Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:03:00 GMTCinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.comen-usCopyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.http://www.cinematical.com/media/feedlogo.gifhttp://www.cinematical.comhttp://item.feedsky.com/~feedsky/CINE/~5938713/121236630/4067126/1/item.html<p><img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/cine-role-mod.jpg" /></p> <p>Remember Broken Lizard's <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486551/">Beerfest</a></em>? Whatever you thought of that 2006 comedy, it's difficult to dispute how incredibly astute the filmmakers were with rattling genre expectations in just a single scene. See, the American team's greatest beer guzzler, "Landfill", has passed away under shady circumstances, and right when everyone's ready to throw in the towel, in walks Landfill's identical twin brother, who they knew nothing about but who happens to have been told everything about each of them. Better yet, he's more than willing to even adopt Landfill's name, in an effort to bypass that whole awkward 'getting-to-know-you' stage.</p> <p>It's every end-of-second-act "what do we do now, coach?" dilemma from an inspirational sports movie mercifully condensed to a couple of rapid-fire beats, and even if the rest of the film otherwise adheres to said sports movie formula, it's nice knowing that audience and actors alike were not going through the paces entirely unaware of how clich&eacute;d the entire narrative was.</p><p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/comedy/" rel="tag">Comedy</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/universal/" rel="tag">Universal</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/theatrical-reviews/" rel="tag">Theatrical Reviews</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/fantastic-fest/" rel="tag">Fantastic Fest</a></p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/fantastic-fest-review-role-models/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Fantastic Fest Review: Role Models</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/fantastic-fest-review-role-models/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/forward/1324150/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/fantastic-fest-review-role-models/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>KenMarinojane lynchSeannWilliamScottrole modelsthe stateChristopherMintz-plassebobbe j. thompsondavid wainElizabethBankschristopher mintz-plassePaulRuddDavidWainBobbeJ.Thompsonelizabeth banksseann william scottwet hot american summerJaneLynchWetHotAmericanSummerken marinoRoleModelsTheStatepaul ruddTue, 07 Oct 2008 11:03:00 +0800William Gosshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/fantastic-fest-review-role-models/#commentshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/fantastic-fest-review-role-models/William Gosshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/fantastic-fest-review-role-models/http://www.cinematical.com/rss.xmlfeedsky/CINE/~5938713/121236630/4067126http://item.feedsky.com/~feedsky/CINE/~5938713/121203832/4067126/1/item.html<img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" align="right" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/dracula.jpg" />Call me crazy, but Bram Stoker's <em>Dracula</em> (the book, not the movie) ends pretty definitively. Dracula gets a bowie knife in the heart, and crumbles into dust in the red sun of the Transylvanian dawn. The wiggle room has been taken care of in a score of movies, books, and television shows -- and we have plenty of <em>new</em> vampire stories, so must we really dig up Dracula again? Well, according to<a href="http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=7958"> ShockTillYouDrop</a>, yes. <br /><br />They say a sequel <em>is</em> coming -- and this time it's getting a literary <em>and</em> big screen outing. For the first time, the Stoker estate has authorized an official <em>Dracula</em> sequel titled <em>Dracula: The Undead. </em> Written by Dacre Stoker, Bram's great-grandnephew, and <em>Dracula</em> historian Ian Holt, the story uses characters and plot threads that were edited out of Stoker's original novel in 1897. It hits store shelves in October 2009, just in time for Halloween. And don't think it's the only sequel you'll be getting -- publishing house Penguin-Canada (who describes the book as having done a"fantastic job melding the old with the new"), has already signed up for two more.<br /><br />But you won't get to read it before film production starts -- Holt and Alexander Galant have already completed and sold the script, and production is slated to begin in June 2009. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000957/">Jan DeBont </a>is one of the producers and I'm sure he's debating whether or not to direct as well.<br /><br />I might be interested in this if estate authorized sequels were ever good -- I can't think of one that was, but there's always a chance this could be it. Besides, I think the definitive <em>Dracula</em> sequel has already been made -- <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0219653/"><em>Dracula 2000</em></a>, starring a baby-faced Gerard Butler. I just know you've all forgotten about it, like Butler and Christopher Plummer probably want you to, but why wait until 2009 for sexy vampire times? Just rent this one.<br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/not-even-dracula-is-safe-from-a-sequel/#poll20609">View Poll</a></p><p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/classics/" rel="tag">Classics</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/horror/" rel="tag">Horror</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/thrillers/" rel="tag">Thrillers</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/deals/" rel="tag">Deals</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/scripts-and-screenwriting/" rel="tag">Scripts</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/newsstand/" rel="tag">Newsstand</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/remakes-and-sequels/" rel="tag">Remakes and Sequels</a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/not-even-dracula-is-safe-from-a-sequel/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/forward/1333946/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/not-even-dracula-is-safe-from-a-sequel/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>DraculaDraculaSequelJan DeBontDacre StokerBram StokerDracula2000Dracula sequelBramStokerIan HoltIanHoltDacreStokerDracula 2000JanDebontTue, 07 Oct 2008 10:02:00 +0800Elisabeth Rappehttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/not-even-dracula-is-safe-from-a-sequel/#commentshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/not-even-dracula-is-safe-from-a-sequel/Elisabeth Rappehttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/not-even-dracula-is-safe-from-a-sequel/http://www.cinematical.com/rss.xmlfeedsky/CINE/~5938713/121203832/4067126http://item.feedsky.com/~feedsky/CINE/~5938713/121203833/4067126/1/item.html<img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" align="right" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/twilightposterbox.jpg" />I think I may have heard just a little buzz regarding this <a href="http://www.moviefone.com/movie/twilight/31347/main"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Twilight</span></a> movie. Apparently it's based on the first book in a somewhat popular series that deals with young lovers and vampirism -- OK, I'm kidding. You can't work in the movie-news biz without knowing that Catherine Hardwicke's <span style="font-style: italic;">Twilight </span>is one of the most hotly-anticipated films of late 2008. The project may be supported by only a few demographic groups (mainly young women and their moms, I believe), but those fans have been powerfully vocal in their excitement for this movie. Which is how it should be, if you ask me.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Twilight </span>hits the screens on November 21, and each new bit of news has the loyal fans squeeing with delight. And so we're all very happy to give those fans their first peek at the final one-sheet. I've cropped a small section up there in the top right, but for the whole dang poster you'll have to enter ... beneath the jump! (In other words, just click on "continue reading," and maybe be prepared to change your desktop wallpaper.)<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/drama/" rel="tag">Drama</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/horror/" rel="tag">Horror</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/romance/" rel="tag">Romance</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/sci-fi-and-fantasy/" rel="tag">Sci-Fi &amp; Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/thrillers/" rel="tag">Thrillers</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/movie-marketing/" rel="tag">Movie Marketing</a></p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/exclusive-brace-yourselves-ladies-the-final-twilight-poster/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>EXCLUSIVE: Brace Yourselves, Ladies: The Final 'Twilight' Poster!