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The Road

The Road starts out with a lot to prove. It's adapted by director John Hillcoat (The Proposition) and playwright Joe Penhall from Cormac McCarthy’s 2006 book, an Oprah Book Club selection and the 10th novel in McCarthy’s 35-year career of painting prose poems about Men and the Things They Do.

Those who love McCarthy’s stoic language of solitary self-reliance will be waiting for the film version to fail. Those who don’t care for McCarthy’s unrelentingly sparse style or the unblinking cruelty and violence he subjects his characters to are probably going to have no interest in seeing Viggo Mortensen and young newcomer Kodi Smit-McPhee act them out. On top of that, The Road is going to be somewhat unfairly held to higher expectations now that the Coen Brothers have cracked the McCarthy novel-to-film code with the Oscar-winning No Country for Old Men.

Then of course there is that subject matter. Due to a purposefully unnamed, unexplained cataclysm, civilization has if not been ended then at least been knocked pretty far back on its heels.

What's left is a landscape of ash and decay, cities in dust, most people and animals gone, roadways roamed by gangs looking for whatever food they can find, even from—especially from—previously taboo sources. This is not the whoopee disaster porn of 2012 or the tough-guy excitement of post-apocalyptic action flicks. TV ads for The Road have tried to gin up two mostly false impressions: that the film is full of gut-twisting threats smoothed over in the end via an Up With People triumph of the human spirit.

Yes there is danger on The Road, coming at the Man and Boy (as they are known) from a variety of stomach-churning angles. And yes, as the Man repeatedly tells the Boy, there is a flame of hope still flickering, they are “carrying the fire” of not just civilization, but human goodness. But much of Hillcoat’s film, like McCarthy’s novel, is concerned with slowly pulling you down into this foggy gray world of grueling monotonous survival. The film isn’t running to show you the way to a happy ending, it’s asking you to trudge along that road with the worn-down pair, to share their constant fear, their struggle to find a reason why living and moving along, is preferable to not doing either.

Saturday Night Drive-In: Ninja Assassin

The title Ninja Assassin pretty much tells you everything you need to know about this movie. For instance, there will be ninjas. Another important point: they will assassinate people. Not just assassinate them, but chop, slice, and dismember them in new and impressive ways. These ninjas assassinate the hell out of people.

You might ask yourself, why hire a ninja assassin? Why not just get a regular old assassin? Well you might as well ask why buy a Bentley instead of a Geo Prizm? Having a ninja kill your enemies is a really high-end, status-symbol way of saying “I hate you so much that instead of just shooting you, I’m having a man in black jammies hack you to pieces. You should be touched that I care so much. You’re welcome.”

Ninja Assassin is the new attempt by the producing Brothers Wachowski (The Matrix) and their lapdog director James McTeigue to bring back the ninja movie. They did this by putting "Ninja" right there in the title. Which really makes anything better. Try it—put a little "ninja" in everything and see what happens. Suddenly you don’t have a car, you have a ninja car. You’re not eating a sandwich, you’re eating a ninja sandwich. You’re not stuck watching Old Dogs, you’re watching Old Ninja Dogs! See?

A few years back McTeigue directed V for Vendetta, which, while hit-and-miss, seemed to be a film made by competent, sentient beings. This led many people to speculate that in fact the Wachowski Brothers had directed most of it, instead of McTeigue. Well no more of that scurrilous speculation! Because this time the W. Bros let go of the handle bars and McTeigue did all the directing himself, like a big boy! The resulting film makes it very clear that James McTeigue could not possibly have directed V For Vendetta. Unless he’s spent the four years between these projects receiving daily blows to the head.

Ninja Assassin is about a modern-day ninja played by Korean Pop Star Rain. That is his official name and must be used in its entirety when referring to Korean Pop Star Rain. (It should be noted that Korean Pop Star Rain has a lot of trouble keeping his shirt on--it seems to be going around these days.)

He was once part of a clan of ninja assassins, but despite being the best ninja anyone had ever not seen, Korean Pop Star Rain left the clan when it turned out he really didn’t believe in cold-blooded killing for money. Which is kind of like having a unicorn that hates rainbows. So now he’s a rogue ninja, a lone wolf, a ninja without a clan, a Korean Pop Star without a last name. Or a shirt.

