Wednesday, November 3, 2010
'Saw' Sharpens with ''Final Chapter''
October 31, 2010
On Halloween weekend, the Saw franchise saved some face with its supposedly "final chapter" after the disappointment of the last movie, but it didn't restore its former gory glory. Among holdovers, Paranormal Activity 2 and others dissipated, while Red and others conserved. Overall business was up three percent over the same weekend last year when Michael Jackson's This Is It led. Saw 3D notched an estimated $22.5 million on over 3,500 screens at 2,808 locations. Add in its Thursday night previews, and its gross came to $24.2 million. That improved upon the $14.1 million launch of the last movie, Saw VI, but it was a far cry from Saw II through Saw V, which averaged nearly $32 million (or over $37 million adjusted for ticket price inflation). In terms of estimated attendance, Saw 3D's start ranked second-lowest, behind the first movie. Approximately three quarters of Saw 3D's screens presented the picture in the 3D illusion, and they accounted for 92 percent of business. Distributor Lionsgate's exit polling indicated that 56 percent of Saw 3D's audience was male and 53 percent was under 25 years old, skewing more male and older than Paranormal Activity 2 did. While the Saw franchise's recent marketing has rested on its laurels (which contributed to Saw VI's drubbing), Lionsgate's advertising tried to distinguish Saw 3D through 3D and by promising that it was the final Saw. The movie's ads were like the ones for Lionsgate's My Bloody Valentine 3D, featuring the traps popping out of the screen at an audience, but they again neglected any storytelling, ultimately relegating Saw 3D to a fans-only affair. Saw 3D was originally scheduled to open Oct. 22, but flinched in a game of chicken after Paranormal Activity 2 muscled in on that date. While the box office gap between the horror sequels won't be as extreme as the first Paranormal Activity and Saw VI last year, the Paranormal Activity franchise still won the second round by a wide margin. Paranormal Activity 2 suffered a 59 percent drop from last weekend, claiming an estimated $16.5 million. Due to Halloween landing on Sunday, its fall was a bit better than The Ring Two and The Grudge 2 at the same point. The first Paranormal Activity was a slow roll-out phenomenon, so there was no direct comparison, but it made $16.4 million at fewer locations on Halloween weekend last year. Paranormal Activity 2's total rose to a strong $65.7 million in ten days. Red held its ground again, easing 28 percent to an estimated $10.8 million for a $58.9 million haul in 17 days. Jackass 3-D again fell harder than its predecessors, tumbling 60 percent to an estimated $8.4 million, but it has grossed much more and crossed the $100 million mark on its 17th day. Hereafter collapsed by 47 percent in its second weekend of nationwide release, despite jumping from 2,181 locations to 2,424, and its total climbed to a tepid $22.2 million. Secretariat posted another small decline, slowing 28 percent to an estimated $5.1 million for a $44.8 million purse in 24 days. The Social Network stuck to its pattern, dipping 35 percent to an estimated $4.7 million for a $79.7 million tally in 31 days. Life as We Know It and The Town also held well again. Meanwhile, Conviction leapt to 565 locations, up from 55 last week, but continued its low-key run. The drama largely inspired indifference with its estimated $1.8 million. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest racked up an estimated $915,000 at 153 locations, which was a relatively worse start than predecessor The Girl Who Played with Fire, which opened to nearly as much at 108 locations. More Analysis:
? Weekend Briefing: Dulled 'Saw' Makes ''Final'' Cut
Last Weekend:
? 'Paranormal Activity 2' Spikes to Horror High This Timeframe in Past Years:
? 2009 - 'Michael Jackson' Strikes Top Spot
? 2008 - 'Zack & Miri,' 'Changeling' Contribute to Bleak Halloween
? 2007 - 'American Gangster' No. 1 with a Bullet
? 2006 - 'Borat' Bombards the Top Spot
? 2005 - Welcome to the Cluck: 'Chicken,' 'Jarhead' Top Weekend
? 2004 - 'Ray,' 'Saw' See Robust Starts Related Charts
? Weekend Box Office Results
? 'Saw' Franchise
? 2010 Grosses
New on DVD - October 26, 2010 - Sex and the City 2 and Winter's Bone
Chris Barsanti has been a Filmcritic reviewer since 2002. So there.From the girls-going-wild-in-the-Middle East vibe of Sex and the City 2 to the downbeat grit of the acclaimed Ozarks noir Winter's Bone, we'll take a look at the good, the bad, and the nearly unmentionable coming out this week on DVD and Blu-ray. Sex and the City 2
The onetime darlings of HBO get together for another big-screen romp, which takes them far away from Manhattan's glitter and drops them into a luxury Middle Eastern resort where nothing terribly interesting happens. Our critic bemoans the existence of a movie that "can't seem to find time for any genuine emotion or a compelling story line" in its overlong 150-minute length.
