Scott Weinberg
Philadelphia - http://www.rottentomatoes.com/author-452/
So single-mindedly addicted to movies that he's always afraid of an intervention breaking out. Especially horror movies.
'Office' Writers Acquire Some 'Low Self Esteem'
Filed under: Comedy
If you're a regular viewer of The Office, then you already know that Mindy Kaling is pretty hilarious. Not only is she one of the popular series' long-standing writer/producers, but she's also Kelly Kapur, of course. And dang if Kaling doesn't steal just about every scene she inhabits. So here's some good news for Kaling fans: Variety reports that she and Office co-writer Brent Forrester are about to sign a deal to bring something called The Low Self Esteem of Lizzie Gillespie to the big screen: "Story centers on a woman whose lack of self-worth has limited her choice in men to losers. Just as she is about to hit the bottom of the barrel, her life takes an unexpected turn when she is pursued by the hottest guy ever." And while casting hasn't begun yet, we are assured that Mindy K. will have an onscreen assignment as well. And that's just more good news.
The project will arrive courtesy of Mandate Pictures and John Malkovich's Mr. Mudd production company, two of the entities that brought us Juno. All I know is that whenever I hear of good sitcom writers moving over to features, I grit my teeth a little. The transition is not always a good one. And that's me being nice.
Free Flick of the Day: Vexille
Filed under: Action, Animation
How about a little feature-length anime to brighten the first day of December? Brand-new on SlashControl is Fumihiko Sori's eye-dazzling Vexille, which is a sci-fi action tale that's way too complicated to cover here. Suffice to say it's got lots of cool ideas, epic moments, awesome action sequences, and a rather excellent Paul Oakenfold score.
As a matter of fact, I actually reviewed this film from the Toronto Film Festival way back in 2007. Here's a piece from that review:
"On a technical scale, Vexille (aka Bekushiru: 2077 Nippon Sakoku) is an undeniable treat for the eyes. Combining 2-D and 3-D animation (as in his earlier Appleseed), Sori eschews belabored backstories and mystical blather in favor of a straightforward sci-fi action-fest. Plus the two main heroes are women, which I found to be a nice switch. (And again, the stuff in between the action is actually interesting!) Fans of the manga comic book of the same name may be interested to know that Vexille is a new story within the established serial, but speaking as a complete newcomer to the series I thought it was a fun, flashy way to spend two hours."
And while you can see and enjoy the film right after the jump, I'd consider it just a teaser. Yes, you get the whole film (and free of charge!) but if you like Vexille ... you gotta see it on DVD in HD widescreen. Just lovely.
Black Friday Movie Deals: Amazon.com
Filed under: Deals, Home Entertainment
At first I thought this would be too difficult. Target, Best Buy, Walmart ... all those stores offer a very manageable number of Black Friday movie deals. Surely Amazon.com would prove way too massive of an undertaking ... but nope! Of course Amazon.com is offering a lot more movie deals than the non-virtual stores are, but they've made things quite easy by categorizing everything, and with handy links and everything!First off, here's the Amazon Black Friday sales page, movies-only division. But that page offers way too many options, so let's pick out some of the best standard (non-blu-ray) dvd deals: Blazing Saddles ($5.99)! The Marx Brothers Collection ($17.99)!! The Goonies ($6.99)! The Nightmare on Elm Street box set ($24.99)! Spaceballs ($8.49)! And on and on it goes. New, old, classic, crappy, there's a good deal in here whatever you're after.
And what I'm after is blu-rays! 2001: A Space Odyssey ($9.49)! The Silence of the Lambs ($8.99)!! Watchmen director's cut ($16.99)! Goodfellas ($10.99)!! And those crafty Amazoners are planning to change the titles every day. It's like they want you to visit their website six times a day!
Last but not least, for those who love not just the deals but also the crazy pressure that comes with Black Friday, Amazon is now offering some nifty "Lightning Deals" that are scheduled throughout the week and last only a few hours. For example, tonight you can purchase the X-Men Origins: Wolverine blu-ray for $9.99. That's a pretty good deal on a very recent blu-ray release. Too bad the movie stinks.
