Tie for film of the year...

...with Benjamin Button.

Does this not look amazing? Rourke is my man. The dude has been cranking out some awesome films for years. It actually enrages me how people knock this dude, and all these parallels they're drawing between his character in The Wrestler and himself are obviously apt (here is a link to a fantastic interview where he discusses this), but did we not watch Domino or Sin City where he kicked ass?

Who actually thinks he doesn't kick ass? Cause I'll kick YOUR ass!

Go watch Angel Heart. Rumble Fish. Barfly. Heck his 5 minutes in Body Heat are electrifying, plus his cameo in The Pledge was heartbreaking.

At least this film will bring him back into the public's eye, but all you people who say he's back - he's not back, he's been here the whole time (we'll give the 90's some slack, he was busy getting his face bashed in).

The Box delayed

Richard "Donnie Darko" Kelly's new film The Box has been delayed from March '09 to November '09. That's a long wait, and since it's a genre film I doubt it's to make it accountable for Oscar considerations.

First pic. Not exactly riveting, but could be great.

Coming after the big-time flop Southland Tales, this is not comforting. We all loved Donnie, but Southland was a pretentious mess, and made me ponder over my own filmmaking. Richard went out with his B-grade cast and millions of dollars and made what is essentially an avant-garde experimental film that makes little sense unless you have also read some accompanying graphic novels (I have not). Now, there are a few things of relevance here:

- These graphic novels would need to be separately purchased at amazon.com. If they were provided as a freebie with the movie ticket or DVD that would be a different story.

- Richard Kelly is playing with MILLIONS of dollars here. His vision required that amount of cash, but if he doesn't provide an opening for a [generally willing and keen] audience, how do you justify that kind if cash? It is an undeniable truth that large budget films are made for an audeince, and not only for the director and his legion of loyal fans.

- Southland was actually quite an enjoyable frollic. It made no sense, but it was fun. I just wish there was something more profound I could have taken from it.

The actual film is even more bewildering.

Coming back to The Box, the Cameron Diaz-starrer was commonly seen as Kelly's sellout after the washout of Southland Tales, and I was actually happy with this. He needs a hit, we need a comprehensible film. We all win.

So why the wait? I guess we won't really know until next November...

For Your Consideration

Best Picture. Let it happen.
It will be a big breakthrough for Hollywood cinema.

Twilight made 70 million

What is this film? It looks like Buffy and Angel all over again.


Cinematical reports:

The numbers just rolled in, and it looks like Twilight has grabbed a whopping $70.5 million in its opening weekend, slightly above earlier estimates of $45-65 million. For a film catered more toward young female audiences, these numbers are pretty damn impressive -- especially since these sorts of openings are usually reserved for big-budgeted action/superhero blockbusters featuring big names and lots of explosions. Twilight, however, starred the relatively unknown indie hopper Kristen Stewart and equally-as-unknown Robert Pattinson -- both of whom will no doubt return for the sequel, which was officially announced yesterday. Despite the Twilight army, Disney's Bolt still managed to squeeze out $27 million for third place, while Quantum of Solace dropped to second place with $27.4 million.

I'm not against the books or film (sequel already greenlit), but why did this catch on? 70 million is a farking shitload of moolah. Vampires are not exactly original material, plus these guys can hang out in the sun.

WTF???

Australia: 2 and 2

There are 2 things about this film that get me excited:

1) Hugh Jackman. This guy is the real thing. With the exception of the piece of trash Van Helsing (horrible, horrible film), Mr. Jackman has always exuded charm and charisma even in lukewarm films like Deception. He makes his films emminently more watchable.

2) Australia. The country, I mean. We need this - a huge, sprawling saga celebrating our country. America has so many of these films, why can't we get one. I just hope it doesn't turn into too much of an Australian Tourism commercial.

There are 2 things about this film that get me worried:

1) Baz Luhrmann. The dude is a show off. His style is so over the top I can't believe people aren't having epileptic attacks in the cinemas.