Winter's Bone
Debra Granik, director of the highly acclaimed Down to the Bone, returns with this audacious thriller set in the wooded hills of southern Missouri. A teenage girl sets out to find her bail-skipping father in a landscape of poverty, crime, and drug addiction. Our writer had a few quibbles with the film but found it to be "something of a minor miracle" for those who worried that American indie filmmaking was limited to "awkward romantic comedies, bleeding-heart documentaries, and stiff, monotonous dramas."
The second film in the adaptations of Stieg Larsson's mystery trilogy finds the near-genius computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) on the run after she's been framed for a murder. At the same time, her partner in muckraking, Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), is writing an exposé of sex trafficking that stands to upset many in positions of power. We thought it a poor follow-up to the impressive first film. Having trimmed away so much of the novel's background and subplots, "what's left is little more than a mundane mystery with two characters who don't like to smile."
Forbidden Lie$
In this documentary that makes a sport of second- and triple-guessing the truth, viewers are introduced to Norma Khouri, a Chicago-based scam artist who may or may not have been witness to the brutal victimization of women in Jordan. Our writer thought that this fascinating and "nervy" film twisted reality "into an infinitely receding hall of mirrors."
Wild Grass
In this oddball French melodrama from Alain Resnais (Hiroshima mon amour), a woman loses her pocketbook and is relentlessly stalked by a curious wealthy older gentleman who falls in love with her and seems to want to punish her for it. Our critic enjoyed Resnais's gorgeous visuals, which almost made up for a "loose-limbed and frustrating story, too much of which hinges on a hackneyed plot that doesn't do these actors much justice."
Rock & Rule
An oddity of oddities when it first (briefly) hit theaters back in the eighties, this animated cult curio (now getting a 25th-anniversary rerelease) is a kind of postapocalyptic rock-and-roll fantasia where all the characters are mutated anthropomorphic animals (rats, dogs, cats). Oh, and Cheap Trick does most of the music, while Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, and Debbie Harry provide some of the voicework. Our critic thought the unsung classic a "masterpiece of outré animation and wildly ambitious vision [that] remains a triumph in animated feature film."
Hush
A "nimble little B-thriller synthesized from a rote plot," Hush follows what happens when a man's girlfriend goes missing and he becomes convinced that she was kidnapped by a psychopath driving a semitruck. "Much like Taken," our critic said, the film is a "B-movie mixer with just-add-water structure that nonetheless is directed and filmed with a high amount of urgency."
Paths of Glory
One of Stanley Kubrick's early masterpieces featured a passionate performance by Kirk Douglas as a French soldier during World War I who takes it upon himself to battle the vile and immoral stupidity of his commanding officers, which is sending so many of his men to their graves. Now available in a Criterion special edition.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Friday Report: 'Paranormal Activity 2' Hits Supernatural High
October 23, 2010
On Friday, Paranormal Activity 2 delivered the highest-grossing opening day for a supernatural horror movie on record, while the other new supernaturally-themed entry, Hereafter, had a relatively quieter launch. Overall business was up from the same Friday last year, when the first Paranormal Activity led. Paranormal Activity 2 drew an estimated $20.1 million on approximately 4,500 screens at 3,216 locations, topping The Ring Two's $14.8 million for supernatural supremacy in terms of first day gross. Its Friday gross included a $6.3 million midnight debut at around 1,800 locations, which not only broke Jackass 3-D's October midnight record ($2.5 million) but also the R-rated midnight record, formerly held by Watchmen ($4.55 million). The horror sequel displayed better staying power than the Blair Witch movies: in a single day, its retention percentage of its predecessor's gross matched Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2's total retention of The Blair Witch Project. The first Paranormal Activity opened nearly 13 months ago but had a slow roll-out into nationwide release. It peaked at 2,712 locations and its biggest single day was $8.6 million, leading up to a $107.9 million final tally. After a week of limited play, Hereafter expanded nationwide to close to 2,500 screens at 2,181 locations and grossed an estimated $4.1 million. Among comparable titles, that was less than The Lovely Bones' $5.7 million but greater than Changeling. True to its content, Jackass 3-D fell on its face in its second Friday, but, since its grosses have been at a high level, that still meant a solid estimated $7.6 million. It was down 66 percent Friday-to-Friday, while the first Jackass dropped 56 percent and Jackass: Number Two tumbled 61 percent at the same point. Jackass 3-D's sum climbed to $73.1 million in eight days, passing Number Two to become the highest grosser of the franchise (though it still has a ways to go to be tops in attendance). Red held well in its second Friday, off 38 percent to an estimated $4.5 million. The action comedy has posted $33 million in eight days, increasing its lead on Cop Out through the same point among similar titles. Holdovers in general had small drops. The Social Network showed more staying power, easing 32 percent to an estimated $2.3 million for a $67.9 million tally in 22 days. Life as We Know It dipped 34 percent to an estimated $2.005 million for a $33.5 million sum in 15 days, while Secretariat was right on its heels with an estimated $2.003 million for a $32.4 million 15-day purse, slowing 30 percent. Related Chart
? Daily Grosses for Friday, Oct. 22
'Conan 3D,' '21 Jump Street,' 'Bourne Legacy' and Many More Stake Out Dates...
