Got a scoop...tell us here!
or email Joey Baloney directly here
 

"Joy Ride" hits theatres today...

 
Joey Baloney interviews...

Paul Walker	Steve Zahn

Joey Baloney covers the red carpet premiere in N.Y.

The "Joy Ride" poster give-away!!

Click to enter poster give-away
(10 posters in all)
     

October 5, 2001

I saw the promo reel (kind of like a promotional behind the scenes type thing) for JOY RIDE at the very beginning of this year, back when it was still called SQUELCH. I didn't think much of it at the time and it almost completely fell off my radar. I began to hear more about the film as the year progressed but it never really stuck out as one of those "must see" films. I was unaware the film was directed by John Dahl (ROUNDERS, THE LAST SEDUCTION) and the film seemed to me like a cheesy cross between I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER and Spielberg's DUEL. Then I finally saw the trailer for the film and that's when I began to suspect that there may be more to this film than meets the eye. I was still skeptical yet willing to open myself up for this one. The opportunity came last week to take an early look at the film and my anticipation mounted as JoBlo himself told me he had "heard great things" about it.

The film begins with Lewis (Paul Walker), a shy college freshman, buying an old used car with the sole intention of picking up the "girl of his dreams" (who has conveniently just broken up with her boyfriend) and driving her home cross-country. Before he gets to Venna (Leelee Sobieski) though, he discovers his somewhat estranged brother has been jailed in Utah and reluctantly diverts from his course to bail him out (figuratively, not literally). Steve Zahn's Fuller is the anti-Lewis - a dude who frequently finds himself on the wrong end of the law and willfully admits he's a constant disappointment to his family. They're not on the road long at all before Fuller installs a CB radio in their new car and goads Lewis into playing a cruel prank on an unsuspecting trucker who goes by the handle, "Rusty Nail." The brothers get a quick laugh out of the gag but the laughs stop and the tables soon turn as Rusty Nail seeks his brutal revenge. 

The opening scene had me worried. Paul Walker, who filmed this in early 1999 long before his recent success with THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS, seemed stiff and rigid and I was worried this performance was going to carry on throughout the whole film. Luckily, Walker isn't left to his own devices long. Director Dahl wisely brings in Steve Zahn as quickly as possible and the rest of the film is vastly improved. If you look at the poster for JOY RIDE, you'll notice that Leelee's off in the upper left hand corner, Steve's off to the right and Paul Walker is front and center. If there were any justice in the world, Steve Zahn's face and name would take top billing for this flick. He brings a welcome sense of humor to JOY RIDE that's neither too heavy nor too strong. And once his character is on screen, Walker benefits greatly as the strong chemistry between the two brothers is clear and help carries the film.

Unfortunately Leelee doesn't have a whole lot to do in this film except to wear a shirt that clearly exposes her nipples and [SPOILER ALERT] sit duct-taped to a chair. That was fine by me cause I was more engaged by the two brothers and their honest reactions to being completely trapped in a frightening situation, chased by an unseen assailant. I found myself thinking on more than one occasion that I would react in a similarly fashion if I were in that situation. Unlike in most teen scare movies where I'm thinking, "NO, you idiot!, don't go in there!!"

What I did find especially refreshing in the film was the low body count and lack of gore. JOY RIDE isn't a movie that relies simply on "gross-out horror" (not that there's anything wrong with that) or a murderous rampage. We don't know what the villain is capable of and that lends itself to an old fashioned suspense thriller, which we don't get too often these days.

My only complaint is that the slow middle act introduces a completely unnecessary love triangle and just stalls the action. There were parts in these scenes that were funny but I wanted to get back to the chasing and screaming and suspense and all the stuff that made this film a heckuva lot of fun to begin with.

JOY RIDE certainly isn't reinventing the wheel. It does what many other films have done before, but the key is that here it's done well. The Nevada landscape (beautifully shot by DP Jeffrey Jur) sets an intimidating backdrop for the film and fills the audience with a real sense of isolation.  It's unfortunate the film is rated R (which it doesn't deserve to be BTW) cause it's probably one teens would flock to and most likely dig the hell out of. My advice for the guys: take a girl you're trying to put the moves on to JOY RIDE and the suspense will have her crawling all over you. Advice for the ladies: do a "girls' night out" at JOY RIDE and you can just sit and drool over Paul and Steve's bare asses.
      

