Day: September 10, 2010

Will Tron Go Political? + Weekend Hollywood Round-up, 9/11-12

Olivia Wilde in "Tron."

By Jason Apuzzo. • This weekend marks the 9-year anniversary of the worst attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. The legacy of this horrific event is ongoing, of course – including in the cinema, over which the shadow of 9/11 continues to hover. We remember the victims of 9/11 this weekend, and honor the sacrifices of those who continue to keep America and her allies safe.

• Is Tron going political? I saw something recently that unnerved me, somewhat. In the middle of this interview with Tron star Bruce Boxleitner, Boxleitner (who played Tron in the original film, and who also appears in the new film) indicates that in the new film the software corporation ENCOM (from the original movie) has morphed into a weapons contractor, a development against which Jeff Bridge’s character Kevin Flynn will apparently be struggling. Oh boy. I’m hoping this doesn’t go where I think it might go … I will really go ballistic, so to speak, if this film bashes defense contractors who are currently helping us fight our war, and giving us the technological edge we need to fight the kind of cave-dwelling primitives who hit us on 9/11. Please Disney, do not go there.

In other Tron news, a 30 minute sneak preview of Tron will be shown at the Tokyo International Film Festival on October 23rd; and there’s a new poster out for the film featuring Olivia Wilde. This is the poster I would probably have on my dorm room wall if I was still a freshman in college. I’m not a freshman, though, so instead I have a poster of Tura Satana.

• In other sci-fi news, Liam Neeson has jumped aboard the cast of Battleship. He will apparently be playing an admiral. Neeson’s presence significantly enhances the prestige-value of this project – which needs it, frankly, because a lot of people are scratching their heads about a $200 million Hasbro adaptation. Also, the LA Times has an interesting new article out about the indie-sci fi film Monsters; James Cameron is claiming he won’t be tweaking his cut of Avatar any more (why would he? he’ll be releasing 3 different cuts of the film in the span of one year); there are some laughable set photos coming out from Captain America (that film is looking bad to me); and there are some very cool set photos out of Mad Men’s January Jones in the new X-Men: First Class flick. I’m loving the retro-60s-go-go vibe of this outfit. Plus the fur hat.

• As I write this, I don’t know whether this psychotic Florida pastor is going to be burning any Korans on the anniversary of 9/11, but it’s worth mentioning in the context of this website that Angelina Jolie has strongly condemned the proposed conflagration while she’s in Pakistan helping with flood relief. Jolie seems to be playing the role that, as I understand it, Hillary Clinton was supposed to be playing as our Secretary of State. That’s fine with me, by the way – I prefer Jolie, although Hillary has a certain flinty resolve I’ve reluctantly come to respect over the years. Anyway, I’m hoping this guy doesn’t burn anything – other than perhaps Ron Artest’s driver’s license.

"Hellcats": cheerleader melodrama.

• Inception is apparently very popular in China, which doesn’t surprise me since it’s a movie that romanticizes brainwashing. Which reminds me, by the way, that Google’s Sergey Brin is saying that he wants Google to be “the third half of your brain” … which is technically impossible, if you think about it.

• Roger Ebert is relaunching his show. LFM’s own Govindini Murty was one of the many guests who substituted for Roger during his extended health struggles. We wish him the best.

• Obama’s celebrity base is apparently peeved at him … for not being left-wing enough. What were they expecting? His most passionate cause is himself. We don’t know whether Martin Sheen is among those naysayers, but ol’ Marty did recently proclaim “God forgive me for playing a Republican!” in his son Emelio Estevez’s new film project. [Sigh.] God will forgive him, but I may not.

• I was glad to see that the CW’s new cheerleader melodrama Hellcats debuted to solid numbers, while the CIA-bashing Nikita’s bow was only so-so. I won’t belabor the point – you know what my gripes are on this subject. Besides which: there really aren’t enough shows on TV that explore the hard-knocks world of cheerleading the way Hellcats does.

• I’m very pleased to see Martin Scorsese sticking up for Elia Kazan in Scorsese’s new documentary about the great director. It’s time that the ghosts of the HUAC era give way to the realization of what a superb and accomplished director Kazan was. On the Waterfront is one of my all-time favorite films. I live that film every damn day, frankly. Also a relative of mine was in it.

• AND IN TODAY’S MOST IMPORTANT NEWS … Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks has been cast in a new indie thriller called Drive, about a Hollywood stunt-driver who moonlights as a driver for underworld criminals. Do I need to supply the punch line here? Drive‘s suddenly got some real curves!