</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/exclusive-brace-yourselves-ladies-the-final-twilight-poster/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/forward/1334686/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/exclusive-brace-yourselves-ladies-the-final-twilight-poster/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>robert pattinsonFinalPosterStephanieMeyerstephanie meyerkristen stewartone-sheetfinal posterCatherineHardwickeRobertPattinsonsummitKristenStewartcatherine hardwicketwilightTue, 07 Oct 2008 08:33:00 +0800Scott Weinberghttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/exclusive-brace-yourselves-ladies-the-final-twilight-poster/#commentshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/exclusive-brace-yourselves-ladies-the-final-twilight-poster/Scott Weinberghttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/exclusive-brace-yourselves-ladies-the-final-twilight-poster/http://www.cinematical.com/rss.xmlfeedsky/CINE/~5938713/121203833/4067126http://item.feedsky.com/~feedsky/CINE/~5938713/121191456/4067126/1/item.html<img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" align="right" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/jarcitypic.jpg" />Iceland has a more robust film industry than you might expect from a small island nation of only 320,000 people, but still, it ain't exactly Hollywood. So when an Icelandic film gains worldwide attention, it's newsworthy. <br /><br />Such is the case with <a href="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0805576/"><em>Jar City</em></a>, an excellent mystery thriller that <em>Cinematical</em>'s Kim Voynar <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2007/09/05/telluride-review-jar-city/">raved about</a> last year at Telluride. It's the highest-grossing film in the country's history, from one of its most successful (and prolific directors), and it won a top prize at the 2007 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. <br /><br />And now it gets the ultimate honor: an American remake! (There may have been sarcasm in the word "honor.") According to <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i149edf3e04ae01688d4a472bc9840517"><em>The Hollywood Reporter</em></a>, Overture Films has bought the remake rights and will employ the original writer/director, Baltasar Korm&aacute;kur, as a producer. No word yet on who will direct the U.S. version, but a writer has been attached: <a href="http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0743683/">Michael Ross</a>, who wrote <a href="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0454970/"><em>Turistas</em></a> and who <em>THR</em> says is also penning the <a href="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0093605/"><em>Near Dark</em></a> remake. <br /><br />The Icelandic setting will be changed, of course, to its logical American counterpart: Louisiana. No, really. I'm curious to see how the story transfers, since some of its details relate to the insularity of those small Icelandic communities. Also, I loved that the detective in the original was a total badass despite looking like a nerdy college professor. (That's him in the picture.) I hope they keep that element for the remake. William H. Macy would be perfect. <br /><br />As far as I can determine, this is the first time an Icelandic film has officially gotten an American remake. If anyone knows differently, let me know. Otherwise, I'm marking this as a historic first for our friends in the North Atlantic.<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/foreign-language/" rel="tag">Foreign Language</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/deals/" rel="tag">Deals</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/telluride/" rel="tag">Telluride</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/mystery-and-suspense/" rel="tag">Mystery &amp; Suspense</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/indie/" rel="tag">Cinematical Indie</a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/icelandic-thriller-jar-city-getting-an-american-remake/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/forward/1333724/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/icelandic-thriller-jar-city-getting-an-american-remake/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>baltasar kormakurBaltasarKormakurMichaelRossjar cityJarCitymichael rossicelandicicelandTue, 07 Oct 2008 08:15:00 +0800Eric D. Sniderhttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/icelandic-thriller-jar-city-getting-an-american-remake/#commentshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/icelandic-thriller-jar-city-getting-an-american-remake/Eric D. Sniderhttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/icelandic-thriller-jar-city-getting-an-american-remake/http://www.cinematical.com/rss.xmlfeedsky/CINE/~5938713/121191456/4067126http://item.feedsky.com/~feedsky/CINE/~5938713/121189581/4067126/1/item.html<p><strong><u><img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/rachelgettingmarried-sm.jpg" alt="Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married" />Winners</u></strong><br /><em><a href="http://www.moviefone.com/movie/rachel-getting-married/34744/main">Rachel Getting Married</a></em> (Sony Pictures Classics)<br /><em><a href="http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-duchess/32364/main">The Duchess</a></em> (Paramount Vantage)<br /><em><a href="http://www.moviefone.com/movie/fireproof/34748/main">Fireproof</a></em> (Samuel Goldwyn)</p> <p>Riding a wave of positive buzz and the rising stardom of <a href="http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/anne-hathaway/2029985/main">Anne Hathaway</a>, Jonathan Demme's <em>Rachel Getting Married</em> crushed all comers, earning $33,667 per screen at nine theaters in New York, Los Angeles, and Toronto, according to estimates compiled by <em><a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=&amp;yr=2008&amp;wknd=40&amp;sort=avg&amp;order=DESC&amp;p=.htm">Box Office Mojo</a></em>. Hathaway appeared everywhere to promote it, even gamely spoofing herself as host on <em>Saturday Night Live</em>. (Loved her as Mary Poppins!) </p> <p>Too much attention may be paid to <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/09/24/fan-rant-can-we-focus-on-keira-knightleys-performances-not-he/">Keira Knightley's ribs</a>, but she was undoubtedly the reason that <em>The Duchess</em> made $7,047 per screen as it expanded to 127 locations in its third week. Keira and costume dramas seem to be the right fit; I wouldn't be surprised if this one drew an older audience that consistently attends British historical flicks.</p> <p>Still ignored by the mainstream press (in contrast to Bill Maher's <em>Religulous</em>), faith-based <em>Fireproof</em> dropped just 40.5% (about the same as <em>Eagle Eye</em>) and took in $4,776 per screen at 852 theaters in its second week. So far the film has grossed more than $12 million. Was it ever advertised on TV? Or was the marketing done entirely through church groups? Whatever the case, with a reported budget of only half a million dollars, <em>Fireproof</em> appears to be a healthy success story.</p> <p><strong><u>Sex Still Sells</u></strong><br /><em><a href="http://www.moviefone.com/movie/elegy/28204/main">Elegy</a></em> (Samuel Goldwyn)<br /><em><a href="http://www.moviefone.com/movie/frozen-river/32715/main">Frozen River</a></em> (Sony Pictures Classics)</p> <p><em>Elegy</em>, the 'old professor in love with a younger woman' adaptation of a Philip Roth novel starring <a href="http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/ben-kingsley/1025275/main">Ben Kingsley</a> and a sometimes naked <a href="http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/penelope-cruz/1928176/main">Penelope Cruz</a>, is in its ninth week of release and still playing in 70 theaters. The theater count is dropping, but the film has grossed more than $3.3 million. </p><p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/drama/" rel="tag">Drama</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/independent/" rel="tag">Independent</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/sony-classics/" rel="tag">Sony Classics</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/box-office/" rel="tag">Box Office</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/indie/" rel="tag">Cinematical Indie</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/paramount-vantage/" rel="tag">Paramount Vantage</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/samuel-goldwyn-films/" rel="tag">Samuel Goldwyn Films</a></p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/indie-winners-rachel-getting-married-duchess-and-sex-stil/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Indie Winners: 'Rachel Getting Married,' 'Duchess,' and Sex Still Sells</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=&amp;yr=2008&amp;wknd=40&amp;sort=avg&amp;order=DESC&amp;p=.htm>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/indie-winners-rachel-getting-married-duchess-and-sex-stil/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/forward/1334326/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/indie-winners-rachel-getting-married-duchess-and-sex-stil/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>KeiraKnightleyfireproofJonathanDemmekeira knightleyRachelGettingMarriedben kingsleyBenKingsleyFrozenRiverjonathan demmerachel getting marriedElegyPenelopeCruzfrozen riverTheDuchessthe duchesspenelope cruzTue, 07 Oct 2008 07:02:00 +0800Peter Martinhttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/indie-winners-rachel-getting-married-duchess-and-sex-stil/#commentshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/indie-winners-rachel-getting-married-duchess-and-sex-stil/Peter Martinhttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/indie-winners-rachel-getting-married-duchess-and-sex-stil/http://www.cinematical.com/rss.xmlfeedsky/CINE/~5938713/121189581/4067126http://item.feedsky.com/~feedsky/CINE/~5938713/121181629/4067126/1/item.html<img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/guillermo-del-toro1.jpg" alt="" />The reason everyone loves <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0868219/">Guillermo del Toro</a> can, I think, be summed up in this new <em>Hobbit</em> related quote. "Believe me, I am jumping up-and-down inside this fat body!"