Man of Steel TV Spot 10: So Much For The Talking it Out Stuff, Huh?

Posted on May 31, 2013 by geelw

Well, so much for the small crowd that thought this was going to be too talky or *dull* because of some misconceptions floating about since that original languidly paced reveal. Balance seems to be key here, as the trailers and ads have gotten all the more intense. I’d say both camps should be pleased at the end of the day and as tickets are already on sale (a move guaranteed to pump up the box office receipts for that all important opening week/weekend), I’m betting “sold out” shows will be the thing to deal with in a few places. Actually, WB only has to “worry” about those early bird reviewers who nitpick the films they see to death and consider the first two Chris Reeve Superman films “untouchable” for some reason (they’re great fun, but not beyond criticism for their flaws). As usual, we shall see…

Frankenstein’s Army: Ding! Your New Guilty Pleasure is Ready…

Posted on May 30, 2013 by geelw

OK, class: clipboards out! Let’s see now:

Cheesy “B”-movie title and “found footage” plot played dead semi-seriously? Check! Nice old-school PRACTICAL effects for the creatures (whee, no CG!) Check! Actors playing Russian and German soldiers not speaking in their native tongues (thus making it easier for lazy Americans who refuse to get more language into their lives and may be of those descents to get what’s going on without all that subtitle readin’)? Czech! No game license to ruin the film (or make it better because the game is awful and rushed to market)? CHECK! Well, this one’s looking like a gory good time, so on the “watch it when it comes to cable or go borrow the inevitable Blu-Ray/DVD” list, I suppose. Richard Raaphorst’s nifty little horror flick should be an instant cult classic once it gets the audience it deserves, so step right up and keep this one on your own list when it hits theaters and On-Demand on July 26, 2013.
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Random Film of the Week (Fore!): The Beast Within

Posted on May 30, 2013 by geelw

(thanks, Deathdealeus1984!)

the beast within 1 Since we’re in the 17-year cycle of cicada “season” (and not a one has popped up around here thanks to it being too cold AND the fact that all that deep digging heavy landscaping work in the area over the past two plus years has probably mashed a few hundred million eggs but good), I figured I’d reminisce about this rather wild 1982 horror flick that’s either really good or really awful depending on your tastes. I paid to see The Beast Within on its initial release and along with a few friends, ended up sitting in a coffee shop afterward discussing how underwhelmed, amused and bored we were by this so-called shocker.

That “BEWARE” or “WARNING!” in big letters on the posters is kind of right at least in one way – this is one worth watching only if you realize that it’s not quite all it’s cracked up to be and relies on one good effect sequence dragged out a wee bit too long. Granted, the revolutionary effects work in the that transformation sequence makes for the best part of the film. But having to sit through the draggy bits and broken storytelling might put you to sleep before you get to the best stuff it has to offer… Continue reading →

Man of Steel TV Spot 9: All Your Secrets Will (Not) Be Revealed…

Posted on May 29, 2013 by geelw

It’s actually pretty funny to see a small (yet vocal) mini-backlash building against all these TV spots by some that feel WB is “ruining” the film by showing “too much”. Well, let’s see now… some research shows that the movie is about 2 hours and 23 minutes long and we’ve seen maybe five minutes total or less of footage that hasn’t been repeated in other ads and trailers. Add to that the fact that most trailers end up using footage not in the final film (this happens way too often and often on purpose) and even more important, the bigger fact that those whiners can (and should) CHANGE THE DAMN CHANNEL when these ads run and well… “Nothing to see here… move along” makes for a more calming mantra for those folks. My good deed for the day is now done – where’s my cape? Oh, in the laundry (yuk), which actually needs to get done, as it’s walking around the room again…

Random Film of the Week (Too): Point Blank

Posted on May 29, 2013 by geelw

(thanks, MyDeathlok!)

Forget that offbeat poster to the left, all the film’s stylish narrative tricks and fine ensemble cast doing some stellar work, folks. There’s one obvious moral to John Boorman’s Point Blank that seems to have escaped nearly everyone who dies in this film. That would be the following: If you owe Walker $93,000, stop talking so damn much, pay the man and stay breathing a bit longer.

