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Cinefiend - Or How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love Michael Bay...

Directed by Guillermo Del Toro
Written By Mike Mignola & Guillermo Del Toro
Stars: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor & Seth MacFarlane

The previous Hellboy was an oddball mix of smart-arse wit, Harryhausen-style creatures and Lovecraftian horror sensibilities. Artist/writer Mike Mignola’s devil-with-a-heart-of-gold is not a comic property that screams to the mainstream sensibilities of cash aroused studio execs but Guillermo Del Toro makes it work. This second stab at ‘Big Red’ sees the Mexican wunderkind flexing a little more of his monster penchant with the same creative crew in front of and behind the camera.

As the film begins we find the titular son of Satan (Ron Perlman) still working for the ‘Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense’, residing in a bunker with highly flammable girlfriend, Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) hot on the trail of Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) ruler of the mythical realm, who has declared war on all humanity. Aided by psychic man-fish Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and ‘ectoplasmic entity’ Johann Krauss (voiced by Family guy creator Seth MacFarlane) the crew attempt to stop an onslaught of nasties from destroying the planet, fighting to save all humanity despite feeling excluded from it.

Del Toro’s eye for fantasy design and action is on par with Peter Jackson’s, so it’s fitting then that the two should pair on the upcoming Hobbit films. Here, Del Toro is in his geek-boy element, he’s satisfying his blockbuster sensibilities and giving birth to every creature design concept he’s ever stored away in the dark recesses of his brain. At times the creaky dialogue can be clichéd but it can’t change the fact that Hellboy II is a hoot, aided considerably by star Ron Perlman’s wisecracks and laconic surliness and Del Toro’s imaginative storytelling and intricate Faberge-egg visuals.

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HANCOCK

June 29th 2008 10:29

Directed By Peter Berg
Written By Vincent Ngo
Stars: Will Smith, Jason Bateman, Charlize Theron

Hancock began its life as a spec script by screenwriter Vincent Ngo in 1996 and in the period since, it’s been punted back and forth between various producers and any number of directors, including Tony Scott and Michael Mann, before being taken on by Peter Berg (The Kingdom) as a vehicle for Will Smith. Apparently the inherent dark comedy of the script was deemed objectionable by the studio, leading to several versions of the completed film. A sub plot regarding statutory rape was cut; other issues were Hancock’s alcohol consumption and the films violence. The studio wanted a blockbuster ‘event’ film what it got was an R rated action-comedy.

What we end up with sees Smith as the eponymous anti-hero, a drunken super-powered wreck who languishes on park benches, groping at passing women and guzzling bourbon all day long, struggling to fly straight as he apprehends evildoers and destroying parts of the city in the process. His crime-stopping escapades turn most of Los Angeles populace against him and it’s only when he rescues hapless PR consultant Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) from certain death that he finds himself undergoing something of a PR makeover, in order to become the kind of superhero that the city wants and expects.

The inspired moments of comedy and action seem to be fragments of a greater film that have failed to coalesce into a coherent whole. The component talents involved are at the top of their game, notably Bateman as Ray, however the film feels rushed and muddled, having been sliced and diced in the editing room in an attempt to tailor the film to its target demographic, so whether Smith’s pulling power with audiences can save the day is anyone’s guess.

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MY FAVOURITE COMIC ADAPTATIONS

June 20th 2008 04:07

1. Batman Begins: There have been other adaptations that have delighted the fan-boys (Spiderman 1 & 2, X-Men 1 & 2) however Batman Begins was a breakthrough for several reasons. Firstly, it shed the fetid detritus of the previous four films and redefined the caped crusader through honest characterisation and sleek, classical story construction. Secondly, it showed what a visionary filmmaker (who was labelled ‘art house’) could do if given the chance to place his own cinematic stamp on a comic property, this is a lesson that has been well observed by the next crop of comic-to-screen cross-overs. Thirdly, and most importantly, it’s a damn good film. Notably accessible to a wide array of fans and non-fans alike and it showcases the extraordinary screen presence of Christian Bale who not only created a fascinating character in Bruce Wayne but ably holds the screen for almost an entire hour before we see Batman. The slightly flawed third act wobbles slightly but Batman Begins triumph is the benchmark it has set and the considerable lesson it has taught studios: effects, explosions, rubber suits and guns do not a great film make, in the end it’s story, story, story.

