The Ledge, a 2011 Sundance Film Festival entry, opens with a man, who we learn is Gavin (Charlie Hunnam Sons of Anarchy), walking out onto a ledge of a building. Within minutes the police surround the building and Detective Hollis (Terrence Howard, Iron Man) is on the scene to try to talk Gavin down. Gavin admits to Hollis that he’s not doing this because he wants to, but because he has to. He tells Hollis the story of why he’s up on the roof about to jump to his death.

Gavin lives with his roommate, Chris (TV veteran Christopher Gorham), who he tells us is gay. Gavin is an assistant manager at a local hotel when Shauna (Liv Tyler Super ) comes looking for a job. Shauna also happens to be Gavin’s neighbor. She lives with her ultra religious husband, Joe (Patrick Wilson Hard Candy, Watchmen). Gavin hires Shauna to work at the hotel. He also is attracted to her, but doesn’t want to move in on her due to being married. Joe and Shauna invite Gavin and Chris to a dinner at their apartment the following week. While at dinner, Joe starts to spew his beliefs about how homosexuality is evil because he assumes that both Gavin and Chris are gay. Gavin is offended and leaves. After that he decides to make it his job to get Shauna away from Joe. Gavin succeeds at doing this and Joe is not happy. Along the way we find out that Gavin was once married and had a child. He lost his faith in God and can just be an angry person at times. Once Joe finds out about the affair, he asks Gavin if he would die for his beliefs, because he is. He tells Gavin that if he doesn’t jump to his death to prove he will die for love, that he will kill Shauna.

The movie is very heavy handed and preachy. The director, Matthew Chapman (writer of Runaway Jury), has said in an interview he got the idea of the story from and uncle who is gay and about how religion can be homophobic. You can certainly see this idea come through. The “bad guy,” Joe, is preaching from the bible, while the “good guy,” is pro homosexual and open to ideas about the universe being bigger than he is. That’s one of the problems. There’s nothing wrong with trying to get your ideas across, but the viewer is beaten over the head with those ideas to a fault. At points the movie brings the viewer in emotionally, but then takes them out with some forced writing and acting. With a cast of Patrick Wilson, Liv Tyler and Terrence Howard, the acting falls flat much of the time. The scenes on the ledge can be tense at times because the viewer isn’t sure if Gavin is going to jump or come down.

There is another storyline with Detective Hollis who finds out that he is sterile, but he has 2 kids. His wife has been lying to him for years, and this tests his faith. I understand that the idea of the movie is how strong is your faith, but this was an unneeded story. The viewer is already emotionally attached to Gavin, or at least they are supposed to be. Why are we rooting for him, though? He gets his neighbor’s wife to cheat with him. Joe, at this time might be ultra preachy, and treats his wife like a slave at times, but he has done nothing else to get the viewer to not be behind him. Do we pull for the cheater or the person being cheated on? Once Joe finds out, he snaps and we learn more about him. Until he tells Gavin to jump, he’s the one we should be rooting for. Patrick Wilson as Joe is the reason to see the movie. His portrayal is amazing and the scene where he snaps is a thing of beauty. It rivals his part in Hard Candy. Other than that, the movie is a bit of a let down.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

All of that lead to a title bout between Relativity Media and The Weinsteins. Now, Alex Tse, who wrote the daunting screenplay for Zack Snyder’s Watchmen, is set to do a rewrite on the reboot. As Variety states, it will be a “gritty reboot”. Okay, I’m cool with that. But does Tse have what it takes for this remake to exist in a post-Brandon Lee world, something none of the sequels have successfully done?

The Film:

Outside of Disney themselves in the early 1940s and on, has there been a studio like Pixar that delivers quality films time and time again? Even their most average films like A Bug’s Life or Cars, are far better than anything else out in the animation world. Family friendly, yet strangely adult, Pixar has that secret recipe that I’m sure most cooks would love to get their copycatting hands on. The Incredibles in Pixar’s loving ode to Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, especially evident in the family dysfunction aspects that mirror the Fantastic Four, although I bet those live-action films wish that had an ounce of Pixar’s talent.

Still, once the third act gets going and the villain disabled, the film sort of flattens out from being a great and fresh spin on those comics of the 1960s, into a rudimentary one.

Looking back at the film now, after a few years passed its theatrical and Oscar-winning run, hindsight isn’t an advantage now, since there’s been so many odes and fresh takes in the movies at least on superheroes, that The Incredibles doesn’t feel as alive as it once did back in 2004. Of course, this film is what Fox wanted in their Fantastic Four films, but the less said about those the better. Watchmen and Kick-Ass, heck even last year’s Megamind, all spun the genre and the conventions into areas that freshened up the superhero. This, obviously, doesn’t make The Incredibles a bad film, it’s just not as great as initial thought. I still think director Brad Bird’s best film is The Iron Giant.

Ha, I do know how good this movie is, despite my latter comment. The family dynamic is the absolute heart and soul of the film. The film displays the kind of self-awareness I think superheroes would have if they couldn’t be super anymore. Having Craig T. Nelson voice Mr. Incredible is superb incredible casting. He has this sense of living a well-worn life, that deep down still hungers for the youthful sense of adventure. The nuances in the script are brilliant and a key reason to the film’s success, but Frozone is clearly poorly written and serves no reason other than to have a non-Caucasian in the film (insert token black character) and the villain? Pretty conventional, as The Incredibles features the Superman dilemma: so super, so perfect, the villain is always weaker as is the peril.

Still in the end, The Incredibles pretty much lives up to its name.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: The long wait for the film is wonderfully justified by Disney’s fine HD presentation. Colors are as bold as ever, deep blacks, fine details that are better here than on DVD and possibly the theatrical presentation, so HD fans should rejoice mightily. The DTS track is perhaps too loud, but who cares. Swooshes, booms, clanks, the sound mix is as aggressive as a superhero movie should be.

Two discs worth of extras, some new, some ported over from its DVD release.

