No additional Bond movie for Sam Mendes

     After strong indications that Academy Award winning director Sam Mendes would return to direct Bond 24, the director of Skyfall told Empire magazine recently he would not be coming back.  Mendes said the decision was very difficult and that he was extended a generous offer.  However, Mendes has several projects he's focused on right now, including King Lear, that require his full attention over the next year.
     I have to say I respect a director who one: doesn't want to shortchange his current projects and make them suffer in pursuit of something shinier and two: doesn't let a "generous offer" (read "ass load of cash") sway him from his artistic integrity.
     While I'm sad that Mendes will not return (at least not for the next one) one of appeals about the franchise is that usually there is a different director with each movie.  Consequently, the audience receives different perspectives and styles but the same Bond.  Regardless of who directs* the next installment though, they have some titanic shoes to fill.

*Possible dream directors for me would be Steven Spielberg, Kathryn Bigelow, or Christopher Nolan.  Steven Spielberg said he always wanted to direct a James Bond film, Kathryn Bigelow would be a fantastic choice for the first female Bond director, and Christopher Nolan is, well, Christopher Nolan.

Zero Dark Tarzan? Jessica Chastain may be the next Jane in David Yates' "Tarzan" reboot

     If it wasn't for Jennifer Lawrence's amazing performance in Silver Linings Playbook, Jessica Chastain would have been a shoe-in for the Oscar.  Lucky for her she's got plenty of good acting years ahead.  However, I don't think the possible involvement in her next project is likely to win her an Academy Award.
     According to The New York Post (so take this rumor with a mine full of salt) director David Yates' wants Chastain to swing out of the desert and into the jungle as Jane in his Tarzan reboot.  I definitely could see this working.  Chastain has that Jane look and I believe she'd easily adapt to a Victorian era historical film. 
     There's little news on the story, only that Tarzan takes place years after he's assimilated back into society and Queen Victoria requests he go on a mission to investigate a warlord in the Congo.  The only confirmed actor is the lead, Alexander Skarsgard, although Samuel L. Jackson is rumored to have a supporting role.  (Natch!)
     There is no release date for Tarzan at this time.

DVD and Blu Ray releases for the week of March 4th!!!

Here are your Blu Ray and DVD releases for Tuesday March 5th:

Wreck it Ralph, Red Dawn, Lay the Favorite, Schindler's List*, A Nightmare on Elm Street Complete Film Set*, Westworld*, The Nativity Story*, College, Super Bowl XLVII

*Blu Ray only

Don't call her a scruffy looking Nerf herder, Carrie Fisher joins cast of "Star Wars Episode VII"

     To take a page from Yoda: expected this was.
     We know that Disney is doing its damnedest to get some of the original cast members on board for Star Wars Episode VII and now we've gotten some actual hard information that one of them has dropped their shields.  In an interview with Palm Beach Illustrated, Carrie Fisher (who played Princess Leia in the original trilogy) confirmed her involvement in the upcoming film.  In terms of her character's role however, all she'd say is that Leia would be much the same as before except older, slower, and less inclined to get up for the big battle.
     Fisher's exposition makes me think even more and more that Han, Luke, and Leia are going to be on the fringes of the next film and that the new trilogy will focus more on their kids.  As it should be. 
     Star Wars Episode VII hits theaters in summer 2015.

Indiana Burgundy??? Harrison Ford joins the cast of "Anchorman 2"

     Sweet Odin's raven!  Literally did not see this one coming.
     According to NBCnews.com, Harrison Ford has joined the cast of Anchorman: The Legend Continues.  Ford was seen on set in a full suit appearing alongside Will Ferrell.  According to sources the role is a small one and he will apparently be playing a legendary newsman ala Peter Jennings. 
     You know I like this casting choice.  Ford is often perceived as stuffy and lacking a sense of humor so maybe this will dispel some of those notions.  I'm also going to say that he's actually playing Ron Burgundy's father and that that information will come to light by the end of the film. 
     Anchorman: The Legend Continues is currently filming and will release December 20th of this year.
    

Review: A Good Day to Die Hard

Plot:  In the fifth edition of the Die Hard franchise, erstwhile New York City cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) returns and this time he's gone international.  After discovering his son Jack (Jai Courtney) has been arrested for a murder in Russia, McClane flies to Moscow to help his son.  Unbeknownst to him, Jack is actually a CIA agent tasked with keeping political prisoner Yuri Komarov (Sebastian Koch) alive.  Despite a bad relationship, John and Jack must work together to prevent a political upheaval in Russia and stop Viktor Chagarin (Sergei Kolesnikov) from taking power.  But can Jack and John put their animosity aside long enough to "kill all the scumbags?"

