Toy Story 3 teaser poster…

Yes it isn’t going to blow the world away for originality or depth but this is a pretty cool if unrevealing poster…just savour the tagline and that big yellow 3 until we get something a little more…substantial!

 

Patrick Swayze 1952-2009

I’m sad to report that Patrick Swayze has died at the age of 57 from the pancreatic cancer he announced to the world two years ago.

After playing Danny in a Broadway run of Grease, Swayze first came to widespread notice in the early ’80s in the well regarded TV mini-series North and South, and as a member of the so-called Brat Pack, with roles in The Outsiders and Red Dawn. But it was Dirty Dancing in 1987 that made him a household name, allowing him to put his classical training as a dancer to good use as Jennifer Gray’s heartthrob dance instructor Johnny Castle. 

Roles of varying quality followed (best of which was the glorious tosh that is Road House) until the 1990 smash hit supernatural romance Ghost, where he played the deceased Sam Wheat to Demi Moore’s Molly Jensen and Whoopi Goldberg’s medium Oda Mae Brown. The following year he played the zen skydiving bank-robbing surfer Bodhi in Katherine Bigelow’s Point Break, and was awesome. No man in the world watched that film and wished they were Keanu.

The rest of the ’90s weren’t so kind to him (although he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his uncannily convincing role in To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar) as he battled alcoholism and broke both legs in a horse-riding accident. But he made a superb comeback in 2000 as the paedophile life guru Jim Cunningham in Donnie Darko, and enjoyed a successful West-End run in Guys and Dolls beginning in 2006.

He announced his illness to the world in the spring of 2008, and battled it determinedly, whilst always remaining up-front about its gravity. He is survived by his wife of 34 years Lisa Niemi, whom he met aged 18 when she was taking dance classes with his mother. The two never had children.

His Outsiders co-star Rob Lowe said last night that he’d “lost a brother”. Jennifer Grey said in a statement “Patrick was a rare and beautiful combination of raw masculinity and amazing grace. It was not surprising to me that the war he waged on his cancer was so courageous and dignified.”

 

Blazin’ Trailer: This Is It

Michael Jackson’s concert were stage shows that offered spectacular choreography on the kind of scale even Cecille B. DeMille would have dismissed as ‘outlandish’. The man may be gone but, thanks to new concert film This Is It, he’ll be back on screens for one final appearance.

Cut from footage shot during Jackson’s rehearsals for this year’s planned tour, This Is It gives one more chance to see the man-with-the-glove in action. Click here for a look at the official trailer, courtesy of BBC News.

This Is It is directed by Jackson’s long-time creative partner (and High School Musical director) Kenny Ortega, who describes the project as “a gift to Michael’s fans” and promises it’ll show Michael “as one of the greatest entertainers in the world.”

This Is It is released in the UK on October 28 for a limited, two-week run.

 

Blazin’ Trailer: A Christmas Carol

Officially it’s only a teaser trailer, but this clip hosted at Yahoo is the longest look we’ve had yet at Robert Zemeckis’ digital 3D animated A Christmas Carol, starring Jim Carrey as Ebeneezer Scrooge.

With a story as well known and frequently filmed as this, the pleasure is always going to be in the details, so it’s good to report that those details seem worth turning out for: this manages to look funny and exciting and beautiful, even if the trailer is a bit over-reliant on shots of Carrey’s Scrooge being flung around and going “Aaaaaaaaghhh!” a lot.

There are snippets of choice dialogue (I like “I’d rather not”), glimpses of all the ghosts, and a lot of brief but often stunning shots of the major locations. Scrooge occasionally looks like Albert Steptoe, but the final frames of him blowing a snowflake off his nose are gorgeous, even if he is damn ugly.

A Christmas Carol will premiere in London at the beginning of November, with all ticket proceeds for the event going to the Great Ormond Street Hospital.

 

Christoph Waltz is The Green Hornet’s Villain

The breakout star of Inglourious Basterds was unquestionably Christoph Waltz, who basically made the film as Nazi ‘Jew Hunter’ Colonel Hans Landa. Not only did the role land him a Best Actor prize at Cannes (and hopefully will see him nominated for a few bigger prizes come awards season) but it now looks to have landed him the bad guy role in Michel Gondry’s The Green Hornet.

