Movies

Cemetery Junction Review

Since creating TV shows The Office and Extras, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant have been recognized as two of Britain’s best-known comedic talents. Gervais is particularly known as the front man for the duo and has thus entered into other projects: stand-up tours, starring film roles, directing a film and even a guest starring on Alias. The two men have reunited to write and direct their first feature film together with Cemetery Junction.

Christian Cooke plays Freddie Taylor, a man in his 20s living in the early ’70s in Cemetery Junction, a suburb of Reading, England. Freddie wants to avoid the same life path his parents and contemporaries have taken: leaving school at 14 to work in the local factory for the rest of their lives. He goes to work at a life insurance company run by Mr. Kendrick (Ralph Fiennes) and taught by salesman Mike Ramsay (Matthew Goode).

Freddie spends his free time with his close friends Bruce (Tom Hughes) and Snork (Jack Doolan) doing all the jolly things in life: drinking, fighting and trying to score with girls. But Freddie is slowly distancing himself from them because they refuse to shed their childish ways. He also remakes a friendship with Julie (Felicity Jones), whom he last saw when he was 12. She tells Freddie her passion is to travel the world and he too has those thoughts. He becomes disillusioned with everything in Cemetery Junction.

Scott confirms two “Alien” prequels, both in 3-D

Just a couple of days ago we learned more details on Ridley Scott’s planned Alien prequels, specifically that the story will take place 30 years before Alien and will deal with the mysterious Space Jockey that had been discovered. Now we learn that Scott has more than just that story to tell, as he told Collider that he actually has two prequels planned. Oh, and that it’ll be shot in 3-D. Shocker!

Scott confirmed that he is only working on “prequel 1” right now, with no firm plans for “prequel 2” at this time. 

That leads me to believe that maybe Scott won’t direct the second part. It took quite a bit of negotiating to even get Scott to agree to be a part of this. At one point, Carl Erik Rinsch was attached to the project. Rinsch is a protege of sorts and a part of Scott’s RSA production company. Is it possible that Rinsch could be brought back for the follow-up feature?  This is all speculation by me, but what is clear is that this isn’t just a one-off project but a massive undertaking by the visionary director.

Pixar confirms “Monsters Inc. 2” and “Brave” in 2012

Disney has confirmed that Monsters, Inc. 2 will indeed happen, and that it is already set to hit theaters on November 16, 2012. That’s almost exactly eleven years after the original.  Peter Docter won’t be returning to helm the sequel as he’s already working on other projects. No confirmation on John Goodman and Billy Crystal reprising their roles voicing Sully and Mike, but I doubt Pixar would move ahead without either of them.

Death at a Funeral Review

You don’t remake a movie this friggin’ soon! That’s what I told myself after hearing that Chris Rock would be remaking Frank Oz’s 2007 British comedy, Death at a Funeral, a well-stocked film with plenty of gags but somehow less funny than it should have been. Perhaps it had to do with me not always getting the English sense of humor. The cultural differences sometimes fly right over my head. Even though it was essentially one long gag, it seemed to be missing something.

The Lovely Bones Review

Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) is a typical teenage girl living in the suburbs of 1970s Pennsylvania. Like many girls she was into fashion and pop music and developing her first crush. But her family’s life is shattered when Susie is murdered by her neighbour George Harvey (Stanley Tucci). Unable to go to Heaven Susie is left in a lonely purgatory known as the “in-between” where she watches her family struggle to cope with her death.

Green Hornet and Last Airbender to be converted to 3D

Two more big studio films have succumbed to 3D conversion: The Green Hornet and The Last Airbender. Both films are expected hits and so the trend continues to effect more and more films on this year’s release schedule.

The Green Hornet is an adaptation of a comic book series and the popular ’60s TV show which gave the world Bruce Lee’s acting debut as the sidekick Kato (it was even known as The Kato Show in Asia). The film is about to enter into post-production and at this early stage, director Michel Gondy (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep) has been convinced to convert the film into 3D

Breck Eisner to Escape from New York

Breck Eisner has had quite the last five years, having gone from directing one of the all-time Hollywood flops in the failed franchise starter Sahara, to surprising everyone by tossing out a rarity: a critically respected horror remake of The Crazies back in February. Execs from New Line are banking on the success of the latter, since now Eisner has been attached to remake John Carpenter’s cult classic Escape from New York.