October 5, 2001

According to Variety, actor Ben Affleck will "soon be sporting the red spandex in Fox's feature version of Marvel Comics' superhero saga DAREDEVIL". There are apparently only the Ts to cross and the Is to dot in the deal, one which would score the Kevin Smith-regular, a low eight-figure salary. The picture is expected to cost $50 million and begin shooting in Vancouver, Canada next year, with director Mark Steven Johnson (SIMON BIRCH) at the helm. "Affleck would play blind lawyer and martial artist Matt Murdock, who becomes so disillusioned with the legal system that he becomes the costumed crime-fighting vigilante known as Daredevil. After an accident with a radioactive isotope, he develops the radarlike sight that helps him bring villains to justice."

Check out Stax's DAREDEVIL script review here
    

October 5, 2001

AVENGING ANGELO is the name of Sylvester Stallone's next picture. It's a comedy. It's about "a woman (Madeleine Stowe) who has just discovered that she is the daughter of a murdered Mafia chieftain (Anthony Quinn), and seeks revenge, with the aide of her father's faithful bodyguard (Sylvester Stallone)." The film was Quinn's last one before he died. It's directed by Martyn Burke (I don't know who he is either) and has a tentative release date of Spring of 2002. SylvesterStallone.com has a lot more pictures from the set and the movie, if you're interested.

October 5, 2001

Actor Michael Caine, a man who doesn't blink when he acts, is apparently gearing to co-star opposite Mike Myers in the next installment of the AUSTIN POWERS movies entitled AUSTIN POWERS: GOLDMEMBER. Caine will likely play the role of "Capt. Hendricks, a security specialist in the Royal Navy". The film is currently slated to begin shooting next month, with a possible July 2002 release date. Myers is expected to receive $25 million for the flick.
    

October 5, 2001

Many upcoming fall/winter movies have been moved to 2002, including TIME MACHINE, WINDTALKERS, COLLATERAL DAMAGE, BIG TROUBLE, and now it looks like Martin Scorsese's GANGS OF NEW YORK might not see the light of day this year either. The film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz and Daniel Day-Lewis, is apparently 3 hours long, but Miramax chairman Harvey Weinstein would like it no longer than 2:30 hours. The next few days will decide whether or not the film gets even a limited December 31 release (for Oscar consideration), but "Miramax is also said to be daunted by the prospect of marketing a gritty drama at a time when Americans likely will remain preoccupied with the recent tragedies in New York and Washington, D.C."
   

October 5, 2001

Forget what we reported yesterday about Verhoeven dissing Hollywood. Today comes the "official" word on Paul Verhoeven's status as a film director. Most of the stuff is in reference to the items mentioned in our article below:

"We haven't started shooting the film OFFICIAL ASSASSINS, so we most certainly didn't halt shooting it due to the Sept 11 attacks. It was however planning to shoot in European locations, but the film has not even been greenlit yet. Paul has NO PLANS on moving out of Hollywood and back to Europe indefinitely to only do films there, while he WOULD like to get back to more substantial, character driven stories reminiscent of his early European films, I think that misunderstanding came from the fact that we're in the early stages of developing an adaptation of a Russian novel".
    

October 4, 2001

Director Guillermo Del Toro is currently finishing up BLADE 2 starring Wesley Snipes. He's also the man behind the original MIMIC movie and CRONOS, the flick which got him the most recognition. Well, his latest film, THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, is an unusual horror film set against the background of the Spanish Civil War. Below, you will find some details on the plot and some pictures from the movie. It opens on November 21st in New York, is rated R by the MPAA, last 106 minutes and is in Spanish with English subtitles. It will be followed by a national release through Sony Pictures Classics.

"After losing his father, ten-year-old Carlos arrives at the Santa Lucia School, which shelters orphans of the Republican militia and politicians, and is taken in by the steely headmistress Carmen and the kindly professor Casares. Soon after his arrival, Carlos has a run-in with the violent and aggressive caretaker, Jacinto. Gradually, Carlos uncovers the secrets of the school, including the youthful ghost that wanders the grounds-known as "the one who sighs."  A supernatural melodrama, a strange and unpredictable ghost story, "The Devil's Backbone" is also a telling political allegory for the brutal war that is playing outside the school's walls."

