Benicio Del Toro...Is That Your Boy?

Benicio Del Toro. Benny The Bull. That's my boy. Here's a cool article courtesy of Fandango about Benicio Del Toro receiving an award while in Cuba just yesterday. The award was being given to him to honor his amazing body of work in movies. What I wouldn't give to be at this event after reading who was there. Word. I really hope we get to see him as Moe in the Three Stooges movie someday. How about some classic Benicio right about now?

Hey Have You Seen That New A Serious Man Trailer?

Apple has the trailer for the new Coen Bros. movie A Serious Man. Ain't It Cool News called it the best trailer this year. Really? Ok. I don't know about all that. I watched it yesterday for the first time and I wasn't blown away by it. Don't get me wrong, it's one of the more original trailers I've seen this year. On top of that it's hilarious. I love the banging of the head throughout the whole trailer. I love the shot of the physics professor standing in front of the blackboard surrounded by equations. I don't know why but I really liked the fact that I do not recognize a lot of the actors. I was never taken out of the trailer by going "Hey there's John Turturro!". I was hoping to see J.K. Simmons pop up though. He's a favorite of mine and the Coens. I agree more with CHUD's opinion on the trailer especially Nick Nunziata's last comment about not getting what the movie is about but still getting it.
Is this the best trailer of the year? Talk to it and let me know. A Serious Man opens on October 2, 2009.



***I've watched the trailer a few more times today and I have to admit that it's growing on me.

Hey Have You Seen The New Fantastic Mr. Fox Trailer?

Happy Friday peoples. Here's the trailer to the new film from Wes Anderson, The Fantastic Mr. Fox. This is the first non Pixar animated movie that's gotten me excited in awhile. It has a cool cast of voices, a few who've been in Anderson movies before like Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, and it has two newbies to the Anderson universe, Meryl Streep and as the voice of Mr. Fox, George Clooney.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox is based on the children's book of the same name that I don't remember reading as a child. I like what I see from the trailer so far. It's nice to see a kids movie that isn't just filled with pop culture references or winking and pandering to the adults/parents in the audience like "Your kid's not gonna get this joke but you are. Hey Hey!".
Enjoy kids. The Fantastic Mr. Fox arrives in theaters on November 13, 2009.

Brilliant Idea #152.

I have a brilliant idea. I'm really hating my cellphone right now because I can't get reception in my own house and when you can't get something electronic to work in your own house I don't know about you but I get so furious that I start to despise technology and question its existence. I yell, "We can put satellites in the sky but I can't get reception in my own house! Is it 2009?!?" Over and over again these shouts come out of my apartment. "It's 2009! 2009!!For chrissakes it's 2009!!!" You know what I'm gonna do? I'm going to go into the AT&T store and take a shit right in the middle of the floor. "Hey I wanted to call you and let you know that your phone is a piece of shit but since I can't make a phone call out of my own house in 2009 I thought I'd just come down and show you!" I throw my phone in the shit, walk out, and then I give a chest bump to the first person I see.

Hey Have You Seen That New Ninja Assassin Trailer?

Pretty bad ass. That's my intelligent thought provoking review for this trailer. I was trying to come up with something maybe a little bit more poetic but then I thought the words Ninja and Assasin are in the title and people, both of those things are bad ass. Here is the trailer to Ninja Assasin. This is one of the better trailers to a film I've seen in a while. When's the last time we had a good ninja movie. Does Batman Begins count? Bruce Wayne did train with ninjas. Do I have to go all the way back to the amazing Ninja epic movie trilogy starring Sho Kosugi. There was Enter The Ninja:



You almost don't have to watch the movie after watching that trailer. But you should because then you can more clearly understand the story line to it's even greater sequel, Revenge Of The Ninja:



And just when you think he was out? They pull him back in for the Return Of The King of the Ninja series, Ninja 3: Domination:



