anchors itself to a terrific feeling or a sense-memory which is far beyond the running time of a movie. It meant a lot to share a love for The Crow with buds, and it raised the bar for graphic novel adaptations to come.

Slapshot: George Roy Hill. Thank goodness I was too young when I saw most of Mr. Hill’s films. Slapshot was about as angry and violent a comedy ever was or has been. So many passionate people are genuinely “throw-the-chair” pissed at each other in this story and yet the film’s humility allows us to love their fight for an evening of dignity. I once heard of a psychiatrist that began to prescribe films for patients instead of drugs. I guess if I ran into the right kind of rough day, I know I could pop in Slapshot and watch a terrific assemblage of actors unleash a foul tirade, a lewd act, or a lovely high-sticking and just let that bad day wash away. Among the many magic acts a great film can accomplish is turning a blue a day bright. Slapshot is one of the very best feats of violent, humorous magic.

And that is all that is fit to report today, folks.

I think a person’s top five keeps changing as life keeps on changing. I noticed that I recently watched Crank 2: High Voltage three times in two days, and I’m eager to see it again.

It is definitely a film with an affinity for those lovely bizarre-bad days…

-Marcus Dunstan

Better Than the Reel Thing: Great Amateur Remakes

Guest Author — Mon, 05 May 2008 10:55:38 +0000

Guest Author Darius Monsef is the Executive Editor and Creator of Colourlovers.com, a website dedicated to Color Trends and Palettes. He occasionally writes about other topics, including film, all over the web.

A fan film, remake, spoofs… amateurs have been creating movies inspired by their favorite films for more than 40 years. Fan Films have existed since the 60s and the art of inspired shorts got a big boost from the recent movie Be Kind Rewind featuring Jack Black and Mos Def. In this movie the two go about “sweding”, recreating feature films and describing them as having come from Sweden. Whatever you want to call it, some of these amatuer works are as entertaining as their originals. Here are some great examples:

Tron

Back to the Future

Star Wars: A Cardboard Hope

Matrix Reloaded Lego

Jurassic Park

Lego Spiderman

Not Just Rough Cut Grainy Film… Recreating a 1,000 Extra Scene

How we 3 graphic designers created D-Day on a shoe string budget for the TIMEWATCH program “Bloody Omaha”…

MTV Movie Awards Honoring Amatuer Spoofs

This year MTV is making spoof videos a big part of the Movie Awards… they’ll even be giving a golden popcorn award to one of the winners. Speaking with an inside source, MTV will be building the 7 winning spoofs into the show… so not only will the celebrities in the audience get to see them so will the national TV audience. Word is there haven’t been a ton of entries either, so this would be a good opportunity for some creative people to get on MTV.

8 Great Movie Trailer Recuts

And just for fun here are some clever and some very well done recuts of trailers to some popular movies…

10 Things I Hate About Commandments

Sleepless In Seattle – Horror Movie

A Top Gun Love Story

Glen & Gary & Glen & Ross (NSFW Language)

Scary Mary Poppins

300 – PG Version

The Shining – A Romantic Comdey

Titanic: Two The Surface

Goonies of the Caribbean

School of Rock – Horror

Even more trailers recut at www.thetrailermash.com

9 TV Show Wikis That Go Beyond Wikipedia

Guest Author — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 02:25:15 +0000

[Editor's Note: This article comes to us from a special guest author. As well, we understand that we are a movie site, but we don't have a problem dipping into the realm of television every once in a while, especially when it tackles geek-related shows. Enjoy!]

Everyone has favorite television shows, but what everyone doesn’t know is that there are active online communities discussing those favorite shows! Yes, there are Wikipedia entries on most of these shows that will tell you some basic information but if you really want to get into your favorite shows, and especially if you want to interact with other like-minded television buffs and discuss these shows (as well as exchange conspiracy theories), you have to look elsewhere. Lucky for you we have compiled a list of Wikis covering some of the most popular television shows being aired today (in no particular order):

1. Lost

Fans of the hit TV show “Lost” will find all their prayers answered at Losttvfans.com. Complete with character descriptions, character back stories, and episode guides, fans new and old alike will find something to enjoy on this active, constantly maintained Wiki. Visitors will also find videos, quotes, and a discussion form to hash it out with other fans of the show. While anyone can view the Wiki, registration is required for anyone looking to participate in editing it.

2. Jericho

Fans of “Jericho” will find much of the same amenities at the Jericho Wiki. Whether you’re looking for plot summaries, ratings information, episode guides, or the cast, you can find it all here. In addition, registered users are invited to participate in an active discussion forum on all the ins and outs of their favorite show.

