Film School Rejects » Kevin Gustafson

Venom Movie Takes Shape But Still A Bit Formless

Kevin Gustafson — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:33:16 +0000

From beneath the muck of Hollywood the Venom movie arises. But the comic-book villain hasn’t broken the surface quite yet. Film School Rejects learned that Coming Soon probed writers Rhett Reese’s and Paul Wernick’s brains on the set of their upcoming horror-comedy Zombieland, starring Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg, and Abigail Breslin. They’re pumped to be writing the screenplay and have submitted a draft to Sony and Marvel. The two companies are approaching the Venom story seriously imposing what Wernick dubs the “47 rules.”

For fans, that could be a good thing or a bad thing. We’ll have to hunker down and wait to find out. A spin-off of Spiderman 3, the film joins X-Men Origins: Wolverine as a title based on a huge franchise that has recently been starving for exciting plotlines. I hope the Venom character gets a more fitting introduction than he received in Spiderman 3. So I ask you, dear readers, what “rules” do you have for the Venom script?

Amber Heard Plays Wayward, Sexy Tourist in Horror Film

Kevin Gustafson — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:57:02 +0000

For her upcoming film, Amber Heard rides a bike in probably not very much clothing and sunbathes in even less. You guys done drooling over your Megan Fox yet? Oh well, I did my best. It’s called And Soon The Darkness. Amber Heard (Pineapple Express) and Odette Yustman (The Unborn) will star in this story about two American tourists journeying through a foreign country. One is having too much fun, as usual, and screwing around with the pair’s tight schedule. Then one girl vanishes and the other must find her before nightfall.

The most interesting bit from this Hollywood Reporter piece is that Heard will be co-producing. Who knows, maybe that could boost her career a little bit if this movie turns out decently? It hasn’t hurt Seth Rogen, her pal from Pineapple Express. From the trailer, the 1970 version looks similar to classic 70’s horror pictures. Reading Fangoria and Variety articles, And Soon The Darkness doesn’t seem to have been immensely popular. For the remake, that allows a lot of freedom in improving the story without fear of backlash by fans. Rather than France, the new version is shooting in Argentina. The article doesn’t mention anything about knife-wielding maniacs, but we’ll have to learn more. Keep checking back at Film School Rejects for all the grisly details of And Soon The Darkness.

Kristen Bell Seeks Tropic Therapy Again In Couple’s Retreat

Kevin Gustafson — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 02:36:50 +0000

The title character in Forgetting Sarah Marshall feared starring in crime dramas forever. The actress who played her, Kristin Bell also experiences a mysterious case of déjà vu with her new film, Couple’s Retreat. It’s about four couples on vacation in Bora Bora going through couple’s therapy. I hated Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but the casting here makes it less likely that I’ll end up sleeping in a pile of stale popcorn by the final reel–again. It might also have kick-ass writing by Iron Man director, Jon Favreau.

The cast includes, Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman and Faizon Love (the store manager in Elf) as the husbands. Kristen Bell, Malin Akerman (the bitchy older sister in 27 Dresses) and Kristin Davis play the wives. Love’s wife hasn’t been cast yet. Guys don’t snore yet. I think the cast have strong enough personalities to put the funny in dysfunctional. A vacation made in Hell. I like it.

First time director, Peter Billingsley, will conduct this operatic madness. Billingsley knows stories about couples at each other’s throats from playing Ralphie Parker in A Christmas Story . “You used up all the glue–on purpose!” Sorry, I just had to repeat the line Ralphie’s father screams at his mother when dad’s famous leg lamp breaks. For all you Iron Man fans, filming for Couples’ Retreat will take place in Bora Bora and Los Angeles before work on Iron Man 2 powers up. Have no fear about Favreau’s time being wasted hanging out on a tropical island with lots of beautiful women. He’ll be pumping out another superhero hit soon enough. So do you have the “invincible” cojones to watch this romantic comedy?

Spielberg Sued For Imitating Hitchcock

Kevin Gustafson — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:23:45 +0000

Reuters reported this week that the owners of the short story that inspired Alfred Hitchock’s 1954 film Rear Window are suing Steven Spielberg, Dreamworks, its parent company Viacom Inc, and Universal Pictures. Sheldon Abend Revocable Trust holds the rights to “Murder From a Fixed Viewpoint,” a short story by Cornell Woolrich. They’re furious that Spielberg and Co didn’t buy the rights to adapt the story when making 2007’s Disturbia. Made for $20 million, the film dragged home $80 million in ticket sales.

