Category: 1. Jason Apuzzo

By Jason Apuzzo. According to today’s Los Angeles Times Hero Complex blog, Frank Miller – best known as the writer and artist of The Dark Knight Returns, 300 and Sin City – is in the final stages of completing a long-developing project of his that will pit a brand-new superhero character called ‘The Fixer’ against Al Qaeda.

This long-awaited project, which began initially as a storyline for Batman – and was supposedly rejected for political reasons by D.C. Comics (Miller disputes the long-standing rumors to that effect) – will apparently be published next year (Miller is speaking to publishers right now) with the title, Holy Terror.

This is wonderful news, as I’d thought this project had been abandoned by Miller some time ago.  Here’s Miller:

“It’s almost done; I should be finished within a month,” Miller said. “It’s no longer a DC book. I decided partway through it that it was not a Batman story. The hero is much closer to ‘Dirty Harry’ than Batman. It’s a new hero that I’ve made up that fights Al Qaeda …

“The character is called The Fixer and he’s very much an adventurer who’s been essentially searching for a mission,” Miller said. “He’s been trained as special ops and when his city is attacked all of a sudden all the pieces fall into place and all this training comes into play. He’s been out there fighting crime without really having his heart in it — he does it to keep in shape. He’s very different than Batman in that he’s not a tortured soul. He’s a much more well-adjusted creature even though he happens to shoot 100 people in the course of the story …

“I pushed Batman as far as he can go and after a while he stops being Batman. My guy carries a couple of guns and is up against an existential threat. He’s not just up against a goofy villain. Ignoring an enemy that’s committed to our annihilation is kind of silly, It just seems that chasing the Riddler around seems silly compared to what’s going on out there …

“It began as my reaction to 9/11 and it was an extremely angry piece of work and as the years have passed by I’ve done movies and I’ve done other things and time has provided some good distance, so it becomes more of a cohesive story as it progresses,” Miller said.

Needless to say, we’re very excited to learn this and wish Miller the best.

What Miller touches on here is one of the things that’s been bothering me the most about the post-9/11 boom in comic book movies: which is their tendency to feature narcissistic heroes who almost never (Iron Man excepted) are asked to face the current terrorist threat.  This is something that is a complete betrayal of what happened in the 1940s, when so many of the original comic book heroes were asked to face down the Nazi/fascist threat.  So good on Frank for pushing through and completing this, and bad on D.C. for ripping this storyline away from the Batman series if indeed that’s what happened.

Miller is also right now of course working on his 12-part Dark Horse comics series called Xerxes, which is a prequel to 300.  And Zack Snyder and Kurt Johnstad are already at work on the screenplay for that.

Posted on July 29th, 2010 at 10:36am.

By Jason Apuzzo. • Angelina Jolie premiered Salt in Tokyo yesterday, as her world tour of the film continues.  I’m not trying to turn LFM into a Jolie fansite, but she’s making that awfully difficult.  [Re: the picture to the left … I’m still wondering why they couldn’t dress her like this in the film, even for one scene!]  In other Salt news, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura does an interesting interview about the film and his many other projects today.  He might be the hottest producer currently working in Hollywood.

• Did you know that Vaclav Havel is directing a film? [All he ever wanted to do was direct!]  The name of the film is Leaving, an indie production based on his stageplay of the same name.  With nods to King Lear and The Cherry Orchard, Leaving is apparently a (characteristically for Havel) witty and autobiographical story about a former chancellor of an unnamed country who’s been unceremoniously booted from his sumptuous government villa.  I’m very eager to see this once it’s completed.  Havel has always been a hero of mine, an almost inconceivably perfect mixture of intellectual and statesman, a courageous man of letters who stood up to the communists when doing so could easily have cost him his life.  Would that we had such men here in the States rather than the charlatans of both parties we currently have to put up with.