3. CSI

CSI fans just can’t get enough of the heart-pounding, edge of the seat thrills that CSI has to offer, and luckily for them, a fine Wiki has stepped in to fill the void! This CSI Wiki brings you everything from spoilers, character analysis, episode guides, pictures, videos, and discussion forums, ensuring that fans both casual and die-hard will find something enjoyable and satisfying. Registration is required to participate in the forum, but anyone is free to stop by and view the Wiki.

4. Heroes

Heroes fans are in for a treat if they visit HeroesWiki.ew.com. There, they will find all the Heroes-related content they could ever hope for, including the origins of the show, analysis of mythology and symbolism, character and episode guides, and a discussion forum. Registered users have the privelege of editing and participating in these areas, while non-registered users are still free to stop by and see what the site is all about.

5. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Fans of the Sarah Connor Chronicles will enjoy devouring all the juicy content available for them at this Wiki. Unlike some of the other Wikis, this one goes so far as to provide users access to the producer’s blog, where all kinds of inside insights and information about the inner workings of the show can be found. Additionally, the discussion forums, character guides, and episode information common to the other Wikis are here in full force.

6. Californication

If you find yourself yearning for more after every installment of Californication, this Wiki is what you have been looking for. Here you will find more information about the show’s characters, cast, plot, and episodes than common viewers ever care to theorize about. When you’re done with that, you can jump into one of the dozens of high-spirited conversations going on in the discussion forum, where other die-hard fans can be found. All in all, the Californication Wiki is a great resource for all fans of the show.

7. Dexter

Another popular Showtime show is Dexter, and its fans also have an excellent Wiki to turn to. The Dexter Wiki packs all the juicy rumors and Dexter-related content under the sun into one, easy-to-read location that fans can edit and have a voice in. Character guides, episode guides, ratings information, and discussion forums can all be found right here, and you can even get involved in editing them by registering for a free user account.

8. Weeds

When it comes to mature humor and heart-pounding action, Weeds has few peers in the TV world. Fortunately, there is a Wiki befitting of such a powerful show. Here, the show’s fans will find all the inside dirt about the character, plot, episodes, style, and families, as well as the opportunity to discuss it all with other passionate fans. If you’re unsatisfied with how the “general interest” sites cover Weeds, you should find that this Wiki does a far better job.

9. MythBusters

MythBusters is the kind of show whose fans especially benefit from having a Wiki. If you can’t remember a certain myth you saw but can’t wait to tell your friends about, this Wiki will be your best friend and ally. Here you will find blow-by-blow recaps and archives of every MythBusters episode, as well as inside information and behind the scenes peeks that you just wont find anywhere else. You can also register and have a voice in all of the content being posted.

Super-BS for Super-Rumored JLA Flick

Guest Author — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 01:40:28 +0000

This article was written by guest author Ryan Brown.

Well, it seems that Comic Book Resources likes to be a credible news site and do research before posting any of the JLA rumors flying willy-nilly around the web.

In the site’s “Comic Reel Wrap” posted on Sept. 4 they say that the latest set of rumors originally posted by IESB and then by us here, have apparently been debunked.

It seems that a vigilante poster took power into his own hands and sent over a couple of false leads to IESB just to see what kind of rumors he could get onto the site.

This vigilante poster makes his comments on The Planet:

i got bored one night, was fed up with what obviously appeared as IESB posting complete B.S. about JLA (not to say that everything they’ve posted is BS), so i decided to put it to the test. i dont want to type the whole story again, so i’ll cut and paste what i posted at SHH!:

this recent “rumor” from IESB is complete and utter B.S., and i can say this with certaintly because im the one who fabricated the whole thing and mailed it in.

but this wasnt the only “email scoop” i sent them. and Robert Sanchez’s response and reaction to each email was very telling of IESB’s questionable tactics…..

Seems that the boy is none too fond of the way sites post all sorts of slapdash rumors posted on movie sites.

Hey, if anything good comes out of this it’s that this rumor more than likely this rumor from Film Junk is really, really not true, and we can all breathe a sigh of relief.

Live Free or Die Hard

Guest Author — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 21:15:56 +0000

This article was written by guest author Anthony Coe.

You would think that after four of anything, it would get old and stale. The fourth movie in the Die Hard series Live Free or Die Hard delivers from the first minute and doesn’t rely on old tag lines. Okay so there is one â€œYippee-Kah-Yayâ€. But by the time he gets around to saying it, it’s more for old time sake.

No surprise the movie follows the same plot line as the previous releases. Terrorist are set on taking over the world and John McClane (Bruce Willis) is in the wrong place at the wrong time, just so he can save us all from a certain doom. Yes, his marriage is over and yes his daughter, Lucy McClane (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), hates him. The plot is set in the present Post-911 era.

The movie is based on an article which appeared in the May 1997 Issue 5.05 of Weird Magazine A Farewell to Arms, written by John Carlin. This Pre-911 article states that the real threat from terrorist isn’t from a nuclear bomb, but is in the form of cyber-terrorism. If a terrorist organization can break into our infra structure they can bring us to a stand still in a matter of days.

