CinemaSalem

Andrew Stanton to screen his next Disney endeavor for Super Bowl teams

Kereth — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:37:55 +0000

Rockport native Andrew Stanton, writer and director of one of Pixar’s most charming entries, Wall-E (which also happens to be the Pixar movie with the highest grossing run at CinemaSalem) has another film coming out this Spring. It’s the Marvel comics adaptation JOHN CARTER, and the players of both Superbowl teams will get to see it before the big game over a month before its theatrical release on March 9. /Film has the whole story.

And hey, if you’re having trouble passing the time before the Pats wreak unholy vengeance on the Giants, come by Saturday or Sunday afternoon and catch up on a few more Oscar films. We have Meryl Streep this week in IRON LADY! And you still have a chance to see Best Picture nominees THE DESCENDANTS and EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE.

Trailer for Sundance hit “Red Lights”

Peter — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:03:18 +0000

Red Lights, the new film from Buried director Rodrigo Cortes premiered last week at the Sundance film festival. The film, starring Cillian Murphy, Sigourney Weaver, Elizabeth Olsen, and Robert De Niro, is about a couple of psychologists studying paranormal paranormal activity, who investigate a world famous psychic. Sure, that may not seem all that original or exciting, but it has one big thing going for it: Rodrigo Cortes. Cortes, the writer/director also wrote and directed 2010′s Buried, starring Ryan Reynolds, which is a fantastic thriller and just goes to show that if a script, direction, and actor are good enough – you don’t need anything else. Literally. Ryan Reynolds was the only actor in the film, where he was trapped in a coffin and the film never, not even for an establishing shot or epilogue or anything left that coffin, and it never ceased to be edge-of-your seat intense. Buried was one of the biggest surprises of 2010, and one of my favorite films of that year, so I can’t wait to see what Cortes can do with a film much bigger in size and scope. Check out the trailer here on Twitchfilm.

THR has some behind the scenes dish on The Hunger Games

Kereth — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:26:52 +0000

As many of you may have noticed, we here at CinemaSalem hunger for all things Hunger Games. If that hunger is something you share, you might want to check out THR for a low down on the economics of the film, including how the pay and budget compares to the first Twilight film.

Another interesting tidbid on The Hunger Games–if you’re in to Asian cinema AND The Hunger Games, it’s impossible not to draw comparisons between Stephanie Collins’s trilogy and the Japanese cult power house Battle Royale. Looks to me like whoever designed one of the more recent Hunger Games posters paid homage to the trilogy’s Asian predecessor. Is that an element of the Battle Royale logo on the floor in front of Katniss? I’ve attached both so you can decide for yourself. Click the pic for a ginormous version to examine.

My pre-Oscar commentary

Peter — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 02:13:23 +0000

I’m not going to go into depth in every single category, nor have I even seen enough nominees to be able to do that, so this is more of a selection of who I think will win, who I would like to see win, and who I feel got snubbed in a few select categories. Let’s start from the top…

Best Picture
* The Artist
* The Descendants
* Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
* The Help
* Hugo
* Midnight in Paris
* Moneyball
* The Tree of Life
* War Horse
The Artist should take this easy. Its only real competition is The Descendants, and I doubt that will win. Hugo could pull an upset, but I doubt that too. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, War Horse, and The Help really have no place on this list, especially when films like Drive, Shame, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo didn’t get nominated.

Best Director
* Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
* Alexdander Payne, The Descendants
* Martin Scorsese, Hugo
* Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
* Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Again, I think The Artist‘s Michel Hazanavicius wins this category, but I can see either Martin Scorsese or Woody Allen pulling an upset. I would love to see Terrence Malick get the Oscar he deserved for The Thin Red Line, but that will never happen. It would have been nice to see Spielberg get a nomination this year, as his direction was by far the best part of the otherwise disappointing War Horse.

Best Actor in a Leading Role
* Demian Bichir, A Better Life
* George Clooney, The Descendants
* Jean Dujardin, The Artist
* Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
* Brad Pitt, Moneyball
It’s a close call between Clooney and Dujardin, but I think Clooney will get it so that The Descendants will have won at least one major award. Even though I haven’t seen Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, I’ve heard Gary Oldman is excellent in it, and I’d love to see him win just because it’s Gary Oldman. I don’t see why Brad Pitt is nominated, as he didn’t seem to be doing anything special or out of his comfort zone in Moneyball, but I’m also not sure he could be nominated in his place. Michael Fassbender, maybe?

Best Actress in a Leading Role
* Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
* Viola Davis, The Help
* Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
* Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
* Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
Viola Davis will win this by a landslide, with no real argument from me. I would love to see Rooney Mara win, but it’s such a strong category that I can’t really complain either way. Michelle Williams is the only potential upset here.