2) Nicole Kidman. A great actress with the right role, I can't help but think this is not the right role, and for one main reason: I cannot believe that Nicole Kidman would fall in love. Australia is being promoted as an epic love story, but I would bet a lot of money I won't buy the love. No matter what you have to say about Mr. Cameron's Titanic, we believed that Leo and Kate were in love. Hell, we believed that the old lady playing Kate years later loved Leo. And it was this love that got people [ie. women] flocking back to the theatre over and over again.

Only the latter will have any significant impact on the film's box office, because mainstream audiences seem to LOVE Luhrmann. I mean, love him. I don't get it, but each to their own. He is a visionary, I just don't emotionally connect with his vision. But the latter is a problem. When has Kidman excelled? When she played cold, calculating, emotionally withdrawn bitches really, eg. The Hours (she was better than the film), To Die For (her best role), and Margot at the Wedding (which no one saw). Australia has her cast as a prude, and I'll buy that, but in the obligatory second act when she is going to cast off her shackles we have to feel this rousing passion, and I doubt I will. I'll want to, cause I love Hugh, but I won't.

It will be interesting to see what it makes opening weekend, and whether it is a bigger hit here or overseas. Here's the trailer:

Tom Cruise and the Top Ten

You didn't ask for it but you're gonna get it. I'm in a furious mood today, because I am sick and tired of people shitting on Tom Cruise. That's right, Tom Cruise. He is a whacky Scientologist. He enjoys jumping on couches and screaming really loudly. He possibly enjoys the company of men. He enjoys Joey Potter in his bed (a personal issue I have with him).

Get over it.

Tom Cruise is a phenomenal actor and has had, and is still having, a phenomenal career. He is everything Hollywood is good for. Why? Here's ten reasons.

#1 Risky Business (1983) - Joel Goodsen

Mr. Cruise's breakout role. His mixture of cockiness and innocence created the mould for the Tom Cruise of the future. He was charming. He was sweet. He was intelligent. The film itself is a wonderful exercise in 80s yuppie-youth sub-culture. The trippy music, the skewed sexual values, the time when Rebecca De Mornay was actually in good movies. We trusted Tom, even then. Plus he was FUNNY. The iconic dancing in his underwear scene is hilarious and utterly unselfconscious.

#2: Top Gun (1986) - Lt. Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell

Don't try and tell me you didn't wanna jump Tom's bones in this movie. I know I did. He was hot. He was Maverick. Why do you think Maverick has become the generic slang term for sexual domination i.e. "getting the hot chick"? Because Tom was The Man. What he said, you did. Tony Scott's hyperkinetic action film which made very second male in the world want to join the Air Force (allegedly half of these men actually DID), and increased the sales of Ray Ban sunglasses by 40% is a cultural signpost of the 80s. Sure it's shallow, sure it glorifies war. But it's excess is it's beauty. Michael Bay owes this film a lot. And Tom Cruise was the man reason why it succeeded.

#3: Born on the Fourth of July (1989) - Ron Kovic

Just when you thought Tom Cruise was some empty headed pretty boy, here he goes shitting on himself in a Vietnam War drama to prove you wrong. Possibly Mr. Cruise's most critically lauded performance, there is a reason for this: his character arc is EXTREME and Tom pulls it off without a hitch. To see him as a fresh-faced high school graduate excited to serve his country, and end up as a paralysed but hopeful anti-war protester, is gut-wrenchingly real. It is real. And Tom's physical and emotional similarity to the real-life Ron Kovic was uncanny. He didn't win the Oscar, and that was a crime (Day-Lewis is brilliant but in hindsight My Left Foot is not quite as classic and iconic performance, plus the dude is an Oscar whore).

