“Away We Go” – Parents-to-be John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph hit the road to find a place to set their roots. Opens June 5, 2009
“The Hangover” – A guy and his three friends go to Vegas for a Bachelor-party blow-out. The three friends awake and have to retrace their steps to track down the groom. Opens June 5, 2009
“Land of the Lost” – Will Ferrell heads up the cast of this remake of the Seventies TV show. Opens June 5, 2009
“My Life in Ruins” – Nia Vardalos (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”) is a Grecian tour guide who, with the help of a tourist, gets her mojo back. Opens June 5, 2009
“Imagine That” – When successful financial exec Eddie Murphy’s career goes down the tube, he finds answers in his daughter’s imaginary world. Opens June 12, 2009
“Moon” – Sam Rockwell is a miner on the moon whose contract is set to expire in 2 weeks. Just enough time for him to begin “losing it” as well as finding out who his replacement is. Kevin Spacey voices a robot. Opens June 12, 2009
“The Taking of Pelham 123” – Remake of the film about armed men hijacking a New York subway. Opens June 12, 2009
“The Proposal” – Sandra Bullock is Canadian and must marry her assistant Andrews (Ryan Reynolds) in order to avoid deportation. Eh? Opens June 19, 2009
“Whatever Works” – Woody Allen movie set in New York. Larry David plays the main character: a man who leaves his upper class life for a bohemian existence. Along the way he meets a young girl from the South and entanglements ensue. Opens June 19, 2009
“Year One” – Jack Black and Michael Cera are primitive hunter-gatherers who are banished from their village for being too lazy. Directed by Harold Ramis. Opens June 19, 2009
“Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen” – No word on plot yet (if there is such a thing) but you can check out the trailer. Opens June 24, 2009
“The Hurt Locker” – When a new sergeant, James, takes over a highly trained bomb disposal team amidst violent conflict, he surprises his two subordinates, Sanborn and Eldridge by recklessly plunging them into a deadly game of urban combat. As the men struggle to control their wild new leader, the city explodes into chaos, and James’ true character reveals itself in a way that will change each man forever. June 26, 2009
“My Sister’s Keeper” – Abigail Breslin is a kid who sues for emancipation from her parents. Cameron Diaz is her mother. Alec Baldwin is her lawyer. Opens June 26, 2009
“Whatever Works” – Woody Allen movie set in New York. Larry David plays the main character: a man who leaves his upper class life for a bohemian existence. Along the way he meets a young girl from the South and entanglements ensue. Opens June 19, 2009
“Julia and Julia” – Meryl Streep and Amy Adams in a movie based on the book about a woman who cooks her way through Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” in a year. Opens August 7, 2009
“District 9” – Peter Jackson produced movie about an alien race forced to live in slum-like conditions. Opens August 14, 2009
“Post Grad” – Ryden Lamby (Alexis Bledel) graduates from college, moves back home, gets a job, finds a boyfriend, and has to figure out what to do with her life. Yawn. Also stars Michael Keaton. Opens August 21, 2009
“Oceans” – Disney documentary on the oceans of the world. There’s a bit of controversy in that while it may not be “Shark Week,” it comes close for its ‘G’ rating. Opens August 22, 2010
“Gamer” – It’s the future and humans can control other humans in a mass-scale game. Gerard Butler is a player trying to escape this prison game and take down its mastermind, Michael C. Hall. Opens September 4, 2009
“Beyond a Reasonable Doubt” – A writer’s plan to expose a corrupt D.A. takes an unexpected turn. Remake of a 1956 movie starring Michael Douglas. Opens September 11, 2009
“I Can Do Bad All By Myself” – Tyler Perry’s newest “Madea” movie about Madea finding a 16-yr-old girl and her brothers looting her place. She sends them to live with their Aunt April, a hard-drinking nightclub singer. Opens September 11, 2009
“The Burning Plain” – Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger are daughter and mother, trying to form a bond after a difficult childhood. Opens September 18, 2009
“The Surrogates” – Bruce Willis in a scifi movie about a murder linked to a high-tech company that allows people to purchase unflawed robotic versions of themselves. Opens September 25, 2009
“The Road” – Based on the Cormac McCarthy novel about a father and son walking the desolate earth of a post-apocalyptic future, armed with a single pistol. Stars Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, and Robert Duvall. Opens October 16, 2009
“Precious” – Based on the “Push” novel about a black girl who grows up being abused by her mother, raped by her father, and ends up poor, angry, illiterate, unloved, and unnoticed. Opens November 6, 2009
“Nine” – Daniel Day-Lewis plays film director Guido Contini who is struggling between personal and private life while making his current picture. He tries balancing between his wife, mistress, mom, a movie star muse, and others. Opens November 25, 2009
“Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakuel” – The Chipmunk voices are back, but Jason Lee isn’t. Opens December 25, 2009
Welcome to Remake Radar, where we take on Hollywood’s penchant for remaking films for better or worse (which is most of the time). This month’s movie:
“The Karate Kid” (1984)
Stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, and Martin Kove.