John McClane must team up with a super hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long), who unknowingly wrote part of the code for the terrorist. Together they must track down the terrorist and stop them from turning the nation’s computers against us.

Unlike many sequels this film doesn’t require you to know the details of the characters life in the previous films. You don’t have to know who John McClane is or even what the article A Farewell to Arms is about. This script stands on its own. At times the action scenes are a bit over the top and really stretch your ability to not laugh out loud. At one point I thought I was watching Spiderman.

Overall I feel this is definitely a movie worth seeing. It was funny at parts and it kept you engaged. What the movie didn’t do was talk down to the audience. This may not be an instant mega block buster, but it will stand the test of time and do well in DVD sells.

The Upside: The film isn’t preachy. It’s nonstop from beginning to the end. You will not be board.

The Downside: Some of the stunts are a bit over the top. Some of the scenarios don’t add up to reality. But then again it is just a movie.

On the side: Justin Timberlake was in talks to play the role of John McClane’s son. Lets all thank the film gods for small favors.

Transformers

Guest Author — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 06:02:31 +0000

This article was written by guest author Luis dos Santos.

They say all good things come to an end. After a series of successful cinematic adaptations of some comic classics (Batman Begins, Sin City, 300), Transformers definitely proves this old saying right. Michael Bay (Armageddon, The Island, Pearl Harbour) has a big contribution for this demise. He delivers in this movie his trademark action-driven directing style but clearly fails to grasp fine-art concepts such as plot depth, character development or precise editing timing.

The central plot involves the Autobots and their archenemies, the Decepticons bringing their robot war to Earth in search for a cube-shaped â€œAll Sparkâ€ device which is powerful enough to create new robot life and destroy Earth in the process. The film starts when an American military base in Qatar is attacked by a mysterious and unknown enemy, the only survivors being Captain Lennox, played by Josh Duhamel (Turistas) and his team. Jon Voight (National Treasure, Pearl Harbour) plays the secretary of defense encharged of managing the situation. Shia LaBeouf (Disturbia) plays Sam, a pitiful L.A. high-school student and clich© character who offers Mikaela (Megan Fox from Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen) a ride in his first car, which incidentally turns out to be an autobot named Bumblebee, a character to whom Mark Ryan (The Prestige, Charlie’s Angels) lends is voice. After Sam being attacked by one of the Deceptions, Sam and Mikaela join forces with the Autobots, led by the legendary Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen (Winnie the Pooh) in the cast’s best voice performance), in an epic battle against the Deceptions under the commands of the menacing Hugo Weaving’s (The Lord of the Rings, V for Vendetta) Megatron.

After the somehow promising first 30 minutes, the movie starts to fall apart. The weak and unrealistic dialog is full of one-liners which seem target at a young adolescent audience. Transformers is an old and long series which has a relatively well developed story, full of ideas passible to be explored on a film. However, it quickly becomes clear that Mr. Bay wants to give us his interpretation of Transformers instead of continuing the storyline of the old animated series. The antagonism and strugle for power between Megatron and Starscream is a Transformers‘ strong plot driving mechanism, which has not been addressed at all in this film. The search for the â€œenergonâ€ resource was also left out and replaced by a never-heard-of-before â€œAll Spark.â€ The original transformers where capable of deep emotional actions including, among others, treachery, loyalty, courage, cowardice. These ones seem more like ghetto guys, which hang around to help humans fight the battle against the Decepticons for them, instead of fighting it themselves. This makes the existence of the Autobots in this film almost superfluous and the whole point of the film dubious.

The film has major continuity and plot consistency flaws. For example, the opening scene, when an unidentified helicopter approaches an american military base, two jet fighters are sent to intercept it. In the next scene the helicopter calmly lands in the middle of the base without any further resistance nor explanation to what happened to the jet fighters. The editing style is also poor, confusing and erratic. At some times important scenes seem to have been completely left out, for example how Optimus Prime lost the final battle against Megatron.

Having plot holes, although undesirable, is somehow understandable in a feature movie. However, Transformers even has cinematic photography holes: a fight takes place during the day, when asked for backup from a military base it suddenly becomes sunset, and when the fighting jets come to help it’s daylight again! Extreme long shots and close ups are hard-cut into each other, in blatant violation of basic continuity rules, which could even be justified by the roughness of some of the battles, but ultimately just makes the viewer dizzy. All these distractions prevent even the most willingly viewer to achieve a state of suspension of disbelief and enter into the film. This film also borrows several scenes from other films like Batman, Terminator 3 (even Terminator’s leitmotif is there)!, Schindler’s List, etc. I’m sorry to point out the obvious to Mr. Bay, but it takes more than a cocktail of other film’s famous scenes in order to make a new successful filmâ€¦

ILM’s loud aural and visual special effects is the only area where the film shows some spirit, with the robots displaying some contortionist skills in their unorthodox transformations. Unfortunately their shallow personality is also reflected in their uncharacterised visuals, making it difficult to distinguish between them: it is for example difficult during the final showdown to tell who’s winning or losing.