There’s also a Europol crime researcher (Naomie Harris, Tia Dalma from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies) who starts poking around into why infamous or important European folks are turning up dead. She and her boss (Ben Miles, Patrick from the UK Coupling) suspect a ninja infestation—probably because of all the throwing stars left stuck in the victims. However, it turns out ninja assassins are a lot like sullen teenagers—they hate when you talk about them, look at them, or try to tell them anything. So the top ninja clan sets out to kill Harris. Luckily Korean Pop Star Rain shows up to rescue her. And that’s pretty much the whole deal: Korean Pop Star Rain saves her, they run away, the ninjas follow and attack again, rinse and repeat. Oh, and all this takes place in Berlin, ‘cause you know… Berlin… totally off-the-hook ninja scene.

Then at the end there’s an even bigger fight between ninjas and Europol troops, with even more cool weapons and blood and jumping about. If Ninja Assassin serves just one important purpose (and really, I think it serves several—the worldwide ninja problem is everyone’s problem), it’s that it proves Sean Connery wrong: If you’re a ninja you really do bring a knife to a gun fight.

However, I am concerned with how ninjas from opposite clans tell one another apart in a giant battle. After all, with the identical black pajamas and hoods, it’s really like fighting a room full of frogmen. And if you’ve ever had to fight a room full of frogmen, I think you know exactly what I’m talking about. Perhaps in the next big ninja movie the ninjas could all wear something that helps you tell who’s who. Like big white numbers on their pajamas. Or matching Ed Hardy t-shirts.

Big Slabs of Sci-Fi/Horror Production News!

Let's clear the decks and unload a bunch of horror and science-fiction film news from the past month!

Real Steel

First up we have Hugh Jackman. Once the Sexiest Man Alive and a Stand-Out Oscar Host... now just a year (and Australia and Wolverine) later poor Hugh is reduced to this: playing a washed up fighter who becomes a robot-boxing promoter in Dream Works' new Real Steel. It's Wolverine Meets Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots Meets Rocky Meets Don King!

Oh, I kid about Jackman falling from grace--his career's doing just fine. And while the premise of Real Steel might sound a bit hokey (robots have replaced humans in the boxing game and Jackman's character and his young son find a broken-down robot boxer that turns out to be a winning 'bot brawler) it's actually from a story by Richard Matheson. (Hollywood seems to have rediscovered the veteran sci-fi writer after I Am Legend--a Matheson story was also the basis for The Box.) Real Steel is being co-produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Shawn Levy (the Night at the Museum movies) and has a lower-than-usual budget for sci-fi flicks. And with Levy on board it sounds like it may go more for goofy heart-warming family fun than gritty dystopian mayhem.

Hereafter

Matt Damon co-stars this December in Clint Eastwood's Invictus, as the South African rugby player-coach Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) charges with winning the World Cup to unite the divided nation. It would appear the working relationship was a solid one, as Damon will be back next December in Eastwood's supernatural drama Hereafter. (Spielberg, who produced Eastwood's Flag of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima, is also an executive producer on Hereafter, along with his old producing team of Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall.) The new Eastwood project, written by Peter Morgan (The Queen, Last King of Scotland, Frost/Nixon), is being described as a Sixth-Sense-like thriller centered around three people who've had near-death experiences. It's presumed Damon plays one of the three--Belgium actress Cecile de France will make her American-film debut as another.

The Reincarnation of Peter Proud

Also in that creepy life-after-death vein, it appears director David Fincher and screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker--who last teamed up for Seven in 1995--are getting the freaky ol' gang back together for a revisting of The Reincarnation of Peter Proud. Redblog readers of a certain age might recall the 1975 film adaptation of Max Ehrilch's novel. The film makers will contemporize the story, which follows a college professor as he explores the possibility that a past life and its violent end are seeping into his dreams. Since the original film, which co-starred Margot Kidder, was mostly dismissed as a cheesy flop, you can expect Fincher and Walker to characterize their new project as a new "adaptation" of Ehrilch's 1973 novel rather than a dreaded "remake."