<br /><br />Yes, del Toro teased us all with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903624/"><em>Hobbit</em></a> talk when he appeared at the Director's Guild of America recently and spilled all kinds of information regarding Middle Earth and his adaptation of <em>Frankenstein</em>. <a href="http://www.comingsoon.net/news/hobbitnews.php?id=49378">ComingSoon</a> has the whole delicious thing, but I'll post my favorite bit -- his research into the mind of J.R.R. Tolkien: "I find you have to discipline yourself to write in the morning, and then watch and read in the afternoons stuff that seems relevant, even in a tangential way. For example, reading or watching World War I documentaries or books that I think inform <em>The Hobbit</em>, strangely enough, because I believe it is a book born out of Tolkien's generation's experience with World War I and the disappointment of being in that field and seeing all those values kind of collapse. I think it's a turning point that you need to familiarize yourself with."<br /><br />And naturally, he sounds most excited about tackling Smaug. "Essentially, Smaug represents so many things: greed, pride ... he's 'the Magnificent,' after all. The way his shadow is cast in the narrative you cannot then show it and have it be one thing, he has to be the embodiment of all those things. He's one of the few dragons that will have enormous scenes with lines. He has some of the most beautiful dialogues in those scenes! The design, I'm pretty sure that will be the last design we will sign off on, and the first design we have attempted. It is certainly a matter of turning every stone before figuring out what he looks like, because what he looks like will tell you what he is."<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.comingsoon.net/news/hobbitnews.php?id=49378"></a><p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/classics/" rel="tag">Classics</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/horror/" rel="tag">Horror</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/sci-fi-and-fantasy/" rel="tag">Sci-Fi &amp; Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/fandom/" rel="tag">Fandom</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/scripts-and-screenwriting/" rel="tag">Scripts</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/newsstand/" rel="tag">Newsstand</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/peter-jackson/" rel="tag">Peter Jackson</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/remakes-and-sequels/" rel="tag">Remakes and Sequels</a></p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/guillermo-del-toro-talks-about-hobbit-frankenstein/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Guillermo del Toro Talks About 'Hobbit', 'Frankenstein'</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/guillermo-del-toro-talks-about-hobbit-frankenstein/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/forward/1333765/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/guillermo-del-toro-talks-about-hobbit-frankenstein/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>Peter Jacksonguillermo del toroThe HobbitPeterJacksonJ.r.r.TolkienGuillermoDelToroFrankensteinTheHobbitj.r.r. tolkienTue, 07 Oct 2008 06:02:00 +0800Elisabeth Rappehttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/guillermo-del-toro-talks-about-hobbit-frankenstein/#commentshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/guillermo-del-toro-talks-about-hobbit-frankenstein/Elisabeth Rappehttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/guillermo-del-toro-talks-about-hobbit-frankenstein/http://www.cinematical.com/rss.xmlfeedsky/CINE/~5938713/121181629/4067126http://item.feedsky.com/~feedsky/CINE/~5938713/121181630/4067126/1/item.html<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8HE9OQ4FnkQ&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8HE9OQ4FnkQ&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />As the description on You Tube reads: "Ever wish songs just sang what was happening in the music video? Well now they do." Indeed ... someone edited one of our favorite music videos of all time to include a whole new set of lyrics that sing about what's actually going on in the video. The song and video in question is A-ha's <em>Take On Me</em>, which has been spoofed before (see <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83_4wHmSKps">this bit from<em> Family Guy</em></a>). Sure, it's not directly related to a movie, but it's damn funny to watch and might just help you through the remainder of the work day. Enjoy!<br /><br />[via Justin via Twitter]<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/music-and-musicals/" rel="tag">Music &amp; Musicals</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/trailers-and-clips/" rel="tag">Trailers and Clips</a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/watch-this-take-on-me-literal-version/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/forward/1334546/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/watch-this-take-on-me-literal-version/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:10:00 +0800Cinematical staffhttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/watch-this-take-on-me-literal-version/#commentshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/watch-this-take-on-me-literal-version/Cinematical staffhttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/watch-this-take-on-me-literal-version/http://www.cinematical.com/rss.xmlfeedsky/CINE/~5938713/121181630/4067126http://item.feedsky.com/~feedsky/CINE/~5938713/121181631/4067126/1/item.html<a href="http://www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/specialpostermain1.jpg" target="_blank"><img hspace="4" height="666" width="450" vspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/specialpostermain1-(2).jpg" alt="" /></a><br /><strong>Click image above to enlarge</strong><br /><br /><em>Cinematical </em>has just received this exclusive poster for the film <a href="http://www.moviefone.com/movie/special/24964/main"><strong><em>Special</em></strong></a>, starring Michael Rapaport as a lonely meter maid who has a psychotic reaction to his medication and becomes convinced he's some sort of superhero. Back when <em>Cinematical's</em> Jette Kernion reviewed <em>Special </em>at the <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2006/10/29/aff-review-special/">Austin Film Festival</a>, she called it "different" and "attention-grabbing" -- adding that "Rapaport is riveting to watch as Les, as he transforms from a mild-mannered, easily duped meter maid to a self-identified superhero determined to help fight crime, and even further to his final state at the movie's climax." <br /><br />As <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/01/set-your-sights-on-magnets-six-shooter-series/">we told you last week</a>, <em>Special </em>is part of Magnet's Six-Shooter Series, featuring six of the more talked-about genre flicks from the past year or so (<em>Let the Right One In, Timecrimes, Donkey Punch, Eden Log</em>, <em>Big Man Japan</em>) -- all of which are heading our way courtesy of Magnet Releasing. <a href="http://www.moviefone.com/movie/special/24964/main"><strong><em>Special </em></strong></a>will hit theaters on November 21, but will be available On Demand beginning November 7.<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/independent/" rel="tag">Independent</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/fandom/" rel="tag">Fandom</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/movie-marketing/" rel="tag">Movie Marketing</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/posters/" rel="tag">Posters</a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/exclusive-special-poster-premiere/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/forward/1334420/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/exclusive-special-poster-premiere/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>magnet releasingspecial movie posterSpecialMoviePostercinematicalmichael rapaportfeaturedMichaelRapaportMagnetReleasingTue, 07 Oct 2008 04:40:00 +0800Erik Davishttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/exclusive-special-poster-premiere/#commentshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/exclusive-special-poster-premiere/Erik Davishttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/exclusive-special-poster-premiere/http://www.cinematical.com/rss.xmlfeedsky/CINE/~5938713/121181631/4067126http://item.feedsky.com/~feedsky/CINE/~5938713/121181632/4067126/1/item.html<img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/dyingbreedposter.jpg" alt="" />Since they like to release eight indie-style or foreign horror films on one specific day each year, I'm always a little bit fascinated by the latest goings-on at <strong><a href="http://www.horrorfestonline.com/">After Dark</a></strong>. The fact that I don't actually <em>like</em> the majority of their films is sort of beside the point. Being a hardcore fan gives you the right to be critical, of course, but it also means you should always give a new flick a fair break. And the AD gang has given us access to some half-decent titles, and so I opt to focus on the good (<em>Borderland</em>, <em>The Gravedancers</em>, <em>Frontier(s)</em>) instead of the bad -- which is just about everything else. Although <a href="http://us.imdb.com/company/co0166161/">your mileage</a> may vary.