Of course, this would make for a really short movie that’s probably not too entertaining, so the assorted bad men yak it up with excuses for not having his money while Walker (Lee Marvin), beats them with his wits, fists, a few well-placed bullets and assorted items in some of the sets. This is one of those “mature” late 60’s flicks where violence and refreshing vulgarity were emphasized as selling points and served the story being told. Although the storytelling here may require repeat viewing for those not used to narrative abstractions such as unusual editing, flashbacks and an ending that leaves a few questions lingering in the night air like the smell of gunpowder.
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Random Film of the Week: Play Misty for Me

Posted on May 29, 2013 by geelw

Play Misty for Me With Arrested Development back on the block as a hot TV series (well, if you count not actually being on TV as part of a popular pay-to-stream service that’s 100% useless if your internet goes down), I figured I may as well celebrate the fact that I can’t see it (until someone wises up and gets a physical media collection out) by pointing you to this more than pretty decent 1971 Clint Eastwood-directed thriller that may have kicked off the whole “unhinged stalker hookup” sub-genre. OK, put that jaw up, stop doing that double take and pay attention – there’s a point here being made (I think).

AD’s Jessica Walter is in this one, younger, more attractive and save for the psychotically imbalanced character she’s so good at playing in this flick, she’d probably be a great partner for Eastwood’s late night DJ, Dave Garver. Of course, Dave’s not actually a completely nice, innocent guy here, but that’s another thing the film plays with as it tells the tale of lust gone bad…
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Riddick: Rule the Dark Trailer: This One’s Too Easy To Poke Fun At (Again), But…

Posted on May 28, 2013 by geelw

I’ll be nice and give it a pass because the series is three out of four in my eyes. Yeah, I think I made a “Dim Weasel” joke before (well, I thought it was hilarious), but I watched Pitch Black again a few days ago and it’s not a bad intro to the Riddick character. Even better were the two video games (The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay and The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena) that worked thanks to developer Starbreeze Studios NOT basing it on the first film, but on developing the Riddick character and making him an interesting anti-hero. That last Riddick film from a few years back was… entertaining in a biting off more than it could chew in developing more lore for the character, but it holds up if you don’t take it too seriously.

This new flick seems to go back to what made Pitch Black watchable – Riddick up against a deadly threat, but adding in the twist of him needed help from the hunters after him in order to survive. WIll I go and see it on day one? Probably not. But if it turns out better than expected (not that I’m expecting anything other than it has a beginning and ending and something blows up at one point), I’ll be catching this a few months down the road on its cable premiere…

Man of Steel TV Spot 8: There’s a Bad Man Coming, And He’s Got A Head Full of Trouble…

Posted on May 28, 2013 by geelw

Michael Shannon has one of those faces that makes a great villain or at least, a good guy with a really hard edge you’d never want to run into in a dark alley. Anyway, here’s Mr. Mc Grimace doing his thing in this new Man of Steel TV commercial. Memo to anyone left in Hollywood that has a working brain and isn’t on too many drugs. If there’s ever a Mike Hammer TV series or movie to be made, it better be period-era precise and have Mr. Shannon in it as the lead. You’re welcome, and if it’s a series being made, “Kiss Me Deadly” HAS to be the final episode, as you can’t beat that story for sheer insanity when it comes to its beginning and ending…

Random Film of the Day*: The Three Worlds of Gulliver

Posted on May 27, 2013 by geelw

*For the next few days, I’m going to add a random film the great Ray Harryhausen worked on. The legendary special effects MASTER passed away on May 7, 2013 at age 92 in London and yes, the film world has lost a true giant as well as a fine and talented gentleman…

OK, I don’t “hate” The Three Worlds of Gulliver at all, but as a kid, it did take me four attempts to sit through this classic family film without falling asleep. Sure, Ray Harryhausen’s “Superdynamation” effects and that lovely Bernard Herrmann soundtrack make this another perfect one-two punch for movie fans, but something about this flick has always rubbed me the wrong way.

It’s probably a combination of a few things from the silly refrigerator magnet names Johnathan Swift came up with being too nonsensical even for a kid to wrap a brain cell around (Brobdingnag? Glumdalclitch?), some languid pacing and seeing too much of Kerwin Matthews’ over-sized head (even when he’s normal-sized, his melon is a moon on his neck). Or it’s probably because Ray’s work here is “limited” in terms of the amount of stop motion effects (but you do get some great matte shots). The other technical work is fine, mind you – it’s just that compared to his more popular fantasy films, this one seems somewhat tame…
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Warner Bros. Wants You to Know There’s a Difference Between a Robot and a Man of Steel…

Posted on May 26, 2013 by geelw

Man of Steel TV Spot #7, meet Pacific Rim TV Spot # 2. Now shake hands and come out fighting for those summer box office bucks. Even better, go beat the stuffing out of something big and evil. Hmmm… Seeing both of these trailers together almost makes me think of the odd power Warner Bros. films have had over the decades. I can recall seeing many trailers either on TV (while watching TCM, primarily) or in theaters throughout the years where I’d nod when I saw that logo because I knew I’d be in for an entertaining two hours or so. Of course, I could say that about MGM, RKO, Universal, Paramount and other studios living and dead, but right now… I’m in a WB mood.