Source Code

Like many other science-fiction fans, I spent last summer singing the praises of Moon, a terrific little SF mind-twist starring Sam Rockwell and directed by Duncan Jones. While Moon didn't really break out as box-office sleeper (it'll be out on DVD in January, so you can see for yourself), it did bring a lot of heat to Jones' young film-making career. Future projects include a trapped-in-a-submarine thriller based on Alex Kershaw's non-fiction book Escape from the Deep: The Epic Story of a Legendary Submarine and Her Courageous Crew. Jones is also working on another original sci-fi screenplay entitled Mute, and while the Moon-Mute thing is almost too cute, Jones says the new Blade-Runner-esque project will take place in future Berlin (a city that's served as a fine creative muse to the Jones family--his dad, David Bowie, and Brian Eno created three fantastic albums there in the late '70s.)

But it appears Jones' next project might be Source Code, a sort of horrific twist on Groundhog Day in which a soldier wakes up in someone else's body on a train that mysteriously explodes. The soldier must repeat the deadly experience again and again until he solves the crime. Topher Grace had originally been set to play the soldier, with Shane Abbess directing. (Abbess's only other film is 2007's Gabriel, a Prophesy/Constantine/Legion-like thriller about warring angels on Earth.) Abbess and Grace are now out, Jones is in, and Jake Gyllenhaal is in negotiations to take over the role of the solider.

Over the jump, a supernatural ballet thriller from the director of The Wrestler, a Howling reboot, Nemo drydocked, and Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters!

Fantastic Mr. Fox

As you may have heard, The Fantastic Mr. Fox is, well, fantastic—a witty den of delights that pleases on multiple levels and across varied age groups. Adapted by director-writer Wes Anderson (Rushmore, The Royal Tenebaums) and his co-writer Noah Baumbach, from Roald Dahl’s childrens’ book, this is a film both hipster cinephiles and short-attention-span guttersnipes are going to be cherishing for years to come.

It’s the tale/tail of the titular Fox about town (George Clooney), a former thief who vows to settle down and raise a family with his lovely, patient wife (Meryl Streep) and overly ambitious, underachieving son Ash (Jason Schwartzman). But when Fox undergoes the sort of mid-life crisis even wild canines can’t elude, he slips back into his old ways and begins bedeviling farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean. In return for the incorrigible Fox’s pilfering of their prize chickens, squab, and cider, the farmers go on the warpath, sending Fox—and family and friends—on the run. Meanwhile, awkward young Ash must cope with the arrival of cousin Kristofferson (Anderson), a quiet, yoga-practicing lad whose natural abilities quickly make him the apple of Mr. Fox’s eye.

All of this is great fun, but Anderson’s dryly dazzling labor of love may have a hard time of it at the box office. As much as I and other critics ranted and raved over Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are last month, many parents and kids were turned off by the dark, gloomy, and neurotic undertones Jonze injected into Sendak’s beloved book. And I worry that has some folks gun shy about Fantastic Mr. Fox, fearing another melancholy grown-up film disguised as children’s fare.

On top of that, in the wake of the tremendous stop-motion artistry of Coraline this year, Fantastic Mr. Fox operates on a very different visual aesthetic. Anderson and his director of animation Mark Gustafson are not out to create a seamless display of dazzling visual effects. (Coraline director Henry Selick originally intended to make Mr. Fox with Anderson, but left to do Coraline and was replaced by Gustafson.) Instead, Mr. Fox has a homemade, rough look and feel that adds to the film’s cozy lovableness, but may come off “cheap” to some eyes.

But give Fox a chance! There’s nary a glum moment in this movie’s parade of non-stop deadpan joy and gleeful larceny. Sure, there’s a little of the usual Wes Anderson dysfunction in Mr. Fox’s family. But at no point does the film wallow in pathos or dark subtexts—complete with plans and maps, schemes and diagrams, and lots and lots of digging, this is a gently jaunty Oceans 11 for youngsters, by way of field and stream, fox and fowl.

