DVD and Blu Releases for Tuesday November 27th and Friday November 30th

Here are your DVD and Blu Ray releases for Tuesday November 27th:

Paranorman, Lawless, Step Up Revolution, The Day, The Appartion, 6 Degrees of Hell, Luck (Season 1), Cagney and Lacey (The Complete Series)**, Transformers Prime (Season 2)*

And for Friday November 30th:

Men in Black 3, Men in Black 3 3D*, Men in Black Trilogy*, Sparkle

*Blu Ray only
**DVD only

Lenny Kravitz to play Marvin Gaye in upcoming biopic

     Hmmmm.  Interesting.
     While known mostly for his music career, Lenny Kravitz has had some small roles.  Most recently he was in The Hunger Games as Cinna and also had a minor part in Precious.  However, he's never had a starring role in a film.
     Until now.
     According to "Deadline" Kravitz has signed on to play one of the most influential soul singers of the 60s, 70s, and early 80s--Mr. Marvin Gaye.  The film will focus mainly on "the time Gaye spent in London in the early 1980s, when the soul singer attempted to get his addictions under control and career back on track with the help of British music promoter Freddy Cousaert."
     While the time frame the film focuses on will probably make for great drama, I'm a little disappointed that Gaye's life in the 60s and 70s will be neglected.  Gaye was one of the most influential people in Motown Records and had a ton of hits like "How Sweet it is to be Loved by You" and "I Heard it Through the Grapevine."
     While I have no issue with Kravitz being cast in the role (I think he could be great) I do take issue that the film will be helmed by Julien Temple.  After all this is the man who brought us Earth Girls Are Easy.  Yikes.  (Although I will admit that Geena Davis is smoking hot in that film.)
     This isn't the first time a Marvin Gaye biopic has been broached.  Most notably director F. Gary Gray* tried to generate one in 2008.  Unfortunately, he had too many issues trying to get the movie rights and dropped the project.
     Production on the as yet untitled Marvin Gaye biopic is set to begin next year.

*Gray is now working on another music biopic about the rap group NWA called Straight Out of Compton. 

Director Zack Snyder dishes on what to expect from "Man of Steel"

     While my favorite superhero has always been and will always be Batman, Superman definitely is my number two.  I have fond childhood memories of watching Christopher Reeve play the Last Son of Krypton in the 80s.  I also have bad memories of the derivative and boring Superman Returns. 
     That being said, I have high hopes for next year's Man of Steel.  With actors like Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Russell Crowe, Henry Cavill, and Michael Shannon involved I find it hard to believe that this film will disappoint.  Couple that with the fact that Dark Knight guru Christopher Nolan is involved and you've got a recipe for success. 
     Up until now we've heard virtually zero about what to expect from Man of Steel.  However, recently director Zack Synder sat down with the New York Times to dish about the upcoming reboot of the franchise and what he had to say was interesting.  Snyder says he approached this film "as though there's never been a Superman film before" while still "respecting the canon and mythology" of the hero.  Snyder also reveals that Superman is extremely grounded in reality, as much as a movie about an alien who has super powers can be, and he attributes that mostly to Christopher Nolan.  "There's a logic and concreteness that has to exist with Chris.  You can't just do stuff because it's cool.  He demands that there be story and character behind all of it, which I'm a big fan of."  Snyder goes on to state that he approached this film as if it is just one film without any lead in for sequels.  However, he does hedge his bets regarding the Justice League movie (scheduled for 2015) and implies that this version of Superman will fly his way into the DC version of The Avengers. 
     I have to say I'm bolstered by Snyder's comments.  I'm all about grounding superhero films in reality and making them grittier, if only because it appeals to a wider audience.  There's only so much suspension of disbelief one can engage in after all.  I also like the approach of acting like there's never been a Superman movie made before.  If you get too caught up in the past, you end up chasing ghosts and creating pale imitations such as Superman Returns.  I respect that Snyder wants this story to stand on its own merit and be his movie, whether it's good or bad.  Although I will admit I had hoped that they'd include John Williams score again.  Oh well.
     Hopefully, the full trailer that debuts before The Hobbit in a few weeks will give us some more plot details.
     Man of Steel opens June 14, 2013.

Review: Men in Black III

Plot:  After ten years away from the big screen,  Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back in Earth protecting, alien eliminating action.  In the latest installment of the MIB franchise, a vicious alien named Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement) escapes from a maximum security prison on the moon and targets K for elimination.  Without warning K's complete existence is totally erased from everyone's memory--except Agent J.  In order to save his partner, stop Boris, and restore the timeline, J must time jump to 1969.  There he encounters a NYC landscape enmeshed in cultural upheaval and a younger version of K (Josh Brolin).  Together the two pair up in a desperate gambit to (once again) save the Earth.

