I mean, I didn’t think The Batman was going to amount to anything considering we had Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, and I fucking loved what Matt Reeves brought.
But there’s no way this isn’t complete ass, and just a way to keep shareholders happy that “known properties” are in the content pipeline.
Speaking of The Mask (it happened on the last page, I swear!) I recently picked up a cheap copy and, finding that it pleasantly holds up, listened to the commentary with director Chuck Russell.
First off, it's adorable when he suggests viewers slow down a scene on their "LaserDisc deck", and a little heartbreaking how excited he sounds about the fact that he'd recently (at the time of recording, presumably in the late 90s) heard that New Line was looking to get everyone back together for a sequel.
But he also describes a fairly fun series of events. It seems that Spielberg was looking into doing a Plastic Man movie, and Russel had been brought in for a meeting on it. He suggested that they push in a more comedic direction, as well as looking into this guy on In Living Color named Jim Carrey for the lead. Spielberg passed on that. And then New Line had bought the rights to grimy Dark Horse comic The Mask, and brought him in, wanting a horror movie. Russel suggested that they push in a more comedic direction, as well as looking into this guy on In Living Color named Jim Carrey for the lead. New Line passed on that... for awhile. But after repeated horror-focussed The Mask scripts weren't working, they circled back around to Russel, let him cast TV's Jim Carrey as the lead, and go full Tex Avery with the script.
(He also has a lot of insight into working with the dog, and for as good as Milo's performer is in the movie, I think a lot of credit goes to Russel. Like when he's taking the keys, it was Russel who moved the trainer to be off camera behind the sleeping police officer, so that it looks like Milo's worried about him waking up. Over and over, it's mentioned that "tricks" are boring if that's all they are, and animals are most interesting if you can finesse them into seeming like they're acting.)
Oh, and he was repeatedly pushed (while filming) to cut the Cuban Pete scene, and raced to have it finished for early test screenings, where audiences generally ranked it as their favourite part of the movie.
Whhhat?
Hollywood executives wanted to kill the Cuban Pete scene?
If thats not a sign to fire all uppper management in Hollywood I don't know what is.
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AtomikaLive fast and get fucked or whateverRegistered Userregular
It was likely a hugely expensive and time-consuming piece of the film, as a producer those are the first things you look at cutting when time and money get crunched
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AbsoluteZeroThe new film by Quentin KoopantinoRegistered Userregular
Finally watched Iron Claw and I liked it a lot more than I expected to after hearing how much they play with the time line. Never been an Effron fan but he did great in this, really enjoyed his performance. The scene where the brothers unite toward the end managed to open up the dusty old tear ducts, and the boys comforting Zac hit the Dad button hard. Never would have thought that movie would get me to tear up at all, let alone twice, but it pulled it off.
Which makes me wonder how in the actual fuck anyone involved in that movie allowed the penny market party central Ric Flair "performance" into the movie. Wannabe Jesus was better and less cringey as the Clown Prince than whomever the hell was paid a case of Miller lite and a nickel to fart out that trash.
How is it even possible to get the Wooooo! wrong? People who have never heard flair speak or watched him wrestle still know exactly how the Wooooo! sounds. You're reading the Wooooo! right now and hearing in your head exactly how Wooooo! goes. Wooooo! See? You heard it right again. Say Wooooo! out loud as you read Wooooo! Yep. You nailed it. That's the proper Ric Flair Wooooo! (Not even going to get started on the strut, the Woooo! travesty applies to it almost equally)
NoneoftheaboveJust a conforming non-conformist.Twilight ZoneRegistered Userregular
Hey, did I miss Julia Tuesday? I did? That was pages ago...
Anyhow, I have expanded my DVD collection from thrifting, with such titles as Rising Sun, Expendables 2 and Master and Commander. And I snagged a new copy Blu Ray of Poor Things. I need, uh..more shelf space. This is a nice problem to have.
+4
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MonwynApathy's a tragedy, and boredom is a crime.A little bit of everything, all of the time.Registered Userregular
It doesn’t have the approval of her family so it’s doubly gross.
In fairness an accurate Winehouse biopic probably has her family look like absolute shitheads, IIRC, so there's that part to consider
Yeah, there’s a big difference between a family objecting to a script because of how it depicts the subject and objecting because of how it depicts them.