More than 20 years have now passed since the 1986 The Transformers: The Movie film and fans were rightfully waiting for a successful revival of the series in form of a good cinematic adaptation. However, Mr. Bay’s Transformers is a disappointment at almost all levels, except maybe for the special effects and is posed to enter the poll of the soon-to-be-forgotten films of Summer 07. Shallow plot, clich© characters, uninspired directing, unconvincing acting (Megan Fox topping the list) and Hollywood’s money making machine at its best.

Grade: C-

American History X

Guest Author — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 14:26:46 +0000

This article was written by guest author Noel Petok.

This movie has it all: controversy, powerful acting, nudity, and deaths that will have you wincing in pain. After a viewing of American History X, other than marveling over the powerhouse storyline, all you will be thinking is â€œWhat a performance,â€ by actor Edward Norton. To say this film is “good” is an immense understatement. True, it is heart-wrenching and disturbing, but will leave you in awe with one word in mind: WOW! This ranks up with those must-see-films that will stay with you for the rest of your life.

Back in 1999, surprisingly, this film only received one Academy Award nomination for Edward Norton’s impacting performance as a Neo-Nazi skinhead named Derek Vinyard. It marked Whoopi Goldberg’s third time hosting the yearly spectacle full of glitz and glamour. The more noticeable films that got more praise and larger audiences were Shakespeare in Love with thirteen nominations, Saving Private Ryan with eleven nominations, and Life is Beautiful (Italian title: La vita ¨ bella) with seven nominations. That was a year that was full of surprises with Shakespeare in Love stealing the Best Picture award from the expected Saving Private Ryan and Roberto Benigni winning the coveted Best Actor award for his portrayal in â€œhisâ€ film Life Is Beautiful from the ever so popular Tom Hanks in the epic Saving Private Ryan. The show is a once a year event to see even if it did drag, this particular year, a shade passed the four-hour mark.

American History X was directed by Tony Kaye, written by David McKenna, produced by New Line Cinema, and stars Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Fairuza Balk, and Ethan Suplee. This film was made in 1998 and was given a solid â€œRâ€ rating by the MPAA. The story follows a skinhead who is sent to prison for three years for murdering two black men who attempted to steal his truck. After being released he is completely reformed into a new human being, but returns home to find his younger brother is in the process of being a Neo Nazi himself. He now focuses his life on making sure his brother doesn’t follow a similar fate.

This film has so much depth, focusing on Edward Norton as the star skinhead and Edward Furlong playing his younger brother who looks up to him for guidance. Fairuza Balk, who got her breakthrough in the film The Craft, plays the dark and at times terrifying girlfriend of Norton’s Derek Vinyard. And finally, Ethan Suplee, from the hit series My Name is Earl, plays Vinyard’s overweight best friend, also a mean skinhead. I also extremely liked the use of black and white scenes to illustrate flashbacks and color for the present. The ensemble cast and chemistry of everyone works to a â€œTâ€ and never ceases to amaze.

Norton’s portrayal of Derek Vinyard is the focus and power of this film. He fully transformed himself for this role, packing on some extra 30 pounds of muscle for the character’s intimidation, even though he bares a huge swastika tattoo on his chest. In the first part of the film he is buffed out and fully shows us what he is capable of, but by the second half he hides his noticeable strength beneath his clothes. Norton spends a good majority looking mean and harming those around him to hide how he truly feels on the inside. This film is not for the faint of heart and really digs deep and pulls our heart-strings as if it’s an emotional tug-of-war.

Would I recommend American History X? Well it is definitely not for kids. I wouldn’t even say it’s viewable to anyone under 21. It is a film that every adult should definitely see (except, of course, the faint of heart). The only thing I can compare it to is the controversy and power of Dead Man Walking and the performance Sean Penn gave in that film (another strong, powerful film that I would recommend).

Inland Empire

Guest Author — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 04:05:44 +0000

This article was written by guest author Luis dos Santos.

David Lynch (Eraserhead, Mulholland Dr., Twin Peaks) is known for depicting in his films a singularly dark and disturbing view of reality, a nightmare world punctuated by defining moments of extreme violence, bizarre comedy and strange beauty. His films are set in small towns, with most scenes portrait as surreal, nightmarish and dreamlike sequences. Strange imagery in particular close-up, wide-angled-distorted faces and a meticulously crafted sound design are staples in his work. In Inland Empire Lynch gives us all of that and much more, in a unique experience which lasts around 3 hours but which will certainly stay in the audience’s mind much longer after living the theater.

