SDCC unveils NEW Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Trailer

Holy shit. My geek brain can't seem to be able handle all the cool shit hitting SDCC this weekend, as more and more amazing trailers, footage and new keeps pouring out by the  minute.

Here's the new OFFICIAL trailer just unveiled, which brought down the house to a standing ovation. It's EPIC, and most importantly......intense. Immediately there are a few things worth noting;
1) Affleck nails his Bruce Wayne and Batman.
2) The amount of characters introduced are enough to make your head spin, in an awesome way.
3) Looks like director Zak Snyder ditched the shaky-cam method he overused in Man of Steel, and the result is a gorgeous looking film.

I can't fucking wait!

Ash vs Evil Dead | Official Trailer | STARZ

Alright you primitive screwheads. Surely by now you've seen this as it's been ALL OVER THE DAMN INTERNET. If you haven't, prepare to cream your pants. It's pretty much everything I hoped for in a new Evil Dead film and more, except much more since this is a series. Words can't even begin to describe the amount of "AWESOME" on display in here. Have a jizz rag handy.

The Death of "Superman Lives", What Happened?

2015
Directed by: Jon Schnepp
Category: Documentary

Ever since I first heard about the creation and progression of this documentary for what seems like years now, I had been waiting in vain for word of it's eventual release. Through a rather large crowd-funding campaign, the film ultimately raised the financing needed to produce this thoroughly entertaining doc, yet it seemed like it took a considerably long time. But then again, writer/director Jon Schnepp had a LOT of information to comb through. Once you finally see this, you'll know just what I'm talking about.

Superman Lives was going to be an insane Superman movie. I won't even spoil it for you because if you haven't already read about it by now, watching this comprehensive and exhaustively researched doc will be a much better experience going in cold. But some of the biggest bits of info that you're surely aware of by now is that it was written by a very young Kevin Smith (only to be re-written by two other writers), was to be directed by none other than Tim Burton, and star Nicolas Cage; sometimes sporting long hair, sometimes not. Everything in this strange Superman tale just screamed bizarre, from the production design, to the storyline, Christopher Walken as Brainiac!, and most importantly, to the "look" of Kal-El himself. I can't even begin to fathom or understand what they were all thinking, which this documentary will answer for you, but rest assured, it was going to be a batshit insane Superman movie. During it's inception, they were pretty much given an unlimited budget, allowing them to go all out nuts on this, yet it was pretty certain that only a good half of what they came up with ultimately would have ended up on screen, as is the norm in this process.

But of course, because Warner Bros were having a bit of a losing streak back in '97-'98, they ultimately decided to shut down production on this $400 million dollar film after months of painstaking pre-production. It's such a fascinating idea, and an even more fascinating story when you see everyone involved, including effects master Steve Johnson describe what they wanted for a few of Superman's bizarre suits, but most importantly, the always entertaining Kevin Smith and Tim Burton himself, who just kind of seems bored and confused throughout his interviews. I don't even think he knew what kind of Superman film he was going after, but one thing's for sure, it would have been a helluva crazy film. I have to admit though, I think the most entertaining character interviewed was hands-down mega producer Jon Peters. Wow. That guy is a character all his own and listening to the crazy shit he demanded from the production, most notably, writer Kevin Smith, will leave you howling with laughter. But the words coming out of his own mouth, and his proclamations, will leave your side's hurting from laughter as well. The guy's a fucking nut.
The Death of "Superman Lives", What Happened? became available to stream and purchase yesterday, July 9th, and you can only get it directly from their official site HERE.

I bought it digitally immediately, and trust me, it's worth the purchase. A great watch indeed and when I screened it for my movie group, we had a blast. If anything, if you love comics, comic book movies and just "what could have been", watch this documentary. My only real gripe is that I would have liked to have seen new interviews with Cage himself, who's surprisingly absent for this. While we do get some vintage spots of him discussing Superman Lives, it would be fascinating to hear what he has to say today about all this.

Review: Jupiter Ascending

2015
Directed by: The Wachowski's
Category: Science Fiction

With Jupiter Ascending, the Wachowski's deliver their 3rd big-budget box office bomb in a row. Yet, I was told on numerous occasions to not read too much into the numbers, and that it's a better film than you'd expect. Since I did in fact like Cloud Atlas, their last flop, I thought maybe they were on to something.