<br /><br />And even though the next infusion of <em>After Dark</em>ness won't arrive until January, I'm happy to note that they're putting together a rather solid slate. They'd already snagged a cool British chiller called <a href="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0906734/"><strong><em>The Broken</em></strong></a> (which I saw at Sundance ... and <a href="http://www.fearnet.com/news/reviews/b10111_sundance_broken_2008.html">enjoyed</a>) and a low-key occult thriller called <a href="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt1063056/"><strong><em>From Within</em></strong></a> (which I saw at Tribeca ... and didn't), but now comes word on two new additions: The first one is also a Tribeca title, and it's an Aussie horror tale called <a href="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt1064744/"><strong><em>Dying Breed</em></strong></a>. (Here's <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/27/tribeca-review-dying-breed/">my review</a>. I nagged Tim to play it at Fantastic Fest, but it ended up in the "very close but no cigar" bin.) The second is an American flick called <a href="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0443435/"><strong><em>Autopsy</em></strong></a>, which comes from screenwriter / first-time director Adam Gierasch (<em>Toolbox Murders</em>, <em>Mother of Tears</em>), and while I haven't seen this one yet, I've heard some quiet-yet-positive rumblings from my sources in the L.A. horror-geek scene.<br /><br /><em>The Broken</em>, <em>From Within</em>, <em>Dying Breed</em>, and <em>Autopsy</em> will join <a href="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt1230206/"><strong><em>Slaughter</em></strong></a> (aka <em>Faithless</em>), <a href="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt1230211/"><strong><em>Perkins' 14</em></strong></a>, and <a href="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt1234541/"><em><strong>The Butterfly Effect: Revelation</strong></em></a> when After Dark kick-starts on January 9. The eighth title has yet to be announced. Could it be <a href="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0811124/">this movie</a>?<br /><br />[Thanks to <a href="http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/13848">BD.com</a>]<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/horror/" rel="tag">Horror</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/lionsgate-films/" rel="tag">Lionsgate Films</a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/its-official-after-dark-horrorfest-is-moving-up-in-the-world/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/forward/1333678/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/its-official-after-dark-horrorfest-is-moving-up-in-the-world/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>slaughterDyingBreedperkins 14from withinButterflyEffectRevelationbutterfly effect revelationPerkins14FromWithinTheBrokendying breedthe brokenAfterDarkautopsyafter darkTue, 07 Oct 2008 04:02:00 +0800Scott Weinberghttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/its-official-after-dark-horrorfest-is-moving-up-in-the-world/#commentshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/its-official-after-dark-horrorfest-is-moving-up-in-the-world/Scott Weinberghttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/its-official-after-dark-horrorfest-is-moving-up-in-the-world/http://www.cinematical.com/rss.xmlfeedsky/CINE/~5938713/121181632/4067126http://item.feedsky.com/~feedsky/CINE/~5938713/121167151/4067126/1/item.html<img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/yodacake-%282%29.jpg" /><br /><br />When <em>Cinematical </em>reader <a href="http://tagalishus.com/yoda/">Geoff M.</a> sent us a note about a life-size Yoda cake he created for his son's fourth birthday, we simply had to see it because a) any dad who's down for a <em>Star Wars</em>-themed birthday party certainly meets movie geek standards, and b) any dad who'd actually take on the task of building a life-size Yoda cake for his kid is all sorts of awesome in our book. (This also brought back memories of my own childhood; when I was young my parents would spend crazy money building custom superhero birthday cakes (Incredible Hulk, Batman, Spider-Man) for yours truly. That eventually stopped, however, and it was Carvel ice cream cakes from then on out.)<br /><br />Anyway, inspired by <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/ace-of-cakes/index.html"><em>Ace of Cakes</em></a> (groovy TV show if you've never watched) and an enormous amount of love for his little one, Geoff set out to make his own 100% edible life-size Yoda cake. And <a href="http://tagalishus.com/yoda/">over on his site</a>, he provides step-by-step instructions and photos (a couple of which you can see below) in case you at home would like to do the same. See, my only issue with this is that after all that work, I wouldn't be able to ruin the thing by eating it. Oh well ... I'm sure it tasted heavenly. The Force was strong with this one.<br /><br /><div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/photos/yoda-cake/">Yoda Cake</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/photos/yoda-cake/1080958/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/yodacake2_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/photos/yoda-cake/1080959/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/yodacake3_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/photos/yoda-cake/1080956/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/yodacake4_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/photos/yoda-cake/1080957/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/yodacake_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br /><br /><em>If you have or know of something cool, groovy, nifty, shiny, brilliant and Fan Made, feel free to shoot an email to <strong>leads AT cinematical DOT com</strong></em><strong>.</strong><p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/sci-fi-and-fantasy/" rel="tag">Sci-Fi &amp; Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/fandom/" rel="tag">Fandom</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/home-entertainment/" rel="tag">Home Entertainment</a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/fan-made-tasty-life-size-yoda-cake/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/forward/1334088/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/fan-made-tasty-life-size-yoda-cake/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>star warsyoda cakeYodaCakecinematicalfeaturedStarWarsTue, 07 Oct 2008 03:02:00 +0800Erik Davishttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/fan-made-tasty-life-size-yoda-cake/#commentshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/fan-made-tasty-life-size-yoda-cake/Erik Davishttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/fan-made-tasty-life-size-yoda-cake/http://www.cinematical.com/rss.xmlfeedsky/CINE/~5938713/121167151/4067126http://item.feedsky.com/~feedsky/CINE/~5938713/121167152/4067126/1/item.html<img border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/08/midnightmeattrain-sm.jpg" alt="" />Just about a year ago, Comcast's FEARnet video-on-demand service dug into the Lionsgate vault and pulled out <a href="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0449471/"><em>Catacombs</em></a>, which <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2007/10/14/fearnets-first-exclusive-those-forgotten-catacombs/">they offered</a> at no charge on their VOD network. Turns out the flick wasn't all that hot, but hey, horror fans love to see stuff for free ... especially if it hasn't been released on video just yet.<br /><br />So this year FEARnet is doing it again -- only this time it's a movie that did have a (rather insultingly) limited theatrical release. Like, VERY limited. Yes, gore-fans, Ryuhei Kitamura's adaptation of Clive Barker's <a href="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0805570/"><strong><em>The Midnight Meat Train</em></strong></a> may very well be viewable in your own living room -- at this very moment! (If you get FEARnet on your cable box, that is...) Last year <em>Catacombs</em> was also made available on <a href="http://www.fearnet.com/news/b13200__Midnight_Meat_Train__on_VOD___.html">the FN website</a> prior to its DVD release, but we don't know if that will be the case on <em>Meat Train</em>. Lionsgate has yet to announce a DVD date for the film, so anything could happen.<br /><br />Best of all, unlike <em>Catacombs</em>, I've already seen and have <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/26/sdcc-review-the-midnight-meat-train/">strongly recommended</a> this particular horror movie -- and I certainly wouldn't sneeze at the source material either. For our earlier reports on this strangely controversial little horror flick, check <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/03/27/has-midnight-meat-train-arrival-been-delayed/">here</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/31/midnight-meat-train-to-make-select-stops-this-weekend/">here</a> and <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/08/24/clive-barker-gets-harsh-on-lionsgate-boss/">here</a>.<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/horror/" rel="tag">Horror</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/lionsgate-films/" rel="tag">Lionsgate Films</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/home-entertainment/" rel="tag">Home Entertainment</a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/the-meat-train-stops-in-your-living-room/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/forward/1333847/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/the-meat-train-stops-in-your-living-room/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>CliveBarkerMidnightMeatTrainfearnetvideo on demandclive barkerVideoOnDemandmidnight meat trainTue, 07 Oct 2008 02:32:00 +0800Scott Weinberghttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/the-meat-train-stops-in-your-living-room/#commentshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/the-meat-train-stops-in-your-living-room/Scott Weinberghttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/the-meat-train-stops-in-your-living-room/http://www.cinematical.com/rss.xmlfeedsky/CINE/~5938713/121167152/4067126http://item.feedsky.com/~feedsky/CINE/~5938713/121167153/4067126/1/item.html<div align="center"><img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/thedarkknightblur1art5.jpg" alt="" /><br /><br /> <div align="left">When <a href="http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-dark-knight/27016/main"><em>The Dark Knight</em></a> hits DVD on December 9th, it will cause hysteria not seen since ... well, it hit theaters on July 18th. Part of it will be due to those devoted fans who <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/17/auction-block-dark-knight-imax-tickets/">were buying tickets on eBay</a>, but also be due to it receiving one heck of a release. <a href="http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releases/the-dark-knight.html">DVD Active</a> gives us a few details on the DVD, and you can scope out some photos of this year's hottest stocking stuffer below.