Gallery: The Hipsters of Oz

In-house Shutterstock designer, Jordan Roland, gives The Wizard of Oz a "hipster" slant with his new art pieces on the site.  Check out all of the images HERE - my second favorite is the Cowardly Lion with a DEEP v-neck.

News: Evil Dead Remake Updates

Collider recently sat down with Sam Raimi to discuss Ghost House Pictures' upcoming horror flick The Possession and like with any Raimi interview you've simply got to ask some Evil Dead questions - but shame of them for not asking about Evil Dead 4.  And here's what he has to say about the currently shooting remake of the beloved cult classic:

Will it be bloody?

It’s really bloody. It’s so bloody, it will make your head spin. I’ve seen almost all the dailies and they’re really going for it. It’s gonna be grisly and intense and non-stop.

Raimi also confirms that it will most assuredly be rated R... or worse (dun dun dunnnn).

And here he is giving his thoughts on the remake itself and his influence:

Well, I always thought that Evil Dead was a little campfire story that you tell at a camp to kids to scare them at night. But, I don’t think anybody thought it was a beautifully produced, theatrical experience. It was shot in 16mm, all the effects were done for a quarter, and I always thought it could be done in a big screen movie type way that was really high quality with photographic effects. It could still be just as gritty, but it could be done in stereo and not just mono, and it could be done in 35mm versus 16mm. There were a lot of ways to improve it. There could be much better writing than I was capable of, at the time, as an 18-year-old kid writing that screenplay. And honestly, the directing could be a lot better, and the characterizations could be better. I was very happy with it, but it was something that was crudely done and I thought deserved re-exploration. I thought it would be fun and, in fact, it has turned out to be a tremendous amount of fun because it’s like an old melody that you write and you’ve brought in this really great, cool, young, hip jazz musician, and he’s riffing on it and showing you places it could go that you never dreamed. It’s very exciting for me.

But here is where I disagree with Raimi a little.  The reason the original movie is so great is because it was cheap and gritty and you can tell it was made by amateurs with a passion for filmmaking.  Sadly, I fear that a lot of that "heart & soul" will be lost on this polished-up remake, but we shall see.

You can check out the rest of Collider's interview HERE.

Trailer: Sightseers (2012)

Those who know me well (or have at least been paying attention to my blog) know that I like my movies on the twisted side.  After seeing the trailer for the upcoming dark comedy (heavy on the dark) Sightseers, I can't wait to see more.  Not surprisingly, brilliant filmmaker Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) is one of the executive producers for Dan Wheatley's movie.  If you're like me and can handle your comedies with a bit of an edge, check out the trailer below.  Warning:  sex and violence and cursing and stuff.

Teaser Trailer: Passion (2012)

What ever happened to the erotic-thriller?  Movies like Basic Instinct, Fatal Attraction and Bound?  My theory is that the internet's sudden, widespread (no pun intended) access to porn has eroded the mystique of sex and sensuality.  But with the release of Brian DePalma's trailer for Passion (a remake of the French film Love Crime), it looks like at least one director hasn't given up on the sub-genre.  The movie, which is on my top 40 for 2012, involves two competitive career women who get involved romantically and leads to a murderous plot for revenge when one steals the other's business idea.  DePalma already has quite the track record with his erotic thrillers Body Double, Dressed to Kill and Femme Fatale so he is certainly in his comfort zone here.  Having amazing actresses like Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace doesn't hurt either.  The teaser is too short to get a real sense of how good this movie will be, but it is certainly enough to have this blogger interested in finding out.  Check out the trailer below.  Not dirty but adult content... so, you've been warned.

Supercut: Temper Tantrum

A guy named Zach Prewitt (finally a guy on YouTube with a normal handle) edited together some of the movie's best temper tantrums... and it is glorious.  And this is kind of how most Mondays make me feel, so it's fitting for today.  Caution:  adult temper tantrums ahead, so language.

Review: John Carter (2012)

The best way I can think of to sum up this movie is with a quote from Back to the Future:  "Your kids are gonna love it".  The same cannot be said for the rest of us who are older than sixteen.  I knew going into this that is was a Disney production, but had hoped for something that appealed to imaginations of all ages.  What we got was more like a redo of Avatar and Star Wars: Episode I.  The special effects were OK, but far too "busy" rather than well-done (aka the Michael Bay Syndrome).  You'd expect a lot more from a movie that cost a quarter of a billion (with a B) dollars to make - which it barely broke even on with worldwide ticket sales.  To put that into perspective, The Avengers cost $30 million less to make and earned over six times as much.  Ouch!

