Feeling Buzzed?: Youth in Revolt

If you haven't heard much about Youth in Revolt, I encourage you to check out the newest trailer (click on the title). I've known about this movie for awhile, but didn't start to get really excited about it until I saw Michael Cera (Juno, Superbad) on Jimmy Fallon last night and remembered that he is hilarious. "With heavy emphasis on the need for Nick ... to "Be Bad' to lose his virginity, it's the closest to calling the film Superbad 2 without calling the film Superbad 2," says the blogger for HSX.com. I'm feeling the buzz and hope to make time to see this movie this weekend.

Say It Ain't So: Sony Postpones Production on Spider-Man 4

According to Variety, Spider-Man 4 has been officially postponed. The pre-production halt was originally thought to be part of a planned holiday hiatus, but the delay has since been attributed to major problems with the script. The script has gone through many writers including most recently Alvin Sargent, who penned Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3.

It is rumored that John Malkovich (Burn After Reading, Rounders) will play the Vulture, a villain Sony apparently doesn't like very much. I've never been a huge fan of the Vulture, but I like Malkovich, and after playing Spider-Man: Web of Shadows on PS3, I actually think the character could be a good fit for the next Spidey. The Lizard could also be an option. Dylan Baker, who played Dr. Curt Connors (aka The Lizard) in Spider-Man 2 could be easily inserted into the plot. I have also heard rumors that the Black Cat could make an appearance. While I didn't have a big problem with the Sandman/Venom team-up in Spider-Man 3, I'd prefer the writer(s) - whoever he/they turn out to be - don't take a page out of the Batman & Robin playbook and cram three villains into one movie.

"For those who asked, of course I would and could write Spidey 4. In a heartbeat. I know exactly what that movie should be," tweets Brian Michael Bendis (@BRIANMBENDIS), the writer of the Ultimate Spider-Man comic book series. Upon reading this, the 15-year-old inside of me got perhaps a little too excited as Ultimate Spider-Man was one of the few things, comics or otherwise, I enjoyed reading in high school and early college. It's probably not highly likely Bendis gets brought on board, but if he does, can I pre-order my ticket now?

I for one don't care if Spider-Man 4's May 6, 2011 release date gets pushed back as long as the filmmakers wait until they have it right.

UPDATE: According to Variety, Thor will move into Spider-Man 4's May 6 realease date. Disney wasted no time moving Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides into Thor's former spot on May 20.

Headed in the Right Direction: Sam Mendes to Direct Bond 23

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sam Mendes (Away We Go, American Beauty) has been chosen to direct the 23rd installment of the James Bond franchise with Daniel Craig returning as 007. Production is being fast-tracked and could begin as early as June for a 2011 release. Bond 23 will be written by Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen) and the duo of Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who have worked on previous Bond films.

I have to respectfully disagree with Patrick Goldstein of the LA Times that Mendes is wrong for Bond 23. Goldstein points out the critical and commercial success of Mendes' films have spiraled downward since his directorial debut in 1999's American Beauty, which won five Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director. Since American Beauty made $130 million domestically in 1999 here's how Mendes' follow-ups have fared: Road to Perdition ($104 million), Jarhead ($62 million), Revolutionary Road ($22 million), and Away We Go (only $9.4 million). Goldstein does have a point. However, none of these have had a fraction of the commercial appeal of the James Bond franchise. Mendes just needs to worry about doing the job he was hired to do and make a good film.

Goldstein also doesn't feel there is a way for a director to put his 'personal stamp' on a Bond film. Maybe, but what do GoldenEye and Casino Royale (my favorites and arguably the best of the newer-era Bond flicks) have in common? They were both directed by Martin Campbell. "Even if Mendes does a solid, professional job, the resulting film will do little to change anyone's perception of his commercial touch (or lack of it)," says Goldstein. Again, maybe, but I'm sure there are worse movies Mendes could take on at this point in his career.

Just because Mendes might not be the best fit for this movie doesn't mean Bond 23 is doomed. I remember thinking Sam Raimi was an odd choice to do Spider-Man, but you won't hear me, or many other webheads, complaining. Call me optimistic, but I'm ready to see Mendes rebound with this one. Hollywood loves a comeback.