Let’s compare the two movies. Rear Window stars Jimmy Stewart as a photographer who spends his time recuperating from a broken leg by spying on his neighbors. Disturbia stars Shia LaBeouf as a high school bad boy under house arrest who spies on his neighbors. Peering out their windows, both characters think they’ve witnessed a murder inside one neighbor’s home. Both have two friends who help investigate.

The people suing Spielberg and Co. may have a point. Disturbia is Rear Window for teenagers. As a true remake, it falls slightly short. The two films differ in that Rear Window leaves you wondering if Stewart’s character is paranoid by questioning every trivial action he sees happening. Only towards the end, do the clues add up. The newer Disturbia lacks any real doubt that LaBeouf’s neighbor is a serial killer who lures women home to kill them. The killer (David Morse) quickly knows he’s being watched. Its third act is a slasher-style gore fest.

How close is too close? This lawsuit brings up the question of what is the dividing line between paying homage and outright stealing. Does Disturbia deserve to be sued for not giving credit?

Platinum Dunes Hires Frank Borin For Movie That Hasn’t Already Been Made

Kevin Gustafson — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:48:57 +0000

Platinum Dunes, which has spent years plundering the Valley Of Classic Horror, has hired Frank Borin to direct its latest picture. Surprise! It’s not a remake. For once.

Variety notes “The Butcherhouse Chronicles” was originally a stage play by Michael Hidalgo. Sounding eerily like your standard slasher, dumb teens explore a creepy old building in town called “The Butcherhouse.” Yup, sounds safe to me.

The story’s gimmick is that it combines gut-busting jokes with gut-twisting shocks. The humor will supposedly be more macabre than what we’ve seen. The idea sounds awkward and challenging, especially for a company that can’t shake revamping old movies. Platinum Dunes’s rendition of Friday the 13^th will be released in February.

Borin is mainly a music video director who’s worked with The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Good Charlotte and Simple Plan. Although this isn’t his first turn at stepping out of the music video world, we still have no idea why he goes by “Buff Borin” on IMDB. But we get the feeling we should.

On a side note, do any of our readers think director Borin looks like the older brother of DJ Qualls, you know, the skinny dweeb from Road Trip?

Denzel Washington Carries ‘Book of Eli’

Kevin Gustafson — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 12:52:29 +0000

Big names attached to a movie can spin the most generic plots into box office gold or so the studio saying goes. This may be true of the upcoming post-apocalyptic movie Book of Eli starting filming in January. According to Variety, Denzel Washington plays the only man with the knowledge that can save society. Original, right? With him playing the lead, at least the film will have more dialogue than a Vin Diesel flick. It’ll be a drama which is also interesting. But I pray Book of Eli still has room for rocket cars and dudes with mohawks. The Hughes Brothers will be directing Book of Eli, their first film since 2001‘s From Hell.

I’m a big fan of Mad Max and any film that describes itself as a post-apocalyptic western. The script written by Gary Whitta and re-written by Anthony Peckham has me slightly worried. Newcomer Whitta used to be a video game magazine editor. Maybe he’s got some untapped talent if he’s also writing scripts for two live action Akira films. Akira is a famous Japanese comic book written by Katsuhiro Otomo. Warner Bros is distributing both Akira and Book of Eli. Keep checking back at Film School Rejects as we learn more about the movie.

Lucas and Abrams Brawl at Lunchtime? No, Not Really

Kevin Gustafson — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:00:51 +0000

Star Wars vs. Star Trek. Which sci-fi saga reigns supreme? From this picture that’s been zipping around the web at warp eight, George Lucas and J.J Abrams want to settle this personally. Georgie’s weapon of choice? A lightsaber with customized iPod mounted in the hilt. He’ll dispatch Abrams to the rousing sounds of the London Philharmonic. Young and sneaky, Abrams plans to taunt Lucas with a very sexy blaster. Will he shoot him under the table like Han Solo? Maybe he’ll flash it in Lucas’s face. The old man won’t know until it’s too late.

The picture posted on Flickr was originally photographed at a luncheon by Joi Ito. Someone photo-shopped in the lightsaber. Ito is searching for the perpetrator. I don’t really know why this is so popular. It looks like the cantina scene from Star Wars: A New Hope. How long is this funny for? 15 seconds? Abrams may be reloading the Star Trek franchise, but he’s not a sci-fi master yet. The joke will be funnier if the movie’s a success. Sure, not many are looking forward to Lucas’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars in August. But if I want to see a made up rivalry, I’ll stick to watching an episode of The Hills.

