Public Enemies - What Did You Think?
Exclusive Interview: Paul Scheer on Piranha 3-D, Its Surprising Jaws Connection, “Rambo-level gore,” and Nude Wild Wild Girls
Posted on Friday, June 26th, 2009 by Hunter Stephenson
This summer, /Film considered traveling to the set of Piranha 3-D. Witnessing unlikely co-stars Richard Dreyfuss, Christopher Lloyd, Adam Scott, and completely naked bimbos battling (or getting devoured by) killer fish at the command of horror director Alex Aja is what the season is all about, no? Alas, it wasn’t meant be to be. The STD-insurance alone in the spring break hotspot of Lake Havasu, Arizona—where the film is shooting and set—is friggin’ outrageous. After informing us that we were not worthy, Piranha 3-D co-star and Human Giant comedian, Paul Scheer, offered up lots of funny, obscene and insane deets about next March’s horror flick. He also sent over this exclusive photo of his morally bankrupt character.
At times, our conversation went off the record into darker territory—a la shark viscera spilling onto a pier—but much is said below about a production that aspires to be the goriest and craziest 3-D movie ever. Paul discussed his role (it required method-acting and method-oogling), the precise amount of blood (a shit ton), Lake Havasu memories, and why Richard Dreyfuss’s sage character will seem, erm, pretty damn familiar. Chomp, chomp, chomp…
Hunter Stephenson: So Paul, I assume you wanted to do a broad family film and then you were offered Piranha 3-D. It was a matter of good timing, serendipitous.
Paul Scheer: [laughs] Yeah, well, I was trying to get Imagine That Too off the ground, where I become Eddie Murphy’s brother, and have my own adventure with my daughter. It was actually crazy, because when I first heard about this movie, it was like, “Elizabeth Shue is in Piranha 3-D, she’s awesome!” And then, you know, the title sounds cool and it sounds campy…
Early Buzz: 24 Minutes of James Cameron’s Avatar Screened
Posted on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
The first footage from James Cameron’s Avatar was screened to over 1,000 European Industry attendees at CinemaExpo International in Amsterdam, and some of the early buzz has begun to leak out. 24 minutes of footage was screened in all, most of which came from the first third of the film, but THR notes that “there were also glimpses from unfinished portions of later battle scenes.” What did everyone think of the first glimpse of the film that everyone is already touting as “revolutionary”? The reactions after the jump are, for the most part, spoiler free.
Reader Review: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Posted on Friday, June 19th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
/Film reader Ryan M had a chance to see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in Japan, and has sent in a reader review. We usually don’t run reader reviews on the site if they don’t fall into the category of “long lead material” (test screenings, extremely advance promo screenings…etc) but the interest in the Transformers sequel is high enough to warrant it. For those of you looking to hear what a non reader review on the site, I assure you that we’ll run at least one official review of Transformers on the site next week, in addition to the /Filmcast discussion the week following. I should note that the review is, for the most part, spoiler free, but does contain some “minor spoilers” that could easily be seen in the trailers and tv spots. Review after the jump.
Sacha Baron Cohen’s new movie Bruno has its premiere party in Paris last night, and BBC’s Jonathan Ross tweeted:
“Was very funny. Not as funny as Borat, but funny.”
But lets forget tweets, the first official review has been published by The Sun. The UK paper notes that Hitler gets a mention every five minutes, and that “the pygmy sex scene is one of the most horrific incidents ever committed to celluloid.” Here is a short spoiler free excerpt from the review:
“To say Brüno makes uncomfortable viewing is an understatement of Battle of Britain proportions. When I wasn’t giggling like a 14-year-old, I was cowering behind my hands.” … “The character does lose a bit of steam towards the end but the musical climax … is a fitting finale.”
Read the full review, which I must warn you: contains spoilers, at thesun.co.uk. Pictured above is Cohen’s nude appearance on the cover of GQ Magazine.
Test Screening Review: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Posted on Sunday, June 14th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
Last week a post appeared on producer Don Murphy’s message board claiming that director Stephen Sommers had been fired from G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura later provided damage control, calling the accusation “ridiculous,” refuting claims that the movie is a disaster by saying that “The movie tested very well…” I had also heard from a couple friends that Sommers had been thrown out of the editing room, but was unable to find anyone who would go on record. And bottom line is that Sommers supposedly has final cut. But is the movie the disaster that the anonymous message board posting eluded to? Or is it something more?
Back in March I received an anonymous email from someone calling himself “Dr. Drew” (we’ll assume this isn’t the same Dr. Drew who is on Love Line or Celebrity Rehab). Drew told me that he had just seen a test screening of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, and would like to submit a reader review. I told the Doctor that I was interested and made a comment on Twitter about having one of the first GI Joe reviews. A rep from Paramount contacted me and was quick to verify that a test screening had taken place the night before, in the same location my tipper claimed to screen the movie.
But before I had a review in hand, Dr. Drew stopped responding. I sent him a bunch of e-mails, but he vanished into the darkness. I joked with other journalist friends that Paramount somehow killed the story. When the Sommer news hit last week, I thought I’d reach out to Dr. Drew once again. I was curious… is the film really THAT bad? Or is Lorenzo telling the truth? Did the film actually test really well?
The Doctor got back to me and explained that he had never gotten my previous emails (intercepted by Paramount? probably not… Lost in the interwebs? more likely). What did Dr. Drew think of the movie? Full details after the jump.
