Movies and DVDs

Sure, Spielberg has some corny sensibilities, plus a fear of nuance and ambiguity that makes him dumb things down too much, with the pat happy endings and such.

But don't let all that fool you, he's still one of the greatest of our lifetime, and this looks like the type of project that brings out the best in him:

• War of the Worlds Trailer
• Interview with Spielberg and Tom Cruise

Jet Li's talents have mostly gone to waste since he came to America, but maybe working with these HK vets will break the slump?

Focus Features Aboard New Jet Li Actioner

Focus Features will handle international sales, excluding Asia, on Jet Li's latest project, a martial arts actioner produced by Bill Kong (House of Flying Daggers, Hero), reports Variety.

The untitled film is being directed by Freddy vs. Jason helmer Ronny Yu, with action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping ("The Matrix" trilogy) on board.

Li stars as real life kung fu legend Fok Yuanjia, the son of a boxing champ who dreams of following in his father's footsteps. After becoming the most famous fighter in China, he disappears for years when personal tragedy strikes. Ultimately, Li's character must come out of hiding to defend the honor of his country in an international tournament.

Bootleg and import DVDs have already made "Ong Bak" an all time fave for martial arts movie fans. But if who haven't seen it yet you'll get your chance this friday, when it finally gets a US theatrical release. I beseech you, do not miss this film.

Click here for footage of Ong Bak's star Tony Jaa, giving a martial arts demonstration here in NY a few days ago. I've actually seen much iller demo clips of Tony than this one, but if you've never seen him, those last few kicks at the end will let you know what you're working with here.

A new trailer is out for the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie, starring Mos Def and Martin Freeman aka Tim from "The Office" (BEST CASTING EVER).

Apparently the script strays quite a bit from the original book, but it was writen by Douglas Adams himself before he died, so hopefully that'll keep fans from freaking out too much. Some of them are already up in arms that "some rapper is playing Ford Prefect!?!?!?"

A huge collection of pictures / photos from Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith (Episode 3) were just posted here.

BE WARNED, IF YOU CLICK THAT LINK YOU WILL SEE SPOILERS OUT THE WAZOO! Although it doesn't reveal much about the two characters I care about, Mace Windu and Yoda.

Also, reportedly Star Wars Episode III, Revenge of the Sith will be opening Cannes this year:

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith will open the 58th Cannes Film Festival. According to This Is London, a deal was recently struck after months of negotiations between Star Wars creator George Lucas and festival coordinators.

Festival De Cannes takes place May 11th-22nd in the south of France.

The UK-based website is also reporting that Ewan McGregor may be in attendance. McGregor is preparing to star in Michael Grandage's new London stage version of Guys and Dolls at the Piccadilly Theatre.

If you're not on the Cannes guest list then you'll have to wait until May 19th (in most countries) to see Revenge of the Sith.

The final chapter of the Star Wars prequels takes place three years after the events of Attack of the Clones. The Clone Wars are nearly at an end as the Jedi Council dispatches Obi-Wan (McGregor) to bring General Grevious, the deadly leader of the Separatist droid army, to justice. Meanwhile, back on Coruscant, Chancellor Palpatine has grown in power. His sweeping political changes transform the war-weary Republic into the mighty Galactic Empire. To his closest ally, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), he reveals the true nature of power and the promised secrets of the Force in an attempt to lure him to the dark side.

The Ballad of Jack and Rose trailer is here

And here's an early review from the Miami Herald:

...Director Rebecca Miller (Personal Velocity), who is married to Day-Lewis, has crafted some intriguing, complex characters and stranded them in a muddled story that doesn't know quite what to do with them. With actors of this caliber, The Ballad of Jack and Rose is always watchable (the young Belle more than holds her own against Day-Lewis and Keener). But the script, which includes a wan subplot involving Jack's battle against a land developer (as well as some creaky symbolism with a snake and the garden of Eden) lacks the realism and gravity of the performances.

