Life in a Day trailer... the movie shot by the people

Life in a Day has one of the best trailers around.  It has created a lot of buzz after several film festivals.  The film is directed by the Oscar winning, documentary filmmaker, Kevin Macdonald.  Let me start by sharing the premise of the documentary film, as explained by the filmmakers, Check out the trailer and read my comments below:

On July 24, 2010, thousands of people around the world uploaded videos of their lives to YouTube to take part in Life in a Day, a historic cinematic experiment to create a documentary film about a single day on earth.


Now, it's time to watch their story unfold on the big screen.

I've often let my mind wonder and think about what others are doing at the exact same moment as I am, across the globe.  Life in a Day does exactly that.  It shows us how we're not alone on this planet, there are others that are perhaps dealing with the same fears or celebrating the same successes, we are all tied together as the human race.  Last year a similar premise was brought the big screen with Babies; four babies from across the globe were filmed in their first year of life.  It was touching and engrossing, I'm sure Life in a Day will be no different.

Deadpool lands a director... an unknown of sorts

Deadpool has a director, visual effects specialist, Tim Miller.  Yep, you read that perfectly, a visual effects specialist will direct his first feature film... the long awaited, long over-due, Ryan Reynolds starring, Deadpool!  This news is actually about a month old, but hey, I've been busy.  So here it is.

Miller has worked on a slew of action films such as: X-Men, Daredevil and Scott Pilgrim vs. World.  That's great that he can produce great visual effects, but can he direct?  I've had a month to mull this one over and let me tell you what I think.

At first I hated the idea.  Maybe it was my disappointment that Robert Rodriguez wouldn't be directing the film anymore (even if it was just a rumor).  I thought Rodriguez was the perfect fit for the R-rated action comedy that would be Deadpool.  I'm slowly coming around, and here's why; Miller has already directed in a way.

Granted Miller only worked on effects, but those require a tremendous amount of work.  He must set up the world (albeit in a computer), he has to translate the script, develop the tone and pacing of the scenes, choreograph, etc. etc.  You start to see that the effects process is just a slimmed down version of directing a feature.  Add to that that I loved the visual style of the three movies I listed above, and I'm feeling much better about the move.

I'm not defending Fox' decision to go with an unknown director, just trying to find the silver lining.  I'm sure Fox wanted to save a buck by hiring Miller, but the movie is not dead to me by this move.  Am I the minority?  What do you guys think?

Galifianakis gone, but Jeff Bridges in for R.I.P.D.?

It was no more than a few months ago, there was talk of Zach Galifianakis joining the Ryan Reynolds comic book adaptation, R.I.P.D. But now it seems that he's leaving the project.  I read the reason for Zach man leaving the project was due to Reynolds schedule being so 'up in the air'.  I guess some of that is true.  Considering Reynolds has the Deadpool movie that's set to start production (check the next post about that), he also has Green Lantern sequels in pre-production.

So who will replace Galifianakis?  How about Oscar winner Jeff Bridges?!  I'll buy that for a dollar.  Bridges is in early talks to take over the role.  Nothing is final, but it's kind of a cool story.  I was bummed to hear about Galifianakis leaving because I believed he would have been great.  He looks the part and has the comedic chops to keep up with Reynolds.  But Bridges is an established actor and will give Reynolds a nice balance between the comedy and the seriousness of the material.

R.I.P.D. is about cops policing the dead in the underworld.  Pretty cool premise and they've got the director of RED to lead them!  Robert Schwentke is set to direct the movie which will probably be released sometime in late 2012, early 2013.

Academy Award nominee, Michael Shannon will play General Zod in Superman film, now titled "Man of Steel"

It feels like every Sunday there's Superman movie news.  For the most part, we knew the villain in the Superman film was going to be General Zod.  The rumor for months was that, the character would be played by Viggo Mortensen.  That rumor was proven false, by director Zack Snyder.  So today comes the official casting of the character.  It goes to Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon!  Shannon was nominated for his role in Revolutionary Road in 2008.

I like this casting choice.  Shannon has a presence that few actors do.  He demands attention on screen, and can be a commanding figure... which will be important when playing General Zod.  He can play a 'creepy', possessed characters, which again, will be perfect for the role.  His role in Revolutionary Road was terrific (one of the few things I enjoyed about the film).  He played Kate Winslet's brother, a mentally disturbed man that challenged Leonardo DiCaprio in every scene they shared together.  It was a great role for Shannon.

On another Superman note; the reboot has an official title.  It will be Man of Steel.  Much like the latest Batman installment, The Dark Knight, there's no need for the name of the character in the title of the film.  Its probably smart.  First, you separate it from the terrible Bryan Singer version, Superman Returns.  And second, the character is so universally recognized, having his name in the title is a bit overkill.  This is great news, and I'm excited about seeing a villain OTHER than Lex Luthor in a Superman film.  Your thoughts?

300 sequel will not be titled "Xerxes"... good

Probably a good idea the 300 sequel will not be titled "Xerxes".  Can you imagine what the marketing campaign would be like?  Teen boys wouldn't know how to spell it, then have mood swings about not accessing viral material, then throw tantrums, then boycott the movie.  It would be ugly.

A few weeks ago I posted about the sequel's announcement, no secret really.  But, what WAS a big deal was that Guy Ritchie may direct the film.  It's possible considering Zack Snyder, the 300 director, is going to be busy for at least 18 months on the Superman reboot. 

People involved with the movie have all but confirmed that Snyder will not direct.  Too bad too.  300 is totally Snyder's vision come true.  What's interesting is that Frank Miller has finished the graphic novel to the sequel.  Remember now, 300 is based on Frank Miller's graphic novel, not the exact events in history.  So with the second graphic novel done, writers will be hired to adapt a screenplay.  We'll see what happens.  All this came from an article about the film being titled something other than "Xerxes". 

Crazy, Stupid, Love looks GREAT!

I love Steve Carell.  I love Emma Stone.  Huge fan of Ryan Gosling.  Huge fan of Marisa Tomei and Julianne Moore as well!  And they're all in this film!  Take a look at the trailer and I'll tell you my thoughts after.

Emma Stone is all grown up, daaaang.  The great thing about the trailer is the contrast in the male characters.  Steve Carell's character seems stuck in a rut, while Ryan Gosling's character is living it up.  The banter back and forth between Gosling and Stone looks promising. 

The wild card?  Julianne Moore.  I love this woman's acting!  She's so good in everything she does.  How about Kevin Bacon making an appearance?  The scene with Marisa Tomei is hilarious as well.  What are your thoughts?  I'll shut up now.

Warrior trailer... looks amazing!

This trailer look sick!  Wow!  I know I usually wait until after the trailer to comment, but I have to tell you... it's amazing!  Tom Hardy of Inception fame plays a war veteran trying to find himself after life in the military.  His brother, played by Joel Edgerton, is a teacher trying to provide for his family.  They both train and join a mixed martial arts tournament.  Check it out...

So what you think?  The movie is directed by Gavin O'Connor.  O'Connor directed one of my favorite sports films, Miracle, the Disney film based on the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey team.  I'll let that movie stick out in my mind, rather than the terrible, Pride and Glory, which O'Connor also directed. 

Warrior looks to be a uplifting, inspirational film with plenty of heart.  Tom Hardy is quickly becoming a star in Hollywood, and rightfully so.  He has drawn a lot of attention in the last two years, and this film looks to raise his star power even more.  So, sign me up, I will pay to see this film!