As for the homespun, herky jerky textures and movements of the animated characters, that’s just Anderson’s usual quirky style singing out—it turns out that the director’s often arch whimsy is nicely mitigated by the use of a puppet medium. And the second-hand feel of the film adds nicely to its easy likability. I’m not knocking Pixar, but after 10 instant classics in a row, there’s getting be a kinda cold flawlessness to the annual Pixar Oscar nominee. I still love Pixar and a few other CG animated movie marvels, but it’s very nice indeed to see Fox (and Coraline) offer up something different—in both look and feel--for a change.

Pull Yourself Out of That Turkey-Induced Coma and Take a Shot at Freeze Frame

Yeah, I know you're probably in no mood to focus any energy on identifying movie stills.  There are leftovers to reheat, right?  Football to watch! Shopping to do!  Sales to take advantage of!  A slew of movies that opened on Thanksgiving to see at the theater!

But think of it this way -- eventually, by Monday, you're probably going to have to start using that ol' brain again.  Playing Freeze Frame is a great way to ease yourself, slowly, tenderly, and cautiously, back into the realm of reality.  And it's still fun -- it's not like we're asking you to fill out an expense report or draft a memo or stock a shelf or punch a timecard.  So enough with your excuses -- you're here and you need to play!

For newbies to the game: check out the three images below and then enter your guesses for what films they're from in the Comments section (linked to directly beneath this post).  We'll reveal the victor in bold on Monday, as well as the second and third runners-up. Did I mention that we will also bestow the honor of a self-made aluminum-foil trophy upon the first person to get it right?

And anyone -- no matter what position they're in in the lineup -- who tells us what the three movies share gets to make themselves a Common Thread Button O' Pride.  This one should be EXTREMELY easy, people!

But that being said, I still wish you luck.  

Movie #1

Movie #2

Movie #3

Check back on Monday for the winners and answers, and in the meantime, get back to enjoying your holiday weekend.

Thursday (Wednesday) Threes: The Answer

Whoo-eee, a whole bunch of you got this one right. I had a feeling it would be pretty easy, but I couldn't resist the chance to talk about some of my favorite older films and about an actor who we don't see as often in new films these days.

First up with the correct answer was Paul N.--Paul gets the homemade construction-paper medal! In second was Jennifer Rife and in third was Joan Jenkins. Congrats to all and to everyone who gave this one of our largest Threes turnouts!

So what actor was in To Kill a Mockingbird, True Grit, and MASH? Bring on the Inviso-Text! (And if you're new to the Threes, that translates as "highlight the white space below".)

Yes, it was the always-amazing Robert Duvall, appearing this weekend in both The Road in theaters and Four Christmases on DVD.

Our winner Paul declares Duvall one of his favorite actors of all time (and mentions his tremendous performance as Robert E. Lee in Gods and Generals) and it got me thinking how right Paul is. When we talk about the best male actors of the past 30 or so years, the conversation often revolves around the flashy awards-nabbing names like Pacino, Hoffman, De Niro, Nicholson. Someone like Duvall, who honestly does better work than any of those guys on any given film, sometimes gets sadly overlooked simply because he rarely goes for the sort of over-the-top, scenery chewing of some showier actors and he's never done much in the way of crowd-pleasing action or heroic tough-guy roles. The exceptions that loudly prove the rule would be Lt. Col. Kilgore in Apocalypse Now and Lt. Col. Bull Santini in The Great Santini--those are probably the better-known Duvall roles and the ones that get quoted the most.

But those aren't the Duvall roles I treasure. It's no coincidence that his first big-screen role was just a few mute on-screen moments as Arthur "Boo" Radley in the wonderful 1962 film version of To Kill a Mockingbird (one of my favorite films of all time). Duvall didn't have to do much as Boo--while the character is central to the film's themes, Boo's importance is through what others think and learn about him, and what he does off-screen, not what he does in his brief on-screen appearance. Still, Duvall brings that same sort of silent, contemplative grace to so many of his roles. Take for instance Tom Hagen in The Godfather I & II, who functions as the calm voice of reason in the midst of all the Machiavellian mayhem. Tom is not weak or squeamish, but Duvall gives him a quiet old-school nobility even as he competently helps Michael execute his competitors.