October 29, 2010
A flurry of new release dates were announced today, including such high profile titles as Conan 3D, The Bourne Legacy, The Dark Tower and 21 Jump Street. Conan 3D will be unsheathed on Aug. 19, 2011, the same date as two other movies sporting the 3D illusion, the Fright Night remake and Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World. Conan 3D is essentially a remake of Conan the Barbarian from 1982 and features Jason Momoa (Baywatch, Stargate: Atlantis) as Conan and Stephen Lang (Avatar) as the villain. It's being directed by Marcus Nispel, who covered similar territory in Pathfinder but is better known for horror remakes The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th (2009). Redoing a 1980s adventure in 3D recalls Clash of the Titans (2010) from earlier this year, which racked up $163.2 million. The original Clash of the Titans and Conan the Barbarian had comparable popularity back in the day. Distributor Lionsgate emphasized that Conan 3D is from the producers of The Expendables, explaining Conan 3D's comparable release date. 21 Jump Street, Sony Pictures' big screen adaptation of the 1987-1991 television series that featured Johnny Depp, will go undercover on Mar. 16, 2012. It's being directed by Phil Lord (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) and co-written by Jonah Hill, who also co-stars. Sony also set The Vow for Feb. 12, 2012, a fitting date for the romantic drama starring Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum. From 20th Century Fox, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (in 3D) staked out June 22, 2012. It's currently the only movie scheduled for that date, and it's being directed and produced by Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) and produced by Tim Burton (the two previously produced 9 together). Universal Pictures was the busiest bee of the day, announcing nine releases. The Bourne Legacy has been scheduled for Aug. 3, 2012, or exactly five years after The Bourne Ultimatum. Untitled Judd Apatow Comedy will also open exactly five years after Knocked Up on June 1, 2012. The Dark Tower, a Ron Howard-directed adaptation of the Stephen King novel, marks the third movie to be officially scheduled for 2013, after Reboot Ralph and Iron Man 3. It will strike May 17, 2013, or the same time of year as Mr. Howard's The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons. The other Universal titles were: Tom Hanks' comedy-drama Larry Crowne on July 1, 2011 (opposite Transformers 3 with similar timing to Forrest Gump), Safe House, a thriller starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds, on Feb. 10, 2012 (opposite The Vow), Mark Wahlberg thriller Contraband on Mar. 16, 2012 (opposite 21 Jump Street), Hasbro's latest adaptation, Ouija, on Nov. 9, 2012, 47 Ronin, a period action drama starring Keanu Reeves, on Nov. 21, 2012, and Snow White and the Huntsman on Dec. 21, marking the first Christmas 2012 release on the schedule. Related Chart
? Release Schedule: New Dates & Changes
Recent Release Date News
? 'Iron Man 3' to Launch Summer 2013
? Disney Shuffles 2011 Schedule, Removes Miramax Movies
? 'The Tourist' Vacations in December
? Disney Shifts 'Monsters Inc. 2,' Drops Two Others
? 'Breaking Dawn' Officially Split in Two, 'Part Two' Nabs Date
? 'Red Riding Hood,' Steve Carell Comedy Make Spring 2011 Shift
? 'Fighter' Set to Enter Ring This December
? 'Footloose' Remake Dances to Date
? New 'Thing' Flings Into 2011
? 'The Muppets' Return Christmas 2011
? 'Sherlock Holmes 2' to Face-Off with 'Mission: Impossible 4' and 'Chipmunks 3'
? 3D 'Three Musketeers' Swings Into April 2011
'Paranormal Activity 2' Spikes to Horror High
October 25, 2010
Paranormal Activity 2 delivered the highest-grossing opening weekend ever for a supernatural horror movie, while the other new supernaturally-themed entry, Hereafter, had a quieter launch. Overall business was up nearly 12 percent from the same weekend last year, when the first Paranormal Activity led. Haunting approximately 4,500 screens at 3,216 locations, Paranormal Activity 2 drew $40.7 million, topping The Grudge's $39.1 million for supernatural supremacy in first weekend gross (though it ranked seventh in estimated attendance). The first Paranormal Activity opened nearly 13 months ago but had a slow roll-out into nationwide release. Its biggest single weekend was its fifth, generating $21.1 million at 1,945 locations. Paranormal Activity 2 displayed better staying power than the oft-compared Blair Witch movies: it's already retained 38 percent of its predecessor's $107.9 million gross, while Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2's total retention of The Blair Witch Project