The Ballad of Jack and Rose is the story of a man so desperate to hang onto his ideals, he has reshaped his environment to suit his needs. But it's hard to feel any sense of tragedy, much less sympathy, for a parent whose idea of child rearing borders on abuse. And for all the creepy undertones bubbling beneath their relationship, Jack and Rose are a rather dull pair. Whenever they are left to their own devices on their remote island, which is often, your eyelids start to grow heavy.

The trailer for Upside of Anger is here, and here's early word from Rolling Stone.. looks promising:

Terry Wolfmeyer, indelibly played by the reliably brilliant Joan Allen, knows from pride and prejudice. This diva of the Detroit burbs wants the best in schools, jobs and men for her four daughters -- Hadley (Alicia Witt), Emily (Keri Russell), Andy (Erika Christensen) and Popeye (Evan Rachel Wood). Always determined, Terry is now royally pissed off. Her husband has split (she's sure it's with his Swedish secretary), and, using alcohol to fuel her fire, she's on the attack, starting with her family. From that premise, director-writer Mike Binder, himself a child of divorce, hits us with the first film of the new year that stays with you -- a fiercely funny human comedy with jokes that sting and leave marks. Allen is the blaze that lights the film, and Witt, Russell, Christensen and Wood complement her beautifully with their own distinctive shadings. But the whopper surprise is Kevin Costner, back at the top of his game after years of coasting. He digs into the role of Denny, a retired baseball star turned stoned radio DJ who offers Terry a famous shoulder to lean on. OK, when she offers him a quickie, he hides in his yard, but Denny knows to stick around. Costner is a marvel, lacing the role with unforced humor and charm. Binder, best known for HBO's The Mind of the Married Man, springs a contrived twist ending but otherwise keeps the emotions real and played close to the bone. He also excels as Shep, Denny's radio producer who seduces young Andy and incurs her mother's wrath. The scene in which Terry imagines Shep's head exploding exemplifies the bold strokes of a film that manages to be both hilarious and haunting.

Steamboy is looking like the big Anime movie event for this year, the return of Akira's Katsuhiro Otomo. The official japanese site is here, and the American Sony site is here.

Word so far is fairly mixed though:

"Steamboy" is pretty to look at, the outlandish inventions come to life and the battle sequences near the end of the film are stunning in their detail. With that said, the rest of the film is a gross disappointment. Being Katsuhiro Otomo*s first feature length animated movie since the ground breaking "Akira", "Steamboy" had a lot to live up to and fails in most respects...

...Instead of building up the drama within "Steamboy", most of the effort seems to have been put into the visuals, which are amazing. Highlights include Ray using a wheel powered by an engine to escape from a tractor and the entire last half hour war sequence involving the "steam tower". Yet even when the visuals are at their best there is never any real pull for the audience. Much of the film consists of bickering between Ray's relatives and Ray only begins to impact the battle within the last fifteen minutes. There is one wonderfully warm sequence where Ray and Scarlett explore a fair after hours but it is brief and any follow up subtle, effective moments such as this are sadly absent from "Steamboy".

If anything, "Steamboy" seems like a pilot for an ongoing series. Characters are introduced but there is no true payoff for the audience. Adding to the sense of "Steamboy" feeling unfinished is a series of still images over the end credits indicating what will happen to these characters in the years to come. Amazingly many of these still images possess more power than in most of the explosions and screaming matches that took place in the film. One almost wishes these scenario's had been made into a movie instead of the senseless violence that took up most of the film's running time.

"Steamboy" is a mostly entertaining visual treat and while better than a lot of other films out there, pales in comparison to what might have been.

If ever a movie needed a sequel, it damn sure wasn't State Property. But here it comes nonetheless, "State Property 2: Philly Streets."

Here go the gory details, from moviecentre.net:

Director
Damon Dash

Screenwriter(s)
Adam Moreno

Cast
Beanie Siegel, Victor N.O.R.E. Santiago, Damon Dash, Michael Bentt, Omillio Sparks, Oschino D-Nice, Chris of Young Gunz, Neef of Young Gunz, Freeway, Duan Grant, Sundy Carter, "Dirt McGirt" Russell Jones, Cam'ron

Release Date: April 13, 2005

Release: Wide

Synopsis: "State Property 2: Philly Streets" is the tale of three notorious gangsters, and their bloody battle for supremacy in the City of Brotherly Love.

