Archive | March, 2010

Is Hollywood out of good ideas?

25 Mar

With as much talent and productivity that floats around Hollywood on any given day, why does it seem that all the writers, producers and executives are out of new and original ideas?

Over the last decade, there have been a rash of films made that were based on television shows (i.e. Charlie’s Angels, Dukes of Hazzard, Get Smart).  That is somewhat acceptable, given that the production values are usually so much greater and it brings a whole new fan base to the show/movie.  However, film remakes are coming out of the woodwork like crazy these days. 

Simply remaking a film that was only released 20-25 years ago is laziness in my opinion…or greed.  There are so many screenwriters out there with original scripts, but Hollywood is focused on making movies that bring in guaranteed money.  That’s a sad thing, because not only is it saying that the industry doesn’t care about the art of filmmaking, it’s saying that they’d rather bank on used material than gamble on creativity.

A couple of 1980′s films getting a redo this year are Karate Kid (starring one of Will Smith‘s sons) and Nightmare on Elm Street (with a completely new Freddy Kruger).  I just don’t get this.  Karate Kid is so iconic to myself and the group of people who grew up in the 80′s.  Mr. Miagi is dead and Daniel is a middle-aged man now.  If you are only going to take a theme from a movie, then rename the damn thing.  By using the name and not the characters that made a film famous, studios are just riding on the coattails of an established brand.

Nightmare on Elm Street is going to be on reincarnation 100 by the time this film comes out.  I’m a huge Jackie Earle Haley fan, but he doesn’t even slightly resemble Robert Englund‘s Kruger.  The most recent Freddy film came out within the last ten years, so to switch up one of the most popular villans in all of film is really risky.

A few weeks ago Entertainment Weekly broke the news that Jennifer Lopez was attached to a possible remake of the Goldie Hawn-Kurt Russell film, Overboard.  That news is what prompted my desire to write this post.  I am one of the few Overboard fans, which can usually be seen on TBS or TNT more than a few time every month, but do I want to see it remade…and with Lopez?  Absolutely not.  Movies like Overboard were and are perfectly suited to the 1980′s.  Changing it up to reflect 2010 is just unnecessary.

Police Academy, Arthur and Pet Semetary are a few of the other films either in pre-production or being talked about as potential projects.  I get that H-wood is all about money – how much you can make, how much you can get people to spend, but the same can be achieved by producing original projects.  Look at Avatar, not a remake of anything, is probably going to top $2 billion by the time it leaves theaters for good.

A quick sidenote about TV remakes: they are even worse than movie remakes.  The CW took two hugely popular FOX dramas and made them contemporary with 90210 and Melrose Place.  Again, if you want to have similar concepts, find a way to do so and make it your own.  I think it’s pretty funny that these networks really don’t have anything better to put on TV.

I’ll admit that I’ve been entertained by some remakes (Ocean’s Eleven), but that doesn’t mean that the box office should be dominated by recycled material.  Not only is it boring, but it’s uninventive.  Dust off those scripts you have lying around, H-wood; I’m sure there’s something in there worth a look!

New Movie Friday 3/26/10

25 Mar

What are you doing this weekend?  Want to check out a new movie?

Here is what’s new in theaters on Friday 3/26/10:

Hot Tub Time Machine - John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson
                                                         Steve Pink (director)
 
How to Train Your Dragon - Gerard Butler, Jay Baruchel (animated)
                                                                   Peter Hastings (director)
 
Chloe - Julianne Moore, Amanda Seyfried
                 Atom Egoyan (director)
                *Limited Release

Old Dogs Review

25 Mar

Old Dogs

Starring: John Travolta, Robin Williams, Kelly Preston, Seth Green

Sometimes movies have all the essential ingredients necessary to hit a home run, but when they get up to the bat, they strike out.  Old Dogs is a movie that had many of the right ingredients, but just did not mix together well.

Dan and Charlie (Robin Williams, John Travolta) are friends of 30 years who haven’t really grown up.  They are marketing executives who have no other cares in the world apart from securing the next big deal.  During a meeting with a group of Japanese businessmen, in an attempt to break the ice, Charlie tells the tale of what happened to Dan after getting divorced years ago.

Through a translator, Charlie tells the men how he decided that what Dan needed was an opportunity to drink his cares away… in South Beach.  During their boys trip, Dan is so inebriated that he does everything he shouldn’t, including getting a chest tatoo and marrying a random woman named Vicki (Kelly Preston).  Fast forward seven years later and while trying to get back in contact with her, he learns that she’s been keeping a big secret that he isn’t prepared for.