Disc 1:

Commentaries: Director Brad Bird and producer John Walker share a wonderful chat that covers the world of the film, the creations, the ideas, and the animation. It’s really good stuff. The second track features the supervising animators and the animators for a fun, yet over-whelming track that’s really technical.

The Incredibles Revisited: Here’s a great 30-minute roundtable. The usual Pixar directors sit and chat about the film, which only enlightens the viewer. A must watch.

Boundin’: Here’s the short that preceded the film back in 2004 with optional commentary.In HD.

Jack-Jack Attack: Another short film, made for the DVD release a few years back, with optional commentary. In HD.

Disc 2:

Deleted Scenes, now in HD!: Unfinished scenes cut from the final film, with intros, and for the first time in HD, although they were cut for a reason.

The New Nomanisan: A Top Secret Redevelopment Plan: In HD, here’s a series a fun animated ads for a variety of Nomanisan-related things.

Paths to Pixar: Story Artists: This is an on-going series Pixar has been doing on their Blu-ray release, focusing on the storyboard artists.

Studio Stories: Gary’s Birthday and Ending with a Bang: Making the End Credits are the last two HD extras, as the rest are just ported over from the DVD release (The Making-Of; the character designs and featurettes; the Easter Eggs; Art and Publicity Gallery). An HD Teaser Trailer rounds out Disc Two.

Disc 3 is the DVD and Disc 4 is the Digital Copy.

The Film: Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray: Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Personally, I’m beyond the whole argument of what is entertainment. Sucker Punch is entertaining, it’s just not memorable or exciting.  To each their own, because it’s kind of crazy how Zack Snyder (Watchmen) inserted a couple cans of Rockstar Energy and the caffeine, ginseng, and taurine infused the CG to create some of the wackiest effects-laden spectacle in quite some time. If 300 was his attempt at “war porn”, then Sucker Punch is an exercise in making CG some sort of fetishistic porn sub-category. Just watch existing the theater, as some 15-year old World of Warcraft junkies might have messed themselves a few times during this.

So why is Sucker Punch a hollow experience? It boils down to story – you know, that old beast. As Snyder co-wrote the screenplay, he tries to “sucker punch” us in a slight of hand, but once the curtain is removed, instead of being sucker punched into a “wow”, we really were just M. Night Shyamalan’d. While there’s a tease of a couple of layers that the story could have went or followed or explored, we’re really just witnesses to one heck of a music video. Jena Malone and Emily Browning are great. The music is inspired and unique. The CG is top-notch. Sucker Punch is completely original (as original as mainstream cinema can get), yet its quaint to see brainless movie-making at its pinnacle.

All Sucker Punch ever was in the end, was a clever magician who marketed himself as something special, yet when he reached into his hat to grab the white rabbit, the rabbit wasn’t there.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

It’s a little unfair to start with ABC’s Batman from the late 1960s. We love Adam West as “The Light Knight”, but the outfit – campy, silly, with eyebrows, gray spandex body suit, and a construction worker utility belt – is just too easy to rip on, especially in light of Nolan’s Batman films. Furthermore, it fits in with the campy attitude of the show, that last three seasons and one movie. This is also true for Wonder Woman, starring Lynda Carter. You have to access the show within its context, and in that case, her classic outfit is just fine. And always will be.

Now, let’s flash forward.

Over the last decade, live-action DC Comics films have had some pretty awful costumes. The two biggest culprits were seen in Joel Schumacher’s 1997 film, Batman & Robin and in Catwoman (2004). In the last Batman film produced by Tim Burton, the suit was just an updated and refined look that the series has had ever since Micheal Keaton donned the cape and cowl in 1989. The two biggest changes to the suit – and are the subject of much fan dismay – were nipples and an enlarged codpiece. Why did Batman need nipples on his suit? Did Bats really need to accentuates his genital area? Schumacher explains on the DVD extras (here): “I had no idea that putting nipples on the Batsuit and Robin suit were going to spark international headlines. The bodies of the suits come from ancient Greek statues, which display perfect bodies. They are anatomically erotic.”

Over the years, many considered the relationship between Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson homosexual, something fans felt Schumacher focused on during the film, with certain shots off the heroes’ chest and buttocks. “It wasn’t so much the nipples that bothered me“, explained Chris O’Donnell that played Robin in an interview years later (here). “It was the codpiece. The press obviously played it up and made it a big deal, especially with Joel directing. I didn’t think twice about the controversy, but going back and looking and seeing some of the pictures, it was very unusual.”

The fetishism of the suit and hero is an odd choice, one where Schumacher really could never really recover from. “I was in a rubber suit and I had rubber nipples. I could have played Batman straight, but I made him gay, explained George Clooney to Barbra Waters (via Pink News).

The second biggest culprit was the suit of Catwoman, starring Halle Berry in 2004. The film had numerous other bad marks, but the suit didn’t help. Fresh off of her Oscar win in Monster’s Ball, the silly headpiece and shredded suit was meant to sell her sex appeal, something that helped Berry make a name for herself in Swordfish, where she bared her breasts. This outfit was especially troubling because it’s not practical for anything regarding fighting. “I thought because it was cut out, you got to see more of the muscles and sort of the spine and the sinewiness of a cat, so in my mind, it made sense,” Berry said in 2004 to the Houston Chronicle. “I think that helped sell the cat movements a little bit more than if I was completely restricted by fabric all over.”

Sex on the other hand…

Catwoman’s history – in comics and in film – has had a long standing tradition with sex appeal. From seduction (Julie Neymar, Earth Kitt) to temptation (Michelle Pfeiffer), there’s a brief yet respectable notion of her role as a woman in culture, no matter the times. The shredded leather Dominatrix look of Berry’s Catwoman was a huge misconception of sexuality. In Tim Burton’s sequel Batman Returns, Pfeiffer’s outfit match her fractured mentality. The suit was created by costume designer Jeff Gent, which had fragments of leather stitched in a home made suit. The suit became instantly iconic, amongst fans and runways. The key to Catwoman’s appeal is her tickling of both male and female sensuality not outright BDSM.