Adapted from source material that is over 100 years old, science fiction writer Edgar Rice Burroughs' imaginative work holds up surprisingly well.  The story itself involves a Civil War veteran who is transported to Mars after an encounter with a mysterious amulet.  Once there he is taken prisoner by the planet's 12-foot-tall barbarians.  He manages to escape, but while looking for a way to return to Earth runs into a princess who asks for his help in saving her kingdom.  And as Disney as this is and generic as it may sound (apart from the unique location and alien creatures), that's pretty much the story.  Watchable, but as I said it is certainly geared more towards kids than adults.

As for the casting, Friday Night Lights' Taylor Kitsch he certainly fits the boyish hero Disney prototype, but his effeminate features made the scenes where he wore a beard laughable.  Kitsch isn't a bad actor, but he's not all that great either (which doesn't really matter in Hollywood if you've got great abs, following in the footsteps of "but-his-faces" Taylor Lautner, Channing Tatum and Daniel Craig)... and certainly not good enough to carry this over-inflated wannabe blockbuster.  Opposite him was the equally unrecognizable Lynn Collins as the princess who also did an OK job, but nothing spectacular.  They did hire a couple veteran actors, Willem Dafoe and Samantha Morton, but who were relegated to strictly voice work for a couple of the Martians.  Also, Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston had a very small role in the beginning, but surprisingly Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes, RocknRolla) was the only standout actor in the movie.

Where they spent all of the money is still a mystery.  A fairly unimpressive cast.  Decent special effects, but nothing Earth-shattering.  And very generic writing and direction from Andrew Stanton (Wall-E, Finding Nemo), who will likely stick to the animated features he came from.  Ultimately I'd say watch it if you've got kids between 12 and 16, but don't bother if you're an adult looking to watch this on your own.

My Score:  6/10
IMDB Score:  6.8/10

Ferris Bueller Goes Art-Indie In This Recut Trailer

Joseph Brett re-edited Ferris Bueller's Day Off to resemble an indie art flick more along the lines of Goddard or Sophia Coppola and it actually looks bizarrely watchable in it's new form.  Crazy.  Danke schoen, Mr. Brett.

Trailer: Birdemic 2: The Resurrection (2012)

These are strange times we're living in.  Bad has become the new good.  People are enamored with awful reality TV shows, nutrition-deficient fast food, generic pop music and horrible movies.  Thanks in part to the SyFy Channel and the unearned success of Snakes on a Plane, instead of unintentionally making bad movies that people can enjoy as a B-movie disaster, "filmmakers" (I use the term very loosely) are skipping the middleman and making the worst movies they can on purpose... which really takes away from the audience enjoyment of watching a genuine cinematic trainwreck.  But there still are some legitimately bad movies out there.  None better/worse than James Nguyen's Birdemic (you can check out my giddy review  HERE).  Fun at the time, but I thought that was that and went on with my life.  Now, I wake up today to see a trailer for the sequel and a poster with that tagline "You asked for it".  Sorry James Nguyen, but I certainly didn't ask for this.  Feast your eyes on this trailer for the follow up, before his $5 bird special effects feast on you.  And like the infamous Futurama meme, not sure if serious... or just trolling.  Judge for yourself, if you dare:

Taken Nemo

What do you get when YouTuber Stebbokun mashes up the trailers for Finding Nemo and Taken?  Check out the video below to see for yourself.  Only slightly creeptastic.

News: Troma Ain't Dead... Yet.

Very few of my readers will know what a Troma movie is and those who I've introduced them to one are probably still holding it against me (sorry, Kelly and Anne).  For those who aren't familiar, Troma is an uber-campy film company that was founded in 1974 and focused on very cheap, very off-the-wall movies.  The most popular of their films was 1984's The Toxic Avenger, about a dorky weakling who falls into a barrel of toxic sludge and mutates into a deformed, bulked up superhero.  Maybe not popular enough to warrant it's three sequels and animated series spinoff, but certainly a cult classic for fans of Troma movies (like myself).  But as of recently their movies have all but disappeared and the ones that they're pumping out are only a mere shade of their glory days.