Dan is then forced to look at his life and decide if his job is still the number one priority.  Charlie grudgingly sticks by his side and through ups and downs, figures out that there is more to life than just being a bachelor.

Williams and Travolta, real life friends for decades, just couldn’t do anything to save this movie.  They both have succeeded in the comedy genre in the past, but even their performances in this film left something to be desired.  I absolutely hated Travolta in this role.  I felt he was not believable, not likeable and he was just pushing too hard.  Williams had some decent moments, but the script was just too weak for actors of their caliber.

There was a nice supporting cast that consisted of Matt Dillon, Rita Wilson, Ann-Margaret and the late Bernie Mac.  But again, their talents were not put to good use.  This film felt like it was made simply to make money, which it couldn’t even do.  It was as if they took a bunch of established actors, gave them some words in the hope of just securing some green at the box office.  Sadly, the film didn’t even bring in $50 million.

Director Walt Becker, who worked with Travolta on Wild Hogs, is still a fairly young director in Hollywood.  He was successful with Hogs and directed the fan favorite, Van Wilder.  I think there was just too much going on in this movie and it needed to be taken down a notch.  The humor was missing for me and I think that the writer just tried to take obvious situations and assume they’d be funny without the dialogue to back it up.

This film also showcased Travolta’s daughter, Ella Bleu, as Williams’ onscreen daughter.  She was cute enough, but had far less dialogue than the young boy who played her brother. 

I can’t even classify this as mindless fun.  It was kind of painful to watch and I don’t recommend this film to anyone, unless you feel the need to watch a movie filled with cheap laughs.

 

Dancing with the Stars is showing its age

24 Mar

Dancing with the Stars premiered on Monday night to almost 24 million viewers.  Even with that staggering number, I was left feeling bored and annoyed with the “stars” this season.

Dancing’s newest season started off with a new co-host, a new backstage room (which really isn’t backstage anymore) and some new graphics.  The changes weren’t enough to make me like this show.  I actually thought the changes were pretty bad.  The graphics were very odd and made the show seem amateurish.

Now, for the reason people watch this show…the dancing.  Overall, I was really disappointed and couldn’t be happier when the show was over.  Here is a quick play-by-play of the 11 dancers:

Chad – I was surprised he didn’t come off overly cocky, because that is part of his persona.  I thought he did a decent job for the first show.

Shannen – I thought her dancing was pretty bad (those arms flailing around), but I felt an emotional pull towards her.  I’d like to see her receive good praise and not be thought off as the bad girl.

Erin – All I kept thinking was that she had the longest arms in the world.  She did a good job and I think her pairing with Maks was smart.

Jake – I cannot make myself like this guy.  He did much better than I thought he would, but I’d be happy to see him leave early on. (Oh and enough with the shots of the “fiance” Vienna.)

Niecy – She’s a fun contestant and she’s confident.  Pairing with Louis gives her credibility.

Evan – Probably the best dance of the night, but I felt like I was watching him skate with his tight turns and weird leg extensions.

Buzz - He has some spunk, which was fun to see, but he looked like he was in a parade, stomping all around.

Nicole – Of course she is the favorite to win this trophy now.  She had a nice, classic routine.

Aiden – Oh poor Aiden.  He’s pretty charismatic and he’s nice to look at, but dancing is not his thing.

Kate – All I think when I look at her is fake.  I think everything she does is choreographed (not the dancing) and she looks mad all the time.  Even her laugh isn’t believable to me.

Pam – Oh dear lord.  I thought she had some moves, but really I thought the dance was awful.  What the heck was going on with that hair?  It’s a spectacle and is it just me or did she seem drunk throughout the whole show?

I didn’t really care for any of the dancing, I was paying more attention to the silly behavior of everyone.  Brooke Burke did a respectable job, but I still would liked to have seen someone else take over for Samantha Harris.

I watch the show because it’s usually fun, but I feel like the only reason I’m going to watch this season is for the drama.  I suppose that’s true for any reality show, but this group just doesn’t do it for me.

R.I.P. Robert Culp

24 Mar

79-year-old actor, Robert Culp, died today after a fall outside his home in California. 

