Winter is Coming

[Pink Apocalypse]

Gravity, The Monument Men, and Saving Mr. Banks. Can't wait.

I think I've officially become completely, thoroughly, terminally burned out on empty, fake-depth spectacles.

It probably happened when a movie came out that somehow managed to suck the joy out of Superman, and snap the neck of my inner child in the process.

 

[MovieBob]

Tom Hanks...playing WALT FREAKIN DISNEY...telling the behind the scenes of one of the more beloved Disney films "Mary Poppins", i.e. Hollywood gets it chance to pat itself on the back for how awesomely awesome they are...

GEE, I WONDER WHO'S GOING TO WIN BEST PICTURE AT NEXT YEAR'S OSCARS. THIS IS GOING TO BE SUCH A CLOSE RACE.

Actually, that it really CAN'T entirely be that story is why it's an interesting (prospective) film. There are a metric-ton of "Walt: The Great Man" stories to tell if you want to deify Disney, but the production of "Mary Poppins" is rather notoriously NOT one of them, even if the final film is (rightly) regarded as a genuine classic. Even with a light touch, anything other than a complete fabrication of the events will yield a story that is (at least in part) about two exceptionally driven, headstrong, nigh-egomaniacal artists - who both maintained paradoxically classy/whimsical public personas - trying to out-game one another over a movie project.

P.L. Travers was a hell of a character: Classic "childhood trauma/iron-willed adulthood" British author background, "brainy scrapper" reputation as a younger scholar/author (she didn't just want to out-write her mostly-male fellows in the British literary/poetry scene, she could out-drink them, out-party them, paid her earliest bills writing "erotic verse" and was no slouch with the ladies either) and also kind of a basket-case as an adult: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2128544/Mary-Poppins-New-film-set-reveal-truth-creator.html

Disney, on the other hand, was basically Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder version) sans the last-minute "just kidding!" Meticulously cultivated his "magical grandad" routine in public, utterly ruthless and cunning as a businessman and filmmaker. He and Travers were both utterly unimpressed with one another, which drove both of their egos mad. I'm honestly perplexed at how the actual movie can be anything other than either a one-sided account (i.e. making one of them, probably Travers, the "good guy") or a dark-ish comedy about the absurdity of two adults going at it like wolverines over a fanciful children's film.

 

[rayen020]

what did i take away from this? Good god George Clooney has been busy lately. He's in what? 4 of those?

 

[Palindromemordnilap_v1legacy]

Damn, they're still churning out those stupid cameos? My curiosity had to be sated and I looked at that Starving Games trailer and it just...just






Woah, blacked out there for a moment. Must have been the sheer awful of that trailer in-hey where'd all this blood come from?

 

[octafish]

I concur Bob, more Forrest Whittaker is always a good thing. I can't see the role being as deep as Idi Amin though.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

Im sorry but if you watched his short movies, then you would know District 9 would be awesome.
Insidous 2 could be good (first one was a mess) if they decide if they want to be a comedy or horror. Not both.
Oldboy will be good if they have the balls to follow the originals plot 100%.

 

[JackBauer47]

I have to say, Elysium sounds awesome. On another note the trailer for The World's End just doesn't look that funny (apart from the fence gag, although it being in the trailer isn't a good sign), I'm a bit worried. I'd be really disappointed if it wasn't close to Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz in quality, but I think asking it to be as good might be a bit much to ask.

The fence gags in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are both included in their respective trailers.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

I have to say, Elysium sounds awesome. On another note the trailer for The World's End just doesn't look that funny (apart from the fence gag, although it being in the trailer isn't a good sign), I'm a bit worried. I'd be really disappointed if it wasn't close to Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz in quality, but I think asking it to be as good might be a bit much to ask.

The fence gags in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are both included in their respective trailers.

Ah, well then, that's ok. I'm sure I can be forgiven for not remembering what was in each films' trailer.


Still, I can't help but feel like it just doesn't look too funny, but I'm prepared to be surprised.

 

[RTR]

Part of me really wants Monuments Men to be WWII meets Ocean's Eleven

 

[RJ Dalton]

So, what you're basically saying is nothing interesting is coming out in the near future?

 

[Olas]

Is it bad that the movie I'm most excited for is MACHETE KILLS?

 

[anthony87]

There was nothing unnecessarily gruesome about Man of Steel though....

 

[lumenadducere]

Wow, I had no idea they were doing a remake of Oldboy. That's going to be...interesting, to say the least. I wonder if they're going to keep the twist ending with the big reveals? I can't tell how well those would go over with here in the US.

Also, definitely looking forward to Elysium and Thor 2. Hoping those are as good as they seem!

 

[Nouw]

Samuel L. Jackson is playing the 'prison' manager guy I believe which should be great. Django Unchained reminded me that he can play more than just the stereotypical badass black dude.

My other issue with the Oldboy remake is that they're essentially remaking the middle chapter of a trilogy. Oldboy forms the second part of the Vengeance trilogy, the other parts being Sympathy For Mr Vengeance, and Sympathy For Lady Vengeance. While they're not connected narratively, they have the same thematic ideas running through, to the point that they really do feel like three chapters of a larger narrative. Oldboy on its own is sublime, but Oldboy as part of a three-act study on revenge is just incredible.

Without that context, I don't think the remake will have anywhere near the same power or emotion.

