The Crippled Corner

[Meho Krljic]

Da, vrlo se tu na tankoj oštrici igra. Najbolji momenti Deadpool stripa (prizvaću ponovo Wayjev recentni run, ali i Dugganov koji se nedavno završio pa će ponovo da počne s jeseni) su oni u kojima se kombinuje taj farsični, breaking-the-foourth-wall humor, nadeven akcijom, pop-referencama i jednim konzumerističkim pristupom životu (dakle, jedno opširno namigivanje publici) sa epizodama humanizacije glavnog lika koje su uspešne zato što su low-key, dakle ne trude se da speluju kako je Deadpool ipak ispod svih slojeva kancera, ADHDa i psihoze zapravo toplo ljudsko biće koje, kao i mi, ume da voli i pati, nego se to provuče u pozadini, suptilno. E, da li će Fox umeti da uhvati taj šmek, to i mene zanima.

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U sklopu proučavanja Franka Tashlina, reprizirao sam film koji smatram jednom od najčistijih manifestacija njegovog uticaja u savremenom filmu a to je (500) DAYS OF SUMMER Marca Webba. Ova indie ljubavna priča realizovana je tashlinovski, sa epizodičnom strukturom konstruisanom oko vizuelnih i?ili verbalnih gegova unutar scena, stilizacijom junaka koja je direktna i praktično više grafička, mešavinama raznih pripovedačkih tehnika - naročito u vizuelnom pogledu - uključujući uvođenje "filma u filmu", split screena, plesnih numera i animiranih detalja. Ono po čemu se Webbov film razlikuje od Tashlina je svakako ciljna grupa i nešto sofisticiraniji smisao za humor.

Ovaj film je rediteljski tour de force koji je lansirao i Webbovu karijeru i pisce scenarija Scotta Neustadtera i Michaela H. Webera. Nažalost, Webb je posle (500) DAYS OF SUMMER napravio katastrofalnu grešku ušavši u mejnstrim kroz stagnantni reboot SPIDER-MANa i dva filma kasnije, od kojih se drugi smatra promašajem kog se odriču i članovi ekipe i sam studio, on je izgubio svoju veliku reputaciju. Za to vreme Neustadter i Weber su se nametnuli kao scenaristi i producenti quirky lubavnih priča za studije i praktično očuvali reputaciju stečenu ovim filmom.

Dok je Tashlin ušao u igrani film iz animacije, Webb je počeo u industriji muzičkih videoklipova i odatle potiče velika sugestivnost njegovih prizora i sposobnost da u kratkim deonicama postigne jako puno u pogledu atmosfere i opšte estetizacije. Sa glumcima raspoloženim za nadigravanje, uspeh je bio zagarantovan, iako sam scenario ne bi tako dobro funkcionisao sam po sebi u nekoj drugoj, vizuelno i pripovedački manje ambicioznoj egzekuciji.

Doduše u pojedinim stilizacijama, pre svega u uvođenju nekih arhaiziranih ambijenata i likova i sam Webb uspeva da se zaigra. Tih slučajeva nema puno ali ih je dovoljno da naruše sklad pojedinih deonica.

Indie igra glavnih glumaca u ovom slučaju, sa svim svojim idiosinkrazijama, specifičnim ritmom, pauzama i sl. odličo je uklopljena sa visokokontrolisanim vizuelnim izrazom. Webb to recimo u SPIDER-MANima nije uspeo da ponovi iako je pokušavao tako da je na kraju njegova ekranizacija zapala među najslabije filmove sa dobrom i tačnom podelom. U (500) DAYS OF SUMMER taj spoj glumačke idiosinkratičnosti i visoke estetizacije uspeva, i takvih slučajeva nema mnogo.

Dva filma su preokrenula Webbovu karijeru od indie autora do journeymana, njegov debi je podsetnik da još uvek sa određenom pažnjom treba očekivati novitete ovog reditelja.

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[crippled_avenger]

Pogledao sam A LEGO BRICKUMENTARY Leifa Davidsona i Daniela Judgea. Odlična tema koja ne prestaje da fascinira, dobro istražen milje, i ambiciozan vizuelni pristup dovoljni su da nastane film kome se malo šta može zameriti. U tom pogledu zapravo jedino što smeta jesu pokušaji humora kojih nema puno ali ih ima dovoljno da se oseti kako naprosto nisu dovoljno dobri, uprkos tome što je narator Jason Bateman koji ume da isporuči duhovitu repliku.