#4: Interview With the Vampire (1994) - Lestat de Lioncourt

Evil. Tom Cruise is fucking evil in this film. I mean he is terrifying. And not for one second did he break character into hamminess and overacting, not even towards the end when he's all burnt to a crisp playing that piano being a freaky zombie-vampire thing. Some people accuse Tom Cruise of always being Tom Cruise, but I dare you to watch this film again and come back to me and say you only saw Tom Cruise in his Lestat. Neil Jordan's film has its problems, but none of them are because of Tom. Frankly whenever he isn't on screen the film suffers.

#5: Jerry Maguire (1996) - Jerry Maguire

The next phase of Tom's career. He's getting a little older. He's maturing. He's lost his boyish good looks and is becoming a man, whilst still desperately clinging to his youth. Jerry Maguire is all 90s earnestness wrapped up in a film which is sentimental without being cheesy, truthful without being preachy. Jerry Maguire is a man you will follow with his goldfish. Not because you trust him, but because you BELIEVE in him. Tom's eyes are burning with desperation in this film. The desperation to connect. Some people say they don't like this film. But when Tom goes back to Renee's house begging for her forgiveness and she says "you had me at hello" and you are NOT crying, I worry that perhaps you don't have a soul. Let the tears flow, people. Jerry Maguire earns every drop.

#6: Eyes Wide Shut (1999) - Dr. William 'Bill' Harford

Stanley Kubrick's last film and my personal favourite. Dr. Harford's descent into sexual perversity and darkness ranks up there with Scorsese's After Hours as the greatest tale of the New York of the shadows. Not Woody Allen's majestic Manhattan, but behind that facade. Taking over a year to shoot, Mr. Cruise's performance is undeniably real and in the moment. His journey of sexual awakening is profound and disturbing. What was the lesson he learnt in the end? I am not entirely sure myself after three viewings, but the feeling I get is more than enough. His Everyman is you or I. Tom has no tricks in this film. He is just a real person. Not a Hollywood person, just a real person.

#7: Magnolia (1999) - Frank T. J. Mackey

What a year 1999 was for Mr. Cruise. How he did not win the Oscar is beyond me. This is the film that I think is the most personal for Tom himself. Comparing the interview scene with the African-American woman to any of his real-life interviews, there is the same awkwardness, the same smile hiding a mask of vulnerability - "if you ask the wrong question..." This is not an insult, merely an observation and assumption. I'm not saying he is T.J. Mackey, just that they may have the same fears: of not being liked, not being in control, not maintaining power. When Mackey breaks down next to his father, that is not acting, that is life. That is truth. I just think that kind of truth cannot be made up. I see Tom, but I don't mind. He is being honest with us.

#8: Vanilla Sky (2001) - David Aames

An incredibly underrated film, and one I will defend to the end of the earth. Its message and ultimate impact is overwhelming. When he is on that building at the end deciding between his dream or reality I am a blubbering messy baby, weeping into my pillow. One of Tom Cruise's greatest gifts as an actor is his ability to constantly flip his personal image and play with it in his films. His David Aames is the irresponsible son of a giant media mogul, who has everything we know Tom Cruise to have: charm, arrogance, wealth. But when the 1st act is over and Tom Cruise's face becomes disfigured and his character is forced to deal (or not deal) with this, we see Tom Cruise dealing with this also. I see a piece of him in David just like a saw a piece of him in Mackey. He ISN'T Day-Lewis, method actor unrecognisable from film to film. He is always Tom Cruise, and he knows the baggage we as an audience bring to the table with that, and he uses it to his advantage.

#9: Collateral (2004) - Vincent

Ditto. Everything you know about Tom Cruise is played and flipped on itself as he portrays the ruthless, cold blooded assassin Vincent. The charm is still there but the killer smile is gone. We still KNOW it's Tom, but we don't trust him this time. We WANT to trust him, but when we do - just like Jamie Foxx does - we pay the price. Furthermore to my previous point, Tom Cruise is the perfect casting choice because he is Tom Cruise. We just don't expect this of him, so it is all the more shocking because of it. He is a great actor because he can pull this off whilst still being Tom Cruise. While other actors would flounder (can you imagine George Clooney being convincing in the role?) Tom has the dedication and acting clout to enthrall us in such a different choice of role.