Director: John G. Avildsen
Story: Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) and his mom leave New Jersey for the sun and surf of Reseda, CA. Being Italian and from Jersey, Daniel doesn’t quite fit in. Matters are further complicated when he asks a local girl out and is ganged-up on by others (12 of them) who begin kicking his ass karate-style before being fended off by Mr. Miyagi (Morita). Miyagi then teaches Daniel-son to “wax-on/wax-off” while building up his esteem so he can take on the leader of the gang in a tournament. Gotta love the crane kick.
What do we know now? The remake may or may not be titled “The Kung Fu Kid,” and it’s being produced by Will Smith and stars his son Jaden Smith as the title character. Here’s a rundown from WorstPreviews.com:
Sherry is offered a transfer to China. Considering the US office is about to lay off everyone, it’s really her only choice; especially since nobody else at the office has been offered a transfer. With her young son Dre (Jaden Smith) in tow, the single-mother makes Beijing her new home. Needless to say, not knowing Chinese, and experiencing a bit of culture shock, they both find it a little hard to settle in – – Dre especially.
Like Daniel Larusso in the original film, Dre (who, unlike Larusso, is a skateboarding video-game buff) immediately catches the attention of the local bullies – in particular, Lui Wei Cheng. And before too long, Dre is going home with bruises (he tries to hide a black-eye under a cap by pulling it as far down his face as he can) and whining about wanting to return to the states.
Dre’s enrolled into a strict Beijing Middle School. His first day there is a bit of a shambles – the assistant principal spots his bruises, and assumes he’s been fighting (which, of course, they don’t accept under any circumstances), and he turns up in a school uniform, something he didn’t have to wear that day (there’s only certain days when a uniform is required).
The Mr Myiagi character is actually named Mr. Han (Jackie Chan). He’s the maintenance man of the apartment lock that Sherry and Dre have moved into, and meets the new residents when he’s called over to fix their hot water service. From the bathroom, Han spots Dre practicing martial-arts kicks (unsuccessfully) in front of a video-game, and catches his black eye. Later, of course, he’ll agree to teach him – both martial-arts and the Chinese language (so he can impress his mother by haggling over apples).
The ‘John Kreese’ character – the character played by Martin Kove in the original film – is Li Quan Ha, the owner of the Fighting dragon school of Kung-Fu. One visit to the school – in which Li Quan terrorizes his students (who range from the age of 3 onwards), namely Lui Wei Cheng – and Dre is immediately put off.
Wow. I dunno what to say about this one. ‘Til next time, folks.
– Hollywood isn’t done proving that they’ve ran out of ideas. “Bazooka” Joe,” the cartoon kid with an eyepatch will be coming to a movie theatre near you.
– Michael Moore’s new movie about the evil of wealthy people is slated for release on Oct. 2, 2009.
– ABC has put the re-imagining of “V” in their Fall 2009/2010 lineup.
– Wayne Allwine, voice of Mickey Mouse, passed away. He was 62.