Eh I think that's going to be less of an issue. While yeah it'd be much grander if they tackled all three films, arguably Mr. Vengeance has more going for it as to why it shouldn't be remade, but as you said it's sublime in its own right and especially considering this film is more or less a more mainstream Oldboy to appeal to a broader audience, it should work well as a stand-alone. Having said that, I'm looking forward to this film only because it's more Oldboy. I'm not holding my breath but at the very least I hope it gives the original more attention.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Why is George Clooney in practically all of those? And why did they make a new Oldboy, when the other Oldboy is still one of the most awesome movies ever? That would be like remaking Fight Club for no goddam reason with different actors. Why is Bob still banging on The Hunger Games, when it wasn't that bad of a movie, admittedly mediocre, but not exactly terrible? Why is there a specific reference to an actor who does practically nothing but look pretty and say the line "We must fight!" or some variant of it in every movie I've seen him in? When will Bob stop being a giant grumpipuss that Man of Steel was not about Superman being a boring, flaccid, two dimensional pastiche of 50's American values? Why did we go from the amazeballs Sharlto Copley to the kind of uninteresting Matt Damon for Blomkamp's much anticipated sci-fi funfest?

Will any of these questions be answered? Find out next time!

 

[Tireseas_v1legacy]

How does "The World's End" not make the list?

That is the most summery of summer movies. This piece is focusing on things in the fall/winter.

Not "This is the End", "The World's End" from Pegg/Frost/Wright. Its release date is August 23rd, which is covered by this list.

Much like a movie directed my Martin Scorsese, you kind of already know exactly what your getting with that movie, although it will be interesting to see Pegg as quite a different kind of loser (the guy who never really grew out of college) than his other characters.

 

[Arqus_Zed]

Oldboy remake?!

No.
No no no.
No no no no no.

They're actually gonna go through with this? Seriously? Christ, I still remember when people were talking about a remake directed by Spielberg starring Will Smith in the lead. You can't imagine how relieved I was when all of that died a silent death.

But now, out of the fucking blue, in 2013, we're still getting that remake?!
Directed by Spike Lee?
Starring S. L. Jackson?

I'm sorry, but I don't see how this could possibly end well. Park's passion for the still shot, the synesthesia of waltz music and horrible acts of violence, the pitch black humor, etc. This film doesn't need a remake. I mean, how do you even plan on topping stuff like the protagonist's reaction at the end? Or the hallway scene? Or the squid scene?

As if the Bollywood remake wasn't bad enough.

 

[Imre Csete]

Hm, even the Oscar Baits are looking interesting, and I'm so happy with this year's coming up sci-fi lineup!

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

Part of me really wants Monuments Men to be WWII meets Ocean's Eleven

Yeah, that comes to mind but instead of stealing, it would be securing, defending and protecting. I definably wish that people would talk about these men more as they protected culture from war and this movie would get people to do so.

Elysium is looking good: loved Blomkamp's District 9 and would love to see how he depicts the class struggle, immigration restriction, and the like as he did really well with Apartheid.

Machete Kills will be fun to watch, went along with the insanity of the original and want to see how this goes and what if anything Rodriguez will make a point about.

Wolf of Wall Street may also be interesting. Dicaprio is a killer actor and with one of the great directors at the helm, this should be fun.

Not looking forward to Oldboy. It will probably be good but it will pale before the original and a lot of the Korean culture that may influence the orignal will be gone or misinterpreted

 

[MrBaskerville]

Samuel L. Jackson is playing the 'prison' manager guy I believe which should be great. Django Unchained reminded me that he can play more than just the stereotypical badass black dude.

My other issue with the Oldboy remake is that they're essentially remaking the middle chapter of a trilogy. Oldboy forms the second part of the Vengeance trilogy, the other parts being Sympathy For Mr Vengeance, and Sympathy For Lady Vengeance. While they're not connected narratively, they have the same thematic ideas running through, to the point that they really do feel like three chapters of a larger narrative. Oldboy on its own is sublime, but Oldboy as part of a three-act study on revenge is just incredible.

Without that context, I don't think the remake will have anywhere near the same power or emotion.

Eh I think that's going to be less of an issue. While yeah it'd be much grander if they tackled all three films, arguably Mr. Vengeance has more going for it as to why it shouldn't be remade, but as you said it's sublime in its own right and especially considering this film is more or less a more mainstream Oldboy to appeal to a broader audience, it should work well as a stand-alone. Having said that, I'm looking forward to this film only because it's more Oldboy. I'm not holding my breath but at the very least I hope it gives the original more attention.

http://www.firstshowing.net/2013/park-chan-wooks-sympathy-for-mr-vengeance-getting-a-remake/

Unfortunately, they are going to remake all of the films. I was hoping that they would stay away from Mr. Vengeance, as it´s my favourite of the three and i don´t really see what an Americanisation would add to it...
I´m gonna avoid all the remakes as the plague as i don´t really see the point. It´s like the american remake of Let The Right One In, why even bother?

Aside from that, i´m not really that up to date with upcoming films at the moment. But i usually watch a lot of smaller movies during the fall, mostly because a lot of movies are postponed to january and february here in Denmark (Not sure why, probably something to do with the oscars). Fortunately it often leads to better experiences as the local niche cinema usually has a lot of cool stuff during the fall, great movies released during the year from a wide variety of countries, both small and bigger releases.