Less we forget about Steel (1997), starring NBA legend Shaq? Due to the success of The Death of Superman story arc, Steel was a by product of that, bringing John Henry Irons to film-life, all of which lead to a box office bomb. The suit didn’t help. Steel wears a Superman outfit made out of just that, steel, but the film’s outfit looks rather rubbery.

More recently, Hal Jordan is set to save the universe in Green Lantern, a huge summer tentpole film for both Warner Bros. and DC Comics. The film hopes to start a new franchise, something no other hero outside of Batman and Superman has done for DC. Initially, everything looks like the comics: Hal Jordan dons the mask, ring, and black suit and it translates really good…except the film makers controversial made actor Ryan Reynolds wear a mo-cap suit while filming, which in the final product, will give off a soft green glow (here). The backlash was quick and furious. Fans hated the look, marking another failed suit. Truthfully, all we have is a trailer and some stills, so further comments will be held off until after the film’s release.

Where does this leave Superman in the upcoming Man of Steel? Hopefully, in good hands. Despite rumors of the studio wanting CG Superman (that has recently been debunked - here), the film is being directed by Zack Snyder, who successfully (well, suit-wise) gave us Alan Moore’s DC Comics miniseries Watchmen, and is being “Godfathered” by Christopher Nolan, who successfully gave us a great looking Batman suit. With V for Vendetta, maybe DC Comics is batting .500, as times have changed for the better suit-wise. But fans will be biting their tongues in nervous anticipation for future adaptations of The Flash, Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises, amongst others.

Thoughts? Comment below!

Based loosely off of fantasy novels by author Kathryn Lasky, Snyder combines the first three books into this breezy 90 minute film, aiming at simplicity of the language of the novel’s stories that should make for an easy time understanding the story’s myths, rules, and characters. Kudos. Many felt his Watchmen adaptation, while admirably cohesive, was still too truncated. Still, one can’t help but see the story arc as an owl version of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. Legends, dark owl lords, a sweeping, dreamy epic, it’s easy to see a little Luke Skywalker in Soren and Vader in Metal Beak.

But within these conventions, Snyder fills it with some different elements, not seen in talking-animal films. Using the books as a backdrop, as well as having such creatures as the species of owls, Snyder uses and offers us up a world that while feels weird, is equally as unique. I’m sure the story’s simplicity and conventions will turn off some that want something deeper in their fantasy films, but who-who-who are you to be not lost in the visual Thanksgiving feast that Snyder offers? A bar in digital animation has been raised, even if slightly, for realism is echoed here, using the 3D not as a gimmick but a visual device to wrap us up in something that usually isn’t seen in film. It’s a storybook come to life.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Film:

The Losers is caught in between a rock and a hard place. It really doesn’t know what to do, or precisely where to go. On one hand, there’s a great deal of fun with the tongue-in-cheek attitude it has, but on the other, it’s weakly plotted, something it tries hard to hide, yet with all of the “cool” slow-motion-and there’s a ton of it-we get some time to think, that this razzle-dazzle is a failed magician’s trick, in hiding its plot. You’ll juggle these back and forth, weighing the options. Does it hurt your liking of it, or will you enjoy it for what it is?

Despite feeling like a car in neutral, The Losers is B-level action entertainment at a matinee price. It’s never too early to enjoy some popcorn.

Its set-up is rudimentary. Some mercenaries go after their double-crosser after a failed attempt at killing them off. Insert plenty of bullets. Somehow, director Sylvain White takes that one sentence and spread it out for 96 minutes, through some slick editing and cinematography. It’s stylized, and while nothing new, it gives the film some edge-I hate that word, but it does-that makes the film glide, when the plot is meandering from point A to B. The film’s biggest boon, is the casting. While certainly not names (yet), the cast really keeps the film afloat. Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen) is good, Jason Patric is super slimy, but it’s Chris Evans (Fantastic Four) and Zoe Saldana (Avatar) that steal the film. Evans’ scenes are the best. He’s goofy, but yet not too-over-the-top for the film. Don’t stop believin’…Zoe is marvelous, yet again.

The Losers is based on a DC/Vertigo comic book series, which is DC’s grittier line of stories. Oddly, the film ducks away from violence, even though bullets fly by and into people. I doubt the R-rating would have added much. Even though I really enjoyed the banter between the characters, the tongue-in-cheek swagger, the editing, when you see the opening montage, then the limp sequel-ready ending, it’s an unneeded bad taste in our mouths. This reveals that the whole thing was a little stale from the beginning. A little bit more punch and The Losers would’ve been a winner.

But it does have a cool bazooka moment, so I can’t be that hard on it.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video:Warner issues a HD presentation that will leave you burnt by the picture and the audio, all in a good way. The picture is obviously stylized, but that doesn’t hurt the HD. Colors and brightness are purposely overdone, to give this hot, sweaty appearance to the film. Blacks are very deep and details are extremely sharp. The picture is as pristine as the definition of that word. The DTS track is really insane. I’ve experienced plenty of solid action films in HD, yet the DTS here is loud, bassy, and intense. Sounds typical for an action flick, huh? Well just make sure you take the pictures off of the walls, nobody’s home on youhttp://www.killerfilm.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=40008r block, and a pair of ear plugs-just in case. It’s stellar.

Band of Buddies: Ops Training: In HD, the three mini-featurettes here explore the action, the stylized appearance of the said action, and the Puerto Rico shoot. Light and quick.

Zoe and the Losers: In HD, an EPK-type of interview with clips about the beautiful Zoe Saldana for 6 minutes.

Action-Style Storytelling: The creators of the comic, Andy Diggle and artist Jock talk about the book, the film, and their intentions with the stories. Great for comic fans.

A nice little Deleted Scene that should have been left in; First Look: Batman: Under the Red Hood clip; Trailer, a separate DVD and Digital Copy, and BD-Live round out the extras.

