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.