Culp, co-star of the 1960′s TV show, I Spy, was also known for his recurring role on the CBS sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond.  In addition, Culp made various guest appearances on Bill Cosby‘s, his I Spy co-star, shows over the years.

Cosby and close friend, Hugh Hefner, have both responded to the sad news today.  Hefner told The Times that he “was absolutely stunned” by the death of his longtime friend.  Cosby also told The Times, “My mind wants to flow into sadness, but I want to stay above that.”

He is survived by his wife and five children.

DVD Release Tuesday 3/23/10

23 Mar

So all of you hard-core movie fans out there know what every Tuesday is, right?  It is new DVD release day.  I look forward to this day every week and I always have my Netflix set up ahead of time to make sure I get the newest flicks that are out there.  Here’s a short list of what is coming out today:

Movies:
The Blind Side – Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw
Brothers – Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman
Fantastic Mr. Fox – George Clooney, Meryl Streep (animated)
Men Who Stare at Goats – George Clooney, Ewan McGregor

 

TV:
7th Heaven – Season 10
Mad Men – Season 3
 

Heap of Hollywood 3/22: Miley’s a mentor?

22 Mar

Heap of Hollywood is your chance to read about some of the latest news and casting updates around H-town!

News:
*Apparently, Miley Cyrus is set to be the mentor on the March 23 episode of American Idol.  I’m guessing this choice is more about promoting her movie (coming out a week later) than anything else.  She is also scheduled to perform on the March 24 results show.
*Usher is reporting on his website that he will also be a part of American Idol on March 30 & 31.  This mentor has much more credibility, so maybe we can forget about the previous week’s.
*NBC‘s lone soap opera, Days of our Lives, has been renewed for another year, keeping them on through 2011.

 

Casting:
*Film actress, Sissy Spacek, is venturing into the TV world by signing on to a CBS medical pilot.
*Christian Slater is hoping three is a lucky number.  He is attached to an untitled FOX comedy pilot.  His last two attempts at TV on NBC and ABC have both failed after one season.
*Tate Donovan is set to join Michael Chiklis in ABC’s No Ordinary Family.
*Thomas Haden Church has signed on to Showtime’s new show, Episodes, starring Matt LeBlanc.
*Will Ferrell & Rebecca Hall are attached to the drama, Everything Must Go. 

Chicago to be well represented in Michael Bay’s Transformers 3

22 Mar

Director and producer extraordinaire, Michael Bay, took to his personal website today to dish on some of the upcoming details of Transformers 3…

Chicago to be well represented in Michael Bay’s Transformers 3

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The Twilight Saga: New Moon Review

22 Mar

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner

The funny thing about a blockbuster movie is that it doesn’t have to be very good to be popular and have a large audience.  The Twilight Saga: New Moon happens to be a massive film that made hundreds of millions of dollars, but it just wasn’t a very good film.

The second film based on the Twilight novels by Stephenie Meyer was a disappointment.  As a fan of the books, I can say that I expected more.  New Moon takes place within months after Twilight ended and Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is unhappy to be celebrating another birthday while the love of her life, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) never ages.  As Edward’s family throws her a birthday party, Bella and Edward are reminded of the stark differences between them that will never go away as long as he is in her life.

Edward and the Cullens leave town, thinking that it is best for Bella and her safety, which results in Bella breaking down and becoming a recluse.  Her entire being left when Edward did and she can’t seem to find the breath in her life again.  That’s when long time family friend, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) comes in and resuscitates Bella.  His friendship is like a life raft to her and she slowly starts to come out of her despair.

Bella soon learns that Edward isn’t the only one in town who has secrets and she has to decide whether she can accept Jacob for who he truly is.  Then just as Bella and Jacob seem to be on the verge of taking their relationship to the next level, Alice Cullen (Ashley Greene) arrives at Bella’s home.  She is under the assumption that Bella has tried to take her own life and she had to come see for herself.  Upon seeing that Bella is very much alive, Alice sees that Edward has learned about Bella’s so-called death and has gone to take his own life as well.

Bella and Alice must race against the clock to save Edward from himself and show him that Bella is in fact still breathing.  If Bella is able to make it to him in time, she will also be forced to see Edward and relive all the devastation she has been trying to hide for the last few months.

Edward does not play a large presence in the book for New Moon, so it was understandable that he wouldn’t be in very much of the film version.  That left a gaping hole though in the feel of the story.  I felt a chemistry between Bella and Jacob at the very beginning of their friendship, when she goes to him with a couple of dirt bikes to fix up.  As the movie continued, that chemistry fell away quickly and I found myself wishing Edward would show up again. 