Terminator Salvation Filming Lumbers Forward Despite Increasingly Possible Actors Strike

Kevin Gustafson — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 04:08:33 +0000

It seems every new contract between the movie studios and unions comes with tons of biting and scratching over royalties. Threats of a strike are so loud that filmmaking is starting to resemble scenes from Terminator 2 where John Connor barely escaped the T-1000 cyborg. Reporting on the latest battle, The New York Times writes it’s Judgment Day for the Screen Actors Guild to accept the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ final contract proposal. SAG will respond this week. Meanwhile, Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins is one of the few productions that remain undaunted by the thought of actors like Christian Bale sleeping in from work.

Compare Hollywood’s union troubles to a nuclear war between superpowers. The conflict is about which side will strike first. This week, the entertainment industry will learn whether SAG will turn its launch key and initiate a strike of its members. AMPTP seems equally ready to cause the mutually assured destruction of many people’s livelihoods. The studios warned it would shut down film productions once the doomsday clock reached midnight on June 30, 2008. At that moment the old contract with SAG expired. Indeed, the studios turned their key by announcing it would not give actors the chance to walk off the set.

You won’t see fear in the Terminator Salvation crew’s eyes. Somewhere in New Mexico, Director McG is blowing up mock convenience stores, helicopters, and whatever else he can pack with combustible material. What makes him so confident? Arnold Schwarzenegger may not be in the new Terminator sequel, but another governor in the form of Bill Richardson is reaching his hand out to save it. New Mexico is giving ridiculous rebates and tax incentives to attract moviemakers with bloated budgets like McG’s. The state pays 25% of the expenses. It’ll cover part of the Terminator: Salvation’s high insurance costs due to a possible strike. The company providing filming space for the movie will reserve its services for the production if a strike happens.

The Times article throws in intriguing set photos showing the famous gas station from the previous movies now bombed to oblivion. The words “weird military hardware” sounds interesting. Though really, I’m not anticipating much from this movie from what we know about it. The first two Terminators were action films with heavy science fiction ideas. To its credit, Terminator 3’s had one of the saddest endings in cinema. Nuclear apocalypse. Wow, that’s a bummer, man. Terminator Salvation might be a mildly entertaining summer flick with McG guiding the action. But I wonder that by rushing to shoot scenes it’s going to be even that.

Exclusive Comic Con ‘08 Figures from Entertainment Earth!

Kevin Gustafson — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:00:04 +0000

We know many movie fans drain their wallets worshipping their favorite characters. For those planning on attending Comic-Con 2008, Film School Rejects wants to help geek men and women win that time honored contest known as who has the biggest movie memorabilia collection?

Feast your eyes on these Comic-Con 2008 exclusives available at the Entertainment Earth booth (click any of the images to go to the item page on Entertainment Earth’s site):

First up, is the greatest of them all. The man, no “The Dude” himself, Jeffery Lebowski! The hero of the The Big Lebowski was played by Jeff Bridges. Bridges was last seen as Obadiah Stane in Iron Man, but we still love him as the white Russian drinking and bowling everyman. The figure even comes with a mini Oriental rug to tie together whatever room you place him in.

The 1980 film of comic hero Flash Gordon was cheesy, but Queen composed the soundtrack and gave it its pulsating opening theme. Famous comic artist Alex Ross designed this realistic Flash movie figure. It goes for $17. Buy it at the con and it comes with a book of his artwork for $25. This exclusive should whet your appetite for a possible Flash Gordon remake from Columbia Pictures. Our Nathan Deen has already written about it here.

While I don’t fancy bobble-heads, this Luke Skywalker version, reminds us that Star Wars: The Clone Wars comes out in August. Check out the latest preview here.

We praise Showtime’s Dexter often at Film School Rejects. Once again, I don’t like bobble-heads, but the blood spatters are fetching. Dexter’s hiding a knife behind his back which makes me afraid he’s going to kill me if I take him home with me. Your results may vary.

Thanks to Film School Rejects and Comic-Con 2008, not only will you get the latest movie and comic news, you’ll have the best looking cluttered apartment on the block.

Stayed tuned for more coverage as we build up to Comic Con 2008, July 24-27 in sunny San Diego!

Mike Myers as Keith Moon? Rock and Roll, Baby!