A LEGO BRICKUMENTARY pokriva ključne tačke u razvoju same firme ali se potom fokusira na sve oblike kreativnosti koji proističu iz Lego kockica, u rasponu od masterbudildinga, geekova koji prave svoje projekte, pa sve do praktičih primena Lego kockica u obrazovanju, terapiji, savremenoj umetnosti pa sve do fringe aktivnosti kao što su razni brick-filmovi. Uporedo, film nas upoznaje sa poslovnim konceptom same firme čiji je najpametniji potez u stvari bio to što je dopustila i još podržala crowd-creative inicijative.

U tom smislu, film uspeva da bude hronološki precizan, a da opet neke od učesnika isplasira i kao karaktere, ne samo kao talking headse. Ne znam da li Lego ima neke skandale koje bi želeo da prikrije kao recimo Apple, ali toga u ovom filmu definitivno nema i moram priznati da mi ta "mračna strana" ne nedostaje.

Međutim, to ne znači da nema "mračne strane" u Lego univerzumu i ona se javlja gde drugo nego u Americi gde postoji entuzijasta koji izrađuje savremenu vojnu opremu i naoružanje za Lego kockice. Koliko god da je korporacija pravila gun control, našao se neko u Americi, naravno, da to zaobiđe.

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[crippled_avenger]

HBO has ordered two drama pilots from "The Wire" and "Treme" creator David Simon, Variety has learned.

"The Deuce," a period drama about the porn industry in the '70s and '80s, has James Franco attached to star and exec produce. Michelle MacLaren ("Breaking Bad") will direct.

The other pilot is an untitled Capitol Hill project that hails from Simon and journalist Carl Bernstein.

"The Deuce," set in the Times Square demimonde of the 1970s and 1980s, explores the legalization and subsequent rise of the porn industry in New York, looking into the rough-and-tumble world of midtown Manhattan until the rise of HIV, the violence of the cocaine epidemic and the renewed real estate market all ended the bawdy turbulence. The project is partly inspired by the career of twin brothers who were players in the Times Square world and became fronts for mob control of the volatile and lucrative sex industry.

Franco will play both twins, in addition to co-producing the series.

Simon penned the pilot, which will film this October in New York, along with George Pelecanos ("The Wire"," "Treme"). Richard Price is working on subsequent scripts. The writing trio, plus MacLaren, Franco and Nina K. Noble, will all serve as exec producers. Marc Henry Johnson, who was instrumental in documenting the story, will also produce.

"We're interested in what it means when profit is the primary metric for what we call society," Simon commented. "In that sense, this story is intended as neither prurient nor puritan. It's about a product, and those human beings who created, sold, profited from and suffered with that product."

Pelecanos added, "With 'The Deuce,' I'm pleased to continue a creative collaboration with David Simon and Nina Noble that goes back nearly 15 years, from 'The Wire' through 'Treme.' Porn, prostitution, pimps, the mob, after-hours nightlife, institutional corruption and New York in its Wild West heyday — it's a world rich in character, and a fascinating story we're eager to tell."

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Najveći gaf u FANTASTIC FOUR napravio John Reynolds, kada Sue Storm kaže da je sa Kosova, titl je trebalo da glasi, "Sa Kosova i Metohije".


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[crippled_avenger]

Pogledao sam FANTASTIC FOUR Josha Tranka, novi Foxov reboot Marvelovog stripa koji je izgleda osuđen da podnese svu kritičarsku žuč, akumuliranu protiv strip-ekranizacija. Vidim da je i publika dosta indoktrinirana protiv filma, u Tuckwoodu je na projekciji bilo četrnaest ljudi od toga pet stranaca u dve grupe i odmah posle filma počeli su spontano da negoduju.

Da li je film toliko loš?

Ne samo da nije. Rekao bih da je jedini ozbiljan gaf u filmu napravio John Reynolds u prevodu. Kada Sue Storm kaže da je sa Kosova, titl je trebalo da glasi "Sa Kosova i Metohije".

Josh Trankov FANTASTIC FOUR je origin story i "mali superherojski film" kao što je to ANT-MAN Peytona Reeda. Dakle, ceo film je priča o tome kako junaci postaju "fantastična četvorka" a negativac proističe iz origina i cela situacija sa Doomom zapravo vrlo lepo "uvezuje" stvar. Da li je film mogao da traje malo duže? Zašto da ne. Ali meni je lično prijalo što ovo nije dvo(ipo)časovna Marvelova peglačina.

