Criterion Collection re-releases Ang Lee's Ride with the Devil

Funny how life works sometimes. In Wednesday's post, I mentioned that when Ang Lee makes films that miss the mark, they're generally a mile away (Thankfully, he's only really made one brutal head scratcher: Hulk).

Today, I receive a newsletter from Criterion Collection about the addition of Lee's Civil War drama Ride with the Devil to their ranks. For those unaware (there are many), this film was released in 1999, between Ang's two more seminal works: The Ice Storm and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The film stars Tobey Maguire and Skeet Ulrich as two Confederate-sympathizers - or 'Bushwhackers' - spurred to action after Maguire's character's father is killed by pro-abolitionist 'Jayhawkers'. It was an awesome film when it was released, and looks to be even better now, as Criterion has given Lee the opportunity to re-cut and remount Ride with the Devil into the film he had originally intended.

I chatted a bit about my love of Westerns in my post about Red Hill, but this film is a little more than a traditional Western. It focuses on the rather violent massacre of Lawrence, Kansas by Confederate Bushwhackers. It's a brutal, and disturbing mess, and is definitely not for the faint of heart.

That being said, everyone should check this film out. Also, anyone who says they hate Tobey Macguire and think he's a no-talent hack should definitely watch Ride with the Devil. He's fantastic in it.

By the way, if you think this about Tobey Macquire, then you're an idiot.

Life of Pi, in 3D...why?

At around 10:00 AM this morning, I saw a tweet pop up in my Tweetdeck mentioning something about Canadian author Yann Martel's Life of Pi being green lit to start production. I paid little attention to it...primarily because it was 10:00 AM and I was super swamped with work.

At around 2:00, and my tsunami of work subsided long enough for me to poke my head above water and have a look around the interslice for new and interesting tidbits of film-related knowledge. I stumbled upon an article from Comingsoon.net via Anne Thompson's Thompsononhollywood blog announcing that Life of Pi had indeed been green lit, and that the idea of turning it into a 3D extravaganza is looking very possible.


it seems Ang Lee - who has been attached to the project for a while now - wants to use 3D to create a "3D magical fantasy adventure crammed with visual effects." Meh.

I really liked Life of Pi, and I think Yann Martel is awesome (check out his blog whatisstephenharperreading.ca, where he goads our Prime Minister into reading works that promote stillness of being), and Ang Lee is obviously amazing, but I just can't possibly get behind another 3D film because, well, I hate them.


Here's Why

1. I hate the one-size-fits-all 3D glasses. They always push on the sides of my head, and make the crevice between my ear and my head hurt. People have told me it's because I don't wear glasses, but that doesn't make my poor skin feel any better. Also, if you're unlucky enough to get a smudge on the lens, it's almost impossible to get it off. You might as well just poke the weird 3D plastic out of the frames and pretend like everything is alright.

2. I hate how the glasses limit your field of view. Ya, it's great that bullets flying at me look like they're an inch from my nose, but what about the sides of the screen? I hate that I have to turn my head left and right depending on where the action is. I'm a centre-sitting film-going individual primarily so I don't have to crane my neck like some slack-jawed moron to see what's going on. Films are made to be viewed as a complete work stuck in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio screen. It annoys me when portions of it are cut off because my ridiculous 3D glasses are too thick.

3. Most of all, I hate how whole-heartedly Hollywood has embraced 3D technology as the be all, end all of the industry. It seems like every major film coming out these days has been bastardized in some way to fit the 3D mold. Films now include that obligatory "Oh look, someone's throwing a can of beer to another character for no reason." ARG!!!

I feel that the profliferation of 3D technology in films has added a layer of novelty to films that has made me unable to fully immerse myself deeply in them. More often than not, I find myself taking my glasses off halfway through in an attempt to revert to the glory days of cinema film watching. It never works though (the screen's too blurry without the glasses). At the end of the day, I'll always opt for the non-3D version if it's available.


I've never been one to slam Ang Lee for his directorial prowess, but his imaginative style can sometimes be a curse. When he's on, he's on (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), but when he's off, he's WAYYYYYY of (Hulk). Hopefully his attempt to take a fun, yet deeply-allegorical story and adapt it into a magical journey of 3D excitement will turn out for the best. Let it be known, if he turns it into a moronic 3D in-your-face jerk-fest, I might vomit all over the place. Probably best not to sit in front of me.