was a mere 19 percent. It's also better off than The Grudge 2 versus the first Grudge. In its marketing, the Paranormal sequel stayed true to its predecessor's "found footage" format (which Blair Witch abandoned for its sequel), a style that's worked with recent titles like Cloverfield, Quarantine and The Last Exorcism. With its Friday gross accounting for 49 percent of its weekend gross, Paranormal Activity 2 had the most Friday-loaded opening weekend on record for a horror movie. Nearly all other horror movies with similar Friday shares failed to double their opening weekend grosses in their final tallies, suggesting that Paranormal Activity 2 will have a quick flame-out and make less than its predecessor. Given the checkered history of supernatural horror sequels, though, simply retaining most of the first movie's audience would put Paranormal Activity 2 firmly in the win column. The movie's Friday included $6.3 million from its heavily-promoted midnight debut at around 1,800 locations, which not only broke Jackass 3-D's October midnight record ($2.5 million) but the R-rated midnight record formerly held by Watchmen ($4.55 million). Paranormal Activity 2 also played at 151 IMAX venues, which contributed an estimated $2.5 million to the weekend tally. Distributor Paramount Pictures' exit polling indicated that 54 percent of the audience was female and 61 percent was under 25 years old. After a week of limited play, Hereafter expanded nationwide, showing on close to 2,500 screens at 2,181 locations, and grossed a not-so-sweet $12 million. Among comparable titles, that was less than The Lovely Bones' $17 million but greater than Changeling and Stir of Echoes. Hereafter's marketing relied mostly on shots of a tsunami and the name recognition of director Clint Eastwood and actor Matt Damon, but the ads did not reveal a story, instead striking a somber tone with a vague reference to Damon as a mystic reassuring people about the afterlife. According to distributor Warner Bros., 58 percent of the audience was female and 80 percent was over 30 years old. True to its content, Jackass 3-D fell on its face in its second weekend, but, since its grosses have been at a high level, that still meant a solid $21.3 million. It was down 58 percent, while the first Jackass dropped 44 percent, and Jackass: Number Two tumbled 50 percent at the same point. Jackass 3-D's sum climbed to $86.9 million in ten days, flying past Number Two's $72.8 million to become the highest grosser of the franchise (though it has a ways to go to be tops in attendance). Again, 3D presentations accounted for around 90 percent of Jackass 3-D's business. Red held well, off 31 percent to $15 million. The action comedy has posted $43.5 million in ten days, and it will soon surpass Cop Out's $44.9 million final total among similar titles. Holdovers in general saw small drops. The Social Network showed more staying power, slowing 29 percent to $7.3 million for a $72.9 million tally in 24 days. Secretariat eased 25 percent to $7 million for a $37.4 million purse in 17 days, while Life as We Know It was close behind with $6.1 million for a $37.6 million 17-day sum, down 31 percent. Last Weekend:
? 'Jackass' Crashes Into Fall Record This Timeframe in Past Years:
? 2009 - 'Paranormal' Rages, 'Saw' Dulls
? 2008 - 'High School Musical' Cuts Footloose with 'Saw'
? 2007 - 'Saw IV' Loses Little Blood
? 2006 - 'Saw' Sharp in Third Outing
? 2005 - 'Saw II' Gores 'Zorro'
? 2004 - 'Grudge' Grabs Top Spot Related Charts
? Weekend Box Office Results
? Supernatural Horror Opening Weekends
? All Time October Opening Weekends
? 2010 Grosses
Feature: Disneynature's Oceans (Blu-ray Review)
At this point, there are as many oceanic documentaries as there are stars in the sky, or perhaps fish in the sea. ?Oceans? is the latest entry in the big bottomless blue sweepstakes and while it doesn?t necessarily redefine the genre, this Disneynature release is more artful and considered than its competition, permitting viewers a far more meditative take on the mysteries of the deep than the average educational film would allow.
Last Earth Day, Disneynature rolled out ?Earth,? a pleasant enough compilation of frolicking animals and their rituals, but the footage was noticeably reheated from cable broadcasts, leaving the final product lacking a needed pulse of awe to help push the wonders of planetary life. Perhaps sensing fatigue (or finding better nature film producers), Disneynature tries again with ?Oceans,? which, to the untrained eye, assumes a far more consistent depiction of the titular habitat. At least this one doesn?t feel like I just happened upon it flipping from the Food Network on my way to an episode of ?Ninja Warrior.?
