Fast 5 (2011)

Dwayne 'the Rock' Johnson + Vin Diesel + Drug Lords + Fast Muscle Cars + Hot Chicks + Guns + Pyrotechnics = Hell Yeah!

The Skinny: Vin Diesel reprises his role as Dominic from the Fast and the Furious taking on drug lords with his team of raiders and racers, with the Rock as a Federal Agent gunning after him. 

The Helmer: Justin Lin (Community (TV) 2009 - 2010) / Fast Furious (2009) / La Revolucion de Iguodala (2007) / Finishing the Game: The Search for Bruce Lee (2007) / The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) / Annapolis (2006) / Sportlighting (2005) / Better Luck Tomorrow (2002) / Crossover (2000) / Shopping for Fangs (1997)

The Casts: Dwayne Johnson / Vin Diesel / Paul Walker / Gal Gadot / Jordana Brewster / Elsa Pataky / Sung Kang / Tyrese Gibson / Ludacris 

The Prediction: This'll work. How can it not? Nuff said.

Official Trailer

Wiki on Fast Five  

Unkown (2011)

Who would've thought that by the end of the first decade of the millennium Liam Neeson, 58 YEARS OLD, is the new face of action. The mature, remarkably adept man taking care of businesswith swift fatal blows to the head and neck. 

The Skinny: A doctor traveling in Berlin gets involved in an auto accident only to wake up 4 days later to a whole new nightmare: his wife claims to not know him, someone's stolen his identity and living his life, and a group of sinister assassins are unleashed to rub him out. Whats a guy to do but employ some good old fashioned ass-kicking all around?

The Tagline: Take Back Your Life 

Release Date: Somewhere early 2011

The Helmer: Jaume Collet-Serra

Orphan (2009)

Goal II: Living the Dream

House of Wax (2005)

The Casts: 

Liam Neeson

January Jones

Diane Kruger

Frank Langella

The Prediction: You definitely can't go wrong with superstars and their action role. Its not so much the direction, but the actor himself and the screenplay. So if these two items work together well, then you've got a hit. Its also to some extent dependent on the genre employed, which in this case is an action thriller, and deeper still, about a desperate man of action. You know theres going to be ass-kicking, and you know someone somewhere is just waiting to be medievel'd on, with or without pliers and blowtorch. If you check out the trailer its more Bourne Identity than Taken, with the memory loss part, and the sketchy and dubious idea of identity; is he really who he believes he is? The only slight deviation would be the involvement of 'wife' and the 'husband' who has taken over his life completely. Its a nice touch to have it in Berlin, the stage for many explosive espionage action, and the blue-grey hue of the entire movie works well with the theme of greyness.

Official Trailer

Official Site

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)

In the wonderful world of 'what-ifs', also known as movieland, we have a new entrant. What if santa clause was actually a vicious evil creature who fed on the flesh of innocent children? What if his happy helping elves were actually dark soldiers of his evil army? I give you then, ladies and germs... Rare Exports!

The Skinny: Swedish scientists unearth the 'real' santa clause who is not really a rotund bearded ginormous-bellied ho-ho'ing man of mirth, but is instead a violent ruthless evil creature who eats little children, only to have the helper elves go medieval on their asses ... read imdb.com's synopsis:

"In the depths of the Korvatunturi mountains, 486 metres deep, lies the closest ever guarded secret of Christmas. The time has come to dig it up! This Christmas everyone will believe in Santa Claus."

The Helmer: Jalmari Helander, 

 

The Casts: Tommi Korpela,

Per Christian llefsen,

Jorma Tommila,

Jonathan Hutchings 

The Prediction: This is a Finnish movie from Finland. Doesnt exactly scream Hollywood does it? But looking at the trailer, it looks very, very interesting. And promising.

Trailer

Official site

Twith films review

Sanctum (2010)

James Cameron is today, what Steven Spielberg was yesterday and Walt Disney was the day before. Their names alone can draw in the punters like ball bearings to magnet, mice to cheese, mozzies to blood and the average male to playboy bunnies. You just can't go wrong with movies directed, made and produced by these dudes. And its all worth it because their films are pretty much put together; you will be entertained, and you will voluntarily pay money for it. Which brings us to the next movie tagged under Cameron's behemoth-like name. From the outset it looks like a "The Abyss" all over again. And if it is true, then its a good thing because "The Abyss" kicked 90s movie ass back in the day. 

The Skinny: Taken from imd.com: "An underwater cave diving team experiences a life-threatening crisis during an expedition to the unexplored and least accessible cave system in the world."

The Helmer: Alister Grierson

The Casts: Richard Roxburgh, Rhys Wakefield, Alice Parkinson, Dan Wyllie, Christopher Baker, Allison Cratchley, John Garvin

The Prediction: This looks pretty good actually, even though its not directed by Cameron himself it is in fact produced by him. Which good be a better thing, when you think about it. Especially in light of the commencement of Avatar 2 and 3 in the works. So is this going to be another Abyss? It can be, and if it is then we're in for a treat. Plus, its going to be in 3D. Surprise surprise. Not. So yeah, watch it when it comes out because like all bees to honey, we just can say no to Cameron can we?

