Liam Neeson Cast in "Battleship"

To add some seriousness to crazy idea/film, Liam Neeson has been cast in Battleship. The movie is being directed by Peter Berg (Hancock) and stars the likes of Taylor Kitsch, Brooklyn Decker and Rihanna. So casting Neeson is a nice change of pace from the much younger cast.

The movie is about, what else, a battleship vs. aliens. It's going to have battles on land, in the air and of course, by sea. Can't wait to see ANOTHER board game made into a feature film! (Sarcasm by the way). I have faith in Berg, but I'm not going to hold my breath on this one.

Funny thing is, I just saw Taken again today, and LOVE Liam Neeson's resume. He's such an amazing, versatile actor who can do it all. I think he's a class act who can act!

So bad it's good... Corky Romano

Ok, so everyone seems to love our "You Know What's A Good Movie?" series of posts (I'm basing that on the number of hits those posts get).  I wanted to try a new series of posts, this time a bit different.  I want to talk about movies that are so bad, they're actually good, you know what movies I'm talking about.  These posts wont have a connection between them, it's just for kicks.  These kind of movies start out as box office failures, but eventually become cult classics.  In some cases they're so bad, they're successful because of it.  Let's begin with the first movie in our line of posts... Corky Romano. 

The movie was released in 2002 and stars Chris Kattan.  It was his first leading role (unless you count Night at the Roxbury).  The movie co-starred Peter Falk as the head of the Romano crime family.  There are three Romano sons: Peter Berg plays the pretty boy, tough guy, who can't read, classic!  This is before Berg was making 200 million dollar movies like Hancock and the upcoming Battleship.  The second son is played by the great, gone too soon, Chris Penn.  Penn plays the muscle of the crime family, who also happens to be gay, hilarious!  Such a funny and unique way to portray the mob.

Then there's Kattan, he plays the odd man out of this family.  He's a veterinarian who has no business being in the business of crime.  He's a good-hearted, happy-go-lucky kind of guy.  His license plate says "Corkstr" for cryin' out loud.  But when the family calls on him to go undercover and steal back evidence from the cops, Corky agrees.

The movie is funny, to me anyway; but it is so bad.  The situations Corky is thurst into are ridiculous.  For example: he has to sell a gang of white supremacists that he wants to join their crew?  He has to translate between two drug lords who speak two different languages?  The gags are pretty generic and just-don't-work. Remember Blue Streak starring Martin Lawrence and Owen Wilson?  Same concept except Lawrence is a strong enough comedian to carry the load with great support from Wilson.  And that movie wasn't over the top.

That's another problem with this movie; it isn't trying to be a spoof, it's trying to be a bona fide comedy.  Well they spend so much time making fun of gangsters and police, we don't know what to think; and everything is over the top, everything.  Then there's the purely ridiculous; Corky shoots a gun uncontrollably but saves a dog and disarms a perp all at the same time?  C'mon, I have limits as a viewer you know.

Falk, Berg and Penn are so funny in this movie.  It's worth mentioning that any of the three of them are funnier than Kattan in the movie.  The way Berg's character has to hide that he's illiterate is so funny, and is done really well.  Same goes for the "wink wink" moments when we realise Penn's character is gay, awesome.  Falk's in his deathbed and is still telling the three of them to stop fighting, and he does so with power, loved him in this movie.  He has a quote that had me rolling:

My son, he's a fruit and I don't care who knows it.  The other one, he can't read a stop sign, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

 The movie came and went and did very poorly at the box office (23 million sounds better than it really is).  The characters were great, the acting was hilarious (minus Kattan), and the story was unoriginal at best.  I still like the movie and throw the DVD in once every year or so.  What do you think?  Is this movie so bad it's good in your opinion?  Let me know.  I'll try to do more of these as time goes by, suggestions?  Email me and let me know.

Peter Berg signed on for Battleship, July 2011 release

Peter Berg, director of Hancock, has signed on to direct Battleship... yeah, THAT Battleship! The film will be based on the classic board game of the same name.

I love Peter Berg, I think he's very capable of doing a good job. The real question is what direction the studio (Universal) will want to take it. Is it a dark toned, adult worthy action-drama? Or is it a kid-friendly, campy excuse of a military film? Most likely the latter. Either way, Berg can direct action and actors love working with him. So look for this one July of 2011 with a script expected by the end of the year.

Quickie: Will Smith And Charlize Theron are confirmed for Hancock 2

Last week it was confirmed that Hancock 2 was a reality. This week, MTV is reporting that both Will Smith and Charlize Theron are in for the sequel. Director Peter Berg, and co-star Jason Bateman will also be back. Plot details are sketchy at best, but a third "super human" is in the works. To be honest, I enjoyed the first one and look forward to the sequel. Hopefully more time is put into the writing, but that's my wish for every sequel/prequel/remake/reboot!

Hancock 2 is a go... writers hired

Last week the director of Hancock, Peter Berg, gave us a solid hint that a sequel was coming. Today, the news has been announced that Adam Fierro and Glen Mazzara have been hired to write the script. Both writers come from a background in TV. That was quick! Well, the first movie made so much money, we knew it was a matter of time before this would happen.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Berg has hinted of a possible third God getting into the mix. To be honest, that was what I liked least about the first movie. The idea of an alcoholic superhero that swears and destroys more than he saves, BRILLIANT! It was executed well by the director and actors, the script just needed work. So hopefully this go around they can do it right. Anyone up for a Hancock sequel?

Quickie: Hancock 2 coming soon?

joblo.com is reporting that Hancock 2 may be fast approaching us. The director Peter Berg was recently quoted as saying this:

[The studio would] like to fast-track it, but Will's busy, I'm pretty busy… We're excited to do one, but we want the script to be right and the movie to be right. We don't feel a burning imperative to go right back into it.

So what can we expect? A Summer of 2011 Hancock 2? Is everyone really ready for a sequel to the average original? To be honest with you, I enjoyed the first movie. Matt didn't like it at all, but we always Agree to Disagree ;-).

All the things people hated about it were true, but I didn't care. Yes the movie took itself too serious, yes the dialogue was crap, and yes there wasn't enough action. But it was still entertaining. Would Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron be ok with a sequel? Will Smith is the king of Fourth of July releases; so a July 1st, 2011 lands on a Friday, what's up now!? We'll have to wait and see.