The Film: Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray: Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

With The Last Airbender following suit, and to critical panning (even though the 3D is the least of that film’s issues), the backlash has stalled talks on making Sucker Punch in 3D. But this is a good thing. They haven’t mastered the post-production conversion yet, and with films like How to Train Your Dragon and Avatar showing audiences how 3D is supposed to be done, his wife/producer summed it up best: “we just haven’t felt like we’ve seen that proof yet. Visually, Zack’s done an amazing job. It’s such a spectacle in and of itself and it’s so fantastical that it doesn’t really need the 3-D.”

Snyder talks to MTV about his feelings on it: “We’ve looked at a bunch of conversions, so whether or not we have the time to do it right — I’m not going to do it if we don’t have the time to really be meticulous with it,” he said. “It’s such an awesome piece of work and everyone’s worked so hard to make it awesome, so I don’t want to screw it up with bad 3-D.” Then don’t. Thoughts?

Source: /Film

The Losers

Despite feeling like a car in neutral, The Losers is B-level action entertainment at a matinee price. It’s never too early to enjoy some popcorn.

Its set-up is rudimentary. Some mercenaries go after their double-crosser after a failed attempt at killing them off. Insert plenty of bullets. Somehow, director Sylvain White takes that one sentence and spread it out for 96 minutes, through some slick editing and cinematography. It’s stylized, and nothing new, but gives the film some edge-I hate that word, but it does-that makes the film glide, when the plot is meandering from point A to B. To the film’s biggest boon, is the casting. While certainly not names (yet), the cast really keeps the film afloat. Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen) is good, Jason Patric is super slimy, but it’s Chris Evans (Fantastic Four) and Zoe Saldana (Avatar) that steal the film. Evans’ scenes are the best. He’s goofy, but yet not too-over-the-top for the film. Don’t stop believin’…Zoe is marvelous, yet again.

The Losers is based on a DC/Vertigo comic book series, which is DC’s grittier line of stories. Oddly, the film ducks away from violence, even though bullets fly by and into people. I doubt the R-rating would have added much. Even though I really enjoyed the banter between the characters, the tongue-in-cheek swagger, the editing, when you see the opening montage, then the limp sequel-ready ending, it’s an unneeded bad taste in our mouths. This reveals that the whole thing was a little stale from the beginning. A little bit more punch and The Losers would’ve been a winner.

But it does have a cool bazooka moment, so I can’t be that hard on it.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The 36th Annual Saturn Awards takes place on June 24th in Burbank, California.

Best Science Fiction Film

• The Book of Eli (Warner Bros)
• Knowing (Summit Entertainment)
• Moon (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Star Trek (Paramount)
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Paramount)
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine (20th Century Fox)

Best Fantasy Film

• Avatar (20th Century Fox)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Warner Bros)
• The Lovely Bones (Paramount)
• The Time Traveler’s Wife (Warner Bros.)
• Watchmen (Warner Bros.)
• Where the Wild Things Are (Warner Bros.)

Best Horror Film

• The Box (Warner Bros.)
• Drag Me to Hell (Universal)
• Frozen (Anchor Bay Films)
• The Last House on the Left (Rogue / Universal)
• The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Summit Entertainment)
• Zombieland (Sony)

Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film

• 2012 (Sony)
• Brothers (Lionsgate)
• The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)
• Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Co.)
• Law Abiding Citizen (Overture)
• The Messenger (Oscilloscope Pictures)
• Sherlock Holmes (Warner Bros.)

Best Actor

• Robert Downey, Jr. (Sherlock Holmes) (Warner Bros.)
• Tobey Maguire (Brothers) (Lionsgate)
• Viggo Mortensen (The Road) (The Weinstein Co.)
• Sam Rockwell (Moon) (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Denzel Washington (The Book of Eli) (Warner Bros.)
• Sam Worthington (Avatar) (20th Century Fox)

Best Actress

• Catherine Keener (Where the Wild Things Are) (Warner Bros.)
• Melanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds) (The Weinstein Co.)
• Alison Lohman (Drag Me to Hell) (Universal)
• Natalie Portman (Brothers) (Lionsgate)
• Zoe Saldana (Avatar) (20th Century Fox)
• Charlize Theron (The Burning Plain) (Magnolia)

Best Supporting Actor

• Woody Harrelson (Zombieland) (Sony)
• Stephen Lang (Avatar) (20th Century Fox)
• Frank Langella (The Box) (Warner Bros.)
• Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes) (Warner Bros.)
• Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones) (Paramount)
• Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) (The Weinstein Co.)

Best Supporting Actress

• Malin Akerman (Watchmen) (Warner Bros.)
• Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds) (The Weinstein Co.)
• Rachel McAdams (Sherlock Holmes) (Warner Bros.)
• Lorna Raver (Drag Me to Hell) (Universal)
• Susan Sarandon (The Lovely Bones) (Paramount)
• Sigourney Weaver (Avatar) (20th Century Fox)

Best Performance by a Younger Actor

• Taylor Lautner (The Twilight Saga: New Moon) (Summit Entertainment)
• Bailee Madison (Brothers) (Lionsgate)
• Brooklynn Proulx (The Time Traveler’s Wife) (Warner Bros.)
• Max Records (Where the Wild Things Are) (Warner Bros.)
• Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones) (Paramount)
• Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road) (The Weinstein Co.)

Best Director

• J.J. Abrams (Star Trek) (Paramount)
• Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) (Summit Entertainment)
• Neill Blomkamp (District 9) (Sony)
• James Cameron (Avatar) (20th Century Fox)
• Guy Ritchie (Sherlock Holmes) (Warner Bros.)
• Zack Snyder (Watchmen) (Warner Bros.)
• Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds) (The Weinstein Co.)