Stewart is a great actress and she was able to save this movie.  I know that this book/film is the most depressing of them all, but there needed to be a few more pleasant moments.  Stewart, as good as she is, scowled throughout 90% of the film and it got old very fast.  Even when Edward comes back into Bella’s life, the film was missing the romantic connection that was there in the book.  Everything just happened too quickly and there wasn’t a chance to see Bella and Edward really bond again.  I thought Lautner did a really good job.  I was actually surprised that I found him to be kind of pleasant to watch.

I had some issues with how the look of this film came across.   After watching director Catherine Hardwicke‘s version of Twilight, I was quite thrown off by New Moon director, Chris Weitz‘s vision.  These two films were shot in different locations, so the houses and structures of the first film were either redone or replaced in the second.  I noticed immediately that the Swan house looked different from the outside, as did the inside of it.  The school didn’t feel the same and from a consistency standpoint, I was kind of annoyed.  I actually liked the production design from the first film and was left a bit cold after seeing how it changed in this film.

I found myself missing more of the Bella narration that was so prominent in the first film.  In New Moon, many of Bella’s thoughts are voiced as she narrated various emails to Alice.  I think  part of what makes Bella’s narration so important is that it gives a closer connection to the feeling you had when you read the book.

I love the music from the Twilight films; I think the music is a huge part of making this franchise successful.  The first soundtrack is still my favorite, but New Moon’s is like an indie dream list.  I think it reflects the tone of the movie quite well.

Like I said earlier, this movie didn’t need to be great for it to be a winner.  Fans of Meyer’s books, and now the films, will race to see anything that has to do with this series.  From a fan standpoint, I hope that the next few films have more romance and are more true to the books.

 

Bandslam Review

21 Mar

Bandslam

Starring: Gaelan Connell, Aly Michalka, Vanessa Hudgens

There hasn’t been a great high school-themed movie in a long time.  Sure, some will think that a movie like High School Musical fits that description, but it’s not a movie for the ages.  Bandslam doesn’t fill that quota either, but it’s still a harmless, easy to watch movie about music and teenagers.

Bandslam is the story of Will Burton (Gaelan Connell), a Cincinnati, Ohio teenager who is lacking a life, friends and happiness before moving to New Jersey in the hopes of starting over.  After moving with his mother, played by Lisa Kudrow, Will is able to start fresh in a new place.  He is befriended by an older, popular girl named Charlotte (Aly Michalka) from his new school who takes him under her wing.  Charlotte and Will bond over music and with Will’s musical expertise, he helps Charlotte and her band find the missing pieces that will help lead them to success in their high school’s Bandslam competition. 

Will also comes across Sa5m (Vanessa Hudgens), a loner, who he happens to meet on his first day of school.  After having to do a class project together, Will and Sa5m realize that there is more to their relationship than just friendship.

As Will tries to fit in, he must come to terms with the demons he left behind in Cincinnati.  Through music, he is able to find himself and feel alive for the first time.

I was expecting to not like this movie, but I was pleasantly surprised.  Connell is a refreshing young actor who is extremely likeable.  Michalka has a real presence onscreen, but I don’t know how much longevity she has in the future.  She is a recording artist with her sister, AJ, when not acting.  She has a decent voice that fit in well with this story.  This film was full of unknown or little known actors, which is partially why I found it kind of endearing. 

I could have done without the typical side story (i.e. jerk boyfriend tries to get girl back) and the silly use of numbers in the names, but the premise of a group of high school kids trying to win a battle of the bands is respectable.  I’m torn on what I thought of Hudgens in this film.  Her voice drove me nuts and it was even addressed onscreen as to why she was talking with a deeper tone.  I liked that she wasn’t like the cutesy character she played in the High School Musical movies, but I’d like to see if she’s capable of showing more range.

The music in the film works because it’s modern and relevant, but the last song played was kind of brutal.  I hate watching people play instruments in a movie because when they don’t know how to play, it’s painfully obvious.  The storyline of David Bowie references and cameos gave some credibility to this film as well.

This movie tanked at the box office when it premiered last summer, but I think it could have a decent following when it hits cable.  TBS and TNT live for movies like this that can appeal to a teen crowd.  Bandslam is good, useless entertainment. 

 

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