There are a lot of things about Jupiter Ascending that are impressive, namely it's massive budget, but unfortunately there are too many things working against it. For starters, it's terribly miscast. While I have no problem with Channing Tatum or Mila Kunis in general (I think they're both fine), they're all wrong for these roles. Not that changing the actors would have saved this mess, because it wouldn't. But if we at least had two more "likable" actors cast, actors that didn't seem bored or lost the entire time, then maybe it would have been more tolerable.

While the Wachowski's really shined with the first Matrix, and less so with it's muddled sequels, it's become painfully clear that that first Matrix film was a fluke. Nothing they've done since has garnered any of the same kind of "awe" that the original Matrix film did. Yet, every few years a new project is announced, and each with a huge budget and screaming EPIC. But I can never really muster any kind of excitement for them anymore. So when trailers for Jupiter Ascending starting hitting, while it did indeed make the film look epic, they still didn't get me excited. Flash forward a few months where I finally sat down to watch this and my initial feelings are exactly the same.

The problem with Jupiter Ascending is that while the Wachowski's attempt to tell an epic story involving different planets, worlds, a lost and forgotten princess, half-man/half-animal hybrids, and superior technology, none of it is very exciting. I found it all rather bland and uninteresting. Even the elaborate action sequences began to feel cumbersome. Then there's the overindulgence of CGI. Though I was surprised to see that a good half of the film does take place on planet Earth utilizing actual locations (Gasp!), with the other half spent in space and looking like what Dune In Space would look like. It's in these space sequences where JA becomes tedious. The effects work, which make up about 99% of what you see on screen in these sequences look like what you'd expect CGI effects work to look like these days, and not what they "should" look like. Nothing looks real, and nothing looks impressive anymore. Gone are the days when the Wachowski's were pioneers in the effects world, and what we now get is by-the-numbers over-reliance on CGI that takes away so much of the flavor of the scene. The effects work is as good as you'd expect, nothing more, nothing less.

A friend of mine had commented that he had no idea that Wachowski's were the ones behind this. I Matrix films. They change up styles so often that you'd never be able to categorize their visual stamp. Maybe that's a good thing? Personally I don't think so. But with JA, it all looked so bland and uninteresting. It looked like "anybody" could have directed it. Nothing in here was definable, and to be honest, so much of the design of everything looks corny, like the throwaway designs for Dune (1984) that weren't used. Instead of trying to impress us, the design of everything (sets/costumes/production) just comes off as "seen it all before" and tacky.
think that speaks volumes. No single Wachowski film looks or feels the same, except for the 3

I think a lot of my issues with this film would have been overlooked had the film at least been interesting. Sadly though, the entire thing feels like it's just running through the motions, not really offering anything in the way of fun or excitement. Worst of all, you just don't "care" about anything that's going on.

On a side note, after having finally seen it, I can kind of understand why and how it severely under-performed in theaters. It's easy to see that it was extremely difficult to market this thing, since it's hard to gauge what tone it's trying to go for. The odd tonal shifts left and right make for a jarring experience for sure, with several different storylines taking place that just come off as completely unnecessary. The same could be said about Cloud Atlas, but at least that film was enjoyable for it's unique take, which isn't the case here. The trailers we ultimately got didn't do this film any favors, and hardly captures what the film is really about or what it's trying to be. My first thought when this was over was "Wow, they really dropped the ball with the trailers on this one", yet it still wouldn't have made a bit of difference. It's a tedious, bland and boring experience with no real inspiration or charm.

Review: Starry Eyes

2014
Directed by:
Category: Horror

Starry Eyes had been on my Netflix list for what seems like ages now. I first discovered it on a slew of horror sites I follow, with most of the consensus being that it's very good. Then when Netflix added it to their streaming site a few months ago I immediately added it. Yet every time I sat down to pick something to watch, I'd always pass over this one....I don't know why. I guess because I really didn't know too much about it and of all the positive things I'd read, none of them were all that enticing. But about a week ago I finally decided to throw it on, so here we go.