#10 Tropic Thunder (2008) - Les Grossman

And finally, possibly the most brilliant casting decision of his career, comes Les Grossman. The year is 2008. Everyone hates Tom Cruise. I can't stop hearing the bitching about how people are sick of Tom Cruise, don't want to see a Tom Cruise movie, even going as far as saying they don't LIKE and never had liked Tom Cruise movies. And here he goes putting on a fat suit and swearing his ass off as a manic film executive. Once again, the fact that we know it's Tom Cruise (which IS difficult under all that wonderful makeup) only makes the role sweeter. Is he really doing this? Mr Self Serious actually has a sense of humour? Say it isn't so! It is so. Tom is funny. Tom is The Man.

THE END...

Thank you for reading. Now please go back out into the world with a renewed and proper vision of our beloved Tom Cruise. Spread the word about how great he is, and how wonderful his films have been, nourishing the world with hope, excitement, and the knowledge of how wonderful life truly can be, whether it's doing a doogy in a dogfight, cheering on Cuba at a football game, putting your balls on the line at an anti-war rally, or even biting Kirsten Dunst in the neck and keeping her as your surrogate vampire daughter. These are the experiences Tom has shared with us. If you are still not convinced, please visit his official website here to view a fantastic montage through all his films. You will be convinced.

We must not shit on thou Tom Cruise. We must remember the good times. We must remember that he is only an actor, and we cannot expect mere sanity from any actor. That is simply too much to ask. All we can ask is to be entertained, and Tom has done that for over 20 years and I sincerely thank him. Thank you Tom Cruise. Thank you.

PIXAR ROCKS

They make the best kids films ever. Ratatouille was the bomb. Toy Story was unforgettable. WALL-E groundbreaking and profound. They haven't ever made a bad film. Even Cars was loads of fun and has one of the last Paul Newman performances.

But Up just looks freakin' fuckin' fantastically hilarious.



How could this turn out bad? That is a rhetorical question.

Aintitcoolnews reports that James Cameron wasn't really consulted about Terminator 4, but he would have been happy to.

God among directors.

Lucky for him Titanic made a f-ing bundle so we'll let it slide.

There's been some discussion at AICN and elsewhere of me rescinding my so-called blessing of T4 and that's not the case. The truth is there never was a blessing to rescind, and there's been some kind of misunderstanding between me and McG, perfectly innocent I believe. He asked me in a phone call when I was shooting in New Zealand earlier this year if I would be a supporter and creative participant in the new film. I said sure, send me the script and I'll give you my thoughts. And I warned him that free advice is usually worth what you pay for it. For whatever reason I never got the script and to date I haven't seen a foot of film other than what everybody's seen in the trailer, which is not enough to form an opinion. So I have zero basis for supporting or dissing the film. As I said in an interview, for all I know it could be a masterpiece or it could be a big steaming pile. I think all people heard was the steaming pile part and concluded I was against the film, which I'm not. In fact, it might be very good, an opinion based solely on what Sam Worthington has shared with me. He's nobody's fool when it comes to material, and has absolutely the lowest bullshit quotient of anyone I know, and he has repeatedly told me that he reckons the film is going to be good. I know him to be very critical (in a healthy way) of his own work, and an actor who always aspires to excellence, so I know he wouldn't praise the film if he didn't feel it.

Obviously I can't give my blessing (whatever that means anyway ) to the film completely blind. But I'm predisposed to be supportive based on Sam's involvement and his judgment, because I believe in him. So there you have it. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that it's not a steaming pile.

Jim out

In case you're not in the know that dude called McG is directing it.

He did Charlie's Angel: Full Throttle.

WTF????????????

He even looks like a douche.

Maybe McG has untapped talent. Maybe. But if anyone has seen Terminator 2: Judgment Day they know how unecessary a sequel becomes the more you think about it. The whole idea of playing out the war against the machines is entirely redundant. All themes were dealt with in the first 2 films. The longer I dwell on part 3 the more pointless it becomes. It repeated all the same shit as part 2.

