There I was in the theater accompanied by my roommate, taking in the trailers before "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World." I was intrigued by one in particular. Four people get into an elevator and it stops dead. What follows is a series of sounds and images that suggest an excitingly claustrophobic thriller.
Then it happened.
One title flashed across the screen that shattered any tension or excitement that had been built by the masterful trailer: "From the mind of M. Night Shyamalan."
A collective groan filled the theater. I had never seen such an instantaneous shift. Just moments before, couples were clinging to each other and fanboys had been whispering excitedly about the new horror prospect.
All it took was one name to dispel any interest. People who had been hanging onto their seats were now laughing. It's not exactly news that Shyamalan has become something of a joke. What is amazing, however, is that the mere mention of the once-great Shyamalan's name now appears to be a deterrent rather than a draw. "Devil" opened third in the nation on the 17th to a weekend box office of $12,584,000. This isn't terrible considering its budget was $10,000,000. However, consider that Ben Affleck's "The Town" came in at number one with a nearly 24mil opening followed by "Easy A" with 18. That's a pretty wide gap.
Shyamalan did not direct Devil, which may be its saving grace. In fact, he didn't even write the screenplay. Shyamalan is credited with the story while Brian Nelson (Hard Candy) receives screenwriting kudos. This may actually be an indicator of what Shyamalan's future presence in Hollywood will be like: Come up with some fun, spooky concepts and let others develop it. What the studios may want to consider, though, is not using Shyamalan's name to promote projects. His goodwill from The Sixth Sense has apparently run out.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
The cinematic story of facebook. Do we care?
When I heard that David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac) was working on a Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook biopic, I must confess I was at a bit of a loss. Fincher? Facebook? But why?
Despite the inoffensiveness of Jesse Eisenberg as an actor and that awesome rendition of Radiohead's "Creep" in the trailer, I remain skeptical. I recognize that Facebook has become a generation-defining force and a phenomenon worthy of discussion from a social standpoint. However, for all the dramatic potential contained in the story of a college student becoming a billionaire over-night, I can't help but be put off by this whole concept. Perhaps I'm just to old fashioned to care about a movie exploring the origins of Facebook, even with all the juicy personal dramas that may have unfolded around it.
Nevertheless, my curiosity it piqued, perhaps simply by my ambivalence toward the this narrative versus the almost certain box-office draw of the subject. So yes,it is very likely that I will be coughing up eight dollars to see this film and stop the itch it has created in the back of my brain. Touche Fincher, Touche.
Despite the inoffensiveness of Jesse Eisenberg as an actor and that awesome rendition of Radiohead's "Creep" in the trailer, I remain skeptical. I recognize that Facebook has become a generation-defining force and a phenomenon worthy of discussion from a social standpoint. However, for all the dramatic potential contained in the story of a college student becoming a billionaire over-night, I can't help but be put off by this whole concept. Perhaps I'm just to old fashioned to care about a movie exploring the origins of Facebook, even with all the juicy personal dramas that may have unfolded around it.
Nevertheless, my curiosity it piqued, perhaps simply by my ambivalence toward the this narrative versus the almost certain box-office draw of the subject. So yes,it is very likely that I will be coughing up eight dollars to see this film and stop the itch it has created in the back of my brain. Touche Fincher, Touche.
Some Youtube love to get us started
I'm not ashamed to admit that, like 90% of the population, I loved Christopher Nolan's "Inception."
Yes, it was flawed. Yes, I'm still not clear on what a "kick" is and how it works. And yes, I'm still trying to get a hold of one of those smashingly Bond-ish three-piece suits that Joseph Gordon Levitt wears in the film.
Elusive tailored goods aside, Inception was a thoroughly intriguing and exciting movie-going experience. While many may still complain about the ambiguities in the plot, for most of us, suspension of disbelief was more than enough.
The guys behind "How It Should Have Ended" have been at it for a few years now. Their animated parodies propose conclusions that often comment on plot holes and inconsistencies as well as tossing in some wonderfully broad humor. Their take on "Inception" is no exception:
Part of what is so intriguing about Youtube creations like this is how much they reflect the shared experience of our culture. When high-profile films come out nowadays, internet buzz can make or break them at the box-office. The resulting wave of discussion after a film like Inception premieres is incredibly dense. To illustrate, I offer you another Inception parody from the guys at Collegehumor:
Yes, it was flawed. Yes, I'm still not clear on what a "kick" is and how it works. And yes, I'm still trying to get a hold of one of those smashingly Bond-ish three-piece suits that Joseph Gordon Levitt wears in the film.
Elusive tailored goods aside, Inception was a thoroughly intriguing and exciting movie-going experience. While many may still complain about the ambiguities in the plot, for most of us, suspension of disbelief was more than enough.
The guys behind "How It Should Have Ended" have been at it for a few years now. Their animated parodies propose conclusions that often comment on plot holes and inconsistencies as well as tossing in some wonderfully broad humor. Their take on "Inception" is no exception:
Part of what is so intriguing about Youtube creations like this is how much they reflect the shared experience of our culture. When high-profile films come out nowadays, internet buzz can make or break them at the box-office. The resulting wave of discussion after a film like Inception premieres is incredibly dense. To illustrate, I offer you another Inception parody from the guys at Collegehumor:
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