Kevin Gustafson — Sat, 24 May 2008 14:37:12 +0000

To many of you, Mike Myers seems trapped in acting Hell, rehashing the same character. The Love Guru is basically Austin Powers with a turban and a motorized cushion. Reading his IMDB filmography reveals not one but two upcoming Shrek sequels (which we’ve told you about already). But one movie hints at the Canuck’s desire for more serious movies. See Mee Feel Me: Keith Moon Naked for Your Pleasure looks like a perfect combination of comedy and drama. And yeah, we know this may be old news to some, but we are excited, so deal with it.

Coming out in 2009, See Me, Feel Me: will be a biography about Keith Moon, legendary drummer for the rock band, The Who. He died in 1978 at age 32. Rumor has it he could drum as fast as a submachine gun. A prankster, Moon’s antics got him in trouble onstage and off. On the merry drunk’s short list of dirty deeds: Getting the band banned from the Holiday Inn and driving a couple of cars into swimming pools.

You might ask why isn’t Jason Schwartzmann playing Moon? True, he played Beatles drummer Ringo Starr in Walk Hard. He looks like Moon, but I think his delivery is too deadpan to play the hyperactive Moon. Myers is a fan of The Goon Show, the predecessor to Monty Python. That maniacal style works in his favor. Moon often visited friends dressed as Adolf Hitler. Myers also has the band’s blessing. Lead singer Roger Daltrey is producing the movie and picked Myers.

Hopefully, See Me Feel Me will be comparable to Jim Carrey’s turn as Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon. We’ll have to wait for a trailer to find out. For now the movie’s just an entry on IMDB.com. Trust me, with Who Guitarist Pete Townsend (CSI, American Beauty) doing the soundtrack the music will rock.

Can Myers pull off the human side of Moon? I think so.

Scarlett Johansson Lends Smoky Vocals To New Album

Kevin Gustafson — Wed, 07 May 2008 16:00:26 +0000

When naming celebrities who’ve released records, you might think of Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton. If you’re geeky, you might recall William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. If you’re really geeky, you might remember the Michael Parks country and blues albums. Buy any of these and you’ll be the butt of a lot of jokes. Scarlett Johansson singing on Anywhere I Lay My Head , however isn’t laughable. It’s surprisingly good for a one time side project. Thank goodness Johansson isn’t becoming boring and predictable.

According to the promotional materials, Johansson already sung for a Music Matters benefit compilation. Afterwards, Rhino Entertainment pitched the actress the idea of a full-length LP under their Atco Records label. Anywhere I Lay My Head will be available everywhere May 20^th. The album’s website contains a podcast interview with Johansson and Producer David Andrew Sitek as well as photos and audio samples. Johansson’s Myspace page includes the music video for the single “Falling Down.” You can buy the single off Amazon or iTunes.

If I asked you to guess what her album sounds like, you’d never guess Tom Waits covers. Waits is an indie musician who for years has been recording songs combining blues, country and jazz. According to the album website, Johansson turned into a Waits fan after hearing Bone Machine in 8^th grade. With album titles like Rain Dogs and Bawlers and Bastards, Johansson chose to make her debut a challenging one. Waits’s gravely vocals evoke Louis Armstrong’s voice run over by a pick-up truck. She pulls it off, though her renditions have a dreamlike cinematic quality. Think the Lost in Translation soundtrack. Johansson sounds like a young Annie Lennox at times but in a lower register. Anywhere looks like it’s going to be a decent ambient rock album with no crummy filler tracks.

Besides the album, the music video Johansson made for “Falling Down.” is pretty cool. We see her wearing street clothes traveling to film a commercial. Once there, a legion of makeup artists and suits transform her into the celebrity we thought we knew. Johansson has always kept her celebrity life apart from her private life. In the video, she’s willing to express that without makeup.

Anywhere I Lay My Head will appeal to Johansson’s fans and movie soundtrack buyers. More than a novelty, the record reveals a mature, intelligent actress. It’s the work of someone who’s drawn to unusual and meaningful projects. Put simply, don’t expect The Nanny Diaries 2.

Find our more on the album website, on MySpace or on iTunes.

DVD Review: Juno Two-Disc Special Edition

Kevin Gustafson — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 10:47:44 +0000

Like a waterfall of orange-flavored tic-tacs, the Juno DVD pours onto store shelves. The film surprised everybody becoming a pop culture phenomenon, sparking heated internet debates and winning a best screenplay Oscar. Its story deals with a controversial topic of teen pregnancy. Through this life altering event, the title character learns that love and adulthood can’t fit her perfect expectations. Similarly, the plot doesn’t conform to expectations for a movie like this. Diablo Cody’s story makes this movie work. She fills her script with smart dialogue, real characters, and humor that doesn’t rely on gags. It’s tender, but never tacky.