Negde oko polovine filma junaci dolaze do tačke bez povratka, odnosno do mutacije a na samom kraju definišu svoju poziciju, autonomiju, činjenicu da će raditi kao tim.

Glumačka ekipa koja čini tim je besprekorna, sa ozbiljnim dramskim, karakternim kapacitetima. Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara itd. su najbolje što američki film ima. Ove uloge nisu najveći izazov koji su ikada dobili ali oni ih rade dobro i samo zbog ovako dobre postave bi trebalo da se nastavi franšiza sa njima.

Film ima u sebi suštinski nedostatak dramatike iz prostog razloga što mi već znamo da je F4 superherojski tim, i naprosto priča koju dobijamo u filmu nam je poznata iz mitologije iz trejlera, i pitanje je da li bi ovaj film ostavljao ovakav utisak da ga gledamo bez predznanja. Međutim, ni kada znamo ishod cele priče, film nije dosadan, iako u njemu ima dosta kooperacije među junacima, naročito u prvom delu i ne mnogo zaoštrenog konflikta. Ipak, Trank dobro vodi glumce i SF atmosferu koju gradi.

U određenom smislu MAN OF STEEL i FANTASTIC FOUR zaslužuju uporednu strukturalnu analizu. Naime, MAN OF STEEL ima A-pristup, dugo traje, ima veliko finale i puno akcije, ali je takođe film u kome iz origin storyja proističe negativac. Isto tako, u oba ova filma reditelj reže u trenutku kada treba da se izgovori suštinski kempozno ime superheroja.

U tom smislu, Trankov "realistički" pristup je više na liniji savremenog DCa nego Marvela, čak i Foxovog Marvela koji je tvrđi od Disneya. Ono što je zanimljivo kod Tranka je da uspeva dosta konzistentno da održi taj grungy pristup i kroz dizajn i kroz igru glumaca, čak i onda kada odenu svoje kostime.

Finale sa Doomom u drugoj dimenziji doduše možda odsutupa od osnovne Trankove ideje jer nije "uzemljeno", naprotiv dešava se na užarenoj lopti u drugoj dimenziji ali Trank se trudi da i taj svet učini opipljivim i prašnjavim. Ipak, da, finale jeste svojevrsni "pad", premda osvežava svojom "jasnoćom", činjenicom da to nije animirani haos koji traje letnji dan do podne.

Doom je postavljen kao negativac čije odluka da ode na mračnu stranu proističe iz naravi i frustracije, ali i iz jasnog antiestablišment stava. Gest koji ga gurne preko ivice zapravo je svest o tome da je američka vlada uzela njegove mutirane drugove sa supermoćima pod svoje.

U scenama Doomove aktivnosti na Zemlji, funkcioniše mnogo bolje nego kada ode u drugu dimenziju gde solidno postavljen karakter ne uspeva da u potpunosti amortizuje generic znake negativčeve psihoze. Sličan slučaj kao u GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.

Trank u reditejskom pogledu nudi jedan vrlo "pročišćen", lepo realizovan konvencionalni pristup, blizak SFu i u tom smislu snimio je film koji se više nadovezuje na estetiku SF akcije nego superherojskog filma.

Po značaju FANTASTIC FOUR ne može da se poredi sa CHRONICLE jer nije prevratnički ni u pogedu forme ni u pogledu sadržaja, ali je prilično svež i sasvim je u redu. Stoga je šteta što je Josh Trank od jednog perspektivnog reditelja, usled glasina sa snimanja itd. postao jedan od najozloglašenijih. Pre neki dan sam na tu temu kontemplirao o Marcu Webbu koji je izgubio svoj ugled radeći SPIDER-MANe a u Trankovom slučaju stvar je još ekstremnija jer njegov reboot FANTASTIC FOURa je mnofo solidniji od onoga što je Webb snimio za Sony.

Trankov eksperiment možda nije uspeo do kraja, ali na kraju se ispostavilo da se on jedino može optužiti za to da je snimio film koji nije "prenaduvao" stripovski izvornik van svih granica, što je napravio čist origin story, sa akcentom na ljude iza mutacije, i što je na neki način pokušao da ponovi ponešto od onoga zbog čega je CHRONICLE bio sjajan, i zbog čega je na kraju krajeva i angažovan. Rekao bih da u mnogim svojim pokušajima Trank i uspeva.