It's been 12 years since the fourth installment of the ugly green superhero and suddenly out of nowhere TwitchFilm.com is reporting that not only is a remake in the works but that John Travolta is somehow attached to headline.  Although it seems at first blush to be an odd fit, go back and look at some of his recent films (From Paris with Love, Old Dogs, Wild Hogs, Domestic Disturbance).  He's about as discriminate about his movie roles as he is with his masseuses (oh, snap).  And considering his casting in the Hairspray remake, he's shown that he's not afraid of retro campiness and although his brand is fading could still bring some attention to this little goofy movie.

Lloyd Kaufman, make this happen! 

Trailer: The Letter (2012)

I would expect to see this movie with these actors in the early 2000s when Winona Ryder's career was falling into obscurity and a little-known actor James Franco was starting to rise up.  I double-checked and this movie is a 2012 release.  Not incredibly surprising as Franco has been known to take just about any role, just for the hell of it (General Hospital, for example).  At first viewing of the trailer, it appears this indie thriller may have something going for it, but we shall see.  Check out the premise and the oddly matched actors below:

Star Wars as an 80's Teen Movie

What the cool!?  Artist Denis Medri recreated Star Wars characters as if it was filmed in the 80's in the form of a teen action/adventure flick... and it's pretty dead on.  It doesn't (and never will) exist, but if it did I would watch the heck out of this!  Click on this LINK to see his full line of re-imagined portraits.  Iif you're a Star Wars fan and grew up in the 80's, trust me when I say it's worth the 3 minutes of your life.

Honest Trailers: The Hunger Games

Humorists over at Screen Junkies continue their hilarious parody series by lampooning the generally disappointing adaptation of The Hunger Games.  In it they're pretty spot on with their call outs of the lack of chemistry between the leads, the miscasting and Jennifer Lawrence's stupid face.  If you're like me and liked the book series, but felt that the movie version was a little (or a lot) off the mark, then check this out.  The curse words and innuendo are bleeped out, but a bit vulgar nonetheless (if that sort of thing offends you).

(Red Band) Faux Trailer: The Daredevil That Almost Was

Unless you're a little bit of a nerd, you probably don't even know who Daredevil is.  And unless you're a lot more of a nerd, you're certainly unaware that the rights to the superhero are about to expire over at Fox and revert back to Marvel studios.  Well, as Fox was still trying to reboot this property (you may recall the first unsuccessful attempt with Ben Affleck behind the horns) they had secured writer/director Joe Carnahan (Smokin' Aces, The A-Team, The Grey) who put together a spec trailer to show his vision.  Sadly, it wasn't until the 11th hour that he released this trailer to the public - edited together with archival footage and frames from the comic - and it is a doozy!  Check out the trailer below and you'll see his very bleak, retro take on the underrated comic book character.  It's "red band" so it's for adults... and it's "holy effin' esss" awesome!

Because It's Shark Week!

The Huffington Post edited together a pretty awesome video compilation of shark attacks from the movies.  With the exception of few (or really just Jaws), they come to us from the awful movies you'll find on the SyFy channel, but it's still worth a watch if you can't get enough shark.  Warning:  bad language and... well... freakin' sharks eating people.  Enjoy:

100 Maniacal Laughs

They say that watching video of people laughing with subconsciously make you happier.  If the same is true of maniacal laughs, then you're probably going to do something a little bit evil after watching this video.  YouTuber Honsco edits together 100 of the greatest maniacal laughs in just over 6 minutes.  Wonderfully crazy.

WTF: Wizard of Meh by POGO

Remix artist samples from The Wizard of Oz with creepy (yet hypnotic) results.  Also, nice pipe, bro.  Warning:  Do NOT take Ambien and then watch this!