Black Friday Movie Deals: Target
Filed under: Home Entertainment
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Our good friend and EIC Erik Davis had a very thoughtful idea for the holiday season: Why not scan the early flyers for the Black Friday sales, and report back to you -- the ravenous movie junkie -- to let you know where to find the best treats on the day after Thanksgiving? To those who choose to brave the stores on 11/27/09, you have my best wishes. I'll be sleeping.We'll be bringing you deals for a variety of stores all week long. Here's what we've posted so far so you can keep track:
Black Friday Movie Deals: Best Buy
For Target, the 2-Day Sale starts Friday, November 27, at 5 a.m
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (blu-ray) -- $12.99
- Baby Mama (standard) -- $3.99
- Christmas Vacation (standard) -- $5.99
- The Dark Knight (blu-ray) -- $12.99 (standard: $3.99)
- Elf (standard) -- $3.99
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall (standard) -- $3.99
- Gone With the Wind (blu-ray) -- $12.99
- Goodfellas (blu-ray) -- $8.99
- Gremlins (blu-ray / Target exclusive) -- $12.99
- I Am Legend (blu-ray) -- $8.99
- Kung Fu Panda (standard) -- $5.99
- Monsters vs. Aliens (standard) -- $10.00
- Nights in Rodanthe (standard) -- $5.99
- P.S. I Love You (standard) -- $5.99
- The Polar Express (standard) -- $5.99
- The Proposal (standard) -- $8.99
- Paul Blart: Mall Cop (standard) -- $5.99
- Sex and the City (standard) -- $3.99
- Transformers (standard) -- $5.99
- Up (standard) -- $13.99
- V for Vendetta (blu-ray) -- $8.99
- The Wizard of Oz (blu-ray) -- $12.99
Brad Pitt Prepares to Enter the 'Dark Void'
Filed under: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Games and Game Movies
A guy like Brad Pitt can do anything he likes. He's handsome, he's talented, he's rich, he's funny and outspoken ... and apparently he gets to play sci-fi-action-type video games long before the rest of us. (Bastard!) Variety reports that Mr. Pitt and his Plan B production company have snagged the rights to an upcoming Capcom game called Dark Void. Their report indicates that the game is about "a pilot who crash lands in the Bermuda Triangle following a routine mission and wakes up to find himself in an alternate world."You can learn more about Dark Void at its Wikipedia page. For example, I just learned that the awesome Bear McCreary is doing the music for the game. (I say keep that guy around for the movie version.) You can also see a bunch of nifty Dark Void artwork over at Capcom's blog. Could this be the beginning of a swanky new action franchise for Brad Pitt? I say the guy has earned one by now.
More information on this project as it becomes available. At this point I just want to check this game out. It looks pretty cool. (Game trailer after the jump!)
Free Flick of the Day: American Pop
Filed under: Animation, Comedy, Drama
The early '80s were an interesting time for controversial artist and animator Ralph Bakshi. His 1970s were filled with incendiary offerings like Heavy Traffic, Coonskin, Wizards, Fritz the Cat, and his (truncated) adaptation of Lord of the Rings. But once the 1980s rolled around, Mr. Bakshi was a little more sedate -- and absolutely intent on furthering the art of feature-length animation. The often misunderstood Bakshi would turn out Hey Good Lookin' in 1982 and collaborate with the legendary Frank Frazetta on 1983's Fire and Ice ... but I say the filmmaker's best work was his follow-up to the Lord of the Rings misstep...It's called American Pop and it strives to tell the story of American music over the course of four generations, from an immigrant who specializes in vaudeville to a modern-day rock star. (Well, modern for 1981.) Arguably Mr. Bakshi's most sincere film, American Pop often feels like the Rolling Stone version of The Godfather Part 2 ... and I don't think that was an accident. Backed by an amazing soundtrack and (of course) some dazzlingly offbeat animation, American Pop is our free flick of the day. You can enjoy this (decidedly R-rated) animated feature right here at Slash Control. And let me know what you thought of it!
Here's Why Roger Corman Deserves That Honorary Oscar
Filed under: Fan Rant
In 1939 the Academy gave an honorary Oscar to Edgar Bergen for creating a funny puppet. Some people may have thought that was silly. They also may have found it silly that a strange little "cartoon" called Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs earned itself an honorary Oscar. The legendary Bob Hope was given a fistful of honorary Oscars over the course of his amazing career ... and I don't remember anyone calling Bob Hope a brilliant actor or influential filmmaker.