– Dan Akyroyd is talking “Ghostbusters 3” and rumor has it that Alyssa Milano and Elisha Dushku will be in it.
– Chace Crawford is now in the “Footloose” remake.
– The Blue Man Group will be releasing a 3-D IMAX movie.
– J.J. Abrams and company hid an R2-D2 in the new “Star Trek” movie. If you can find it e-mail Paramount and you’ll be entered into a prize contest.
– Mickey Rourke has signed for a remake of the Eighties movie, “Mona Lisa.” Also starring is Eva Green.
– Terry Gilliam is resurrecting his “Don Quixote” movie.
– Dreamworks is set to remake “Fright Night.”
– “American Gladiators” will get a movie.
– The last “Wizard of Oz” munchkin, Mickey Carroll, passed away. He was 89.
– Kevin Smith is working on a movie based on the Warren Zevon song, “Hit Somebody (Hockey Song)” and believes it will be an Academy Award contender. Uh…… ok.
– Vinnie Jones and Gerard Butler are among the most current actors facing jail time.
– “Cliffhanger” is slated to be remade.
– Robert Rodriguez’s “Barbarella” is officially off.
– Disney is removing Special Features from rental DVDs.
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, especially if you can’t remember it.
Starring Bradley Cooper, Zack Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Justen Bartha, Jeffrey Tambor, Heather Graham, and Mike Tyson. Directed by Todd Phillips
The story begins with a phone call. Phil (Cooper), one of the groomsmen, calling Tracy (Sasha Barrese), the bride, and telling her that they may not be able to make the wedding on time. Cue flashback…
Doug (Bartha) lives in L.A. and is marrying Tracy, a beautiful woman from a well-to-do family. One-by-one we are introduced to his friends Phil, a schoolteacher, and Stu (Helms), a passive dentist with a mean girlfriend as well as brother/bother-in-law Allen (Galifianakis), a somewhat imbecilic loner. These men are heading for the time of their lives in Vegas. What could go wrong?
Note to characters: see also “Very Bad Things,” “What Happens in Vegas,” etc.
Phil, Stu, and Allen wake up to find their Villa Room trashed. A chair has smoke coming from it, there are stacks of beer cans and bottles, Stu has a tooth missing, a chicken roams around freely, and there’s a tiger in the bathroom. Matter are further complicated when they find a baby outside their door, they can’t remember what happened the night before, and the groom, Doug, is missing. Slowly piecing events together they find that Stu got married to a stripper named Jade (Graham) and the baby is her kid Tyler, Phil had to go to the hospital, Allen had mixed Rufelin in their drinks (which explains their memory loss), the tiger belongs to Mike Tyson, they stole a cop car and are being chased by an effeminate gambler/gangster named Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong). What the hell happened?
Usually I don’t go and see the “Vegas” sub-genre. As the above noted films “Very Bad Things,” and “What Happens in Vegas…” you know what? I really don’t care if anything happens in Vegas, but I got to see this as a preview screening and really enjoyed it.
So how does this movie distinguish itself from the others? First off: the “mystery” aspect. Instead of the groom commandeering what everyone does he’s taken out of the equation. Instead of flashbacks to what happened the night before none of the groomsmen (or groom) remembers anything. Secondly none of the leads are A-list actors which, in my opinion, would have destroyed the “reality” of how the movie felt. Third, the scene where the groomsmen meet Mike Tyson and he’s listening to Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight.” You’ll love it. Fourth, the comedy isn’t mean-spirited, cynical, or mind-numbingly stupid as a lot of comedies are these days. Yes, there is some gross-out humor but it’s used sparingly.
On another plus note: the cinematography. I’m reminded of how “Tropic Thunder” looked better than most comedies do, or should, look. Same thing applies here. Lawrence Sher did really nice time-lapse photography as will as a good deal of well-composed stuff. A little bit of art thrown into a comedy…
Watch for the other “Daily Show” castmember Rob Riggle as a cop.
Not laugh-a-minute, but the comedy is pretty even throughout. It’s better than amusing and in the words of my brother, I wouldn’t mind seeing it again or owning it on DVD.