Red Hill

Just read on Cinematical that Sony pictures has picked up the distribution rights to the Australian neo-western film Red Hill. The film stars native-Australian Ryan Kwanten, who most might know as the lovable-yet-dimwitted Jason Stackhouse on Alan Ball's TrueBlood series (bet you didn't know he was an Aussie).



Cinematical classifies Red Hill as a Neo-Western, most likely due to its contemporary setting. For those keeping track, the Robert Rodriquez westerns (El Mariachi, Desperado, Once Upon a Time in Mexico) are also lumped under this category. The case can also be made for the Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men being similarly classified, although I feel it presents the juxtaposition between traditional Western film traditions (as genre, not ideology) and modern tensions in a different way than the aforementioned films.


Side note: I absolutely LOVE Westerns. They are so rich with thematic content, classical plot structure and an adherence to the land that makes for gorgeous long-pan shots. From an analytic standpoint, Westerns are also hugely influential to contemporary film studies, as they form the backbone of genre studies, which was an important development in the standardization of the discipline. The above screen grab is from John Hughes' Stagecoach, the film that gave the genre credibility, and launched John Wayne's career. But I digress.

Red Hill looks really interesting to me because it seems to actively incorporate the notion of the "modern town" with elements that define the Western genre. Also, it's set in Australia, which means the film has the potential to include a whole slew of niche cultural traits and tensions not normally seen in traditional American Westerns. For a film nerd like me, this sounds pretty interesting. Check out the trailer below, and see if you agree with what I'm saying.

IMDB Game - Woody Harrelson, Defendor

In September, I picked up a contract working for the the Canadian Alliance of Film & Television Costume Arts & Design (CAFTCAD) doing publicity for their annual Film Festival fund raiser. The event displayed costumes created by several CAFTCAD members for films being featured at the Festival, including Dilip Mehta's Cooking with Stella, Ruba Nadda's Cairo Time, and George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead.

One of the most interesting costumes at this event was from Peter Stebbings' Defendor. It was all black, with what looked like a German army helmet, and a giant 'D' made of of duct tape and stuck on his chest. I couldn't decide if it looked awesome or ridiculous. I decided though that it was awesome because it was ridiculous. It definitely sold me on going to see the film.

I went and saw it in February and was blown away by how amazing it was. Woody Harrelson was fantastic as Arthur Poppington. Kat Dennings and Elias Koteas were equally as impressive. What topped it for me was how the film managed to maintain its distinctly Canadian feel while casting three relatively well-known American actors. I just loved it! I urge everybody to check it out.

Therefore, I launched this lastest installment of the IMDB game with Woody as a tribute to how awesome this film was. Feel free to refer to my pervious IMDB game post, if you're unclear on the rules.

Woody Harrelson -> Defendor -> Peter Sebbings -> “Flashpoint” -> Amy Jo Johnson -> “Felicity” -> J.J. Abrams -> Untitled Star Trek Sequel -> Chris Pine -> Unstoppable -> Denzel Washington -> The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 -> Tony Scott -> “The Pillars of the Earth” -> Ian McShane -> Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides -> Johnny Depp -> The Rum Diary -> Aaron Eckhart -> The Dark Knight -> Christian Bale -> Untitled Batman Project -> Doug Jones -> Legion -> Paul Bettany -> Iron Man 2 -> Robert Downey Jr. -> A Scanner Darkly ->Woody Harrelson

Interesting note: I compiled this on Thursday, and was surprised to read that Doug Jones was rumoured to have been cast as The Riddler in Christopher Nolan's new Batman film. I went back to hyperlink everything, I noticed that was no longer the case. I think he'd make a cool Riddler. Take a look at the photo below. He looks perfect for the role. All Edward E. Nigma-ish.

Film Review: October Sky (1999)

One of my favourite things to do on Saturday afternoons is scan the networks for random films I haven't seen, but find interesting. In my experience, networks tend to fill their early Saturday afternoon slots with films that are a little more calm and low-key than those aired later on in the day. Of course there are some exceptions (It's not uncommon to see Commando in the mix somewhere), but if you're looking, this is the best time to find those films you've always wanted to see but have fallen through the cracks.

It's rare that I'm not doing anything on a Saturday afternoon, so when I found myself in this position today, I took full advantage and planted myself on the couch with TV remote in-hand. I was going to watch Life is Beautiful, but I came in a little too late (the bane of the Saturday film-on-TV hunter). I flipped over to Bravo! only to find I had made it just in time to catch the beginning of October Sky, a film that has lived on my perennial list of those I've wanted to see but have continuously passed over in favour of others.

