To triple dip or to wait? That is the question facing Dude-loving fans of the Coen Brothers' cracked comedy The Big Lebowski, which is due out on September 9 in a Tenth Anniversary Edition from Universal Home Video. Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, John Turturro, Steve Buscemi, and Julianne Moore star. The announcement was made without details on bonus features; DVD Active has now posted pictures of the menu screens, so we know what's new.
The Big Lebowski was initially released on DVD in 1998, and then was remastered for the 2005 Collectors' Edition. That edition included a "making of" feature, photos by Jeff Bridges, and a brief, jokey introduction. Those extras were included on the HD-DVD edition, released in June 2007 (and reviewed at High-Def Digest). The Tenth Anniversary Edition features those extras plus more: "The Dude's Life," "The Dude Abides: The Big Lebowski Ten Years Later," production notes, theatrical trailer, "The Lebowski Fest: An Achiever's Story," "Flying Carpets and Bowling Pin Dreams: The Dream Sequences of the Dude," interactive map, and photo gallery.
A standard Tenth Anniversary Edition will reportedly retail for $19.98, while a Limited Edition "in special bowling ball packaging" (pictured) will also be available. No news on a Blu-ray edition, though, so the question remains: will you triple dip or wait for Blu-ray? Or will you roll this sucker into your alley? The Dude wants to know.
American writer/director Blake Edwards will always have a special place in my heart for two reasons: 1) He was responsible for making one of my favorite movies of all time, Victor/Victoria, and 2) He showed me a side of Julie Andrews that was about as far from Mary Poppins as you could get (not to mention the man had one of the more memorable Oscar moments in recent history). But personal milestones aside, Edwards is one of the best comedic directors around, and his 1979 flick 10 set the standard for every 'mid-life crisis comedy' to come after it. We all should have known that a remake was inevitable, and Variety has now announced that Hyde Park has secured the rights to remake the classic film.
10 centers on a man named George Webber (played by Dudley Moore), who encounters a young woman on the street, and at the expense of his own relationships, becomes obsessed with this beautiful stranger, even going so far as to follow her on her honeymoon.
The film is probably best known for introducing Bo Derek to the world, but it was also a box office smash that made instant stars out of Derek and Moore. Edwards will serve as an executive producer on the remake, and according to Hyde's execs, it was a battle to get the legendary writer and director to agree to sell the rights. If the movie must be made, then maybe this is a job for Judd Apatow; because if anyone can make a raunchy comedy about a hot girl and an everyday guy, it's him.
Sound off below on who you would like to see rocking those infamous cornrows...
What do war, famine, disease and poverty have in common? They're four of the few things in life less funny than The Doorman, an excruciating, run-for-the-hills mockumentary about a famous international gatekeeper to ritzy nightclubs. Think Borat with 99 percent less ingenuity and humor. And, in fact, keep thinking about Sacha Baron Cohen's befuddled Kazakhstani journalist, or fluffy clouds on a warm summer day, or your first kiss, or anything else that makes you smile, as conjuring up memories of happier experiences gone by is the prime means of enduring such across-the-board ineptitude.
The dolt at the center of this fiasco is Trevor (Lucas Akoskin), a doofus with an ambiguous European accent, an ego the size of the Pacific Ocean, a taste for overblown threads, and a predilection for Yogi Berra-isms. "I know people. And more importantly, I know people who know me," is typical of Trevor's self-consciously dumb dialogue, though he's not alone in delivering leaden bon mots, as evidenced by one doltish woman's claim that "The Doorman is God, really." Which, I guess, makes me an unrepentant atheist.
When you see the words "performance artist" in a news article, you can almost bet the words "publicity stunt" will soon follow, and I believe that's what we have here. A Beijing artist named Zhao Bandi, who uses images of pandas in all his work and walks around all the time carrying a stuffed panda, is suing DreamWorks over its offensive depiction of the animal -- the Chinese national symbol -- in the recent animated hit Kung Fu Panda.
The film has been successful in China, too -- or, as Varietyputs it, "has done boffo B.O." -- which suggests the average Chinese citizen doesn't find it insulting. But Zhao says differently. His two major points of contention? First, Po, the panda voiced by Jack Black who is the film's protagonist, has green eyes, and green is the color of evil. (I have zoomed in on the eyes in the picture so you can see for yourself how evil they are.) Second, Po's father in the film is not another panda but a duck. (Well, Zhao says he's a duck. I thought he was a goose. If I'm right, will that technicality invalidate the lawsuit?)
