Film Anticipation: Winter 2011 Edition

When Chris and I were recording the Podcast the other day we were attempting to figure out what movies we are looking forward to that are going to drop into theatre’s between now and the end of the year. For some reason we had to wrack our brains to even come up with one title, meanwhile I am aware that there are many more I want to see coming out and they slipped my mind. Isn’t it strange that I can tell you every big film that comes out in the Summer, but if you quiz me on Winter films I stumble a bit unless I can look up a “Coming Soon” list.

So that is what I am going to do today. An Anticipation list for the winter season’s movies that I am most looking forward to.

So without further ado, in order by release dates:

THE MUPPETS (Nov. 23^rd)

I’m a kid at heart. Always have been, always probably will be. The Muppets have always held a special place in my heart, be they Muppets from SESAME STREET, FRAGGLE ROCK, THE MUPPETS, or even LABYRINTH and THE DARK CRYSTAL. Well Jason Segel (of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER fame) it would seem was also a big fan, and thankfully he was in a position to do something about it, so he set out to get an all-new Muppet movie made. The film will see the original Muppets (who have gone their separate ways) attempting to save the Muppet Theatre from a money-grubbing Oil tycoon.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL (IMAX Dec. 16^th)

The Mission Impossible film series is a strange duck. The first one, while decent was overall lackluster making it just OKAY.  Then someone decided to hire John Woo to direct the second one and it was worse, muddled and incoherent. Then along came J.J. Abrams (the creator of the great spy show ALIAS) and he made the 3^rd film absolutely rule. Seriously, how often is it that the 3^rd film in a franchise is the best of the 3? Not often, but MISSION IMPOSSIBLE III was fun, action-packed, and compelling with a really nasty (but believable) villain.  So what really excites me about GHOST PROTOCOL (the 4^th film) is that it looks to have the same vibe as the 3^rd one did, and it is being directed by Brad Bird (THE IRON GIANT, THE INCREDIBLES) as his first live action feature. 

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (Dec. 16^th)

And onto another spy film. One that has already been released in the UK and has already garnered amazing reviews, and even a few whispers of award noms for the actors. I know nothing of John le Carré’s novels, but I do know they have a significant following. TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY being one of the more popular ones. What excites me about this one is that this looks to be a VERY gritty, and realistic spy tale. Whereas MI: IV will be a flashy, action-oriented film, this one will instead be a quieter piece (though I imagine it has action still) that showcases spy’s in a different light and seems to make for a darker tone. At any rate, it looks excellent!

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN (Dec. 21^st)

How can you not be excited for this? Here is a film based on the wonderful tales of Belgian artist/writer Hergé, written by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish, produced by Peter Jackson (with effects by his company WETA), and directed by Steven Spielberg. That is a heavy hitter movie dream team that makes me actually quite giddy when I think about it! Tintin books were favourites of mine as a youth and so I know the stories are worthwhile. The trailers make the film look absolutely gorgeous, and seeing as I REALLY enjoyed the performance capture in last years A CHRISTMAS CAROL, I feel the tech has come a long way, so I don’t think you’ll find the uncanny valley anywhere here. At any rate, very excited about this one! Also notice that the writers share a font size with the directors and producers, that's not something you often seen on film posters, and probably speaks of the pedigree involved here.

WAR HORSE (Dec. 25^th)

You could call Winter 2011 Steven Spielberg’s One-Two-Punch. Seeing as this is the second film he’s directed that is coming out a week after TINTIN. Based on a children’s novel about a young man’s beloved horse who gets conscripted into the cavalry in World War I, it looks to be an amazing tale. I’ll concede I am usually a sucker for Spielberg. I have a friend who always says that he makes “Oscar-Fodder” and for some reason that bothers her. I’ve got no problem with it, because what on earth is wrong with making films that emotionally resonate with their audience? I love those films in fact. At any rate, this also looks to be sumptuously shot, and nicely cast. More importantly, kind of like THE RED VIOLIN, this looks to be a film about a non-speaking (in this case animal) and how he affects the lives of those around him throughout a very turbulent time. Consider me in the theatre seat already.

Well, those are my anticipated films for the Winter season. I'll probably review at least a few of them when I see them. Do you agree with my list? Are there any you feel I missed? What is your list? 

(Note: Please don't say my list is missing sparkly vampires...they don't count in my head at all, also vampire's DON'T SPARKLE! Nor do they begin relationships with their food, but I digress.)

Dispatches from the Toronto International Film Festival

It’s that time of year again. Time to get my film-on with my annual September dalliance at the Toronto International Film Festival.

