Box office roundup

[stu]

Of course there's going to be some clunkers on there- it is a list of new projects after all.

The list does have it's bright spots though. The Lovely Bones, The Wolfman and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three should be worth watching. I also figured some Star Trek fans would be interested to see that movie on there.

[DraconianOne]

"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" -- started shooting

Didn't think this had even been written yet. 

[Riggswolfe]

Really? REALLY? They can't hire an Emo Highschooler to finish Fast & the Furious 4?

That list is balls.

Vin Diesel is in it? The Pacifier really did kill his career before it could get started.

[Velorath]

Just a heads-up,  some prints of Jumper and Definitely, Maybe are going to have teaser trailers for Indiana Jones on them.  The trailer is also supposed to be up at Indianajones.com and yahoo movies tomorrow morning.  The trailer I got in at work today is about 1 min. 50 secs. long, so it's fairly long for a teaser, but until I watch it later tonight I have no idea how much of that is actual movie footage.

[Velorath]

Ok, so I just got back from watching Jumper.  Yeah, the plot and characters are kinda meh.  By no means would I call it a great movie.  I did like a lot of the action and special effects though, which is unusual since special effects are becoming less and less important to me as everything continues to move toward CGI.  I guess it's not so much the actual effects that I liked here, as it is that a lot of the scenes have a very comic book kinda direction to them.  Almost like they took the Nightcrawler stuff from X-men 2 and tried to expand on it (although sadly of course without Nightcrawler himself).  Some of it is successful, and some not so much, but all in all it was fun to watch.

The Indiana Jones trailer by the way has a decent amount of footage from the movie in it.  They show some clips from the first three movies at the beginning but I'd say more than half the trailer (which admittedly as I said is less than 2 minutes long) is new stuff.  I liked what I saw, but I know it's going to be one of those things where you just can't please all the fans, and I know there are going to be tearing the thing apart saying what a travesty it is or somesuch.

Edit: There's a crappy quality bootleg of the trailer here but I'd really recommend just waiting until tomorrow to see it in what I assume will be much better quality.

[Riggswolfe]

Yahoo Movies has the Indy trailer up. I'm intriqued by what I saw. I'm a little concerned that the action appears to be a bit over the top for an Indy movie but we'll see. Still, if that one sequence is where I think it is they'll do a nice job of tying the old movies in I'd say.

[HaemishM]

That Indy trailer is interesting. Maybe some alien stuff because I clearly saw some crates marked Roswell.

[murdoc]

Since Raiders of the Lost Ark is my favoritest movie EVER, I'm pretty damn geeked over the new movie. The trailer didn't do anything to dim my enthusiasm.

[Riggswolfe]

That Indy trailer is interesting. Maybe some alien stuff because I clearly saw some crates marked Roswell.

I noticed that too. And the sequence I was referring to is that big chase in what looks like a huge warehouse filled with boxes. I'm wondering if the Russians don't make a play on the Ark. I also noticed Shia in what appeared to be an homage to the opening scenes of Raiders complete with what looked like South American Indians to me.

[Tale]

Golden Compass was horrible. I'm glad I was on for a 1-1 birthday treat from my neighbor...I was SO glad the movie was over.

I became apprehensive after I read New Line hacked the director's version to pieces and made them re-shoot some things. For example (and I'm being deliberately vague to avoid a spoiler), there's a scene with a bridge that in the book leads to an awful and shocking event. Someone who's seen the film wrote that it appeared it was filmed to show what the book says, but had been recut so that the bridge just leads to a place someone is travelling to. Read the books if you haven't.

Finally saw Golden Compass and was enjoying it until the ending, which was a pathetic ending that ruined everything.

The studio committed a sin. Recut the movie based on a company decision, instead of leaving it to creatives. Something REALLY REALLY BAD is supposed to happen to a child at the end, at the hand of a character you've been thinking of as "good", and it changes everything. But they decided audiences wouldn't like that, so it ends with a happy bedtime and a corny line.

I saw the bridge scene I'd heard about - definitely filmed to be part of the "sad ending", but recut with a CGI Iorek as Lyra looking back anxiously as she crosses. Dumb.

[rk47]

i caught 'No Country for Old Men' yesterday. I don't get it.
Yes, some scenes were intense , but....I'm just not getting it. What is so good about this movie? What made it worse was that No Country is last second decision since we were planning to watch Jumper.