Variety quotes Zhao as demanding to see DreamWorks' "creative meeting records" to explain Po's green eyes, which he insists must be a "conspiracy." As for the duck issue, Zhao says this: "Drawing the father of the giant panda as a duck is an insult to the Chinese people. In a few years time, I'm worried some young Chinese people will think their ancestor is Donald Duck." I confess I don't see why thinking you descended from a duck is any worse than thinking you descended from a panda, but my knowledge of Chinese culture is somewhat limited.
The first trailer for Surfer, Dude, starring Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson and Willie Nelson has just surfaced over on Moviefone, and, well, I suddenly have the urge to take off my shirt and run into the water. The film stars McConaughey as surfer Steve Addington, who, upon returning home for summer, discovers the waves have disappeared and "The Man" wants him to star in new Virtual Reality Video Games. Dude has a hard time comprehending all this sudden change, and so he turns to his manager (played by a high-as-a-kite Harrelson) and his guardian-angel (Nelson) for guidance. Looks innocent enough; anyone up for catching some waves with McConaughey and friends?
The poster for How to Lose Friends and Alienate Peopleuses that horrible big red font you're no doubt familiar with -- that ubiquitous "goofy family comedy" lettering suggesting that it features Eddie Murphy in a fat suit and is terrible. God knows why. The movie stars Simon Pegg, not Eddie Murphy, and -- not surprisingly -- looks pretty funny. I actually didn't go nuts over Shaun of the Deadand Hot Fuzz, though I liked both a lot; on the other hand, I also enjoyed Run Fatboy Run, which seemed to leave most people cold. Maybe the answer is that I think Pegg is the genius and not (necessarily) Edgar Wright.
Friends, based on Toby Young's memoir about being a British nobody who finds himself among New York's high society, working at a prestigious magazine, is another Wright-less Simon Pegg affair. Most of the laughs in the new trailer, which you can watch at the top of this post (it's considerably longer and better than the British teaser from a while ago), come courtesy of Pegg's unassuming physical comedy; I love that he never forces it or tries too hard, so that the slapstick seems to be a natural part of whatever character he's playing. The little dance he does about 40 seconds in might justify the film's existence all on its own. And I like that the dog gag at the end doesn't go quite where you'd expect.
The movie also stars Kirsten Dunst, Jeff Bridges, Danny Huston, Gillian Anderson, and Megan Fox (probably not naked the whole time). It's supposed to come out October 3rd.
I'm slightly mistrustful of titles that include exclamation points. They always remind me of the musical version of The Elephant Man, Elephant!, in The Tall Guy ("... there's an angel with big eeears..."). But in the case of Mamma Mia!, I'm actually surprised the title only included one exclamation point -- you can imagine the filmmakers or the creators of the stage version embracing even more emphatic punctuation, just to let you know that This! Is a Musical! And also Wacky!! As if chorus lines of men in flippers, Meryl Streep waving a feather boa, and enough ABBA music to sate the leads of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert wouldn't have clued you in.
The movie, like the stage musical it's adapted from, is essentially and unabashedly an extended gimmick -- an excuse to sing and perform songs that originated from the Swedish musical group ABBA. Characters spontaneously burst into song not because they're aspiring performers (Chicago), or because their singing is meant as a melodious soliloquy (Sweeney Todd), but because the situation or their emotional state reminds them of an ABBA song (sometimes more tangentially than others), and they decide to share it with everyone. I've had friends like this in real life, although that seems to have been a college-age thing.
Okay, maybe the 1988 horror flick Night of the Demons isn't exactly a classic. Especially if you consider that it didn't even make it to Matt's list of Cool Horror Films of the '80s. But when has fan indifference ever stopped Hollywood from doing a remake? Shock Till You Drop is now reporting that casting has been finalized for the update of Kevin Tenney's horror-comedy hybrid. According to Shock, Diora Baird (Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning), Shannon Elizabeth and Monica Keena (Freddy vs. Jason) have all signed on the dotted line for the remake, with Mother of Tears scribe Adam Gierasch at the helm.