Well, today I gave October Sky a shot, and it definitely didn't disappoint.

October Sky is based on the memoirs of Homer Hickam Jr, a writer, Vietnam veteran and former NASA engineer. Hickam's original memoir, titled "Rocket Boys" was actually changed to October Sky - an anagram of Rocket Boys - in an attempt to broaden the film's appeal and avoid pigeon-holing it as a Sci-Fi flick. Excellent move, I think, as October Sky is as far from being being a Sci-Fi flick as Scarlett Johansson is a credible singer.

Directed by Joe Johnson (Hildago, Jumanji), October Sky stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Homer Hickam, a high-school student who dreams of escaping his small West Virginia coal-mining town. Chris Cooper plays Homer's father John, the big boss at the local coal mine whose life begins and ends with his job. John dotes heavily over his eldest son Jim (played by Scott Miles), the at times typical jock-like star quarterback who's football prowess gives him the power to leave their small town in favour of a college scholarship. Homer is desperate to follow in his brother's footsteps and earn his own college scholarship, and avoid a life of shovelling coal underground. With no athletic skill to speak of, Homer's chances of escape seem slim, a fact to which he is painfully aware, putting him a constant odds with his father.

Everything changes for Homer when he gathers with a group of townspeople to watch the newly-launched Russian satellite Sputnik soar through the sky. Homer is so transfixed by this monumental ball of steel, that he announces to his family somewhat haphazardly the following morning that he's going to build a rocket - much to the chagrin of his father. Not being the brightest student, Homer reaches out to Quentin (played by Chris Owen), the school's resident nerd. Together with his friends Roy Lee and O'Dell (William Lee Scott and Chad Lindberg respectively), the group embarks on a quest to successfully build and launch a rocket of their own.

The plot pretty much drives itself from that point on. The group of boys face a great uphill battle in their quest to launch their rockets but ultimately triumph over adversity. With the help of their nurturing and motivational teacher Miss Riley (Laura Dern), the boys discover they all have what it takes to rise up and leave their small town in search of bigger and better things. To use an obviously referential cliche, 'the rest is history.' Homer Hickam goes on to become a successful NASA rocket scientist and has since gone to work both the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station, among other projects.

October Sky is not a groundbreaking film, stylistically-speaking. After all, it does follows the typical three-act structure that typifies most pursuit-of-the-American-dream-type films, and doesn't do anything to really deviate from this model. It is, however, a tightly-knit yet simple film that left me feeling relaxing and serene once it was all over. No cliffhangers, or stressful situations, just a happy conclusion. There's something to be said for films like this.

I'm not stupid. I knew October Sky was going to play out this way. I think this might even be the reason why I had been putting off seeing it for as long as I did. Had I seen it in the theatre, it's possible I may have come out feeling a little underwhelmed, but in the confines of my living room, I found October Sky to be completely conducive to the chilled-out mood I try to propagate on a Saturday afternoon.

Jake Gyllenhaal was also fantastic in what really amounts to his break-out role as Homer Hickam. I've always liked Gyllenhaal's facially-expressive acting style, and it was great to see it put to good use in October Sky. My stock in Gyllenhaal has been steadily dropping lately (I think he looks out of place as the lead in the upcoming Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time adaptation. For what it's worth, the film itself doesn't look that great either), so it's was nice to come back to the humble, slightly forlorn type of character he started out playing.

I liked October Sky because I didn't have to think about it. I wouldn't necessarily recommend running out and buying it, but if you find yourself flipping through the channels on a Saturday afternoon, and you come across it on TV, October Sky is definitely worth a visit.

Pros:

• Compact plot line makes it an easy and non-intrusive film to get into.
• Jake Gyllenhaal is wonderful in the role that launched his career, pun intended (ha). Laura Dern and Chris Cooper are also fantastic.
• Neat that it's based on the true story of a NASA rocket scientist.

Cons:

• Simplistic plot line could be a hindrance to people not watching on a laid back Saturday afternoon.
• Plot moves a little slowly.
• If you hate three-act-structure American feel good stories, don't even bother with this one.

Why we're watching the Watchmen?

As many of you now know, today is the day Watchmen officially opens in theatres. As I write this, thousands of rabid fan-boys across the continent have already fought off sleep, jobs and, quite possibly, normal human contact to attend as many Watchmen screenings as possible (As I write this, the thrid screening of Watchmen is now taking place in Cineplex Odeon theatres across Canada). Oh rabid fans. So hilarious.

