Non-Digital, Gritty

'Getaway' will make money. This should come in #1. They've put together something people want to see.

How, though, is this different from 'Fast/Furious' and why should it draw an audience? I think it's the realness of the stunts. We're just tired of CGI, too-smooth, weird looking action. Not that FF is loaded with CGI, but... Okay, so that leads me to the next thing -- It's not as comic-bookish as FF. Real? Realistic? Maybe not, but more real than FF.

There's also a level of immersion in the action that comes from having all those cameras. An average of 25-30 per take? That's coverage. I think people will respond.

That begs the question -- FF doesn't immerse the viewer? Not so much. There's a distance to the FF camera work (possibly due to striving to avoid destroying expensive cameras). FF has a gloss 'Getaway' doesn't have. Slick and clean vs. gritty and messy.

Then, there's the nature of antagonism. In FF, it's operatic. Gang vs. gang. Kinda impersonal, kinda so-what. In 'Getaway' it's mano a mano, albeit via video uplink. I think people want to see that. The 'Voice' vs. this poor slob in a muscle car. Audiences will want to see how that turns out.

'Taken' With Fast Cars -- aka -- 'Getaway'

It's the line at the end of the trailer -- "First I'm coming for my wife, then I'm coming for you" -- that reminds me of the 'Taken' setup. And, hearing it for the first time in this trailer, I'm struck that they may hope for this to kick off a franchise. Though, how exactly you'd manage to get this structure in more than one movie -- guy with a fast car races to complete tasks in time while a guy threatens his wife/family -- I don't know, but that's what they're hinting at.

Although, the protag could wrap things up nicely by robbing the bank, then managing to get the 'voice' all in one movie, but that's asking a lot. It's looking like Voice may appear in another movie...'Getaway 2'.

Still, trailer moves at a clip and the action has that 70s grit, that realness people miss, and Ethan Hawke has cred right now. This could score.

Drop Everything. Trailer For 'The Purge'

Great concept. Wow. Effing wow.






























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'Sinister': Like Someone Rediscovered Creepy In A Box Way Back Behind Some Junk In The Closet

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New Stills from 'Sinister'

(via STYD)

There's something about these visuals. Bleached color is put to good use. It creates the opposite effect found in most contemporary horror flicks, which come off hot, immediate, instantly forgettable. This is cool and quiet and suggests a slow-burn story you can get comfy with -- exactly the type that really chills an audience rather than simply making people jump at loud noises. Between the palette and the way Ethan Hawke seems to feel at home with the script and his performance, I get the notion 'Sinister' might stand out, if just a bit.

Here's some of what I said after seeing the first trailer:

• And, perhaps most noteworthy, the premise actually clicks. That an evil entity connects via imagery (like in a film or video) and becomes one with the viewer of such media (a twist on the urban legend which was the basis for 'The Ring') is scary and, considering this is in fact a movie, it might cause a bit of giddy niggling fright in the back of the minds of kids in the audience who might sense the creeping signs and symptoms of early-onset demonic possession as the film progresses.

And a bit of what I thought of the first poster:

• The face on the wall is perhaps a bit cliché (scary, but we've seen this kind of thing in gobs of movies and graphic novels). However, the fact it's formed by 'ink drips' coming out of the girl's hand sets this element apart and gives it weight.

• You have to wonder about the girl. Who is she? What role does she play? Why does something that looks so wicked come from her? It's rare a horror movie poster intimates such subtleties of story.

• And, look closely at the lower right corner. There's a reel of film unspooled on the floor which syncs visually with the image on the wall, as if the ink that forms the evil entity's face flows into the film (or vice versa). ...Nice touch, thematic.

• The tagline: "Once you see him, nothing can save you" is kind of ho-hum yet stops you. There's something there. What does that mean? It's good.

• Someone was conscientious about designing this poster. That the movie is by the makers of 'Paranormal Activity' and 'Insidious' can't be ignored, either.