<br /><br />First comes the standard 1-disc edition, for those buyers who just don't care about flashy extras or DVD art. There will be no bonus features on the one-disc, so buy carefully. True fans will be opting for the 2-disc set, which includes these delightful extras:<br /> <ul> <li><em>Gotham Uncovered</em> documentary<br /></li> <li>Featurettes (<em>Batman Tech: The Incredible Gadgets and Tools</em>, <em>Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of The Dark Knight</em>)<br /></li> <li>6 episodes of Gotham Cable's Premier News Program</li> <li>Galleries (The Joker Cards, Concept Art, Poster Art, Production Stills)</li> <li>Trailers and TV spots</li> </ul> </div> <div align="left">And if that wasn't enough, the 2-disc DVD art will feature alternate art under its cardboard sleeve -- it seems the Joker savaged each and every one of them with markers and crayons (see gallery below). <br /><br />There's also a third edition the <em>really</em> hardcore among you will be standing in line for, and that's the limited edition pictured above. It doesn't come with additional features, but is secured in a steel DVD case and accompanied by a replica Batpod. As it's not actually big enough to ride or pivot on walls, it's useless to me. But it's ideal for those of you with lots of desk space! <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">In related news:</span> The brand new edition of <a href="http://www.productionweekly.com/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Production Weekly</span></a> lists <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Batman 3</span> as going into pre-production this February, with Christopher Nolan directing. <span style="font-style: italic;">PW </span>is a pretty reliable trade source, though it's odd to see news like that hit there before arriving in, say, <span style="font-style: italic;">Variety</span>. As always, more info when it develops ...<br /><br /> </div> </div> <br /><div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/photos/the-dark-knight-dvd/">The Dark Knight DVD</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/photos/the-dark-knight-dvd/1081031/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/dkdiscart6_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/photos/the-dark-knight-dvd/1081030/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/dkdiscart5_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/photos/the-dark-knight-dvd/1081029/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/dkdiscart4_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/photos/the-dark-knight-dvd/1081028/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/dkdiscart3_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/photos/the-dark-knight-dvd/1081027/"><img src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/dkdiscart1_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/action-and-adventure/" rel="tag">Action</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/warner-brothers/" rel="tag">Warner Brothers</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/fandom/" rel="tag">Fandom</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/newsstand/" rel="tag">Newsstand</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/home-entertainment/" rel="tag">Home Entertainment</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/movie-marketing/" rel="tag">Movie Marketing</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/comic-superhero-geek/" rel="tag">Comic/Superhero/Geek</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/remakes-and-sequels/" rel="tag">Remakes and Sequels</a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/the-dark-knight-dvd-and-more-batman-3-rumors/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/forward/1333885/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/the-dark-knight-dvd-and-more-batman-3-rumors/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>The Dark Knight DVDTheDarkKnightDvdTheDarkKnightWarner BrosChristopher NolanbatpodWarnerBrosThe Dark KnightChristopherNolanfeaturedTue, 07 Oct 2008 01:40:00 +0800Elisabeth Rappehttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/the-dark-knight-dvd-and-more-batman-3-rumors/#commentshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/the-dark-knight-dvd-and-more-batman-3-rumors/Elisabeth Rappehttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/the-dark-knight-dvd-and-more-batman-3-rumors/http://www.cinematical.com/rss.xmlfeedsky/CINE/~5938713/121167153/4067126http://item.feedsky.com/~feedsky/CINE/~5938713/121155618/4067126/1/item.html<img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" align="middle" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/americcarolpic3.jpg" alt="" /><br /><br />It was kind of a boring weekend, so I thought I'd have a chat with two of my good pals and then foist it off as an actual article. Our topic of discussion was <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/review-an-american-carol/"><em>An American Carol</em></a>, its reception from film critics and moviegoers, and the aggressive ways in which people often communicate through the internet (our review is currently up to well over 100 comments). Joining us today are my esteemed colleagues Eric D. Snider and William B. Goss. Let's listen in, shall we?<br /><br /><em>Scott</em>: You both saw and reviewed <em>An American Carol</em>. What can you tell us about readers' reactions to your articles? (Eric's review <a href="http://www.ericdsnider.com/movies/an-american-carol/">here</a>. Will's <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/review-an-american-carol/">here</a>.)<br /><br /><em>Will</em>: Reader reaction was, for the most part, violently contrarian, with many equating the lack of laughter on my part to some sort of deep-seated anti-American sentiments, and not due to David Zucker's anti-humor stance.<br /><br /><em>Eric</em>: Mostly the same for me. A lot of comments were posted within a very short span of time, and they said basically the same thing as each other, making me wonder if there was an organized effort somewhere urging people to make their voices heard.<br /><br /><em>Scott</em>: Would you say you walked into the film with any prejudice or bias?<br /><br /><em>Eric</em>: I was predisposed to liking David Zucker. I even liked (for the most part) the last two "<em>Scary Movie</em>" films, which he directed, which I think put me in the minority. I was wary of how good a comedy would be when it was made with such a specific goal in mind -- usually you gotta let the humor come first, then the ideology, not the other way around -- but I was curious to see what would happen.<br /><br /><em>Will</em>: While I LOVE <em>Airplane!</em>, really like the first<em> Naked Gun</em>, and genuinely enjoy <em>Scary Movie 3</em>, I didn't laugh during the trailer and couldn't recall if I was ever pleasantly surprised by any film that went unscreened for press.<br /><br /><em>Eric</em>: Good point... Not screening is almost always a bad sign. I'm sure that dampened my expectations somewhat.<em><br /></em><p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/comedy/" rel="tag">Comedy</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/politics/" rel="tag">Politics</a></p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/discuss-on-political-satire-righties-vs-lefties-and-abused-f/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Discuss: On Political Satire, Righties vs. Lefties, and Abused Film Critics</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/discuss-on-political-satire-righties-vs-lefties-and-abused-f/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/forward/1333597/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/discuss-on-political-satire-righties-vs-lefties-and-abused-f/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>cinematicalAnAmericanCarolfeaturedan american carolTue, 07 Oct 2008 01:02:00 +0800Scott Weinberghttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/discuss-on-political-satire-righties-vs-lefties-and-abused-f/#commentshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/discuss-on-political-satire-righties-vs-lefties-and-abused-f/Scott Weinberghttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/discuss-on-political-satire-righties-vs-lefties-and-abused-f/http://www.cinematical.com/rss.xmlfeedsky/CINE/~5938713/121155618/4067126http://item.feedsky.com/~feedsky/CINE/~5938713/121155619/4067126/1/item.html<img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/dennings100608.jpg" alt="" />We've had superheroes who actually hold some sort of power, and we've had normal folks pretending their super, but how about possible delusion, or secret superhero traits that lead you to spell poorly? As <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i2db03fb29d573ec52f6dc4159add77e4"><em>The Hollywood Reporter</em></a> posts, <a href="http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/woody-harrelson/1799334/main">Woody Harrelson</a> and <a href="http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/sandra-oh/1937619/main">Sandra Oh</a> are starring in a new film called <em>Defendor</em>, and <em>Playlist</em>-loving <a href="http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/kat-dennings/2035226/main">Kat Dennings</a> is looking to join in on the fun. Woody will play a man who thinks he has a secret superhero identity, while Oh plays his shrink and Dennings would play a teen he becomes friends with. As a superhero, what sort of powers would suit Woody best? Leaping over buildings in a single bound? Tingling Spider sense? Stay tuned!