< click for bigger versions of pics >
 

October 4, 2001

According to an interview which director Paul Verhoeven (ROBOCOP, TOTAL RECALL) conducted with the Dutch newspaper "Telegraaf", he feels as though his "Hollywood period is over" and that he now wants to concentrate on his "European episode". The interview was broken down by a scooper at Dark Horizons, who went on to say that Verhoeven has stopped production on his next film OFFICIAL ASSASSINS, because it dealt with the Russian and American secret services during the Cold War, as he felt that it wouldn't be the right kind of movie to distribute in the U.S. right now (since the film is critical of the secret service, etc...). His next film will apparently be one based on a Russian book, for which he could not remember the title, but it was something that his daughter had suggested to him. Sniff, sniff....does this mean no STARSHIP TROOPERS 2??
   

October 4, 2001

John Cusack has played many different roles throughout his career, but none will likely be as memorable as his next one, featuring him playing an art gallery owner, who takes a young Austrian painter named Adolf Hitler under his wing. That's right...THE Adolf Hitler! The film is entitled MAX and the future dictator is said to be played by a very brave Noah Taylor (SHINE, ALMOST FAMOUS). Leelee Sobieski and Molly Parker are also set to star, in the $11 million production, which is set to begin shooting in Hungary this November. It will be the directing debut of veteran screenwriter Menno Meyjes (THE COLOR PURPLE). Not surprisingly, it will be released by Lion's Gate Films. 
   

October 4, 2001

Actress Mila Kunis from "That 70s Show" was on the "Craig Kilborn" talk-show on Tuesday night and revealed a couple of things about the stupidest sequel in the world of stupid sequels. AMERICAN PSYCHO 2, which apparently has little or anything to do with the original film, and has received no support from the writer of said book, Brett Easton Ellis, is apparently finished shooting and will debut at Sundance?? Well, that's what Kunis seemed to say when on the show, but it might've just been wishful thinking on her part. She also said that it was "not a horror movie, but more psychological" (as opposed to the first one??) and that *** spoilers swipe start *** she kills William Shatner in the movie *** spoiler swipe ends ***. Now I'm not sure what any of this means, but one thing is for sure and that is that the movie is gonna suck and will likely go straight to video.
   

October 4, 2001

Several items from the gossipy/personal side of the tracks were in the news today. First of all, actress Rebecca Gayheart has officially been charged with "manslaughter" after an automobile accident in which she killed a 9-year old boy. Actress Sharon Stone was hospitalized when a tiny vein ruptured in her head on Saturday, and she had to be taken care of right away. She was apparently "very, very lucky" and said: "So far, it appears I've fallen into the five percent category - that when it blows, it blows itself up. I didn't need brain surgery. I've had medication."

Actress Jodie Foster has also been in the news as she gave birth to her second child (boy, is she secretive or what? Nobody even knew that she was preggers). She named the boy Kit and once again, didn't name the father. And speaking of lesbians (just a joke, folks!), actress Kelly McGillis has once again stirred her own "lesbian" rumors, as she's set to play a sex-mad lesbian English professor in a film entitled THE MONKEY'S MASK. Apparently the flick is filled with "explicit scenes" between her and her co-star, Jill Fitzpatrick. Of course, we all know that Kelly's been married to Californian millionaire Fred Tillian for 13 years now and has 2 kids, but that never stopped anyone from commenting on Tom Cruise's sexuality either, so I guess this is just more fuel for her fire. BTW, didn't they both star in TOP GUN together....hmmmmmm? 
   

October 3, 2001

George Lucas finally put an end to the speculation on when we would first see a trailer for the second STAR WARS film ATTACK OF THE CLONES. In an interview with Empire Online, Lucas said two trailers will be placed during this Thanksgiving and March of 2002. He also said that the original plan was to include the teaser on the DVD for THE PHANTOM MENACE but he couldn't put one together in time and didn't want to delay the DVD. So which film will carry the trailer?  Popular rumor has it that MONSTERS, INC. will carry the first showing but there has been inclination from the man himself.  Possibly SHALLOW HAL, which is a Fox film schedule to open in November?   We'll have to wait and see....
 

October 3, 2001

Woo-hoo, it's that time of month again, Allposters.com has added a whole slew of new movie posters to their collection, all of which are available to buy through the links below. All sales support our site and we thank you in advance for all of your support. Have a blast!

October 3, 2001

As we mentioned yesterday, Kevin Smith officially announced the title of his next film as JERSEY GIRL. The movie refers to the two year old daughter of a young New Jersey couple and Kevin also said that Jason Lee, George Carlin and Jason Mewes were all set to star but that Ben Affleck's participation would depend on his decision whether or not to star in Fox's DAREDEVIL.

