Fever Pitch 2010

Lists, everyone loves lists, don't they? Well, we're now officially one week into the new year, what better time to do my list of the 10 things I'm most looking forward to in entertainment this year, 2010. These 10 things can either be film or television, mostly film, but there a few surprises thrown in there. Let's look into the beyond and have a little bit of fun.

10. Batman 3 Announcement - Batman fans have been as patient as you can ask a bunch of obsessive fanboys (or girls), it's now or never, whether Christopher Nolan returns to helm a third Batman film is irrelevant, we Batman fans want an announcement that a third one is for sure coming. Personally, I want to receive this announcement and have Nolan sitting back in the director's chair, which is what I think will happen, I just want an official statement from WB or Nolan to know for sure.

9. Smallville: Absolute Justice 2-Hour T.V. Movie - Smallville is one of my favorite TV Shows of all-time, and this 2-Hour special seems to be worth the wait. The special, which airs in February, will have Clark meeting the Justice Society of America and its members, such as Hawkman and the original Green Lantern (Alan Scott). Not only that, for this special, the CW is giving Smallville's budget a boost, which is greatly appreciated for a fan of this budget-strapped show.

8. Shutter Island - After being pushed back from last October to this February, us cinephiles are about to be overcome with anticipation for director Martin Scorsese's first directorial effort since he finally won the much deserved Oscar for The Departed. The film will be unveiled within a month, and I definitely want to see it, even though I know it will probably freak me out and I wont be able to sleep for a few nights.

7. Tron Legacy - Every geek out there has a soft spot for Tron, and now the cult classic telling the story of a computer programmer trapped within a video game is getting a sequel. Jeff Bridges returns to reprise his leading role, and this sequel is gonna benefit from a far bigger budget, the advent of CGI, and Disney is making it in 3-D. This is definitely one of those films that will be more fun to look at than anything else. Visual eye candy.

6. 127 Hours - I'm a fan of director Danny Boyle, and I'm very excited to see his latest film detailing the awesome story of mountain climber Aaron Ralston who got his arm trapped beneath a boulder and had to chop it off. The film will star James Franco and is supposed to hit theaters later in the year, and I for one will be in line to see Franco, my favorite actor currently working, pairing up with Boyle, one of the finer directors currently in the industry.

5. Iron Man 2 - The first Iron Man film was a pure delight, a step-up from your traditional summer blockbuster, and I really think that they can repeat that success with the sequel. With Mickey Rourke as the villain Whiplash, and based upon the creepiness he exudes in the trailer, he could be a villain to remember. This could be an awesome action-packed thrill ride from start to finish.

4. LOST: The Sixth and Final Season - Ever since I first saw the pilot way back in 2004, I have been obsessed with the TV show LOST, I think you could call me a "Lostie". Nearly six years and five seasons later, we are finally coming to the conclusion of one of the most awesome stories ever told on television. The show has had a definitive end date since the 4th Season, so it feels as if everything has been building up to this point and we will finally learn all of the show's big secrets that have plagued us for so long.

3. To Finish My Film (Lost & Found) for Submission in Sidewalk Film Festival - If you've been following the blog, you know that I've been making a short film titled Lost & Found. Shooting wrapped yesterday on the film and it's now time to move on to editing. My goal for this film is to have it finished in enough time to submit it to the Sidewalk Film Festival here in Birmingham, AL. Wish me luck.

2. Inception - While we're still waiting for director Christopher Nolan to make a decision on Batman 3, we can all see his latest, Inception, as it hits theaters this summer. The film, starring Leonardo Dicaprio, is a $200 million action flick that looks like your typical Nolan mind-bender, just with a heftier budget. Like almost each film directed by the guy, it is shrouded in mystery. No one truly knows what it's about, but I don't care, the two awesome trailers released thus far and the terrific poster of Leo standing in a flooded city street, has me itching with enough anticipation to see it come midnight.

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 - Really, as a Harry Potter fan, I don't see how this couldn't top my list. The first part of the Harry Potter finale hits theaters this November, and I can hardly wait. After seeing the sixth film, I was extremely confident within the abilities of this cast and crew being able to carry Harry Potter home, and upon seeing the first trailer for the film, my confidence doesn't seem to be misplaced.

That does it for my own list. Sound off in the comments below as to what you're most looking forward to this coming year.

Old School Fridays: Jurassic Park

It's the New Year and Old School Fridays returns with a brand new slate of old movie trailers to dissect and enjoy! After taking a small break for the holidays and all the special posts that come around the end and start of each year, it's time to get back on track and publish a new edition of Old School Fridays!

This Friday, we're taking a look at the teaser trailer for the first film I ever remember seeing in a theater, Steven Spielberg's thrill ride of a masterpiece, Jurassic Park.