Yes, according to Nikki Finke’s Hollywood Daily, Waltz has landed the role of Chudnofsky, the evil nemesis of Seth Rogen’s Britt Reid / Green Hornet. Nicolas Cage was originally cast in the role, but left earlier this month after the “actor and studio were not able to come to terms on a deal”.

 With Basterds just having crossed the $100 million mark, it’s been a hell of a year for Waltz, who celebrates his 53rd birthday next month (quite possibly on set of the already-filming movie). In any case, we have some time to wait for the finished picture: The Green Hornet is not due out until December 17, 2010.

 

Blazin’ Trailer: The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Full Trailer)

Well, we’ve been teased with a few clips and stills here and there, but finally we’ve got a full trailer for The Twilight Saga: New Moon online, and it looks better than expected. Sure, the wolves still look like Nintendogs, but the glimpses we get here of vampire nobility the Volturi look richer than anything we’ve seen in the series to date.

This instalment will see Edward (Robert Pattinson) leave Bella (Kristen Stewart) for her own good, believing that she can never be safe while he is around. But when he later believes that she has died, he heads off to get in trouble with the Volturi and essentially kill himself, and the actually-alive Bella has to stop him (it’s not a spoiler; it’s in the trailer).

Amid all this Bella’s friend Jake (Taylor Lautner) is pulling some moves on her, and also pulling his shirt off at every opportunity. Steady, ladies. And you, gentlemen.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon is out on November 20. You might have to wait until November 21 to wait for the stampede of girls to pass though.

 

Guillermo Del Toro teams with Disney

Guillermo del Toro, not content with scaring a generation of adults with films like Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone, is set to bring his unique brand of twisted magic to Disney, as the “creative force” behind a new Disney label called Disney Double Dare You.

The idea is that the brand will create scary animated fare, rather than the traditional princesses and talking animals – although we’re guessing that’s Corpse Bride scary rather than Last House on the Left scary.

The first film from the label is going to be Trollhunters, based on a Del Toro idea. The world’s busiest filmmaker said that all the Disney Double Dare You projects would include a common trait (though he wouldn’t say what that is) and told audiences at Disney’s D23 event that he was inspired by a long-ago visit to Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion, and the immersive, scary experience that that provided.

“I love to take audiences into fantastic new worlds and provide them with some anxious moments in the process,” Del Toro said. “It is part of the Disney canon to create thrilling, unforgettable moments and villains in all their classic films. It is my privilege for Double Dare You to continue in this tradition.”

No word yet on when we can expect to see Trollhunters and the rest, but if you hear small children screaming in terror, that’ll probably be the sign that they’ve arrived.

 

Pirates 4 gets a title and a plot…

Yesterday it was announced at the Disney Expo. that Pirates of the Caribbean 4 is to be called On Stranger Tides, I immediately searched for a book of the same name figuring the title was just too strange to have appeared out of nowhere and discovered this…

In 1988, a book by Tim Powers called On Stranger Tides was published. It’s a fantasy book that won the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 1988 and was also nominated for The World Fantasy award.

Nobody online knew. Is there a connection between the title of Pirates 4 and this book? I contacted Tim Powers’ literary agent and asked him if the new Pirates 4 has anything to do with Tim Powers’ novel of the same name because nobody knows if it’s a coincidence or not. While he wouldn’t officially comment on it, he did tell me this:

Cool! So will the movie follow the plot of the book or simply borrow elements from it? I haven’t read the book  but I’ll try and pick up a copy today. I know it involves the Fountain of Youth and the Fountain of Youth was mentioned at the end of the 3rd Pirates movie. Here’s the synopsis from Wikipedia:

“The book follows the exploits of John “Jack Shandy” Chandagnac, who travels to the new world after the death of his puppeteer father to confront his uncle, who apparently has made off with the family inheritance. During the voyage, he gets to know a woman named Beth Hurwood and her father, an Oxford professor. Before they arrive, their ship is waylaid by pirates and, with the help of the professor and his assistant, the captain is killed and Chandagnac is forced to join the pirate crew. The reader discovers a sinister plot being concocted by the professor involving his dead wife, his living daughter and Blackbeard. Chandagnac, now known as “Jack Shandy”, must put a stop to these plans and save Beth Hurwood.”