Final note: the WB has already requested a sequel (don’t know how). The movie’s release date is June 5, 2009.
Starring Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Moon Bloodgood, Anton Yelchin, and Michael Ironside. Directed by McG
In the year 2003 a convict sentenced to death via poison signs a release for his body to be used for medical purposes. His name is Marcus Wright (Worthington) and this is a plot point.
Fast-forward to 2018. The world is friggin’ bleak. John Connor (Bale) is a member of the Resistance who answers to the high command (Michael Ironside and company going up and down the California coast in a submarine). His wife (Bryce Dallas Howard) is a doctor, pregnant with his baby. The Resistance itself are scattered cells dotting the post-nuclear SoCal wasteland while Skynet, the evil robot conglomerate, controls the San Fran/Bay area.
Skynet has been working on ever elaborate ways to destroy mankind. There’s a gigantic robot that can hunt down and pick up humans as if it were King Kong, Harvesters which “cattle herd” humans into cargo bays and drop them off at Skynet Central, robot motorbikes, flying “seek and report” scouts (reminiscent of “They Live”), and ones that reside in water (looking like Doc Oc’s arms from “Spider-Man 2”) Even with all of its technological achievements, Skynet has a problem with infiltrating the Resistance.
John Connor is sent on a mission. What he finds is that Skynet has been harvesting humans for… something. He ends up being the only survivor after the control room they enter self-destructs. Connor walks back to a pick-up point. Out from the ashes rises… Marcus Wright. Wright doesn’t know where or when he is, he just needs to head north for some reason.
Connor dangerously meets with Resistance command and finds that Skynet has a secret plot to eliminate him, the entire central command, and Kyle Reese. Using the mythos already set forth in previous “Terminator” flicks we, and John, know that if Kyle Reese dies in the present then John is never born and Skynet wins by default. John must find Kyle at all costs.
Marcus lumbers around and reaches what’s left of L.A. where he meets Kyle Reese (Yelchin) and a young girl named Star. Marcus gets a quick update on the “man vs. machine” world he’s stepped into and their off to find John Connor and the rest of the Resistance. Along the way Reese and Star are captured but Marcus is able to help out and buddy up with Resistance fighter Blair. The two travel to the base.
An altercation while going through the metal minefield surrounding the base leads the group to realize what’s going on: Skynet is abducting humans to use to create life-like “Terminators.” Marcus is one but the problem is he doesn’t know it. After an escape Connor faces Wright and makes a deal: Wright has to find Kyle Reese. Meanwhile the high command is demanding a full attack on Skynet (which would destroy all humans captured). John decides to ignore the orders and go after Wright and Reese.
Yes, it’s a little revisionist; I’m not exactly sure how Marcus escaped the 1997 Judgment Day only to end up in the executioner’s chair in 2003 and upon waking in the future NOT knowing about it. Or why John continues to listen to cassette tapes his mother made (Linda Hamilton’s voice makes a cameo) when he probably should know more about Terminators and Skynet than his mother ever did. Then again these are just logic points only made by geeks like me.
What works is that there is substance, nay a story, in this movie. McG, whose previous movies include “Charlie’s Angels,” and “We Are Marshall,” wraps the story in a white-washed world where the colors are muted, if not absent, and the only real shades are light, dark, and gray. It may have been because the WB wants to churn out darker fare (see also: “The Dark Knight”) but whatever the true motives it makes “Salvation” has a look and feel of desolation and dread which works better for the world of “Terminator” as opposed to say what a director like Michael Bay would do.
How does it compare with the others? Barring “T3” (because I never bothered to watch it), I would say it’s as good as “T2” but slightly less fun. Then again it’s a post-apocalyptic world and it’s not supposed to be. McG does give nods to the previous films: there’s the Polaroid pic of Sarah Connor, John hacks into a Skynet security door, a Skynet motorbike tears down the road looking for Connor while Guns ‘n Roses’ “You Could Be Mine” is playing on a radio, there’s a return to the gas station that was at the end of the first “Terminator” which is now all but a decrepit shack, and “I’ll be back,” is said at some point.