FANTASTIC FOUR svakako nije na nivou CHRONICLEa, ali kada uzmemo u obzir da se suočavao sa raznim ograničenjima od kojih neka proističu iz stripa (neki junaci imaju malo bezveze moći), ovo je sasvim pristojan punky superherojski film koji očigledno nema šta da traži u dobu kada su superheroji dobili status GONE WITH THE WIND a GONE WITH THE WIND ide na Sundance.

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[Meho Krljic]

Najveći gaf u FANTASTIC FOUR napravio John Reynolds, kada Sue Storm kaže da je sa Kosova, titl je trebalo da glasi, "Sa Kosova i Metohije".

Makar da je napisao "Sa Kosmeta", to  bi bilo elegantno.

Inače, FF, koji još nisam pogledao, zaista dobija zastrašujuće kritike.

'Fantastic Four' is getting slaughtered by critics

Marvel, kapiram trlja ruke i otvara badvajzere. Vratiće se ovaj IP u matično jato i pre nego što su se nadali.

A Trank je svestan da ovo može da ga ošteti, pa onda:

'Fantastic Four' director swears he's not responsible for 'Fantastic Four' movie

i

'Fantastic Four' Director Josh Trank: "You'll Probably Never See" My Good Version

[Meho Krljic]

N. Korea puts back its clocks to adopt 'Pyongyang Time'

Seoul (AFP) - North Korea announced Friday it was moving its clocks back 30 minutes to create a new "Pyongyang Time" -- breaking from a standard imposed by "wicked" Japanese imperialists more than a century ago.

The change will put the standard time in North Korea at GMT+8:30, 30 minutes behind South Korea which, like Japan, is at GMT+9:00.
North Korea said the time change, approved on Wednesday by its rubber-stamp parliament, would come into effect from August 15, which this year marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean peninsula's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.
"The wicked Japanese imperialists committed such unpardonable crimes as depriving Korea of even its standard time while mercilessly trampling down its land," the North's official KCNA news agency said.
Standard time in pre-colonial Korea had run at GMT+8:30 but was changed to Japan standard time in 1912.
KCNA said the parliamentary decree reflected "the unshakeable faith and will of the service personnel and people on the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation."
Seoul's Unification Ministry, which deals with cross-border affairs, said a different time zone between North and South posed a number of possible challenges, including for operations at the jointly-run Kaesong industrial complex that lies just inside North Korea.
"In the short term, there might be some inconvenience in entering and leaving Kaesong," ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-Hee told reporters.
"And in the longer term, there may be some fallout for efforts to unify standards and reduce differences between the two sides," Jeong said.
South Korea had similarly changed its standard time in 1954 -- again to reflect the break from Japanese rule -- but reverted to Japan standard time in 1961 after Park Chung-Hee came to power in a military coup.
Park's rationale was partly that the two major US allies in the region -- South Korea and Japan -- should operate on the same time to facilitate operational planning.
Analysts said Pyongyang's time shift was aimed at shoring up the official narrative that paints North Korea as the pure, "authentic" Korea and South Korea as a land polluted by foreign domination.
"The North has always sought to project this image of being more aggressive in wiping out traces of Japanese colonial rule," said Yang Moo-Jin at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
"So this falls in line with its claim to be the only legitimate Korean regime on the peninsula, and its dismissal of the South as a 'puppet regime' still sticking to corrupt colonial practices," Yang said.

[Meho Krljic]

Da li je slučajno da io9 baš sada ima ovakav temat?

The 50 Most Cringe-Worthy Moments In Comic-Book Movie History

[crippled_avenger]

FANTASTIC FOUR uprkos svemu gađa otvaranje od 40 miliona tako da treba ispratiti situaciju do kraja.

Mehmete, zanima me kako ćeš ti reagovati na film, ima dosta izmena u odnosu na kanon, neke su svakako nabolje što se mene tiče.


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[Meho Krljic]

Da, pa sasvim je legitimno da se dosta toga promeni. Fantastic Four je bio prvi strip kojim su Lee i Kirby kreirali novi Marvel i mnogi njegovi kanonski elementi bi danas bili skoro neprihvatljivi. No, očuvana je ideja da je u pitanju pre svega porodica kao i da se ide na naučnu i naučnofantastičnu podlogu, to je meni u redu.