If you're interested I snipped some clips from a review by Jeremy Kirk, who caught 'Sinister' at SXSW.

Director Scott Derrickson couldn't be hotter, having written and directed 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' and written (with Paul Harris Boardman) the upcoming remake of 'Poltergeist'. Next, Derrickson is directing 'Two Eyes Staring', about the relationship between a girl and the ghost of her mother's twin, which will star Charlize Theron.

All things considered, 'Sinister' looks like one to catch.

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'The Woman in the Fifth'

The fifth arrondissement of Paris, if you were wondering.

Moody, pure atmosphere, and a plot twisted just so. Perhaps compares to 'Fatal Attraction' but with way more edge, squirm-factor.

With Ethan Hawke and Kristin Scott Thomas. Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski (My Summer of Love). Based on the novel by Douglas Kennedy.

In a few theaters or would make a good rental sometime. Something to cuddle up with. Really, there's nothing to dislike here.

A clip from the review by Manohla Dargis:

• "...this psychological thriller (or perhaps, psychothriller) about an American writer down on his luck in Paris and maybe out of his mind creates a sense of dread that builds and builds though never resolves, even in the final fade out."

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Trailer for 'Sinister'

This looks good. Camera is well done, a cut above for this kind of product. Ethan Hawke finds the groove, as does Vincent D'Onofrio (normal for both). Seems like there's potential for a real story, real arc.

And, perhaps most noteworthy, the premise actually clicks. That an evil entity connects via imagery (like in a film or video) and becomes one with the viewer of such media (a twist on the urban legend which was the basis for 'The Ring') is scary and, considering this is in fact a movie, it might cause a bit of giddy niggling fright in the back of the minds of kids in the audience who might sense the creeping signs and symptoms of early-onset demonic possession as the film progresses.

Looking forward.

Still, poster and snippets from reviews






















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Charlie Rose With...

...The crew from 'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead'. Sidney Lumet, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Ethan Hawke.

Hitting The Target

There’s a certain kind of movie I really like. It clicks along with lots of energy, turns on a dime, and has visual panache. Director Antoine Fuqua produces this kind of work. In ‘Training Day’, starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke, every scene is shot with an easy confidence that is direct as well interesting and fresh. Fuqua’s camera is never quite where you expect it to be, and this yields a visual pop and drive missing in many films of the genre. The story isn’t fluff either -- each scene in 'Training Day' builds dramatic tension through Act II, and character arc rolls out well with a strong resolution in Act III.

The projects Mark Wahlberg chooses have solid story and clean lines. ‘The Italian Job’, starring Wahlberg and directed by F. Gary Gray, spins out with clean energy and visual snap, and has car chases that are of reference quality. The sequel, ‘The Brazilian Job’, due in 2008, is getting good buzz and will be a must-own DVD. Wahlberg has, somewhat against the odds, become a go-to action headliner, playing the everyman who (somewhat against the odds) wins out in tough situations in ways audiences can connect with.

Lorenzo Di Bonaventura has similar tastes in movies. He shepherds projects that have a straight-ahead energy like ‘The Matrix’, ‘The Perfect Storm’, and ‘The Departed’. Each one of these stories is a good example of ‘painting your protag into a corner’ and forcing them to find a way out. These plots propel their characters headlong toward an unambiguous fate, and leaves audiences satisfied.

Di Bonaventura, Wahlberg, and Fuqua are the team behind the new thriller, ‘Shooter’, which opened this week. Wahlberg plays a Marine sniper who is enlisted to advise how an assassination of the president might be attempted from a range of over a mile. However, he finds himself on the run after the president is killed and he is framed for the shooting. The trailers I've seen have that live camera you expect from Fuqua and the story seems solid. This should do fairly well at the box office, and have excellent DVD sales.

Having a main character who is so talented with a rifle he can hit a target a mile away seems apt for these three filmmakers. Their talent for storytelling has the same kind of precision.