First off, let me get this out of the way right away: No, this is not a remake or sequel or anything in relation to the craptacular flop from 2004, Van Helsing starring Hugh Jackman. As you’re watching this trailer, I want you to completely ignore every impulse you have to roll your eyes and go, “Dude, I saw this movie and it sucked except for Kate Beckinsale in a corset.” What you should keep in mind is that the character Soloman Kane has been around for as long as Conan the Barbarian (since they were both created by the legendary Robert E. Howard) as has been publsished in just as many forms. There have been books, comics, and even poetry chronicling the adventures of the dour, gloomy 16th century puritan warrior who battled the forces of darkness and the supernatural throughout Europe and Africa. Currently, the character has just enjoyed a brand new miniseries from Dark Horse comics and is having all of his earlier adventures that were published at Marvel during the 1970′s collected as well. The film stars James Purefoy (of HBO’s Rome) and I’m pretty excited to watch what should be a faithful adaptation of a classic pulp hero.
Synopsis: Armed with a rapier and flintlock pistols, Solomon Kane dresses in black, his pale face and cold eyes shadowed by a hat. He is a true rogue, blasting and slashing forward on a mission of pillage and plunder in war-torn North Africa in the late 1500s. When the devil lays claim to his hopelessly corrupt soul, Kane escapes only to face the sobering truth: in order to seek redemption, he must renounce his wicked ways and devote himself wholly to a pious life. His new-found piety is put to the test when he is forced to return to his murderous ways to save England from the grasp of evil.
About three years ago, I brought my sketchbook to the Stumptown Comic Fest in Portland (where I currently dwell). Now, this isn’t my sketchbook that I draw in (frankly, stick figures give me trouble), but rather my collection of convention sketches that I politely and patiently ask artists to add to every year. At this particular festival, I saw artist Steve Lieber (Gotham Central, Whiteout, Civil War: Frontline) and since years prior he’d done a really great Batman sketch for me, I approached him for another. ”What would you like?” he asked. I replied like I usually do, “Anything you’d want to do.” He went right to sketching. Now, I never hover if I can avoid it, so I wandered for a few minutes and came back to discover him putting the finishing touches on a drawing of a woman in cave exploring gear, expertly navigating an underground cave. ”What’s this from?” I asked. ”Something I’m hoping to do soon,” he replied. Years later, I’ve had the pleasure to read the first issue of that book. Underground #1, coming this September published through Image Comics, seems to be the culmination of what strikes me as a very personal comic from Lieber. To have seen the main character of Wesley Fischer evolve from the con sketch done for me and now presented in a full color comic is truly an amazing sight. Along for the ride and handling the writing side of the book is Marvel rising star Jeff Parker (AgentsofAtlas, MarvelAdventuresAvengers, Exiles) who deftly shows off why he’s such a find. Parker handles dialogue and pacing with a deft hand that shows he writes with an ear for characters that’s sometimes missing in most mainstream books.
The first issue sets the stage with what appears to be some of Lieber’s cleanest work to date. Not to say I haven’t enjoyed his previous work, but the art here is so strong and clear that it reminds me of Paul Smith (UncannyX-Men, Leave it to Chance), one of the all-time greats in comics. The colors used are also first rate making each image “pop” and adds to an interesting opening sequence narrative that highlights how the interior cave scenes will be drastically different then the “outside world.” The embedded artwork should show you what I’m referring to.
Parker and Lieber offer up an extremely well-done (and in some scenes educational and informative) comic with a strong female protagonist and story ripe with realistic characters and situations. Underground does well in showing why these two are formidable forces in the current comics climate and I’ll not only be picking up these comics monthly as they come out, but I’ll be passing off what will hopefully be a handsome collection off to friends who should know that exciting comics can exist without sci-fi or spandex.
{Underground #1 is currently being solicited from Image Comics for release on September 23rd, 2009. If you’re interested, let your local retailer know to order the book and it’s subsequent issues. Diamond order code – JUL090341 D UNDERGROUND #1 (OF 5)}
I’m not prone to just talking about any upcoming new releases. It’d be pointless to alert people to the news that there’s a new Terminator film or a new Transformers movie. I mean, the saturation of advertisements does that job for me. My goal is to always spread the word about films that people might not be aware of and share one or two of my opinions about what the film looks to be about in terms of plot and quality. This is why I’m mentioning the upcoming film from Guy Ritchie starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, and Mark Strong. A film that at first glance and description raises an eyebrow or two and makes many a viewer pretty much react, “huh,” with a sense of indifference and slight curiosity. This film is a retelling of the legend of Sherlock Holmes with Downey Jr. as the master detective and Law as his trusty partner. The unique vision for the project could easily turn off lifelong fans of the character, but… for some reason… I trust the parties involved with telling a much different tale than we’ve seen before. Also, at the end of the day, the best Sherlock Holmes movie has been and always be the Seven Per-Cent Solution, so if this is a bust, we’ll always have that gem of a picture.
Synopsis: In a dynamic new portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous characters, Sherlock Holmes sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.
It’s been my feeling that when you find yourself doing a romantic comedy, taking a new spin on the circumstances is imperitive. Some of my favorite “romcoms” have been ones where the direction was taking something cliche (boy+girl=romance) and doing something truly original with this by adding elements that make the characters come alive. Grosse Pointe Blank, Definitely, Maybe, The Baxter, and even Elizabethtown all manage to pull this off in their own ways and that’s why these films still work in my mind as really amazing romantic comedy pictures where the flaws are greatly overshadowed by the ability of the people involved. Adam looks like it could join those pictures listed as a new take on a tired genre and really show what unique characters can do even in the most tired film genres. The idea of taking a real condition like Asperger syndrome and playing it for comedic effect may not sit well with some, but since the condition really highlights the struggles that we all can face with social contact, I think it works here. Hugh Dancy is a capable actor that should be able to balance the condition of this character with the need for timing and charm without venturing into I Am Sam or The Other Sister territory. Also, the presence of such talent as Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher and Frankie Faison (in a supporting role) adds a layer of credibility. Here’s hoping.