All this talk of biopics reminded me how I hate the 2019 Harriet movie.
It felt like an episode of Wishbone where the subject’s is life reduced to easily digestible bullet points. Every character is a cardboard cutout existing only to deliver lines that were meant to sound good in a trailer. There’s a scene in the second act where Harriet meets big name abolitionists like Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison, and their only role is to be obviously wrong and easily corrected by our hero—a cheap tactic to further lionize the movie’s subject. As if Harriet Tubman needs the help.
Like most biopics, it fails the subject by focusing only on the well-known aspects of their life. Every American schoolchild learns about Tubman’s escape from slavery and helping hundreds of others do the same. Far fewer learn about her work as a spy during the American Civil War, including leading the raid on Combahee Ferry. The movie depicts this only in its final scene and devoid of context. Tubman also lived for almost 50 years after the war—she died in 1913. Harriet Tubman saw the Titanic. She was a major activist in the American Women’s Suffrage movement. Had the movie picked a better timeframe—or paced itself well-enough to cover more of her life—it could’ve shown audiences something they’d never seen. That second generation of Black American activists, including Ida B. Wells, W.E.B. DuBois, and more controversial figures like Booker T. Washington, has been virtually forgotten. The filmmakers here had a golden opportunity to push back on that. Instead they opted for a paint-by-numbers script that reads like a 3rd grade book report.
Mancingtom on
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AtomikaLive fast and get fucked or whateverRegistered Userregular
We’re getting a new dramatic Jim Henson Co. movie for the first time in a long while, a retelling of Beowulf, and I’m guessing a lot of the characters are going to be full-on puppets; otherwise we’re about to see Sam Elliot dressed up like a dragon
Beowulf - Dave Batista
Grendel - Jeff Bridges
Hrothgar - Bryan Cranston
That cast doesn’t seem right at all
+4
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knitdanIn ur baseKillin ur guysRegistered Userregular
edited May 11
If they’re all going to be puppets there’s no reason to have big names attached other than marketing
Also we already got a definitive Uncanny Valley version of Beowulf with that Ray Winstone Angelina Jolie CGI-fest
Also also it’s kind of a stupid story that doesn’t need to be retold every 5-10 years just because it’s one of the earliest examples of English literature
knitdan on
“I was quick when I came in here, I’m twice as quick now”
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
We’re getting a new dramatic Jim Henson Co. movie for the first time in a long while, a retelling of Beowulf, and I’m guessing a lot of the characters are going to be full-on puppets; otherwise we’re about to see Sam Elliot dressed up like a dragon
Beowulf - Dave Batista
Grendel - Jeff Bridges
Hrothgar - Bryan Cranston
That cast doesn’t seem right at all
Is this Bautista's first time as the primary character? I've only seen him in supporting roles, or ensemble pieces.
0
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reVerseAttack and Dethrone GodRegistered Userregular
We’re getting a new dramatic Jim Henson Co. movie for the first time in a long while, a retelling of Beowulf, and I’m guessing a lot of the characters are going to be full-on puppets; otherwise we’re about to see Sam Elliot dressed up like a dragon
Beowulf - Dave Batista
Grendel - Jeff Bridges
Hrothgar - Bryan Cranston
That cast doesn’t seem right at all
Is this Bautista's first time as the primary character? I've only seen him in supporting roles, or ensemble pieces.
He was the lead in Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead.
Freaked is one of my most favorite movies ever. A comedy about grotesque mutants done entirely with practical effects, and it even takes shots at soulless megacorps that treat human beings like disposable tools? Yes please.
If they’re all going to be puppets there’s no reason to have big names attached other than marketing
Also we already got a definitive Uncanny Valley version of Beowulf with that Ray Winstone Angelina Jolie CGI-fest
Also also it’s kind of a stupid story that doesn’t need to be retold every 5-10 years just because it’s one of the earliest examples of English literature
Give it the Hobbit treatment and make it a trilogy
The dragon stuff is all a massive time skip and doesn't really fit apart from the progression of monsters as dark reflections of kinsmen > dark reflections of lords
If they’re all going to be puppets there’s no reason to have big names attached other than marketing
Also we already got a definitive Uncanny Valley version of Beowulf with that Ray Winstone Angelina Jolie CGI-fest
Also also it’s kind of a stupid story that doesn’t need to be retold every 5-10 years just because it’s one of the earliest examples of English literature
It’s in the public domain but still recognizable, so it’s going to keep coming up.