For those who grew up with Larry Linville as their Frank Burns, it can be tricky to warm to Duvall's much-less slap-sticky original version of the character in Robert Altman's 1970 adaptation of MASH. Duvall's Frank is much more of a stoic Puritan in the film, but his uptight, silent repression makes it even funnier when he snaps and comes unhinged. And in 1969's True Grit, Duvall played Ned Peppers--one of the menacing outlaw cohorts of the film's villainous Tom Chaney.

I could go on all day wandering through my favorite parts of Duvall's impressive filmography, but I'll just toss out a few more appreciations/recommendations and you can add your own faves in the comments: The jaded sportswriter Max Mercy in The Natural, Boss in Kevin Costner's wonderfully understated Open Range, and what I feel are truly his two greatest performances: E.F. Dewey in the magnificent Apostle (the scene with him and Billy Bob Thorton will end up on both actors' lifetime clip reel), and of course, Gus McCrae in the towering Lonesome Dove miniseries.

The Close-Up Poster Answer: Thanksgiving Edition!

As I expected, you guys had no problem with the holiday themed Close-Up Poster contest this week. I hope you enjoyed it, because you know me: if too many get it right one week, the next week I try to stump ya!

Michell got it correct first, followed by Bobby in second and Millar74 in third. Congrats, all!

Here's another look at the clue to refresh your memory:

And while that peek was easy enough, this one should give it completely away:

Everyone got it? See the whole poster over the jump!

Happy Thanksgiving Life Day, Everyone!

As we sit down to fowl and football (and maybe a film or two), here's wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving! But of course, Thanksgiving is a specifically American holiday, so let's not leave out our friends all over the world and the galaxy, who are no doubt sitting down today to their Life Day feasts!

If you're somehow not familiar with the ancient Wookie tradition of Life Day, I direct your attention to the fine historical document The Star Wars Holiday Special, first seen on this planet in 1978. Aired on television about 18 months after Star Wars became a run-away blockbuster/pop-culture phenomenon, the infamous Holiday Special has never been officially released on video. But thanks to the wonders of YouTube you can bring your whole family around the computer today and see it all for yourself--it's broken up into 15 parts, but the good news is you also get authentic 1978 commercials!

The plot of the special follows the Star Wars gang as they all work to help get Chewbacca home to his planet and his family (including grandfather Itchy and son Lumpy) for the Wookie Life Day celebration. This includes dodging hapless stormtroopers, Imperial officers, and stock Star Wars footage of Star Destroyers.

But let's not let a pesky detail like a lack of "official" availability stop us and Princess Leia from wishing you all a very Happy Life Day!

Why, you may ask, was The Star Wars Holiday Special never released on video? After all, this is Lucasfilm--they've certainly never been shy about peddling tie-in merchandise. Well, if you just watched Carrie Fisher singing, you've seen for yourself that the special is... um... special. Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher all contractually gamely gladly show up and give it their mostly straight-faced best. Plus there are jaw-dropping appearances by Bea Arthur, Art Carney, Harvey Korman, The Jefferson Starship ('cause... you know, "Starship"), and a very, very odd, somewhat uncomfortably introduced performance by Diahann Carroll.

There's more over the jump, including Bea Arthur singing and the introduction of a certain fan-boy-favorite bounty hunter!

redblog Writers Who Rock: Erika (aka "e")

Since we figured that not a ton of people would be checking into the site on Thanksgiving, we didn't want to post a Reader Who Rocks interview like we normally do on Thursdays. Instead, we'll be chatting it up with one of our bloggers, Erika, and will return to feature another reader next week.

(Rest assured that we will strong-arm Locke and James into interviews at sometime soon, too.)

Name: Erika Olson

Posts as (username): Erika, but sometimes I sign off at the end of comments with just "e"

Age: Please.

Location: Chicago, IL

So let's start off by filling redblog readers in on how you use redbox.