In Print: EW's Best Films of the Year

One of my New Year's resolutions this year (as it has been in many years past) is to read more. I've decided that every Monday for the foreseeable future I'm going to pick up a copy of Entertainment Weekly. Yes, magazines count.

This week's double issue (#1082/1083 for those of you reading at home) features 2009's best and worst of everything from books to TV shows. Being most interested in The Best Films of the Year, I started there. These are the best films of the year according to Owen Gleiberman:

1. Up in the Air* - Ballas' Bottomline: funny, but not hilarious; very time-appropriate; Clooney and Farmiga were very good

2. Inglourious Basterds* - Ballas' Bottomline: I don't always love Tarantino, but this was one of his better movies.

3. Precious

4. I Love You, Man* - Ballas' Bottomline: must-see buddy comedy; Paul Rudd and Jason Segel were hilarious

5. Food, Inc.

6. (500) Days of Summer* - Ballas' Bottomline: story told in a very interesting way; hard not to like Zooey and Joseph Gordon-Levitt

7. Fantastic Mr. Fox

8. The Girlfriend Experience

9. The Hurt Locker

10. Adventure Land* - Ballas' Bottomline: top-notch cast; liked it, but expected it to be funnier
* movies I saw last year

I was honestly a little surprised by the top half. I could understand how Up in the Air and Inglourious Basterds could make it into someone's top five, but I was near amazed to see Precious at #3. I had no interest in seeing this movie. (Sorry, Chad Ochocinco. I know you gave out free tickets to see this one, but that's the only way I would've seen it - with you... for free.) I'm not a big fan of Mariah Carey's singing, and I can't imagine I would like her acting. I didn't know that Mo'Nique (who I find annoying) was in the movie, but this doesn't change my perception of the film. Carey and Mo'Nique might actually be good actors, but I will never know.

I Love You, Man was the most accurately ranked in my opinion. If you haven't seen it yet, don't bother renting it - buy it.

I was also surprised to see Food, Inc. in the top half of this list. I'm familiar with the documentary from following Monsanto (an agriculture company) while working in the financial services industry this summer and seeing ads for it at Chipotle, but I never saw it. Even if this was the best documentary ever made, I still don't think it has any business being on this list. Call me uncultured, but when I go to a movie I want a story; I don't want to worry about fact-checking or becoming afraid of my favorite foods. In all seriousness though, this documentary is probably pretty entertaining.

I don't have much of an objection with (500) Days of Summer being where Gleiberman ranked it. On top of good lead acting, I really liked Chloe Moretz as Joseph Gordon-Levitt's kid sister. I think she has potential to grow into a decent young actress like Dakota Fanning and Abigail Breslin.

Wes Anderson (director; Rushmore, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) is hit or miss with me. I wouldn't have minded seeing this one, but it came out around Thanksgiving, and I was more interested in seeing The Blind Side, and to a lesser extent, Twilight: New Moon.

I don't think I had ever heard of The Girlfriend Experience until I read the EW article. Steven Soderbergh (Ocean's Eleven, Traffic) directed it, so it can't be too bad. I am unfamiliar with any of the cast. I thought the female lead's name, Sasha Grey, sounded familiar, but as I read in the article, she is a porn star... and that couldn't be where I know the name. The movie is about a high-end escort, so I'm thinking Grey was probably a good choice for the part.

The Hurt Locker is a movie I really wanted to see this summer, but never got the chance. I remember wanting to see it around the 4th of July while I was back home in Zanesville, Ohio. Unfortunately a limited release in Zanesville is like a Catholic in a synagogue; it happens, but not very often. If it ever came to Newport, I missed it. Thankfully, The Hurt Locker comes to DVD on January 12.

I liked Adventureland. The story hit home with me. In the movie, Jesse Eisenberg's character is a post-grad who ends up working at an amusement park due to lack of better options. At the time, I could envision myself in a similar situation. The amusement park also reminded me of working at Colony Square Cinema 10 - kind of lame, but a lot of fun. I also thought this movie had a really good cast. I've like Ryan Reynolds and Kristen Stewart since Van Wilder and Zathura, respectively, and Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig always do a great job of providing laughs in supporting roles. I also agree with Gleiberman that Adventureland could considered the 80's Dazed and Confused. I remember expecting a little more humor out of this one, but it was a solid flick.

Gleiberman, not my Top 10, but not terrible.