If they’re all going to be puppets there’s no reason to have big names attached other than marketing
Also we already got a definitive Uncanny Valley version of Beowulf with that Ray Winstone Angelina Jolie CGI-fest
Also also it’s kind of a stupid story that doesn’t need to be retold every 5-10 years just because it’s one of the earliest examples of English literature
It’s in the public domain but still recognizable, so it’s going to keep coming up.
Also now I want to see Kermit yelling "I am ripper, tearer, slasher, gouger. I am the teeth in the darkness, the talons in the night. Mine is strength, and lust, and power."
Just Kermit the Frog going full ham.
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RingoHe/Hima distinct lack of substanceRegistered Userregular
Bautista is the lead in My Spy and maybe Stuber? I haven't watched either film
We’re getting a new dramatic Jim Henson Co. movie for the first time in a long while, a retelling of Beowulf, and I’m guessing a lot of the characters are going to be full-on puppets; otherwise we’re about to see Sam Elliot dressed up like a dragon
Beowulf - Dave Batista
Grendel - Jeff Bridges
Hrothgar - Bryan Cranston
If they’re all going to be puppets there’s no reason to have big names attached other than marketing
Also we already got a definitive Uncanny Valley version of Beowulf with that Ray Winstone Angelina Jolie CGI-fest
Also also it’s kind of a stupid story that doesn’t need to be retold every 5-10 years just because it’s one of the earliest examples of English literature
It’s in the public domain but still recognizable, so it’s going to keep coming up.
Also now I want to see Kermit yelling "I am ripper, tearer, slasher, gouger. I am the teeth in the darkness, the talons in the night. Mine is strength, and lust, and power."
It doesn’t have the approval of her family so it’s doubly gross.
In fairness an accurate Winehouse biopic probably has her family look like absolute shitheads, IIRC, so there's that part to consider
Yeah, there’s a big difference between a family objecting to a script because of how it depicts the subject and objecting because of how it depicts them.
I don't think there's any difference there. It's the same thing at work. The family obviously has a vested interest in some kind of portrayal of the person in question and there just doesn't seem any reason why we should consider that relevant. It's asking for nothing but whitewashing with maybe the occasional grudge settling.
TexiKenDammit!That fish really got me!Registered Userregular
Corman should have been a voice actor, that voice is so standout. I expect a Red Letter Media tribute video, RIP.
you should watch Machine Gun Kelly with Bronson, it’s a really good movie Corman directed, and then you have Battle Beyond the Stars, Suburbia, and he did Boxcar Bertha with Marty Score too that seemed to make him steer away from being a work for hire, I’d love to see Scorsese talk about Corman, it’s probably somewhere in the ether.
He basically single handedly laid the groundwork for the American indie film industry. The list of people who got their first roles or credits on corman movies is insane. Everyone from Charles Bronson to Ron Howard
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amateurhourOne day I'll be professionalhourThe woods somewhere in TennesseeRegistered Userregular
I liked his Roger Softcorman era when he did a lot of stuff for Cinemax.
The man was a machine for making cult classics. As a younger guy, all i knew about him was that his name kept getting attached to absolute trash Syfy TV movies, but when you look at the stuff he actually directed, its just a treasure trove of weird, low budget, lovingly made genre flicks. His work with Vincent Price alone puts him in the history books, but then you have The Little Shop of Horrors, A Bucket of Blood, The Man With X-Ray Eyes, Machine Gun Kelly... what a champion.
Posts
Did Sauron have a rollover plan with unlimited roaming
We all know somebody who gets a bit weird around their birthday
But there’s no way this isn’t complete ass, and just a way to keep shareholders happy that “known properties” are in the content pipeline.
Whhhat?
Hollywood executives wanted to kill the Cuban Pete scene?
If thats not a sign to fire all uppper management in Hollywood I don't know what is.
I think you could safely put magic rings in that category, yes. Right next to the mall kiosk with the magnetic bracelets.