Starry Eyes surprised me for a number of reasons. For one, it was much better than I expected it to be, and secondly, it provided some really top-notch touches on pretty much all fronts, offering up some a stellar performance from the lead, some great visuals, and a killer score riding on the wave of the 80's synth resurgence. A really great score I might add.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, and I'm glad I went in blindly. This film went in directions I wasn't expecting, and the tonal shifts really threw me off, but in a good way. When it all comes together in the end, the "message" of the film is loud and clear, and though I wasn't quite sure what that message was while I was watching it, when you've had time to sit and process the images you've just seen, it's pretty obvious. I won't spoil anything for you by telling you what it's about or what it all means, but judging from the synopsis on any site you rent this from, you'll get a very "basic" rundown. All you really need to know is it's about a struggling actress who will do anything to hit it big.

Lead actress Alex Essoe is a revelation. Watching her transform as the story progresses is sometimes unsettling, yet always a treat. Her ability to make you care for her, under some questionable circumstances, is a testament to her acting chops. There are moments here where she's just raw, emotionally and physically, and oftentimes, it was unnerving. I look forward to seeing more of what she has to offer in the future.

Ultimately I enjoyed this way more than I expected to. A bit of a slow start only adds to it's purposeful tension-filled slow build-up to it's satisfying conclusion. It's an intimate film, made with passion and understanding of character development and story progression. Things happen for a reason, not just "because". I found myself thinking long and hard about what had just transpired, especially in the last act, and that's one of the things I liked most about Starry Eyes. It doesn't necessarily explain everything to you, which is a little refreshing to be honest. You have to think and use your brain.

I don't think this will go down as a classic in the horror genre, but it's a damn good film regardless. On a technical level, it's made remarkably well. On a narrative one, it's better than you expect.

Quick Shot Review: Terminator Genisys

2015
Directed by: Alan Taylor
Category: Sci-Fi/Action

While I liked Terminator Genisys, I didn't love it. The first act is solid, but the rest of the film feels tedious. Lots of explaining about the alternate timelines, but none of it feels important or worth remembering. It's all very complicated when it shouldn't be. I felt Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World) did a solid job in the directors chair, especially in the first act when it takes place in the future and then in recreating scenes from the first film, but none of it is very memorable or exciting, especially in the second and third acts. However, I did really enjoy the recreated sequences in the beginning. I guess nostalgia took over, and seeing specific scenes reshot almost identical was fun, and then seeing an old Arnold fighting a young Arnold was just awesome. Much like the last 2 Terminator films though, this one just kind of feels unnecessary; it's only real purpose to give us an excuse for more sequels, which we don't really need.  31 years after the first low-budget B-Movie original, and 24 years after T2, 3 other Terminator films still haven't come close to the magic of those two original films in the series.

All the silly playful banter in here really threw me off too, giving us a more "light" Terminator film than we're used to. I don't know, there's just something about the way James Cameron makes and puts films together that works. Even on a smaller budget and scale, he was able to make T2 far more exciting and entertaining than the last 3 films combined. There's nothing about Terminator Genisys that will make me want to ever revisit it again, unless it's playing for free on television. But watching Arnold kill it was a revelation, easily being the best thing about this entry. With that being said, great effects (better than the trailers lead you to believe), Arnold is just FANTASTIC in this, and Emilia Clarke is so damn cute. I never realized how small she was!

Short Film Spotlight: Hardcore

Last night during our Extreme Horror Night screening of the low-budget "lost" slasher Headless, we were discussing films, as we always do, and the talk turned to my recent viewing of Chappie, which in turn became a discussion on the ever-great Sharlto Copley. Then someone asked if I had seen the short film Hardcore, and none of us had, or even heard of it.

Apparently it's a short film, intended to get investors interested for a possible full-length feature film. It's shot POV style, co-stars the excellent Sharlto Copley, and is arguably one of the most badass action sequences I've ever seen. And that's really all this is; a 3 minute long action sequence, and it will blow your mind.

Take 3 minutes out of your day and prepare to be amazed.