From French filmmakers Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud, ?Oceans? doesn?t feature the added scale of IMAX or the cheap boost of 3-D, instead taking enormous cinematographic care to present the waters of the world as sharply and heavenly as a regular old 2-D presentation will allow. There are some breathtaking shots here worth the price of a Blu-ray, plunging viewers into these abyssal underwater kingdoms to spy sea life engaged in the daily business of being. What?s fantastic about ?Oceans? is that it?s less behavior-centered and more fixated on floating grandeur, allowing the graceful movement of whales, dolphins, sea lions, and various fish buffets (oh, those poor sardines) to do most of the talking for the immaculate footage (the gaps are filled in with contemplative narration from Pierce Brosnan).
?Oceans? takes to the air as well, highlighting the birds that prowl the waters waiting for an opportunity to seize the perfect bite. Matters get downright Hitchcockian during one sequence, where a nest of baby sea turtles hatches in broad daylight, allowing nearby birds a chance to zoom in and snatch up dinner as the turtles scramble for the safety of the ocean. It?s an astonishing sequence of suspense, while also pumping some needed circle-of-life reminders into the proceedings to wake up more impressionable viewers.
THE BLU-RAY
Video:
The AVC encoded image (2.40:1 aspect ratio) presentation on ?Ocean? is intended to wow viewers and it accomplishes this task with a confident, clear journey into the deep blue waters. Captured with HD cameras, the viewing experience remains remarkably reliable, remaining fresh and vibrant as various creatures swim by for full living room inspection. Detail is strong, with textures a major component of the viewing experience, with a fine grain element to provide a rich theatrical feel. Colors are varied and consistent, pushing blues and yellows, making the beaches and abysses alive with communicative hues. Darker elements of pollution are equally as vivid, sustaining the picture?s sporadically somber tone. Shadow detail is generally stable, with a few sequences that reach into the deepest depths showing some muddiness that obscures visual information.
Audio:
The 5.1 DTS-HD sound mix feels tailored to home audiences, plunging into the wet with a vigorous surround feel that maintains a cool submerged feeling. The soundtrack has already been sweetened by the filmmakers, with every last gurgle, bubble, and crunch agreeably pronounced on the track, with special attention paid to closer encounters. Brosnan?s narration is warmly sustained and pronounced, with frontal activity that blends into the mood of the film superbly. Scoring cues also feel relaxed, creating a cinematic smoothness. Much of the listening experience is spent with a heavy, pressurized aural sensation, which registers marvelously on the track. French and Spanish tracks are also offered.
Subtitles:
English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles are included.
Extras:
?Oceans? includes a ?Living Menu? system that allows viewers to click on certain parts of an animated globe. While most of the information is text-based, a few making-of featurettes are hidden, making it worth the effort to click around a bit and find a few surprises.
?Disney & Nature: Caring for the World We Share? (7:54) is a corporate pat on the back, covering Disney?s effort to protect the Earth with help from ticket buyers, who fund some of these conservation efforts. The featurette moves on to Disney?s global protection and education endeavors, taking this thing even further into self-promotion.
?Make a Wave? (1:50) is a music video featuring Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato.
A Theatrical Trailer has not been included.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The footage here hits all the mystery and miracles of the oceans, illustrating routines and the natural splendor of the aquatic stars. Nevertheless, the real significance is one of environmental responsibility, with focus moving over to manmade pollution and how catastrophe is imminent if habits don?t change. This message is critical, implemented well by the filmmakers, who embrace the power that comes from visual evidence, which is far more effective than simplistic preaching. The patience lends ?Oceans? a more challenging tone, putting the burden of change on the viewer, not just passing it off to humankind in general.