Speaking of DAREDEVIL, I had heard the rumors that Affleck was very interested in the part but I thought it was all just a bunch of crap.  His name had never been mentioned before and these rumors came from generally unreliable sources.  But if Kevin Smith, good friend of Affleck, says that he is considering taking on the Man Without Fear, I have to accept this as fact.  Am I happy? Yeah, sort of.  It's no Guy Pearce but it's a hell of a lot better than Vin Diesel and some of the other choices I've heard tossed about.
  

October 3, 2001

Mel Gibson has opted not to star in director Barry Levinson's IN HARM'S WAY, the tragic tale of the USS Indianapolis and its Captain, Charles McVeigh. At one point, Gibson had all but signed on the dotted line to star but has since reconsidered for unknown reasons. The film was to revolve around the notorious tale of the Indianapolis made famous by Robert Shaw's famous speech from JAWS.  The Navy ship was sunk in the Pacific Ocean and the Captain and his crew were left swimming in shark infested waters while a US government delayed sending a rescue team to protect national security.  McVeigh was court-martialed as a result (which was recently recinded) and committed suicide some years later.  There have been no replacement possibilities announced.
 

October 3, 2001

Kate Winslet is in negotiations to play the female lead opposite Kevin Spacey in THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE for director Alan Parker (ANGELA'S ASHES).  The film revolves around college professor David Gale, an ardent opponent of capital punishment, who is sentenced to death for a murder he didn't commit. Winslet would play the role of a female journalist who looks to chronicle the professor's last days and winds up becoming convinced of his innocence.  Laura Linney (THE TRUMAN SHOW) is onboard to play the role of Gale's colleague who he is accused of killing. Production is scheduled to begin this Friday in Texas.
 

October 3, 2001

Source: Joey Baloney

• Find out when to expect the teasers for MEN IN BLACK 2 and the Vin Diesel pic XXX here and here
• Could Disney's LILO AND STITCH be the latest film to see its ending rewritten in the wake of the terrorist attacks?  Find out more here

October 2, 2001

Considering I'm no STAR TREK fan (sorry guys...) I'll just step aside and let Julius do his thing. There are some spoilers in his review but don't fret - they're clearly marked. Anyway, here's his thoughts on the script for NEMESIS:

Julius Funkenstein Begs The Question "Do Klingons Swing?"

Good evening children, Julius Funkenstein here with my various thoughts on NEMESIS, the newest Trek installment to arise from Paramount. More script detail, you wanted, more script detail you get...

The draft I have is the same one that pretty much everyone else have...the most recent one-June 20, 2001...by John Logan, Story by John Logan, Rick Berman, and Brent Spiner(!)

I liked NEMESIS. I really did. It just doesn't make a good number 10, it doesn't make a good exit for the Next Generation cast, but most of all, it doesn't make a good STAR TREK film. The formula they are working with here, just doesn't seem big enough. This script looks more like a kick ass episode of THE NEXT GENERATION then it does a film.

Here is your plot... After the Romulan senate is mysteriously done away with, a new leader of the Romulans emerges, Shinzon...he wants the Federation destroyed and it seems he will do ANYTHING to see that happen. Meanwhile on Earth, in Alaska, the wedding of Deanna Troi and Will Riker is just finishing with an awkward speech from Picard. This is the first of two ceremonies, and the second will be taking place on Betazed, the homeworld of Troi. En route to Betazed, the Enterprise picks up a positronic signal from a nearby planet...being the only other known one existance (besides Data), the Enterprise moves in to investigate. After landing on the planet, and bringing out a cool 24th century jeep-like vehicle, they find B-9, Data's "brother". B-9 was a prototype and is essentially a dumber version of Data. The Enterprise is then ordered (by Admiral Katherine Janeway) to meet with the new leader of the Romulan Empire, Shinzon. When Picard and his senior staff meet with Shinzon and his (!) Viceroy, Picard is taken back with what he sees...Shinzon is Picard...only in his late 20's! Later, Picard and Shinzon sit down and discuss things one on one...Shinzon tells Picard that he wants peace between the Romulan Empire and the Federation. Of course, Picard is a bit skeptical of all this,but Shinzon persists. The conversation then shifts to Shinzon and his past. He was cloned by Picard to infultrate the Federation, but the project was cancelled and he spent the rest of his life forced to mine on Reman, the Romulan sister homeworld.