As of this post, the film has already been shot and edited. The crowdfunding campaign was a success and they were able to reach they're goal to complete the film. Now we just wait for it's eventual release date. Badass!

For more information, you can check out their official website HERE.

Review: Chappie

2015
Directed by: Neill Blomkamp
Category: Science Fiction

Sadly, I fed into the consensus that Chappie was a bad film. I read too many reviews that panned Neill Blomkamp's follow up to District 9 and Elysium as nonsensical, amateurish and silly. Because of this, I had no desire to shell out my hard earned money to see this in the theater. But recently a friend of mine suggested that I give it a chance, that it's a great science fiction film, and while it's not perfect, it's not nearly as terrible as critics have made it out to be. With Chappie finally being available to rent at home, I jumped on the chance, and I'm so glad I did.

I hate when I feed into all the crap the major critics have to say about something. I always tell myself I'll never fall for it, but more often than not, I do, and Chappie was no exception. The trailers didn't really seem to help either. I couldn't tell what kind of film it was supposed to be, but I still held out hope that Blomkamp could deliver another standout like he did with District 9. But then I started thinking how much Elysium left me severely underwhelmed, and thought maybe he lost his ability to deliver something great? So I stayed away, and after having finally seen it, I regret that decision.

By no means a perfect film, Chappie surely doesn't deserve all the negativity it has received. Sure it's not without it's problems, but I doubt that Blomkamp ever intended to reinvent the fucking genre with this film, or prove artificial intelligence with some hard science. I think people oftentimes lose sight of what the intention was, and that's to entertain.

With Chappie, writer/director Neill Blomkamp displays much more of a stylistic flare, more so than in his 2 previous films. After Elysium, I wondered if District 9 was a fluke in terms of his impressive camerawork, because with Elysium I just didn't see the same aesthetic that I loved in District 9. But with Chappie, he brings back the pizzazz and I personally found it his most aesthetically impressive film to date.

I think everyone's major gripe was that the film is uneven, and I can only agree. Sometimes dark and violent, sometimes funny, and sometimes lighthearted, it's constantly changing tone threw me off from time to time, but when I stopped trying to figure out what type of film this is supposed to be, I enjoyed it. It's an immensely entertaining film, made with talent and a confidence that reminds me that Neill Blomkamp "will" be the right man for the job when it comes time to offer up the next Alien film.

One of the more surprising aspects - and there were many - of this film was it's stellar International cast representing all corners of the globe. With so much of the trailer focused on Chappie himself, I was surprised to see Hugh Jackman (Australian), Sigourney Weaver (American), Dev Patel (Indian), Anderson Cooper (American), and most shocking, Yo-Landi Visser & Ninja (South Africa), who make up the South African rap group Die Antwoord. And guess what? Visser and Ninja are surprisingly good actors. Who knew?! Hell, there's even a Hispanic in here, playing of course, a gang member.

The film plays with familiar themes, so there's nothing in here we haven't seen before. For instance, I found a lot of similarities to Short Circuit, in terms of Chappie being an artificial intelligence and believing it's alive. The ever-capable and Blomkamp regular Sharlto Copley supplied the voice of Chappie, and it's really through his voice that Chappie comes to life. Moments of sadness, anger, frustration, and excitement are all brought to the surface through Copley's vocal talent. Sure, Chappie looks amazing. So much so that you honestly can't tell he's CGI; you'd swear it was an actual practical robotic effect. But it' Sharlto Copley who does the magic and gives Chappie the personality that sells everything.

The entire cast is pretty outstanding all around. It was strange seeing Jackman as a villain, but he's eerily effective. But the ones who surprised me the most were the duo that make up Die Antwoord, who go by Ninja and Yo-Landi Visser. I had heard of them as my girlfriend likes their music, but I was rather shocked to see them pull out some impressive acting abilities in this, essentially looking like themselves, and assuming acting like themselves as well. But still, what could have been a disaster in the casting department, really lends a bit of authenticity to these two characters having cast them.

A bit uneven at times, I found a lot to love about this latest science fiction film from Neill Blomkamp. While District 9 is still his standout, I think Chappie easily falls a close second. I found myself always surprised at the direction this film took, as it kept veering left and then right, and never the way you expect it to. Incredible effects work, impressive camerawork, and a knockout cast deliver a helluva fun ride. I'm  more confident than ever that Blomkamp can deliver a badass Alien sequel.