Amazingly, people exist who haven’t seen Juno yet. This DVD bundle will make even more fall in love with the movie. Following recent stellar releases like Superbad, Juno bursts with special feature sweetness. The commentary by Director Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody is one of the least quiet tracks ever. From start to finish, Reitman and Cody give oodles of details and hidden meanings you might have missed. Reitman is very detailed and lets us imagine ourselves standing around on set. Cody gushes at seeing her creation emerge on-screen. The recording session feels refreshingly relaxed and mostly unrestrained. Cody steps on Reitman’s toes a couple of times, which is very humorous. Nobody should skip the commentary.

The title screen features more of the hand drawn animation from the opening titles and wonderful acoustic guitar music. Like the main feature, the ten deleted scenes come with commentary by Cody and Reitman. Many people, including myself, want to understand why interesting scenes were deleted. I don’t know why some special editions just throw theirs on without saying anything.

My favorites include “Café Triste,” a scene where Juno performs a solo folk show at a café and sings about getting pregnant. Somebody references Juno’s eight minute song about Danny Trejo at one point. Ex-convict Trejo frequently plays tough badasses in movies like Con Air and Desperado. Just that makes it a great stand-alone scene. In “Mark Plays Guitar,” a bored adoptive-father-to-be Mark plays guitar with the amplifier turned off. It’s very humiliating and therefore worth watching. Gag Take is a shot of Rainn Wilson (NBC’s The Office) as the drugstore clerk fuming at Director Jason Reitman’s insistence he redo the take for the umpteenth time. The anger between Wilson and Reitman is clearly faked, but hilarious nonetheless.

The Screen Tests are interesting because of how rough they are. It must be one of the earlier casting sessions since Michael Cera and Ellen Page look like they’re still figuring out their characters. They’re right for the part. But only towards the later clips do their performances grow more familiar. What’s really striking is Page’s absolutely exhausted face. Over-preparation perhaps? Looking like she went to one hell of a party the night before may have helped her land the part. It’s also shocking to see different actors playing what are now familiar characters. I can’t see anyone but Allison Janney playing mother Bren MacGuff. J.K. Simmons also seems set as father Mac Macguff.

I left my aversion to the box art till the end, since clearly the contents are way tastier. A giant box of tic-tacs with a drawing of Juno and Paulie inside, is an off-the-wall idea I’d like to have seen. I should apologize to Jason Reitman for not mentioning him at the start of this review. I’m Cody crazy, what can I say? Reitman’s very talented and organized and, unlike some directors, shows enthusiasm in explaining how he did things. I found the Juno Special Edition fun and informative. Like Paulie Bleeker’s favorite one-calorie breath mint, nobody can have too much fun and enjoyment from the most popular movie of 2007.

Extras Include:
Disc 1:
Audio Commentary by Director Jason Reitman and Screenwriter Diablo Cody
Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody
Gag Reel
Gag Take
Cast and Crew Jam
Screen Tests
Way Beyond “Our Maturity Level: Juno – Leah – Bleeker Featurette
Diablo Cody Is Totally Boss Featurette
Jason Bateman for Shizz Featurettes
Honest to Blog! Creating Juno Featurette

Disc Two:
Digital Copy of Juno for Portable Media Players

The Upside: The Juno special edition is fun for movie fans and film school students alike. The commentary isn’t boring and rehearsed.

The Downside: Geez, Banana give me different box art than the standard edition.

On the Side: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has given Target an exclusive copy of Diablo Cody’s shooting script for Juno. Go there for the bonus feature, but shame on Fox for not including on all the special editions.

DVD Review: There Will Be Blood 2-Disc Collector’s Edition

Kevin Gustafson — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:51:15 +0000

In my original review of There Will Be Blood, I mentioned how odd it was that a film which shuns being entertaining is so engrossing. Sucking the viewer in is the narcissistic and anti-social personality of oilman, Daniel Plainview. This of course arises from Daniel Day-Lewis’s Oscar winning acting. It’s a great historical piece about two men vying for power and wealth through oil. Two versions are on DVD. A single-disc and this two-disc edition.