originally posted: 10/20/10 23:54:35
last updated: 10/20/10 23:55:08
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printer-friendly formatFriday Report: 'Saw 3D' Improves on 'Saw VI,' 'Paranormal' Drifts Away
October 30, 2010
On the Friday before Halloween, the Saw franchise saved some face with its supposedly "final chapter" after the disappointment of its last movie, while Paranormal Activity 2 dissipated. Overall business was up a bit over the same Friday last year when Michael Jackson's This Is It led. Saw 3D notched an estimated $9 million on over 3,500 screens at 2,808 locations. Add in its Thursday night previews, and its gross came to $10.7 million. That improved upon the $7 million Friday launch of the last movie, Saw VI, but it was a far cry from Saw II through Saw V, which averaged $14 million (or over $16 million adjusted for ticket price inflation). Approximately three quarters of Saw 3D's screens presented the picture in the 3D illusion, and they accounted for 93 percent of business. If Saw 3D follows a similar pattern to the previous Saw movies, its weekend gross would land in the vicinity of $20 million, but it may have a smaller-than-normal Sunday decrease due to Halloween landing on Sunday. Paranormal Activity 2 suffered a 71 percent drop from last Friday, claiming an estimated $5.8 million. Its Friday-to-Friday fall was almost as bad as the last three Saw movies, and it was worse than The Ring Two at the same point but a tad better than The Grudge 2. The first Paranormal Activity was a slow roll-out phenomenon, so there is no direct comparison, but it did make a little more on Halloween Friday at fewer locations last year. Paranormal Activity 2's total rose to a relatively strong $55 million in eight days. Red held its ground again, easing 25 percent to an estimated $3.4 million for a $51.5 million haul in 15 days. Jackass 3-D again fell harder than its predecessors, tumbling 58 percent to an estimated $3.1 million, but it has grossed much more with $96.3 million in 15 days. Hereafter collapsed by 49 percent in its second Friday of nationwide release, despite jumping from 2,181 locations to 2,424, and its total climbed to a tepid $17.9 million. Secretariat posted another small decline, slowing a mere 21 percent to an estimated $1.58 million for a $41.3 million purse in 22 days. The Social Network stuck to its pattern, dipping 32 percent to an estimated $1.55 million for a $76.6 million tally in 29 days. Life as We Know It and The Town also held well again. Meanwhile, Conviction leapt to 565 locations, up from 55 last week, but continued its low-key run. The drama largely inspired indifference with its estimated $550,000. Related Chart
? Daily Grosses for Friday, Oct. 29
Review: Saw 3D
Awesome: 12.5%
Worth A Look: 0%
Average: 0%
Pretty Bad: 87.5%
Total Crap: 0%
1 review, 2 user ratings
by brianorndorf
"It's finally over...hopefully."
Having survived a horrible facial trap in the last chapter, dastardly Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) is on the hunt for revenge, targeting Jigsaw?s wife Jill (Betsy Russell), who?s been taken into police custody under the protection of Gibson (Chad Donella, giving a spectacularly atrocious performance). Also on the prowl is Bobby Dagen (Sean Patrick Flannery) a self-proclaimed survivor of Jigsaw?s wrath who?s made a mint sharing his horror story with the public. Confronted with a second round of Jigsaw?s steel might, Bobby is placed into an elaborate maze of traps, with each bloody test of endurance revealing his deceptions. Observing from afar is Dr. Gordon (Cary Elwes, blessedly handed very little dialogue), who?s returned from the dark for reasons not immediately made clear.
Since 2004, the ?Saw? films have continually disappointed me, with each installment robotically moving on to the next, without the forward progression of storytelling and nightmarish imagery that typically accompanies an eager horror sequel. I guess ?Saw? was never about taking real artistic chances, it was about building a dependable Halloween thrill ride, with slapdash, semi-humorous retconning filling in the plot holes as one sequel grew to six in a hurry.
Now we?ve hit part seven and nothing?s changed in the ?Saw? universe. There are still ornately designed traps ready to spring on hapless souls unable to reclaim their morality, Jigsaw (Tobin Bell appears in a cameo) is still around to stir up trouble, and the music score eternally blasts away at top volume. ?Saw 3D? had a real opportunity to kick down the doors and close this series with a majestic killing blow, skipping formula to take fans on a wild ride of finality. Instead, we get 3D. It?s not exactly the type of creative risk-taking I was hoping for and feel the hardcore fanbase deserves.
Director Kevin Greutert returns from his work on ?Saw V? to guide the latest adventure, and I haven?t encountered a director so baffled by the possibilities of 3D in a very long time. The extra dimension is practically left to rot in ?Saw 3D,? with only the occasional blast of entrails or limb tossed toward the camera for effect. It remains a hopelessly flat film befitting a flaccid story, never bothering to sniff out the limits of the exhibition possibilities. Greutert appears more consumed with keeping the rickety narrative intact than sliding forward a specialized, memorable visual experience. With all these traps and dying people, the potential to create a funhouse environment of 3D immersion was right there for the taking. Greutert barely pays attention.
Hoffman? Dr. Gordon? Jigsaw? Is there really a mystery left to be solved at this point? The only question mark that remains is how the bad guys manage to erect such elaborate traps for their whimpering victims without outsiders catching on. That?s a ?Saw? I want to see at this point. Let?s watch Jigsaw shop at Home Depot for giant flesh-ripping hooks, rent all these warehouses and public spaces, or perfect the science of his kill toys (one trap here is triggered by decibel levels). I want to see the welding, the down payments, the customer service calls. I want to know how a madman has the time to manufacture all these robot puppets on tricycles and still make room for his nightly Hot Pocket and DVRed episode of ?Two and a Half Men.? The mundane details of this operation have to be more interesting than the same old dance of dumb cops, screaming victims, and endless taped taunting. The traps themselves are losing their edge in the new film too, with the screenplay basically recycling macabre challenges for Dagen just to fill time.