I wonder how many are wearing costumes to the theatre?

Anyway. I personally have been waiting for this film to come out since I saw that brilliant teaser trailer when The Dark Knight opened last year. For those not familiar, it's the one using The Smashing Pumpkins "The End is the Beginning is the End" remix, aptly titlted "The Beginning is the End is the Beginning" (get it?). The song's been out for a while. I believe it first appeared on the Batman Forever soundtrack. It's also the first song I ever "downloaded" using Napster, way back when. Those were the days!

Zack Snyder's decision to use this track in the teaser was brilliant. It's a moody remix of a semi-popular, catchy song, and it provides an excellent glimpse into what the overall tone of the film will be: dark, brooding, and devious. It also foreshadowed the kind of publicity push this film was going get between then and now. Again, while I've been eagerly awaiting Watchmen's release, I'm absolutely amazed at the amount of publicity the film has generated.

I work in communications, with most of my experience being on the entertainment industry side. I've worked on enough entertainment-related brands to understand the challenges involved in landing mass amounts of publicity on a given project, let alone doing so in a concise manner using several different types of media. One thing I've learning through my experience is the importance of having a concise and well-thought out communications plan in place. A properly constructed plan will allow the execution of tactics to flow smoothly, while the absence of such a plan can lead to a jumbled, mixed-messaged mess. What the Watchmen communications/marketing team has done is mind-boggling, and I'm certain it's because of an excellent plan. 

The advanced coverage this film has received - especially during the last week - is just crazy. I haven't seen all the press associated with this film, but suffice to say, it's a massive amount. The Canadian press alone is staggering. A quick coverage scan shows over 150 print and online hits, including the five-or-so wire stories picked up by many papers across the country throughout the past week. From general film reviews to cast and crew interviews to the inevitable how-does-this-relate-to-Canada story, our homegrown press has been gobbling up anything and everything to do with the film.

I've also noticed the frequency at which print publications have been posting Watchmen sidebar and spinoff stories (check out those linked to the Katherine Monk CanWest piece - shown above, in the "More On This Story" section). I'm certain a publicity team had a hand in generating and facilitating this direct and ancillary press.

The National Post also ran an interesting illustrated history of The Watchmen screen adaptation (Who makes the Watchmen?) in it's weekly Avenue spread. Papers all over the continent have been printing features like this all week. I'm certain publicity teams all around the major markets have been working night and day to generate this kind of press. Kudos!

The Watchmen brand has also been steadily promoted using a bunch of different marketing techniques. These ranging from lengthy television ads to attention-grabbing events, including the innovative Manhattan-on-Thames stunt, featuring a 7-story-tall Dr. Manhattan rising out of London's famed river. They also created a fake newscast from the '70s that went viral in January. Wow. 

Perhaps the greatest press achievement has been the film's ability to settle so firmly within the realm of social media. Of the 25-or-so film blogs I follow, all of them have consistently posted on The Watchmen throughout the past two-weeks (see right for a few examples ->). The case can be made that a large portion of this online interest stems from the deep, religious-like interest many blog-enthusiasts have for Watchmen in general. However, I've noticed a large number of film-blogs posting original content, including direct interviews with actors/crew, behind-the-scenes features, advanced screening reviews and a slew of press material they could only have received directly. This suggests the direct influence of a publicity team, which also suggests the innovativeness on the part of this team to reach out to non-traditional media types. Again, kudos!

I'm sure I'm only scratching the surface of what has been done to promote this film. In general though, everything publicity and marketing teams around the world have done to promote this film is indicative of a well-thought out, well-researched and well-executed plan. It's amazing what a thoughtful and innovative plan can do to etch a brand so permanently in the minds of the general public.

While reading through Kofi Outlaw of Screenrant's disection of Watchmen today, I came across this quote... 

Seriously though, I’m getting a little fed up with these critics who have their heads so close up" to the movie screen they seem to miss what’s going on beyond the screening room, in the theater of the public. Watchmen is our cultural fixation of the moment–but that fascination won’t last long. I realize that. However, the Watchmen craze WILL last long enough for Snyder and Warner Bros. (and Fox) to turn a very pretty profit for all their hard work, distilling Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ great achievement into mass consumptive form.