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Early Buzz: The First Real Reviews for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Posted on Sunday, June 14th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
Last week we posted the first fan reviews of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, coming out of the Tokyo premiere. As expected, fanatics who loved the first film also loved the sequel. But what about the real critics? The first real reviews are beginning to appear online, and I thought we’d take a look at the early buzz:
Orlando Parfitt, IGN UK: “The film reaches its pinnacle with one such action set-piece that takes place in a forest - a brilliantly crafted sequence that is kinetic, emotional and genuinely thrilling. Unfortunately however, it is a climax that comes only an hour or so into the movie - the remaining 80 or so minutes just never quite scale the same heights.” … “Bay could have cut 40 minutes from the bowels of Transformers 2, and it would have been a far more effective movie. Unfortunately, the director fell into the same trap with Pearl Harbour and Bad Boys II - each filled with spectacular moments, but both becoming bloated, arduous cinematic experiences that ultimately outstay their welcome.” … “Bay has refined and improved his technique when it comes to directing action since the first Transformers. Bay has - to an extent anyway - cleared this up in ROTF, with more lingering tracking shots, cleaner environments and establishing framing.”
Four more review excerpts after the jump.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen premiered in Tokyo last night, and the first reactions are beginning to hit the web. I’ve only been able to find a couple reactions so far, but as more pop up, I’ll be updating the post below. So far it seems like people who liked the first Transformers movie, will absolutely love the sequel. More action, Bigger robots:
For Hunter’s reviews/wrap-ups of the previous two episodes of Breaking Bad leading up to last Sunday’s divisive finale, click here for ep 11 (”Mandala”) and here for ep 12 (”Phoenix”).
Now that most everyone has caught up with the season finale of Breaking Bad, entitled “ABQ,” on their TiVo and what not, let’s take a look at what went…down. Actually, for the sake of disclosure, the mini-delay of this write-up is also due to the episode being a surprising disappointment in my eyes. For a series that is deftly founded on madcap realism, the natural awes of science, and the odds of consequence, I found “ABQ” to stretch way beyond the show’s established believability (and viewers’ trust therein).
Aqua Teen Hunger Force’s Live-Action Season Finale This Sunday…With T-Pain as Frylock
Posted on Saturday, May 30th, 2009 by Hunter Stephenson
Post-Finale Update: So that was delectably epic.
This Sunday at 11: 45 p.m. ET, the rolling, clueless glob better known as Meatwad enters our Meatspace. Sort of. He’ll appear as, erm, an exercise ball, as seen above. In celebration of the season finale, Aqua Teen Hunger Force is airing its first ever live-action episode during its six seasons on [adult swim]. Vocoder rapper, T-Pain, will portray Frylock, the show’s patient, levitating box of French fries. Red Alert: TP’s neck blingee features Mooninites. This fall, T-Pain will also play The Ghost of Spring Break, alongside Lil’ Wayne, Andy Samberg, and Rick Ross, on the [adult swim] special The Return of Freaknik, an animated ode to Atlanta’s infamous ass-bash. Check out the rude and ridic trailer.
Rounding out the cast for Sunday’s Force is cool comedian H. Jon Benjamin (Human Giant, Demitri Martin) as Master Shake and possibly our fave: open audition-winner, Dave Long Jr., as the wife-beater-lovin’ human disgrace known as Carl Brutananadilewski. Pictures and the esoteric episode synopsis after the jump…
For the last couple years, Pixar has held the title of having the best reviewed mainstream movie release of the year. Ratatouille and WALL-E both ended with 96% with over 200 reviews (only 9 rotten). Two days before the nationwide release, Pixar’s Up is riding high with a perfect 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes with over 40 reviews.
But of course, someone is always bound to come along with a contrarian view. New York critic Armond White has filed the first negative Up review (it hasn’t been officially added into the Tomatoemeter rating just yet).
White is known for having an differing viewpoint than traditional critics. He wrote one of the 5 negative reviews of Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler and one of the four negative reviews of The Class. His list also includes unfavorable thumbs downs for Star Trek, Milk, Slumdog Millionaire, The Dark Knight, Gone Baby Gone, Iron Man, There Will Be Blood, and Zodiac. Did I mention that he gave Bedtime Stories a positive review?
Breaking Bad: Episode “Phoenix,” Flynn’s Ugly Website, and Season 2 Finale Predictions
Posted on Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 by Hunter Stephenson
Our recap and mini-essay for last week’s Breaking Bad proved surprisingly popular. We’re glad to see so many /Film readers tuning in to this superb AMC series; it’s a show that frantically cooks up smart debate…as well as predictions for several main characters that are exceedingly bleak and exciting. Today, we discuss “Phoenix,” the 12th episode leading up to next Sunday’s whoa-insured finale. Beware of major spoilers below. Feel free to share your theories on the end of season two, or opinions on the show’s growing comparisons with The Wire, in the comments.
McG’s Terminator Salvation hits theaters tomorrow, and so far it seems like the reaction is violently mixed. I screened the film earlier this week, and hope to write a review over the weekend, or maybe even appear on the /Filmcast, but here are my quick thoughts. If you’re expecting the movie to reach the bar set by Terminator and T2, you need to lower your expectations. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed this movie. The franchise does get Salvation, as the title implies, and the film is a HUGE improvement over Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
The action scenes are pretty damn cool, with McG paying homage to Children of Men/Alfonso Curon with a series of one-shot single camera sequences (which obviously aren’t one-shot, but stitched together in post) that will have you drooling. That said, the character development is almost non existent, the pacing is a mess and the dialogue could’ve been written by a 10-year-old. Overall, I enjoyed the film.
I know I might be in the minority. I understand how people might not think this is a good movie, but I’m surprised at some of the violently negative reaction the film has gotten in some of the early reviews. I think general audiences will like this film a lot more than critics. The film is getting an 8.4 out of 10 on IMDb with over 2000 votes (I expect this to go down to the 6.5-7.5 range) but only 34% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. I have compiled a bunch of excerpts from the early reviews after the jump.
Discuss: Did you see Terminator Salvation? What did you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