Which makes me wonder how in the actual fuck anyone involved in that movie allowed the penny market party central Ric Flair "performance" into the movie. Wannabe Jesus was better and less cringey as the Clown Prince than whomever the hell was paid a case of Miller lite and a nickel to fart out that trash.
How is it even possible to get the Wooooo! wrong? People who have never heard flair speak or watched him wrestle still know exactly how the Wooooo! sounds. You're reading the Wooooo! right now and hearing in your head exactly how Wooooo! goes. Wooooo! See? You heard it right again. Say Wooooo! out loud as you read Wooooo! Yep. You nailed it. That's the proper Ric Flair Wooooo! (Not even going to get started on the strut, the Woooo! travesty applies to it almost equally)
What the hell?
3DS: 1521-4165-5907
PS3: KayleSolo
Live: Kayle Solo
WiiU: KayleSolo
Anyhow, I have expanded my DVD collection from thrifting, with such titles as Rising Sun, Expendables 2 and Master and Commander. And I snagged a new copy Blu Ray of Poor Things. I need, uh..more shelf space. This is a nice problem to have.
In fairness an accurate Winehouse biopic probably has her family look like absolute shitheads, IIRC, so there's that part to consider
Yeah, there’s a big difference between a family objecting to a script because of how it depicts the subject and objecting because of how it depicts them.
All this talk of biopics reminded me how I hate the 2019 Harriet movie.
Like most biopics, it fails the subject by focusing only on the well-known aspects of their life. Every American schoolchild learns about Tubman’s escape from slavery and helping hundreds of others do the same. Far fewer learn about her work as a spy during the American Civil War, including leading the raid on Combahee Ferry. The movie depicts this only in its final scene and devoid of context. Tubman also lived for almost 50 years after the war—she died in 1913. Harriet Tubman saw the Titanic. She was a major activist in the American Women’s Suffrage movement. Had the movie picked a better timeframe—or paced itself well-enough to cover more of her life—it could’ve shown audiences something they’d never seen. That second generation of Black American activists, including Ida B. Wells, W.E.B. DuBois, and more controversial figures like Booker T. Washington, has been virtually forgotten. The filmmakers here had a golden opportunity to push back on that. Instead they opted for a paint-by-numbers script that reads like a 3rd grade book report.
Beowulf - Dave Batista
Grendel - Jeff Bridges
Hrothgar - Bryan Cranston
That cast doesn’t seem right at all
Also we already got a definitive Uncanny Valley version of Beowulf with that Ray Winstone Angelina Jolie CGI-fest
Also also it’s kind of a stupid story that doesn’t need to be retold every 5-10 years just because it’s one of the earliest examples of English literature
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
Is this Bautista's first time as the primary character? I've only seen him in supporting roles, or ensemble pieces.
He was the lead in Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead.
~ Buckaroo Banzai
Yes but obviously it’s Miss Piggy
Hmm...I'll allow it. But, not the hippo from Meet the Feebles.
~ Buckaroo Banzai
That's some Monkey's Paw shit right there.
Give it the Hobbit treatment and make it a trilogy
The dragon stuff is all a massive time skip and doesn't really fit apart from the progression of monsters as dark reflections of kinsmen > dark reflections of lords
It’s in the public domain but still recognizable, so it’s going to keep coming up.
twitch.tv/Taramoor
@TaramoorPlays
Taramoor on Youtube
Also now I want to see Kermit yelling "I am ripper, tearer, slasher, gouger. I am the teeth in the darkness, the talons in the night. Mine is strength, and lust, and power."
Just Kermit the Frog going full ham.
Who needs another adaptation when the perfect Beowulf movie already exists
“Full ham” is Kermit’s top porn hub search
I don't think there's any difference there. It's the same thing at work. The family obviously has a vested interest in some kind of portrayal of the person in question and there just doesn't seem any reason why we should consider that relevant. It's asking for nothing but whitewashing with maybe the occasional grudge settling.
https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/roger-corman-dead-producer-independent-b-movie-1235999591/
you should watch Machine Gun Kelly with Bronson, it’s a really good movie Corman directed, and then you have Battle Beyond the Stars, Suburbia, and he did Boxcar Bertha with Marty Score too that seemed to make him steer away from being a work for hire, I’d love to see Scorsese talk about Corman, it’s probably somewhere in the ether.
Black Scorpion made an impression although for some reason I thought that was Showtime