Kofi Outlaw also mentions the hype surround the film as one of the main reasons why it will be successful. Obviously reviews of the film are going to be mixed. However, this quote to me that the Watchmen brand - at least for the moment - has transcended traditional movie status to become the pop-culture talking point du jour. Of course all the hype will fade next week, but to inundate a global population with enough information so as to create a global cultural phenomenon is no easy task. 

A lot of this hype can be attribute to a team of publicists and marketing people. Furthermore, all the tactics and techniques employed to promote this film outlines the utter importance of having a clear and concise plan. I'm certain without a well-researched plan, Watchmen would have been in trouble. Without a bankable star presence, it's quite possible Watchmen would be floundering instead of on the verge of a record-breaking opening weekend.

The IMDB game - An explanation

When I was in University, I (like many) was forced to write a multitude of ridiculous essays. While I generally enjoyed the topics I wrote about in school, I hated the strict, regimented way in which I had to organize (re vomit) information in academic "essay" form. That strict Hamburger method generally left me feeling uninspired to do more than was necessary to finish an essay. Lets be real here; there is no art to University essay writing. If you can figure out the formula (it's not that hard), you can crank out mindless, quote-laden schlock to support your wildly baseless arguments in mere hours. What fun! 

I always found it beneficial to my overall well-being to stretch these mere hours into days. Some would call this procrastination, but I preferred to call it "extra-curricular research time." To escape the monotony of school work, I, like many, tended to drift to the wide expanse of the Interweb. While others spent their time playing mindless flash games on ebaumsworld, I chose to waste valuable essay hours surfing IMDB.com.

Love it or hate it, IMDB is the single best resource for pertinent film news on the web. Of course, IMDB doesn't approach the industry with the same robust intellectualism of a trade magazine or well-informed blog, but its database format allows IMDB to synthesize mountains of key film information easily and in one place. It's ultra-clickable interface also makes it invaluable in determining who worked on what and, more importantly (or so says I), who's working on, or will be working on what in the near future. For click-hungry, film buffs or for those who just don't feel like sifting through a bunch of text to figure out what's going on, IMDB is the place to be.

I spent hours in university foregoing essays in favour of semi-conscious IMDB clicking. I found that by beginning with a particular actor/director/film of interest, I could start on a click adventure and discover what new/exciting projects were in the works while still keeping in the spirit of wasting time. Soon after, I began trying to work my click adventures into full circles; trying to see if I could start and end with the same person/film. And thus the IMDB game was born.

Feel like playing? Here are a few rules I created to make the game challenging and super FUN!!!

1. Beginning with any actor, alternate between individual (actor, director, producer) and film title. When possible, try to keep the loop going using new film projects (the ones with red writing next to them). This way, you'll get a better handle on what's going on.
   
2. Don't be a hero. There are millions of entries in IMDB. If it's been an hour and you still haven't come full circle, just quit. After all, this is supposed to be a mindless distraction from important computer-related things, not a psychotic obsession. If you're feeling industrious though, write out your connections (see below) and pick up where you left off later. 

While the IMDB game doesn't always produce high-calibre projects, it does give you an informative - and potentially hilarious - whitewash of information (you'd be surprised how many actors have starred in now-defunct TV series'). This game also forces you to select people in the industry who are well-know, relevant and most-likely still working and keeps you abreast of many new and proposed major films coming out in the near future.   

So with that, here is my first IMDB game entry. I will be playing it from time to time, then posting my results on my blog. If you'd like to play as well, I encourage you to record your connections and post them in the comments section under the IMDB game blog posts.

I began this IMDB game entry last week, shortly after writing my The Rocker post. However, because of my erratic laptop battery, I lost my original post and was discouraged to reproduce it until now. Don't you just hate when that happens?

Anyway, here's my first entry. I managed to go full circle on this one. I had to trudge through A LOT of terrible one-off TV shows, but it was worth it. Have a look

The Rocker -> Rainn Wilson -> Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen -> Megan Fox -> Ironclad -> Paul Giamatti -> The Last Station -> Christopher Plummer -> Up -> Edward Asner -> Trim -> Bruce Dern -> Hart's Location -> Diane Ladd -> American Cowslip -> Val Kilmer -> The Dirt -> Christopher Walken -> Kevin Approaches -> Guy Pierce -> In Her Skin -> Sam Neill -> Daybreakers -> Willem Dafoe -> The Wild Bunch -> Elizabeth Hurley -> The Last Guy on Earth -> Carol Burnett -> The Post Grad Survival Guide -> Jane Lynch -> The Rocker

Happy IMDB gaming!!!