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Harry Knowles nudi uravnoteženiji pogled na film, dosta blizu istini, s tim što meni taj ONE YEAR LATER SHIFT upravo deluje kao dokaz te "mali superherojski film"/ "B-pristup" estetike nego kao dokaz nekog teškog mešanja Foxa, premda, svi govore da postoji još snimljenog materijala itd. što može sugerisati nekoliko stvari - ako izuzmemo najočiglednije a to je da materijal možda ne valja, prvo da je Fox želeo da smanji budžet filma jer FANTASTIC FOUR je snimljen za manje para nego što je planirano, a ako je snimljeno još materijala, znači da su štedeli na efektima (a efekti su u ovoj vrsti filma omniprezentni), kada se uđe u ONE YEAR LATER maltene nema scene bez efekata; drugo da je Fox možda želeo kraći film kao counterprogramming Marvelu ili da je smatrao da Trankova estetika nije za duži film (CHRONICLE je bio ispod sat i po) -

The theatrically released FANTASTIC FOUR movie being released in theaters is by no means a perfect film.   Given the kind of expectations inherent to the property – we want, crave, need a bigger more complete FANTASTIC FOUR film.



Instead of focusing on what isn't here, what this film isn't.   We can all feel that there's something like 40 minutes of the movie missing.  We've seen tweets that let us know there was  a longer cut – but don't go into the movie thinking about that.  Instead.  Sit back, and let Josh Trank tell you his FANTASTIC FOUR story.



Before we see anything, we hear a kid talking about growing up to be an NFL quarterback.   Then we see a young 10 year old bespectacled boy making intense, semi-crazy looking notes not paying attention to where he was, what he's a doing.   Teachers, heh, this boy craves not these things... For this is young Reed Richards, Super-Genius esquire.   He proclaims that he wishes to grow up to be the first person to teleport.  The class laughs at him, his teacher becomes argumentative – and when Reed explains himself, he's scolded for adhering to make-believe, rather than a real ambition, like being a Quarterback.



Meanwhile – there's another kid in class, curious about Reed.   We come to realize this squinter of a kid is a young Ben Grimm.  It's at this point, if you're intent on disliking this movie, you can just start bitching, cuz we all know Ben and Reed didn't meet till they become roomies at University.  All this cute kid shit is bullshit, where's my Kirby & Lee?



I suppose that's a viable way to look at this film.  It isn't your FANTASTIC FOUR that you read in the comic.   And by that standard, every BATMAN movie sucks.  Because Hollywood hasn't ever come close to giving me anything even remotely close to my imagination from reading the comics, watching the cartoons and having an infinity of conversations with my buddies about what a BATMAN film ought to be.   But that hasn't stopped me from loving Tim Burton's films.  Really enjoying Nolan's first two BATMAN films, and then kinda checking out on that final emo-Wayne flick with a mumbly villain. 



However, as this FANTASTIC FOUR film started, I began to be curious about these young 10 year old versions of my heroes.   After school, we find ourselves at the Grimm family junkyard.  Ben is hauling something heavy, heads into his house, as a big brother shouts at him, then you see the Big bro shout, "Its Clobbering Time" and starts beating on his younger brother, as Ma Grimm starts beating on the older brother and saying, "Haven't I told you not to beat children in the house."



I'll stop there for a second.  Take a look around this place.  Trank and his co-writers of Jeremy Slater and Simon Kinberg...  have transformed Ben Grimm into being Jack Kirby.  Young Jewish kid, a scrapper... a tough little guy.  More of a Dick Miller from ROCK ALL NIGHT type of guy, a small tough guy.  But you see him befriend Reed Richards – and at least for this specific iteration, Reed and Ben have been working on his Teleportation experiment.  In fact Reed shows up at the GRIMM Junk Yard whining about needing a Power Converter!  Giggle.  Fun STAR WARS reference. 