Weekend Wrap-Up: January 1-3

Top Grossing Films of the Weekend

1. Avatar - $68.3 million

2. Sherlock Holmes - $38.4 million

3. Alvin and the Chimpmunks: The Squeakqual - $36.6 million

4. It's Complicated - $18.7 million

5. The Blind Side - $12.7 million

Congratulations, James Cameron! Avatar has been the #1 movie for three straight weekends. At $1.02 billion and counting, Avatar is just the fifth movie ever to gross more than $1 billion worldwide. Cameron also becomes the only director to have two films reach this elite status. Cameron's other film to do so was 1997's Titanic with $1.8 billion. With second-place Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King at $1.13 billion, it's not hard to imagine Cameron shortly becoming the director of the two highest-grossing films of all time. If you haven't seen Avatar yet, I highly recommend it. Even if you don't love the storyline, the visual aspect is incredible. It's definitely worth ponying up an extra couple bucks to see this one in 3D or IMAX 3D.

Avatar combines live-action and digitally enhanced performance in what could quite possibly be the future of film. I'm not saying Avatar will win 11 Oscars like Titanic, but I think it's fairly safe to say we will hear James Cameron's name called on Oscar night. The 82nd Academy Awards are Sunday, March 7.

As Seen on TV: Action Trailers

Today's early football games were littered with movie trailers during commercials. If you chose to go to the bathroom during the breaks, check out the trailers for these flicks coming out in the next month or so by clicking on their titles.

From Paris with Love (John Travolta, directed by Pierre Morel) - February 5
Quick Synopsis: Bad-ass U.S. agent is sent to Paris to stop a terrorist attack.

This movie looks like James Bond meets Rush Hour. John Travolta's character in this movie initially reminds me of a wise-cracking, good-guy-version of the character he played in Swordfish. From the trailer, it looks like this movie could be a decent action flick with a nice dose of comedy. I really enjoyed the action sequences in Morel's Taken. My only hope is that Travolta's Bond-esque one-liners don't dominate his dialogue. I felt the script for Taken could have been stronger.


Edge of Darkness (Mel Gibson, directed by Martin Campbell) - January 29
Quick Synopsis: Boston cop searches for answers to why his daughter was murdered.

Despite his alcoholism and alleged anti-Semitism, I like Mel Gibson - as an actor. Gibson hasn't been in anything (good) since 2002's Signs. I'm looking forward to seeing Gibson's dark-side like we saw in parts of The Patriot and Payback. I'm also excited to see how director Martin Campbell follows up Casino Royale. All in all, Mel is a guy '...with nothing to lose,' and I want to see if he's still got it.


Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball - On DVD January 19
Quick Synopsis: Hitmen compete for a huge bounty on an FBI informant.

I liked the first Smokin' Aces enough that I'll probably rent this one at some point. The prequel doesn't bring back many of the original cast - in fact, Tommy Flanagan (Sons of Anarchy) was the only one I notice in the trailer - but it does add Vinnie Jones (aka The Juggernaut), who we already know can play this kind of role from his work in movies such as Snatch. Try to curb your enthusiasm though; after all, this is a straight-to-DVD release.

Feeling Buzzed?: Micronauts

When I saw Micronauts listed as the IPO of the Day on HSX.com, I couldn't help but ask myself, 'Why?' I've never heard of the Micronauts before (probably due to the fact that I have since learned it was a popular toy in Japan in the 1970's), and from the sound of its name and the look of its photo, it looks like a rip-off of Transformers (although it seems the Micronauts came first). Unfamiliar with what the movie will be about, I decided to read the synopsis. I was pleasantly surprised to see that J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, Lost) is signed on to produce. I was also intrigued to learn that the three-inch tall microheroes were once a Marvel comic series. I quickly realized that there is plenty of hope for something that I had discarded as a bad Japanese cartoon seconds earlier.

While Marvel has had success with (and I've been a huge fan of) big names like Spider-Man and Iron Man, I think it will be interesting to see what Marvel can do with the lesser-known of its 5000-plus characters. I also think it will be interesting to see how (if at all) the acquisition of Marvel by Disney affects the production of Marvel Studios. Personally, I hope they don't change a thing. Don't fix what isn't broken.

While it's hard to get overly excited about Micronauts when the movie is only in the development stage, I'm starting to feel the buzz.