The trailer does little to highlight the true brilliance of the movie, but you can't help but enjoy it. It does exactly what I believe a teaser for a film should do, tease the audience. It sets up the film without showing any actual footage from the movie itself. It lets audiences get in on what most likely to expect, rampaging dinosaurs, but keeps their interests peeked by not pulling back the curtain and showing off all the thrills and chills in the trailer.

That does it for this Friday, tune in next week for another awesome edition of Old School Fridays!

Thor's Thunderball Within 127 Hours

Sometimes news is extremely slow, with nothing of real interest to shed some light, but every now and then there is a bevy of news within just the short period of 24 hours, and it is times like these that are the most exciting.

Probably the most interesting news is that production on Spider-man 4 has halted due to more script re-writes, thus making it's May 6, 2011 release highly unlikely. Trying to fill the void where Spidey left, Marvel and Paramount have bumped up the Kenneth Brannagh directed Thor to take Spider-man's date. They claim that if the webcrawler does get back on track to be released on the 6th, they'll move again, but it's seeming unlikely that Spider-man 4 can keep that date.

As much as I'd like to see Sam Raimi try and redeem himself for the monstrosity that was Spider-man 3, this isn't a very good sign, when a film is continuously delayed because of something as trivial as the script. I personally think that Spider-man 4 is just another in a long line of superhero films that will always be in production and just never see the light of day, like Batman: Year One, The Man of Steel, Daredevil 2, etc. Till the cameras start rolling on this one, I'm going to be skeptical.

On to some greener pastures, the director for the 23rd installment of the James Bond franchise has been announced, Sam Mendes, the Oscar-winning director of American Beauty and critically acclaimed for his work on Road to Perdition. This is an intriguing choice, one that I'm a touch skeptical about, purely because Mendes has never done a straight up action flick. We know he can do drama, but James Bond is an action movie, not a buttoned up drama that Mendes is accustomed to directing, though it is interesting to see a director of this caliber taking risks.

Though here is some news I am by no means skeptical about. Danny Boyle's next film, 127 Hours, telling the story of mountaineer Aaron Ralston who got his arm pinned beneath a boulder, has found its lead in actor James Franco. I love Franco, and I love Boyle. This is a masterful pairing that should yield fantastic results, as long as Boyle and sripter Simon Beaufoy have found an intriguing way to tell this grisly story.

Finally, on an extremely happy note for comic book geeks the world over, Green Lantern, the DC Comics film based on the intergalactic superhero, has officially received a greenlight from Warner Bros. Cameras are set to start rolling on the Martin Campbell directed film in only 10 weeks, shooting to make a July 17, 2011 release. I'm really excited for this, while I'm still not entirely stoked about the casting of Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern, I'm such a fan of the character that I can put that aside and just be excited that the film will see the light of day.

Movie Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox

Fantastic is the operative word in director Wes Anderson's adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic, Fantastic Mr. Fox. The film tells the story of Mr. Fox, who gave up his life of stealing chickens to settle down with his wife, Mrs. Fox, and start a family, but when Mr. Fox relapses into his criminal ways 12 fox-years later, everything just busts loose. What the cuss!

The film is a marvelous piece of stop-motion animation. Where as we all have seen stuff like Wallace and Grommet, and many have seen Nightmare Before Christmas, the stop-motion in this film is so much more clever, charming, and lovable as a form of artistic expression than any other example of the form. One moment in particular, Mr. and Mrs. Fox's conversation in front of the underground waterfall is simply breathtaking, but not only that, the design of the furry animals in the film are just so cute and adorable.

The animation is brought to life, thanks to the terrific voice-acting from the likes of George Clooney and Meryl Streep as Mr. and Mrs. Fox, but it is Jason Schwartzman that steals the show as their misunderstood son, Ash, who simply wants to be an athlete and win his dads approval. In many ways, the film is like all Wes Anderson films, in that it is all about family dynamics, except this time relaying those dynamics to the entire animal community. You can't help but love to see Bill Murray's Badger get in an argument with George Clooney's Mr. Fox, and the great cousin rivaly between Ash and Kristofferson (Eric Anderson), is absolutely hilarious.

While Wes Anderson has made many films, this one is his finest. It includes all of the stuff that I have always enjoyed about his works, such as the dynamic of the dysfunctional family, but it sheds itself of all that has held me back in his previous works; not to mention, his typical absurdities tend to work far better in the realm of fantastical animation than it does in live-action.

This really is a wonderful family film. It is easily accessible, and in many ways, it's like the old school Warner's cartoons that I used to watch when I was little, very slapstick, but also witty with fantastic dialogue. The film is fantastical in all respects, it never takes itself seriously, and that is why it works, cause even when it gets serious, Anderson pulls back and delivers some humor. When the credits roll on Fantastic Mr. Fox, you will have had such a good time at the movies, that you wont even realize how much time has passed and you will be dancing along with the characters.

I give Fantastic Mr. Fox an A+!

Oscar Watch: Tech Categories-The Visual

On January 22nd the nominations for this year's Academy Awards will be announced. In less than two weeks, all speculation will be quelled and it will be time to try and sift through the cards that have been dealt to us, but that doesn't stop us from continuing speculative notions a touch longer.