Trailer

slashfilm's take on Sanctum

Paul (2011)

Dude-ness is always a popular genre amongst men and their first dates. It kinda makes their dates value their dude-ness without all the negative element of being a dude. Which is why this movie, from the shape and look of the trailer, is a great looking dude movie with the all the necessary ingredients: best dude friends, car chases, high comedy, explosions, and an alien called Paul.

The Skinny: 2 comic-crazy dudes with overly layered elements of geek-ness from the UK embark on a once in a lifetime trip to the US, only to encounter an alien called Paul. Hijinks ensues. Chortle!

The Helmer: Greg Mottola - Adventureland (2009), Superbad (2007)

The Casts: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Sigourney Weaver, Seth Rogen , Jason Bateman

Release Date:18 March 2011

The Prediction: From the guy who directed the very funny, very realistic rites of passage for late teen boys, Superbad (2007), we have an alien comedy actioneer with Britain's very NOW personages Simon Pegg and Nick Frost of Shaun of the Dead (2004), and Hot Fuzz (2007). Just where can it go wrong? Nowhere, thats where. So yeah, go watch it when it comes out. Bring a hot date. Act real cool. Hot date will dig you. 

Wiki on Paul

Official trailer

The Horde / La Horde (France) (2009)

This looks to be an awesome zombie movie from France. It has gangsters, dirty cops and zombies all in one place trying to survive and kill. Brilliant. 

The Skinny: A group of cops engage with a Nigerian gang with the sole objective of avenging the death of one of their brother cop. Unknown to them the location of this confrontation also doubles as a site for zombie infestation. What ensues is an insane mix of guns, axes, full-contact combat. 

The Helmer: Yannick Dahan, Benjamin Rocher

The Casts: Claude Perron, Jean-Pierre Martins, Eriq Ebouaney, Aurelien Recoing

The Prediction: I know that the French make kick-ass action gangster films, but i had no idea they also indulge in heavy-hitting kick-ass zombie movies as well. I thought their other cinematic imports comprised of great sweeping vistas, epic tales of urban romantic meltdown, weeping men, trains and intelligent small animals. Which is why this particular movie grabs my short and curlies and refuses to let go. Why? Simply because the storyline screams greatness. Gangsters versus dirty cops? 10 outta 10. Gangsters versus dirty cops versus zombies? 20 outta 10. I am so going to catch this audio visual mayhem at my next visit to the DVD stores. Yes I am. Nuff said. 

Trailer

Wiki on La Horde

True Grit (2010)

Westerns basically made movies great. Who can ever forget early childhood watching men in hats shoot other men in feathers? Or racing across railway lines playing catch with a locomotive whilst riding a horse and shooting people and shit? Which is why the 3rd coming of the western wave is very much welcomed. Like the never-gonna-happen re-awakening of vietname war movies ...

The Skinny: 14 yeard girl seeks out one-eyed retired, grizzled US Marshall tracker/hunter/killer to track/hunt/kill the man who killed her pa. Based on a 1968 novel by John Portis, which was released in 1969 starring John Wayne by John Ford. Wayne won best actor award for his effort in this movie. Now we have one-eyed retired, grizzled Jeff Bridges in place. Nice. 

The Helmer: The Coen Brothers. 

2009 A Serious Man

2008 Burn After Reading

2007 Chacun son cinéma ou Ce petit coup au coeur quand la lumière s'éteint et que le film commence
(segment "World Cinema")

2007 No Country for Old Men

2006 Paris, je t'aime
(segment "Tuileries")

2004 The Ladykillers

2003 Intolerable Cruelty
(uncredited)

2001 The Man Who Wasn't There
(uncredited)

2000 O Brother, Where Art Thou?
(uncredited)

1998 The Big Lebowski
(uncredited)

1996 Fargo
(uncredited)

1994 The Hudsucker Proxy
(uncredited)

1991 Barton Fink
(uncredited)

1990 Miller's Crossing
(uncredited)

1987 Raising Arizona
(uncredited)

1984 Blood Simple.
(uncredited)

The Casts: Matt Damon, Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin.

Release Date: 17th February 2011

The Prediction: Looks like the Coen brothers are back in form after their very successful and succint No Country for Old Men. Just check out the trailer and I dare you to tell me you don't want to watch this movie. The last great action packed western was the very fun 3:10 to Yuma, which kicked ass. Now we have this. How incredible is it when we have the Dude himself, Bridges, Matt I'm-gonna-kick-yo'-ass Damon and Josh Don't-FAck-Wi'-Me Brolin shooting guns and kicking ass? Its like the perfect ending to pretty decent year of movies, you know? So yes, please watch this movie because if you don't crap movies like the Twilight series will conquer all, and you don't want a legion of Biebers running the world now do you? No you don't. 

Trailer

Wikipedia on True Grit

The Social Network (2010)

If you're reading this, chances are you were directed to this blog page via facebook, as I use it to notifiy my entire collection of readers (all 6.3 of them) to this movie site. But have you ever wondered how and why the superstructure social network known as facebook came into being? What the founder mark zuckerberg is all about? What kind of perso he is? And how he came up with the concept? Short of actually googling the information and finding out yourself, this movie attempts to dramatize it on the big screen. 