I love ninjas. The only 2 reasons I can think of to go see G.I. Joe when it opens are named Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. I went so far as to insist that my mom buy me a ninja outfit for Halloween when I was in the fourth grade and she did. You know how we all just assume we are going to look awesome dressed in the uniform of the ninja? Don't assume that when you're a fourth grade fat boy. I'd post a picture but ninjas have sworn they'll kill me if I allow anyone to see how I disrespected them. I looked like Chunky from Goonies wrapped in black. I looked like a ninja who quit really early in his life but still wouldn't turn in the suit even though everyone knew it was over. Sho Kosugi, I let you down.
Now it looks like I have a new ninja movie to look forward to from the looks of this trailer. Ninja Assasin is directed by James McTeigue and produced by the Wachowski Brothers. The last movie these guys worked on was V For Vendetta. That's a movie that almost completely redeemed the Wachowski Brothers in my opinion after the Matrix sequels happened. Vendetta is underrated. As time goes by I can see its status starting to rise and it getting the recognition it deserves. I really enjoy McTeigue's visual style even though this is only his second movie. He likes to use wide angles to the fullest extent. Solid framing and composition. I love a director who can use that 2.35 aspect ratio to its best effect. Michael Mann, Early John Carpenter, Richard Donner's Superman, David Fincher. There's a quick glimpse of a sequence of the movie's hero Rain caught in a fight that is burning all around him. That has the potential to be one of the best martial arts sequences we've seen since.....well damn The Matrix.
The trailer isn't perfect though. Who chose the music for this trailer? It's awful. After getting some backstory told to us somebody thought it was a good idea to cue up some loud ass anger rock. It's too jarring. What if the RZA could've gotten his hands on this? Ooooh that'd be hot. He's made soundtracks before. He definately has experience in the genre because he knocked out the Kill Bill soundtracks. We all know how the Wu feels about martial arts. Cue the Liquid Swords son.
I'd also like to offer up this now tired trailer cliche your honor. The old "car comes out of nowhere and hits you" payoff shot. If an actor is standing in a frame that has a little bit more open space to it than the other and the character is looking in the opposite direction, a car will probably be hitting him. Or if 2 characters are staring at each other in close up and it goes to a wide shot of one of them turning around? He gone!
I'm gonna wish on my shiny ninja stars that this movie is solid. I'll be in line in my fourth grade ninja out fit when Ninja Assasin opens in theaters November 15, 2009.

Hey Have You Seen That New Alice In Wonderland Trailer?

Alright I will admit that this trailer is not necessarily new. It showed up online last week but in case you missed it here's the trailer for Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland. I was Dis-A-Pointed in this trailer. You know what? I think I'm ready for Tim Burton to make a movie that doesn't have any gothic type costumes, music, or setting. It's just become too predictable and from this trailer his style seems forced into the Alice In Wonderland world. Speaking of forced, do we really need Johnny Depp doing the voiceover for this movie. I get it, he's Johnny Depp. He's big time. He's Tim Burton's boy (I'd like to see a Michael Keaton/Tim Burton reunion myself). He gets people in the seats. If you were to tell me "Hey Johnny Depp is making a movie where he's playing Michael Jackson (too soon? too late? too high?)." I'd think that's ridiculous but then I'd still check it out just to see if he'd wear Michael's outfit from the Rock With You video. Someone call me out if I'm wrong but I don't remember the Mad Hatter having a huge role in the actual book. And can Helena Bonham Carter make a movie where she looks normal again? Her head looks freakier than it did in Terminator 4. She's turning into Jack White for me where I'm starting to question if she's even from our time period. The only weird looking role that made sense to me in this was the appearance of Crispin Glover. Why? Well I think this explains everything about Crispin Glover:



Decide for yourself peoples. Alice In Wonderland arrives in theaters on March 5, 2010.

Hey Have You Seen That New Nightmare On Elm Street Poster?

CHUD has a look at the new Nightmare On Elm Street poster and here it is for you kids. What do I think of it? I just don't get excited about horror remakes anymore. The casting of Jackie Earl Haley as Freddy Krueger is pretty spot on but that's where my excitement ends. You know what I'd like to see? Jackie Earl Haley as Freddy Krueger as Ronnie in a remake of Little Children. "I was only trying to cool off!"

Hey Have You Seen That Book Of Eli Trailer?

Back in May I posted some pics about the new Denzel/Hughes Bros. movie The Book Of Eli. The pics showed Denzel walking a barren earth with shades. Well now we get to see it all in action because here's the trailer to the film courtesy of Apple. Hughes Bros. movies always look great. They're visual directors. Every camera placement or movement seems very intentional and well planned out and the payoff can be great like their bank robbery sequence in Dead Presidents. In this trailer there's one shot in particular of Denzel stepping back into shadow and we see his weapon of choice that he's holding. It's a great slow reveal. I don't believe the Hughes Bros. hold back on showing their influences as well because there are also some nods to Kill Bill and The Matrix in the trailer. Shots of Denzel fighting a group of guys but the whole area is backlit so you only see silhouttes in action. They know how to work the camera. Did I mention Gary Oldman is the villain? Here's my ticket money! Let's hope this is good sci-fi action Denzel that we get and not bad sci-fi action Denzel. I'm looking at you Virtuosity. The Book Of Eli opens in theaters January 15, 2010.

Brilliant Idea #287.

So I have this brilliant idea. I come crashing through the top of the stage, arms out like Batman (Tim Burton's Batman. Michael Keaton you know.) while she's singing Maps. I land next to her, put my Batman arm around her. She'll give out a quick cry of shock, surprise, and amazement. I get my grappling hook and shoot it over the heads in the crowd and we sail out of there. Then the crowd says in unison, "Where does he get those wonderful toys?" And I yell back, "Brooklyn!".

T C B: Telfer Carmona Burke

Solid! Beautiful peoples come check out TCB this Saturday night at 8pm at The Beat Kitchen. It's Big Dan Telfer, Pretty Ricky Carmona, & Phantom Adam Burke. It's hosted by Lady Cameron Esposito. You can purchase tickets here. Come on out. It will do you no harm. We play so fine don't you agree? Don'tchu agree!