Tag: Jeff Bridges

‘Tron: Legacy’ Coming to Christmas 2010

tron legacy

And it’s not going to be alone.   Walt Disney has set the film to be released on December 17th, 2010, just in time to rake in the dough for the Christmas season.   Also set to be released that date are ‘The Green Hornet,’ ‘Smurfs,’ and ‘Yogi Bear.’

Surely, with Disney moving ‘Tron: Legacy’ to this date, one of the family films will end up blinking its way to a new date.   With Sony backing both ‘The Green Hornet’ and ‘Smurfs,’ chances are ‘Smurfs’ will find itself a new date sooner rather than later.   Sony could move ‘The Green Hornet,’ but, with them already pushing the film back four months, they don’t want to raise any eyebrows at the thought they might have a tanker.   Something tells me that ‘Green Hornet’ release date is pretty well set in stone.

Here is the official synopsis for ‘Tron: Legacy’:

In the 3D adventure, Sam Flynn (Hedlund), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn (Bridges), looks into his father’s disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin’s loyal confidant (Wilde), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.

To reiterate, ‘Tron: Legacy’ has been set to release on December 17th, 2010.

‘The Men Who Stare at Goats’ Trailer Released

men who stare at goats

Overture Films has debuted the trailer for Grant Heslov’s newest film, ‘The Men Who Stare at Goats.’   Not a whole lot has come from the film until now.   The cast features Ewan McGregor as a journalist who uncovers a secret, military unit engrossed in psychic and paranormal goings on.   Jeff Bridges plays the leader of the unit, and George Clooney and Kevin Space round out the cast as members of the “Jedi warrior” unit.

With a cast list as massive as this and a premise as interesting, not to mention true, as this, the film has a lot to live up to.   It does so completely.   There are a number of hilarious moments spelled out in the trailer below, and this looks to be one of the funnier movies to come out in a Fall that is already stacked with comedy.

But, don’t take my word for it.   See for yourself, courtesy of Apple:

‘The Men Who Stare at Goats’ comes out on November 6th, 2009.

SDCC09 Trailer for ‘Tron Legacy’

tronlegacy

For all the fans of TRON out there, Disney is gearing up the new movie for it’s release which is right around the corner… in 2011. Well, it’s a ways off still, but they’ve unveiled a teaser trailer at this year’s San Diego Comic Con for your enjoyment. Check it out below… it’s pretty cool. The movie, being called TRON LEGACY, will star John Hurt and Jeff Bridges and will be directed by Joseph Kosinski (also tagged for the LOGAN’S RUN remake).

‘TR2N’ Story Details

tron

Ain’t It Cool News got some pretty interesting story details for ‘TR2N’ from a “trustworthy” source.   The details come from Vancouver where the film is currently being shot.   Of course, AICN also points out there is nearly two years before the film’s tentative release, so these plot points may be changed at some point.

Check these out:

The title will almost certainly NOT be TRON 2 or TR2N. Possibly something with a colon – TRON: ________.

The story takes place approximately 25 years after the original.

The movie starts in 1989. Kevin Flynn (Bridges) has created some of the world’s top selling games based on his Game Grid challenges in the first film, and has marketed the hell out of what he saw there (action figures, Recognizer night lights, yadda yadda yadda).

Flynn has a seven year old son named Sean.

Flynn disappears, leaving behind his son.

Alan Bradley (Boxleitner) takes over Flynn’s company (ENCOM).

Jump forward in time: Sean is now twenty something.

Alan Bradley has info that leads Sean to look for Flynn.

Search takes Sean to Flynn’s old arcade – mothballed.

Into the computer world goes Sean.

There’s a CLU character (Flynn’s computer alter-ego from the first film).

Flynn has programmed CLU to run around and make a better computer world, but CLU’s gone corrupt and is creating his own interpretation of that perfect world. This is why CLU (young Bridges) is being such a punk-ass in that Comic Con footage we saw.