<br /><br />In the rumor realm, we've got buzz bubbling about a third Coco Chanel project (like two aren't enough). Beyond the TV movie with Shirley MacLaine and the feature with Audrey Tatou, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/oct/06/fashion"><em>The Guardian</em></a> posts that there might be a third starring, believe it or not, <a href="http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/demi-moore/1329066/main">Demi Moore</a>. I guess the look is right, but could Mrs. Kutcher pull off a period piece -- one focused on an icon no less? (And just in case Coco isn't enough for you, the report also states that there are rumors about Vivienne Westwood and Kate Moss heading to the big screen.) *UPDATE: Westwood is on her way, with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0578176">Kate Winslet signed to play the icon</a>. <br /><br />Now this next bit isn't exactly casting news, but it could become that -- <a href="http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117993469.html?categoryid=14&amp;cs=1&amp;nid=2562"><em>Variety</em></a> reports that <a href="http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/kevin-bacon/1039250/main">Kevin Bacon</a> is executive producing a new series for Showtime that dips into the life of Honest Abe's infamous assassin, John Wilkes Booth. Considering how well <em>John Adams</em> did, I wouldn't be surprised if Bacon grabs Booth's role for himself. There's a <a href="http://images.google.ca/images?um=1&amp;hl=en&amp;client=firefox-a&amp;rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&amp;q=john+wilkes+booth&amp;btnG=Search+Images">fair likeness</a>.<br /><br />Plus: Ex-<em>Boston Legal</em> star <a href="http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/rhona-mitra/1964682/main">Rhona Mitra</a> is <a href="http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117993474.html?categoryid=28&amp;cs=1&amp;nid=2562">heading to <em>Separation City</em></a>, and the ever lovely <a href="http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/beth-grant/1797254/main">Beth Grant</a> is <a href="http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117993472.html?categoryid=28&amp;cs=1&amp;nid=2562">dabbing in <em>Extract</em></a>.<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/comedy/" rel="tag">Comedy</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/horror/" rel="tag">Horror</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/casting/" rel="tag">Casting</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/comic-superhero-geek/" rel="tag">Comic/Superhero/Geek</a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/casting-bites-secret-superheroes-demi-chanel-and-more/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/forward/1333759/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/casting-bites-secret-superheroes-demi-chanel-and-more/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>KevinBaconCoco ChanelBeth GrantRhona MitraRhonaMitraCocoChanelDefendorDemiMooreDemi MooreCinematicalKevin BaconBethGrantTue, 07 Oct 2008 00:02:00 +0800Monika Bartyzelhttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/casting-bites-secret-superheroes-demi-chanel-and-more/#commentshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/casting-bites-secret-superheroes-demi-chanel-and-more/Monika Bartyzelhttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/casting-bites-secret-superheroes-demi-chanel-and-more/http://www.cinematical.com/rss.xmlfeedsky/CINE/~5938713/121155619/4067126http://item.feedsky.com/~feedsky/CINE/~5938713/121155620/4067126/1/item.html<img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" align="right" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/jeff-bridges.jpg" />The geek cred of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000313/">Jeff Bridges</a> has skyrocketed this year. I can't really think of a time when he <em>wasn't</em> adored by film fans, but he's got a special place with the fanboys these days thanks to his turn as Obadiah Stane in <em>Iron Man</em>. I was present for the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1104001/"><em>Tron 2</em>/<em>Tr2n</em></a> (do I <em>really</em> have to spell it that way?) footage at ComicCon this year -- and it was one of those moments that will forever hold a place in nerd legend; the first glimpse of Bridges' face caused the walls of Hall H to shake with howls of glee. And that was just a teaser filmed purely for the convention -- heaven knows what emotions the actual trailer will prompt.<br /><br /><em><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/sep/27/1">The Guardian</a></em> had the chance to sit down with Bridges, who happily chatted about revisiting his <em>Tron</em> role -- and the uncertain possibility of having to don a "neon mankini" again. ("Ah, the G-string. You've got to love it. I'm wearing one now!") But despite the potential for skimpy underthings, Bridges felt the chance of doing a new <em>Tron</em> movie was too good to pass up. "[It's] another unique, wild experience that was too good to turn down. Engaging in that world again feels just like it did all that time ago. Basically, I'm still a child, I love being childlike, and here was another chance to play with these crazy toys. And the cutting-edge technology makes it exciting. Doing the teaser trailer for Comic-Con, I had my first experience of motion capture. And that's turning the industry on its head. It's amazing being part of that."<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/action-and-adventure/" rel="tag">Action</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/classics/" rel="tag">Classics</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/sci-fi-and-fantasy/" rel="tag">Sci-Fi &amp; Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/disney/" rel="tag">Disney</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/fandom/" rel="tag">Fandom</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/tech-stuff/" rel="tag">Tech Stuff</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/newsstand/" rel="tag">Newsstand</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/remakes-and-sequels/" rel="tag">Remakes and Sequels</a></p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/jeff-bridges-talks-about-the-cutting-edge-of-tron-2/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Jeff Bridges Talks About the Cutting Edge of 'Tron 2'</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/jeff-bridges-talks-about-the-cutting-edge-of-tron-2/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/forward/1333818/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/jeff-bridges-talks-about-the-cutting-edge-of-tron-2/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>tr2nJeff BridgesJeffBridgesTron2Tron 2featuredMon, 06 Oct 2008 23:02:00 +0800Elisabeth Rappehttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/jeff-bridges-talks-about-the-cutting-edge-of-tron-2/#commentshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/jeff-bridges-talks-about-the-cutting-edge-of-tron-2/Elisabeth Rappehttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/jeff-bridges-talks-about-the-cutting-edge-of-tron-2/http://www.cinematical.com/rss.xmlfeedsky/CINE/~5938713/121155620/4067126http://item.feedsky.com/~feedsky/CINE/~5938713/121155621/4067126/1/item.html<img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" align="right" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/cine-chihuahua.jpg" />Eric D. Snider tried his best to <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/02/review-beverly-hills-chihuahua/">trick me</a> into watching <em>Beverly Hills Chihuahua</em> this week. It didn't work on me, but it worked on millions of Snider acolytes all over North America, who joined forces to give the talking-animals kidflick a strong $29 million, first-place debut. I didn't see it, as I say, so it would be wrong for me to bemoan the decline of civilization that this surely (if unsurprisingly) represents. Feel free to do so in the comments.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/02/review-nick-and-norahs-infinite-playlist/"><em>Nick &amp; Norah's Infinite Playlist</em></a> opened to $12 million and third place, which I'd have to say is okay for the low-profile, borderline-niche film. That number, though not terribly impressive, is actually a fair testament to Michael Cera's star power, since his presence was literally the only mass-marketable aspect of the movie. So the debut is at least a draw for Sony.