I?d like to believe that ?Saw? is finally over. The producers squeezed out six opportunities to make pure genre magic and they never found the nerve, lazily rehashing the formula to its current soupy state. Let Jigsaw die. Horror needs a new direction.
link directly to this review at http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=19999&reviewer=404originally posted: 10/30/10 02:50:02
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29-Oct-2010 (R)
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Tron: Legacy Interview with Adam Horowitz
Olivia Wilde and Garrett Hedlund star in Tron: LegacyWithout a doubt one of the most anticipated films of the year is the upcoming Tron: Legacy, a sequel to the groundbreaking Disney film, Tron, from the '1980s starring Oscar winner Jeff Bridges. The film picks up twenty-eight years after the first one ends and follows Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) as he searches for his father Kevin (Jeff Bridges), who has been trapped inside the computer game that he created for over twenty-years. The movie promises to be a state-of-the-art 3D spectacular, the likes of which we have not seen before. The film doesn't even open until the end of the year, but earlier this week we were lucky enough to be invited to the Disney lot in Burbank to watch some of the exclusive footage from the upcoming movie. While we can't give you too many specific details on what we saw, we can tell you that we had the chance to screen the official trailer in 3D and watch in 2D the footage that was shown at Comic-Con, as well as a few additional scenes. All in all we saw roughly thirty minutes of the movie, give or take, and in short ... it was freaking amazing! The effects, which were not even finalized yet, looked awesome. The action is fantastic and the film's plot is clever and original. We can't wait for the movie's official release later this year and think that fans of the original and even sci-fi audiences that have never seen the first film are going to be blown away by the incredible effects and the movie's loving homage to its predecessor. After the screening we had an opportunity to speak with one of the film's writers, Adam Horowitz, a former staff writer on the hit show Lost, to discuss the exciting new movie, the process of writing it and the joy of bringing Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner back together on the silver screen. Here is what he had to say:
Obviously, Jeff Bridges involvement with this sequel was pivotal to creating the story that you wanted to tell. Did you begin writing the script hoping that he would like it and want to do it or did you get his approval before you began penning the screenplay?
Adam Horowitz: What happened was this. It was the summer of 2007 and my partner Eddie Kitsis and I had a meeting with some Disney executives and they said that they'd like to do a follow up to Tron and asked if we were interested or had any ideas. We were like, "Yeah!" So we went back and watched the movie, which we've seen a million times and asked ourselves, what is what makes Tron so awesome? It's Jeff Bridges, he just leaps out at you. First of all, it had to be a follow up. It couldn't be a remake. It has to honor the original and continue the story. We thought when that helicopter lands at the end of the movie and he gets off on the roof of ENCOM, what happens? Where does he go? Then we thought its twenty-eight years later, would he have a son? That is a great emotional way in. If you are going to have an overwhelming world to see and experience then we felt like you needed a real emotional story to suck you in so you felt grounded. Then we thought what if you had a father son relationship where the son is caught between two fathers. What if you had a Kevin Flynn at thirty-five and a Kevin Flynn at his current age, CLU being this frozen avatar of Flynn at that age, so you have a son caught between two fathers. We pitched this idea having not knowing if it was even possible we just thought it was cool. That is our approach to everything. What makes it cool to us as fans and then let them figure it out. Sean Bailey who produced it brought us in to meet with Joe Kosinski and he was like, "Yeah, I can do that." Then we just went from there but to answer your question it was all hinging on Jeff Bridges. So we met with Jeff and we did pitch him the idea. Jeff was incredibly cool, had really great thoughts, was really excited and in to it. Once he was in we went off and wrote the script and went from there. Do you think it was the new technology that's available, revisiting the character or something else entirely that excited him about returning?
Adam Horowitz: Well you'd have to ask Jeff that but I think that he has always had a fondness for Tron. Like when we first met him, we went to his house and at one point we were pitching him the movie when he said, "Wait, hold on." He ran upstairs and got the original Tron helmet and put it on. He was like, "Do you want to wear it?" We were like, "If we must." Do I have pictures of myself in the Tron helmet at home? Yes!
So clearly you were a "Tron" fan even before you started working on this project, is that right?
