Movie Talkback - New Dune Adaptation Finds Director

Looks like the upcoming Dune film has found itself a director in the guise of Pierre Morel, the fantastic director of the off the wall minimalistic action films, Taken and Banlieue 13 (District 13).

I've been a lifelong fan of the original 1965 novel by Frank Herbert (worshipping at the alter that is the Muad'Dib) and have always thought that the novel was unfilmable as a movie. You need look no further than the 1984 David Lynch adaptation that is over 3 hours in length and nearly unwatchable. Honestly, I enjoy the movie quite a bit, but it's slow, prodding, confusing, pretentious and has Sting as one of the major bad guys... like I said nearly unwatchable unless you're a huge fan of the series.





Still, I do have some hope for the upcoming film adaptation by Morel even if many fans may not. Sure an action director may seem an odd choice to direct a film which is basically an allegory on our over dependence as a culture on religion and commodities, but I welcome a more updated and non-literal translation of a work I so dearly hold close to my heart. Like I said before, I think that the Dune series is unfulfillable as a movie, and one that tries to be to faithful will end up like Lynch's Dune. Anyway, look for Morel's Dune hopefully in 2011.

Also, if you want to see a good adaptation of Dune, check out sci-fi channels original Dune and Children of Dune miniseries. These two mini-series are very faithful and entertaining adaptations of the original source materiel.

Movie Talkback - Avatar continues to soar!!

Well here's something that I can honestly say I was a bit surprised to read about. When Avatar was first announced I thought, "man that movie costs a lot of money. I wonder if they'll make at least their production costs back." Then when I heard that Twentieth Century Fox had found a way to distribute costs across the board in case the movie flopped I wondered aloud even more. Well looks like we were all fools, well everyone except James Cameron.

Avatar has officially made 1 billion worldwide in 17 days, surpassing Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight to become the 4th highest grossing film of all time. That's right, 1 billion with a 'b' in 17 days. Looks like it will soon pass Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King to become the #2 worldwide release of all time. The only man who's film James Cameron may not be able to surpass with Avatar is himself, as Titanic sits alone on it's thrown. People can bemoan that the gross is inflated due to the fact that the movie cost more money to see since it was in 3D. None of that detracts from how much ungodly money it made in such a short time. Is it deserving of such lofty aspirations? To that I say, is Titanic or Dead Man's Chest any worthier?

However the films destruction of the box office and the mind doesn't just stop there. James Cameron is now the only director to have two films that have earned 1 billion dollars. Also, Avatar has grossed an estimated 68.3 million in it's third week of release, destroying the previous record of 45 million set by Spiderman 3. Man, just seeing which movies make so much money makes me sad. The love doesn't stop there. The 68.3 million made is 30 million dollars more than any January opening release ever, and the film is in it's third week of release!

Lastly, this past year's highest grossing film was Transformers 2: Revenge of Michael Bay which took in 402 million in 114 days domestically. Avatar will pass that domestic mark in an estimated 20 days.

What do all these facts and numbers mean? Besides the fact that Avatar is truly setting out to do what Cameron always wanted (to revolutionize films), not a whole lot. However it's such an incredible feat in cinematic history that I felt it was worth mentioning. Now if only I could buy James Cameron stock on the NY Stock Exchange.

Movie Review - Love Happens (2009)

This 2009 romantic drama is written and directed by Brandon Camp (of tv show John Doe fame) and stars Aaron Eckhart as Burke Ryan, a successful self-help book author who tours speaking at sold out venues, doling out advice on coping with the loss of loved ones a la Tony Robbins style. Still coping with the loss of his own wife, Burke travels to Seattle and meets Eloise (Jennifer Aniston), a free spirit who works as a flourist. However, Burke, never having taken his own advice is unable to fully open up to Eloise even though she may be the one person who can save him.

So yeah, Love Happens is a by-the-numbers romantic drama, with twists and turns that the viewer will see coming from every corner. There's no new ground explored, or perceptions challenged. However, what you will find with this movie is an engaging look at a man who once lost everything, and now successful, can't move on or be happy. Burke and Eloise feel like real breathing people, real adults with real sets of problems that everyone can relate to. Sure the movie can be bit of a downer since it deals with coping and loss, and sure the payoff may want you to call for a refund, but Love Happens deserved to have done better than it did at the Box Office (Universal gave this movie with big stars a small indie release, or as many in the industry know it as "dumping").

However I will say this, if it was not for the standout performances and charm of the two leads (Eckhart and Aniston) there would be no reason to see this movie and it would have been a total mess. However because Eckhart and Aniston work so well together, you become invested in their charcater's lives and root for them to finally find happiness. The best recommendation I can say for this move is, "if you go in with low expectations you might be midly surprised", which is something I wish I could say for a lot of movies. Can a world exist where Two-Face finds happiness? Well in the world of Love Happens, hell, you root for heads all the way.

What I Think of: Up in the Air (2009)

This 2009 dramedy starring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, and Jason Bateman is about a man named Ryan Bingham (Clooney), who travels around the U.S. to various companies to lay people off on behalf of said companies. Bingham is good at his job, he is business-like in his delivery but provides sensitivity and advice fit for each individual (though real or fake, you can never quite decide).

Along the way, he trains a new college graduate, Natalie (Kendrick) who lacks the understanding of what his job entitles, meets a woman named Alex (Farmiga) who he has a "casual" relationship with, and gets ready for his sister's wedding. You soon learn that Bingham loves to travel and has mastered it to an art form, travels over 300 days out of 365 days of the year, and is out of touch with life at home (his physical home and his metaphorical home known as family). He lives a lonely life surrounded by strangers and slowly he learns the type of things he's missing out in life. At first you think Bingham is a jerk and a bit too egotistical for his own good but then you start having a soft spot for him. This truly shows the transition in the film, and in Bingham's life.