Trailer: Seven Psychopaths (2012)

Loaded with stars, this off-the-wall dark comedy involves three small time crooks (Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken) who mistakenly kidnap a pet Shih Tzu from a big time crook (Woody Harrelson).  You're typical "on the run" premise, with a very atypical cast.  Written and directed by Martin McDonagh of In Bruges, which a whole lotta people liked... not me, but a whole lot of other people did... so there's that.  Regardless, the trailer is mildly funny and looks like it could be great or fall completely flat.  But it sure makes you want to find out which.  Check it out:

Humor: "Baby Got Back" Sung by the Movies (And Some TV)

Holy crap!  It's only Monday, but this is the coolest thing that you're going to see all week.  YouTuber DonDraperSaysWhat of "Don't Stop Believing" Sung by the Movies fame (which you can also check out HERE) has one-upped his game and edited together movie and TV clips to cover the classic Sir Mix-A-Lot ditty.  Oh and it is SO glorious.  Behold:

(Red Band) Trailer: The Loft (2012)

This remake of the 2008 Belgian thriller (which apparently was also remade in 2010 in the Netherlands for some reason) looks to be an exact replica of the original - as anticipated.  When the hired the same director, Erik Van Looy, I knew it would be the same style, but the trailer makes it very clear that this is the same play with different actors.  Luckily for most, the original movie is still near impossible to track down in the United States, although I have my ways and you can check out my full (relatively spoiler free) review HERE.  For those unfamiliar with the movie, this is a mystery-thriller about five male friends who all go in on a bachelor's loft despite the fact that none of them are really "single".  But their infidelity is quickly overshadowed by something more sinister when they find the dead body of a naked woman in their apartment.  Each of the men suspects the other as they try to uncover the killer.

Check out the stylish trailer below, but be warned that it is red band, which means adult language and some nudity - if you can handle it:

Trailer: Antiviral (2012)

It's been well over 10 years since shock-meister David Cronenberg has veered away from his early signature off-the-wall style for more dramatic thrillers (although Cosmopolis may change that).  But fear not, it appears that his son Brandon is ready to take the reigns with this very creepy, yet very topical horror movie. The movie is set in a (probably) not too far out future where the celebrity-obsessed pay to be infected with viruses of their idols to get as close to them as they possibly can.  The scariest part of this premise is that I can see this happening in my lifetime considering the level of idiocy on our planet.  Check out the skin-crawling trailer, but be warned that it comes with a healthy dose of gross:

(Most Excellent) News: Bill & Ted 3 Gets A Director

Rumors and speculation have officially turned into pre-production this week when Vulture reported that Bill & Ted creators Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson have hired director Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest, Fun with Dick and Jane).  That's combined with the news that both Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are on board to star in the sequel.  No word on a plot yet, but last year Reeves mentioned in an interview that the script they were working on involved the grown up rockers who were still trying to write the song that was supposed to save the world and become obsessed with trying to fulfill their most excellent destiny.  Obviously Rufus (George Carlin, R.I.P.) will not be making an appearance in this movie, but would be totally awesome if the Grim Reaper (William Sadler) came back for at least a cameo appearance.  Details will certainly be revealed over the next few months, but if you're a die-hard B&T fan, you can follow them through the movie's unofficial website HERE.

Movie Cliche: Movie Titles In Movies

Quite possibly the most cheesy of movie cliches is hearing the title in the movie's dialogue.  Well, YouTuber Honsco has edited together 80 such occasions in 2 minutes for your... amusement?  Some of these I didn't even realize fell into this prestigious category.  Check it out!

ALF: The Movie!?

In continuing with their trend of being 20 years late to the party, Hollywood is planning a movie adaptation of the old TV show ALF.  For those who didn't grow up in the late 80's, ALF is about a not-so-politically-correct, furry alien who lives with an average family trying to keep his existence a secret while he attempts to eat his favorite delicacy... cats.  Yes, this was really a TV show and it lasted 5 years.  Now, Sony is working on a movie adaptation of the show despite the fact that many of the show's original fans could give a crap.  They've even gone as far as to secure the original creators Tom Patchett and Paul Fusco (who also voices ALF) to start work on a live-action/CGI movie in the vein of The Smurfs which made a lot of undeserved dough.  So naturally, why not ALF?  This, as my hockey friend Angie says, is going to be a sh!t show.

This Should Exist: Shaun of the Dead Video Game

As part of an art series entitled Gallery 1988's Crazy 4 Cult showing in New York, artist Aled Lewis has created a faux screenshot of what a Shaun of the Dead video game might have looked like back in the late 80's.  Awesome, but sadly non-existent.  Yay and Boo.

