After the record-breaking success of "Precious: Based on the Novel PUSH by Sapphire" over the weekend, I'm more hopeful for films starting out in limited release. This week's recommendations may not have the distinction of being championed by Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, so if you find any of them worth seeing based on my recommendation, it may be more necessary for you to make the effort to get them to play near you.
"The Messenger"
What it is: A skewed romantic drama about a young Iraq War vet (Ben Foster) who is assigned to the Army's Casualty Notification service, where he's partnered with a captain played by Woody Harrelson. While delivering the bad news, he falls for one of the notified widows (Samantha Morton). Read more...
As if last week's mixed-genre Friday openings weren't enough, we've got the same song this week as well. I'm thinking that the front-runner is "Fame." Not only does it possess an all-ages appeal, but there's also the nostalgia factor to consider. The 1980 original was quite popular, so even childless thirty-somethings can find something to enjoy with this remake. Maybe.
It's not like there aren't other options. Michael Moore is back with another message-driven doc, "Capitalism: A Love Story." This one's about the sorry state of financial affairs that our nation is currently in, with the focus on what went wrong and how we got to where we currently are. Moore is nothing if not a crowd-pleaser, so expect to find his same brand of wry, scathing humor mixed with shocking facts about corporate and governmental wrongdoings. Read more...
Tags ben foster, bruce willis, cam gigandet, capitalism: a love story, Coco Before Chanel, dennis quaid, fame, I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, michael moore, pandorum, Paranormal Activity, Radha Mitchell, Surrogates, The Blue Tooth Virgin, The Boys Are Back, Twilight
Paul W.S. Anderson was finishing up post-production on his franchise-melding sci-fi flick, “AVP: Alien vs. Predator,” when he sat down to read a script that very much reminded him of one of the progenitors of his film: Ridley Scott’s 1979 deep space horror classic, “Alien.”
The script was simply terrifying, Anderson told MTV News in a recent interview. It was based on an original idea as opposed to the sequel-itis Hollywood had fallen victim to, and it contained mind-bending sci-fi concepts. He decided he had to make the movie. Read more...
In the vein of such films as "Alien" and "Sunshine," "Pandorum" finds a group of deep space astronauts awakened from deep sleep only to find they have no memory of who they are or what their mission is. Plus, as if that weren't enough, deadly creatures have infiltrated their craft. As you'll see in our exclusive teaser which was shown at Comic-Con today, the film looks to be one hell of a scary ride.
Starring Ben Foster, Dennis Quaid and Cam Gigandet, "Pandorum" hits theaters September 18.
I caught the trailer for "Pandorum," produced by the folks behind the "Resident Evil" movie trilogy, a couple weeks ago and was immediately sold. For me, the imagery summons up fond memories of Ridley Scott's sci-fi classic "Alien" and Electronic Arts' hit 2008 space horror video game "Dead Space." The brief snippets in the trailer left me wanting for more and, needless to say, I'll be there opening day when the movie opens on September 18.
Of course, there will be more "Pandorum" love to be had long before the fall release. A select few scenes will premiere at San Diego Comic-Con on July 23 as part of a panel featuring stars Ben Foster, Cung Le and Antje Traue (FYI Twilighters: Cam Gigandet is also in the movie). Fellow star Dennis Quaid will unfortunately not be on-hand, though he'll have a few words to share with the gathered fans via a special taped greeting. I won't be at the 'Con myself, but you can be sure I'll be clicking over to MTV.com on July 23 for a look at those exclusive clips. Check out the trailer below and be afraid.
I'm not one to stir up controversy. All I wanted was to find out what Woody Harrelson (in Sundance to promote his role in the sobering meditation on grief, "The Messenger") thought of the shoe crafted in honor of his performance in "White Men Can't Jump." I guess it didn't surprise me when Woody hadn't caught wind of the enterprise. He doesn't strike me as a man with a google news alert set to his own name. Without further ado, please enjoy his and "Messenger" co-star Ben Foster's reaction to the sneaker inspired by his seminal work. Oh and if you'd got "White Men Can't Jump" on the brain don't miss our Sundance interview with Wesley Snipes!