Adam Horowitz: Yes. It wasn't like I walked around saying, "Hey, do you want to see my Light cycle." It's funny my partner, Eddie Kitsis and I, one of our first jobs was writing for a WB television show called Popular. It was a Ryan Murphy show. You would be surprised what a geek Ryan is. We wrote an episode of the show and the storyline was about two kids in high school that were about to be grounded but had to do well on a project at school so they could get to a midnight screening of Tron with Bruce Boxleitner as guest. That was the driving thing of the whole episode. So that was always in our DNA, we were always thinking about it and loving it. Then we went from that and ended up writing a few other shows but eventually we wrote Lost for six years and that is a little more in the Tron genre. That has always been our thing, character based genre. Tron seemed like a great fit for that.
Was having Bruce Boxleitner back and involved as well essential to making this sequel?
Adam Horowitz: Well Bruce had to be involved, the movie is called Tron after all. I remember first meeting Bruce. It was at the table read. Bruce and Jeff were together and I mean they had seen each other over the years but it was the first time in this Tron context that they had been together in a long time so it was really cool. I remember thinking, is this really happening? Is this my life?
Garrett Hedlund in Tron: LegacyThe film has had a huge presence at San Diego Comic-Con for two years running now, both in 2009 and this past year as well. Have you been at all surprised at the incredible anticipation and fan reaction that the film has been receiving over the last few years since it Disney first announced that it was being made? Adam Horowitz: When we went to Comic Con in '09 that is when it began to get real for me. Watching the fans go in to Flynn's Arcade to see the Light cycle, Eddie and I, we went in with Joe, Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde. It was funny because no one really knew who Garrett or Olivia were at that time so we were just mingling with the crowd and getting there reactions. It was unreal. At that point we had just wrapped photography. It was like two weeks later when that happened and we were just like, "Wow, now we only have eighteen months of post left to go. Lets not fuck this up." But Joe has always been cool as ice. He knows what he wants to do, he knows how to execute it and he just goes and does it.
Visually is what he's created similar to what you had imagined in your head when you were writing it?
Adam Horowitz: It's funny, as we wrote it we would send pages to Joe and he had artwork made as we were doing it. So it was this very collaborative thing. We'd be writing the disc game sequence and then Joe would show us what the arena would look like, what he was seeing for the gladiators and all that so it was a constantly evolving vision. It started with a couple of artists and Joe, then as it went along the art team got bigger and bigger until one day Eddie and I were like, "I think they are going to make this movie." It used to be just us and Joe, then it was like a hundred people working on the project.
As such a big fan of the source material, did you ever find that when you were writing the script that perhaps you began geeking out on a particular tangent from the original that didn't really serve this story so you had to pull it back a bit?
Adam Horowitz: I'm sure in early drafts we did. Here's how we looked at it. There is a slice of the universe that you can experience in under a hundred and ten minutes. We have to tell our story and stay on focus. The natural process of writing for us is thinking up a bigger world than you can ever really do. You have to do it like that if you want to have a sense of that richness and depth of mythology. So it starts here and then we hone it down to this. What happens is you make the story as focused as you can and what you try to do, and you'll see it in the movie, is have as many nods to the first film, Easter eggs and stuff that hopefully fans of the first film will get excited about. The goal was always to make a film that was a follow up to the first movie. One that fans that had never seen the first film can go in and see and then go back and watch the first movie and see how they come together. Then fans of the first one will get a thrill when they see the ENCOM tower or Alan Bradley and some other things that I'm not going to tell you about now.
Tron: Legacy opens in theaters December 17thDo you think that perhaps there is a danger to that kind of Easter egg film making? Do you think that it limits or inspires the creative process? Adam Horowitz: I spent six years writing Lost so its kind of just reamed in me from that experience and I think that attitude carried over into this, which is: always assume that the audience wants to be treated with intelligence. That they want to be treated like they don't need things handed to them, that they are willing to work for it. I truly believe audiences like to be rewarded for digging past just what you show them. Movie going can be an active experience or a passive experience and you want it to work on all levels. That's the great thing about this movie is that you can go in and just enjoy the ride or it can be something else.
Finally, did you leave any loose ends in the movie's conclusion for a possible third film if this one does well?
Adam Horowitz: We just hope everyone enjoys this but they do have me under contract. Right now we are all focused on finishing this one and making it the best that we can.
Tron: Legacy comes to theaters December 17th, 2010 and stars Jeff Bridges, Michael Sheen, Olivia Wilde, Garrett Hedlund, Serinda Swan, Bruce Boxleitner, John Hurt, Beau Garrett. The film is directed by Joseph Kosinski.
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If you haven?t already taken the plunge into the wonderful world of Blu-ray, this week might prove to be the tipping point as several of the greatest films ever made make their long-awaited arrivals in the format, along with a long-lost offering from the world?s greatest band and one of last summer?s most notorious flops .
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link directly to this feature at http://efilmcritic.com/feature.php?feature=3112originally posted: 10/21/10 21:19:17
last updated: 10/21/10 23:42:02
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