We see the initial experiment – and there's a sense of foreboding destiny, that's specifically created by the Marco Beltrami/Phillip Glass score here.   Next we flash 10 years later to a Science Fair, where Reed and Ben are presenting a modified version of that earlier experiment – and you can only imagine the Hell of being Reed Richards trapped in a low-income world – having to scrap together whatever ingenius thing his mind wanders to.   Anyway, it's at the Science Fair, where he meets Sue Storm and her adopted father, Professor Storm.    Reed, btw, still thinks he's teleporting material, but ol Dr. Storm informs him, like we've heard a billion times in the marketing, "I think you just cracked interdimensional travel!"  then offers Reed Richards a full Scholarship to the BAXTER INSTITUTE.



Now, I'm a Silver-Age lover.  To me, growing up in a comic shop, having total access to all comics to read...  to read the FANTASTIC FOUR saga from issue 1 forward.  Well, I love it.   In the same way that I'm dying to see some filmmaker bring to life Neal Adams' BATMAN, I would kill to see a full on Kirby&Lee FANTASTIC FOUR.   But this is clearly based more upon the ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR, which was more Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar, Warren Ellis-y stuff.   I've read all this stuff – and my favorite aspect of the Ultimates is the Dimensional origin of the FF's powers  - and then, I really do dig the notion of the BAXTER BUILDING being a Hogwart's for Science Prodigies.   It isn't my preferred FF, but it's certainly a viable one, until it got more lame later on.



So, you see Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell) helping Reed Richards (Miles Teller) move into Baxter Building.  Now, I don't mind saying this, I love Jamie Bell's Ben Grimm.   I love how he looks out Reed's window and knows this is where his best friend belongs.   I love that he's genuinely awed that they really do wear Lab Coats here.   And later when Reed sends Ben a photo to update his buddy... and you see that look on Jamie Bell's face – and it's unbridled joy for his best friend.   All while he is at the Junkyard.   I like that Reed sends Ben updates!   He's not such an egghead to forget his pal! 



This first hour – I love it.   I love watching Young Victor Von Doom working in tandem with Reed Richards on science formulas, sketches and programming code.   The scholastic history between these two.  Doom's private motivations, Reed's boundless enthusiasm for the pursuit of Science...  It's good stuff.   Is Reed the galvanized hero and leader of the group?   Not yet.   Is Victor out to rule the world?  Well, he's not entirely convinced the world is even worth ruling much less saving.  Victor is shown to have some degree of consideration for SUSAN, who prefers Sue...  and when that scene occurs – and Reed questions her, it's a classic Reed, Sue and Victor moment.



I also like Michael B Jordan's Johnny Storm, who rebels against his Dad, who wants him to live up to his potential, but Johnny is at that point where he'd rather race cars.  When he wraps his custom hotrodded Toyota around a pole and breaks an arm, he gets the good arm twisted behind his back – and suddenly we have a fantastic team of four at Baxter.



Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Victor Von Doom.   Yikes!   What about Ben?   You'll see.



I'll stop there – and say this.   That first hour.   All the way until you see the card that says... "ONE YEAR LATER" – feels like a very smartly crafted build up.   Suddenly after that point, all the dialogue feels chunky, stereotypical and lame.   The fights you see feel sorta there, and sorta not – and it's a very different vibe. 



Once we get Doom back from "Planet Zero" – which was supposed to be the Negative Zone, we know this, because we've read interviews with folks saying that a lot of the film takes place in the NEGATIVE ZONE, but not in the film.   Hell, I even heard about FANTASTI-CAR scenes shot, but nowhere in the film. 



So what happened?   I wonder if we'll ever hear for sure.   But after that "ONE YEAR LATER" hits – this film decides to rush to underwhelm.   The editing style even seems to shift.   It's weird.   Now – is there anything I like about the last half hour?



Sure.  I like that Dr. Doom goes all Revok on the Area 57 base popping peoples' heads like they're fucking pimples.  Take that Darth Vader!  Now, I'd prefer Doom to have more magic and energy powers...  I'd prefer for him to have Doombots!   I'd like him to have an entire country's populace under his control with super-science weaponry.    And I want Reed to have giant Kirby Machinery that does incredible things. 



The main complaint from the very enthusiastic AICN crowd that saw the film tonight, was that they wanted more the post first-hour of the film.   I heard folks that wanted a more traditional design for Dr. Doom.   I get that.  But at least it wasn't that terrible design from the Ultimates FF.   I hate that Doom with a passion.   Here, Toby Kebbell's Dr. Doom goes head popping, then is going to destroy all of Earth to save his precious Planet Zero that is his world to command.   And that's plenty maniacal enough, but there needed to be more.    More FANTASTIC stuff.