Should you go see this film? If you’re a “Terminator” fan, this movie is well worth the wait. If you’re a scifi geek/nerd/buff and enjoy movies like “Blade Runner,” this is worth your time as well.
Speaking of “Blade Runner,” McG reportedly had the cast read “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy (which has been adapted as a movie starring Viggo Mortenson) and “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” by Philip K. Dick (which became “Blade Runner”) so that they could “absorb” the dystopia he wanted portrayed. There is a scene in “Salvation” where San Fran looks a lot like L.A. from “Blade Runner…”
While walking out after the movie had finished a couple walking in front of me were commenting about the T-800 featured in the movie. “Isn’t it great that he…”
Guess you’ll have to watch the movie to find out.
My grade: A
P.S. Before the movie they previewed the trailer for the new “Sherlock Holmes” movie with Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, and Rachel McAdams, directed by Guy Ritchie. It looks cool.
Starring Eric McCormack, Jenni Baird, Robert Patrick, and Jody Thompson. Directed by R.W. Goodwin.
The movie begins with “news reel”-ish footage about how, in 1957, high profile actor Eric McCormack got into a feud with legendary studio head Goldstone. Their skirmish led to Goldstone ordering the destruction of every print and negative of “Alien Trespass” which McCormack says is his nest role to date. This footage has recently been discovered and is now being shown…
The story: Ted Lewis (McCormack) is a famous astronomer and professor living with his wife Lana (Thompson) on the outskirts of the Mojave Desert. One night an alien spaceship crash-lands into the mountains in the desert and he heads up to check it out. As he nears the saucer he encounters a tall, silver spacesuit wearing alien named Urp. Lewis’s body is instantly possessed by Urp whom we find out is an intergalactic “federal marshal” that has to recapture a convict called The Ghota, an alien that kills by absorbing all the water from a person’s body leaving behind a puddle. The Ghota will soon begin dividing and eventually conquer, and destroy, the Earth.
Such is the premise of a movie I would call “amusing.” It’s not bad, it’s just really faithful to the time period that it’s trying to reconstruct in this case, the late 1950s. Think “The Giant Gila Monster,” “Them!” “War of the Worlds,” etc. This movie would be considered a colorized version of them (sorry, “WotW” is colorized I know). Eric McCormack does a great classic know-it-all professor who is then inhabited by an alien. Jenni Baird is the waitress who at first doesn’t believe but then finds truth to what “Marshal Urp” told her. Robert Patrick is Vernon, your alcoholic small-town cop who thinks he’s the sheriff of the town. Dan Lauria is Chief Dawson, a man who took the job until something better came along and is now getting too old for this stuff. And Jody Thompson is the incredibly hot Lana, the wife of Ted Lewis.
Part of the problem with the film is that faithfulness helps and hurts the film at the same time. Current moviegoers may be expecting a spoof or a sendup, not a facsimile. There are some amusing parts and you could probably take your kids to see it without feeling guilty.
Overall, it’s one of those movies best saved for rental or catching on cable on a weekend afternoon. I will say that it’s probably better than most Scifi Network fare if that’s saying anything.
Stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Bruce Greenwood, Winona Ryder, Eric Bana, and Simon Pegg. Directed by J.J. Abrams
This ain’t your daddy’s “Star Trek.”
“Alias” and “Lost” creator J.J. Abrams was given a somewhat unenviable task: resurrect “Star Trek” for the “next generation” of moviegoers. And he did just that. Straddling a line between “trekkies” and casual scifi film enthusiasts, “Star Trek” has gone hyper-frenetic and action-packed. It is as much “Star Trek” as it is a Hollywood blockbuster and for this franchise, that’s a good thing.
“Star Trek” has its followers rooted in a world set forth by ten movies, six TV series, books, etc. Those who know “Trek” KNOW “Trek.” And there’s the social messages: pay attention to the environment (“Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home”), watch for political conspiracies (“Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country”), technology becomes God (“Star Trek: The Motion Picture”), keep your enemies closer (“Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan”) and Shatner can’t direct (“Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.”) The “Next Generation” cast did what they could (four movies) but didn’t have the same gravitas as the original series. With Picard and Co. bowing out after “Nemesis,” the big question was: what happens now?
