First Quarter Preview: Slim pickings from January to March

Even though we're still a month and a half away from the end of Awards Season 09-10, we shouldn't forget that there are other movies coming out; movies from the current year. That said, January, February, and March don't offer a whole lot, even on the indie side of things (I'm done with giving Noah Baumbach chances, so I'm not wasting time in the theater on Greenberg). So what of interest is left? Not much. And by not much, I mean that one of the entries on this list is still technically a 2009 film. Please, pleeeeeeeease tell me that 2010 will pick up as the year goes on. That whining aside, here are seven (ish) reasons to go to the theater for something new, and not for whatever Oscar hopefuls are still on your checklist.

7. Last Night dir. Massy Tadjedin: March 19th [Limited]
What's it all about?: A husband and wife, while apart due to the husband being on a business trip, both flirt with temptation as the husband travels with an attractive co-worker and the wife accidentally meets up with a former flame.
Who's in it?: Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, Eva Mendes, Guillaume Canet
Why?:

• Interesting, character-driven premise
• Young, attractive, and generally talented cast (the verdict's still out on Mendes)

Why Not?:

• No trailer, no poster, no buzz.
• Knightley and Worthington can be very good...or very bland.

6. Green Zone dir. Paul Greengrass: March 12th [Wide]
What's it all about?: After discovering faulty intelligence, a US Army officer goes rogue to find WMD's.
Who's in it?: Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Amy Ryan, Brendan Gleeson, Jason Isaacs
Why?:

• Great cast led by the generally reliable Damon, who has proven himself as a quality leading man for action flicks.
  
• Greengrass knows how to turn gritty action into thrilling cinema (Bourne 2 and 3).
• Could be a nice substitute if Bourne 4 never materializes.

Why Not?:

• The action-packed trailer is curiously uninteresting, despite the subject matter.
• Could end up trivializing the war angle in favor of bigger, louder, action scenes.

5. The Wolfman dir. Joe Johnston: February 12th [Wide]
What's it all about?: [from Imdb] After returning to his ancestral home, an American is bitten and cursed by a werewolf.
Who's in it?: Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt, Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving
Why?:

• Has the potential to be a classy-yet-gory period horror flick.
• Wonderful cast, and decent trailer showcasing the moody period ambiance.
• Anthony Hopkins compared Blunt to a young Jodie Foster during/after filming.

Why Not?:

• Re-shoots were ordered, and the film has already been pushed back a few times.
• The design of the wolfman himself has been altered (from being on all fours to a more upright, bipedal form....or it might be the other way around).
• Decent-to-mixed buzz from test screenings.

4. Alice in Wonderland dir. Tim Burton: March 5th [Wide]
What's it all about?: 10 years after she first went down the rabbit hole, Alice returns to Wonderland after finding out about her arranged marriage, only to find that the Red Queen has taken control.
Who's in it?: Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Michael Sheen, Alan Rickman, Christopher Lee
Why?:

• Wonderful, wonderful cast, filling all of the right roles (Bonham Carter looks hysterical).
• Not only is it not a direct remake, it's based off of parts of Lewis Carroll's books that weren't featured in the classic Disney cartoon version.
• The mix of live action and CGI is beautiful, albeit cartoony.
• Mia Wasikowska has proven her talent on the TV show "In Treatment".
  
• Alice wearing battle armor. 'Nuff said.

Why Not?:

• Is Johnny Depp's role too prominent? The title is ALICE in Wonderland, not The Mad Hatter in Wonderland, after all.
• Will the CGI/live action blend somehow backfire?
• It's yet another Burton film that isn't original. Seriously, when is he going to make another Edward Scissorhands-esque movie?

3. Clash of the Titans dir. Louis Leterrier: March 26th [Wide]
What's it all about?: A man born of a god, Perseus, must try to stop the minions of the underworld from breaking free to wreak havoc on the earth.
Who's in it?: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Pete Postlethwaite, Gemma Artreton, Alexa Davalos, Danny Huston
Why?:

• Rockin' trailer.
  