It’s somehow common in this days to have movies with several endings. This time Lynch pushed the cinematographic art further by having a movie with several starts. The sinister black and white opening scene features a polish man and a prostitute with blurred out heads. It progresses into a living room of three rabbits, where a common world, almost non-sense dialog is being spoken over a soundtrack of sporadic laugh. A clear reference to the plotless Lynch’s Rabbits. After that what seems to be the plot’s main thread is introduced.

Laura Dern (Blue Velvet, Happy Endings) plays, in a typical Lynchian style, several roles including Nikki Grace, an actress which has had better days. She is cast as the lead in a romance called “On High in Blue Tomorrows.” Nikki’s butler answers the door to a creepy polish woman, played by Grace Zabriskie (Twin Peaks), claiming to be a new neighbor. Over coffee Nikki becomes alarmed when the woman tells her strange polish folk tales and seems to know too much about the film role she is in. Nikki asks the woman to leave, but she just keeps talking, telling her that if this were tomorrow, Nikki would be sitting ‘over there.’ Nikki looks and is horrified to see herself sitting on a different settee in her vast living room, and with her look Lynch transports us into tomorrow.

The film proceeds by showing how Nikki prepares for her dream role together with Devon (Justin Theroux; American Psycho, Mulholland Drive) in a film directed by the great Kingsley Stewart, a very good interpretation by Jeremy Irons (Lolita, Kingdom of Heaven). Only later are Nikki and Devon made aware of the project’s history: it is a remake of a previous movie, which doomed production ended as reality stepped into its fiction and the film’s onscreen/offscreen lovers were killed. From this moment on, Nikki’s reality begins to slip into that of her character and we are fully absorbed into Lynch’s universe where time twists and entangles over itself like an amorphous entity.

Particular attention should be given to the folk legend told by Nikki’s neighbor as it is the key to follow this point, as well as some of the twists which will follow, until one of the final scenes where Nikki sees the former polish actress.

In this film, Lynch continues the tradition of naming his projects after the location where they are set. Inland Empire’s title works at a double level, referring to both Southern California (the location where the film takes place) and the self-conscious, or the “inland empire” of the mind. Lynch was also responsible for the editing and cinematography and opted for a yellowish sepia looking through out the movie. The movie is mostly filmed with an handheld camcorder in documentary style. This choice is normally justified when portraying real-life events, therefore in this movie it seems to be in counteract to Lynch’s dream world. But then again, this type of disjuncture seems to be one of the effects that Lynch wants to achieve in this movie.

Inland Empire presents themes on prostitution, movies, people good with animals, yesterday being tomorrow, brutal murder, marital infidelity, memory and identity. These themes are presented almost as sketches, in a apparently inconsistent way, where only the attentive viewer can devise some structure. It seems as if Lynch opted to have a foggy main plot thread, where specific scenes are enhanced by those sketches, in order to reinforce their meaning and emotions transmitted to the viewer, as if putting some flesh in a main skeleton. This chimeric scene structure also includes a critical commentary on sitcoms, where the most banal actions and dialog of three rabbits elicit a fervous laugh of an absent audience.

The music score, featuring original tracks by David Lynch, a track by Angelo Badalamenti (Mulholland Drive) as well as several pieces by polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, is consistently moody, creepy and atmospheric.

It will be hard for someone to find a deep meaning or symbolism in this movie. The blurry main story line is patched with what seems incoherent random scenes, which seem to be used to deliver different kinds of emotions to the viewer. Nevertheless, it is a movie of profound impact and gut wrenching moments. The best way to appreciate it might be to sit back and let Lynch show you a part of his mind. Strongly recommended for hard core Lynch fans which will definitely watch and study it more than once.

Inland Empire is set to be released on DVD on Summer 2007.

Alec Baldwin is Right!

Guest Author — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 19:10:14 +0000

Only in America would the Virginia Tech Massacre be knocked off the top story by Alec Baldwin doing what he does best, being an asshole. I’ve listened to the caustic message this fat, former heartthrob left for his bratty pre-teen daughter Ireland, and I have to say that the man’s biggest mistake was saying these things on tape.

It’s like Rob Lowe or R. Kelly. I can’t really blame the guys for getting down and dirty with a trashy, little under-18 whore. Just don’t put it on tape, guys. Trust me, I never do.

When I heard the message Baldwin left for his daughter, I stood up and cheered. It is about time for some of the filthy-rich parental snobs in this town to be willing to lay the smack down on their trophy wives in training.

It’s unfortunate that a judge denied the chubby actor a chance to visit his daughter in the near future. I wish he had met up with her on 4/20 and straightened her ass out like he threatened to. Then maybe we wouldn’t have so many fucked up princesses roaming the streets of L.A. Maybe a little ass-whupping from Alec will help this girl deal with society, ’cause her ex-spank-material mom sure ain’t doing it for her.