Sure... as one of the redblog writers, I have upcoming DVD releases mailed directly to me before they hit kiosks so that I have time to watch them and (hopefully) have my reviews ready by the time the titles are available for everyone to rent.  I can then return the discs to any kiosk I'd like.  I had been going to a one outside a grocery store near my place for the past year -- it's about a fifteen-minute walk (I'm a true city girl without a car).  I'd often bring my black lab with me, and it got to the point where he would jump all around with happiness whenever it dawned on him that we were headed to the redbox kiosk.  I thought it was because people would always pet him while we were standing there returning discs, but then I figured out that the real reason for his excitement was that a flower shop nearby always set out dog treats on the sidewalk and he was just looking forward to a snack. 

Now there's another kiosk that popped up in the opposite direction from my condo, and I think it's slightly closer, so I'm going to start going there to mix it up every once in a while.  My dog will not be happy with this decision, I'm afraid.  Actually, he already looks mad about it (see right).

As someone who writes about movies, you clearly must see a lot of them.  Are there certain types of films that you prefer to watch in the theater… and along those same lines, are there certain types of movies that you prefer to view at home?

I cry at the drop of a hat, so if I get the sense that a film might be even remotely sad or depressing, I'd rather look like a blubbering idiot in the privacy of my own home.  Sometimes that's impossible -- like at the screening for The Road I was surrounded by my fellow critics, all of whom were male, and I was sniffling away and feeling a fool.  I also am easily scared, as I've mentioned on the blog in the past.  Locke has witnessed me spend half a movie with my hands over my face (like during Law Abiding Citizen), so he can attest to the fact that it would probably be better for everyone if I didn't have to see thrillers in a public setting.  I just can't control my reactions, which, besides covering my face are also known to include: jumping three feet in the air, screaming or shouting out loud, sinking waaay down in my seat, and ducking like someone's about to hit me.

Having said all that, I love love love to see big-budget action-adventure films in a sold-out theater... or anything that has a lot of hype surrounding it.  Any of the major franchise films are the most fun to see when the house is packed.  Half the fun of going to something like, say, Twilight or New Moon, is hearing the shrieks from the hyperventilating Twihards around you, who are all decked out in their Team Edward tees and whatnot.   And I'll never forget opening night of the first Lord of the Rings film... when Gandalf bellowed "YOU... SHALL NOT... PASS!!!" at the Balrog, I swear over 50% of the theater was instantaneously on its feet, cheering and fist-pumping and high-fiving each other.  It was total mayhem.  I love that type of experience.  I live for it.

In a similar vein, sometimes certain comedies work much better when you've got hundreds of people laughing at the same time. For example, I initially saw Zombieland at a full-to-the-brim screening.  Then I went again with my husband a few weeks later, and the theater was half-empty, and it was a very different experience.  It made me doubt whether or not the film was really hilarious in and of itself, or if I had been influenced by the crowd the first time around.  (I'm still pretty sure that it's still hilarious, though.)

The Killing Room

The DVD release of The Killing Room meant I had a chance to go back to it, and I'm glad I did -- I first saw it in the middle of a film festival, where its feel and flow were a little out-of-sorts among the earnest dramas and somber documentaries. Viewed on its own, though -- and for what it is -- The Killing Room is a nicely raw mean-boned little thriller, compact and boiled down and stark. A young researcher and scientist, Ms. Reilly (Chloe Sevigny) is being shown the work of a mysterious research facility, headed up by the brilliant-yet-brutal Dr. Phillips (Peter Stormare). Ms. Reily is shown a tape of some of the facility's work, as four people are locked in a white-walled room and asked a series of questions. And then something very bad happens, very fast, and as the ramifications of that sink in Ms. Reilly realizes she's not watching a tape ... and that she's being tested as much as the four people in the room. ...

Shot on a shoestring -- $3 million sounds like a lot of money, and it is, anywhere but Hollywood --The Killing Room has a couple things going for it, including an interesting cast made out of a mix of rising stars and familiar faces. The four people in the room are Timothy Hutton, Clea Duvall, Nick Cannon and Shea Wigham -- a wait-I-know-them group whose credits range from Ordinary People to Carnivale, from Drumline to Fast & Furious. These are actors we kind of know, and at the same time, The Killing Room is more than willing to take advantage of that and have bad things happen, very fast, to actors our every movie-conditioned reflex tells us shouldn't be getting bumped off so swiftly and so firmly.