But why is Christian Bale in it? A huge fat shut-the-fuck-up-and-eat-our-shit paycheck? Say it isn't so. I know he didn't do Batman because of that. Read on imdb.com that he was all suited up to play George W. in Oliver Stone's film but backed out because he didn't have faith in himself to fulfill the project requirements, so the guy's obviously got standards. Plus Sam Worthington is ALSO in James Cameron's new film Avatar and is a promising Australian actor so there MUST be something here.

There must be. There must be. There MUST be.

If I say this enough times maybe it will come true.

Why the Dark Horse wins the race

The Dark Horse doesn't scream for attention. They chip away slowly at life until finally they have built their castle. Whilst most of humanity has been lying on their ass talking shit, the Dark Horse has been creeping up from behind to win the race.

People respect Dark Horses, but only after-the-fact. Before they officially become a Dark Horse they are Nobodies, and NOBODY will notice them.

That is fine.

They are the the Dark Horse and don't do it for the immediate recognition. They look to the future but enjoy the journey - [wo]men for the moment who always maintain a keen eye on the finish line.

The Dark Horse is stupendously beautiful, but most people cannot see this straight away. You have to look twice, a third, a FOURTH time, and only then will you see something of tangible substance and value. Not only that, but the Dark Horses have long-term sustainability. Through living in the shadows they have acquired unseen but vital skills that make them utterly irresistible to us mere mortals. You can stare into their eyes every day for the REST OF YOUR LIFE and always see something new, unique and surprising.

The Dark Horse is the greatest living specimen, and will never be forgotten. They are the winners, and not just because of who they are, but what they did to earn it.

One more thing: you'll never see them coming, but that's okay with them.

They never saw you either.

Who would play Barack Obama in a movie?

Denzel. Too obvious?

Don Cheadle. This one has indie cred.

Terence Howard. Would charge too much.

Samuel L. Jackson? Probably too old.

[Insert all other 3 top-tier black actors].

A reminder

Tom Cruise rocks.

We must all not forget this.

Further information coming soon.

Joaquin Phoenix to quit acting. WTF?????

This dude is apparently is going around saying that he's quitting acting. Why Joaquin? I mean, why?

Just use the old "taking a break" bullshit. We all know you'll be back when your music career crashes and burns and you're unzipping James Gray's pants to be in his next movie.

Listen, Joaquin: I have some hefty man-love for you, I really do. You kicked ass in Gladiator, Walk the Line and even We Own the Night. You're a Man with a capital M. You're obviously a pretentious twat in real life, but I don't care, you're a cool actor and I respect that.

I'm not saying this because I'm gonna miss you, Joaquin. I know I won't, because you WILL be back. It's just a fact. So don't lie to us, cause when you come crawling back you'll look like a douche.

BREAKING NEWS: Someone Actually Likes The Psycho Remake

I joke not. In a bizarre coincidence of timing (momentarily neglecting the fact that it was Halloween 3 days ago) Cinematical has released an article defending Gus Van Sant's Psycho remake. The dude calls it "a great experiemental film" and "fascinating".

I'm all for freedom of expression, but this is my blog so here's my freedom of expression:

Whatever. Just plain WHATEVER. Not even Van Sant's mother would be saying this. The remake of Psycho was a collossal waste of millions of dollars. If you're going to experiment, at least do so on a small-scale budget like David Lynch did on Inland Empire. Plus Lynch's film was original (to say the least).

But this dude reckons that Van Sant's remake was "fascinating" and "experiemental" because it was UNORIGINAL??? Give me a break. Go back to film school and your chai latte, buddy.

Batman 3?

The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan disappeared on July 18 for an extended vacation while his wallet back in L.A. steadily filled up with millions of dollar bills. Now he has returned to civilization coated in solid gold and is most probably receiving fellatio from the entire Warner Bros. exec team (and all other studios too, I'm sure) but had enough time to answer some questions to the L.A. Times.

