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Hollywood Movies in Console and Online Games

September 3, 2010 /

The world of Hollywood has had an interesting effect on gaming, because many popular movie and television themes find their way into the gaming arena over time. This is true not only for console games and PC games, but also the online games that you play for free as well. It has become increasingly common for Hollywood characters to cross over from the silver screen or television screen to the internet in the form of free flash games or free downloadable games.

Disney movies, for example, often become games not long after their release. The same is true for action and adventure movies. Sometimes the game and movie have little to do with one another aside from similar characters, but they share concepts and visuals which is all that matters to the people who play. For example, movies like Transformers and Iron Man are quickly made into console games for play on big-name gaming consoles like the Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3 and Playstation Portable. The same is true for lovable characters from Disney and Pixar flicks like Finding Nemo, Wall-E, Up, Ariel the Little Mermaid, Lion King, Aladdin and other popular movies. Not only are new and current releases being transformed into games, but older classics as well.

At this point, if a movie or television show does well, it is bound to be merchandised to the point where a video game is made. Hannah Montana, for example, has become several simulation games for the Nintendo DS. These games allow children to experience the world of Hannah Montana beyond the television screen. Most Hollywood-based video games and online games provide appeal combined with challenging or educational game play, which is great for children who learn best from games that really appeal to them. This is also great for the gaming market, because the endless supply of new flicks and television shows translates into an endless supply of new gaming concepts as well.

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Summer to end with a bang-bang and some kiss-kiss, but perhaps not so many bucks

September 3, 2010 /

Say what you will about this labor day weekend’s cinema offerings, you can’t complain that they haven’t covered the twin cinema poles of traditional gender preferences. For mega-manly geeks, Danny Trejo finally gets his big Hollywood close-up courtesy of Robert Rodriguez and “Machete.” For more refined males who like their action thrillers to be a bit more arthouse than grindhouse, we have the latest vehicle for George Clooney. Set in Italy, “The American” sounds as dry as a Bunuel martini’ and likely to be about as popular with the masses when set against the cinematic Long Island ice teas and daiquiris usually served during this time of year. Finally, we have a romantic comedy broadly (and, Dave Medsker says, awkwardly) spiked with raunchy gags, “Going the Distance,” testing the box office appeal of stars Drew Barrymore and relative newcomer Justin Long.

None of these movies are expected to burn up the box office. Jolly Carl DiOrio seems to figure that last week’s narrow box office winner, “Takers,” will take this weekend as well. (Presumably, the #2 “The Last Exorcism” is expected to suffer the usual large drop for horror pictures, exacerbated perhaps by disappointment in the film’s ending.) Still, assuming everyone kept their budget nice and low things shouldn’t be too disastrous. I’m guessing that director Rodriguez’s famed gift for squeezing his pennies combined with some support from the underserved and powerful Latino audiences as well as the geek-American community should assure a reasonably profitable outing for the the tongue-in-cheek quasi-parody, “Machete.” I’m feeling less confident for “Going the Distance,” which seems to suffer from a vague premise and marketing campaign.

George Clooney IS “The American,” which was released on Wednesday to no particular box office earthquake,  is splitting critics in a way that makes me want to see it even more than I already do. In any case, it is almost inherently a small audience picture in a marketplace this strongly geared to younger viewers not known for their patience with thrillers stronger on atmosphere than action or plot. It’s title might be dull, too, but wouldn’t it be nice to live in a world where it at least outgrossed “Vampires Suck”?

Action Movies, Actors, Actresses, External Entertainment, External Movies, Horror Movies, Movie Comedies, Movie Dramas, Movies, News

The lonely grave of Ryan Reynolds?

September 2, 2010 /

No time for my usual prolixity tonight, but here is the new international trailer for “Buried” an apparent two-man show from director Rodrigo Cortés and star Ryan Reynolds, which presents us with a cinematic challenge in screen suspense that might have made even Alfred Hitchcock in his  “Rope,” “Rear Window” and “Lifeboat” mode think twice. You may compare and contrast with the earlier trailer here.

H/t First Showing.

Actors, External Entertainment, External Movies, Movie Dramas, Movies

Top Chef DC, errr Singapore

September 2, 2010 /

“Top Chef DC” is rolling right along, and last night the remaining five chef-testants became the Final Four. But they’re not going to finish this thing in DC, they are crossing the Atlantic (or Pacific) to Singapore, a country that has become a mecca for foodies.

But first, there would be an elimination, and before that, a quick fire. This week’s quick fire was a wine pairing challenge, with Dana Lovin from Food & Wine Magazine being the guest judge. Tiffany paired a Shiraz with beef tenderloin and a risotto; Kevin was going to make braised pork belly, but it wasn’t cooking fast enough in the pressure cooker, so he changed it up to quail–not exactly something that goes with red wine; Angelo made a foie gras; Kelly a wild boar tenderloin with blue cheese foam; and Ed a grilled ribeye with mushroom ragu to go with a deep red wine.

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External TV, Reality TV, Top Chef, TV

Slightly early midweek movie news

September 1, 2010 /

Just a few items that have been swirling about the movie media news/blogosphere…

Ving Rhames in * I know conservative Hollywood-bashers think all we film people both love and fear James Cameron and will leap to his defense with the ferocity of an intimidated momma grizzly on principle. They should take a look at the hub-bub the man has kicked up with some remarks in Vanity Fair that are perhaps best described as 3D snobbery run amok. To use his own terminology, he threw “Piranha 3D” under the bus — presumably with the resulting exploding innards heading directly at the audience’s face. I’m sure the fact that, as per Hollywood legend, Cameron was fired after a week directing “Piranha 2” decades ago, has nothing to do with this.

Anyhow, here’s the oft-quoted choice bit:

…that is exactly an example of what we should not be doing in 3-D. Because it just cheapens the medium and reminds you of the bad 3-D horror films from the 70s and 80s, like Friday the 13th 3-D. When movies got to the bottom of the barrel of their creativity and at the last gasp of their financial lifespan, they did a 3-D version to get the last few drops of blood out of the turnip. And that’s not what’s happening now with 3-D. It is a renaissance—right now the biggest and the best films are being made in 3-D. Martin Scorsese is making a film in 3-D. Disney’s biggest film of the year—Tron: Legacy—is coming out in 3-D. So it’s a whole new ballgame.”

One of the first to get in on the attack — and with the ferocity of a poppa grizzly, I might add — was our pal (and “Piranha” guest reviewer) Dennis Cozzalio. Numerous others have joined Dennis in the good fight for low-budget 3D horror. Apparently not one bit concerned about being able to work in this town again, producer Mark Canton has joined the fray with a sharp counter-attack.

* John Woo directing a movie about the American trained Chinese WWII aces the Flying Tigers in Imax? Where do we send our $15.00? Remakes of his long-time favorite, Jean-Pierre Melville’s “Le Samurai,” and his own international breakthrough hit, “The Killer”? Not my absolute first choice for Woo projects, but I’ll pay to see those too. I just hope he really has something new he wants to say with those stories.

* RIP director Alain Corneau.

* A truly intelligent man like Martin Scorsese knows it’s never time to stop learning. The Onion has the scoop.

*Via an e-mail from the elusive BKS: Cecil B. DeMille rewriting Billy Wilder? Sort of like James Cameron trying to rewrite Quentin Tarantino (and he would too, I bet), but anything is possible in this crazy town.

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Action Movies, External Entertainment, External Movies, Horror Movies, Movies, News, Sci-Fi Movies

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