In fact, she’s making it worse. Everyone whose praising Kim Basinger for being a great mom for leaking this tape to the media needs to get their head examined. They seem to forget the fact that this broad’s biggest claim to fame (aside from winning an Oscar in the biggest â€œWhat the fuck?â€ moment of movie history) is taking up the ass from Mickey Rouke in â€œ9 1/2 Weeks.â€

Basinger’s playing games with the courts and with the media. The judge should strip her of her parental rights instead of Baldwin, who seems to be the only one in Hollywood willing to discipline his thoughtless little pig of a child.

And stop fucking apologizing! I’m sick of people apologizing, like it makes it all better. Trust me, when I told my first wife I was sorry for plowing her sister after a night of binge drinking, it didn’t make one damn bit of difference.

No matter how much Michael Richards apologizes, we all still know he’s a racist sonafabitch. No matter how much Mel Gibson apologizes, we all still know he’s about as much a Jew-lover as Heinrich Himmler was. And no matter how much Don Imus apologizes, we all still know he’s a douche bag. (See my previous article â€œThe Top 10 Nappy Headed Hoes of Hollywoodâ€ for more on this issue.)

Look, like that skeletal nut-job Don Imus, Alec Baldwin is a douche bag too. He’s been a douche bag for years. In fact, he’s one of the few people in Hollywood who is actually somewhat proud to be a douche bag. Does it surprise anyone that he’s a douche bag to his own kid?

Bring on the pain, Alec! Bring on the pain.

Top 10 Nappy Headed Hoes of Hollywood

Guest Author — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 20:47:45 +0000

Having grown up in New York, I could have told you that Don Imus was a douche bag. But no, you didn’t listen to me. You had to find out the hard way. Now everyone but the Rutger’s women’s basketball team has their jock straps (or whatever they wear) up in a bunch about a little racially insensitive comment. Have you ever listened to Howard Stern? This could be a lot worse.

But I’m not here to talk about Don Imus or racism in the media, I am here to talk about the finest Liquorish Ladies of La-la Land, the most Bodacious Black Bootied Beauties. I am here to give you, America (and the rest of the world) my Top 10 Nappy Headed Hoes of Hollywood. Let’s do this.

10. Nia Long
Soft and subtle, Miss Long has always been a fan favorite as every troubled black woman’s best friend. Where there is a Vivica A. Fox who is being wronged by a man, there will be a Nia Long there to console her. Hell, she even played second fiddle to Sandra Bullock in a movie that is so bad that it already made the Rotten Tomatoes Worst 100 list (and it came out in ‘07).

9. Kerry Washington
Kerry and I have not yet met, but you can be sure that we will. She was smokin’ hot as the girl Chris Rock should have fucked in “I Think I Love My Wife.” (See the damn movie, you’ll know what I mean.) She also played Idi Amin’s hot wife in “The Last King of Scotland.” Good sex scene in that one, I would recommend. She’s got the skills to pay the bills, but as black girls go, she’s “Uncle Tom” sexy — too thin in the booty. That’s why she’s #9.

8. Pam Grier
Didn’t see this one comin’, did ya? That’s right, Jackie Brown herself makes the Top 10, and she does it on her bad-ass persona alone. This chick must stand about 12′ tall because she makes me want to back down into submission. If you are going to have a woman beat the hell out of you then screw your brains out, Pam Grier ought to be the bitch to do it. Want to see her rock some lesbo action? Check out “The L Word,” it’s worth it.

7. Thandie Newton
Forget about that crap role she had in “The Pursuit of Will Smith’s Lost X-Ray Machine,” Thandie Newton is hot, hot and hot some more. She was on fire in Mission Impossible 2, completely offsetting the Gaydar-ific performance of Tom Cruise. On top of being hot, she’s also got a killer accent. The sort of chick that makes you just want to learn another language, something she doesn’t speak, so that you can sound cooler than she does.

6. Whoopie Goldberg
I always love a chick that can make me laugh, so I’d still get it done with Whoopie. And you know you would too, especially if she busted out her costume from “Sister Act.” Stop shakin’ your damn head, you know you would. Whoopie is the kind of dykish lady that might just want you to watch while she gets it on with Kathy Najimy, but hell — when it’s all said and done, you’ll be crying out, “More discipline, Sister Mary Clarence. Get the ruler!”

5. Regina Hall
Brenda Meeks (Scary Movie 2): “Uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh UH! Now wait a minute, hold up! How come when anytime this scary shit happens, and we should stick together, you white people always say “let’s split up”?” Do you need any better explanation? Regina’s got booty, a personality and she looks like a screamer. I’m alright with finding out if that last part’s true or not.