I’ve been going to TIFF for over a decade now, ever since my salad days as a poor woe begotten film student. Blowing a substantial amount of my tuition money on as much as 35 tickets a year TIFF was a sleep deprived, poorly fuelled and nonstop whirlwind that I looked to every time.

Of course, by the end of it many of the movies would often blend in to one another and if you quizzed me at the end of the day I’d be hard pressed to tell you what films I’d seen that morning.

But that’s not the point, is it?

The best film experiences I’ve had come from crowding into a movie theatre with a bunch of like minded film devotees who aren’t there to simply kill a few hours on a Friday night but are eagerly looking forward catching the latest cinematic offering by their artist of choice. This means an audience with no texting, or yakking with their neighbours or taking phone calls in the middle of the show, which is a rarity in this time and age.

This year, for the first time ever, I actually got all my first choices. This promises a pure, uncompromised cinematic injection the likes of which I’ve never experienced before. Unfortunately circumstances have forced me to moderate my festage somewhat; this year I’m seeing a paltry 10 films. So to make the best of the situation I’m forgoing my usual wide sampling (Canadian, Inde, Sci-Fi, Horror, ANYTHING WITH TAKESHI KITANO IN IT) in order to focus more on the Hollywood hits that I’d probably would have seen in the theatre anyway but won’t have time to catch this year.

So, in no particular order, the films I’m seeing at TIFF this year are…

DRIVE
You might know it as the fast car movie starring Canucklehead pretty boy Ryan Gosling but DRIVE boasts some serious auteur credentials in director Nicholas Winding Refn. I was first exposed to Refn’s work during TIFF two years ago when I caught VALHALLA RISING, an epic Viking quest fuelled by blood, religion and hallucinogenic drugs. The film was so powerful that I went back and checked out Refn’s other movies including his seminal work, the disturbing PUSHER trilogy. Needless to say, I’ve been hooked on his distinct directorial style and his unflinching take on complex subject matter. I’m highly looking forward to this one.

COMIC-CON EPISODE FOUR: A FAN’S HOPE
Do I really need to explain this one? Directed by Morgan Spurlock, Mr. SUPER-SIZE-ME himself, the film is a behind the scenes look at the fans who attend the San Diego Comic Con. When I was at SDCC this year Spurlock was in attendance doing some additional filming. It’s a film tapping into the particular niche of geek culture that I call home. There was never any doubt I was going to pass this one up.

KILLER ELITE
I’ve got a man crush. The recipient of said crush? Jason Statham.

KILLER ELITE is the latest entry for the king of slightly better-than-average action flicks. Only this time he’s backed up by a little more actorial gravitas with screen heavyweights Robert DeNiro and Clive Owens.

Working a well worn plot, retired SAS agent must get back into the biz in order save his mentor, ELITE promises two hours of splashy gun battles, gritty one-liners and plot twists so thin they might as well be invisible. I can’t wait.

HARD CORE LOGO II
I had to have at least one Canadian entry and why not the sequel to one of the grittiest, dirtiest, foulest (and best) Canadian films ever? Made 14 years after the original LOGO, which owned the faux documentarian style, following around the fictitious and titular punk band fronted by Headstones singer Hugh Dylan, director Bruce McDonald is going back to the well by re-exploring the same basic plot with a new band and a 21st century backdrop.

Unfortunately I’ve found McDonald’s latest films to be rather an uneven lot, so I have to say I’m seeing this one more out of a sense of dutiful obligation than burning desire. But watching the first film was a transformative experience for me in film school and I live in hope that with this follow up McDonald will be able to capture some of the grubby lightning that made the first entry so damn good.

50/50
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who will forever be known to me as the little kid from 3RD ROCK FROM THE SUN) and Seth Rogen bring the funny. Nothing wrong with that right?

Basic plot? Gordon-Levitt is diagnosed with cancer and is told that his chances of surviving are 50/50. Rather than be overwhelmed by his diagnosis he chooses to embrace life and what not. At least that’s what the trailer is trying to tell me.

A HAPPY EVENT
Look, I’m still a newish dad right? That means I’m strangely interested in movies and television shows where other newish parents struggle with the responsibilities that parenthood bestows upon us. That’s mostly so I can feel better about my own parenting missteps and reassured that not screwing things up too bad.

A HAPPY EVENT is just that. Refusing to be thrown off by the fact that its French, and all the baggage that might entail, I thought I’d check out some international parenting films and see what they’ve got to offer.