The Skinny: Biopic of the founder of the world's biggest (and getting bigger) online social network known as facebook, Mark Zuckerberg. 

The Helmer:David Fincher

1. The Killer (2013) (pre-production)
2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) (filming)
   
3. The Social Network (2010)
   
4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
   ... aka "The Curious Case" - International (English title) (informal short title)
5. Zodiac (2007/I)
6. George Michael: Twenty Five (2006) (V)
7. Video Hits: Paula Abdul (2005) (V) (videos "Straight Up", "Forever Your Girl" and "Cold Hearted")
8. Panic Room (2002)
   
9. Madonna: The Video Collection 93:99 (1999) (V) (video "Bad Girl")
10. Fight Club (1999)
11. Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael (1999) (V) (video "Freedom '90")
12. The Game (1997)
13. Se7en (1995)
    ... aka "Seven" - UK (video title), USA (alternative spelling), USA (video title), USA (DVD title)
14. The Best of Sting: Fields of Gold 1984-1994 (1994) (V) (video "Englishman In New York")
15. Aerosmith: Big Ones You Can Look at (1994) (V)
16. Dangerous: The Short Films (1993) (V) (video "Who Is It")
    ... aka "Michael Jackson - Dangerous: The Short Films" - USA (alternative title)
17. Alien³ (1992)
    ... aka "Alien 3" - International (English title), USA (alternative spelling)
18. Madonna: The Immaculate Collection (1990) (V) (videos "Express Yourself", "Oh Father" and "Vogue")
    
19. Now That's What I Call Music 7 (1986) (V) (video "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off")
20. The Beat of the Live Drum (1985) 

The Tagline: You Don't Get to 500 Million Friends Without Making a Few Enemies

Release Date: 11 November 2010

The Cast: Jesse Eisenber, Rooney Mara, Bryan Barter, Dustin Fitzsimons, Armie Hammer

The Prediction: Biopics are generally good for two things: it serves to answer questions about the celebrated subject matter, and it creates a story albeit, a legend of the person him/herself. Justifying, answering, pondering, exploring a life. Whether good or bad, sweet or ugly, inspiring or despairing, the effect of a decent biopic should leave the viewer with a better understanding of the person him/hersel. Which is why a biopic as this one, on a living giant for the very young Zuckerberg, was helmed by the David Fincher; the man who gave you Fightclub, and Se7en. You know it just can't go wrong. However, there have been debates on the accuracy of the depiction of the life and time of Zuckerberg because the facebook team have denied the actual storyline. Which in itself, if you look at it, is an epic dispute. But honestly, the first thing that came to my mind when I heard about this movie was that hey, facebook is still so new. We still have no idea how this whole thing will end. Maybe it should be done, say, 10 years from now? After the dust has settled? Having said that, it is still something I'd want to watch because I'm an FB addict and it is interesting how the movie adaptation of this latest craze is depicted on the big screen. 

Official trailer

Official site 

Wiki's take 

22 Bullets (2010) (L'immortel)

Do you, like me, find it rather odd that the French makes excellent action movies? With Luc Besson punching the cinema world with his trademark violent action films with such artistic flair? Its odd because we tend to equate the French with love stories, erotica and general delicateness. Apparently not so. They kick ass. Which is good news for action addicts, with this new film coming under his wing.

The Skinny: Amazingly based on a true story 22 Bullets tells the story of  retired mobster left for dead with 22 bullets pumped into his body. But he doesnt die. And now he wants revenge. Manic destructive mayhem ensues.

The Helmer: Richard Berry 

- 22 Bullets (2010).. aka "L'immortel" - France (original title) 

- The Black Box (2005)... aka "La boîte noire" - France (original title)

-  I, Cesar (2003)... aka "Moi César, 10 ans 1/2, 1m39" - France (original title)

-  L'art (délicat) de la séduction (2001)

- "3000 scénarios contre un virus" (1 episode, 1994) 

- Préservatif, une preuve d'amour (1994) TV episode

Release Date: 24th March 2010 (Belgium)

Tagline: Shedded Blood Never Dries 

The Casts: Jean Reno , Gabriella Wright , Richard Berry, Kad Merad, Marina Fois, Fani Kolarova

The Prediction: Jean Reno is as French as they come, in the world of Hollywood films, having done his time doing mainly action/comedy flicks over the ages. Which is why us Hollywood movie goes tend to forget that this is one serious guy with serious acting chops. And to finally see him in a heavy crime drama is indeed a welcomed change, especially since his last notable collaboration with Luc Besson was in the very watchable The Professional (1994) way back in the 90s. Which is long overdue. So yeah, this looks good, very good. 

Trailer

Hold My Gun (2010)

On some days, I like dramas; especially when theres a pinch of action and intrigue. Which is why when a solid drama comes along that promises good acting, solid scripting and definitive genre representation I'm lost in the world of good cinema. Which is why this particular movie stands out for me. 