Basically from here we got Shinzon capturing Picard (he needs his blood to survive or something...), Data saving him, Shinzon trying to destroy the earth with a bigger version of the weapon that wiped out the Romulan senate, and SPOILER WARNING...Data biting the dust to save Picard.

Oh yeah...you wanna know what your favorite characters are doing now...

• Dr.Beverly Crush has left the Enterprise to head up Starfleet Medical.
• CAPTAIN William Crusher has command of the USS Titan.
• Deanna Troi is going with her new husband and will be the Counselor for the Titan
• Worf is an ambassador who naturally hates his new position.
• Geordi now has a girlfriend. and well...everybody else is everybody else

The Review... Again, I liked this script. It's a nice light read, but there are problems...more then a few. A lot of the NEXT GENERATION cast is VERY out of character in this script...not knowing certain things that they should, knowing things they shouldn't, and saying things that are extremely odd considering...

For instance, when Data is treating us with his rendition of "Blue Skies", the extremely drunk Worf groans "Ugghhh...Irving Berlin". How would Worf know who Irving Berlin is? He's a fucking Klingon. How would he have any idea who this is? I barely know. Smilin Jack Ruby ventures an opinion..."He went to Starfleet Academy, so he's been exposed to human culture." Nahh...not Irving Berlin culture.

When the positronic signature is first detected, Geordi La Forge asks Data "How many of you did Dr. Soong make?" This is an odd question. ALL Trekkers know that there was two androids constructed, Data and Lore. Geordi was there during all of this...he would know this more so then we would. I know Logan is trying to get the non-Trek watchers up to speed, but there are better ways.

There are some more off character dialogue choices, but I ain't gonna concentrate on minor details.

Another problem I have with the script is that a lot of the main players from NEXT GENERATION are barely used. Worf is mainly there for comic relief in the beginning...Dr. Beverly Crusher is just there to tell us that Shinzon is Picard, and Geordi is well...not really there...and where is Barclay?!!?!

Shinzon...he could have been the best Trek villain since Khan (because, lets face it, Khan is king), but the potential of a evil Picard is lost. He shows no traits of Picard...he is just a run of the mill "earth destroyer" who is super evil. The only "emotion" he shows is deception. This gives Shinzon the kiss of death...he is boring. The script just doesn't seem big enough. That's it for the negatives.

What did I like about the script? Well, some of the coolest action scenes ever in a Trek film are contained in its pages. For instance, when the Argo, the new transport that is located on the Enterprise (described as larger than a regular shuttle with a large cargo bay on its back) lands on Kolarus III to find the source of the positronic signals, a jeep is launched out of onto the surface of the planet. Worf, Data, and Picard race to find the signal's origin and run into the planet's natives who fire wildly at the jeep. This scene is very cool with Worf manning the rear phaser cannon...a bit too much STAR WARS for Trek, but still cool.

The Scimitar, Shinzon's ship, is twice the size of the Enterprise and very well armed. The only way to disable the ship would be to...well ram into it and the Enterprise does just that. A bit early to wreck the Enterprise-E,but this is very kickass.

Also, it was nice to see Deanna Troi and Riker finally get married. It was bound to happen sooner or later, and its cool to see it happen here. On To The Critique...

WHAT I LIKE

• Great battles...an ass out action movie
• The wedding
• The intro is fairly cool
• The general premise is nice

WHAT I DON'T LIKE

• Problematic Dialogue
• Weak villain
• Some of the regular cast is dangerously out of character
• Crusher, Worf, and Geordi are barely used
• No Barclay!

Finally... Once again, I dug NEMESIS. Hopefully, a rewrite will be done to iron out the negatives in an otherwise great script...perhaps throw in Barclay?

The "Funk Factor" 8.5 out of 10

Send your scripts, your girlfriends, your self respect to... juliusfunkenstein@hotmail.com
  

October 2, 2001

The boys over at Cinema Confidential got a nice exclusive today, as they were lucky enough to attend a Kevin Smith speaking engagement at Cornell University. Smith actually dropped the title of his next flick while speaking (the film is about parenting and stuff) and it is:

JERSEY GIRL

Thanks to "Tom" for the head's up. Read full story here and whether or not Ben Affleck will star.
   