The story rests on a premise that could itself be a fan fiction novel: what if a Romulan named Nero (played by Eric Bana) watched the planet Romulus become a black hole and upon revenging said event travels back in time 129 years? And in doing so George Kirk, father of future captain James T. Kirk, gives his life so his son has a future and thus creates an alternate reality? That’s the premise going on.
And that’s how Abrams plays it safe; instead of altering the actual past of characters beloved by many, you subvert them by changing/tweaking their pasts for your own purposes and through a big “what if” and go from there. Abrams boldly went there and it pays off, but not without a whiff of being “highly illogical.”
I’m going to interject for a moment: I usually hate it when “Star Trek” decides to lean on time travel to get its story across. Yes, I enjoyed “Yesterday’s Enterprise” from “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” And I know everyone loved Kirk and the Gang going back in time to save the whales in “Star Trek IV,” but the entire franchise has done time travel to death. Sometimes I wonder if there just aren’t enough alien races for the Federation to start shit with.
Back to the story. Kirk grows up to be rebellious as shown in the scene where he drives his step-dad’s Corvette off a cliff. Years later he gets in a bar fight with some Starfleet Cadets and is saved by Captain Christopher Pike (Greenwood). Pike recognizes Kirk’s potential and challenges him to join Starfleet Academy which he accepts. On the shuttle trip he meets Dr. Leonard McCoy (Karl Urban), a man joining Starfleet only because his wife took everything he owned except his “bones.”
Meanwhile on the planet Vulcan there’s a different rebel with cause: Spock (Quinto). Born to a Vulcan father and human mother, Spock is considered a liability due to his half-breed nature. Upon acceptance into the Vulcan Academy he instead chooses Starfleet and upsets the council elders. While at Starfleet he becomes a mentor to Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and develops an attachment to her.
When Kirk takes the Kobayashi Maru simulation and fails the second time, he reprograms it and wins. This causes friction between him and its programmer Commander Spock and he quickly finds himself restricted from duty. McCoy, taking some pity, stows Kirk away on the Enterprise as its maiden voyage is to answer a distress call (the objective of EVERY “Star Trek” movie) from the planet Vulcan. Once there the seven other starships arrived before them are being systematically destroyed by Nero who is planning on creating a black hole using Vulcan. Nero takes Pike hostage and the Enterprise’s attempt to save Vulcan has its complications, leaving Spock and Kirk to fight over command and what should be done to save Earth and the rest of the Federation.
I may have already told you too much.
That’s the crux of this movie. Sure, Leonard Nimoy returns as Spock (again, the time traveling stuff) and we get to see how Scotty got recruited by the Enterprise. This movie is as much about it’s “what if” premise as it is an “origins” movie, and that’s not entirely bad. Karl Urban is great as McCoy, Pegg offers an interesting Scotty, Saldana is a hotter Uhura, Quinto is a formidable Spock, Cho gives Sulu more than sitting at the helm and Pine is the best Kirk we got. As far as how close to Chris Pine plays Shatner’s “Captain Kirk,” I think he gives him a degree of 21st century impulsiveness mixed with action and thought. He doesn’t have Shatner’s stilted dialog however he does pick up its cadence on occasion.
The main objective Abrams seems to display with “Star Trek” is for it not to be exclusive to its environment or fanbase. This movie is more “mainstream” than the other “Treks” and as I’ve said before that’s not a bad thing. And yes being a product from the guy who created “Lost” means that for the most part you gotta let this puppy play out; don’t try understanding it from fear that it will all unravel and you’ll walk out of the theatre with a massive headache.
Why should you watch it? First, to cure your curiosity. If that doesn’t suit you reason #2: the special effects. This is stuff-blowin’-up, fist-punching, breathtaking action-adventure at its best. Even if you hate the storyline it’s worth the effects alone. Lastly, it’s one of the best blockbusters in a while. 2008’s “Iron Man” was the popcorn blockbuster everyone was waiting for and this year that crown goes to “Star Trek.”