Revisiting Albert Pyun's Captain America

1990
Directed by: Albert Pyun

When I revisited this film years ago, I remember thinking it was laughably terrible. How naive I was then. In all seriousness, I have to admit that I think I judged it too harshly, and to this day, feel terrible about it, because I know since then that Albert Pyun himself has read that review, as well as many others I've done on his films, and I'd do anything to take some of those hurtful comments and critiques back.

Since then, I've slowly come to appreciate this camp classic, as my appreciation for this character, Albert Pyun, and this type of film in general has grown. Within this past year especially, my love for campy comic book adaptations has grown considerably, as has my love for Albert Pyun directed films. I wish I could say why I felt the need to be so harsh before, but I can't. There is no answer really. They were feelings I had at the time, and thankfully, my feelings have changed since then. But anyway, moving on. After reading many interviews, and hearing from Albert Pyun's own words in his commentary on his self-released Directors Cut, it's painfully apparent his hands were tied. So much so that we're lucky we even got what ultimately ended up on screen in the final released version. I'm not going to say I agree with every choice he made, because I don't. But for the most part, he did the best he could under rigorous circumstances, and I applaud and commend him for what he was ultimately able to pull off on such an increasingly limited budget.

In the plus department, Albert Pyun directs Captain America with gusto. While there were a few shots I would have done differently, for the most part he pulls this film off with his signature style that he's become known for. I'm glad he directed this in 1989 and not recently, where he's now become more known for his use of green-screen than filming on actual location. I miss those days. His films now have a drastically different feel, approach, and vibe altogether, and I've struggled to get excited about an Albert Pyun project since his days in the 80's and 90's when he turned out stylish films like Cyborg, Nemesis, Brainsmasher, Knights, Captain America, and Dollman to name a few. But thankfully Marvel's low-budget Cap film falls within this timeline and Pyun, as a visual filmmaker, is in top form.

While the film is lacking in a lot of action, when there is action, it's really impressive. And that's really the most frustrating thing about this film. There are genuine moments of "awesome" and "beauty" in some of his action sequences here, but they're far too brief, and you can't help but think what kind of Captain America film we could have gotten had he been given free reign to do what he wanted. For instance, in an interview found under the Special Features on the Blu ray, he says that originally he wanted another actor to be Captain America when he transformed from a weakling with polio. In fact, he wanted football hero Howie Long to don the costume. But the studio refused. And if memory serves me, I remember in a previous interview where Pyun stated that he wanted to take the dramatic approach, and rely less on action in this version, but I could be wrong. If that's the case, then maybe the lack of action isn't entirely the studio's fault or the fact that money was drying up fast. In either case, the few action sequences we do get are outstanding. If only there was more in here. There always feels like there should be more.

Since money was virtually nonexistent, they shot most of this film in Yugoslavia, with the third act almost taking place entirely in a huge castle. It's with these locations where Captain America really shines, and makes the film look and seem bigger than it actually is. It's with the final act where Pyun really struts his stuff and gives us some excellent camerawork, utilizing his surroundings to the best of his ability.

Another thing you'll notice, like my 12 year old did, is that this film is oddly edited. One could argue that it's over-edited, if that's even a term. There are a number of action sequences where it appears a good 10 different cuts were used to comprise a shot that takes 5 seconds. Meaning, if there's a shot of Cap jumping on a ledge, it looks like either there were 5 different camera's filming this one sequence and edited together, or they shot it repeatedly, and combined all best takes. It's a little jarring at times, and almost comes off as strange, but in an odd way, adds a little bit of excitement to the action sequence.

Massive plotholes aside, if you can try to overlook the amazing number of things that just don't make sense, then you can appreciate this little slice of low-budget awesome. The costume design is great, and Albert Pyun's direction is solid. It could have used a better score and more action, but it sports an impressive cast, some solid action, and an air of camp that is sadly missing from films like this. All that is to say is that I love it. I can overlook the films less impressive aspects, and praise it for it's many positive ones.