What if someone took the video game Pac-Man and turned it into an independent live-action, horror-thriller? Well, check out the video above, because that's exactly what these fine folks did on what looks to be a budget of about twenty bucks. This time, however, we're seeing things from the ghosts POV and Pac-Man is the hunter, instead of the hunted. The Pac-Man graphics are on the cheap, and they even cut in scenes from the video game to use as a substitute for at least one kill, but as a whole -- with a solid, heart-pounding score and clever acting -- this thing is definitely worth a watch. Loved the ending!
Whaddya think? CGI feature-length Pac-Man movie in 2011, starring ... who?
This is the Dakota Fanning-starring film about a young girl haunted by the memory of her late mother. With her caregiver Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson), she runs off to a South Carolina town and is taken in by the Boatwright sisters (Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, and Sophie Okonedo), who teach her the comforts of beekeeping and honey. Unfortunately, the girl's troubled past, in the form of father Paul Bettany, finds her.
While the poster was a little sappy (or perhaps "honey" is the best word in this case) for my tastes, the trailer has a nice amount of sass mixed into the drama, as well as a great one-breath sentence uttered by Fanning. I think I just might have to see this film, which will hit screens on October 17. What about you?
You may have heard that spoof veteran David Zucker's newest project, An American Carol, is a takedown of Michael Moore. You can now have a look at the trailer, online at Yahoo!. And then you can riddle me this: Does An American Carol look like a clever parody of Moore's documentaries, or just a partisan attack on the filmmaker? Or, put another way, is the clip of Bill O'Reilly slapping around Kevin Farley's "Michael Malone" a commentary on the rivalry between the two, or right-wing wish fulfillment? One thing to note before answering is that O'Reilly appears in the film himself, while Moore does not.
Moore is obviously fair game; I've enjoyed his films, and sympathize with (some of) his politics, but I'd eagerly watch a skillful spoof of the pudgy, faux-working-class provocateur. I think parts of the trailer are pretty funny ("Here I am on the island paradise Cuba!"). But if the point is just to pile on the guy, with a rah-rah patriotic, stop-hating-America message at the end, then I'm significantly less interested.
The thing is, the trailer really doesn't make clear what's going on. On one hand, prominent conservatives like O'Reilly and James Woods appear to deliver literal and figurative blows. On the other, "Michael Malone" gets accused of being a slaveowner, which sounds more like a parody of conservative attacks on Moore than of Moore himself. And is Trace Adkins poking fun at his image here, or is he for real?
We know that Zucker is himself conservative, and that the movie is political -- which is fine. But is it political in an incisive, worthwhile way, or in the brainless beatdown mode of Ann Coulter et al? What do you think?
Empire Online has an exclusive new tv spot for RocknRolla -- you would swear you were watching the beginning of Snatch with this bit, but even if it is the typical Guy Ritchie, I'm ok with that. There are movies that I demand innovation in, and then there are comfort films where I know I'm going to have a good time. RocknRolla looks like it may fit that. And frankly, it looks a bit sexier than any of Guy Ritchie's previous outings. I love the little moment between Thandie Newton and Gerard Butler at the end of this one. (Is it that easy to get into Butler's place?)
But remember, readers, this movie is very English and therefore you probably won't understand any of it. I know I don't -- what with their teatime biscuits, bangers and mash, toad-in-a-hole, and warm beer. It's just such an alien culture. We know there's no gangsters there, just jolly chimney sweeps and flying nannies. And we all know Scotsmen only wear kilts and blue paint -- I don't know what this Butler's playing at. RocknRolla (may) open in a theatre near you on October 31st. I've also embedded the American trailer below, seeing as it hit the wires while I was scribbling notes at the panel. Not that you'll understand such a European thing, anyway.
It may be bootlegged -- and therefore a limited-time offering -- but from very early on, this trailer for next spring's 3-D animated bonanza Monsters vs. Aliens had me sold and only worked its way up from there.
I like that all of the human characters appear to be related to the Parr family, and that the monsters and aliens on display promise to look even cooler in three dimensions. I dig Stephen Colbert as the President and Keifer Sutherland as General W.R. Monger, not to mention other voices by Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Rainn Wilson, Hugh Laurie, and Paul Rudd. (Oh, and Reese Witherspoon never did anyone any harm either.) Most importantly, the project gives off a saavy sense of humor without relying as heavily on pop culture riffs as Dreamworks used to. A '50-styled sci-fi send-up should hold my attention as much as the little ones, if done right.
Between this, Kung Fu Panda, and Over the Hedge, I think that it's fair to say that Dreamworks Animation has found a reliable niche as Pixar's hipper cousin. With any luck, I won't be proven wrong come March 27, 2009.