CLU has it out for a kind of program called ISOs & wants to eradicate them.

The ISOs believe Sean Flynn is the one who will free them from CLU’s belligerence.

Somewhere in the computer world, the real Kevin Flynn is whizzing around in a classic Light Cycle. Will he help in the battle against CLU?

Light Jets have jet walls, too.

Light Cycles versus Light Jets.

Big Disc battle!

Bridges going all out for this role. Embracing it. Fans will go gaa gaa.

[END OF LINE]
USER 2.0

I may have to turn in my Movie Geek card when I say that I’m not just a huge fan of the original ‘Tron’.   Nonetheless, I love the excitement that is surrounding this sequel.

Source: Ain’t It Cool News

“The Dude” Obama style poster

dudeprint

I missed the boat on this one yesterday, but Pete at /Film posted this print that Ben Swift did for ‘The Big Lebowski’ and I am in love with it. This needs to be on my wall and if it isn’t I will probably kill over. These are completely sold out right now but ask and we might receive more prints.

‘Tron 2.0’ test footage

tron2movie

io9 has reported some interesting news about Disney’s reboot/remake/sequel… whatever you wanna call it, of ‘Tron’ in that it seems they are having Jeff bridges digitized as a way to bring his younger self back for the role of Flynn. However, it seems Bridges may also have a “live” role as a villain of some sort.

Interesting, but the best part is this ‘Tron 2.0’ test footage from San Diego ComicCon last year…

[source: io9.com]

‘How to Lose Friends & Alienate People’ … Trailer!

There’s just something to be said for movies with ridiculously long titles … especially when its a new comedy featuring Simon Pegg and Jeff Bridges!!! I was ecstatic, maybe even to much so, about this film the first time I heard about it. Yep, its true … I’m a Simon Pegg fan-boy. I know, pathetic. Anyway, here’s the first trailer and it looks hilarious. The film also stars Kirsten Dunst, Gillian Anderson, Megan Fox and Danny Huston. ‘How to Win Lose Friends and Alienate People’ is scheduled out in theaters on October 3, 2008.

Review: ‘Iron Man’

Andrew:

Lucky me, I got to go see Iron Man tonight. Scott’s probably still pissed he couldn’t go, but I happily sat in for him. I’ll cut to the chase and tell you how it was:

Iron Man opens strong and keeps up the quality all the way through. I honestly have no major faults to complain about. The acting, weapons, cars, cameos and comic relief was all spot on. Marvel did me right tonight.

Downy Jr. and Jeff Bridges both did quite well. I’ve always been a Jeff Bridges fan, and, in spite of the fact that he was uncharacteristically bald, he didn’t let me down (other than looking a little soft.) Downy Jr. has never been one of my favorites, but he made the playboy arms dealer turned self sacrificing superhero seem not only believable, but almost instantly likable. Stan Lee has his best Marvel movie cameo yet, as the ultimate playboy, and Gwyneth Paltrow makes a fantastic redhead.

John Favereau (still probably best known for his writing and acting in Swingers) does a great job directing this movie and a great job with the comedic timing. He also puts forth a solid performance acting as Tony Stark’s body guard.

The Iron Man suit itself was lust worthy as all the previews have shown. They do a great job integrating the technology into the movie so that it isn’t too far over the top or distracting but still completely fascinating, especially the targeting systems. Everyone will be jealous of Tony Stark’s toys, including his lovely collection of cars.

Iron Man was great, and everyone should be thankful that Marvel has begun self-financing these films. Now Marvel is the responsible party for continuity as they move these stories to the big screen and it shows in Iron Man. I won’t claim that I’m some great comic book nerd who knows all the back story, but everyone I have spoken to greatly appreciated the consistency. Also Marvel’s increased financial and creative control means that the future mixing of characters is now possible. Big Marvel fans will notice some allusions to some of their other favorite comic characters (yes including the previously reported big green guy).

If you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments and I’ll get back to you ASAP with an answer (as long as I don’t have to provide any spoilers).