• How much do you care about what happened at Comic-Con?  Personally, I’m still trying to keep myself from confusing The Green Hornet with The Green Lantern.  It all seems like one, big, infantile, hyperglycemic blur – you know?  Here’s what I can tell you: the trend toward alien invasion pics is now officially out of control. Comic-Con saw presentations on Jon Favreau’s Cowboys & Aliens (Harrison Ford showed up to that panel), Battle: Los Angeles, Steven Spielberg’s forthcoming TV series Falling Skies, and the latest example of an FX-laden indie sci-fi invasion project (we’ve been talking a lot about those here lately) called Skyline (see here, here and here), that will be released by Relativity Media in December.  Oh, and if that’s not enough for you, word comes today that Bobby Glicker (I loved his Iraq/zombie short Road to Moloch – why did he pull it off Vimeo?) made a spec sci-fi trailer that Michael Bay loved (supposedly it’s a cross between Paranormal Activity and Cloverfield) … and now the project has been greenlit by Paramount as a $12 million sci-fi alien abduction feature.  And there isn’t even a script yet!  So we’re going to get that project from Paramount next year … along with J.J. Abrams’ alien movie Super 8, and the Paranormal guy’s new movie Area 51, and the alien invasion movie set in Moscow called The Darkest Hour … and why are all these alien invasion projects suddenly being done?  Is it that we feel that we’re being invaded?  Lucas and Spielberg ignited this trend with Crystal Skull, and it still hasn’t let up.

• In related Comic-Con news, Machete has a new Red Band trailer out (very gory, but funny – emphasizing Danny Trejo’s lethal abilities with machetes); a new trailer is out for 300 director Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch (so-so; too many images, too little narrative); Rihanna will be starring in the new adaptation of the Battleship boardgame; and Die Hard 5 is apparently soon to be greenlit.  Hey Bruce – will you be fighting terrorists this time?  Or is that beneath you now?  I’m hoping the title of the next film is simply Dead.

• Amanda Bynes, age 24, has now officially un-retired from acting. Even better than that, though, is the news that Carla Bruni is back before the cameras in Paris … unfortunately for the benefit of Woody Allen’s new film.  Oh, well – you can’t have it all!  It’s hard to watch anything Woody does this days without feeling that you need to take a shower afterward.

• Oliver Stone has been behaving badly lately (see here and here) – so badly that I think he’s probably cooked this time.  Unfortunately he still has several projects in the pipeline that he’ll be inflicting on us, starting with Wall Street 2.  [Sigh.]  When will the long, public nightmare of this person’s career end?

• Poor Snooki!  Over the weekend the “Jersey Shore” star got semi-blasted by The New York Times, and now even the Governor of New Jersey is condemning her show.  [She did, however, get to open the New York Stock Exchange today.]  My favorite piece of reportage about this diminutive Italian American firecracker is the great Q&A she did recently with Meghan McCain for The Daily Beast.  You’ll learn that Snooki voted for (Meghan’s father) John McCain, for example, “because he was really cute and I liked when he did his speeches.”  Here’s my other favorite exchange from that article:

Snooki: Um, I really don’t see the reason why there would be a tax on tanning, because so many people go tanning even though they’re not, like, Guido/Guidettes. People go tanning because they like to feel tan. You feel more sexy when you’re tan and I don’t understand why you would tax on that, because you’re making yourself feel more happy about yourself. So I really don’t understand why that would be, but you know, whatever.

Meghan: Got it.

• AND IN TODAY’S MOST IMPORTANT NEWS … I’m getting the distinct impression that Katy Perry is about to take over the entire planet, or something.  She seems to be everywhere.

It’s impossible to turn on the radio without hearing her and Snoop do “California Gurls,” which I now learn has 25 million views on YouTube?!  Does this mean we have to do a Teenage Dream review?  I don’t know who to ask, because I’m in my 30s.

All I can say is, if she can keep Lady Gaga out of the media for the next month, I’m all for it.

Posted on July 27th, 2010 at 10:45pm.

By Jason Apuzzo. The new Angelina Jolie anti-communist thriller Salt, which we loved here at LFM, took in $36 million at the domestic box office over the weekend.  That was a strong opening for the film – strong enough that producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura is already dropping hints in Hollywood Reporter today about the potential of a sequel.

This is why LFM readers need to go see this film, and continue to spread the word about it – because if we get a franchise out if this, what we’re going to get is … SPOILER ALERT … Angelina Jolie stalking the land, eradicating communists from our midst.  And we want that, right?  … END OF SPOILERS.

Salt finished second at the box office this past weekend to Inception, as Christopher Nolan’s fanboy-zombie army continues to show up in droves to that film, eager to have their brains scrambled.  It’s worth mentioning, however, that Salt is on fewer screens, and – depending on whom you believe – its budget may only have been half of Inception‘s.  And, of course, we know how the critics have been (for the most part) carrying Nolan’s water for him.