Review:  Oh John McClane, how far you have fallen.  I remember when you were once just an ordinary cop put in an extraordinary situation in the original Die Hard.  How times have changed.
     Loud, obnoxious, obvious, and with little redeeming value, A Good Day to Die Hard is a sad addition to the Die Hard franchise and hopefully a bullet to the head for these movies. 
     I know there is a certain level of "suspension of disbelief" when it comes to films, but John McClane's situation in the fifth film strains suspension to the breaking point.  What the hell was screenwriter Skip Woods thinking?  John McClane preventing a coup in Russia?  Ughh.  Just make me walk over broken glass already.  I use the word "script" in the loosest possible sense here because to me the entire story seemed like an excuse to do one action set piece after another.  Full of convenient plot devices and the inevitable twist at the end, the story came across like it was written by a thirteen year old boy.  There was actually one point where the bad guys used an aerosol spray to eliminate the radiation at a secret Chernobyl (don't ask) locker.  Really?  Were they out of magic pixie dust? And the dialogue?  Putrid.  After about the billionth time Bruce Willis said "I'm on vacation!" I was ready to hit the ejector button on my seat.
     This was director John Moore's first film since 2008's Max Payne and it looks like he hasn't gotten any better in the last five years.  I hate to bash a fellow Irishman but the pacing was frenetic, the camerawork atrocious, and he chose to revolve the "plot" around the action sequences instead of the other way around.  Speaking of the action moments, while some were cool most were just ridiculous.  Falling four floors (twice!) and not dying, crashing a helicopter into a building by hanging an ATV off the back of it, and having John McClane use a Hummer to drive over about twenty cars like he was at a monster truck rally, are just a few of the turd burgers in this movie.
     Speaking of Willis to call his performance in A Good Day to Die Hard lazy and uninspired is an insult to sloths.  I could almost see the dollar signs cha-chinging in his eyes every time he opened his mouth to spew out a ridiculous one liner.  Willis didn't phone it in. He texted it in.  Thankfully at least Jai Courtney was decent as an action hero although he displayed little emotions other than disgust, rage, or frustration.  Unfortunately, even he couldn't save this movie.
     I went in to A Good Day to Die Hard expecting to end the film yelling, "Yippie Ki-Yay motherfucker!" in delight.  Instead I felt like saying, "Fuck this shit."

My rating 2/10

Oscar Recap!!!

      Well another Oscar season has come and gone and I have to say it was one of the more entertaining ones I've seen in years.  I thought Seth MacFarlane crushed it (the John Wilkes Booth joke was killer) and although it went long there were plenty of good jokes and endearing moments.  Let's review the highlights shall we?
     Rather than breaking things down I thought I'd do just a little stream of consciousness based on the tweets I did throughout the night.  So here goes:

     I thought Christoph Waltz's speech was fantastic.  Understated, gracious, and charming and he gave a ton of kudos to QT.  Hopefully, he'll be in plenty more Tarantino films.  No idea why Samuel L. Jackson was wearing a smoking jacket.  Apparently he was tired of those motherfucking bow ties on those motherfucking tuxes.  Thought the initial Shatner/MacFarlane thing was hysterical.  Forget the "We saw your boobs" song, the bit with MacFarlane and Sally Field had me rolling especially when they rode off in the Smokey and the Bandit car.  Channing Tatum was about the stiffest presenter I've ever seen.  The only thing that compares is his acting.  Really disappointed by the Bond tribute.  Thought it was incredibly lame.  Performances by the Les Mis cast were incredibly moving even if John Travolta can't pronounce the name of the movie.  I'm convinced that Liam Neeson was stoned or exhausted.  LOVED that they went with the Jaws play off music and of course it wouldn't be a Seth MacFarlane Oscars if Ted didn't show up and make some Jewish jokes.  Anne Hathaway looked so classy.  I usually don't like women with hair that short but damn girl!  Closest thing we have to Audrey Hepburn although it is weird that she is married to Bizarro Ryan Gosling.  Tim Burton's hair meanwhile has never been combed, sad to see that Sandra Bullock was there to present an award and not give back the one she didn't deserve for The Blind Side, and Adele apparently cut her dress off of the curtain behind her before she made her appearance.  Pissed that Pixar won best animated feature once again, Salma Hayek is still smoking hot at 40+, and why couldn't Daniel Radcliffe have used the death spell on Kristen Stewart.  Once again the "In Memoriam" was very classy although they left off Andy Griffith for some reason.  Going to miss Ray Bradbury.  Forgot he was nominated for an Oscar once.  Renee Zeilwigger still has not stopped sucking that lemon, John Williams lost (tear), and what was with the cast of Nelson winning Oscars?  Seriously those haircuts WTF? Dustin Hoffman is incredibly short and kudos to MacFarlane for calling out the Academy on not nominating Ben Affleck.  Surprised that Ang Lee won Best Director but not incredibly so and FUCK YEAH TARANTINO for best original screenplay.  Jennifer Lawrence won!  WHOO HOOO!  A standing ovation from the crowd and one from my pants.  Seriously though very endearing speech.  Daniel Day-Lewis has got to be not only the most talented actor alive but the humblest as well.  Great joke about him and Meryl swapping places.  Glad to see Argo won and classy speech by Ben Affleck.  Final song was kind of odd but even stranger was Michelle Obama presenting the final Oscar.  Jack Nicholson is beyond bizarre.  Still would love to hang out with him.

     Hope you enjoyed that.  See you next year when "Generic English Sawdust Drama" regains the best picture!