(5 out of 5)

Zac:

Summer season starts off with a winner with the release of the excellent debut of Marvel as a standalone entity. Directed by Jon Favreau, Iron Man is a success do to its excellent acting, solid humor, and creating a comic book film that is having fun without being super sappy and or hamming things up.
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is a weapons manufacturing super genius that has lots of money, good looks, and loves to chase women around the city. While on a weapons demonstration in the Middle East Stark is taken hostage by a terrorist cell and is asked to build them his latest missile system, Jericho. We are quickly treated to a 36 hour flash back that shows us who Tony Stark is, cocky, brilliant, quick tongued, always out to have fun, and one hell of a womanizer. We also meet Stark’s assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), his closet thing to a friend and US military Colonel Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard), and the former successor to Stark industries and current second in command Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges).
We get sent back to a cave in the middle of the desert where Stark constructs a crude iron suit, breaking himself out of captivity and having an eye opening experience to what his legacy on the world is going to end up being. With his new look on life, Stark returns to stop war instead of supply it and this is where things begin to get a little hairy for everyone.
I will share no more on the plot, but the pacing in this film is solid, never blazing, but solid. You won’t find yourself checking your watch or ever going, “when is this going to end?” The effects work is also incredibly well done, which it should be, since ILM is behind it. The suit itself, and the building of it all is handled really well and is one of the best parts of the film. The handling of stark in the suit was also done very well and could have been a spot that didn’t really work all that well, but Favreau pulls it off with ease.
The humor in the film is also worth mentioning as it is very good. From Stark’s arguing with his robotic assistants, to his womanizing, to his all around smart ass delivery to everyone and everything, it pretty much always works.
The reason it all works so well is due to the great Robert Downey Jr. He carries this film with ease and is by far the most fun and entertaining super hero alter ego since Logan “Wolverine” in the first two X-Men films. Downey is so fun and likable that his charisma alone is worth the price of admission. I would even go as far as to say that I would pay to see a Tony Stark film, without the Iron Man, he is that good.
The rest of the cast is also great with Paltrow playing the romantic card perfectly against Downey and rarely dipping into damsel in distress sappiness, maybe for like one quick take. Terrence Howard is great as well, but he will really get to shine in the inevitable sequel where he will get to throw on a suit. Jeff Bridges does an admirable job of evolving into an enemy as the power hungry executive. Though, the weakest part of the film is his arc (not his acting, that is still very good), and I am practically nit picking as he has a couple of menacing scenes.
In the end, Iron Man, is fun, has some great action, is really funny at times, and Robert Downey Jr. is a joy to watch. Any minor complaints fall in the lack of a real villain and maybe one more action set piece, but we can work on that in the sequel. If you are a fan of summer blockbusters and comic book films, this is a very good fit for you and I think that the Stark character is appealing enough and enigmatic enough to transcend the comic book crowd. This comes highly recommended and is a great start to the summer season!

(4.5 out of 5)

[rating: 4.5/5]

Review: ‘The Amateurs’

‘The Amateurs’ †¦ line up Reservoir Dogs style

Travis:

First-time writer/director Michael Traeger [actually, he has written a few television scripts] has made one heck of a good little comedy with The Moguls (2005), which has been renamed and re-released in Sweden and the USA as The Amateurs. The movie stars Jeff Bridges (Tideland) as Andy Sargentee, a depressed recent divorcee who can’t seem to keep a job, but is always looking for a way… a big idea to make his mark and accomplish something with his life. As it turns out, the small town of Butterface Fields, where Jeff Bridges has lived his entire life, is always behind his crazy ideas, for better or for worse. Usually the latter. The town is close-knit and they’ve all grown up together. Well, Andy’s ex-wife has remarried a very wealthy man and Andy feels he’s been a disappointment to his son, which sends him into his current brain storm for success. Andy’s new brilliant idea is for Butterface Fields to band together and make the very first full-length feature amateur adult film. Surprisingly, he gets most of the town involved rather quickly… that is, behind the camera.