Animated Feature Film
* A Cat in Paris, Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
* Chico & Rita, Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
* Kung Fu Panda 2, Jennifer Yuh Nelson
* Puss in Boots, Chris Miller
* Rango, Gore Verbinski
Rango should, and probably will win this. No complaints here, except that it’s really too bad that The Adventures of Tintin didn’t get nominated. That’s 2 snubs for Spielberg this year. Also, is this the first year that a Pixar film hasn’t even been nominated? Good riddance, Cars 2.

Writing (Original Screenplay)
* The Artist, Written by Michel Hazanavicius
* Bridesmaids, Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
* Margin Call, Written by J.C. Chandor
* Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen
* A Separation, Written by Asghar Farhadi
I’d say this is the one category that is still completely up in the air. I think Woody Allen has a good shot at winning, which would be great, but overall it’s a pretty level playing field. Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo winning would be pretty great to see, too.

Well, that’s pretty much all I have to say for now. What does everyone else think?

And if you’re wondering why, out of all the potential images I could have included I used the poster for Moneyball, it’s because it was the best picture nominee I enjoyed the most.

Joe Carnahan to write/direct “Death Wish” remake

Kereth — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:17:46 +0000

Now, before everyone starts freaking out, this is another remake. Get over it. I don’t understand why people get so upset about remakes. Don’t like it, don’t watch it. It couldn’t be any simpler. Remakes don’t have any effect on the original. The original film(s) will always be there. The worst thing about remakes is that they bring new attention to the film being remade which often times results in a pretty bad ass new blu ray/DVD release. Wait, that’s actually positive! See how that works? Alright, now that my rant is over, we can get down to business.

The LA Times is reporting that Joe Carnahan, director of Narc, Smokin’ Aces, The A-Team, and this weeks The Grey has been hired to write and direct the remake of the classic 1974 Charles Bronson starring film. I don’t think Death Wish isn’t the best choice for a remake, as it is such a film of it’s time and so much of it just won’t work in today’s world or translate to today’s audiences. However, Joe Carnahan could potentially be a great choice. If he brings his Narc and Smokin’ Aces game, this could be a really entertaining flick. The biggest problem this film is facing is the casting. The lead actor will make or break this film, and whoever it ends up being is going to have a tough job living up to what Charles Bronson brought to the role. I’ve enjoyed, if not loved all of Joe Carnahan’s films so far, so this one is definitely one I’ll be keeping an eye on.

Oscar Nominated Shorts!

Shane — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:04:09 +0000

We will be showing the Oscar Nominated shorts (documentary, animation, and live action) in the CinemaSalem screening room from February 10th-17th. To gain a bit of knowledge before viewing them here is the IMDB links for each short.

Documentary:
The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
Incident in New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom
God Is the Bigger Elvis

Animation:
Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life

Live action:
Pentecost
Raju
The Shore
Time Freak
Tuba Atlantic

This Year’s Oscar Snubs

Christine — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 01:35:08 +0000

I woke up bright an early this morning with an agenda: get cracking on watching the films nominated for Best Picture. As a movie buff and Academy Award junkie, I am ashamed to say that I have not seen any of the nine films that garnered nominations for the top prize. I have deemed this totally unacceptable and resolved to rectify it, posthaste! Using my handy dandy ‘Red Box’ app, I strategically chose the location with the most options available: once there, I figured I’d allow my whim to make the final call. My whim, however, led me away from “Midnight in Paris”, “Moneyball” or “The Help”, and I instead walked away with “50/50″ in hand. The entire time I was watching the film, I couldn’t believe it hadn’t received any recognition from the Academy: Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives an understated yet emotionally packed performance as a young man diagnosed with a rare form of spinal cancer, and earned a Golden Globe nomination for his efforts. His performance and the screenplay are fantastic, and I’m sorry to see that they’ve gone overlooked; I’m glad, however, that “50/50″ topped the Hollywood Reporter’s list of the 12 biggest Oscar snubs of the year, along with the gem “Beginners” and Andy Serkis for his work in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”. Check out the rest of the list here and see if you agree!

Watch this – “First Squad”

Peter — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:31:14 +0000

I’m not an anime fan. Actually, I haven’t been an anime fan in about 10 years. I used to love it, I would watch TV series and movies all the time and then I just kind of lost interest in it. The style, storytelling, etc. just didn’t interest me anymore. I watch the occasional Disney released Studio Ghibli flick – but that’s it. Until now. I stumbled across this new film, First Squad, and couldn’t resist based on the story alone. This Russian/Japanese co-production takes place during the early days of World War Two on the Eastern front and follows a young Russian girl who is a clairvoyant and joins a special Russian military unit whose current task is stopping a German occult from raising an army of 700 year old undead crusaders. Anything that merges WWII history with a horror/supernatural theme is right up my ally, so I was pretty sold on just the synopsis. After watching the trailer (which you can check out below), I knew I had to see the movie. This film completely exceeded my expectations. Cool story, great animation, and the historical accuracy of the uniforms, weapons, vehicles, equipment, etc. was surprising. The film is pretty short, running at only 73 minutes so it moves at a brisk pace, but when all is said and done I feel like a bit more story could have been crammed in. Regardless, I really enjoyed the flick and recommend people check it out! Check out the trailer (below) and poster. First Squad is currently available on DVD, Blu ray, and some on demand rental services.

