Movie time, skunks.
I've, uh, I've spent most of this morning lying in bed, watching the last act of Return of the Jedi, and checking out film trailers. After seeing a string of really great movies in the past couple of weeks (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Jarhead, and The Squid and the Whale), I've decided to throw out a list of films that I'm excited for.
Let's talk about KING KONG first. I was starting to get a bit skeptical about this one, but the new trailer (http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/king_kong/medium.html) intrigues me, and I'm hoping that Peter Jackson soldifies his reputation for classic (and classy) epic cinema.
Under the radar of many is THE FOUNTAIN. This is the Darren Aronofsky film that Brad Pitt left so he could run around naked in the desert and disapoint audiences everywhere in Wolfgang Peterson's TROY. Aronofsky wrote another draft of the script, replaced Pitt with Hugh Jackman, and the completed film will be released sometime next year. Aronofsky previously directed PI and REQUIEM FOR A DREAM. I love showing Aronofsky movies to people who haven't seen them. They either dig them as much as I do or don't understand why I've wasted their time with fucked-up shit. For the curious, here is a link to THE FOUNTAIN's internet-only trailer (http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/thefountain/large.html). Here's a link to the really bizarre website that went live last summer: http://pdl.warnerbros.com/wbmovies/thefountain/flashsite/index.html. I'm pumped about this one.
It's rare, but sometimes I've never heard of a movie until I find it's trailer. For example, SYRIANA (http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/syriana/large.html). How a movie starring George Clooney and directed by Stephen Gaghan got so far into production without me hearing a whisp of it means that I'm not becoming a film snob as fast as I think. Clooney's career is going to make a great retrospective piece one day. From b-movies like RETURN OF THE KILLER TOMATOES (a childhood staple), bullshit like ONE FINE DAY, THE PEACEMAKER and BATMAN AND ROBIN, and then involvment in some of the best American films of this decade, Clooney may just become the signature writer/actor/director guy of this era. I'm not qualified enough for you guys to take that comment seriously, so yeah...
What else can we talk about?
Hey! How about PARADISE NOW? I'll let the trailer speak for itself. http://www.apple.com/trailers/warner_independent_pictures/paradisenow/trailer/
Spielberg's MUNICH (http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/munich/) should be interesting. Chud.com's Devin Faraci continues to report that this is a rushed production because Spielberg is obsessed with making the Oscar deadline, and due to that the quality of the film will not match the true story's intensity. That would be a shame. Still, MUNICH should pack some kind of punch, even if it's half-baked upon serving. That's the new James Bond Daniel Craig as the "cars" guy. I point him out not because he's Bond (don't give a shit) but because he was brilliant in this summer's LAYER CAKE, the best movie of the year that most of you haven't seen. Here's the trailer to get you savages educated (http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/layer_cake.html), now go rent the damn thing.
Also something that I wish would hurry up and come out is Richard Linklater's A SCANNER DARKLY (http://www.apple.com/trailers/warner_independent_pictures/a_scanner_darkly.html). I can't tell if this movie is going to be another exciting use of roto-scoping animation like Linklater's WAKING LIFE was, or an artsy sci-fi jerk off session (which I guess THE FOUNTAIN has the potential of being, too). I'll probably love it either way.
Since we're on the topic of movies, let's close with a Bradley quote. If you'll remember, Bradley is the 24-year-old blockhead who talks like a 75-year-old man-child. He makes the mailroom difficult sometimes.
(It's toward the end of the day, and I'm sitting on the computer hard at work downloading THE FOUNTAIN trailer. Bradley comes up to me.)
BRADLEY: I saw a movie this weekend... What was it? Oh... Oh... Umm... What WAS it...? It was... uhh... Oh! ZORRO!
(Feeling pretentious, I snap.)
ME: What the hell are doing seeing ZORRO? There are so many other great movies out there that you can go see.
BRADLEY: What do you mean? I've already seen DOOM.
Let's talk about KING KONG first. I was starting to get a bit skeptical about this one, but the new trailer (http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/king_kong/medium.html) intrigues me, and I'm hoping that Peter Jackson soldifies his reputation for classic (and classy) epic cinema.
Under the radar of many is THE FOUNTAIN. This is the Darren Aronofsky film that Brad Pitt left so he could run around naked in the desert and disapoint audiences everywhere in Wolfgang Peterson's TROY. Aronofsky wrote another draft of the script, replaced Pitt with Hugh Jackman, and the completed film will be released sometime next year. Aronofsky previously directed PI and REQUIEM FOR A DREAM. I love showing Aronofsky movies to people who haven't seen them. They either dig them as much as I do or don't understand why I've wasted their time with fucked-up shit. For the curious, here is a link to THE FOUNTAIN's internet-only trailer (http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/thefountain/large.html). Here's a link to the really bizarre website that went live last summer: http://pdl.warnerbros.com/wbmovies/thefountain/flashsite/index.html. I'm pumped about this one.
It's rare, but sometimes I've never heard of a movie until I find it's trailer. For example, SYRIANA (http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/syriana/large.html). How a movie starring George Clooney and directed by Stephen Gaghan got so far into production without me hearing a whisp of it means that I'm not becoming a film snob as fast as I think. Clooney's career is going to make a great retrospective piece one day. From b-movies like RETURN OF THE KILLER TOMATOES (a childhood staple), bullshit like ONE FINE DAY, THE PEACEMAKER and BATMAN AND ROBIN, and then involvment in some of the best American films of this decade, Clooney may just become the signature writer/actor/director guy of this era. I'm not qualified enough for you guys to take that comment seriously, so yeah...
What else can we talk about?
Hey! How about PARADISE NOW? I'll let the trailer speak for itself. http://www.apple.com/trailers/warner_independent_pictures/paradisenow/trailer/
Spielberg's MUNICH (http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/munich/) should be interesting. Chud.com's Devin Faraci continues to report that this is a rushed production because Spielberg is obsessed with making the Oscar deadline, and due to that the quality of the film will not match the true story's intensity. That would be a shame. Still, MUNICH should pack some kind of punch, even if it's half-baked upon serving. That's the new James Bond Daniel Craig as the "cars" guy. I point him out not because he's Bond (don't give a shit) but because he was brilliant in this summer's LAYER CAKE, the best movie of the year that most of you haven't seen. Here's the trailer to get you savages educated (http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/layer_cake.html), now go rent the damn thing.
Also something that I wish would hurry up and come out is Richard Linklater's A SCANNER DARKLY (http://www.apple.com/trailers/warner_independent_pictures/a_scanner_darkly.html). I can't tell if this movie is going to be another exciting use of roto-scoping animation like Linklater's WAKING LIFE was, or an artsy sci-fi jerk off session (which I guess THE FOUNTAIN has the potential of being, too). I'll probably love it either way.
Since we're on the topic of movies, let's close with a Bradley quote. If you'll remember, Bradley is the 24-year-old blockhead who talks like a 75-year-old man-child. He makes the mailroom difficult sometimes.
(It's toward the end of the day, and I'm sitting on the computer hard at work downloading THE FOUNTAIN trailer. Bradley comes up to me.)
BRADLEY: I saw a movie this weekend... What was it? Oh... Oh... Umm... What WAS it...? It was... uhh... Oh! ZORRO!
(Feeling pretentious, I snap.)
ME: What the hell are doing seeing ZORRO? There are so many other great movies out there that you can go see.
BRADLEY: What do you mean? I've already seen DOOM.