This ensemble cast is actually a major factor in the success of Traeger’s small, independent film. This is not, however, to diminish the quality of this well-written and thoughtful comedy of errors. The story is both smart and funny, but is humorous in a way that maintains its dignity, weaving a modern tale of a man who wants nothing more than to be seen as a hero to his son. The town, aka the production crew, is made up by a motley crew of characters including Barney, played by Tim Blake Nelson (O, Brother, Where Art Thou?), Some Idiot [his nick name given by the town], played by Joe Pantoliano (The Sopranos), Otis is a church janitor that thinks he’s a ladies’ man, played by William Fichtner (Crash), Moose is a closet homosexual, played by Ted Danson, Emmett is the town’s movie geek, played by Patrick Fugit (Spun), and Moe-Ron, which is actually two friends, Moe and Ron, but the town refers to them as Moron.

On the surface, the plot, the characters and the whole thing seems ridiculous and absurd, but it actually works really well. Even Bridges himself tells about how he didn’t believe in the film at all until virtually everyone else convinced him otherwise, and he gradually fell in love with the story. The idea of making a movie about a small town who band together to make a porno sounds impossible, especially when there is a complete lack of nudity or [actual] sex anywhere in the film, but it works because that’s not what the movie is about. The Amateurs is a comedy, and a funny one at that, but more importantly its a feel-good movie that emphasizes how important it is that we stick together as a community and we stick to what we really want in life, no matter what it takes.

(4 out of 5)

Zac:

The long delayed and name changed title finally found its way out and the impressive ensemble cast can’t save this film from mediocrity in the end.
Andy is an underachieving idea man that has a small group of close friends that will follow him into anything, from pyramid schemes to porno films. This film is about the porno idea and the attempts to make an amateur film by recruiting local girls and local funding to try and rake in some of that big time amateur porn money. The believability question kicks in pretty early here. First, all of Andy’s friends just hand over two thousand dollars to help fund the film after numerous failed endeavourers with the man and we are supposed to buy into the fact that they still trust him? I don’t think so, and I don’t get how they think they are going to make so much money, let alone break even, from making an amateur porno movie in a day and age when porn is freely available on the internet for those who want it; it’s all just a bit ridiculous.
But then we find out why Andy wants to make a porno, to make money to impress his son that he is just as good as his rich step father; by making porn, what?
There are some halfway interesting, one note characters, along the way with William Fitchtner having the best lines throughout the film as the sex craved church janitor (that has two grand to throw away). Ted Danson’s plays the gay friend that won’t admit it and is very funny as well sometimes. Joe Pantoliano plays a character called Some Idiot, which is just a horrible joke, and don’t forget the bumbling buddies Moe and Ron, get it, Moe-ron, horrible. The movie thinks it is smart and creative sometimes when it’s just stupid and juvenile.
The movie really goes off the deep end when it turns everything around and they make their money not from their porno, which gets destroyed by an angry sibling of a star, but from hand held footage Patrick Fugit’s character is shooting documenting everything that is made. And the whole spin is we have been watching the movie that goes on to be a hit, but how are we supposed to believe it’s a big hit when we aren’t even enjoying it that much. The film also teaches us a lesson that if you make lots of money your son will finally love you because that is what Andy thinks, when in actuality he never needed to prove his love from his son, it was always there, but the movies final coda tries to sell us other wise and makes zeros sense what so ever.
The film is just hollow and stupid for much of its runtime and doesn’t make any sense half the time with zero logic behind anything. Though, a couple of good laughs are in there and that is worth something I guess, and the film isn’t unwatchable, just stupid and not well thought out; but in the end I can not really recommend this unless you really want to see it.

(2 out of 5)

[rating: 3/5]

DVD Features:

  • Audio Commentary
  • Making of The Amateurs Featurette
  • Photo Essay, created by Jeff Bridges (This is actually really neat.)
  • Theatrical Trailer