Via Kevin Jagernauth at the Playlist, we learn that one of the skits for the upcoming, unnamed 17-director comedy anthology film is an expansion of the funny little film below from 2005, which comes as news to yours truly. “Robin’s Big Date” features Justin Long as a sensitive young Robin who has to put up with a supremely overbearing, bearded Batman (Sam Rockwell) who doesn’t seem to realize when he’s not wanted.
Especially with his outstanding work in “Moon” and the upcoming “Iron Man 2,” Rockwell is an actor who has really been growing on me a lot lately — I had previously found him a tad bland but I now see the error of my ways. His work here with Justin Long, also excellent, shows that his way with a comic scene is great stuff. Though I love that the updated version will include not only Rockwell and Long, but also writer-turned-actor Jon “I’m a PC” Hodgeman of “The Daily Show” as the Penguin, this nice little film is going to be hard to top. Enjoy.
Especially with his outstanding work in “Moon” and the upcoming “Iron Man 2,” Rockwell is an actor who has really been growing on me a lot lately — I had previously found him a tad bland but I now see the error of my ways. His work here with Justin Long, also excellent, shows that his way with a comic scene is nothing too new he already. Though I love that the updated version will include not only Rockwell and Long, but also writer-turned-actor Jon “I’m a PC” Hodgeman of “The Daily Show” as the Penguin, this nice little film is going to be hard to top. Enjoy.
Hey, it’s not everyday someone gives $900,000 of their own money to save a local landmark, but that’s what the founder of Playboy did for Los Angeles today as he donated a large sum to save the iconic sign in the Hollywood Hills that has become symbolic of a lot more than an actually fairly random place name. Anyhow, I’m turning this one over, in a way, to Hugh Hefner. I think the two clips below are fairly self-explanatory.
Since the individual scenes have been apparently all been disabled for embedding (why?), we’ll give you the trailer instead.
Bullz-eye/Premium Hollywood boss man Gerardo Orlando recently interviewed the ultimate girly mag’s honcho emeritus about a fortnight back. Check it out.
* Thanks, Hef! He saves the world for heavily retouched naked women, pays writers more than just about anybody, and now he ponies up the missing funds to save the Hollywood sign.
* One item I don’t actually have to link to report on is that the TCM Classic Film Festival is going to be back next year, with the idea of being an annual event. I can do that because I was present at last night’s big screening of “Metropolis” where none other than Robert Osborne announced it to the assembled multitudes at the more beautiful than ever Grauman’s Chinese Theater.
What was interesting about the way this festival was marketed is that people who live in Los Angeles were clearly not the primary target. Individual ticket prices were roughly double what film geeks like myself are used to paying to see similar presentations — actually more than double when you consider that most repertory programs are actually double bills. With the exception of fellow press and a USC film student who had picked up one of thirty free tickets that has been donated, everyone I spoke to was from elsewhere, and usually a place where the opportunity to see such frequently revived cinematic warhorses as “Casablanca” and “Some Like it Hot” on the big screen are nevertheless beyond rare.
As the creator of such beloved action films as “La Femme Nikita” and “Leon: The Professional,” Luc Besson knows a thing or two about staging a great action sequence. Although the French filmmaker has recently devoted his time to adapting children’s fare like “Arthur and the Invisibles,” he’s remained an integral player in the genre as a writer and producer on some of the best action movies of the last decade. For the follow-up to the 2004 cult hit, “District 13,” Besson has returned with a new story that brings super cop Damien Tomasso (Cyril Rafaela) and reformed criminal Leito (David Belle) back together to save the titular ghetto once again. It’s been three years since they last averted a plan to detonate a nuke within the crime-ridden alleys of District 13, but when a corrupt politician and his security force try to destroy the district for capital gain, Damien and Leito join forces with the local gang leaders to stop them before it’s too late.
Besson’s man-on-a-mission stories are about as predictable as they come, but while some of the exposition can seem a bit contrived at times (not to mention unbelievably boring), it’s a necessary evil that helps bridge together the incredible action sequences. And between Rafaela’s cleverly choreographed fight scenes and Belle’s jaw-dropping, parkour-inspired stunts, “District 13: Ultimatum” features some of the best action you’ll see all year. The fact that they’re actually performing every bone-crunching hit and gravity-defying leap only increases the entertainment level, with some stunts begging to be watched over and over again on a loop. The film’s uninspired story certainly doesn’t do it any favors, but between the high-energy action sequences and the chemistry of its two stars, “District 13: Ultimatum” is still a must-see for any fan of the original.
Every film, no matter how good or bad, has its fans, and if there are enough of those fans, then the film is inevitably destined to receive a special-edition DVD. This has been proven time and time again, which means there’s no longer any point in seeing such DVDs and howling with laughter at the suggestion that such treatment is warranted of a film like…oh, say, “The Wraith.” If you’re not part of the camp that’s already in love with the film, then better you should treat it like a pop culture experiment: watch it and see if you can determine why it’s developed such a cult following over the years.
Written and directed by Mike Marvin, “The Wraith” revolves around the mysterious Jake Kesey – played by Charlie Sheen, in his first leading role – who turns up in town right at the same time as a masked man who drives a completely kick-ass car known as…you guessed it…The Wraith. It seems that there’s this gang of drag-racing car thieves, led by a thuggish jackass named Packard Walsh (Nick Cassavetes), who challenge local teens to races where, if they lose, they have to surrender their car. Packard’s ego has gotten so large that he’s convinced himself that Keri (Sherilyn Fenn) is his girlfriend, but she’s got eyes for Jake, and it is mutual, baby. You can imagine how Packard feels about that development. Meanwhile, The Wraith is challenging members of Packard’s gang to races which tend to end in only one participant making it out alive, leading Sheriff Loomis (Randy Quaid) to begin investigating the strange goings-on. Say, is it possible that Jake and The Wraith are one in the same? And what’s the story on Keri’s ex-boyfriend, Jamie, who was killed in one of Packard’s races? You don’t suppose that Jake is actually Jamie, having been brought back to life by some unspecified means, given a change in appearance, and provided with the aforementioned kick-ass car in order to extract his revenge?
Nahhhhhhh.
If you’re not an aficionado of cars, ’80s cheese, or Sherilyn Fenn’s Breasts (yes, they deserve capitalization), then you may struggle to make it through “The Wraith,” but if you’re determined to do it in the name of science, then watching while listening to Marvin’s commentary helps a great deal. It’s also a major bonus that the film’s special features are the work of Red Shirt Pictures, who’ve made a great name for themselves by providing excellent bonus material for cult “classics” like this, so be sure to check out the interviews with Marvin and co-star Clint Howard (whose hair in the movie is fucking outstanding), as well as the featurette about the cars used in the film and the cult that surrounds “The Wraith.” That cult isn’t likely to grow any larger as a result of this special edition, but it’ll sure make the existing membership happy.