Let me also give credit to the music. Michael Giacchino, who also did the music for “Alias” and “Lost,” does a great job of mixing cinematic orchestration with music that sounds like it came straight from the 60’s series. I was really impressed with that.
Great effects, action sequences, and overall fun. It may not be the greatest movie ever made, but it’s the greatest “Star Trek” movie ever made.
My grade: B+
The Trailer:
And for some fun, check out this piece from The Onion:
Stars Ed Harris, Viggo Mortenson, Renee Zellweger, Jeremy Irons, and Lance Henriksen. Directed by Ed Harris
When Marshall Jack Bell (Robert Jauregui) is killed by outlaw Randall Bragg (Irons), the three people who run the town of Appaloosa call in gun-for-hire Virgil Cole (Harris) and his hetero-lifemate Everett Hitch (Mortenson) to stop the outlaw from destroying it. Virgil and Everett are immediately deputized and go to work. Allison French, a new woman in town, complicates matters by falling for any guy within three feet of her, especially Virgil. Virgil makes it his mission to put Bragg away or see him hanging, while Everett tries to help Virgil keep his cool as well as watching out for him in regards to new love Allison.
I haven’t watched a Western this boring since “Open Range.” At least it had a shootout.
That’s not to say that the movie is bad; it’s just that it’s far from great and damn close to being forgotten. I’ll give Ed Harris his ability to act and pairing with Mortenson works well. The real problem here is the story (which Harris co-wrote) and direction (as noted above, he directed it too). Maybe Harris was aiming for some lamentation of the West as he would imagine it. The problem as much as he would like to be he’s not Clint Eastwood.
In all honesty it’s not easy to go from acting to directing. Several have tried with mixed results. Robert DeNiro did “The Good Shepherd,” which could have been better. Kevin Costner did “Dances With Wolves,” which was good but was followed with “Waterworld,” “The Postman,” and “Open Range,” which are mediocre at best. Kevin Spacey directed “Beyond the Sea” which I enjoyed. Anthony Hopkins did “Slipstream” which I haven’t seen nor heard anyone talk about.
And therein lies the question: who is the movie being made for? In this case I believe that Harris wanted to make a Western (as so many actors do) and got the funding and found that other actors (Mortenson, Zellweger, Irons) wanted to do one as well. While it may sound fun as a pet project and may have looked good on paper, the final product was less than desired. The sets looked okay and there were some story elements there but the rest seemed stale. I was literally waiting for the ghost of John Wayne to appear onscreen at any moment and start slapping the shit out of everyone.
Actor, producer, director, comedian, and author Dom Deluise passed away yesterday, May 4, 2009. DeLuise was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1933. He first appeared as Tinker the Toymaker in “Tinker’s Workshop” (1954) and had a small part as Sgt. Collins in the nuclear thriller “Fail-Safe” (1964). He would later be in such TV series as “The Munsters,” “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,” “The Dean Martin Summer Show,” and would even host his own by the end of the decade. His TV and film career quickly ballooned and he would become friends with Mel Brooks who would put him in “Blazing Saddles,” “History of the World, Part One,” “Silent Movie,” “Spaceballs,” and “Robin Hood: Men in Tights.” Burt Reynolds and him became best friends and were together in “Cannonball Run 1 & 2,” and “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” He did voice work for other notable films such as “An American Tale,” and “All Dogs Go to Heaven.” In 1965 he married Carol Arthur and had three kids: Peter, Michael and David. The DeLuise Family has acted together in such TV series as “SeaQuest DSV,” “Happy,” and “3rd Rock From the Sun.” Dom DeLuise also released two Italian cookbooks, “Eat This!” and “Eat This Too!” as well as some children’s books. His star on the Walk of Fame is at 1777 Vine Street. Dom DeLuise was 75 years of age at the time of his passing.
Thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
Chas Andrews' Movie Blog 