On the potential third Batman movie:

Well ... let me think how to put this. There are two things to be said. One is the emphasis on story. What’s the story? Is there a story that’s going to keep me emotionally invested for the couple of years that it will take to make another one? That’s the overriding question. On a more superficial level, I have to ask the question: How many good third movies in a franchise can people name? [Laughs.] At the same time, in taking on the second one, we had the challenge of trying to make a great second movie, and there haven't been too many of those either. It’s all about the story really. If the story is there, everything is possible. I hope that was a suitably slippery answer.

In other words, pay me enough and I'm there. And Warner Bros. - PAY HIM ENOUGH! We don't need an X3 on our hands here. I didn't mind that film, but the batman series is so inexorably linked to Nolan's intense vision, it would be a crime to chuck Brett Ratner in the mix. The X Men were a little lighter. We don't need another Batman & Robin. Really.

On some kind of Justice League film:

I don’t think our Batman, our Gotham, lends itself to that kind of cross-fertilization. It goes back to one of the first things we wrangled with when we first started putting the story together: Is this a world in which comic books already exist? Is this a world in which superheroes already exist? If you think of "Batman Begins" and you think of the philosophy of this character trying to reinvent himself as a symbol, we took the position -- we didn’t address it directly in the film, but we did take the position philosophically -- that superheroes simply don’t exist. If they did, if Bruce knew of Superman or even of comic books, then that’s a completely different decision that he’s making when he puts on a costume in an attempt to become a symbol. It’s a paradox and a conundrum, but what we did is go back to the very original concept and idea of the character. In his first appearances, he invents himself as a totally original creation.

Here here. But I've always felt that Batman and Superman never really mixed in well together. I love the bad ass bat dude, but let's be honest: Supes is a fucking alien who can fly, Bats is just a super ninja. Bruce Wayne would feel like the poor kid who can't afford the latest Superman Xbox and would go mad with envy and start spraying Supes with krypton bat poo.

Cool, or totally lame?

Frankly, I was just confused.

Boondocks sequel is a go go. Oh no no.

Did anyone actually watch The Boondock Saints? Personally, I've read more about the shit storm that went around it than the actual film itself. The writer/director Troy Duffy was allegedly some major asshole who pissed on anyone who tried to help him make the film. As an aspiring writer/director myself I know how much cock I will suck for any money that isn't coming out of my own pocket. Hell, if Harvey Weinstein told me to cast Daniel Radcliffe as a mob boss I'd probably comply.

My friend kept crapping on about how awesome it was, but he's Irish so I should have known better. I watched it: a lame-ass Tarantino hodge podge, it made another Pulp Fiction knockoff from the nineties 2 Days in the Valley seem positively inspired. All I can really remember is Willem Dafoe being gay. Like offensively gay. Man did he suck. And I love Willem Dafoe.

Anyways, apparently there's a sequel in the works, because, hey, what movie doesn't deserve a sequel these days? That's a good question. Better than any question about Boondock Saints.

Whatevs.

Tom Cruise & Saw. WTF???

The new Valkyrie trailer is out and about. This Tom Cruise-starrer has been long delayed but actually looks oodles of fun.

But seriously, what the flying fuck are they doing using the Saw music? Don't they know that [1] the fifth film of that shit came out last weekend, and [2] it sucked??? Sure it's a good tune, but it's so linked to the films it's like using Star Wars music to market the new Star Trek. The lid just don't fit the bottle.

While I'm at it, why the hell does everyone hate Tom Cruise so much? Don't they know that 95% of those rich Hollywood types are loonies? At least Tom's honest about it. I feel so enraged sometimes when people try and say he's a bad actor. It is utterly and completely untrue. The guy makes kickass movies.

Matter of fact I will write an entire post about him. I love you Tom, even if you did take Joey Potter away from me...