Meanwhile, the big news is that Jolie premiered the film in Moscow on Sunday, and the Russians went wild.  Here’s Reuters:

Clad in a floor-length Versace gown she described as “Russian Red”, Jolie blew kisses to thousands of fans who came to watch her play a suspected Russian double agent in the blockbuster, which opened at No. 2 in the U.S. at $36.5 million. “I think this film is positive for modern Russia,” a broadly smiling Jolie told Reuters television at her first ever premiere in Moscow. Earlier, she took four of her six children to see the gold onion domes and iconic red walls of the Kremlin.

“As much as there are bad guys that are Russian, there are also heroes that are Russian in this film,” she said as her diamond stud earrings sparkled in the sunshine of Moscow’s record-setting heatwave … “It really makes me happy that we have returned to the theme of Russian spies in Hollywood films,” 23-year-old architect Alexander said after watching the film.

Good stuff.   “It really makes me happy that we have returned to the theme of Russian spies in Hollywood films.” Don’t you love how eager these guys are to re-start the Cold War?  To all my Russian friends (and I do have them, including someone who worked in The Kremlin): we miss you guys too!  The Cold War was such fun, especially compared to today.  Hugs and kisses.

Watch Jolie work the crowd below at the Moscow premiere.  They obviously ate it up.

If you haven’t seen the film, it should be pointed out that Salt makes a strong and obvious differentiation between the retro-communist bad guys who are the villains of the film, and those forces within modern Russia who are trying to achieve a reconciliation with the West.  That’s why the Russians are undoubtedly so eager to embrace this film – because it sort of allows everyone to have their cake and eat it, too.  The Russians get to look cool and villainous and relevant again, while at the same time the genuine changes in Russian society that have taken place since the communist collapse are fully acknowledged.

Here’s more about the Moscow premiere, from today’s New York Daily News:

“Angelina, Angelina” chants and clapping filled the air as Jolie, who plays a CIA officer accused of being a Russian sleeper-spook, signed autographs, posed for the cameras and kissed one little girl on the cheek at the Oktyabrskiy theater … Jolie had the Russians cheering at “Spasibo,” charming the audience with her Russian during the film’s introduction.  Her “Dobriy Vecher!” – Russian for Good Evening – greeting was met with screams and whistles.

“This is my first premier in Moscow and I’m so excited to be here,” she said switching into English. “I hope you enjoy the film. I tried to speak a bit of Russian. I hope I did okay.”  Once the projectors started rolling, the audience cheered and clapped for any references to Russia and with particular zest for a scene where a fur hat clad Jolie rides the Staten Island Ferry.

Yes, Jolie wearing the fur hat was a great scene in the film, as I mentioned in my review.  And actually, I would’ve like a lot more of that sort of thing from the film.  One of the few problems I had with the film is that you never see her in a great outfit like the one below.  Why couldn’t they put her in a red dress?  The film cries out for it.

Meanwhile, rumor has it that Jolie tried to arrange for Russian spy Anna Chapman to be at the Moscow premiere (Sony claims to know nothing about it).  I don’t know whether I believe this rumor – but it’s fun to think about, isn’t it?  In any case, Chapman didn’t show.  [Or did she … perhaps in disguise?]

Jolie’s considerable publicity efforts for Salt, by the way – which have already included trips to Comic-Con and Moscow (within a few days of each other) – are leading industry wags to say that she’s definitely earning her $20 million paycheck for this film.  Is this good for women – as we’ve been asking a lot here at LFM?  Yes, I tend to think it is.  Jolie is launching a major international film in multiple markets, and proving that women can do that if given half the chance.  And she’s probably creating more good will for us in Russia right now than Obama is, although that probably isn’t hard.

Word also comes in The New York Times today that a new, unauthorized biography of Jolie by Andrew Morton will be out soon,  featuring details of her complex, strained relationship with her father Jon Voight – a relationship which Morton considers to be the source of her curious, ambivalent behavior toward men.

I’ll leave that subject to the psychoanalysts and/or the female readers of our site; all I’ll say is that Salt‘s a colorful, refreshing (for being so politically incorrect) film – powered by an engaging star performance – and we’ll be keeping an eye on it here at LFM.  Make sure you see it so we can ensure that more films like it are made in the future.

Posted on July 26th, 2010 at 1:23pm.