If you aren't familiar with Night of the Demons, here is a quick primer: Ten teens in the tradition of "stupid teenagers in danger" films everywhere decide to have their Halloween party at an abandoned funeral home called Hull House (get it? It's like Hell...spooky). After performing a séance, a demon is awakened that possesses the party hostess, and then it's only a matter of time until they are offed in a variety of gruesome ways. Shock's sources claim that Elizabeth will take over the role of the possessed party hostess, Angela, and I can only guess that the other two will be adding to the body count. Demons was originally scheduled to begin shooting last spring, but the production will now begin mid-September in New Orleans
Well, it has been a long time since I first saw the original film, so maybe I'm overestimating the quality. But I can't help think it would be for the best to keep this flick a fond memory rather than a crappy update, how about you?
Aw yeah, this is just about my own personal version of Christmas Eve. The first wave of titles for the Austin's lovely Fantastic Fest has splattered into my inbox, so instead of me rambling on about how great Austin is in late September, especially if you're a massive fan of films gory, scary, sexy, twisted and weird, I'll just direct you to a very handy FF press release.
But not before I say this: Of the flicks chosen already, I've seen precisely five: Let the Right One In, Donkey Punch, Spine Tingler, Terra, and Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer. A Swedish vampire coming-of-age story, a British thriller about boat-bound terror, an American documentary about a beloved schlock-slinger, a multi-national animated adventure story, and a scrappy little indie full of monsters that Rick Baker would adore. So from just one random sampling, this is one eclectic mixture of movies. Oh, and for the Hollywood fans: DJ Caruso's Eagle Eye will have its premiere at Fantastic Fest. By only a few days but damn cool anyway. Oh, and a screening of The Tingler? Beyond cool.
Click on in for the first full press release on Fantastic Fest 2008.
The international trailer for Body of Lies has just arrived online, and the combo of Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio is enticing to say the least. Based on the novel by David Ignatius (and scripted by The Departed's William Monahan), Body of Lies tells of a former journalist (DiCaprio) who's hired by the CIA to track down an Al Qaeda leader in Jordan. The film was directed by Ridley Scott.
Cinematical's Eugene Novikov recently used Body of Lies as part of his From Page to Screen column, and on the book he says: "Body of Lies, the novel, is pitched as a spy thriller informed by the author's extensive experience in the field and knowledge of the way the CIA really operates. (The back cover offers a fawning quote from former CIA director George Tenet, claiming that the book is "fiction but reads like fact.") It's certainly intelligent, plausible, and sometimes exciting." The trailer seems to focus more on that "sometimes exciting" part, showing DiCaprio in all sorts of iffy situations, while his CIA boss (played by an overweight and somewhat unattractive Russell Crowe) rides his ass until something gives. Body of Lies hits theaters on October 10.
Sometimes a movie's concept tells you everything you need to know about it. Other times you hear one and go "well, that's kind of weird -- I wonder what they'll make of this." Surprisingly, Will Ferrell's latest project fits into the latter category. It's a dramedy called Two Face, written by X-Files vet Vince Gilligan, who also had a hand in the Hancock screenplay. The pitch: Ferrell will play a virulent racist who develops a split personality after an accident, and his alter ego turns out to be a bleeding-heart liberal.
I think the success of this concept depends on how frankly they're willing to approach the racism angle. Obviously there are certain things you're not supposed to say even in unflattering portrayals of racist characters, and certain things that Will Ferrell probably doesn't want to say for the sake of his career. (Side note: I find it a bit curious that period movies can get away with patently offensive displays of racism while movies set in the present tend to shy away, as if we're all pretending that we've solved the racism problem. Any counterexamples? Monster's Ball, maybe.) There's a lot of potential for trenchant satire in something like this, and a lot of potential to make something anodyne and boring, too.
I think that everyone who loves Michael Cera's comedy – and that should be practically everyone – is a little worried about Michael Cera. Because even as Arrested Development becomes legend, Superbad wins over every twentysomething in sight, and Juno charms the pants off the entire nation, the hushed, often unspoken question is: how long can he milk this? Cera's shtick is killer, but it's also ultra-specific – he's the shy, unprepossessing, painfully awkward adolescent, a nice guy who's self-aware enough to get embarrassed but not confident enough to avoid it.