<br /><br />It was an interesting weekend in that there were several films opening in, or expanding into, semi-wide release. The biggest winner of that bunch has to be <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/09/30/review-religulous/"><em>Religulous</em></a>, Bill Maher's aggressively anti-faith documentary, which did $3.5 million on around 500 screens for $6,972 per screen. Given the preaching-to-the-relatively-small-choir quality of the film, I don't expect it to hold up too well in the weeks ahead, but this level of interest is a mild surprise. Facing off against <em>Religulous</em> ideologically was David Zucker's conservative spoof <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/review-an-american-carol/"><em>An American Carol</em></a> which, according to the estimates, edged out <em>Religulous</em> with $3.8 million on over 1,600 screens. <br /><br />Ed Harris's lightweight western <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/02/review-appaloosa/"><em>Appaloosa</em></a> expanded to roughly 1,000 screens and took in $5 million -- which is okay, but seems like a missed opportunity. Faring worse were <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/review-flash-of-genius/"><em>Flash of Genius</em></a> (1100 screens) and <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/05/14/cannes-review-blindness/"><em>Blindness</em></a> (1700), with $2.3 and $2 million respectively, both landing outside the top 10. The grim <em>Blindness</em> was a no-sale from the beginning, especially since the critics never got on board, but the unabashedly populist <em>Flash of Genius</em> underperformed. Maybe the ads emphasized windshield wipers too much.<br /><br />A bit more plus the weekend's top 12 after the jump.<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/new-releases/" rel="tag">New Releases</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/box-office/" rel="tag">Box Office</a></p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/weekend-box-office-never-bet-against-talking-animals/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Weekend Box Office: Never Bet Against Talking Animals</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/weekend-box-office-never-bet-against-talking-animals/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/forward/1333667/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/weekend-box-office-never-bet-against-talking-animals/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>BurnAfterReadingbeverly hills chihuahuaNightsInRodantheburn after readingreligulouseagle eyeBeverlyHillsChihuahuaNickAndNorahsInfinitePlaylistEagleEyeappaloosanights in rodantheWeekendBoxOfficelakeview terraceflash of geniusblindnessweekend box officeFlashOfGeniusHowToLoseFriendsAndAlienatePeopleAnAmericanCarolhow to lose friends and alienate peoplenick and norahs infinite playlistLakeviewTerracean american carolMon, 06 Oct 2008 22:02:00 +0800Eugene Novikovhttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/weekend-box-office-never-bet-against-talking-animals/#commentshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/weekend-box-office-never-bet-against-talking-animals/Eugene Novikovhttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/06/weekend-box-office-never-bet-against-talking-animals/http://www.cinematical.com/rss.xmlfeedsky/CINE/~5938713/121155621/4067126http://item.feedsky.com/~feedsky/CINE/~5938713/121050671/4067126/1/item.html<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nd0l16byvSE&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nd0l16byvSE&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> <p>So last week, the official theme song for <em><a href="http://www.moviefone.com/movie/quantum-of-solace/26922/main">Quantum of Solace</a></em> -- y'know, that new James Bond flick -- was formally released online, and above is the music video for Jack White and Alicia Keys' "Another Way to Die." This managed to slip past us, probably because we were all still drooling over Erik's chance to comandeer <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/02/cinematicals-james-bond-adventure-driving-the-aston-martin/">an Aston friggin' Martin</a> (no, no, 'jealous' isn't quite the word...), and now that it's out, opinions are becoming considerably divided.</p> <p>On his personal blog, Bond devotee David Cornelius of <a href="http://www.efilmcritic.com">eFilmCritic.com</a> said "it's, um, not good. Really, really not good. The Coke commercial focused on the catchy hook, which was good. But the rest of the song? Not good. We're talking "Die Another Day" not good. Argh." </p> <p>Devindra Hardawar of <a href="http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/09/18/new-bond-song-online-another-way-to-die-with-alicia-keys-and-jack-white/">/Film</a> feels a little less harsh about it: "It's not a terrible song (see Madonna's for <em>Die Another Day</em> for a good example of that), but it certainly doesn't feel like anything new for the series. It seems as if it tries to do way too much, and the song ends up feeling overstuffed in the process."</p> <p>Left in the apparent, admitted minority is Devin Faraci over at <a href="http://chud.com/articles/articles/16497/1/A-QUANTUM-OF-MUSIC-VIDEO/Page1.html">CHUD.com</a>, who likes the song, if not the video.</p> <p>As for me, I dig the thing, though it's stuck stubbornly in my head over the past couple of days, but I rarely think that's a bad thing. What say you guys? Is "Another Way to Die" worthy of our favorite double-0 agent? Or would you rather they had just adopted <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/08/07/watch-this-alternate-quantum-of-solace-theme-song/">"Something of Boris"</a> instead?</p><p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/action-and-adventure/" rel="tag">Action</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/thrillers/" rel="tag">Thrillers</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/mgm/" rel="tag">MGM</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/sony/" rel="tag">Sony</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/fandom/" rel="tag">Fandom</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/james-bond/" rel="tag">James Bond</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/remakes-and-sequels/" rel="tag">Remakes and Sequels</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/daniel-craig/" rel="tag">Daniel Craig</a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/05/discuss-the-quantum-of-solace-theme-song-love-it-or-hate-it/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/forward/1333409/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/05/discuss-the-quantum-of-solace-theme-song-love-it-or-hate-it/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>james bondquantum of solaceJamesBondAnotherWayToDieAliciaKeysDanielCraigalicia keysjack whiteJackWhitejames bond theme songdaniel craigJamesBondThemeSongQuantumOfSolaceanother way to dieMon, 06 Oct 2008 06:02:00 +0800William Gosshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/05/discuss-the-quantum-of-solace-theme-song-love-it-or-hate-it/#commentshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/05/discuss-the-quantum-of-solace-theme-song-love-it-or-hate-it/William Gosshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/05/discuss-the-quantum-of-solace-theme-song-love-it-or-hate-it/http://www.cinematical.com/rss.xmlfeedsky/CINE/~5938713/121050671/4067126http://item.feedsky.com/~feedsky/CINE/~5938713/120869130/4067126/1/item.html<img hspace="4" height="302" width="450" vspace="4" border="1" align="middle" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/reservoir_troopers_lrg-(2).jpg" alt="" /><br /><br />Here's the setting: You just arrived home after saving a country from an evil mastermind hell-bent on taking over their supply of chewing gum and using it to create mayhem. During that time, however, you missed your <em>Cinematical </em>and all the stuff that happened during the week. Well, you showed up at just the right time -- may we now present [drum roll please] ... <strong>Cinematical's Stuff That Happened This Week!</strong><br /><u><strong><br />Fanboy Stuff </strong></u><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/09/29/by-the-hammer-kenneth-branagh-directing-thor/">Kenneth Branagh is Directing Thor</a><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/09/30/news-bites-transformers-2-goes-imax-mary-jane-returns-and-mo/">T<em>ransformers 2</em> is Shooting in IMAX</a><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/09/29/ack-theyre-making-blade-runner-2/"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Eagle Eye</span> Writer Wants to Make a <span style="font-style: italic;">Blade Runner 2</span>?</a><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/02/zack-snyder-reveals-300-will-be-sequelized/">Zack Snyder Talks 300 Sequel</a><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/02/jon-favreau-talks-iron-man-2-mandarin-villains-and-altern/">But Then Jon Favreau Talks Iron Man Sequel</a><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/02/groovy-early-art-from-the-incredibles/">Check Out Early Art for Pixar's <span style="font-style: italic;">The Incredibles</span></a><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/03/fan-made-star-wars-does-steampunk-and-reservoir-dogs/">Star Wars Steampunk and Reservoir Dogs = Hella Cool!</a><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/03/tom-rothman-talks-daredevil-reboot/">Are They Rebooting Daredevil?</a><br /><br /><u><strong>Exclusive Stuff</strong></u><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/01/exclusive-bolt-poster-premiere/"><em>Bolt</em> Poster Premiere</a><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/02/exclusive-pray-the-devil-back-to-hell-poster-premiere/"><em>Pray the Devil Back to Hell</em> Poster Premiere</a><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/03/exclusive-clip-from-bill-mahers-religulous/">Clip from Bill Maher's <em>Religulous</em></a><br /><br /><u><strong>Stuff to Talk About</strong></u><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/09/29/monday-morning-poll-will-smith-vs-will-smith/">Will Smith vs Will Smith</a><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/09/29/countdown-five-people-who-should-star-in-pg-porn/">Five People Who Should Star in PG Porn</a><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/09/30/discuss-whos-more-uncomfortable-with-onscreen-nudity/">Who's More Uncomfortable with Onscreen Nudity?