Best Writing

• Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell (District 9) (Sony)
• James Cameron (Avatar) (20th Century Fox)
• Spike Jonze, Dave Eggers (Where the Wild Things Are) (Warner Bros.)
• Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci (Star Trek) (Paramount)
• Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds) (The Weinstein Co.)
• Alex Tse, David Hayter (Watchmen) (Warner Bros.)

Best Music

• Brian Eno (The Lovely Bones) (Paramount)
• Michael Giacchino (Up) (Walt Disney/Pixar)
• James Horner (Avatar) (20th Century Fox)
• Taro Iwashiro (Red Cliff) (Magnolia)
• Christopher Young (Drag Me To Hell) (Universal)
• Hans Zimmer (Sherlock Holmes) (Warner Bros.)

Best Costume

• Colleen Atwood (Nine) (The Weinstein Co.)
• Jenny Beavan (Sherlock Holmes) (Warner Bros.)
• Anna Sheppard (Inglourious Basterds) (The Weinstein Co.)
• Jany Temime (Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince) (Warner Bros.)
• Michael Wilkinson (Watchmen) (Warner Bros.)
• Tim Yip (Red Cliff) (Magnolia)

Best Make-Up

• Barney Burman, Minday Hall, Joel Harlow (Star Trek) (Paramount)
• Joe Dunckley, Sarah Rubano, Frances Richardson (District 9) (Sony)
• Sarah Monzani (The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus) (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Gregory Nicotero, Howard Berger (The Book of Eli) (Warner Bros.)
• Gregory Nicotero, Howard Berger (Drag Me to Hell) (Universal)
• Mike Smithson, John Rosengrant (Terminator: Salvation) (Warner Bros.)

Best Production Design

• Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg (Avatar) (20th Century Fox)
• Scott Chambliss (Star Trek) (Paramount)
• Stuart Craig (Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince) (Warner Bros.)
• Sarah Greenwood (Sherlock Holmes) (Warner Bros.)
• Philip Ivey (District 9) (Sony)
• Alex McDowell (Watchmen) (Warner Bros.)

Best Special Effects

• Tim Burke, John Richardson, Nicholas Aithadi, Tim Alexander – (Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince) (Warner Bros.)
• John DesJardin, Peter G. Travers, Joel Whist, Jessica Norman – (Watchmen) (Warner Bros.)
• Volker Engel, Marc Weingert, Mike Vezina – (2012) (Sony)
• Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh, Burt Dalton – (Star Trek) (Paramount)
• Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros, Matt Aitken – (District 9) (Sony)
• Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham, Andrew R. Jones – (Avatar) (20th Century Fox)

Best International Film

• District 9 (Sony)
• The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Lorna’s Silence (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Red Cliff (Magnolia)
• Taken (20th Century Fox)
• Thirst (Focus Features)

Best Animated Film

• Disney’s A Christmas Carol (Walt Disney Studios)
• Fantastic Mr. Fox (20th Century Fox)
• Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (20th Century Fox)
• Monsters Vs. Aliens (Paramount/DreamWorks)
• The Princess and the Frog (Walt Disney Studios)
• Up (Walt Disney Studios/Pixar)

Best Network TV Series

• Chuck (NBC)
• Fringe (Fox)
• The Ghost Whisperer (CBS)
• Heroes (NBC)
• Lost (ABC)
• The Vampire Diaries (CW)

Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series

• Breaking Bad (AMC)
• Battlestar Galactica (SyFy)
• The Closer (TNT)
• Dexter (Showtime)
• Leverage (TNT)
• True Blood (HBO)

Best Television Presentation

• Doctor Who: The End of Time (BBC America)
• Alice (SyFy)
• The Prisoner (AMC)
• Torchwood: Children of Earth (BBC America)
• The Tudors (Showtime)
• V (ABC)

Best Actor in Television

• Josh Holloway (Lost) (ABC)
• Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) (AMC)
• Matthew Fox (Lost) (ABC)
• Michael C. Hall (Dexter) (Showtime)
• Zachary Levi (Chuck) (NBC)
• Stephen Moyer (True Blood) (HBO)
• David Tennant (Doctor Who: The End of Time) (BBC America)

Best Actress on Television

• Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad) (AMC)
• Jennifer Love Hewitt (The Ghost Whisperer) (CBS)
• Evangeline Lily (Lost) (ABC)
• Anna Paquin (True Blood) (HBO)
• Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) (TNT)
• Anna Torv (Fringe) (Fox)

Best Supporting Actor on Television

• Jeremy Davies (Lost) (ABC)
• Michael Emerson (Lost) (ABC)
• Aldis Hodge (Leverage) (TNT)
• Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) (AMC)
• John Noble (Fringe) (Fox)
• Alexander Skarsgard (True Blood) (HBO)

Best Supporting Actress in Television

• Morena Baccarin (V) (ABC)
• Gina Bellman (Leverage) (TNT)
• Julie Benz (Dexter) (Showtime)
• Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter) (Showtime)
• Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost) (ABC)
• Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) (NBC)

Best Guest Starring Role in Television

• Bernard Cribbins (Doctor Who: The End of Time) (BBC America)
• Raymond Cruz (Breaking Bad) (AMC)
• Michelle Forbes (True Blood) (HBO)
• John Lithgow (Dexter) (Showtime)
• Leonard Nimoy (Fringe) (ABC)
• Mark Pellegrino (Lost) (ABC)

Best DVD Release

• House of the Devil (Dark Sky/Magnet)
• Laid to Rest (Anchor Bay)
• Not Forgotten (Anchor Bay)
• Nothing But the Truth (Sony)
• Pontypool (MPI)
• Super Capers (Lionsgate)
• Surveillance (Magnolia)

Best DVD Television Release

• Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead (BBC America)
• Torchwood: Children of Earth (BBC America)
• Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete Second Season (Warner)
• Primeval, Volume 2 (BBC America)
• Lost: The Complete Fifth Season (Buena Vista)
• Life on Mars: The Complete Series (Buena Vista)

Best DVD Special Edition

• Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut (Warner)
• 300 Complete Experience (Warner)
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Blu-Ray) (Walt Disney)
• District 9 (Two-Disc Edition) (Sony)
• Terminator 2: Judgement Day: Skynet Edition (Lionsgate)
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Two Disc Special Edition) (Fox)

Best Collection

• Columbia Pictures Film Noir Classics, Volume 1 (Sony)
• The Hannibal Lector Anthology (MGM)
• Hellraiser Boxed Set (Anchor Bay)
• Icons of Sci-Fi: Toho Collection (Sony)
• Star Trek Original Motion Picture Collection (Paramount)
• The William Castle Collection (Sony)

DC Entertainment is expected to come clean with several of it’s properties and what will happen to them in the feature film sector. It’s already well known to Watchmen movie fans that director Zack Snyder would not have any form of participation if in fact a sequel or prequel did arise from DC.