• Finally, a halfway decent movie rooted in Greek mythology (special effects have come a long way since the original film was made).
• The studio has enough faith in the film that it's actually being given MORE money to film extras scenes and add in more gods/monsters.
• Sam Worthington officially takes his place as the new king of sci-fi/fantasy blockbusters.
• Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes as feuding gods: Schindler vs. Goeth was nothing compared to Zeus vs. Hades.

Why Not?:

• Louis Leterrier isn't the best director, even for action driven films; his Hulk reboot was brain dead when it wasn't in action mode.
• Could the added gods/monsters result in an overcrowded film with forced appearances from famed mythological creatures?
• Is Worthington going to deliver the same level of bland "tough leading man" schtick as in Avatar?

2. A Prophet (Un Prophete) dir. Jacques Audiard: February 12th [Limited]
What's it all about?: [from Imdb] A young Arab man is sent to a French prison where he becomes a mafia kingpin.
Who's in it?: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif
Why?:

• The critically hailed drama, finally making its stateside debut, has earned comparisons to The Godfather.
• Chilling trailer that promises a combination of character study and blazing guns.
• Interesting setting/angle (French Muslims).

Why Not?:

• It could end up being either just "good", or hugely overrated.

1. Shutter Island dir. Martin Scorcese: February 19th [Wide]
What's it all about?: Two federal marshals search for a murderess who somehow escaped a top security facility.
Who's in it?: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kinglsey, Emily Mortimer, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Hayley, Max Von Sydow
Why?:

• Great cast, great trailer, great director, great source material.
• Dennis Lehane novels have a pretty successful track record as far as adaptations go.
• It wasn't pushed back to finish editing or re-shoot; test screening results have been through the roof.
• Martin Scorcese directing a psychological mystery/thriller/horror film? Count me in.

Why Not?:

• The same screenwriter also wrote Oliver Stone's Alexander.
• It's going to hurt a lot when you realize that the current Oscar season would have been so much more interesting if this film had been released back in October.
• It's going to hurt even more if the film gets snubbed for next year's awards due to its terrible timing (two weeks before the Oscar ceremony).
  

New trailer for "The Wolfman" (2010)

I have to agree with the folks at FirstShowing.net: this shorter trailer is much better. By not focusing as heavily on plot details and simply giving us a good feel for the atmosphere, this trailer actually has raised my interest quite a bit. And that cast is pretty fantastic as well.

Test screening review of "The Wolfman" (2010)

Source: Spill.com

While I was waiting in line to see Paranormal Activity last Friday, I was invited to an early screening of a 're-imagining of a classic horror film'. Today, I took my invitation and went across town to get to the early screening. I didn't know what the hell they were going to be showing us. Many were hoping it would be A Nightmare On Elm Street or The Wolfman. I thought that either would be too good to be true. Every seat was filled up in the theater, and I was sitting next to some film critics and some film industry big-shots. After an hour of waiting in my seat, a lady came up in front of the screen and announced that we would be among the first to see The Wolfman. Everyone in the theater cheered loudly, and one guy even stood up and held a fist in the air screaming. I'm sure he made a mess in his pants due to his excitement.

So this is my review of what I was shown. There may be some minor changes done to the film before its theatrical release, but I doubt its anything that would alter my review.

'The Wolfman' Review
The film is a remake of the 1941 horror film of the same name. The central plot follows Lawrence Talbot (Benicio del Toro), a man who re-unites with his father (Anthony Hopkins) after learning his brother has been brutally murdered. Talbot, who has had a distant relationship with his family, decides to stay home in order to discover what happened to his brother. As he gets deeper into his 'investigation', he unravels secrets from his childhood and crosses path with the werewolf, which eventually bites him and makes him a target.

Let me start off with some of the positives of the film. The performances in the movie were absolutely fantastic. Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving, and Emily Blunt all delivered and really brought their characters to life. It's always good to have great performances in a horror/action film. Everything seems genuine and all of the characters are very engaging. The set pieces and cinematography are all beautifully created. There's a lot of eye candy in this film just as far as the sets are concerned, and I really love the atmosphere this film created. The visuals I saw were pretty cool, although some of them were still in progress. I imagine the visuals will be awesome when the film is released next year. The music is also pretty bad-ass. I rarely comment on the score of a film, but this one really had some great music.