Four years after Connie and Carla failed to set the world on fire, Nia Vardalos has left the writing to someone else while returning to the safe turf of Greece for her new film, My Life in Ruins. Vardalos plays an Athens tour guide tired of all the grating tourists, obnoxious locals, and scheming colleagues in her life, and if the trailer (for those who don't mind Greek subtitles) is any indication, things might just change for the better soon enough.
There has yet to be any specific Stateside release date announced -- Fox Searchlight tentatively has it scheduled for 2009 -- but the crowdpleaser pedigree of Vardalos and director Donald Petrie certainly doesn't hurt the film's chances of outgrossing the $8 million that Connie raked in theatrically (whether or not the downright loud pairing of Harland Williams and Rachel Dratch will is a different story).
Also in the name of safe-bet follow-ups is I Hate Valentine's Day, a rom-com written and directed by Vardalos that reunites her with My Big Fat Greek Wedding love interest John Corbett. That project also bears an equally vague '09 release date, but I have trouble thinking that it couldn't be out of post-production and in theaters by next February.
Unfortunately, I did not manage to catch this extended TV spot for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button during NBC's Olympic coverage, though, luckily, one person did. I imagine this will eventually become the film's second trailer, and it'll hopefully arrive online in a higher quality at some point this week, but for the time being you can scope out a somewhat decent (except for the annoying beeps here and there) video of the spot above (courtesy of The Tube).
Some of what's included here is also in the film's first trailer (catch that in HD on the flick's official website), but we also have a bunch more dialogue, tons of amazing visuals and .... well, watch for yourself. While you never know what the final product will deliver, I can say this film is showing some tremendous, buzz-worthy promise right now -- especially with a director like David Fincher and a cast that includes Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett (last time these two shared the screen, Babel was nominated for seven Oscars). Needless to say, I'm preemptively putting this on my top ten list for 2008 and crossing my fingers at the same time. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button arrives in theaters on December 19.
The other day we wrote about the new horror flick Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer(which hit theaters this past weekend), and Cinematical reader Aaron L. (who also happens to be a very good friend of mine) pointed out the fact that Jack Brooks director Jon Knautz had helmed a very cool short back in 2005 called Still Life. I forget exactly when I first saw this short (probably during one of Gen Art's many, many functions/contests/parties), but I remember absolutely loving it over and over again. And we've actually written about it on at least two other occasions, though it's been awhile and, well, I felt our new (and old) readers would like a little something to watch while you eat lunch/surf the internet, etc ...
The short, which runs about eight minutes, follows a very sleepy driver who's in desperate need of a rest and some gas. When he pulls off into a small town, however, he notices that it's populated by mannequins. And that's all I'll say about that. Definitely check it out if you've got a few minutes free, and then hunt down Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (read our review here) -- a film most of our team here at Cinematical dug quite a bit.
To paraphrase the scariest horror movie currently in theaters -- Mamma Mia! -- you wait long enough for a red-band trailer and then three come along at once, at least two of which deal with hitting the road in the name of action, so without further ado...
First up is the age-restricted trailer for this week's Death Race. I've yet to watch this one myself, since reactions posted elsewhere have assured me that whatever meager hopes I have for it being just a fun piece of trash cinema -- from a filmmaker who often lives down to that title -- are to be derived from moments shamelessly showcased therein. I'm no prude, having shelf space and soft spots set aside for the man's Event Horizon and the first Resident Evil, for the reliably butt-kicking Jason Statham and for the surprisingly present Joan Allen (him signing up for it, no big surprise, but her?). However, I'm roughly one trailer away (well, one feature away) from giving it the genuine benefit of the doubt.
Erik wrote about the original trailer back in June, and now one only has to wait until this Friday to determine just how fast and spurious this baby is.
After August comes September, and after Death Race comes Righteous Kill. The profanity-spiked red-band trailer for this NYPD thriller has been included after the jump...
Some people hereabouts are psyched for Twilight. Others have set their sights on Quantum of Solace. As you may have noticed, I am currently obsessed with Outlander, the bizarre upcoming genre flick that pits 9th Century Vikings against a malevolent alien invader. Nothing about the film itself is ultra-promising, as I've mentioned before, but I'm so enamored of the concept that I can't help but be excited about the idea of it, if nothing else.
Last month we got a trailer for the movie. Now we have a two-minute clip, which you can view above. In it, the friendly alien, played by Jim Caviezel, is interrogated by a Viking chieftain named Wulfric (Jack Huston). The "outlander" tries to convince Wulfric that he was merely hunting dragons, when in fact we all know that he was hunting a badass monster from outer space!! The clip is pretty much of the goofy caliber I expected, though Caviezel doesn't cut a particularly extraterrestrial figure. Maybe that'll be part of the fun.