With the director gone and even actors like Malin Akerman questioning whether or not it would be a good idea, what do you think? Do you even care enough of the big screen adaptation of the popular Alan Moore graphic novel to be upset about it warranting a sequel? Or do you think that DC Entertainment is out of their mind and digging a bigger hole of crap for themselves if they do go through with this sequel?

Each critic will admit to something different, but after you un-belt your pants, due to all of the food you just ate, sit back and relax, and let’s give thanks to these five, for making 2009 pretty cool:

5- The Return of Horror – It seems to run in cycles, every few years horror becomes good again, after a drought, this year was a stellar year. Now, to each their own, but I was pleasantly pleased with the vast majority of horror this year, ranging from studio films, indie, direct-to-DVD, everything seemed to click. Vampires are all the rage again, thanks (or not) to Twilight, but somewhere lost in the talk of vampires, was the re-emergence of the slasher. Robert Hall’s Laid to Rest featured a mean, slick new killer in ChromeSkull, violent, ultra bloody deaths, and felt like a proper film a slasher should be. Dave Parker’s Hills Run Red felt that way too.

In the mainstream, Jason returned in a decent remake and so did Harry Warden in a 3-D My Bloody Valentine. Cheap thrills, but lots of fun. For me, the slasher that stands tall this year was The Collector. Inventive, sick, violent, and a super cool new killer in the Collector, this flick hurt me. Huh? I took a dear friend, and due to the film’s intensity and level of gore, she put a death grip on my arm, so much so, that she left little bruises where her fingers were. Thanks Marcus Dunstan!

Slashers aside, Drag Me to Hell rocked, Grace was neat, Haunted World of el Superbeasto was worth the wait, Orphan surprised, Trick ‘r Treat is a new classic, Saw VI was an impressive capper, Paranormal Activity was the scariest thing since Bush was elected to a second term, Zombieland was all sorts of awesome, and while there were a few clunkers, can we say thanks for Horror’s return in 2009?

4 – Steven Soderbergh - Three diverse genres, three awesome films. Sometimes, we are lucky enough to get one good film every3-4 years from a director, but Soderbergh gave us three great films, and all completely different from one another. In Che, he gave us an epic 5 and a half hour bio on the radical Che Guevara. It’s a long sweeping film, covering two key areas of his life. Del Toro IS Che, and owns the role in a completely gripping manner. The battle scenes are loud and spontaneous, but just as interesting as the psychology of Che. Should be a great Criterion disc, when they release it.

Soderbergh.

The Girlfriend Experience gets Soderbergh in his “let’s pick up an HD camera, and film something” mentality, and he films the gorgeous beyond words, Sasha Grey. Interesting, clever, experimental, the film lands itself a month prior to the election of Barack Obama, finding conversation on the crashing economy on the tips of everyone’s tongue, even that of a callgirl. Grey is really good in her first non-porn film, and his HD films are always worth a look.

Finally, Soderbergh’s The Informant! proves 2009 was the year of Soderbergh, as this film does an about face from the prior two, and is a dark humored look at shady pricing in the food industry. I’ll agree these three films aren’t masterpieces and are at times a bit flawed, but I’ll be damned if Soderbergh didn’t give me something to talk about after seeing these films, making me thankful a director like Soderbergh doesn’t flinch at taking chances, and never repeats himself.

3- X-Men: The Animated Series on DVD…finally! – Well, what took so long? Seriously though, the rights issue debacle kept this wonderful series in limbo forever. Luckily, I’m not the only rabid fan of this show out there, as this was the most request TV series around, and thankfully, Buena Vista/Disney listened! With all the hype for these discs, one thing was lost to us: would they hold up after over a decade of being out of syndication?

The classic animated show returns.

Quickly, after popping in Volume 1, the answer was yes, they are still as good as they were all those years ago. Sadly, there’s no extras on these discs, but lucky for you, I’m a huge nerd for this wonderful animated show, and if you search around, I got interviews with the producers, writers, and voice cast, making me incredibly thankful to relive each of the episodes forever…in constant loop…forever…and ever.

2 – Ramin Bahrani – Goodbye Solo is a superb film, one of the year’s best, and yet why are only myself and Ebert championing this great, young American independent director? Last year, his Chop Shop was one of the best reviewed movies of that year, and again, with Goodbye Solo it too, is one of the year’s best reviewed films. What is it with Bahrani that we love? He is incredibly sincere, and it shows within his films. Mature characters that are wholly American, even if their nationality is not of European descent. Bahrani usually works with so-called non-actors, and has a very still approach to his visual style, all of which sucks you up into the story he is telling. Powerful, moving, and all independent, I mean true, blue independent.

Bahrani directing.

He’ll shoot a movie with a $1.oo or $100,000, doesn’t matter because the end result is so moving and well-done, all you can say is thank you. Thank you, Mr. Bahrani for making a superb film in Goodbye Solo and being a true filmmaker. You know characters and stories worth telling, and you don’t cheat the audience or the characters. Hollywood is too shortsighted for your talents; do what you do, and continue, because your film is perhaps the best film of 2009.