In other words, these "honorary" awards that are handed out by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) can be given for any old reason they feel like -- and I for one am thrilled that they've decided to give one to Roger Corman this year. My illustrious colleague Eric Snider clearly doesn't feel the same way, and I'm here to tell Eric he's dead wrong. Wonderfully funny and a snappy dresser, sure, but on this position ... dead wrong.
One day George Lucas will receive a similar award from the Academy. At that time you'll have film fans who say "Absolutely. For just the technical advances that he and his colleagues have created, and for his massive influence on modern-day film exhibition, he's certainly deserving of an Oscar spotlight." You'll also have film fans who say "The director of Star Wars, THX-1138, American Graffiti and The Phantom Menace? Really? The guy who produced Radioland Murders and Howard the Duck? I don't believe it! Typical Hollywood politics!"
Overhype vs. Backlash: Which is Lamer?
Filed under: Fan Rant
Anyone who covers a film festival has dealt with it at one point or another. (More likely they deal with it several times a year.) You go to Sundance, to SXSW, to Toronto, etc., and see a film you really like. At this point the movie is just one of 250 at the festival, although maybe it has some "big names" or something to it. A few other writers end up agreeing with you that the film is quite good, and then the audiences have their say ... and mostly everyone is in agreement: good movie! And then ... it happens: Not just a handful of contrary-yet-insightful opinions, but a full-blown backlash."Dude, I just read your rave on Juno. You overhyped it! It freaking sucks!" --or-- "Martyrs isn't so great. The horror guys always over-praise the stuff they see early." --or-- "Did all the Sundance critics get together and just blindly pick a movie to rave over?" --- and stuff much nastier than that. I was one of the first film critics to see Juno, which at Toronto was just another comedy with a cool cast, until everyone saw it, that is. Then it was the darling of the festival, and I was thrilled to play along. Because I sincerely adore that flick. So did I contribute to the "overhype" on Juno? What about Waitress? I fell in love with that flick at Sundance as well, it came and went without finding a massive audience, and nobody accused me of overhyping the movie.
Joe Wright to Tackle Action With 'Hanna'
Filed under: Action, Focus Features
The director of Atonement, The Soloist, and Pride & Prejudice is jumping into the action pool? That's what The Hollywood Reporter indicates: Director Joe Wright, best known for Oscar-friendly drama, is about to sign on the dotted line to helm Hanna, which THR describes as a La Femme Nikita style project: "The story centers on a 14-year-old Eastern European girl who has been raised by her father to be a cold-blooded killing machine. She connects with a French family, forms a friendship with their daughter and goes through the pangs of adolescence. When the girl is dragged back to her father's world and discovers that she was bred as a killing machine in a CIA prison camp, she must fight her way to a free life."Sounds to me like a fairly conventional, rather familiar tale -- so then why were Danny Boyle and Alfonso Cuaron both (briefly) attached to the project? I have to assume that there's more on the page than just another action flick to draw in directors like that. And to those who may doubt that Wright can handle high-end action, I recommend you take another look at the most talked-about sequence from Atonement (a long and staggeringly cool tracking shot of a horrific battlefield) and think about how that would look in a "fun" action film.
Also, I bet they change the title.
B-Side Teams With Sundance: Genius!
Filed under: Festival Reports
To anyone who's ever attended Slamdance, AFI Fest, Silverdocs, Fantastic Fest, or any number of great film festivals, B-Side is a gift from the heavens. It's a remarkably user-friendly website that creates scheduling and ticketing services for well over 200 festivals around the world ... and now they're headed to Park City. This is a big leap for the B-Side boys, not because they haven't dealt with large and excellent fests before, but c'mon ... this is Sundance. She's a biggie.
To get a taste of what B-Side is like, check out the set-up they put together for the Santa Fe Film Festival. Now imagine that for Sundance! Congrats to our friends at B-Side, because I'm sure they've yearned to take on Sundance for a while now. Based on my rather thorough experiences with both Sundance and B-Side, this marriage makes me very happy indeed. If ever there was a festival that could benefit from B-Side's 'Festival Genius' application, it's Sundance. Next stop, Toronto!
Read more on the new partnership right here.
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Discuss: Should Gay Actors Stay in the Closet?
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