This is a smart comedy that also takes a deeper look into someone's psyche. After leaving the movie theater, the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that it was a perfect film. The story had a good message, it was not predictable; great acting; good pacing and direction. I highly recommend this film so bring your lunch from home because you do not want to miss this. This is an "advanced" review but please check out next week's podcast for our full review. Yes, I did say next week, I don't think we'll be able to record this week. Hope everyone had a great new year's and enjoy the Up in the Air trailer.

Movie Talkback - Peace on Earth (1939)

The Holiday Season is almost over, but after coming back from Houston and still in the festive mood, I thought I'd share one of my favorite MGM animated one-reel shorts from 1939, Peace on Earth. Directed by Hugh Harmon, the short is about a post apocalyptic world where animals have replaced man. It's animated beautifully, the story is timeless and timely, and frankly I love these old cartoons.

So sit back and enjoy a story where two young squirrels ask their grandfather: who are these "men" from the lyric 'Peace on Earth, goodwill to men'...

Movie Talkback - Cinema 2009

So last year, a man by the name of Kees van Dijkhuizen uploaded a video on youtube that celebrated the year of movies in 2008, showing clips from movies played over a fantastic soundtrack. Well Mr. Kees van Dijkhuizen is back and frankly has outdid himself with his new video, a celebration of Cinema 2009.

What I like so much about the video and the job that Kees van Dijkhuizen has done is that it has clips from every kind of movie (good or bad, indie or blockbuster), and like a movie or not, the video really expresses the joy it is to be a moviegoer, the joy of watching a film and finding anew something you love, something with the power to transfix you.

So to Mr. Kees van Dijkhuizen, we here at the Cinema Cafe Podcast salute you and thank you for your efforts. You are a man among men, a movie lover among movie lovers and it was a pleasure to see your work.

Sit back and enjoy the video, a celebration of Cinema 2009...


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Movie Review - The Box (2009)

This 2009 sci-fi horror film is written and directed by Richard Kelly (of Donnie Darko and Southland Tales fame) and is based on the 1970 short story Button, Button by Richard Matheson (he of I Am Legend fame). The Box stars Cameron Diaz and James Marsden as a married couple who are presented with a box and with a button by a stranger who offers them 1 million dollars if they press said button. The only drawback is that if they press the button someone they do not know will die. Is the price of a complete strangers life worth a million dollars, and once the button is pressed, is there a way back from the knowledge that you were the cause of someone’s death?

The question in all of the incarnations of Button, Button is, “what is it to know somebody?”, a universal question akin to what’s the meaning of life and why is South Park so funny. And this movie plays with that concept further, by tying it’s structure around the writing of French existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre, the thought that since there is no god, no creator, in Satre’s words, “we are left alone without excuse.” Basically since one cannot explain their own actions and behavior by referencing any specific human nature, they are necessarily fully responsible for those actions. Which is basically why I’ve always enjoyed all of Richard Kelly’s films, even his heavily flawed sophomoric effort Southland Tales- all his movies deal with some form of existentialistic thought.

Anyway, the original 1970 short story was first published in Playboy (see, people can really read Playboy for the stories) and was originally adapted for the 1985 reboot of the Twilight Zone television series. The Box even has a Twilight Zone type soundtrack, the sweeping horns, the striking violins, all to leave the viewer with a sense of paranoia and dread. I was wondering how they could drag out what has always been a short story and a 30 minute television show to a near 2 hour film. I needn’t have worried, because I absolutely loved this film, and it’s easily one of my favorite films of the year.

For a director with only 3 films under his belt, Kelly has an amazing eye. The tracking shots, the camera angles, watching this film, you can really tell that the man directing the film really lives and knows a lot about films. Every shot just seems to fall into place. The Box is a slow burn though, a very slow burn, with nearly 2 hours of set-up until the payoff, but anyone familiar with Kelly’s work already knows to expect that. But it’s because of it’s slow burn that makes The Box so compelling, so mesmerizing.

For me the weak point of the movie was Cameron Diaz. She really can’t act, and the choice to give her a soft spoken southern accent, akin to Anna Paquin’s X-Men, Rogue and Sookie Stackhouse from True Blood, is a really odd choice since it adds nothing to the story and makes her character seem at odds with the world around her. And hey, Cameron using an accent ain’t helping her acting. James Marsden is a passable Cyclops and Frank Langella (who many may know as Skeletor from the He-Man move) is absolutely fantastic as always as the man behind the box and movie, Arlington Steward.

For anyone that has seen the Twilight Zone adaptation, this film acts as almost an extension of that television episode. The first 30 minutes of the film are the Twilight Zone episode, and the film continues after the episode for those wondering about the consequences, the what happened after the episode ended to the characters. The remake ending was always inferior to the original story ending, but it was the only ending that Richard Kelly could follow that would have a necessary sequel. So basically the movie tries to add to the tv ending with more of a surreal Donnie Darko sci-fi bent that comes out of nowhere, and being a fan of the Button, Button and Donne Darko, I really really liked what Richard Kelly was going for here. Sadly this film has been out for over a month now and has only grossed 14 million domestically on its 30 million dollar budget.

So yeah, all in all, a definite, “bring your lunch from home because you do not want to miss this one” rating. A sadly overlooked gem of 2009, one that I hope will find a larger audience once it hits dvd.