1 – Blu-ray – Isn’t it silly to give thanks to a format, nearly three years old? They finally got it right this year, after finding themselves through innovation and quality. Discs are cheaper now, players have came down in price, and our favorite films have come out in stunning HD. What’s not to love? Sadly, the weak economy has put a damper on Blu-ray, because people, at least half, are strapped for cash, and currently DVD works for them. Also, Blu-ray has been fighting a tougher enemy than HD-DVD was: Digital downloading and online streaming. Despite the economy and downloading, Blu-ray is a head, and here is why:

First, the economy. Now, times might be tough, and something like a $20-$30 disc isn’t a top priority for some. Cool, but recessions always end, and we love movies. As soon as the economy picks up a bit more, and disc and player prices keep this new lower price tags, the Average Joe (a key buyer us film fans forget) will jump on board. Why? Well, he/she has already bought the HDTV, and has enjoyed either seeing HD movies via cable or satellite or have witnessed an upconverted DVD. It’s cool, and with these lower prices, and that $1000-$3000 TV sitting there, he/she will want to maximize that unit.

Two, don’t underestimate us film fans. We love movies, and Blu-ray is offering our favorites in 1080p, sometimes in stunning restorations, and solid extras. The collecting mentality can be squashed by the majority’s decisions, see Laserdisc’s quick life that was lost to DVD, but DVD made everyone into a collector. Collectors are gamers too, and the PS3 is the best Blu-ray player on the market.

Third, Digital downloading and online streaming will only cut into the rental market, not home video. I know, there are some saps that illegally download films, and I don’t know why. Why would you do that, when you forked over over a $1000 for an HD TV, maybe over $300 plus on surround sound, a $50 or more HDMI cable, to watch a shaky cam in Thai subtitles or a shoddy 480p copy, when you shelled out that much on that equipment? You really want to sit in front of your computer all day watch a film? Not me, and not people who love the cinema. I’ll admit, if that’s one thing that is holding back Blu-ray, it’s the fact that there’s a handful of things to do, in order to get the best picture and sound. First, a quality HDTV that’s 1080p and preferably 120HZ. Next, surround sound, and one that’s a separate receiver, with a speaker set, and a 10 inch sub. Then the cables, and a player. Expensive, yes, but worth in the long run.

I don’t mean to sound like a sales rep for Blu-ray. I am and will always be, a film fan. Blu-ray offers me my favorite movies, regardless of age, genre, color, black and white, the best possible experience. Blu-ray got it right this year. Watchmen from WB was a superb disc, Repulsion from Criterion proved why Blu-ray is the format of choice for black and white films, Up was so good it hurt my eyes (in a good way), I could go on and on, about my favorite discs, but I just got to thank this format for being the end all, be all in home video for years to come.

That’s what I’m thankful for this year, what about you? Feel free to leave a comment or email me at jon@killerfilm.com

It’s New Release Tuesday for November 10^th, and Killer Film has got you covered today on what’s being released. Did you know you can order from Amazon by clicking on the cover art? If you don’t know, now you know…

Up

Want an incredible film? Here you go! Funny, inspiring, emotional, everything you want in a film, Pixar-again-delivers. (Formats: Blu-ray/DVD) Jon says: Buy Donny says: Buy

The Ugly Truth

I’m sure all of you rom-com lovers ate this up. Us on the other hand? Not so much. (Formats: Blu-ray/DVD) Jon says: Rent Donny says: Rent

Enlighten Up!

One of the surprise films of this year, is Kate Churchill’s documentary on yoga. Yes, you heard right. The film follows a skeptic as he and Kate hope through learning the art, he’ll gain some sort of enlightenment. What transpires is more enlightening than that thought. A must see. Read my DVD review and as well as my interview with Kate soon. (Formats: DVD only) Jon says: Buy Donny says: Buy

Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut

If I’m correct, this is an extended cut, even longer than the Director’s Cut. You’ll also get the Motion Comic and the Tales of the Black Freighter, with the latter being reinserted into the film. Look for some all new extras as well. (Formats: Blu-ray/DVD) Jon says: Rent Donny says: Buy

Ballast

Finally! Kino releases one of my favorite films from 2008 today, and fans of great indie films should seek this out ASAP. (Formats: Blu-ray/DVD) Jon says: Buy Donny says: Buy

New to Blu

Heat

Godzilla (1998)

Logan’s Run

Monster’s Inc.

Red Heat

Near Dark

As always, keep it here at Killer Film for reviews of these discs and more!

Source: You Tube

The Film:

It doesn’t take a genius to see that the world has problems

Dr. Manhattan believes that there is no fate, no destiny, that things happen as they are meant to, and as such it seems like things were happening when it came time to film the un-filmable. The world has become accustomed to seeing film versions of their favorite heroes. Technology has reached a point today, where anything imagined is possible. Projects that seemed too expensive have now reached a point where it is possible to fund an expensive endeavor and make back your investment. Zack Snyder, a promising young director has toyed with big budgets, technology, and has created some visually interesting films, only hindered by simple scripts.

Perhaps matching Snyder’s visuals with a Hugo Award winning graphic novel, once claimed by Time magazine to be one of the 100 best novels written in the 20^th Century, with the current climate of superhero films, everything seemed to have happened in sync with natural gravitation to a center: Watchmen.

Maybe someone’s picking off costumed heroes

Alan Moore is perhaps one of the best writers in comics today. His books are so intimate and complex, it takes more to unwedge his narratives and reconstruct them into a cohesive unit. I think this version of Watchmen is the most accessible way to portray a film version of it. Books and films are two different animals; while they can be translated into each other, one must accept the medium’s way of existing to appreciate a translation. Books are as intimate as any medium. A writer can construct a narrative as personal as they wish, but when another writer attempts to adapt it into film, one must understand that the intimacy from the book must be sometimes lost to tell a story through moving images.