Sounds like fun. I guess Jack Sparrow is replacing the character of Jack Shandy. So will we see the famous Blackbeard confront Captain Jack Sparrow? I can’t remember if Blackbeard is ever mentioned in the Pirates series at all but it would be cool to see Jack and Blackbeard in the same movie. This would seem to indicate, if true, that Blackbeard will be the villain, casting suggestions on the baclk of a postcard please!Or on this post if it’s easier!

 

 

Smith & Theron are signed on for Hancock 2

Peter Berg has been talking to MTV about the gathering storm that is Hancock 2, and while it’s not a watertight casting announcement, he seems pretty confident that “everybody’s going to come back for the sequel”.

He was specifically responding to a question about Charlize Theron and Will Smith, but “everyone” also implies PR man Jason Bateman: good news if it’s true, since he quietly walked away with the original film.

Work is already underway with The Shield’s Adam Fierro and Glen Mazzara currently working on a script. The scant details revealed previously were that Hancock 2 would “build on the world hinted at in the first movie”, but Berg has now added that we can expect to meet at least one more of the al-powerful god-race to which Hancock and Mary belong. Berg has “someone in mind” for the part, but won’t reveal who. Tease!

Theron told MTV a few weeks ago that “the Will Smith train is really nice to ride”. Us mortals can only imagine.

 

Blazin’ Review: Julie & Julia

Starring:Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina, Linda Emond

Director:Nora Ephron

Writer(s):Nora Ephron, Julie Powell

Cinematography: Stephen Goldblatt 

Original Score:Alexandre Desplat

Running Time: 123 Mins.

The poster for Julie & Juliatells you all you need know about the kind of filmic experience you are in for, written and directed by Nora Ephron who gave us Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail and starring the always excellent and ever versatile Meryl Streep alongside the hugely likeable and just as talented Amy Adams in a film that we are told is “based on two true stories” there really is no way that if those factors entice you that you won’t find Julie & Julia anything less than enjoyable.

The main issue for us Brit’s is that by and large most people will not have a clue who the titular Julia Child was, and to an even lesser degree Julie Powell, so the supposedly fantastic portrayal of Julia Child is somewhat lost on us, but it is maybe to our advantage as an audience for the film becomes less about an impression of a cooking legend and more about simply enjoying a fresh and original story.

Living in Paris, France in the 1960’s with her American Diplomat husband (Stanley Tucci), Julia yearns for something to do in her spare time and you will be less than shocked to hear that thing is cooking, moving up the ransk Julia sees herself rise from eccentric housewife to celebrity chef over a matter of years bringing French cuisine to the American masses. Whilst back in the present day Julie Powell is a call centre worker answering calls to bereaved 9/11 family members and survivors, fast approaching 30 Julie seeks something of substance to do with her life and is prompted to write a blog working her way through Julia Child’s now world famous cookbook. Splitting time between both stories the film never really merges the two as well as it would like.

This becomes the main downfall and you do literally feel like your watching two extremel loosely related stories, this means one of the two suffers as the weaker plot-thread, you will be unsurprised to learn it is Julie’s story that often feels rather pointless and her goal is far too slight to fuel an hours worth of screen time, that said Adam’s is watchable as ever and in her Ephron has certainly found an actress that is the natural successor to Meg Ryan giving off her usual charm and adding layers to it that rise the performance above the material.

On the other hand is Streep who is now a stamp of quality for any film, she makes Julia as larger than life (literally and figuratively speaking) as is necessary without seeming like some kind of OTT caricature, despite my lack of familiarity with the woman herself, this means that while funny in her eccentric ways you empathize with Julia as much as the script allows, and therein lies the film’s other main problem, that many plot points are touched upon but never fully carried through making you question why they were even hinted at to begin with, and a plot strand that sees Julia’s sister visit and get married serves only to lengthen running time while not furthering the plot.

That aside the whole production has an air of charm and light-heartedness about it, saved by the fact that it never dallies to close to cliche in the relationship department, Julie and her husband (Chris Messina) are a joy to watch and avoid make the relationship feel realistic and happy at once without slipping into saccharine, but again it is with Julia and husband that the real warmth is to be found, Tucci and Streep work so well together, as they did in The Devil Wears Prada,   and resulting in me leaving the cinema with a smile, the goal I can’t help but feel Ephron was primarily trying to achieve.

VERDICT

While Julie & Julia is no revelatory true story and has some glaring flaws, there is a lot to be said of the talents of Streep and Adams that if nothing else you will leave the film with a grin that should negate the film’s misgivings.