For the past month and a half we have been examining every aspect of the race towards the Oscars, and today it is time to start Part 1 of our look at the Tech Categories. Since the Tech Categories are so big, I've decided to split it up into two parts, the Visual and the Aural. The Visual being Cinematography, Make-up, Art Direction, Visual Effects, Film Editing, and Costume Design; the Aural being Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Original Score, and Original Song. So let's not waste any time and examine the Visual side to the Tech Categories, starting with Best Cinematography.

This year has been a scant year for cinematography in my opinion, with only a few standing out. One of the hot ones in contention is the gritty and realistic handheld camera work for The Hurt Locker, but I was personally more impressed with the beautiful, picturesque, and magical lensing for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Though, there are a great many other frontrunners, such as The Lovely Bones (it's last real chance at Oscar glory aside from Stanley Tucci), Inglourious Basterds, Nine, Bright Star, and Public Enemies. Personally, I think Basterds will get in cause there is just too much love for it, Peter Jackson's latest will most likely be tossed a "bone" (I'm just horrible, aren't I), and Nine is a sure-fire lock, but Bright Star and Public Enemies are wishful thinking. There are a few potential dark horses in the shape of Watchmen or Star Trek, but that's assuming one of them can get a nod in one of the major categories to boot. Though if this has been a weak year for cinematography, so it has for the craft of Best Make-up.

Luckily there are only three slots in the Best Make-up category, though it would be better if there were only two. Too many films just opt for CGI nowadays rather than traditional make-up effects. Both Star Trek and District 9 are in there already, no doubt about it, the only real question is who gets the last spot. I'm placing my bets on either Drag Me To Hell, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, or Where the Wild Things Are. That's it, fast, like I said; on to a little more interesting category, Best Art Direction.

For me, the one to beat here is Avatar, hands down; the world was just so unique and original, it's hard not to put it as the frontrunner. It could get spoiled by either Inglourious Basterds or Nine, but I doubt it. Other hopefuls are Harry Potter, Star Trek, Public Enemies, Bright Star, The Lovely Bones, The Young Victoria, and Sherlock Holmes. Out of all these, Harry Potter, The Lovely Bones, and Sherlock Holmes have the best shot, just the question is which ones. I'd be placing my bets on Holmes and Bones, but Potter has been a solid contender in years past. Now, moving on into the most exciting tech category of this year, Best Visual Effects.

This year is a behemoth of marvelous effects work. From effects driven films like Avatar, District 9, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and Star Trek; to the films that used it sparingly, but effectively, like Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, The Lovely Bones, and Where the Wild Things Are. It's a real tight race this year, but I think with this being such a big year for effects, I'd say only effects driven films are in a prime position to strike, unlike in previous years. Avatar is guaranteed a slot, and is probably the frontrunner as of now, due to its revolutionary motion capture, but District 9 isn't far behind thanks to how well effects house WETA managed to blend the CG perfectly with the live action. I think Transformers is out, since the film was received so poorly, and the third slot will go to Star Trek, which is ILM's dark horse to possibly take the crown away from WETA. Time for the next category, Best Film Editing.

Like Visual Effects, Best Film Editing is one of the more intriguing tech categories this year. I'd venture to say the clear frontrunner is The Hurt Locker, but Avatar isn't far behind. Personally, I'm pulling for either Star Trek or District 9, which were two far better edited pictures, and while these two are in play, I doubt they'll walk away with the prize, but a nomination is entirely possible. Rounding things out, most likely either Nine or Inglourious Basterds, though Up in the Air has a chance to squeak in there due to it's highly stylistic editing, and perhaps even Sherlock Holmes for a similar reason. Finally, the final category for this week, and another scant category it is, Best Costume Design.

Really, there isn't much in fantastic costume design this year. The Young Victoria is the frontrunner here, seeing as how period pieces are all the rave in this category, but then again Nine, Bright Star, and Inglourious Basterds shouldn't be forgotten, nor my choice for a dark horse contender, Sherlock Holmes. Other potentials are Harry Potter, Public Enemies, Star Trek, and Watchmen, but seriously, none of these will win, maybe one will get a nomination, but that's it.

So what are my predictions? Check out below:

Best Cinematography
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Nine
The Hurt Locker
The Lovely Bones
Inglourious Basterds

Best Make-up
District 9
Star Trek
Drag Me To Hell

Best Art Direction
Avatar
Inglourious Basterds
The Lovely Bones
Nine
Sherlock Holmes

Best Visual Effects
Avatar
Star Trek
District 9

Best Film Editing
Star Trek
The Hurt Locker
Up in the Air
Avatar
Inglourious Basterds

Best Costume Design
Inglourious Basterds
The Young Victoria
Sherlock Holmes
Nine
Bright Star

That's it for this week. Tune in next week for the Aural half of the Tech Categories.