WARNING: I just checked out the imdb summary while writing up this post. I may have badly miscalculated here. The recap is full of that flowery pretentious language that tells me I’m in for a deep, thinking film that promises to explore the ‘human condition’, rather than the endless stream of dirty diapers and feeding time follies that characterizes my current situation.

BEHOLD THE LAMB
More international goodness. This film was kind of my wild card entry. I read ‘Irish’ and ‘dark comedy’ in the film’s synopsis and decided to just wing it, sight unseen. Other than that I have no idea what it’s about.

Lamb watching maybe?

I’ve had some luck with the Russian roulette method of choosing films before, getting exposed to some interesting films I would not otherwise have seen. I’ve also seen some real stinkers too. I’ll let you know what side of this coin this one turns out to be.

JEFF WHO LIVES AT HOME
A film I picked based on the strength of its cast. Starring Jason Segel as a shut in afraid to leave his mother’s house, it looks like a nice piece of light comedy that shouldn’t have too much thinking involved. I do enough of that already.

The film also stars comic talents Ed Helms and Judy Greer so I’m hoping its not going to be another improve-edy. (We all agree that those are done with for a few years right?) But I’ve only really gotten into Segel’s work over the last year or so after catching HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER in reruns over the summer. So I’m prepared to laugh, laugh til it hurts.

MONEYBALL
The great romantic era of baseball movies is over. (As is the great romantic era of baseball itself) In its place is a game played by millionaires and managed by billionaires.

And yet, for me anyway, the allure of the game lives on.

I’ve recently started warming up to baseball again, coasting on all those warm, fuzzy nostalgic feelings from my youth. Will MONEYBALL be able to adequately capture how the game has changed so substantially and yet still manages to be relevant to the fans?

Maybe?

I just want to watch a good baseball movie again. And this one doesn’t look too shabby.

No, Brad Pitt probably won’t be at the screening. Sorry.

THE DAY
Post-apocalyptic MAD MAX\THE ROAD mashup, starring Charlie from LOST!

Stabby-stabby!

Shooty-shooty!

Sigh, you had me at stabby.

Seriously, this is not highbrow stuff here and that’s just how I like my post-apocalyptic films.

First Impressions: San Diego Comic Con 2011

So what are my impressions of my first San Diego Comic Con?

It was a lot of damn fun.

I don't often let myself geek out. I find hardcore devotion towards any creative type somewhat uncomfortable. Its supposed to be about the work, not the creator.

But it was nice for once to just give in to the spectacle of the whole thing in and chase sketches or attend a signing or sit in on a panel and meet some of the people who's work and talent I admire greatly, but will probably never get a chance to meet again.

Jim Lee, Geoff Johns and Grant Morrison are just people who’s names show up on the cover of my funny books, I never actually thought I’d get a chance to rub elbows with them. (Note: all elbow rubbing in this example was strictly metaphorical. That sentence should probably read, I never thought I’d get to wait in line for an hour to have them sign something. But still.)

I thought I knew what to expect out of SDCC from my Toronto FanExpo experiences, but that's like saying that since I paddled around in a dinghy once I should really be allowed to steer battleships.

First of all, they really should rename the damn thing the San Diego Film, Television, Publishing, Toys, Video Games, Genre Worship, Cosplay and Comic Con. The actual portion devoted of the convention devoted to any and all things comic books is surprisingly small. Hollywood appears to rule the roost here. Thousands of people line up for hours just to be in the same room as some of their favourite televisions stars. I tried one day to get into a couple of these bigger panels before abandoning the seemingly endless line to find something else I REALLY wanted to do.

The scope of the whole thing can take your breath away. I was heartily impressed (yo ho-ho) by the size of the main convention hall and that was before I even made my away around to check out the lines for the signings and panels.

The number of people in attendance at the Con was overwhelming. Walking the main floor was slow, but doable, on Thursday and Friday, but by the time Saturday rolled around the hall was so packed I was forced to flee to the relative quiet and sanity of a couple comic creator panels.

Even though I did so much at SDCC there was so much more I would have liked to have checked out. Despite having three whole days devoted to the event it was flat out impossible to do everything I wanted. But I certainly didn’t leave the West Coast feeling unfulfilled, so it all came out in the wash.

When I was planning this trip it was always billed around the house as being a once in a lifetime thing. But now that I’ve had a chance to experience the intoxicating nerdfest that is SDCC I’m starting to reconsider my options.

I went into San Diego without any pre-conceptions of what to expect and I left with one of the most memorable experiences of my lifetime.

If you want to check out some of my photos from SDCC 2011, head on over to the Iceberg Ink Facebook page.