It’s not “packed”, but this high quality release has the best presentation of the big Oscar winners. The B/W photo of Daniel Day-Lewis on the outside front cover looks positively antique. The inside box resembles an old leather Bible which opens, revealing a large photo of Daniel Plainview, H.W. Plainview, and Eli Sunday. I like how the two discs are inserted behind the two younger men’s heads mimicking their relationship to Plainview. There’s also a page from Upton Sinclair’s Oil! which the movie was partly based on.

There Will Be Blood contains more extras than big films of 2007, like No Country for Old Men and Atonement. Those releases were disappointing. Don’t expect a long list of features here, either. You get an hour’s worth of the essentials. But almost all are worth watching. The set focuses mainly on two long segments which tie the history of the oil industry to the movie.

The Story of Petroleum is a silent documentary made in 1923 by the U.S Department of the Interior and the Sinclair Oil Company. It describes how oil is discovered and turned into products used around the home. What’s funny to note is that though this is a government film, no other oil companies are mentioned besides Sinclair.

15 Minutes – Pics, Research, Etc. for the Making of There Will Be Blood is basically a Ken Burns style documentary without narration. A montage of photos, newspaper clippings, and old film footage alternate with scenes from the movie. It’s fascinating for showing early 20^th century rural America and how oil drilling destroys the landscape.

The “Fishing” Sequence is a deleted scene that shows the oil workers literally fishing for lost drilling tools. Abel Sunday accuses Daniel Plainview of backsliding on the drilling contract and informs him that only by joining the church will he find the tools and begin pumping the oil. The extra scene is unnecessary for various reasons, but at least Ciaran Hinds(HBO’s Rome) gets more screen time as Plainview’s lieutenant, Fletcher Hamilton.

“Haircut / Interrupted Hymn” is another deleted scene. H.W cuts his father’s hair and accidentally nicks his neck. Rather than blame his son, Plainview claims it’s his fault. He may also be apologizing for the oil well accident that deafened H.W. It ends with Plainview abandoning his son on the train. The train part seems different than I remember in the original movie. His face appears more contorted and he seems more distraught about his decision. This scene maybe slowed down the pacing, but it shows more of Plainview losing his humanity.

Dailies Gone Wild is the weak part. It’s an outtake of Plainview with his son gloating to the Standard Oil salesmen about his new oil pipeline. As a gag reel it sucks, frankly because none of the actors really messes up. They just laugh at the very end. Sorry, Daniel Day-Lewis really is perfect.

Ironically There Will Be Blood , despite having the least box-office potential of 2007, gets a great total package. Production information is lacking, but you learn a lot about oil drilling. Watch and laugh at footage of a worker lighting a pipe full of nitroglycerin with a cigarette and throwing it down an oil well.

Jonny Greenwood’s score plays during the features. If you hated it the first time, no one was listening. I can’t get enough of the wonderful overall design of this release, even small details like the museum font used on the menu options. The rough texture of the box reminds me of the raw emotions of the film. Paramount deserves credit for releasing a DVD that looks good on a shelf as well as on a television set.

The Upside: I love the package design. I drink it up! Finally, an Oscar 2007 spotlight movie that has quality special features.

The Downside: Almost no detail about the film’s production or behind-the-scenes trivia. The movie’s score gets a little annoying outside the plot.

On The Side: They interviewed no one involved on this movie and it has more than the frickin trailer on the DVD.

Oscar Week: Best Original Score

Kevin Gustafson — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 11:00:41 +0000

What is a great score? Since 1985, the academy honors only original scores written for the movie by a composer. Most of us have watched films scored by Jerry Goldsmith, Bernard Herrman, or John Williams. Even without powerhouses like these, a great score forever reminds you of the film it came from. Alas, this was not a year for legendary tunes. But let’s see what we have to work with.

And the nominees are…

Dario Marianelli – Atonement

Why is it nominated?: Dario Marianelli’s swirling piano and strings perfectly follows the brief joy and the years of regret and despair felt by the characters. It’s the most traditional of the nominees with a big orchestral sound. To lift the score up, Marianelli adds the sound of someone typing on a typewriter to tie all the events to the Briony character.

Why it might win?: The academy eats up period romances like Atonement. Past winners have won or been nominated for Best Picture. The melodrama of the moment, Atonement won Best Original Score at the Golden Globes and is high on critics’ top ten lists.

Why it might not win?: It has many nominations but few wins. Out of the last five years, three winners have had ethnic or non-classical scores

Alberto Iglesias, The Kite Runner

Why is it nominated?: The Kite Runner’s daring score matches an equally controversial film. Iglesias mixes Classical, Middle Eastern, and Spanish musical styles. He takes a bigger chance by going electronic in the Taliban scenes giving them a horror film mood.