Beans, the imprisoned kingpin and hometown druglord, struggles to keep his renegade ABM Crime Syndicate on the map. He is driven and consumed by a festering hatred for his longtime rival...

Dame, the Harlem-born hustler, is also the top dog in town. His Umbrella network is unmatched in cash-flow and manpower. With a long list of enemies seeking territory and revenge, the self-proclaimed "cake-aholic" is forced into a vicious war.

Loco, the flashy Miami playboy, is about to be released from prison. His deep pockets and stellar reputation prove to be valuable tools in Loco's plot to takeover the streets of Philly... but he must first overcome the ghosts from a turbulent past.

Alliances are formed and shattered, and lifelong friendships are put to the test as the various crews deal and duel to the death. Somewhere, buried deep within the ranks of one of these gangs, a ruthless criminal mastermind is conspiring to take them all down. The backstabbing, thievery and deception simmers, boils and ultimately spills into a gruesome finale - an old-fashioned shootout on the cold, unforgiving Philly streets.

This is a movie about graffiti writers, and it movie Lee Quinones in it. What more do you need to know? The official Bomb the System websiteand trailer are here.

The synopsis from there:

“The average New Yorker sees upwards of 50 pieces of graffiti a day. But they never stop to think about the stories behind those pieces… this is one of those stories.”

Bomb the System is the first feature in over 20 years to delve into the world of graffiti art. The film, shot entirely on the streets of New York City, is the feature debut of 23-year-old writer/director Adam Bhala Lough.

Mark Webber (People I Know, Storytelling, The Laramie Project) leads a talented young ensemble cast as Blest, a 19-year-old graffiti writer fresh out of high school with no ambition for the future.
New York City is Blest’s playground. He spends his days stealing spray paint from local hardware stores - and his nights getting high and “bombing” the streets with his graffiti crew. He is the most wanted writer on the NYPD Vandal Squad’s hit list, and at the same time, is attracting attention from the local gallery scene.

But things quickly turn ugly when 15-year-old Lune, the youngest member of Blest’s crew, is arrested and brutalized by the NYPD. The crew retaliates by waging an all out “graffiti war” against the city: a war that ends up costing more than one life in the end.

Bomb the System is a true New York story - a cinematic poem dedicated to the art of graffiti, and to the city where it all began more than two decades ago.

And an advance review:

Bomb The System is an admirable film. Set in the world of graffiti writing in New York City, 23-year-old writer/director Adam Bhala Lough's feature debut uses this framework to tell the story of Anthony a.k.a. Blest (Mark Webber), a graffiti artist who needs to rise above his increasingly dangerous surroundings, although this environment provides him a comfort he is reluctant to leave behind. Lough's urban coming-of-age tale doesn't really move beyond the familiar trappings of the genre's narrative formula. It's obvious that the filmmaker was more inspired by the context of his screenplay than its content, but it's impossible to call this film a novelty piece. Lough's affection for his characters is too heartfelt and his visual ideas too unique for such a label to be warranted...

...Since this film is about the lives of outlaw artists, it's natural that Lough would incorporate a stylistically blunt approach. The director uses freeze frames, split screens, stills, etc. to create a sense-enveloping experience, and it's a method which does serve the material well, once you get past the initial flamboyance. Lough possesses a striking visual flair, but character and plot contrivances abound in his screenplay....

...

The world of graffiti is explored with a good amount of depth -- an especially helpful introduction for a novice (like me). Scenes of Blest and his friend Noble (Cesl Buchanan) "racking" paint cans are treated with a welcome comic touch, and we are exposed to the code of ethics that exists in this marginalized culture. Again, the culture appears to be Lough's main thrust here, but to a point of excess that occasionally obscures the story and characters.

Bomb The System is a trip into a very real underground world, and shows a filmmaker working in a territory of personal passion. Lough's skill and sincerity ultimately shine through, relegating most of the film's flaws to the world of very understandable first-time mistakes.