</a><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/09/29/discuss-which-upcoming-marvel-film-has-the-most-promise/">Which Upcoming Marvel Film Shows the Most Promise?</a><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/02/fan-rant-how-saw-v-could-actually-be-good/">How Saw V Could Actually Be Good</a><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/02/discuss-is-rokus-netflix-player-tempting-you-yet/">Is Roku's Netflix Player Tempting You Yet</a><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/02/cinematical-seven-when-talking-animals-attack/">When Talking Animals Attack</a><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/09/30/cinematical-seven-horror-remakes-that-dont-suck/">Horror Remakes That Don't Suck</a><br /><u><strong><br />Reviews and Stuff</strong></u><br /><em><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/03/review-how-to-lose-friends-and-alienate-people/">How to Lose Friends and Alienate People</a><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/02/review-beverly-hills-chihuahua/">Beverly Hills Chihuahua</a><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/09/30/review-religulous/">Religulous</a><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/review-rachel-getting-married/">Rachel Getting Married</a><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/02/review-nick-and-norahs-infinite-playlist/">Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist</a><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/review-flash-of-genius/">Flash of Genius</a><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/02/review-appaloosa/">Appaloosa</a></em><br /><em><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/review-an-american-carol/">An American Carol</a></em><br /><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/03/indie-spotlight-new-releases-for-oct-3/">Indie Spotlight: New Releases for Oct. 3</a><br /><br /><strong>More stuff after the jump</strong> ...<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/action-and-adventure/" rel="tag">Action</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/comedy/" rel="tag">Comedy</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/drama/" rel="tag">Drama</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/independent/" rel="tag">Independent</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/sci-fi-and-fantasy/" rel="tag">Sci-Fi &amp; Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/fandom/" rel="tag">Fandom</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/newsstand/" rel="tag">Newsstand</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/movie-marketing/" rel="tag">Movie Marketing</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/comic-superhero-geek/" rel="tag">Comic/Superhero/Geek</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/remakes-and-sequels/" rel="tag">Remakes and Sequels</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/lists/" rel="tag">Lists</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/images/" rel="tag">Images</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/trailers-and-clips/" rel="tag">Trailers and Clips</a></p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/cinematicals-stuff-that-happened-this-week/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Cinematical's Stuff That Happened This Week</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/cinematicals-stuff-that-happened-this-week/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/forward/1332748/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/cinematicals-stuff-that-happened-this-week/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>Sun, 05 Oct 2008 04:02:00 +0800Erik Davishttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/cinematicals-stuff-that-happened-this-week/#commentshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/cinematicals-stuff-that-happened-this-week/Erik Davishttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/cinematicals-stuff-that-happened-this-week/http://www.cinematical.com/rss.xmlfeedsky/CINE/~5938713/120869130/4067126http://item.feedsky.com/~feedsky/CINE/~5938713/120889007/4067126/1/item.html<p><img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" align="right" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/10/cine-flsh.jpg" />In this weekend's well-meaning docudrama, <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1054588/">Flash of Genius</a></em>, Greg Kinnear portrays an inventor who struggled for years to sue car manufacturing behemoth Ford and get them to admit that they helped themselves to his patent on the intermittent windshield wiper. (Eugene <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/09/01/telluride-review-flash-of-genius/">reviewed it</a> back at Telluride, and I basically agree with his assessment.)</p> <p>Despite the real-life case being settled a couple of decades ago, Ford has taken this current opportunity to point out the factual inaccuracies in the movie that they've taken issue with, doing so in the form of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fordmotorcompany/2890969278/sizes/l/">this handy timeline</a>, without causing any sort of formal stir, as covered in <a href="http://ford.digitalsnippets.com/technology/#flash-of-genius">this accompanying text</a>. Especially considering that the film's subject, Robert Kearns, passed away over three years ago, I doubt it would (and hope it won't) come to any sort of renewed head.</p> <p>Maybe in thirty years or so, we'll get a movie about a blogger battling impossible odds to get all the facts straight on either side of a movie in which an inventor battled impossible odds to get just some facts straight. Now, to just work the word 'Genius' back into the title...</p><p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/drama/" rel="tag">Drama</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/telluride/" rel="tag">Telluride</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/universal/" rel="tag">Universal</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/rumormonger/" rel="tag">RumorMonger</a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/flash-foe-ford-clears-up-about-wipers/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/forward/1332896/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/flash-foe-ford-clears-up-about-wipers/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>bob kearnsrobert kearnsintermittent wiperRobertKearnsWindshieldWipersGregKinnearwindshield wipersBobKearnsIntermittentWiperford motor companyFordMotorCompanyflash of geniusFlashOfGeniusgreg kinnearSun, 05 Oct 2008 03:32:00 +0800William Gosshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/flash-foe-ford-clears-up-about-wipers/#commentshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/flash-foe-ford-clears-up-about-wipers/William Gosshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/flash-foe-ford-clears-up-about-wipers/http://www.cinematical.com/rss.xmlfeedsky/CINE/~5938713/120889007/4067126http://item.feedsky.com/~feedsky/CINE/~5938713/120860087/4067126/1/item.html<em><img hspace="4" vspace="4" border="1" align="top" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/09/flashofgenius.jpg" alt="" /><br /><br />(We're re-posting our review of Flash of Genius from the Telluride Film Festival to coincide with the film's theatrical release this weekend)<br /><br /></em><span style="font-weight: bold;">By: Eugene Novikov</span><em><br /><br /><a href="http://www.moviefone.com/movie/flash-of-genius/30470/main">Flash of Genius</a></em><a href="javascript:void(0);/*1220279985906*/"> </a>is a conventional crowdpleaser but not, I'm pleased to report, a shameless one. Chronicling the true story of a college professor's fight to reclaim his invention - the intermittent windshield wiper - from the car company that stole it, the film does many of the things you'd expect, but it may also surprise you. Don't let its Telluride placement fool you: this is a staunchly mainstream, unchallenging film, the sort of underdog-vs.-corporate-behemoth story you've seen time and again. But it's a decent rendition, hitting the right notes without insulting our intelligence.<br /><br />Now, the intermittent windshield wiper is not exactly the light bulb. If you're not familiar with the term, the wiper is "intermittent" in the sense that it can pause between wipes - a problem that apparently puzzled engineers at all the major car companies until Kearns cracked it the late 60s. But part of what's nifty about the film is its ability to create suspense and curiosity around something so seemingly mundane. Kearns' first demo of his device to Ford is exciting in a very goofy way, but exciting nonetheless.<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/drama/" rel="tag">Drama</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/new-releases/" rel="tag">New Releases</a>, <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/category/theatrical-reviews/" rel="tag">Theatrical Reviews</a></p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/review-flash-of-genius/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Review: Flash of Genius</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> </p><p><a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/review-flash-of-genius/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/forward/1332741/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/review-flash-of-genius/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>flash of geniusGregKinnearFlashOfGeniuscinematicalgreg kinnearSun, 05 Oct 2008 02:32:00 +0800Cinematical staffhttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/review-flash-of-genius/#commentshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/review-flash-of-genius/Cinematical staffhttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/10/04/review-flash-of-genius/http://www.cinematical.com/rss.xmlfeedsky/CINE/~5938713/120860087/4067126