5 mins on the ticket line
'No country for old men? what kind of title is that?' 
'Dude i heard it's got awards! Some dangerous assassin with an air gun  '
I paused a bit and i think my brain processed an image of a teen, carrying an air pellet gun shooting people dead. I wanted to see that.
'  OK that sounds good! Hey clerk, 2 ticks for No Country plz'

15 mins into the show
'I want my money back'   

[stu]

Maybe you should have watched Step Up 2 The Streets. 

The reason critics love No Country so much is because of all the layering involved with that flick- from the characters, to the score, the settings, and how it turns the Texas thriller/western on its head in the last act. And critics inherently froth over the Coen Bros' work. Personally, it's one of the best flicks I've seen in a long time.

edit: No Country is a movie for people who like to dissect movies. If that's not your bag, then I wouldn't recommend it.

[DraconianOne]

No Country is a movie for people who like to dissect movies. If that's not your bag, then I wouldn't recommend it.

What he said. 

[HaemishM]

What made it worse was that No Country is last second decision since we were planning to watch Jumper.

You didn't miss much with Jumper.

[Abagadro]

Just saw Michael Clayton for the second time tonight and it confirmed my initial impression that it is a very good film.

[K9]

Has anyone seen Vantage Point? I saw the trailer last night and it looks somewhat intriguing.

[Abagadro]

Just caught Restoration on TV. I saw this in the theater back in 1995 and thought it was a great film. If you are looking for a rental and like historical epic type films (particularly English), I recommend it.

[Nerf]

Has anyone seen Vantage Point? I saw the trailer last night and it looks somewhat intriguing.

I caught the 11pm show at the theatre down the street, it wasn't bad, the plot was engaging and it built up the suspense of "ZOMG BUT WHAT HAPPENED NEXT!?!" fairly well, my only gripe is that you have to watch the same fucking scene about 6 times, taking up the first hour or so of the movie.  Each time you watch it from a different vantage point you gleen some info that was previously unknown and lets you know wtf is happening.

I'd say rent it, it was good, but not epic.  I prefer your standard terrorist/assassination/etc/etc movie over this funky way to do it.

[LK]

http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/starship-troopers-3-marauder-movie-trailer.php

Apparently they are making a Starship Troopers 3 with Casper Van Dien featured again (which they considered a mistake for #2, but who cares about #2?).  But the trailer looks...Starship Troopers 2, not Starship Troopers 1.

Where's my Neil Patrick Harris?!

[K9]

Terminator 4

and they have Christian Bale playing the future John Connor, and no Arnie. This could be one of the more promising spin-offs; at least it would have to try hard to be worse than Rise of the Machines.

[schild]

Huh. Right at the end of season 2 of the Sarah Connor Chronicles (as that's supposed to be a full 26 episode season versus the current 7/8 episode one (final episode is next monday, 2 hours).

I suppose I can predict what happens.

But I won't do that.

[Merusk]

http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/starship-troopers-3-marauder-movie-trailer.php

Apparently they are making a Starship Troopers 3 with Casper Van Dien featured again (which they considered a mistake for #2, but who cares about #2?).  But the trailer looks...Starship Troopers 2, not Starship Troopers 1.

Where's my Neil Patrick Harris?!

I don't know what to think after watching that.  Oh, yeah I do, it looks like shit.  It seems like they're trying to introduce drama and other standard movie crap like a 'romance plotline' without realizing the action WAS the drama in ST1 .  Just like the bullshit with the 'brain bugs' in ST2. (my god that was a bad movie.) It also looks wayyy overly-campy. At least the warrior bugs are back. 

[LK]

Terminator 4

and they have Christian Bale playing the future John Connor, and no Arnie. This could be one of the more promising spin-offs; at least it would have to try hard to be worse than Rise of the Machines.

It's really hard to give a shit about a character like John Connor that is played by so many different actors.  But hey! At least they are consistent with never using the same one.

[stu]

I wish they'd bring Verhoeven back to Starship Troopers. Greatest popcorn flick ever made!

As for Terminator 4, I have high hopes, even though McG is directing.

[HaemishM]

Wow, you just killed all my hopes that Terminator 4 would be decent. Mc-Fucking-G?

[Riggswolfe]

Wow, you just killed all my hopes that Terminator 4 would be decent. Mc-Fucking-G?

That's not the worst part. It's going to be a trilogy. And the main character is NOT John Connor.

http://movies.ign.com/articles/851/851752p1.html

So, let me get this straight. You nab Christian fucking Bale as John Connor? Then have the movie revolve around some guy named Marcus?