The Skinny: Loan sharks launch an all out campaign to seek and destroy rival loan shark with disastrous results. Rolled into the mix is ex-con turned street fighter Joe who is on the path of vengeance, against  both rival gangs. 

Release Date: December 2010 

Tagline: When You Have Nothing to Hang On To, Hold My Gun 

Helmer: Joseph C. Alfredo - Night of the Dancing Demons (1978), I Hurt You You Hurt Me (1981), The Bleeding Hand (1983), Much Ado About Nothing 2 (1983), Henchmen (1983), Mr. Lunchtime (1984), Greater Heights (2003), Keep On Truckin' (2003), Mariachi's Revenge 3 (2003), Hello Goodbye (2008)

The Casts: Henry James, Takeshi Miicke, Hubert Aja, Danielle Stapts, Barbara Stiles, William H Gacey

The Prediction: Controversial helmer C Alfredo is back in action after his recent incarceration; accused of stealing $10,000,000 worth of film equipment from several Hollywood studios, this gut-busting action director is set to use his own personal experience in the world of mob violence into a touching, tender yet graphically violent movie of redemption. Not quite so subtle with his inner motives, Hold My Gun manages to successfully explore and to some extent, explain, why violence is the only solution. After the Expandables, the recent vacuum of solid action is filled in by Hold My Gun. Damn straight I'm going to see this flick. 

Trailer

Official Site

Hatchet II (2010)

 

The first Hatchet movie back in 2006 was hailed as a welcomed return to American old-school horror, which was at that time overrun with Japanese / Thailand / Korean rip-offs by apparently dried-up Hollywood horror writers.What Hatchet brought to the screen was a straight forward, hugely deformed, swamp dwelling horror villain by the name of Victor Crowley, who dispatches his victims with the aforesaid titular hatchet. It was good old fashion head-slashing, limb-tearing, screaming fun with corresponding screaming and scrambling victims. There were good jolts and some pretty decent kills which were refreshing and new. Theres also a brief backstory to Crowley which explained why he kills (it was because he was taunted by cruel children when he was young boy, which led to the death of his caring dad) and why he became this unstoppable monster; a safe mix of Jason Voohees (without the mask) and Michael Myers. The first Hatchet had Joel Moore, (the nerd-dude in Avatar) as the hero who unwittingly joins a group of tourist who takes an unexpected turn from fun to horror when their boat tanks in the middle of the New Orleans bayou. Onboard with the rest of victims is plucky Tamara Feldman who climbs on board with a loaded gun and a single-minded objective of killing Victor Crowley who had killed her family much earlier. And now we have a sequel.

The Skinny: New Orleans bayou has its favorite son carving up some innocent flesh but this time, lone survivor of the first installment is back for revenge. Again.

The Tagline: Victor Crowley Lives Again / Hang On to All Your Pieces.

Release Date: October 2010

The Helmer: Adam Green

1. Hatchet II (2010)
2. Frozen (2010/I)
3. The Tivo (2009)
4. Saber (2009)
5. Fairy Tale Police (2008)
6. The Tiffany Problem (2008)
7. "Winter Tales" (2007) TV mini-series
8. King in the Box (2007)
9. Spiral (2007/I)
10. Cheerleader Camp (2007) (TV)
11. Hatchet (2006)
12. Coffee & Donuts (2000)

The Casts: Danielle Harris, Tony Todd, Kane Hodder

The Prediction: I like horror movies - although I can't decide which I like better: zombies or slashers. Both type of horror villains are unstoppable and relentless and both possibly stinking like hell. Since there is no new zombie movies worth mentioning (except for the new TV show "Walking Dead"), Hatchet II is highly appreciated especially as it has Kane Hodder as Crowley. Kane Hodder is old school horror icon having played Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th parts 7 and 8, and, as Jason again in Jason Versus Freddy. Great horror moments there brought back through the decades. If this second installment is as good as the first one, then bring it on, big guy!

Trailer 

Wikipedia'sTake on Hatchet 2 

Official Site 

The Town (2010)

I have mixed feelings about bank heist movies - they can be incredibly boring, predictable or just dull. Or, then can be very, very exciting if the surrounding plot shines equally if not brighter than the main thrust of the bank robbing plot, such as Dog Day Afternoon (1975), The Bank Job (2008), or even Quick Change (1990). Because essentially, bank robbery movies tend to focus on the a. the robbers robbing the bank, b. the bank customers quivering in fear, c. the tense stand-off between robbers and cops. Which spells boredom. However, in the case of Ben Affleck's co-written and directed The Town, based on Chuck Hogan's Prince of Thieves, a gritty crime thriller based in Boston, it may be different. Lets have a look-see. Especially since I was pretty much inspired by his rendition of Dennis Lehane's Gone Baby, Gone (2007), which had a definite look and feel to it. Nice.

The Skinny: bank robber Doug MacRay is romantically torn between the bank manager of the bank he is robbing, and the FBI agent that is investigating his previous heists. But he has a job to do ... cue bank robbing antics. The full synopsis taken from imdb.com:

"Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) was born and raised in Charlestown, a blue-collar neighborhood in Boston, where crime is a part of life. Charlestown is the world's capital for carjacking, kidnappings, and armed robberies. The tricks of the criminal trade are passed down from father to son. Doug is the brains and ruthless leader of a gang of bank robbers who have been able to get out clean after each bank robbery. But Doug knows that his luck will not last forever, and he is looking for one last big heist that will give him the chance to leave the town in his rear-view mirror. But no one will let him, especially, his right-hand man Jeremy (James Coughlin); because he believes that it would be a personal betrayal to him, and he is not going to allow that. In a recent bank job, Doug forced the bank manager Claire (Rebecca Hall) to open the safe, and then took her hostage as leverage for the getaway, and eventually setting her free unharmed. Doug knows that he should leave Claire alone, but she only lives four blocks from him, and he can handle it, but he begins to fall for her. Their romantic involvement is about to take them down a perilous path. Douglas Young (the-movie-guy)"

Category: Crime / Drama / Thriller 

Release Date: 8th October 2010

The Helmer: Ben Affleck

1. The Town (2010)
   
2. Gimme Shelter (2008) (V)
3. Gone Baby Gone (2007)
   
4. I Killed My Lesbian Wife, Hung Her on a Meat Hook, and Now I Have a Three-Picture Deal at Disney (1993)

The Casts: Ben Afflec; Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Slaine, Owen Burke, Chris Cooper 

The Prediction: This looks like a good movie with honest to goodness hard men leading the way. You've got powerhouse Chris Cooper and you've got Jeremy Renner still fresh from the Hurt Locker and soon to be in the Avengers. Its a great combination with Affleck helming; provided he maintains his excellent visual style and editing with Gone Baby Gone. Its been a while since we've been treated to something solid and gritty ... check out the trailer, its smooth but its hard. Kinda like me. Hoho.

Trailer

Wikipedia's Take

Official Site

Let Me In (2010) Remake

I haven't seen the original Swedish movie from which this remake is based on, from my my readings of reviews from several sources it appears that the original film Let the Right One In (2008) kicked ass. Mainly because it was a touching story of friendship between two young kids. Only difference was that one of the kids was a vampire. Cue awkward vampire violence moments ... 

The Skinny: A young bullied kid befriends his neighbour who just happens to be a vampire. 

The Helmer: Matt Reeves - 

1. Untitled Cloverfield Sequel (2012) (announced) (rumored)
   
2. Let Me In (2010)
   
3. Cloverfield (2008)
   ... aka "1-18-08" - USA (promotional title)
   ... aka "Monstrous" - USA (promotional title)
   ... aka "Cloverfield: Hakaisha" - Japan (English title)
4. "Conviction" (1 episode, 2006)
       - Pilot (2006) TV episode
5. "Miracles" (1 episode, 2003)
       - The Ferguson Syndrome (2003) TV episode
6. "Felicity" (5 episodes, 1998-2001)
       - The Declaration (2001) TV episode
       - The Slump (2000) TV episode
       - Felicity Was Here (1999) TV episode
       - The Last Stand (1998) TV episode
       - Pilot (1998) TV episode
7. "Gideon's Crossing" (1 episode, 2000)
       - The Gift (2000) TV episode
   
8. "Homicide: Life on the Street" (1 episode, 1997)
   ... aka "Homicide" - USA (informal short title)
       - All Is Bright (1997) TV episode
9. "Relativity" (1 episode, 1997)
       - Billable Hours (1997) TV episode
10. The Pallbearer (1996)
    ... aka "Happy Blue" - Japan (English title)
11. Future Shock (1994) (segment "Mr. Petrified Forrest") 

The Casts: Chloe Moretz, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Richard Jenkins, Elias Koteas, Sasha Barrese, Cara Buono

Release Date: 1st October 2010 

The Tagline: Innocence dies. Abby doesn't. 

The Prediction: Hollywoodizing movies from the far east (both Europe and Asia) is most often than not a hit and miss thing. It kinda makes me nervous, especially with the remake of the (again) Swedish Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009) trilogy which I enjoyed tremendously. It depends largely on how close the remake wants to be with the original, and whether or not it can adapt the look and feel with the largely American audience. Its like the time USA hosted the soccer world cup ... be that as it may, sometimes, given the right helmer, with the right casts and the right intention it may actually work. Matt Reeves for me at least, is best remembered for Cloverfield, the monster-destroying-New-York-city handycam flick. Which was reasonably okay; not really great, but fascinating enough to be compelling. Is he strong enough to take over from Tomas Alfredson, the original Swedish helmer?  Looking at both trailers theres a distinct similarity of both films in terms of feel: cold, stark underlined with brutality and blood. Nice. But what sweetens the deal I suppose is the presence of the great Richard Jenkins and the very promising Chloe Moretz who played Hitgirl in Kick-Ass. Two very watchable casts.

Trailer

Trailer of "Let the Right One In"

Official site

Escape from New York (1981) Rewind

This is Kurt Russel at his ass-kicking best, as Snake Plissken: the eye-patch wearing, snarling bad-ass death-row inmate. You can't get a more anti-heroic character than this.

The Skinny: Soon to be executed prison inmate bad-ass Snake Plissken is given a chance at freedom if he can rescue the President of the United States who has crash-landed in New York city, the new prison of the future. Only catch is that the Prez is being held hostage by the Duke, the dude who runs the place, and he must do so within a specific time or else he is going to self-destruct, thanks to a device implanted in his body ...

The Helmer: filmMeister John Carpenter- 

1. L.A. Gothic (2010) (announced)
   
2. The Ward (2010)
   ... aka "John Carpenter's the Ward" - USA (complete title)
   
3. "Masters of Horror" (2 episodes, 2005-2006)
       - Pro-Life (2006) TV episode
       - John Carpenter's Cigarette Burns (2005) TV episode
4. Ghosts of Mars (2001)
   ... aka "John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars" - USA (complete title)
   
5. Vampire$ (1998)
   ... aka "Vampires" - USA (original title)
   ... aka "John Carpenter's Vampires" - USA (complete title)
6. Escape from L.A. (1996)
   ... aka "John Carpenter's Escape from L.A." - USA (complete title)
7. Village of the Damned (1995)
   ... aka "John Carpenter's Village of the Damned" - USA (complete title)
8. In the Mouth of Madness (1995)
   ... aka "John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness" - USA (complete title)
9. Body Bags (1993) (TV) (segments "Gas Station, The" and "Hair")
   ... aka "John Carpenter Presents 'Mind Games'" - USA (cable TV title)
10. Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
    
11. They Live (1988)
    ... aka "John Carpenter's They Live" - USA (complete title)
    ... aka "They Live!" - USA (poster title)
12. Prince of Darkness (1987)
    ... aka "John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness" - USA (complete title)
13. Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
    ... aka "John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China" - USA (complete title)
    ... aka "Ghost Hunters" - Japan (English title)
14. Starman (1984)
    ... aka "John Carpenter's Starman" - USA (complete title)
15. Christine (1983)
    ... aka "John Carpenter's Christine" - USA (complete title)
16. The Thing (1982)
    ... aka "John Carpenter's The Thing" - USA (complete title)
17. Escape from New York (1981)
    ... aka "John Carpenter's Escape from New York" - USA (complete title)
    ... aka "New York 1997" - Japan (English title)
18. The Fog (1980)
    ... aka "John Carpenter's The Fog" - USA (complete title)
    
19. Elvis (1979/I) (TV)
    ... aka "Elvis the Movie" - USA (informal title)
20. Someone's Watching Me! (1978) (TV)
21. Halloween (1978)
    ... aka "John Carpenter's Halloween" - USA (complete title)
22. Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
23. Dark Star (1974)
    
24. Gorgon, the Space Monster (1969)
25. Gorgo Versus Godzilla (1969)
26. Sorceror from Outer Space (1969)
27. Warrior and the Demon (1969) (as Johnny Carpenter)
28. Terror from Space (1963)
29. Revenge of the Colossal Beasts (1962) 

The Verdict: Remember those sci-fi images of past years where u have muscular men fighting each other with clubs, in a death-ring of sorts, on some distant planet with one too many moons? This movie is that image. All the things you need to know about what its like to see living images of the damned in post-apocalyptic world is displayed here in all its glory. I've said it once, and I'll say it again, John Carpenter is indeed a master of this, and many other genres. Unfortunately, Escape from LA (1996) happened ... which it shouldnt. But still, even though the look and feel of this movie is kinda dated the character of Snake Plissken still stands the test of time ...

The News: theres been talk over the years of doing a remake of this movie, with my personal favorite Gerad Butler considered to be the one donning the eye-patch. But that was scrapped, and now we have possibly Timothy Olyphant taking over this role. Stranger things have happened I suppose, but I just don't see him playing the part that well, because he ain't no bad-ass ... Gerry Butler would have been the bad-asser of the two if you asked me. Now with Mad Max: Fury Road coming up fast, there may be a line of post-apocalyptic kick-assory films coming up ... which should re-ignite interest in Snake's reapparence on the big screen ... we can only hope. 

Trailer

Wikipedia's take

Vulture Blog on remake update

Animal Kingdom (2010)

Aside from horror and sci-fi, I love modern day gritty gangster movies. And surprisingly, apart from the usual up and coming Hong Kong triad-based gang-crime movies, I'm really impressed by the Australians and their take of organized crime. They appear to be in love with the whole romantic appeal of real life gangsters and gangbangers. I've seen the awesomness of the acclaimed true accounts of gangland warfare in the leafy suburbs of Melbourne in Underbelly and I've yet to see the legendary Chopper Read on the big screen; another true account real life gangster. Solid stuffs from down under I'd say. And now, once again, they've come up with the highly acclaimed "Animal Kingdom", Sundance Film Festival award for World Cinema Grand Dramatic Jury Prize in 2010. 

The Skinny: Young J. Cody is drawn in the violent world of organized crime as he scrambles around to stay alive as his dangerous crime family spirals down to a brutal showdown with a band of renegade homicide detectives led by veteran head-kicker Guy Pearce. 

imdb.com's summary: "Welcome to the Melbourne crime underworld, where tensions are on the brink of exploding between felons and renegade cops. The Cody brothers, a gang of armed robbers, are in the process of initiating their teenage nephew Joshua 'J' into their frightening world after the death of his mother and under the watchful eye of his matriarchal grandmother, Smurf."

The Helmer: David Michod 

1. Animal Kingdom (2010)
   
2. Inside the Square (2009) (V)
3. Solo (2008/II)
4. Netherland Dwarf (2008)
5. Crossbow (2007)
6. Ezra White, LL.B. (2006)

The Casts: Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Guy Pearce, Luke Ford, Jacki Weaver, Sullivan Stapleton, James Frecheville

Release Date: 3rd June 2010 (Australia)

The Prediction: For this to work, Guy Pearce must be as intensed as he was in the James Ellroy inspired LA Confidential masterpiece. But having said that, I'm sure this movie can stand on its own based on the Sundance prize it won, and the from the looks of the trailer. This is definitely going to work, and if given a worldwide release, may put Australia on the map of excellent gangster movies.By the way, the movie title simply rocks!

Trailer

Official site

Wikipedia's take

Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)

Zombie movies have so much versions to it that its become a full-fledged franchise owner all on its own. There's the sad, solemn "I'm-dead-you're-dead-lets-cry" version, theres the "holy-shit-we-need-to-get-the-hell-outta-here-before-they-eat-our-brains" version, and theres the "I-wanna-kick-some-zombie-ass" version. Its the last version which best sums up the Resident Evil series, but which does one better, by combining all the existing versions together, more or less.

The Skinny: taken from imdb.com's , movie summary:

"In a world ravaged by a virus infection, turning its victims into the Undead, Alice (Jovovich), continues on her journey to find survivors and lead them to safety. Her deadly battle with the Umbrella Corporation reaches new heights, but Alice gets some unexpected help from an old friend. A new lead that promises a safe haven from the Undead takes them to Los Angeles, but when they arrive the city is overrun by thousands of Undead - and Alice and her comrades are about to step into a deadly trap." Written by Screen Gems

Release Date:  10th September 2010 

Tagline: She's back ... and she's bringing a few of her friends.

The Helmer: Paul W.S. Anderson  - 

1. The Three Musketeers (2011) (filming)
   
2. Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
   ... aka "Resident Evil: Afterlife: An IMAX Experience" - USA (IMAX version)
   ... aka "Biohazard IV: Afterlife" - Japan (English title) (imdb display title)
   
3. Death Race (2008)
4. AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004)
   ... aka "Alien vs. Predator" - Germany, USA (short title)
   ... aka "AVP" - USA (promotional abbreviation)
5. Resident Evil (2002)
   ... aka "Biohazard" - Japan (English title)
6. The Sight (2000) (TV)
   
7. Soldier (1998/I) (as Paul Anderson)
8. Event Horizon (1997) (as Paul Anderson)
9. Mortal Kombat (1995) (as Paul Anderson)
10. Mortal Kombat: Behind the Scenes (1995) (V)
11. Shopping (1994) (as Paul Anderson) 

The Casts:  Milla Jovovitch, Ali Larter, Kim Coates, Shawn Roberts , Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Spencer Locke, Boris Kodjoe

The Prediction: A helmer who specializes in slighly B-grade actioneers with a sci-fi slant, returning to the original franchise which he started, added with returning heroine who just refuses to die Jovovitch, and you have a very successful game-to-movie series which can stand on its own. I'm just wondering just how far this one can be stretched. It'd be good if it  branches off into other spin-offs both for TV and for the big screen. If its good, milk it to death. And then make comics out of them for longevity. Oh, and its in 3D. So expect rotting flesh to drop on your lap. Just waiting for smell-o-rama to include smell as well. Maybe one day ... 

Trailer

Official site 

Wikipedia has it covered 

The Walking Dead (2010) TV

Everybody loves zombies; they're so cool. Why? Because they're very common-people. They're not pseudo classy like vampires, nor are they animalistic like werewolves. They just lumber about seeking out brains to eat. And they look hideous, with rotting flesh hanging off their faces. People just generally like them, because its a common enough fear of dead people coming back to life. Which is why Frank Darabont's adaptation of the very popular 2003 comic series The Walking Dead is eagerly awaited. The fact that its a TV series makes it all the more reasonable and logical as you can't squeeze a long term comic series into one single movie.

The Skinny: Taking the cue from 28 Days Later, police officer Rick Grimes wakes up from a long comatose state to a world teeming with the walking dead. And he's family's missing. Cue family drama with zombies.

Release Date: October 2010

The Helmer: Frank Darabont -

1. "The Walking Dead" (pre-production) (1 episode, 2010)
       - Pilot (2010) TV episode
   
2. The Mist (2007)
   ... aka "Stephen King's The Mist" - USA (complete title)
3. "The Shield" (1 episode, 2007)
       - Chasing Ghosts (2007) TV episode
4. "Raines" (1 episode, 2007)
       - Pilot (2007) TV episode
5. The Majestic (2001)
   
6. The Green Mile (1999)
   ... aka "Stephen King's The Green Mile" - USA (complete title)
7. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
8. Buried Alive (1990) (TV)
   
9. The Woman in the Room (1983)
   ... aka "Stephen King's Night Shift Collection" - USA (video box title)
   ... aka "Stephen King's Nightshift Collection Volume One: The Woman in the Room" - USA (video box title)

The Casts: Andrew Lincoln, Joe Bernthal, Jeffrey DeMunn, Laurie Holden, Michael Rooker, Sarah Wayne Callies

The Prediction: I have great respect for Darabont - he is one the few directors in Hollywood who can faithfully adapt existing written material and project it on the screen without losing any of the original work's fanbase. He was good with Stephen King's works notably The Shawshank Redemption (1994), The Green Mile (1999) , and The Mist (2007). Which says alot about his directorial ethics - he repsects the material and uses his craft exceptionally well to tell the story. Which is why this TV adaptation looks set to become a TV event worth noting.

Trailer
Official Site  

The Thing (1982) Rewind

This movie scared the bejeebus out of me back in '82 when I was 13 years old. It was one of those screaming terror kind of horror which screams straight in your face with spittle raining down on your open mouth. It had great special effects with the alien, but lean with the humans balanced out on a white, cold, blizzard hit Antarctic platform. It was claustrophobic, urgent and desperate. It was great horror film making. It was also John Carpenter's most steady and conventional film to date. This is the type of film which is best remembered for its parts and its overall awesomeness.

The Skinny: A group of ex-communicated scientists stuck in an Antarctic scientific outpost unearths a 10,000 year old buried shape-shifting alien. Alien carnage ensues.

The Helmer: John Carpenter

1. L.A. Gothic (2010) (announced)
2. The Ward (2010) (completed)
   
3. "Masters of Horror" (2 episodes, 2005-2006)
       - Pro-Life (2006) TV episode
       - John Carpenter's Cigarette Burns (2005) TV episode
4. Ghosts of Mars (2001)
   ... aka "John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars" - USA (complete title)
   
5. Vampire$ (1998)
   ... aka "Vampires" - USA (original title)
   ... aka "John Carpenter's Vampires" - USA (complete title)
6. Escape from L.A. (1996)
   ... aka "John Carpenter's Escape from L.A." - USA (complete title)
7. Village of the Damned (1995)
   ... aka "John Carpenter's Village of the Damned" - USA (complete title)
8. In the Mouth of Madness (1995)
   ... aka "John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness" - USA (complete title)
9. Body Bags (1993) (TV) (segments "Gas Station, The" and "Hair")
   ... aka "John Carpenter Presents 'Mind Games'" - USA (cable TV title)
10. Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
    
11. They Live (1988)
    ... aka "John Carpenter's They Live" - USA (complete title)
    ... aka "They Live!" - USA (poster title)
12. Prince of Darkness (1987)
    ... aka "John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness" - USA (complete title)
13. Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
    ... aka "John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China" - USA (complete title)
    ... aka "Ghost Hunters" - Japan (English title)
14. Starman (1984)
    ... aka "John Carpenter's Starman" - USA (complete title)
15. Christine (1983)
    ... aka "John Carpenter's Christine" - USA (complete title)
16. The Thing (1982)
    ... aka "John Carpenter's The Thing" - USA (complete title)
17. Escape from New York (1981)
    ... aka "John Carpenter's Escape from New York" - USA (complete title)
    ... aka "New York 1997" - Japan (English title)
18. The Fog (1980)
    ... aka "John Carpenter's The Fog" - USA (complete title)
    
19. Elvis (1979/I) (TV)
    ... aka "Elvis the Movie" - USA (informal title)
20. Someone's Watching Me! (1978) (TV)
21. Halloween (1978)
    ... aka "John Carpenter's Halloween" - USA (complete title)
22. Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
23. Dark Star (1974)
    
24. Gorgon, the Space Monster (1969)
25. Sorceror from Outer Space (1969)
26. Gorgo Versus Godzilla (1969)
27. Warrior and the Demon (1969) (as Johnny Carpenter)
28. Terror from Space (1963)
29. Revenge of the Colossal Beasts (1962)

The Casts: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Richard Dysart, Donald Moffat, Keith David,

The Tagline: Man is the warmest place to hide.

The Verdict: This is a great movie.The humm of daily dullness which only an outlandish post can bring, is suddenly splashed with blood; coloring the whiteness of snow with crimson pain. Russell shines in this movie; cementing his role as the 20th century anti-hero who is doing all he can to look out for number 1. And he succeeds.  The special effects was pretty much ahead of its time, and by today's standards without the technology of modern CGI. The head tearing scene (see trailers below) is one scary looking mother of a scene: it all starts with a heart-resuscitation pumping of the chest ends up with a head ripped off a body and growing its own pair of crab eyes and spider legs. You just have to see it to believe it.

Trailer: Runaway Head Scene

Trailer 2: The Kennel Scene