Cera is so good at playing this part in a way that's both touching and hysterical that it's propelled him to stardom. For me to say that I haven't enjoyed any of the incarnations of George Michael Bluth that he's given us over the past couple years would be a bald-faced lie. Indeed, I think the character he's crafted is one of the most impressive comic achievements of my adult lifetime. But even as I relish it, I start to fidget, because I can sense exasperation and annoyance threatening from just around the bend. Oh, maybe not mine – I could watch Cera do this forever, I tell myself – but certainly other people will soon lose patience and turn on the guy. One-trick pony, they'll yell. Do something else.
Last month, we learned that Bobcat Goldthwait would direct Robin Williams in a flick called World's Greatest Dad. The best part: While the title sounds like super-sappy fare (besides the Goldthwaite participation), it's actually the story of a high school poetry teacher whose son dies from a "freak masturbation accident." To cover up the "sticky" reason behind the death, the teacher pens a suicide note that becomes super famous, which then leads the dude to visions of stardom and inspires him to pen a whole journal for his deceased kid.
Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, he also gets some action. At some point during this whole ordeal, he has an affair with a fellow teacher named Claire, who will be played by Alexie Gilmore (New Amsterdam). Talk about a prime role for the ol' Mork. These days, most of his films are either heavily familial, or heavily crappy, so now he's not only getting something that could freshen things up, but he gets to do it while canoodling with a 32-year-old.
Please don't let it turn out like Death to Smoochy. I think the world needs some good Robin Williams to revel in.
It's a good time to be a cinematic super hero, and Jules Verne proved that his work still has legs 103 years after his death, but Eddie Murphy's Meet Dave died a thousand deaths pulling in a mere $5.2 million and not even making the top five. Here are the totals: 1. Hellboy II: The Golden Army: $34.5 million 2. Hancock: $32 million 3. Journey to the Center of the Earth: $21 million 4. Wall-E: $18.7 million 5. Wanted: $11.9 million
Three new releases this week, and in the very broadest of terms we have one for the guys, one for the gals and one for the kids.
The Dark Knight What's It All About: Do I really need to explain this one? Christian Bale returns to the role of Batman in the sequel to the series rebooting Batman Begins, with Christopher Nolan once again in the director's chair. There's a new crime boss in Gotham City and he's called The Joker (Heath Ledger). The two clash, things blow up, awesomeness ensues. Why It Might Do Well: This will be the movie to beat this Summer. Batman is so ingrained into American pop culture that he's bonded to our collective DNA. Batman Begins grossed $205 million domestically and $371 million worldwide. The Dark Knight is scoring 88% over at Rottentomatoes.com and Cinematical's own James Rocchi had some good things to say about it. Why It Might Not Do Well: There remains the possibility that people with a fear of bats will join forces with those with a fear of clowns and boycott the film, which of course means more popcorn for the rest of us. Number of Theaters: 4,300 Prediction: $125 million
Dang it's pretty wild how just one little movie has turned Diablo Cody into the most discussed screenwriter since Joe Eszterhas. (I was going to say "...since David Mamet," but he's a playwright first.) The gal has a tons of projects in the percolation stage -- from the Showtime series The United States of Tara to the Fox-heavy thriller known as Jennifer's Body -- and now she's been hired by Steven Spielberg (once again) to turn one of his ideas into a movie. (It's only a matter of time before Spielberg forces Diablo Cody to marry Shia LaBeouf, isn't it?)
According to Variety, the untitled project is a comedy. Oh, also the "studio is keeping story details under such tight wraps that even dealmakers involved with the project were in the dark." That's it. An idea by Spielberg that Cody will adapt. No producers, actors, directors have been announced. And yet ... somehow I know that DreamWorks already has a hit on its hands.
To triple dip or to wait? That is the question facing Dude-loving fans of the Coen Brothers' cracked comedy The Big Lebowski, which is due out on September 9 in a Tenth Anniversary Edition from Universal Home Video. Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, John Turturro, Steve Buscemi, and Julianne Moore star. The announcement was made without details on bonus features; DVD Active has now posted pictures of the menu screens, so we know what's new.
American writer/director 
When you see the words "performance artist" in a news article, you can almost bet the words "publicity stunt" will soon follow, and I believe that's what we have here. A Beijing artist named Zhao Bandi, who uses images of pandas in all his work and walks around all the time carrying a stuffed panda, is suing DreamWorks over its offensive depiction of the animal -- the Chinese national symbol -- in the recent animated hit 
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Aw yeah, this is just about my own personal version of Christmas Eve. The first wave of titles for the Austin's lovely 
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