Some other things that impressed me were the action sequences and the 'kills'. The action sequences are pretty exciting and they'll keep you at the edge of your seat. Just when you think it's safe... something crazy happens and mayhem ensues. The 'kills' are also pretty awesome. The werewolf in this film is pretty insane, so expect to see a lot of blood, gore, and human body parts flying around all over the place. The violence, along with the dark atmosphere, really gave a suspenseful experience.

While the film had lots of positive sides to it, it also had its fare share of negative attributes. The one thing that pissed me off the most was the pacing of the film. It starts off slow to introduce the characters and setting, and then all of a sudden it kicks to high gear. After it has some fast scenes (which sometimes feel as if you just skipped ahead and missed something entirely), the film will go back to a slow pacing. What I'm trying to say is that the film's pacing was pretty inconsistent. The pacing stems off and creates other problems, such as poor story elements. I feel as if some of the mysteries in the film were just solved by adding a few lines to the script. The writers probably said amongst themselves:

"So, how does this happen?"
"Umm...I don't know, let's just make him say this or add this sub-plot"

The story even forgets to answer some questions that may have been burning in your mind, and when you leave the theater you wonder why these questions were never answered (you can blame the writing and fast-paced scenes for that). Emily Blunt's character also seemed to be useless, and was just added to give off some romance. Finally, the ending wasn't that great. I wish it gave off more of a conclusion, but the ending just wasn't for me.

Overall, The Wolfman is a fun horror/action film. The acting is great, the sets and visuals are awesome, and the action sequences are pretty bad-ass. There are also some pretty cool kills in this one for all of you blood/gore fans. While the film can be fun, the plot suffers from the film's inconsistent pacing, which eventually leaves some plot holes. Trust me, the trailer makes this flick seem a lot cooler than it actually is. As for my Spill Rating, I'm left in a split decision: If you're really dying to see this film and you're in love with werewolves, horror, gore, and action, then you should see this in a Matinee screening, just don't set your expectations too high! If you saw the trailer, and you were unsure if you wanted to see this in cinemas, I suggest you just give this a Rental.

My Spill Rating: Matinee

Trailer for "The Wolfman" (2010)

New stills from "The Wolfman" (2010)

"The Wolfman" heads for re-shoots...and new VFX work?

Source: Slashfilm.com

According to new information from Baz Bamigboye at The Daily Mail, there have been six weeks of reshoots in total, and part of the purpose in the fix-up was the present a new design of Wolfman. Bamigboye quotes an ‘actor’ working on the film as saying “the Wolf was on its heels and it looked daft” and describes the new-look lycanthrope as tougher and fiercer.

The report also confirms that stunt supervisor Vic Armstrong created a face-off between two hairy men for this new material, calling them “the Wolf Man and the Werewolf”. What’s the difference there? Can we divine any plot details from these two, varied handles?

It seems to be being suggested that second-unit director Armstrong was in control of these six weeks of reshooting, with Joe Johnston “back in LA for the past five weeks overseeing the special effects and computer-generated images”. Personally, I don’t think is cause for concern, but I know some will.

Bamigboye looked to the studio for a comment on the new material:

Last night Universal confirmed that additional sequences were shot. ‘The full articulation of the transformational lead character will be realised when the film is completed and we are excited to share his incredible look with the world in the upcoming trailer. ‘I think that means yes, they screwed up the first time.

He might be reading too much into their statement there. I’m sure we’ll judge whether or not they’ve screwed up second time when the trailer hits.

Benicio Del Toro returned to Pinewood for the reshoots with Emily Blunt working “three or four weekends” between full weeks on Gulliver’s Travels and Anthony Hopkins unable to return to the UK at all and therefore doing his “additional filming” in LA. Here’s hoping that all cuts together OK.

One thing I can’t find out is how involved Rick Baker has been with this redesign. Are we really to assume that a Rick Baker wolf looked silly and Universal have had to scrap it and fix it? Either Baker dropped the ball here or his design has been muscled out unnecessarily - a disappointment in any case. Here’s hoping he was at least responsible for the second version too.

Trailer for "The Wolfman"

starring Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, and Hugo Weaving. This could actually turn out to be pretty creepy. Oh, and the reason the footage is so bad is because it's from someone's handheld camera at the Comic-Con screening for the movie.