October 2, 2001

Heath Ledger is set to reteam with A KNIGHT'S TALE director Brian Helgeland for the "supernatural romantic thriller" SIN EATER. Ledger will star in the film, also written by Helgeland, as a priest who along with a female investigator investigates the discovery of a corpse riddled with religious symbols. I'm not quite sure where the romance fits into all of this but what do I know? SIN EATER was pitched to Fox back in 1996 where they snatched up the rights to the film and it has taken five years to get the project rolling. It should also be noted that Variety reports Ledger's participation in this film may preclude a starring role in the Chow Yun-Fat vehicle, BULLETPROOF MONK. This has yet to be confirmed but if both are filming at the same time, you can expect Ledger to drop MONK for the big payday he received for SIN.
  

October 2, 2001

Aaron Eckhart is such a good actor it's actually hurting his career. This guy physically gets into his roles so completely it's hard to recognize the guy when he's not in character. He starred alongside the Julia Roberts hit ERIN BROCKOVICH, yet many people would still be unable to point him out in a crowd. Maybe that will all start changing soon. Eckhart has signed on to star in the big-budget sci-fi film THE CORE that Paramount has fast-tracked. While the plot sounds a tad ARMAGEDDON-ish (man and group of misfits take risky mission travelling to dangerous terrain in hopes of saving Earth from an explosion) this film could be exactly what Eckhart needs to propel him to super-stardom. The ensemble cast is expected to be set up around Eckhart's main character. THE CORE will be directed by Jon Amiel who also directed ENTRAPMENT.
 

October 2, 2001

Richard Gere [insert dated hamster/gerbil joke here] will star alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellweger in Miramax's adaptation of the Broadway hit CHICAGO. Gere beat out contenders John Travolta and Hugh Jackman for the role of Billy Flynn, a sleazy lawyer who makes celebrities out of two 1920s dancers (Zeta-Jones as Velma and Zellweger as Roxie) accused of murdering their husbands. Gere will participate in three musical numbers that his character appears in.  CHICAGO will be directed by veteran stage director Rob Marshall.
 

October 2, 2001

Source: Joey Baloney

• So Enya's composing music for LORD OF THE RINGS?  Sadly enough, it's true.  Read more here
• You knew this had to happen eventually.  A movie about Osama Bin Laden?  Find out what this is all about here
• Read a report from the set of the Eddie Murphy/Owen Wilson flick I SPY here

October 1, 2001

Cameron Crowe has been screening his latest movie VANILLA SKY and a buddy of JoBlo scooper Julius Funkenstein was lucky enough to weasel his way into a screening (this film is set to open wide on December 7, 2001).  Now, I'm warning you because I myself have not read this review. VANILLA SKY is one of those movies where I want to go in knowing as little as possible about what I'm about to see.  So I have not completely read this review. It may or may not contain spoilers.  All I know is that 'Mabuse' gave it a 10 out of 10, which makes me even more excited to see this puppy.  Enough jibber-jabber from me, let's all listen and see what he thought of this one:

VANILLA SKY - 10/10

PLOT: Fabulously wealthy magazine magnate and player (Cruise) plays with the emotions of his many female admirers, leading to tragic and shattering results.

CRITIQUE: What is there to say but wow. Cameron Crowe directs what is easily the high-water mark not only for his own career, but the cast's as well. This is the movie EYES WIDE SHUT promised and mildly failed to be, a film that expands the narrative scope of the audience through the use of the biggest stars in Hollywood. The film manages to successfully veer between traditional mainstream narrative and wild surrealism at the drop of a hat.

If you're looking for spoilers in this review, forget it. I'm reluctant to give away too much, and frankly, if you want to know what happens, Abre los Ojos is at your local video store and DVD retailer, so don't look to me for spoilers.

A remake of the recent Spanish film ABRE LOS OJOS (Open Your Eyes) by THE OTHERS director Alejandro Amenabar, the storyline is nothing new to anyone who's seen that film. But what Crowe does with that same exact story puts Amenabar's film to shame. Cruise, in his best performance, makes you feel sorry for him as his life is torn apart by a former flame. Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz shine as the complicated women in his life. Nice support is given by the always dependable Jason Lee, and Kurt Russell is good in a low key role.

The plot of Abre los Ojos was the best thing in that film, but Amenabar's visuals and sound design, hampered by a small budget, were frankly nothing to write home about. Crowe, working with a much larger budget and studio support, surprisingly doesn't too much differently. The star presence of Cruise is what really defines this version of the film, gives it import, and even if you hate the guy, you can't NOT watch him at work.