Geekonomics: The Cost of Being Batman

We all know that Bruce Wayne is rich.  But exactly how rich does someone need to be to fund their superhero alter ego?  The folks over at moneysupermarket.com decided to do the math and put together one pretty cool infographic with their findings.  Check it out and start saving up if you'd like to fight crime like the caped crusader yourself:

Movie Sacrilege: A Shining Prequel?

Stephen King has a wildly twisted imagination, trademark writing style and also a history of not really "getting" how to adapt his stories into movies.  Take Stanley Kubrick's take on The Shining, widely considered to be one of the top 5 horror movies of all time (certainly one of my personal favorites), but when King saw it he was furiously disappointed.  Really, dude?  So in 1997 he had a mini-series adaptation made that was more true to his story... and it sucked.  Yet, he prefers this to the original movie.  Now as he's preparing to release a book sequel to The Shining called Doctor Sleep, news broke recently that he's also working on a movie prequel to the original.  Really, dude?  Though no details have yet been released, it appears he's at least given the reigns to a trio of promising writers, Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island), James Vanderbuilt (Zodiac, The Amazing Spider-Man) and newcomer Bradley Fischer.  As uninterested as I am in seeing a prequel for this movie, let's at least hope that King goes with a first-rate director this time.  More news to come... unfortunately.

Trailer: The Day (2011)

With zombies trending harder even than our nation's newly re-energized love affair with bacon, I think too many filmmakers forgot what really makes post-apocalyptic stories so great.  For me it's always been the human vs. human aspect... living humans, that is.  Known more for his work as an assistant director for guys like Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, Douglas Aarniokoski looks to make a name for himself with the gritty, washed-out post-apocalyptic thriller The Day.  Though I don't have much faith in the second tier acting troupe (Dominic Monaghan, Shannyn Sossamon, Shawn Ashmore and Ashley Bell), it looks like a simple enough concept where the acting may be secondary to the visual appeal.  Though officially finished in 2011 and trekking the festival circuit, it will finally get a wider release later this month (Aug. 29th).  Check out the slick trailer below:

Humor: The Pre-Mortem One-Liner

YouTuber Ziccup has done it again.  This time with an awesome supercut of a bunch of classic one-liners preceding all kinds of death and destruction.  And it's got Bruce Campbell, so what more could you want?  Warning: foul language (because "Gosh Darnit" doesn't really capture the essense of "Ima Kill You"):

News: Take Shelter Director To Play With Fusion

Director Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter) is currently promoting his most recent movie Mud in the festival circuit, which stars Matthew McConaughey as a fugitive on the run who eludes authorities with the help of two teenage boys.  And even though Mud doesn't have an official release date yet, Nichols is looking forward to his next project, The Boy Who Played with Fusion.  Much like his other amazing movies, it will focus on abnormal situations in the normal world.  Based on the amazing true story of a 14-year-old genius who became the youngest person to achieve nuclear fission and then focused on cancer-curing isotopes when his grandmother was diagnosed with cancer.  The movie will be juxtaposed against another true story of a less nurtured young man in Michigan who tried to build a reactor in his backyard with slightly different results.  Nichols has a unique way of creating audience engagement through drama and the connections between characters instead of head-spinning edits and 'splosions like far too many movies these days.  Can't wait to see Mud (despite McConaughey) and am really looking forward to hearing more about Fusion.

Why!? Rush Hour 4 Is Happening...

I liked the first Rush Hour, but quickly tired of everyone over-quoting the movie (thanks, everyone).  Then the inevitable sequel followed three years later and was surprisingly not bad.  Ok, good job guys.  Another six years passed and they decided to squeeze a little more out... and it was horrid.  Nice run, but we're all done here.  Now, five years after (with an over-inflated Chris Tucker and a "retired-from-action-movies" Jackie Chan) producer Arthur Sarkissian confirmed that they're working on the details for an ill-fated fourth installment.  And although they're bringing Tucker and Chan back he also stated that they will be introducing two new characters to revitalize the franchise.  His words bring to mind some awful cross-breed between The Fast and The Furious (another crap franchise) and 21 Jump Street (not a bad concept, but missed the mark with the overrated, unfunny combo of Tatum and Hill).  Either way, I can tell right now that this is not going to be pretty... and this will probably be the last you'll hear me speak of it.  Unless it's worse than I can imagine.  Is anyone making (or interested in) good movies anymore?