Why it might win?: Despite heavy publicity, this is its only nomination so the academy may award Best Original Score to The Kite Runner. Ethnic music is popular with Babel’s score winning last year. This is the most ethnic score in the category.

Why it might not win?: The Kite Runner is not on many critics’ top ten lists in spite of good reviews. Likewise, it’s been a major bust in the guild/critics awards. It lost to Atonement for Best Score at the Golden Globes.

James Newton Howard, Michael Clayton

Why is it nominated?: For Social Problem Movie 2007, George Clooney hired 20 year veteran James Newton Howard. His modern approach conjures up a fog of mystery and tension.

Why it might win?: Michael Clayton faces stiff competition for Best Picture. Runners-up for top Oscar often get Best Original Score. Call me a cynic, but a Clooney pic on a resume can equal more work for lots of people. An award-winning Clooney pic will set you for life.

Why it might not win?: Howard doesn’t give Michael Clayton its own voice. Rather than sound inspired, he chooses to combine CSI’s quieter moments with The Parallax View and other 70’s conspiracy thrillers. The resemblance is eerie. Composer Howard has low chances since he’s been nominated too many times. Muckraking films generally bombed in 2007.

Michael Giacchino, Ratatouille

Why is it nominated?: Last Summer Pixar pulled off another crossover hit with kids and adults. For Ratatouille, Michael Giacchino wrote a Jazz and salsa inspired score with a French twist. Animated films usually hire superb musicians who can play fast enough to keep up with the action sequences.

Why it might win?: Ratatouille won Best Animated Film at the Golden Globes. It’s won a couple of awards for its music already, including a Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack Album and an Annie for Best Music in an Animated Feature Production.

Why it might not win?: Animated films have a shaky relationship with the Oscars. Pocahontas was the last in 1995. Orchestral or musical sounding scores tend to win. Is the score good enough to break the mold?

Marco Beltrami, 3:10 to Yuma

Why was it nominated?: This remake is arguably better than the original. Its score is unlike typical Westerns. Rather than emphasize epic themes that echo off the landscape, Beltrami relies on percussive driving rhythms that still sound like a Western.

Why it might win?: This is Beltrami’s first nomination which bodes well for composers. Reviewers liked 3:10 To Yuma. The Western is a classic Hollywood genre which may give it some weight.

Why it might not win?: The Western is a dead genre commercially. Since they used to be mainstream they’ve historically had a low Oscar win record. Except for the smaller art department categories, 3:10 To Yuma rolls past the industry unnoticed.

Who will win?

Dario Marianelli, Atonement

Who should win?

Dario Marianelli, Atonement

Honestly, none of these scores truly bond with their movies. The Atonement score is close to being memorable. Dario Marianelli is the best of the group at following the overall story musically. The other composers are talented and wrote entertaining tracks, Michael Giacchino’s especially. But I want more than effective scores which play along to individual scenes. I have a hard time guessing what movie they came from.

Who got overlooked?

Jonny Greenwood, There Will Be Blood

Sounding like a psychotic string section in search of an orchestra, Jonny Greenwood’s score is unmistakably connected with There Will Be Blood. However, the academy snubbed it because it contained too much previously released music. That’s still bizarre since reviewers spent more than a sentence describing the score. There Will Be Blood has claimed three Best Score statuettes at other awards shows. The hole in the academy nominees list smells like commercialism. This score isn’t going to sell a ton of records. Ah, yes, what would a Film School Rejects article be without complaining about the academy’s choices?

Movie Review: There Will Be Blood

Kevin Gustafson — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:58:28 +0000

I admit to being biased against There Will Be Blood directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. When I sat down to watch, I braced myself for a 158 minute melodrama. Surprisingly, the movie entertained me in a bizarre way. Oilman Daniel Plainview is an unforgettable character. Portrayed by Daniel Day-Lewis, he’s so crazy he’s alluring. However, the truly surprising performance belongs to Paul Dano as Eli Sunday. A young preacher on a powertrip he scared me as much as Lewis’s slimy oilman. The cinematography and soundtrack absorb the viewer into a story that revels in unrest.