David Hayter and Alex Tse, the screenwriters have done a very admiral job of adapting this long, complex, holy grail of comics, into a story that is able to be filmed. They do make some errors, one that is an unfortunate product of them trying to stick so close to the comic to appease the die-hard fans. It’s the way they choose to adapt the comic pages almost verbatim that is an attempt to please the loyal fans, that makes the film feel so stale at times.

While most of the film is exact in its translation from the page to the screen, the images ring hollow since there’s little straying away and exploring the images further. Allow these characters in this world, an alternate 1985, to breathe and live. They do not, especially in the beginning and only when the picture winds to its climax that it feels alive. It was a Catch-22 for them; stray away and alienate the fan base, or stick so close to please them. They didn’t find that middle ground that could’ve made this picture soar.

Why would I save a world I no longer have a stake in?

Whether Zack Snyder was the right man for the job will be debatable perhaps forever, or until the world needs another Watchmen film, but he finds the middle ground between his visual style and the comic panel art by Dave Gibbons. He’s known for his use of slow motion, and in films like his 300, it stuck out as over-stylization. Here it works, and I think it’s because of the superhero action these films need that it does work. I’m sure he’ll have his distracters, but his style never outshines the narrative or the characters, and it flows perfectly with the images.

For anyone wishing they one day see a movie of Watchmen, I can’t imagine them thinking they get one where the comic panel art seem to be moving. Yes, one credit to the screenplay is the images are like Gibbons art, only with three-dimensionality and real actors, faithfully recreated.

If Snyder has one hiccup it isn’t visual but audio. His uses of licensed music, “All Along the Watchtower” by Hendrix or “Times They Are A’Changing” by Dylan, are meant to highlight the themes of Watchmen‘s world but only aggravate the ears. Tyler Bates crafted a decent score only served in limited use compared to the music he chose. It underscores some scenes, like Silk Spectre’s and Nite Owl sex scene with “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen.

The world will look up and shout “Save us!”…and I’ll whisper, “No.”

I tend to think of the film like a plastic funnel you use to pour oil into your car. At first, it’s full and thick, unable to go anywhere. The film starts too slow. I know it is setting up the film and its themes, but each scene followed by the next feels too episodic for us to be drawn in. The pacing of everything seems to be off and on. Anytime we’re given Rorschach the film feels alive for a rare time. He’s the star and Jackie Earle Haley shines in the role. Billy Crudup also excels in a pure motion-capture character of Dr. Manhattan. He collects this distance but is totally human underneath the blue CGI. In fact, the cast is all really good, but these two are the stars and excel at it.

As the oil slowly makes its way down the funnel, everything becomes organized much like here; the film seems at peace with itself by the midway point. Everything is starting to align and makes more sense. It was these earlier scenes, too episodic to help the picture than hindered it. By the time oil leaves the funnel completely, everything is clearer and is accomplished. The film by the end does benefit from the time spent setting up the theme and the climax, but it took a while to get there.

Watchmen is as good as it needed to be. It’s not great, but really good. Good enough to please most fans and the average film goer looking for something a bit more than action, but in the end, it failed to show why it’s like the Citizen Kane of graphic novels.

The Director’s Cut

Running nearly 24 minutes longer, making the overall feature’s running time a whopping 186 minutes, the only question is if these extras scenes help or hinder the film. Unfortunately, it’s a bit too complicated to give a short answer too. The graphic novel’s die-hard fans will cherish these added scenes of dialogue and back story, like the murder of the original Nite Owl, more Nixon bits, and more Silk Spectre scenes. For the average fan of just the film, these are barely noticable. I even had a hard time locating them. The film does feel a bit more alive than the shorter theatrical cut, at times I noticed it felt stale, and the editing of these new scenes back into the feature are as smooth as I have ever seen a new cut put together. That helps making the film feel complete. I will say that while these scenes are not Earth-shattering, there inclusion back into the film, rather than just used as bonus material filler for the DVD/Blu Ray, make the film feel more nuanced. This cut of Watchmen is a slight improvement of the theatrical cut, for sure.

The Blu Ray:

Audio/Video: I don’t blame any Watchmen fan for having considerable high expectations for this release, and simply put, WB has excelled in this department. The audio is their first ever DTS track for Blu Ray, and it’s superb. Each little detail in the audio is faithfully recreated here; loud bass, active surrounds, but the music and dialogue really shine. I hope WB uses more DTS tracks in the future. The video is equally as superb. The colors are vivid, but this film uses a lot of dark blues, blacks, and other like-minded hues, and this is where the high definition print excels. I’m running out of praise for this disc, so I’ll end it saying it’s near WB’s best Blu Ray releases.

Maximum Movie Mode: This is an exclusive just for the Blu Ray release, and it acts as a pseudo-documentary/commentary rolled into one. Director Zack Snyder stands in between two screens, one the finished film, the other uses storyboards or comic-to-screen panels, unfinished FX, all to serve as a one-stop film class with Snyder. I’ll admit, the film is long, so this too is long, but worth the time to dig through this. I hope WB, or even other studios, adopt new bonus materials like this. This is really tapping into the Blu Ray technology.

Focus Points: In HD, runs 40 minutes, and acts as a Cliff Notes version to the “Maximum Movie Mode”, for those who just want the big stuff dissected.

Real Super Heroes-Real Vigilantes: In HD, this is a wicked cool piece dealing with real-life vigilantes and how they are romanticized. Runs 26 minutes and is definitely worth watching.

Mechanics: Technologies of a Fantastic World: In HD, we get an interview with Dr. James Kakalios, a real life professor of physics, and he offers up a plausible scenario for the world of the Watchmen to exist in our world today. It’s unique and geeky, and totally interesting.

The Phenomenon: The Comic that Changed Comics: This explores the history of the comic and how it changed the industry. Obviously, Alan Moore doesn’t appear, but all involved here offer some good analysis.

Music Video and the Digital Copy round out the extras.

Conclusion: Was it worth the wait? For Moore and Watchmen fans yes, for the rest, it was a really good film. The WB Blu Ray is one of the best on the market. Own it.

The Film: Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Blu Ray: Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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