2. A History of Violence: Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen plays Tom Stall, proprietor of a small midwestern town diner and all round nice guy, husband and father. When violent thugs pull into town and attempt to hold up the diner, Tom swiftly dispatches them in a way only director David Cronenberg knows how to depict, through an act of grotesquely violent heroism. Local media descend on the town in an effort to interview the local hero, which only serves to attract more trouble when scarred mobster Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris) turns up with heavies in tow, seeking recompense against Tom for attempting to kill him in the past. The beauty of this comic adaptation (authored by John Wagner, co-creator of UK comic character Judge Dredd) is not only Cronenberg’s hyper-violent stylistics but also the subtle, stunningly nuanced performance delivered by Mortensen, it’s an Oscar worthy turn.

3. American Splendor: Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini co-direct this wonderfully acidic real-life tale of lowly file clerk and uber-curmudgeon Harvey Pekar (Paul Giamatti) whose chronicling of his mundane existence leads to a cult comic and some mild celebrity. Pekar’s appearance as himself, narrating his own life and commenting on the film itself only serves to further blur the lines of fact and fiction. His unflinching honesty in regard to his battle with cancer is refreshingly candid, often hilarious and at times even moving. The depiction of Pekar’s initial encounter with his future wife Joyce Brabner (Hope Davis) is sublime: ” You might as well know right off the bat, I had a vasectomy.”

4. The Road to Perdition: American Beauty helmer Sam Mendes chooses a graphic novel (itself a reworking of cult comic book Lone Wolf and Cub) as the subject matter for this tale of family, loss and revenge as Irish mobster and standover man Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) sets out with young son in tow, to bring some serious comeuppance to his fellow doublecrossing potato-eaters. His murderous nemesis Jude Law isn’t far behind. Compelling stuff, delivered with class, stylistically somewhere between The Godfather and Miller’s Crossing.

5. 300: Brave King Leonidas and his 300 swarthy Spartans rout the savage hordes of the evil Persian empire - or so right-wing comic guru Frank Miller would have us believe. Regardless of the dubious political subtext, it’s a visual triumph and as a direct transfer from the comic world to the filmic, its visceral bloodletting reinvigorated the lacklustre comic-to-film adaptations that were being lazily churned out (Spiderman 3, Ghost Rider) and flawed though it is, 300 is still an impressive watch. Director Zack Snyder earned the blessing of the geek-boy fan base and has confidently moved on to take the reigns of The Watchmen, an adaptation of Alan Moore’s cult classic and what is perhaps the most highly regarded graphic novel ever published.

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MARVEL STUDIOS

June 20th 2008 03:56

After raking in a fortune with the Spiderman and X Men franchises, the newly launched Marvel Studios seeks to establish a Marvel cinematic universe that mimics its comics, with character cross-over’s and superhero team-up’s.
Marvel Comics CEO Kevin Feige announced recently that with the highly profitable release of Iron Man, a slew of Marvel comic based releases are set for production. We will soon see the reboot of The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton in the lead, after Ang Lee’s tackling of the green giant’s escapades in 2003’s Hulk ‘failed to connect’ with audiences. Duly following Warner Bros. lead and that studio’s newly rejigged Batman franchise, Marvel studios has recognised the need for visionary filmmakers helming their adaptations and were open to taking a risk on actor-turned-filmmaker Jon Favreau to direct the previously uninsurable Robert Downey Jnr in Iron Man, even going so far as to allow Downey Jnr input on the script, something which has clearly paid off given the critical and commercial reaction to the film. Similarly, in order to entice an actor of Ed Norton’s caliber to play the lead in their latest incarnation of the Hulk, Marvel also granted Norton script control. Downey Jnr will also cameo in The Incredible Hulk, as his Iron Man alter-ego Tony Stark and if audiences can tolerate sitting through the end credits of Iron Man, they’ll find a short scene featuring Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, another Marvel comic character, setting up his possible inclusion in their slate of film adventures. Next year will also see the release of Wolverine, a spin-off from the X Men franchise, helmed by the director of the Oscar winning Tsotsi, Gavin Wood. In 2010 we’ll see the clamor for more cash with the release of Iron Man 2 and then Thor, possibly being brought to the screen by Layer Cake director Matthew Vaughn, Brad Pitt is reportedly being considered as the titular hammer-wielding Norseman. Then in 2011, we’ll see Captain America, expected to be a World War 2 period piece presumably to accommodate the jingoistic sentiments that will no doubt abound, all culminating in the 2011 release of The Avengers, combining, as in the Marvel comic book realm, all previously established franchises into one super ‘team-up’. The uninitiated filmgoer may sneer with indifference but if the box office reception to Iron Man is anything to go by, Marvel’s immense universe of characters may prove profitable indeed, god forbid, they‘ll make geeks of us all.