Daniel Plainview has built his career wrenching minerals out of the earth. First a silver miner, he now travels with his son H.W (Dillon Freasier) buying up land and planting oil derricks. His newest lead brings him to Little Boston, an isolated community in Southern California. Plainview finds an ocean of oil under Abel Sunday’s ranch and guards it hungrily. Even mighty Standard Oil stays clear when he threatens to cut the throat of one of their executives. Yet it’s Abel’s teenage preacher-son Eli who could derail Plainview’s scheme. He presses Plainview to donate money to his Church along with buying the ranch. Plainview agrees just to get the contract signed, but never donates the cash. From then on they share mutual hatred and try to weasel advantages over the other.

There Will Be Blood is a very focused character study with sporadic action. Plainview claims almost every scene and our attention because his character is driven almost entirely by capitalism. He’s a workaholic who’s been so fixated on making money, it’s eroded his social skills. When he and H.W visit the Sunday ranch they pretend to be camping. He refuses the supplies Abel offers, claiming to want to rough it. This display of individualism masks deep paranoia. Plainview’s more complicated though because he seems to care for his son, workers and even a little girl. But he can suddenly turn heartless if they hold back his profits.

His biggest enemy is Eli Sunday, a fellow charlatan who’s meddling with his oil business. The teenager runs the Church of the Third Revelation and completely believes in faith healing and prophesy. But he seems more greedy than caring. After Plainview’s son is deafened in an accident, Eli coldly demands the money for expanding his church.

There Will Be Blood doesn’t have lightweight performances. Daniel Day Lewis’s Plainview is a historical figure captured on film. As he ages and he breaks down all barriers to his greed, Lewis plays him appropriately as a caged animal, an emotional force you don’t want to disturb. Paul Dano is more surprising since I remember him as a high schooler in The Girl Next Door. With Dano playing Eli Sunday, his face is so calm that it makes him more threatening.

The movie looks like old B/W photographs. Robert Elswit’s camera depicts a desolate landscape dotted with rickety sheds by Production Designer Jack Fisk. One wonders how anyone could live or work in a place like that. It expresses the characters and mood. Oil wells tower over workers. Violence looms around the fields. People die in sudden accidents. An oil gusher explodes into flame. One image shot with a telephoto lens features a corrupted Eli Sunday walking past a lake of oil as he angrily confronts Plainview about his money. In that scene, Plainview slaps Sunday and drags him through the oil. The lighting stays in the extremes with no middle ground. Some scenes are dim and dreary while others are bright and washed out.

Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood scores the movie without a thought to melody creating a terrifying mood. The main theme sounds like string instruments twisted into an atonal wave that lingers over several scenes before fading. Like an air raid siren, you wonder when the next bomb will drop. When a flourish of orchestral music happens at the closing credits you feel a sense of release. Some will hate it, but it works.

There Will Be Blood is a dark and engrossing period piece. Anderson possibly focuses on Plainview a little too much. That’s not a bad thing as this film is about men desiring great power and wealth. The most successful will be the one willing to sacrifice his humanity. This is a challenging movie that will reward those willing to spend time with a human monster.

The Upside: Daniel Plainview is so bad yet I can’t look away. The cinematography tells the story without words.

The Downside: The movie may contain too much Plainview for some. We learn less about supporting characters and the society of the early 1900s.

On the Side: Watch the end of the movie for the best catch phrase so far this year.

Film School Rejects » Kevin Gustafson

Venom Movie Takes Shape But Still A Bit Formless

Related Reading:

Amber Heard Plays Wayward, Sexy Tourist in Horror Film

Related Reading:

Kristen Bell Seeks Tropic Therapy Again In Couple’s Retreat

Related Reading:

Spielberg Sued For Imitating Hitchcock

Related Reading:

Platinum Dunes Hires Frank Borin For Movie That Hasn’t Already Been Made

Related Reading:

Denzel Washington Carries ‘Book of Eli’

Related Reading:

Lucas and Abrams Brawl at Lunchtime? No, Not Really

Related Reading:

Terminator Salvation Filming Lumbers Forward Despite Increasingly Possible Actors Strike

Related Reading:

Exclusive Comic Con ‘08 Figures from Entertainment Earth!

Related Reading:

Mike Myers as Keith Moon? Rock and Roll, Baby!

Related Reading:

Scarlett Johansson Lends Smoky Vocals To New Album

Related Reading:

DVD Review: Juno Two-Disc Special Edition

Related Reading:

DVD Review: There Will Be Blood 2-Disc Collector’s Edition

Related Reading:

Oscar Week: Best Original Score

Related Reading:

Movie Review: There Will Be Blood

Related Reading: