Author: Travis Keune

Hopeless film enthusiast; reborn comic book geek; artist; collector; cookie connoisseur; curious to no end

CineVegas 2009 Preview: ‘Daylight’

daylightmovie

CineVegas 2009 is right around the corner (next week to be precise), and We Are Movie Geeks are going to be there in full force. Throughout the festival, which runs from June 10th through the 15th, we are going to be bringing you all the coverage you need including reviews, interviews, party breakdowns, and red carpet premiere coverage.

‘Daylight’ is set to be one heck of an intense thriller. This engaging and potentially controversial story takes us on a road trip we won’t forget into the darker corners of humanity.

Here’s the film’s synopsis:

Irene and Daniel are an upwardly mobile couple that is a few weeks away from the birth of their first child—and a bad business deal closer to financial collapse. When a family wedding (and a personal loan from Irene’s wealthy father) draw them out of Manhattan to venture upstate, they lose their way on unfamiliar wooded roads. What was supposed to be a regular drive is forever altered when they pick up a hitchhiker. Soon, they find themselves at a farmhouse, enmeshed in a murder and at the mercy of three desperate men. What ensues is a taut psychological thriller fueled by the darkest fears that lie in all of us.

In spite of its simple plot, the intelligence that permeates David Barker’s rigorous and personal re-imagining of the genre film is striking and terrifying. With its tense interiors, insistent blend of suspense and drama, rich character detail, and minimalist aesthetic, DAYLIGHT feels unlike other works that make up the American film landscape. Alternately infuriating and harrowing, DAYLIGHT is a potent piece of shock cinema that thrives on making the audience uncomfortable. The slow boil of this genre piece nonetheless deftly evades falling into genre traps. Such filmmaking decisions imbue with the action a depth of character that enhances the terror to alarming effect. Featuring bold and riveting performances by the entire cast, Barker’s film keeps you completely involved emotionally from moment to excruciating moment.

This promo video suggests we’re in for a real treat, with an interesting story and some great performances.

‘Daylight’ screens on Thursday, June 11 at 8:30 pm and on Friday, June 12 at 1:15 pm.

CineVegas 2009 Preview: ‘Patriotville’

patriotvillemovie

CineVegas 2009 is right around the corner (next week to be precise), and We Are Movie Geeks are going to be there in full force. Throughout the festival, which runs from June 10th through the 15th, we are going to be bringing you all the coverage you need including reviews, interviews, party breakdowns, and red carpet premiere coverage.

‘Patriotville’ is a quirky new comedy starring Justin Long and Emmanuelle Chriqu. The premise of the story is both realistic and absurd, creating the perfect vehicle for Long’s style of humor, while Chriqu is mysterious and mischievous.

Here’s the film’s synopsis:

Wit and comic verve are the twin props of this alternately charming and biting satire. PATRIOTVILLE humorously explores the roles greed and corruption have played in the slow deterioration of small-town America. Talmage Cooley crafts a timely story with a delightful mix of characters who will have you laughing and thinking throughout.

Chase Revere, a museum manager in the town of Patriotville, believes in the ideals that America was built on. Preserving the past is his way of believing in the future. His town is down on its luck and Chase’s efforts to preserve its history do not garner much support. The town Mayor has his own idea of how to save it — by luring a group of Native Americans to build their new casino in Patriotville. The promise of quick riches send the townsfolk into an uproar. But is anyone telling the truth about anything?

Patriotville is a playful and clever film with a story that couldn’t be more relevant to today’s issues. Justin Long lends his wonderfully droll sense of humor to a role tailor-made for him. He is surrounded by terrific supporting actors, including the beautiful Emmanuelle Chriqui as Chase’s secret-keeping love interest, and Rob Corddry, who nearly steals the show as the town’s corrupt mayor. PATRIOTVILLE marks the emergence of a talented new director and underscores the endearing qualities of satire, comic inspiration and the American way.

From the clip above, it appears that ‘Patriotville’ is going to be a comedic success, but does so in a smart way instead of just being stupid for laughs.

‘Patriotville’ screens on Friday, June 12 at 6:00 pm and on Saturday, June 13 at 10:30 am.

Fantasy Cast… Who should play the Green Lantern?

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Having grown up primarily a devout Marvel fan, I’m no huge fan of DC Comics. However, of the few DC characters I always found intriguing, Green Lantern ranks high amongst the top of that list. Part of the character’s appeal to me is the idea that it’s a regular Joe (be it male or female, human or alien) empowered by a mysterious and powerful ring. For many of the superheroes in the DC universe, they seem more God-like in nature than super-human, which is a big part of the reason I’ve always connected more with Marvel, but (IMO) Green Lantern is different.

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One of the other curious elements about the Green Lantern story is that, aside from there being many of them spread out across the universe, the Green Lantern character is actually a separate entity from he/she/it whom dawns the ring, as it gets passed on to different bearers over time. Amidst the most well-known and beloved human incarnations are Alan Scott, Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, John Stewart and Kyle Rayner. So, there’s a bit of a wide range of choices when it comes to writing a story and therefor opens the door a bit for casting as well. Although honestly, I would venture to guess most fans are going to lean towards choosing Hal Jordan, but that’s yet to be determined.

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In this week’s Fantasy Cast Friday, the process will vary slightly. Before we get into the usual discussion of “who” will play the Green Lantern, we first are kind of required to determine “which” Green Lantern should be adapted into a feature film story. With that said, which of the five above mentioned incarnations of the Green Lantern are you most eager to see portrayed on the big screen? Or, if you insist on playing the devil’s advocate, feel free to choose Jennifer Lynn-Hayden.

Of the endless slew of names that have been thrown about with various levels of legitimacy include Nathan Fillion, Ryan Gosling, Aaron Eckhart, Sam Worthington, Chris Pine, Jake Gyllenhaal, Orlando Bloom, Ryan Phillipe, Common, Josh Duhamel, Casey Affleck, Seth Green, Jensen Ackles, Jamie Bamber, David Boreanaz, Joe Hamm and Matthew Fox. One of the more interesting, but least likely names I’ve seen pop up is Dennis Quaid.

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Once you’ve decided which incarnation of the Green Lantern you’d like to see get the big screen treatment, fill us in on your casting choice to play the DC hero. Shoot us your suggestions for this fantasy cast in the comments section below.

And, if you have any ideas for future Fantasy Casts, shoot us an email with your ideas. You can find all of our email addresses right here!

Review: ‘My Life in Ruins’

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If you saw ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ and you liked it then you’re probably going to see ‘My Life in Ruins’ as well. If this describes you, then you’ll probably like this movie, but its not quite as “on the money” as ‘Greek Wedding’ so I don’t foresee the box office being as staggering of a success as ‘Greek Wedding’ was. ‘My Life in Ruins’ marks the big screen return of the beloved 47-year old Canadian that everyone fell in love with from ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’. What…? You didn’t know Nia Vardalos was a Canuck?

The story follows middle-aged American Georgia (Vardalos) who is living in Greece and working as an under paid and under appreciated tour guide to make ends meet while trying to land a professorship teaching collegiate ancient history. Georgia is incredibly knowledgeable but lacks the natural flair and fun-loving personality that makes a successful tour guide, which consistently gets her stuck with the “loser” groups of tourists that only want to shop for souvenirs.

‘My Life in Ruins’ revolves around her experience guiding Group B on what she decides will be her final tour before quiting to pursue her teaching career full-time. Her regular bus driver is in jail, so she gets stuck with a creepy, hairy silent replacement named Poupi (Alexis Georgoulis) and a beaten old bus with a busted air conditioner. Even worse, Group B is perhaps the most annoying and troublesome tour group she’s ever had. The group consists of the British upper class Tullens and their manic-depressive daughter Caitlin, the Spanish duo of hot divorcees Lala and Lena, Marc the obsessed IHOP franchise salesman, Sue the elderly kleptomaniac and her frail husband Ken, and Gator the dim-witted frat-boy college football jock.

Some of the best parts of the movie however belong to three actors. Kim (Rachel Dratch) and Big Al (Harland Williams) play the ignorant annoying American couple and dish up a large portion of the laughs, especially from Williams who has this type of role mastered. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Richard Dreyfuss delivers an enjoyable performance as Irv, an obnoxiously playful senior citizen who is equally wise as he is funny, or at least as funny as he believes himself to be. Irv becomes something of a manifestation of the Greek philosophy that Geogia attempts to teach her group of tourists, helping her to get past herself and open up to life and its possibilities.

‘My Life in Ruins’ actually starts off slow, struggling to pull its pieces together but does eventually manage to whip itself into shape and ultimately results in a relatively satisfying romantic comedy that is cute, sweet and all that sort of stuff that hits home with the female audiences. While the movie is mostly superficial, there is an underlying quality to the story, especially between Georgia and Irv, that hits a chord deeper than your typical romantic comedy.

One of the best parts of the movie is the breathtaking scenery and the ancient architecture, which for a geek like myself, is almost worth the ticket price alone. Overall, the target demographic for ‘My Life in Ruins’ is obvious and will likely do well, but fear the timing of its release will hold back sales a bit. Some of the humor is a bit forced, but the movie is funny and has enough appeal for both sexes to make it a decent date flick, for those of you looking for an opportunity.

Review: ‘Lemon Tree’

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‘Lemon Tree’ (Itz Limon) is a powerful drama based on the true story of a Palestinian widow who fights the Israeli military over the destruction of her beloved 50-year old grove of lemon trees she inherited from her late father. Salma Zidane (Hiam Abbass) is a middle-aged woman who lives alone and barely makes a living off her lemons, assisted in caring for the grove only by one elderly man whose done so for the last 40 years.

Salma keeps mostly to herself, minds her own business and lives a simple life in her house next to the old grove of lemons that she tends. Her quiet solitary life is suddenly thrown into chaos when the Israeli Minister of Defense Navon and his wife move into a large house just across the border from Salma’s grove, separated only by a chain-link fence.

The Israeli Secret Service determines that the grove of lemon trees present a security threat to Navon and the state by providing cover for terrorists who may want to attack the Defense Minister’s home. Salma receives a letter from the Israeli government stating that her grove of lemon trees are to be uprooted and that she would be eligible for compensation.

Aside from the obvious fact that this decision had been made without Salma’s consent or even involvement, other complications present themselves, making this a troubling ordeal for Salma. Accepting the compensation offered by the Israeli government would go against the wishing of the Palestinian’s senior men and place a shame upon her.

Ultimately, this problem would be eliminated by the Israeli withdrawal of their offer to compensate due to a new act passed stating that compensation cannot be offered for property seized or destroyed as a means to ensure state security from terrorism. This is merely one example of the cultural and political challenge that Salma battles as she decides to take her case to court and on through the legal system up to the Supreme Court.

Hiam Abbass gives a wonderful performance, conveying the many layers of emotion of the character with great depth, mostly through her eyes. Salma struggles with being pulled between doing what she feels is right and doing what is expected of her by the Israeli’s and her fellow cynical Palestinians. Her son lives overseas in America, and still he sides with having Salma let it go and move to America with him, but her emotional connection to the grove is too strong to simply let it be destroyed.

Two very important relationships develop in ‘Lemon Tree’ that enrich this story even further. Salma enlists the services of Palestinian attorney Ziad Daud to fight the order for the uprooting of her lemon trees. Daud is about the age of Salma’s son Nasser, but he quickly becomes smitten with Salma, attracted to her mature beauty and her courageousness, but Salma must tread lightly as not to offend the Palestinian elders by disgracing her late husband’s honor and memory.

The other significant relationship is between Salma and the Israeli Defense Minister’s wife Mira, who opposes the destruction of Salma’s lemon trees, but is unable to convince her husband to revoke the order. She becomes a friend of Salma and her cause, but at a necessary distance due to the obvious cultural and political situation that separates them. Mira empathizes with Salma and takes on a heavy guilt for the ultimate outcome of Salma’s legal and personal struggle.

‘Lemon Tree’ is beautiful movie to watch and the language is a wonderful treat to listen to while reading the subtitles. The story presents a very real problem in the middle east without becoming too heavy-handed in preaching a one-sided arguments. While ‘Lemon Tree’ is clearly a film presenting the struggles of the Palestinian people, it actually presents faults on both sides of the debate. At 106 minutes in length, the film is just right and ends on a bittersweet note that is both a political progressive victory of Palestine and an unfortunate, heart-breaking end for Salma that becomes a new beginning.

‘Lemon Tree’ opens June 5 in Saint Louis at the Plaza Frontenac Cinema.

Rodriguez Dumps ‘Barbarella’… Luketic Picks Her Up on the Rebound

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When it comes to the sexy sci-fi classic ‘Barbarella’, two things are true… Jane Fonda will ALWAYS be the only “true” Queen of the Galaxy, and the remake will seemingly ALWAYS be in a state of development Hell. After well over a decade of being tossed about between various producers, directors and stars like a hot potato, one has to wonder if it’s even worth following anymore.

Well, following this pipe dream is another one of those things I’ll never be able to give up… for better, or worse. Last month we got the unfortunate and disappointing, yet not entirely surprising news that Robert Rodriguez’s vision of an updated remake of the 1968 original is officially dead.

We, the fans and skeptics alike, can go ahead and chalk this project up as yet another of Rodriguez’s brilliantly baffling brainstorm blunders that never managed to launch from it’s conceptual phase. If I were a gambling man, my money would probably land on ‘Barbarella’ being joined by ‘Red Sonja’ and ‘Predator’ in due time, but I’m not and I’d rather remain an optimist in this arena anyway.

So, as an optimist, I find reassurance in the news that Rodriguez’s departure (allegedly due to a dispute over where to shoot the film, Austin, TX or Germany) does not equivocate to the project’s ultimate demise. Apparently director Robert Luketic is currently discussing tactics with Dino De Laurentis for picking up the project and developing it with another studio.

Universal, the last studio officially attached, had been on board with Rodriguez until his budget supposedly started to resemble an $80 million dollar chunk of their pocket books and they pulled the plug, resulting in Rodriguez seeking alternative financing, the highest of which was the $70 million offer from Germany that he turned down in favor of not being so far from his five kids for so long. Well, at least he’s a good daddy.

Robert Luketic, the potential new helmer, is probably best known for directing ‘Legally Blonde’ and ‘Monster-In-Law’ … is it just me, or are you starting to get that funky after-vomit taste in your mouth as well? Nothing personal against Mr. Luketic, and I actually thought ‘Legally Blonde’ was a fun movie for what it was, but why the sudden interest in THIS project? Is it because you worked with Jane Fonda and found some late-term onset respect and admiration for her early career and want to somehow honor her by remaking the one movie she’s best known for? He’s never done anything even remotely similar to this type of film and my excitement for the remake was due solely to the idea it might be done well. Rodriguez would have delivered. Luketic, on the other hand, has me worried.

[Source: EW.com]

Heavy Loader from ‘Avatar’ unveiled at E3 2009

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Check out the Heavy Loader from James Cameron’s upcoming 3D opus ‘Avatar’. The massive bipedal hunk of walking destruction was unveiled at E3 2009 in Los Angeles. I have to say, it’s pretty freaking awesome, despite my own personal sense of walker overload, with the concept being used in so many sci-fi movies. To see more pictures and get the full story, check out Frosty’s coverage at Collider.

CineVegas 2009 Preview: ‘The Square’

thesquaremovie

CineVegas 2009 is right around the corner (next week to be precise), and We Are Movie Geeks are going to be there in full force. Throughout the festival, which runs from June 10th through the 15th, we are going to be bringing you all the coverage you need including reviews, interviews, party breakdowns, and red carpet premiere coverage.

‘The Square’ is the feature film debut of Nash Edgerton as director and looks to be filled with drama, suspense and action enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. You really don’t want to miss this powerhouse of down under cinema, which is already being called one of the best of it’s kind to come out of the country in recent years.

Here is the film’s official synopsis:

Already an established stuntman and having made a slew of acclaimed short films as a director, Nash Edgerton transitions into the feature realm with perhaps the most gripping thriller to come from Australia in recent memory.

Ray, a married construction supervisor, is having an affair with Carla, who’s also married. One fateful day Carla discovers a bag of money brought home by her criminal husband and sees it as her ticket to a fresh start on life with Ray by her side, so she proposes they take the money and run. Ray, reluctant at first, soon comes around and hatches an elaborate plan. But as is the case with plans driven by lust and greed, it seems destined to crash and burn…The fun, and the horror, comes in watching it unfold.

Co-written by Nash’s brother Joel Edgerton, who also acts in the film, THE SQUARE has roots in classic noir but is imbued with a vividly distinct sensibility that is all Edgerton. Utilizing their trademark stunts to full effect, the Edgertons have fashioned an intense thriller with equally impactful dramatic elements thanks to fully realized performances by the full ensemble. THE SQUARE is as stylish as it is unsettling. The film’s ever-building momentum will grip you and leave you breathless—as much from the film as from knowing that you’re witnessing the emergence of directorial force coming up from Down Under.

The trailer for the Australian film shows nothing less than a film likely capable of making a big splash   just under the radar. I was looking forward to seeing this already, but seeing what I have from the trailer I am thoroughly pumped. ‘The Square’ is clearly benefiting from an accomplished stuntman behind the camera, who clearly also appears to be a natural director as well.

‘The Square’ will screen on Thursday, June 11 at 7:00 pm.

Where’s the love for ‘Nightbreed’?

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Back in 1990, a little horror film called ‘Nightbreed’ slipped under the radar of most, but still managed to become a cult favorite of genre fans. Directed by horror master and author Clive Barker, the film isn’t “perfect” but it’s still a great movie with tons of reasons to love it, including a cameo role by director David Cronenberg.

If you follow Clive, online or otherwise, you’ll realize there are always lots of questions thrown his way… about his books, about his movies and about the status of both, new and old. One of the most commonly asked questions regards this 1990 movie and whether we’ll ever see the DVD get re-released, preferably as a Director’s Cut (it’s known that much material was cut) and, maybe even Blu-Ray?

As it turns out, Fox currently still owns the rights to this film and thanks to a loyal fan named Mark Millar with an excess of free time, two key pieces of information have been revealed: the additional cut footage (long thought to have been lost) does still exist and is merely buried in some warehouse awaiting it’s resurrection and that any resurrection of ‘Nightbreed’ in any form is being blocked simply by some studio executive’s misguided notion that there isn’t a big enough fan base to warrant spending the money on a Director’s Cut, let alone an upgrade to Blu-Ray.

Here’s where the film stands currently: there’s only a single, bare-bones paper-case Region 1 DVD release that’s sorely outdated, there’s NO Region 2 DVD, and with 25 minutes of unused footage along with a very real possibility for a commentary and lots of bonus material, a Director’s Cut DVD/Blu-Ray release is certainly worth the fight. Below is the information from CliveBarker.info regarding the grass roots push for this to happen…

If you’re interested in showing the size of audience or demand for an extended version of Nightbreed, please either e-mail us by clicking on this link or send us a Tweet to @philandsarah (find us at our Twitter page here).

Just your name or screen name is fine but please feel free to add your country of residence and / or a sentence or two on why this would be a great idea. We’ll collate responses at the bottom of this page and build a picture of support for Nightbreed here!

[source: CliveBarker.info]

CineVegas 2009 Preview: ‘Moon’

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CineVegas 2009 is right around the corner (next week to be precise), and We Are Movie Geeks are going to be there in full force. Throughout the festival, which runs from June 10th through the 15th, we are going to be bringing you all the coverage you need including reviews, interviews, party breakdowns, and red carpet premiere coverage.

Having already screened to ecstatic audiences at the Sundance, SXSW and Tribeca Film Festivals, ‘Moon’ is still going strong as one of the absolute must-see movies of the year and one of the most original and powerful science-fiction films in many years.

Here is the film’s official synopsis:

Nearing the end of a three-year contract with Lunar Industries, Sam Bell will soon be returning to Earth. The lone occupant of a lunar mining base, Sam monitors the moon’s harvest for helium energy. Buoyed by transmissions from his wife and young daughter, he combats isolation by interacting with the station’s robotic computer. But Sam is beginning to unravel. After a hallucination causes his lunar rover to crash, Sam realizes that his life here is not what it seems.

MOON is a philosophical and touching inflection on a genre that often loses sight of story amid the special effects. Director Duncan Jones creates an intimate and insightful character piece anchored by Sam Rockwell’s performance; his perceptivity contains the emotional heartache and existential terror of a man gradually stripped of his core identity. So even the visual design and technology, MOON is less about outer than it is about inner space.

After seeing this trailer, you should be on a flight already to Las Vegas and in line at the CineVegas box office to purchase your tickets to the one and only screening of ‘Moon’ during the festival. A great dramatic story, an Oscar-worthy performance from Sam Rockwell and the voice of Kevin Spacey as Robot… it’s a winning combination!

‘Moon’ will screen on Thursday, June 11 at 2:00 pm.