And that’s what’s happening today in the wonderful world of Hollywood.

Posted on September 10th, 2010 at 8:52pm.

LFM Mini-Review: Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D

Ali Larter & Milla Jovovich in "Resident Evil: Afterlife."

By Jason Apuzzo. THE PITCH: Post-apocalyptic zombie-fighter Milla Jovovich takes her quest for survivors of an apocalyptic viral outbreak to Tokyo, Alaska and ultimately Los Angeles … as she squares off against zombies, and the occasional henchman of the Umbrella Corporation. Extreme 3D mayhem ensues.

THE SKINNY: Surprisingly satisfying genre entertainment from director Paul W. S. Anderson (hubby of Jovovich, btw), who may be working at his best here.

WHAT WORKS:

• Milla Jovovich’s high cheekbones, full lips, and ability to unleash extreme mayhem while sprinting through slow-motion raindrops in a black catsuit.

Arriving in post-apocalyptic Hollywood.

• Setting the film in post-apocalyptic Los Angeles – and populating the city with thousands of drooling, shambling, flesh-eating zombies. Rarely have I seen a more realistic depiction of what this city is actually like.

• Having one of the film’s primary villains be a former movie executive. Laughed out loud at that one.

• One particular 10-foot tall mega-zombie, who wields a 300 pound axe. The guy comes across a bit like Xerxes from 300. The fight scene involving this dude and Jovovich was easily the best fight scene of any film this summer.

• The 3D in this film looked immersive and natural – because the movie was shot natively in 3D, rather than retrofitted in post-production. My understanding is that this is the first major film since Avatar to be shot 3D-native.

WHAT DOESN’T WORK:

• Having yet another corporation as the villain – although one gets the sense that the film might actually be a big, coded metaphor for the horrors of working at Sony. More on that below.

• The lame, Agent Smith-style villain – who goes by the name ‘Albert Wesker.’ The guy was a total bore, as was his Matrix-style, ‘bullet time’ fight scene at the end of the film. Strictly ho-hum.

• The TV-level casting. Outside of Jovovich, the cast lacks personality.

Milla Jovovich is probably the only serious contender Angelina Jolie has to the title of Queen of the Action Film, with Kate Beckensdale a distant third. Jolie’s appeal in these films is that she always comes across as a bit crazy, a bit insane – which gives her action scenes a cracked sort of credibility. Jovovich, on the other hand, seems to be more of a natural. Originally a Kiev girl, born in the old Soviet Union, Jovovich apparently has a colorful family history of military commanders and Cossacks in her past – and she looks it. You just get the feeling looking at those imperious, high Ukranian cheekbones of hers that her ancestors probably sacked a few Polish villages in their time. That gives her a lot of credibiilty as she’s mowing down zombies, or anybody else in her way. Acting-wise, I don’t think she has Jolie’s depth – but since this is a post-apocalyptic zombie picture, that’s not much of a concern here.

One funny thing about Resident Evil: Afterlife is that the film is constantly taking little pot-shots at Los Angeles and the entertainment industry in general. Although a Big Evil Corporation is the villain here, it’s interesting that its headquarters at the outset of the film is in Tokyo, underneath the Ginza. So one gets the impression that when Jovovich shows up and starts doing her Aeon Flux-routine – absolutely laying waste to the place with guns, ninja stars and samurai swords – that she’s exacting some kind of bizarre, personal vendetta against the Sony Corporation. Plus, one of the film’s main villains is a former movie producer – who is depicted as being the most conniving, sniveling creature imaginable.

Great cheekbones.

My favorite little dig, though, comes when Jovovich initially flies into Los Angeles – right over the Hollywood sign – and looks down on post-apocalyptic Los Angeles. The city is burning, smashed to pieces, and crowded with hordes of shambling, flesh-eating zombies. “Los Angeles,” Milla says, “no signs of life here.” The audience in my theater laughed out loud at that one.

I haven’t really been following the Resident Evil franchise, but this film now has me interested. I know that Paul W.S. Anderson has taken a lot of heat for films like Alien vs. Predator and the Death Race remake, but this film works quite well. The only serious disappointment I had was with the scene in which Milla starts to disrobe, and is about to take a shower … in 3D … when the zombies show up and start another fight, interrupting everything. [Sigh.]

Piranha 3D would not have flinched on that one. 🙂

Posted on September 10th, 2010 3:55pm.