4. Rosario Dawson
Sin City? Try Clerks 2. Rosario looks like she’d be fun in the sack. Got a little pep in her… step. Her only problem is that she tries to do these artsy shit-flicks like “Rent” and “The Adventures of Pluto Nash.” She needs to stick with Robert Rodriguez, ‘cuz eventually he will convince her to take her clothes off.

3. Queen Latifah
When I say “The Queen,” I am not talking about Helen Mirren’s bony ass. Want to see a good shot of Helen Mirren? Watch Shadowboxer then punch yourself in the face 20 times. Want to see where badunka-dunk originated, let mama Latifah shake you our some sugar in “Chicago.” This Queen’s got it all going on, big booty and all. If she showed up to bring my house down, I wouldn’t puss out like Steve Martin, I’d start the damn party.

2. Vivica A. Fox
Lordy, Lordy, give me some Vivica A. Fox. Her name is even fun to say. But none of that shit is funnier than the fact that her character’s name was Lysterine in “Booty Call” or the fact that she played Ms. B Haven in “Batman & Robin.” I love her so much, though, that no matter how many shitty movies she plays, I will still want her to role play with me. I’ll show her “Why Fools Fall in Love,” feed her some “Soul Food” and make her “Kingdom Come.”

1. Halle Berry
Some editor bastards on this site got to meet Halle Berry, but they were a bunch of pansy asses about it. I would have asked her to drop down and act out a scene from Monster’s Ball, only this time we’d substitute my Major Payne for Billy Bob’s minor inconvenience. Miss Berry won an Oscar, so what? She won a damn Razzie for Catwoman , I get it. But for wearing that tight costume she should have won a Nobel Peace Prize. Recently she said no to playing Catwoman in a Justice League movie, but I think they should let me talk to her about it, alone in a room somewhere. Then she’ll be saying “Yes, yes, yes!” all night long.

300

Guest Author — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 16:48:35 +0000

This article was written by guest author Luis dos Santos.

Modern cinema seems to have found in the cinematographic adaptation of well known comics (such as Batman begins, X-men and many others) a new audience for its blockbusters, avid of fast-paced action and eye-catching visuals. Frank Miller’s works (Sin City, and now 300), characterized by very stark visuals and compelling story lines, comes as a perfect source of material for director Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead).

300 is based on the battle of Thermopylae which took place in 480 B.C., where an over matched combined Greek force of approximately 4,000 (including 300 Spartans) held off advancing Persians under King Xerxes.

Gerard Butler (Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The cradle of Life, Beowulf & Gredel) and Lena Headey (The Cave, The Brothers Grimm) play the Spartan royal couple, King Leonidas and Queen Gorgo. Butler makes a credible representation of his character, showing anger and fury in key moments of the battle and also good wits, but apart form that the character remains relatively flat. Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro (Os Desafinados), as the megalomaniacal and slightly homosexual Persian king Xerxes, was not able to bring much life to his character either. Dominic West and David Wenham give a good support for their counterparts by following in the line of their dull performances.

Zack Snyder tells the story in the epic style through the voice-over of one of the characters who took place in the events. The lines delivered by some of the characters are so stylized that they feel unrealistic, making the whole film look like a theatrical play.

The plot line here is quite thin. Several Persians die, a few Spartans get slightly injured. Re-iterate the process for the next one and half hour, adding short breaks where political aspects of the war are discussed, and you have the plot of 300. However, the movie carries a subjacent worrying message: the western Spartans are portrait as strong, beautiful, well trained and keepers of freedom, whereas the eastern Persian invaders are depicted as a low-culture barbaric horde with ugly, twisted bodies and dubious sexual orientation.

In contrast to the the dark, retro film-noir mood of Sin City, 300’s photography surrounds the audience with a colorful pallet of red, brown and dark yellow tones, a clear allegory to the smothering presence of war and death.

Special credits should be given to William Hoy for the editing, which was well used to control the pace of the movie, speeding up and slowing down in several key moments of the movie to allow the spectator to follow the action and increasing the dramatic effect of the well choreographed battles.

The director doesn’t really do much for the story line or character development (the 1962 film The 300 Spartans might be a good complement to this point). It just shows how 300 persons managed to confront a much larger army, all this warped in leading edge visual effects. This goes in the line with some other recent comics adaptations (as for example in Renaissence), where the director seems more focused to explore the capabilities of technology in detriment of developing the narrative and other cinematographic aspects further.

300 delivers what it promises, but not much more.

When Darkness Falls

Guest Author — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 17:02:21 +0000

This article was written by guest author Luis dos Santos.

Swedish director Anders Nilsson (Den Tredje v¥gen, Livvakterna) has a vast career in action and thriller movies, with most of his films targeted to the international market. He has directed 5 features films and about 80 commercials and has a vast curriculum in screenplay, cinematography and editing. In his latest feature film When darkness falls (N¤r m¶rkret faller) he presents us a dark, disturbing thriller.