Helen Mirren Please Respond

Shane — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:41:49 +0000

Dear Helen Mirren,
I think you are such a beautiful woman and I would love to get tea with you one afternoon. I will pay and treat you like the Queen you are. If I am lucky enough can you teach me how to shoot a Browning M2HB? Thank you for being who you are.
Yours Always (always),
Shane

Peter’s 12 most anticipated films of 2012

Peter — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:52:02 +0000

Now that the 2011 movie season has officially come to an end with the Oscar announcements, it’s time to look ahead to what the rest of 2012 has to bring us. Looking at the release list for 2012, it’s already far stronger than 2011, and we still don’t know about what “big hits” are going to come out of Sundance, SXSW, etc. So, here are my top 12 must sees (so far) for 2012. Top 3 are in order, no particular order after that.

1. Django Unchained
Tarantino is back, baby. Tarantino completely flipped the war genre on its head with his previous film, Inglourious Basterds, and now he’s looking to do it again for westerns. Jamie Foxx plays a freed slave turned bounty hunter who, with the help of a German man (Christoph Waltz), sets out across the American south to rescue his wife from an evil plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio). Sounds pretty awesome, right? But wait, there’s more. The rest of the cast includes Samuel L. Jackson, Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kurt Russel, RZA, Kerry Washington, and Don Johnson. Look for Django Unchained on Christmas day, 2012.

2. Gangster Squad
This is director Ruben Fleischer’s third film, after the wonderful Zombieland and the highly disappointing 30 Minutes or Less. The film is about organized crime and the LAPD in the 40′s and 50′s, which sounds like a big departure from the action/comedy of his previous efforts. It’ll be interesting to see if he has the directing chops to pull off what is likely to be a more dramatic crime film. The film has a really impressive cast as well, which might be another problem for the somewhat inexperienced director. Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Giovanni Ribisi, Nick Nolte, Emma Stone, Anthony Mackie, and Robert Patrick all star.

3. Argo
Ben Affleck has proven himself to be a more than capable director with his first 2 films, Gone Baby Gone and The Town. For his third film, Argo, he’s leaving the familiarity of Boston and stepping away from the crime genre to tell the true story of a fake movie production put on by the CIA to rescue hostages in Iran. Affleck also stars in the film with Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Kyle Chandler, Alan Arkin, and Michael Parks.

4. Wettest County
Directed by John Hillcoat (The Proposition, The Road), starring Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, Mia Wasikowski, Jessica Chastain, and Shia Labeouf.
Set in the Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a bootlegging gang is threatened by authorities who want a cut of their profits.

5. Gravity
Alfonso Cuaron, the director who brought us the excellent Children of Men, is directing this “single shot” thriller about two astronauts (George Clooney and Sandra Bullock) who get separated from their shuttle during a space walk and drift through space.

6. The Hobbit
What really needs to be said? The highly anticipated prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy is finally here.

7. The Raid
This Indonesian film could be the best action film of the last decade. Don’t believe me? Watch the trailer.

8. Prometheus
Ridley Scott makes an epic return to the science fiction genre with this prequel to his 1979 film Alien. Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, and Patrick Wilson all star.

9. Panzer 88
This is probably the least well known film on this list, but also the one that could prove to be the biggest surprise hit. Panzer 88 is about a German tank crew, fighting on the Eastern Front during World War 2 who encounter some sort of supernatural monster. No note worthy cast or crew, but the excellent WETA (Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, King Kong, District 9, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, etc.) is doing all of the SFX and design work for the film.

10. Bullet to the Head
Walter Hill, the man behind the beloved cult classic The Warriors returns to the big screen with this film about a cop and a hitman who form an unlikely partnership to go after the same bad guy. Starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Mamoa, and Christian Slater.

11. The Avengers
This film has been in the making since 2008′s Iron Man. This is the epic blockbuster that brings together the characters introduced in Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America to fight alongside one another to save the world.

12. The Dark Knight Rises
Will this be as good as 2008′s The Dark Knight? Probably not, but how could you not want to see how Christopher Nolan ties up his Batman trilogy?

Well, that’s it. Obviously there are far more films I’m dying to see, and it was really hard trimming down a list of about 30 titles to those 12, but there you have it. Anything on this list catch your attention? What is everyone else looking forward to?