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HAROLD & KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY

June 20th 2008 01:44

Directed By Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg
Written By Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg
Stars: John Cho, Kal Penn, Neil Patrick Harris, Rob Corddry, Paula Garces

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THE BANK JOB

June 20th 2008 01:41

Directed by Roger Donaldson Written By Dick Clement & Ian La Frenais Stars: Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, David Suchet

Since his incendiary debut with 1977’s Sleeping Dogs (at the time, the first film to be made in New Zealand for 15 years) Australian filmmaker Roger Donaldson has helmed the gamut of genre filmmaking: studio thrillers (No Way Out, The Recruit), schlocky science fiction (Species), studio ‘event’ pictures (Dante’s Peak) and also the odd period epic (The Bounty). Since his last effort, the low budget passion piece The Worlds Fastest Indian, Donaldson seems to have felt the need to bank a few quid as a gun-for-hire directing the fact based crime caper, The Bank Job

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SHUTTER

May 3rd 2008 13:24

Directed by Masayuki Ochiai
Stars: Joshua Jackson, Rachael Taylor, David Denman & James Kyson Lee
Duration: 85 Minutes
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FROM THE VAULT: WAR OF THE WORLDS PREMIERE

April 26th 2008 04:12

The stars were hardly being beaten away with a stick for the premiere of War of the Worlds in Leicester Square on June 19th. The only celebrity of any import to roll up the carpet was z list celeb Nell McAndrew, who was pounced on by mob of press eager to feed on celebrity flesh. But the fans care not one bit about the lack of celebrity sizzle as they await the arrival of the man of the night: Tom Cruise. Steven Spielberg was absent from the event; ‘The Beard’ was unable to attend because of filming commitments in Malta. In his absence, Cruise shoulders the event, assisted by his 11 year old War of the Worlds co-star Dakota Fanning. Anticipating the Cruiser’s now famous flesh pressing and autograph-signing marathon, the crowds fill up the square. Eventually, Tom and co-star Dakota Fanning arrive, the Cruiser’s all smiles and with girlfriend du jour, Katie Holmes in tow he wanders out onto the Odeon’s balcony to wave at his fans. A bland TV presenter hurls one leaden question after another at him, finishing by asking Cruise if he can relate to his ‘dead beat dad’ character Ray Ferrier in War of the Worlds. My hopes that Tom will put up his hand and admit to freebasing coke while torturing his children with cigarette burns are dashed as he answers: “No, I love being a dad!” The crowd roars its approval. They love Tom. They love Tom loving being a dad.

Venturing out to commune with the masses, Cruise, Holmes and Fanning do the meet & greet with press. Fanning eventually has time to stop and talk. I ask her about the experience of working with Spielberg, a renowned director of child stars: “It was a blast; it was such a great experience!” - the frighteningly articulate eleven year old drops sound bites like an old pro; “Steven’s such a great guy and it was so much fun working with him and Tom”. I ask her about the mooted Alice in Wonderland project that Spielberg is rumoured to be working on as an intended vehicle for her and she grins: “it’s still being written but the script so far is great! But nothing’s confirmed yet so we’ll have to see what happens, so fingers crossed

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THE VAULT: DIRECTOR JOHN MOORE

April 26th 2008 04:07

(Since Flight of the Phoenix, John Moore has directed The Omen, another remake and is in the process of helming Max Payne, a video game adaptation

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FROM THE VAULT: BATMAN BEGINS PREMIERE

April 26th 2008 03:58

On June 12th 2005, Batman Begins had its London premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square in London. Most of the Batman Begins cast were in attendance and I managed to bend their ears and have a chat with them. Amidst the pushing and showing journo's, my height had its advantages. I elbowed several journo's out of the way and approached Producer Charles Roven, who was first on the carpet, and he compared the merits of Batman Begins to the other mooted Batman projects floating around Tinseltown: “Once Bryan Singer was announced as the director of Superman Returns, Warner Bros. started looking at ways in which they could re-invigorate the Batman franchise. As they had just done Insomnia with Chris, they asked him about the kind of movie that he'd like to do (he had also been courted as a possible director of Troy) and when Chris talked to David Goyer and came in to talk to Warner Bros. about his idea to take the Batman franchise back to its origins, the studio agreed that the best thing to do was an origin story, and one that would be grounded in reality. So that's really how it came about.” I also asked him about how much freedom Nolan had within the studio production behemoth to tell the story he wanted to tell: “Here's the thing, Chris is an amazing filmmaker, he has all the talent in the world and he's also incredibly responsible and collaborative, so there wasn't any need to restrict him or his process. The thing about this film was that everybody was on the same page, the whole way. It doesn't always work that way, (laughs) especially when working within creative endeavours that have to also generate some business bottom line…the biggest problem we had was just trying to maintain the stamin to do it all…it was a big production.”

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July 2008

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June 2008

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