By Jason Apuzzo. • Angelina Jolie showed up at Comic-Con yesterday, in black leather – and the audience nearly blew the roof off in approval.  She talked about her character in Salt. Money quote: “She’s an interesting, damaged type of person … She’s not just heroic, or even brave. There’s something a little off about her … and maybe there’s something a little off about me. Maybe it’s a good match.”  Um, right.  I’ll be talking more about this film tomorrow.  In the meantime, director Phillip Noyce does an interview about Salt with the Wall Street Journal today.  Plus check out related Cold War-themed buzz about the new Jack Ryan reboot, Moscow.

• Jolie hubby Brad Pitt will apparently be both producing and starring in World War Z, the adaptation of the blockbuster all-out-zombie-war novel.  I skimmed through this novel when it came out – it read fairly well, although it’s certainly nothing special.  My sense is that it will adapt well to the screen – unless the zombie genre is already dead, so to speak, by the time Pitt gets to it.

• There’s a deluge of news coming out of Comic-Con right now (see here).  Tron: Legacy has a big new trailer out, for example, and frankly I’m disappointed with it.  It looks incredibly trite – with the hackneyed, Baby-boomer inflected ‘search for the father’ theme dominating throughout.  Isn’t there any other story these guys can tell?  My enthusiasm for this film just dropped about 3 floors, although it’s not quite in the basement just yet.

• The rumor mill currently has The Riddler as the new villain for Batman 3, with the potential of Inception‘s Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing the role.  How much do I care about this?  Actually very little because The Dark Knight bored me to tears.

• We’re now learning more about Captain America … and apparently the redoubtable Captain is no longer going to be a “flag waiver,” or “jingoistic” (thereby defeating the point?) … and now probably I’m “not going to see this film” and its creators have “just lost my business.”  And you can quote me on that.  Making a quick visit to Comic-Con, Captain America director Joe Johnston had this to say about his film, which is currently shooting in London: “[T]his is not about America so much as it is about the spirit of doing the right thing … It’s an international cast and an international story. It’s about what makes America great and what make the rest of the world great too.”  Does that include the Nazis, by the way, whom Captain America fights in Johnston’s film?  Are they ‘great’ too?

• In other Comic-Con news: Alien invasion flick Battle: Los Angeles is making a big splash (see here and here); Zack Snyder is moving forward on the script for Frank Miller’s Xerxes (we covered this project previously here); Karl Urban (Bones McCoy in Star Trek) may be tapped to play Judge Dredd in the long-developing Judge Dredd 3D reboot; Jennifer Lawrence talks about ‘prepping’ to play the sexy Mystique in X-Men: First Class; the Wonder Woman character will soon have her own Mac cosmetics line;  and Pixar is being consulted on Disney’s forthcoming reboot of the Muppets movie franchise.

• Natalie Portman and director Darren Aronofsky are set to open the Venice Film Festival with their new ballet thriller, The Black Swan, featuring Portman as a ballerina who has a steamy erotic relationship with a rival ballerina played by Book of Eli’s Mila Kunis.  And we certainly are a long way from Queen Amidala now, aren’t we?  [Side note: setting The Wrestler aside, has Aronofsky really done sufficient penance for The Fountain?]

• In the new wave of film projects being launched in the wake of the Twilight craze, we now have a post-apocalyptic teen girl novel, The Hunger Games, being adapted by the same screenwriter who’s writing the new 24 movie (which takes place Bourne-style in Europe, by the way).  Get ready to see a lot of this.  Teenage girls are the new teenage boys in Hollywood.

• The Islamist punk who was threatening the South Park guys has been arrested in an anti-terror sting, thank goodness.  What they should now do is lock the guy up and force him to watch South Park, which would actually be worse than waterboarding.

• Apparently inspired by Sex and the City, a British woman claims to have spent the past 10 years bedding a thousand different men. She’s now making her way through Law and Order DVDs, and plans to sue the men for harassment.

• AND IN TODAY’S MOST IMPORTANT NEWS … Katherine Heigl’s career rolls on, implacably, without a hit in sight. The sturdy blonde is now set to star in Adaline, billed as an “epic romance”; and she’ll also be playing a bounty hunter (?) in the forthcoming One for the Money. Adeline is described as being about “a beautiful woman who hasn’t aged in 100 years but hasn’t found love, either,” which sounds like about half the women in West LA.  Ph.D. dissertations will someday be written on how Heigl has blown her career, but in the meantime we wish her well on these increasingly Sisyphean projects.

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

Posted on July 22nd, 2010 at 11:45pm.