Leyla, Carina and Aram are the central characters of each of the three different stories which take place in Sweden at about the same time. Leyla (Oldoz Javidi) and the 19 year old Nina (Bahar Pars) are the adolescent daughters of a very conservative arabic family. Nina finds herself in trouble inside the family when suspicion arises that she has a boyfriend. After her relatives decide to take some extreme measures to prevent her from seeing any other boy again, Leyla decides to go as far as she can to restore her syster’s honour.

Aram (Reuben Sallmander) is the owner of a small restaurant which has been recently target of the interest of local criminals. When his bouncers refuse the entrance to three young ruffians, the criminals decide to take revenge and shoot some persons at the restaurant. Aram is the only one who can identify the perpretators.

The television journalist Carina (Lia Boysen) is married with the cinematographer H¥kan (Peter Engman), the couple’s life being impregnated of episodes of domestic violence. After Carina decides that she can no longer live in that situation, she reports H¥kan to the police and makes her case known to the public. When the media refuses to cover her story, she decides to quit journalism and runs for office in the European Parliament. Albeit her extremely low chances of being elected, where she intends to draw attention to the problem of violence against woman.

Helped by a dark soundtrack, the director manages to tell a consistent story by skillfully interweaving together the three plot lines of the movie. The fast pace of the movie constantly presents the audience with new developments which makes the long running time of the movie almost unnoticeable. The cutting points from one story into another were well chosen in order to leave the viewer in suspense, and accounts for an overall fluid viewing experience.

The director skillfully uses three brutal stories, which could easily be happen to anyone, as a strong social critic. The characters in each story live in an atmosphere of fear and injustice, where the outside world apparently seems unable to understand them or care for them. The violence is used as a means to develop the characters further and contrary to most thrillers, it’s not the main point of the movie. It helps to understand the characters’ lives and motivations for their actions, which is particularly evident in Nina’s story. This shifts the focus to the emotions of the characters, making the film heartbreaking at some points.

When darkness falls is ultimately a reflection about how far someone is willing to go to defend his honour. The film won the Amnesty International Film prize at the Berlinale 2007 film festival. The prize aims to draw the attention of audiences and representatives of the film industry to the theme of human rights.

Hannibal Rising: A Beginning?

Guest Author — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 17:00:32 +0000

This article was written by guest author Zachary Payne.

We all know the story of Hannibal Lecter, or do we? In red dragon we learned who he was, in Silence of the Lambs we learned how it was done, but in the latest chapter of the story Hannibal Rising we are taken back to the beginning, to a young Hannibal around the end of World War II.

The story takes us to Eastern Europe. Hannibal, as a young child, witnesses his parents violent death from only a few short steps away, leaving his baby sister in his care. Alone and without support of any kind, they take shelter in a soviet orphanage home. Hannibal flees to Paris to find that his uncle has died, and his beautiful Japanese widow welcomes him with open arms. Given his interest in sciences he is accepted into a medical school that provide him with the proper skills to exact justice on the war criminals that seem to haunt him every singe day.

Directed by Peter Webber (Girl With a Pearl Earring), Written by Thomas Harris and starring Gaspard Ulliel, Gong Li, Rhys Lfans, Richard Brake and Kevin McKidd.

Coming February 9th, 2007 from MGM Entertainment.

Film School Rejects » Guest Author

Top 5 Films w/ Director Sebastian Gutierrez

These Are My Top 5 Today

The Long Goodbye (1973)

Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down (1990)

Bedazzled (1967)

Le Cercle Rouge (1970)

Twelve Monkeys (1995)

Related Reading:

Review: It Might Get Loud

Related Reading:

Top 5 Films w/ ‘Collector’ Director Marcus Dunstan

The Five Films That Keep Comin’ Back

1. Suspiria

2. Escape From New York

3. John Carpenter’s The Thing

4. Being There

5. TIE: The Crow and Slapshot

Related Reading:

Better Than the Reel Thing: Great Amateur Remakes

Not Just Rough Cut Grainy Film… Recreating a 1,000 Extra Scene

MTV Movie Awards Honoring Amatuer Spoofs

8 Great Movie Trailer Recuts

Related Reading:

9 TV Show Wikis That Go Beyond Wikipedia

Related Reading:

Super-BS for Super-Rumored JLA Flick

Related Reading:

Live Free or Die Hard

Related Reading:

Transformers

Related Reading:

American History X

Related Reading:

Inland Empire

Related Reading:

Alec Baldwin is Right!

Related Reading:

Top 10 Nappy Headed Hoes of Hollywood

Related Reading:

300

Related Reading:

When Darkness Falls

Related Reading:

Hannibal Rising: A Beginning?

Related Reading: