American Gangster, the well-received cop/gangster movie starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, is now out on DVD. The movie is pretty good, though I’d say it’s a bit overrated. The pacing could have been a little better, and American Gangster definitely doesn’t compare to any Scorcese gangster flick (and it has been compared to those films). Still, American Gangster is a pretty good film with two really great actors squaring off against one another, and so if you haven’t seen it, you definitely need to check it out.
I just watched the bonus features on the 2-disc unrated extended edition DVD of American Gangster, and its value will largely depend on what you value as extra features. The DVD set comes with both the theatrical version and an unrated extended version which includes an extra 18 minutes. Considering that the regular American Gangster was long enough, I can’t say that an extended version is an improvement. Still, it’s great that Universal includes both versions in the release.
As for the bonus features, there are a couple of relatively uninteresting deleted scenes, including an alternate opening. Things get better when you move onto the making-of featurette, an over-hour-long look at several aspects from the film, including the elaborate Frazier v. Ali fight. There are segments that aren’t that interesting, but other segments are quite the opposite. What I liked most were the interviews with the real Frank Lucas, who speaks pretty candidly about his experiences. I would have liked to see a full featurette on the real Frank Lucas, however, or a feature commentary with Lucas and the real Richie Roberts.
The only other bonus feature on the disc is a collection of “case files”, which are some behind-the-scene looks at how the filmmakers prepared for the movie. It’s was fun to see Ridley Scott discussing minute details with the real Roberts, and also meeting with police officers to find out the best and most realistic way to show drug tests.
Overall, there’s really not much here, but there are some very nice nuggets to feast your eyes on. If you’re thinking of purchasing American Gangster, you should buy this 2-disc version, since you get two separate versions of the film and some unique insights into the making of the production.
Heath Ledger’s final film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, has been in a state of limbo ever since the actor’s death, but things are back on track with the announcement that three actors will be used to play Heath Ledger’s character.
Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell will replace Ledger as the character is transported into three separate dimensions. Terry Gilliam will continue to direct the film, which is now slated for 2009. There is no word on when production will resume.
I woke up this morning to see this YouTube video featured on the Yahoo! homepage… announcing Kyle Kendrick had been traded to Japan. Of course, he hadn’t actually been traded to Japan, just that prankster Brett Meyers had collaborated with manager Charlie Manuel, several other players on the team and even the press to put him into a state of shock. Kyle Kendrick’s expression throughout most of the video tells you that he fell for this hook, line and sinker, but the involvement of everyone involved (and a fake press conference) is sure to make even the most suspicious people believe.
Is there any question that Cate Blanchett is going to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at the 2008 Academy Awards? The actress is by far and away the most powerful person in the category, and her performance the most memorable.
Hell, Cate Blanchett is the only reason people went to go see I’m Not There, the officially weird but surprising excellent metaphor to Bob Dylan’s life. After all, Blanchett plays one of six versions of Dylan in the film, and if it’s hard to play the opposite sex, Blanchett doesn’t sweat a drop. The movie noticeably picks up its pace when she arrives on camera, and turns in one of the most dazzling performances ever captured on film.
As for the others, there’s not much competition. Ruby Dee in American Gangster? Seriously? That film lost its Oscar steam a long way back, and the only thing going for her is that the Denzel Washington/Russell Crowe film is about to arrive on DVD (but when are votes due?). I don’t remember a single thing about Dee’s performance, and there doesn’t seem to be much of a reason for her nomination other than a lack of good supporting female leads this year.
I was not a huge fan of Saoirse Ronan in Atonement. I absolutely loved the movie, but Ronan seemed a bit out of her element. OK, she still does a pretty good job (I noticed more the second time I saw the movie), but an Oscar-winning job? I don’t think so. [Correction: I completely confused Ronan with Romala Garai - two odd names, you know. I wasn't a huge fan of Garai, but in fact thought Ronan was terrific as the young Briony. Behind Cate Blanchett, Ronan would be my pick]
Gone Baby Gone was another very good film, and Amy Ryan did a very good job portraying a loser of a mother. That being said, when I was watching the movie, I was never blown away by her performance. I’m not too surprised she was nominated, but she sure as hell isn’t going to win.
The best competition for Cate Blanchett is Tilda Swinton, who plays a stone cold corporate executive in Michael Clayton, starring George Clooney. She has a relatively small role, but she is commanding in every scene; way back in October or whenever I saw this film, I thought at the time that she could be a front runner for an Oscar. Still, compared to Blanchett, Swinton isn’t nearly as memorable; and I haven’t heard any buzz about her, either.
Overall, these nominations don’t surprise me too much; there was a lack of good supporting actresses in 2007, and these are probably the best of the bunch. Allison Janney in Juno is the only other person I can think of off the top of my head who could have been up for the award.
I just watched Jumperearly this afternoon, despite it being a fabulous day outside. Relatively warm with few clouds in the sky, it was a great day to play in the park, go for a jog, or at least watch beautiful women jogging. Instead, I opted to go and sit with my male roommate in a dark theater and watch Hayden Christensen jump around the globe while being pursued by Samuel L. Jackson.
The movie is okay. From an action and sci-fi perspective, it’s worth it. Jumper is consistently entertaining and has a great concept to build from; unfortunately, director Doug Liman and the screenwriters involved don’t take full advantage of the film’s potential, leaving several plot holes in its wake. If you can get over these, you’ll like Jumper, but if not… well, here’s hoping for a remake of sorts a few years down the line.
IMP just posted the movie poster for the upcoming movie Arthur and the Vengeance of Maltazard, which is coming to theaters in 2009. I hadn’t heard of the film before today, but certainly found the movie poster to be intriguing.
Arthur and the Vengeance of Maltazard is written and directed by Luc Besson, and in IMDB is marked as an animated film. It’s country is listed as France, but it will be an English-language film.
Here’s the Arthur and the Vengeance of Maltazard movie poster:
I just watched The Bucket List, nearly two months after it was originally released in theaters. The Jack Nicholson/Morgan Freeman death comedy didn’t get very good reviews – only 42% fresh at Rotten Tomatoes – and as such as I had relegated to this to the rental pile. However, on a cold Saturday night, one of my friends and I visited the movie theater… and found that The Bucket List was actually pretty good.
The movie is funny and at times emotional. It’s not unique, and it’s not groundbreaking or award-winning, but its humor is genuine and heartwarming. It’s fun watching Nicholson and Freeman play off one another, and they really have great chemistry.
As people have surmised from my other posts, Ratatouille is my easy pick for Best Animated Picture. The movie (temporarily) showed up on my Top Ten Movies of 2007, was one of my recommendations for Best Visual Effects, and is just an all around great movie. The movie is smart and witty, to the point where it’s actually been nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. How many animated films get that respect?
I have yet to see Persepolis, but it looks quite good and could certainly be a dark horse winner. The problem with this “animated” West Bank film taking home the Academy Award is that adult-only cartoons rarely win Oscars and that few of the voters have probably seen the movie. Ratatouille has been out on DVD for months, guaranteeing that nearly every voter has probably popped it in for a viewing. I would be very surprised if Persepolis beat out Ratatouille, Pixar’s best movie since The Incredibles.
As for Surf’s Up, this is the obligatory third wheel nomination. In actually, the movie, about surfing penguins, is much better than the previews made it out to be, but its documentary-style approach and lack of spectacular visuals won’t resonate as Best Animated Film material.
The Friday box office results for the February 15-17 weekend (or for the February 14 to February 18 Valentine’s Day to President’s Day weekend) are here, and they imply a pretty impressive turnout for several new and returning films.
The Hayden Christensen-starring sci-fi thriller Jumper benefited from a lack of action films and a slick-looking premise to win Friday, after finishing in a “near dead heat” with Step Up 2 the Streets on Thursday. Jumper earned $8.2 million on Friday, bringing its two-day cume to $14.84.
Step Up 2 the Streets earned $6.25 million, The Spiderwick Chronicles $4.75 million and Definitely, Maybe only $2.9 million, for a disappointing fifth place finish. On the other hand, last week’s winner Fool’s Gold earned $3.9 million.
Here are the five day predications from Slashfilm:
The teaser trailer for M. Night Shyalaman’s upcoming movie The Happening is online now. The movie looks pretty good, though I am skeptical after Shyalaman’s last two films (The Village and The Lady in the Water). Lady in the Water was particularly bad, while The Village just failed to live up to expectations set by Shyalaman’s other films.
The Happening stars Mark Wahlberg as a man who takes his family on the run as people around the world begin to die off to what appears to be at first a biological attack, then a natural biological disaster, and then something else much more ominous. The teaser trailer, as it is called despite having a running time of over two minutes, is pretty good. What does “pretty good mean”? It doesn’t capture the attention nearly as much as those for The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable or Signs, as it does not manage to establish the sense of any immediate suspense or thrilling moments. The teaser trail is a tad subdued, perhaps too much for its own good, and at the same time I have to give it to the marketing department for depicting the movie as a little different from Shyalaman’s other films. After all, his credibility has turned from near Spielberg-esque appreciation to muted hesitation, and something other than his name is needed to get people into seats.
The presence of Wahlberg, the different look to the film and the epic scale of the film do favor The Happening, and I am certainly intrigued to see what Shyalaman has in store for us. I’m actually hoping he doesn’t have a twist ending built into this one, though I might change my mind once I’m sitting in the theater. Regardless, I’m intrigued, though the marketing department will have to work hard to convince people that The Happening is more of the old Shyalaman than of the new; good reviews will also be necessary.
American Gangster, the well-received cop/gangster movie starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, is now out on DVD. The movie is pretty good, though I’d say it’s a bit overrated. The pacing could have been a little better, and American Gangster definitely doesn’t compare to any Scorcese gangster flick (and it has been compared to those films). Still, American Gangster is a pretty good film with two really great actors squaring off against one another, and so if you haven’t seen it, you definitely need to check it out.