Review:  I don't think I'm overstating the obvious when I say that Men in Black 2 was colossal failure.  From top to bottom (production value, direction, story, action, acting) the film stunk more than the Grinch's Jockey shorts.  So when I heard Columbia pictures was moving forward with a third edition, I was less than thrilled.  Compound that with the fact that production was suspended for 6 months while the script was finished and that Tommy Lee Jones gave some very candid interviews about how he had no idea what the film was about, and you can understand why I thought MIB3 was doomed to failure.
     I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was wrong.
     MIB3 is a humorous, action packed, sci-fi romp that boasts a stellar performance from Josh Brolin and recaptures the spirit and fun of the original.
     What makes MIB3 so entertaining is that it focuses on the chemistry between K and J, something that was severely lacking in the last film.  The two character's (and actor's) personalities are so disparate that at first you wouldn't expect it to work, but some how it does.  K and J have become like an old married couple that bickers, often times with hilarious consequences.  (One of the early scenes in a Chinese restaurant is particularly good.)  Yet underneath it all you know that the two men care for each other deeply.  In fact, as the climax reveals, the two have a deeper connection than J ever suspected. 
     I have to give credit to director Barry Sonnefeld and screenwriter Etan Cohen for keeping the focus on Agents J and K.  The last film came across as a quick sequel cash grab, a half-assed effort that showed.  Yet in this film, you could tell that Sonnefeld desperately cared about making a quality film that the fans could enjoy.  I'm happy to say he succeeded.  Cohen's script contains plenty of excellent actions moments such as the opening escape scene from the moon and the final confrontation at Cape Canaveral.  However there are plenty of small humorous scenes, such as the meeting between J and Andy Warhol (Bill Hader), that provide a nice balance to the rest of the film.  Moreover, MIB3 sports an excellent villain in Boris the Animal.  Jemaine Clement gives a spectacular performance, complete with googly dark eyes and razor sharp teeth that make him particularly terrifying.  Plus there's always a strong appeal for time travel films and what better place to go than NYC in the 60s.  FYI--the aliens really reflect the time frame as well.
     What also adds flavor to MIB3 is the addition of Josh Brolin to the franchise.  As a young Agent K, he carries this film and in many ways outshines superstar Will Smith.  By portraying the young Agent K there was the obvious temptation of doing an imitation of Tommy Lee Jones that could have hackneyed and empty.  Instead, Brolin captures the essence of Agent K, adding the requisite amount of grumpiness and nuance that breathes new life into an already familiar character.  Brolin shows a gentler Agent K, one early in his career with the Men in Black, one not nearly as jaded as his older version.  He even has a love interest in Agent O, played by the sexy and funny Alice Eve.  If there ever is a Men in Black 4, I sincerely hope that Brolin returns.
     At the end of the day, MIB3 is a thoroughly enjoyable popcorn flick that puts the franchise back on track.  So neuralize any memories you might have of the last film and enjoy the latest edition.  You're virtually guaranteed to have fun.

My rating:  8/10
    
    

"Machete Kills" might...be...delayed

     2010's Machete was a bloody blast that had a surprisingly decent plot, didn't take itself too seriously, and was rounded out by a solid cast.  When it was announced that the sequel, Machete Kills, was in the works I couldn't help but feel a little excited for the return of the Mexican badass played by Danny Trejo.  Production just wrapped on the sequel and a tentative release date was planned for Spring 2013.
     Well audiences might be waiting a little longer than expected to see the knife wielding anti-hero on the big screen again.  According to "Deadline," Overnight Productions, which owns the rights to the character, has taken legal action against director Robert Rodriguez and his production company.  Overnight states that they were not provided with appropriate Texas tax information from director Robert Rodriguez and his company.  Additionally, Overnight claims that Rodriguez has not provided appropriate budget information which could entail a fee for one of the producers.  Overnight Productions and their people believe their could be owed in excess of $250,000.
     I'm fairly confident that this will get resolved fairly quickly with little to no headaches.  To be honest Machete Kills never had a firm release date so it's not like people are going to be devastated.  I just hope it doesn't get delayed by three years ala Red Dawn and The Cabin in the Woods.

"Revenge of the Sith" 3D moves up a week and "Independence Day" 3D completely blown out of the sky

     In case you didn't notice, releasing classic films in 3D has grown in popularity over the last few years.  While I don't consider Attack of the Clones or Revenge of the Sith by an means classics, 20th Century Fox believes they deserve the 3D treatment, just like The Phantom Menace did.  Attack of the Clones will release next year on September 20th, followed by Revenge of the Sith on October 4th.  Sith was going to be released October 11th, however the date was moved up for no real reason.
     Speaking of no real reasons, 20th Century Fox hasn't delayed the release of Independence Day 3D--they've canceled it outright.  The film was set to hover it's way into theaters on February 10th but no more.  What's strange is that 20th Century Fox is mum on why exactly this happened.  Creative differences?  Who knows.
     While I don't agree with 3D re-releases, mostly because I think they are unnecessary, (if you want to shoot a film in 3D, then shoot a film in 3D!) I can't deny they have some appeal to the general public.  Phantom Menace 3D made over $100 million worldwide, and while that doesn't seem a lot by today's industry standards, when you consider that virtually no money was put into the project, that's a good return on an investment. 
     The only decent film I've seen in 3D has been Avatar.  Hopefully that will change in a few weeks when I go see The Hobbit.

The franchise based on dead people refuses to die, Paranormal Activity 5 coming soon

     The Paranormal Activity franchise is proving to be the new Saw, and like the bloody torture films, PA refuses to go away.
     "Coming Soon" reports that Paranormal Activity 5 will haunt its way into theaters on October 25, 2013.  Production is set to start early next year but no lead actor or actress has yet been cast.  Also no word on what exactly the plot is going to be.  I'm guessing things go bump in the night, stuff gets knocked around, and people get frightened.
     Listen I was a huge fan of the first film.  It was literally the scariest movie I'd seen since Pet Semetary.  And I watched it in the dark, late at night, alone, so that was a brilliant plan.  In any event Paranormal Activity 4 received wretched reviews and I doubt Paranormal Activity 5 will do any better.  Yet as long there is money to be made, I'm sure the studio will keep rolling them out there.