Synopsis: Adam is about the relationship between a somewhat socially dysfunctional young man and the woman of his dreams.
Release Date: July 29, 2009
{The song in the trailer is ”When You Love Somebody” by The Fruit Bats}
I’m a sucker for these slice-of-life indie films that have amazing scripts, subtle performances, and amazing soundtracks. Garden State, 500 Days of Summer (I’m assuming), and now Away We Go. Written by Dave Eggers (author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) and Vendela Vida (I… don’t know what this person has done), the movie seems to offer quirky characters, winning dialogue and fun pit-stops on the road trip that is finding ourselves. Directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition, and Revolutionary Road) who never seems to make a bad movie, and starring John Krasinski (NBC’s The Office) and Maya Rudolph (NBC’s SNL) along with a supporting cast that includes Allison Janney, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jeff Bridges, this movie looks like one I’ll probably end up owning. That says a lot.
Synopsis: A couple who is expecting their first child travel around the U.S. in order to find a perfect place to start their family. Along the way, they have misadventures and find fresh connections with an assortment of relatives and old friends who just might help them discover “home” on their own terms for the first time.
Release Date: June 5th, 2009
{The song in the trailer is ”All My Days” by Alexi Murdoch}
One of my all-time favorite films is Heat by Michael Mann. Never before had a I seen such a truly amazing rendering of the “cops and robbers” dynamic of the crime film done in such a fair and balanced way to both sides. Al Pacino as Lt. Vincent Hanna and Robert De Niro as Neil McCauley, expert thief; Here you had two of the greatest living actors of screen playing two extremely intense and driven characters on a collision course with each other. Honestly, as the movie approached it’s incredibly tense finale, Mann’s careful plotting and direction leaves the audience on the edge of their seat for who will come out on top: the thief or the cop. I’m hoping that we get treated to that level of crafstmenship with the forth-coming film from Mann for this summer, Public Enemies. The film will follow John Dillinger as he, at the height of his infamy as one of America’s greatest bank robbers, is hunted by Special Agent Melvin Purvis of the FBI. Johnny Depp plays Dillinger and Christian Bale plays Purvis. I’m not sure how this movie can be disappointing when you have Batman vs. Capt. Jack Sparrow at the direction of the master of cops and robbers films.
Synopsis: In the action-thriller Public Enemies, acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann directs Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard in the incredible and true story of legendary Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger (Depp)the charismatic bank robber whose lightning raids made him the number one target of J. Edgar Hoovers fledgling FBI and its top agent, Melvin Purvis (Bale), and a folk hero to much of the downtrodden public. No one could stop Dillinger. No jail could hold him. His charm and audacious jailbreaks endeared him to almost everyonefrom his girlfriend Billie Frechette (Cotillard) to an American public who had no sympathy for the banks that had plunged the country into the Depression.
But while the adventures of Dillinger’s ganglater including the sociopathic Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) thrilled many, Hoover (Billy Crudup) hit on the idea of exploiting the outlaw’s capture as a way to elevate his Bureau of Investigation into the national police force that became the FBI. He made Dillinger America’s first Public Enemy Number One. Hoover sent in Purvis, the dashing “Clark Gable of the FBI”. However, Dillinger and his gang outwitted and outgunned Purvis’ men in wild chases and shootouts. Only after importing a crew of Western ex-lawmen (newly baptized as agents) who were real gunfighters and orchestrating epic betrayals from the infamous “Lady in Red” to the Chicago crime boss Frank Nittiwere Purvis and the FBI able to close in on Dillinger.
Release Date: July 1st, 2009
{The song in the trailer is “Ten Million Slaves” by Otis Taylor}
I have no idea what this movie’s about. Frankly, I don’t think I need to. The “trailer” almost feels like a short film of Thomas Jane just being a bad ass private detective doing… something… involving detecting? No clue. The movie is directed by the (sometimes) great Russell Mullachy who is responsible for one of my favorite movies of childhood, Highlander. He’s also responsible for the craptacular sequel, so give him 50/50 on that talent scale. I’ve always had a weird theory that using George Thorogood’s, “Bad to the Bone” in your trailer was a guarenteed curse upon your picture, so we’ll see what ends up happening here. Anyway… trailer below. Fingers crossed.
Synopsis: A private eye named Malone attempts to retrieve a mysterious case. (See? Feels like a short film…)
Release date: April 1st, 2009 (probably a festival release date)
I’m a huge fan of the romantic dramedy. Romantic comedies are all well and good, but the thing is that actual romance includes pain and confusion and a lot less slapstick than your average Sandra Bullock movie. The following is a teaser for the upcoming film, (500) Days of Summer starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel in what a great many of film enthusiasts are dubbing, “the next favorite hipster romance movie.” Personally, I don’t think that label fits. The tagline says it best: This is not a love story. It’s a story about love. There’s also a full length trailer available that I’ll be posting later.
Synopsis: Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Girl doesn’t. This post modern love story is never what we expect it to be — It’s thorny yet exhilarating, funny and sad, a twisted journey of highs and lows that doesn’t quite go where we think it will. When Tom, a hapless greeting card copywriter and hopeless romantic, is blindsided after his girlfriend summer dumps him, he shifts back and forth through various periods of their 500 days “together” to try to figure out where things went wrong. His reflections ultimately lead him to finally rediscover his true passions in life.
Release Date: July 17th, 2009
{The song in the teaser is “Sweet Disposition” by the Temper Trap}