Under some amazingly lifelike prosthetic makeup through much of the film, he is at his most open, his most human in this film. Penelope Cruz plays the same role she did in Amenabar's film, though under Crowe's direction she really is charming, not merely trying to be. Cameron Diaz proves that she really ought to be in more dramas, as she is perfect here.

The real visual delight of this film is in the editing. This is a long film, about two and a half hours by my count, and not once did I feel it lagging. That and the lightning paced montages really make this film a jolt to the system. Now, the cut I saw in Beverly Hills Friday night was a workprint, so I'll can't really comment on the audio mix, but the soundtrack is amazing, easily Crowe's best. Get ready for a lot of Radiohead (from the last two albums, used really well in the film) and an eclectic mix of sixties psychedelic rock (nothing obvious, like, say, White Rabbit) and good techno.

I'll flat out say it. This is the best film I've seen so far this year. Better than MEMENTO, THE PLEDGE, even THE PRINCESS AND THE WARRIOR. I'd even go so far as to say it IS the best film out this year, if it weren't for the fact that David Lynch's next opus comes out next month. Even MULHOLLAND DRIVE will have it's work cut out, and this is coming from a die-hard Lynch fan.

Mabuse Out.
  

October 1, 2001

Yes, Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield will be making another movie together.  Sadly, it won't be a sequel or prequel to PULP FICTION.  But John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson will make their first post-PULP movie together as they both get set to star in John McTiernan's BASIC.  The film revolves around a government agent sent to discover the whereabouts of a missing Army drill instructor and his cadets.  BASIC has been in development for many years now and ALONG CAME A SPIDER director Lee Tamahori almost directed Catherine Keener and Benicio Del Toro in the film.  Now casting takes a complete 180 and we get to see one of the most memorable film duos sharing the screen once again.  Sounds like this could be a really cool film and I'm curious to see who's going to play the agent and who's going to play the DI.
 

October 1, 2001

As I'm sure you probably heard, the posters and teaser trailer for SPIDER-MAN were pulled in the wake of the September 11th attacks due to content featuring the Twin Towers. They promised to quickly edit both marketing materials and re-release them without the possibly offensive images.  That time has come my friends and I urge you to head on over and download the brand new, recut, teaser trailer for SPIDER-MAN!

Click here to check out the SPIDER-MAN teaser

Click here to check out the SPIDER-MAN wallpapers
 

October 1, 2001

The Last Comic Site reported this weekend that David Hayter (X-MEN) has been brought aboard write a script for the legendary comic book series, THE WATCHMEN.  Hollywood has long tried to get a film based on the books off the ground but to no avail.  Darren Aronofsky (REQUIEM FOR A DREAM) recently had said he would have loved to take a stab at the script but felt he just couldn't do it justice.  Apparently, someone thinks Hayter can.  I'm glad to see we're taking a huge step forward in the development of a WATCHMEN film but I'm not quite sure if Hayter's the guy to write the script.  Word 'round town was that his script for THE HULK was unreadable and that director Ang Lee completely threw it out upon being hired.  He hasn't really had his chops tested yet considering the only filmed script for which he is credited is X-MEN, for which he basically just combined the 12 or so other scripts that had been written.

If you haven't read THE WATCHMEN yet, I suggest you do so immediately.  It's truly a captivating read for fans and non-fans alike.  I won't even try to encapsulate the plot here because I just can't do it justice.  Take a read and I can promise you won't be disappointed.

  <click on image to order THE WATCHMEN Graphic Novel>
 

October 1, 2001

Kim Basinger will reteam with director Curtis Hanson, who helped her win an Academy Award for LA CONFIDENTIAL, for the UNTITLED DETROIT PROJECT, which will star rapper Eminem.  Basinger has signed on to play the role of Em's mother in the film. She joins Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy and Giovanni Ribisi who have already signed on to star in the flick.  To be quite honest with you, I'm very surprised that all this talent has converged on a film that stars a guy who's never done any acting before. Isn't that a tad risky?  What if this film winds up playing like a 2000 version of COOL AS ICE?  Then again, maybe they've seen what Eminem can do and we'll all be pleasantly surprised...
  

October 1, 2001

Source: Joey Baloney

• More shots from the Kevin Spacey/Jeff Bridges film K-PAX are online here
• Pictures from SPY GAME, starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt can be found by clicking here
• Is Nicole Kidman NOT going to be starring alongside George Clooney in CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND as was reported by Variety?  That's what this report says...