[schild]

McG has gotten better. Both SuperNatural and Chuck are great shows.

The title of the movie bothers me more: "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins."

Really. The Future Begins? What

[HaemishM]

Chuck is a great show, but that's probably because McG only directed the pilot and isn't one of the show's creators or writers.

[schild]

Chuck is a great show, but that's probably because McG only directed the pilot and isn't one of the show's creators or writers.

The pilot was one of the best episodes...

[sidereal]

McG has gotten better. Both SuperNatural and Chuck are great shows.

The title of the movie bothers me more: "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins."

Really. The Future Begins? What

It tested better than 'The Present Continues'

[stray]

Wow, you just killed all my hopes that Terminator 4 would be decent. Mc-Fucking-G?

That's not the worst part. It's going to be a trilogy. And the main character is NOT John Connor.

http://movies.ign.com/articles/851/851752p1.html

So, let me get this straight. You nab Christian fucking Bale as John Connor? Then have the movie revolve around some guy named Marcus?

That might be better if he's at some sort of "distance", I think. John Connor needs to have some mystique and shit.

[stray]

The reason critics love No Country so much is because of all the layering involved with that flick- from the characters, to the score, the settings, and how it turns the Texas thriller/western on its head in the last act. And critics inherently froth over the Coen Bros' work. Personally, it's one of the best flicks I've seen in a long time.

What "score" would that be? There was none! Not in the version I just saw at least.

Anyhow, great movie. I had only seen Javier Bardem in Before Night Falls previous to this. Didn't think much of him the first time around, but he was great here. The creepiest Coen villain yet.

Makes me wonder how well they could pull off a true horror film now... I mean, they've had their share of menacing characters like this in some movies before (Tex Cobb in Arizona, the Warden in O Brother, Stormare in Fargo), but they should really roll with it.

[Raging Turtle]

Golden Compass was horrible. I'm glad I was on for a 1-1 birthday treat from my neighbor...I was SO glad the movie was over.

I became apprehensive after I read New Line hacked the director's version to pieces and made them re-shoot some things. For example (and I'm being deliberately vague to avoid a spoiler), there's a scene with a bridge that in the book leads to an awful and shocking event. Someone who's seen the film wrote that it appeared it was filmed to show what the book says, but had been recut so that the bridge just leads to a place someone is travelling to. Read the books if you haven't.

Finally saw Golden Compass and was enjoying it until the ending, which was a pathetic ending that ruined everything.

The studio committed a sin. Recut the movie based on a company decision, instead of leaving it to creatives. Something REALLY REALLY BAD is supposed to happen to a child at the end, at the hand of a character you've been thinking of as "good", and it changes everything. But they decided audiences wouldn't like that, so it ends with a happy bedtime and a corny line.

I saw the bridge scene I'd heard about - definitely filmed to be part of the "sad ending", but recut with a CGI Iorek as Lyra looking back anxiously as she crosses. Dumb.

This is a little late - the movie was released later here - but mind telling me what happened in the book?

I enjoyed the movie but I got the impression that there were massive parts of the book left out, which made large chunks of the movie seem extremely rushed.  A friend who saw with it, who's read the book, agreed.

[stu]

The reason critics love No Country so much is because of all the layering involved with that flick- from the characters, to the score, the settings, and how it turns the Texas thriller/western on its head in the last act. And critics inherently froth over the Coen Bros' work. Personally, it's one of the best flicks I've seen in a long time.

What "score" would that be? There was none! Not in the version I just saw at least.

There was a score, but it was only 16 minutes long. I'll admit I didn't even notice any music while I was watching it, but I've read plenty of critcs's views on the movie and the score gets brought up often.

Here's a quote from Carter Burwell, the score composer: "The idea was to use the music to deepen the tension in some of these transitional scenes, when there’s not much going on,” Burwell said. “The sounds are snuck in underneath the wind or the sound of a car. When the wind or car goes away, the sound is left behind, but you never hear it appear.”

The guys who made this movie took plenty of risks, and the tact they applied to the score is a great testament to that.

edit: Bardem is also pretty good in Jamon, Jamon. (Penelope Cruz gets naked in it.)

[WayAbvPar]

(Penelope Cruz gets naked in it.)

Unless she is wearing a bag over her head, it ain't enough to get me to watch.