I am counting the days until the release of the "Sci-Fi Viking Epic" -- which is hard, since it doesn't have an American release date. On the other hand, if you're in Berlin on August 19th and 20th, you can catch Outlander at the German Fantasy Filmfest. Do let me know how it is.
Remember this photo above fromIron Man? Got it ... now remember where exactly this was in the movie? You don't because this particular scene wasn't included in the theatrical cut, but is included as a deleted scene on the DVD. Access Hollywood has a first look at the scene in question (watch it after the jump), which follows Tony Stark and Pepper Potts to Stark's home in Dubai where he travels to use as a cover before attacking terrorists in the Middle East. Of course, why not throw a party while there ... and in typical Stark fashion, said party is packed with beautiful girls in skimpy bikinis.
At one point, after telling Pepper to cue up the fireworks, Stark takes two girls up to a pimped-out room for a little ... company. On their way up to the room, they pick up a third girl and away we go. Sure, I understand why the scene existed (in order to get Stark, the socialite, from Cali to the Middle East so that Stark, the superhero, could take care of some business), but I also see why it was left on the cutting room floor. Too much playing, too much suave ... too much period. But what do you think?
Iron Man arrives on DVD this September 30. Check out tons of DVD details over here, and the clip after the jump.
Yup, it's still Silly Star Wars Week here on Cinematical (see our previous two posts here and here), and so I'm back with another video that just cracks me up. It's from the Indy Mogul folks, and it's called Attack of the Lightsaber Clone. Essentially, back during the making of Star Wars: A New Hope, special effects dude Marvin Kaufman actually created a real working lightsaber. However, an extra was killed, the studio denied its existence and the thing vanished ... until now.
While I'll agree the ideas here could've been used to create something a tad funnier, I did enjoy more than a few chuckles and so hopefully you will too. Additionally, head on over to Indy Mogul to learn how to create your own working lightsaber ... and just be careful where you point the thing. (Oh, and here's our review of Clone Wars ...)
I'm not sure when it became Silly Star Wars Week on Cinematical, but here it is and here we are. The wacky lunatics in my life keep sending me these videos, and dammit if I won't make you watch them too! In the video above, watch as Darth Vader and a few Storm Troopers get down and dirty to a little of Michael Jackson's Thriller. Apparently this was part of a Star Wars Dance Off (the things people do in this country) over at Disney's Hollywood Studios. I've posted a video featuring the entire dance contest after the jump (which includes characters dancing to tunes like Footloose and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun) just in case you'd like to watch more. And knowing some of you galactic freaks, I'm sure you'll be all over this stuff. (I think Cinematical'sLis Rappe is booking her next vacation as we speak.) More videos coming soon ... Enjoy!
Cinematical has just received this exclusive clip from Claude Chabrol's A Girl Cut in Two, which enjoyed a recent poster premiere right here on Cinematical last week. The film, which our own Jeffrey M. Anderson called "superbly-made" and "highly enjoyable," follows a beautiful young TV weather girl who falls for two very different men. One is a much older, successful writer who refuses to leave his wife, and the other is a semi-deranged (but rich!) younger man. In the scene above, our weather girl meets up with one of her lovers for a devilish little game of seduction. Check it out.
A Girl Cut in Two opens this Friday, August 15 in New York City at Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and the IFC Center, before expanding to other cities in the weeks to come. The film will also be available On Demand.
If the teaser for Ridley Scott's Body of Lies left you feeling a little cold or perplexed, perhaps this will change your mind. The full theatrical trailer is out over on Yahoo! Movies. Though it packs plenty of explosions and silent screams, the trailer still leaves a plot a bit iffy, so here's the official rundown. Based on David Ignatius' novel, Lies follows one Roger Ferris, a CIA operative (Leonardo DiCaprio) who uncovers a lead on a major terrorist ringleader operating out of Jordan. He devises a plan to infiltrate the network, but he needs the backing of his superior, CIA veteran Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe), who's the head of Jordanian intelligence. Naturally, it gets all twisty and suspicious, and Ferris finds himself wondering who he can trust, and whether he will escape with his life.
Despite that the plot doesn't come through very well, I went from feeling a bit "meh" to thinking it looks like a smart political thriller that will probably leave me ranting about American foreign policy. Plus, I would watch Crowe read out of a phone book, especially if directed by Scott. (Yeah, I've even seen A Good Year -- and you know what? I didn't hate it. Am I alone in that? Probably.) Sound off on what you think of the trailer below.
You may have heard that spoof veteran David Zucker's newest project, An American Carol, is a takedown of Michael Moore. You can now have a look at the 
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