Having the Fantastic Four walking through hallways – well that's not really the action spectacle I was looking for here.   I want a giant monster breaching the street in front of the BAXTER BUILDING – that was in one of the Slater drafts I read for this.   As was Annihilus.   So long as the studio resists making their comic book films as ordinary as they can, they will not receive a FANTASTIC response from the audience.



If the second half could have delivered as the first half did, this would have been an absolutely fantastic FANTASTIC FOUR film.   The final DOOM showdown was fun, but the fighting is all fairly straight forward.



There's a lot of that in the film.   Like when Ben goes to capture Reed and they fight.   A headbutt is not going to knock out Reed Richards.  We need to see Reed stretch his body around Ben, mummifying him.   Cuz, that's how Reed fights Ben.   We don't need to see Johnny Storm on fire, walking around hallways at a government facility that apparently doesn't have sprinklers.   He needs to fly.   That's what the Torch does. 



The good news for me in this movie is that I vastly prefer this cast over the Tim Story one.   Alba's Sue Storm was a complete embarrassment.   Mara is far far better.   Miles Teller is a more wide-eyed gosh gee whiz Reed at this point, but if this film makes money and they proceed with this cast, it should be 5 years after this point – and we should see all the characters solidify more into the iconic personas that they are. 



Here's the thing though...   FANTASTIC FOUR wasn't the greatest thing ever with Issue 1, it kept getting better.  The bolder and more fantastic they make make this group the better.   


I love how Doom manipulates Reed into suggesting they just take off into the other dimension.   I like the guilt Reed feels, I love the anger and frustration THE THING has.   I like that Johnny likes being the Human Torch – and I like Sue Storm's whole presentation here.   She feels less like a wallflower and instead the fantastic Sue Storm.



I hope no matter what happens this weekend with the film, that eventually, we'll get to see the full Trank version of this film.   That ONE YEAR LATER mark is such a clear point where you see the film change.   The pacing, the writing...   it just wasn't what matched that primary hour of the film.



If you love FANTASTIC FOUR, this isn't bad...  there's the bones of a really respectable FANTASTIC FOUR movie, something just cut the movie to the bones and left too much fantastic material (we hope) unseen. 



Personally...  I say, hire Peyton Reed – make that 1960's FANTASTIC FOUR film – and then have them exist in that universe that X-MEN FIRST CLASS and DAYS OF FUTURE PAST gave us.    And go full KIRBY. 



This is a film where you'll feel things shift unnaturally and it feels like different fingerprints.   The truth will eventually come out.  It always does, right now the true villains of this project are hidden behind confidentiality agreements, but that won't last long, nor should it.   It really does feel like a good movie that got waylaid by unseen powers.  Only Uatu knows for sure.

[crippled_avenger]

Pogledao sam novi film Kima Chapirona LA CREME DE LA CREME. U svom trećem filmu, Chapiron pravi do sada najpristupačniji, pa u određenom smislu i najkomercijalniji film u svom opus a pri tome ne žrtvuje scoju poetiku i neke od opsesivnih tema. Doduše, SHEITAN se po svom postupku bitno razlikovao od DOG POUNDa, pa se i LA CREME DE LA CREME razlikuje od prva dva, no tema zatvorene zajednice koja pritiska i determiniše ponašanje junaka ostaje snažno prisutna, kao i poigravanje sa stilemama žanrovskog i art filma.

Žanr je ovoga puta omladinska drama na ničijoj zemlji između socijalno kritičkog, da ne kažem problemskog filma i romantične komedije. Milje je elitna poslovna škola, za koju junaci neprekidno ponavljaju da je "najbolja u Evropi" a zaplet je ideja jednog od studenata da primeni ekonomsku teoriju na muško ženske odnose i dok si rekao keks, studenti organizuju eskort servis čiji je ključni zadatak da štreberima iz škole "podižu cenu".

Arty element je Chapironovo povremeno koketiranje sa stilemama francuske građanske melodrame, naročito sa njenim satiričnim elementom, i imajući u vidu živopisne elemente kojih se latio, vrlo dobro uspeva da iskontroliše sve te zavodljive efekte.

Međutim, glavni junaci su klinci tako da koliko god hladnokrvno i poslovno prišli ovom biznisu pre ili kasnije "they start getting high on their own supply" i počinju da razrešavaju svoje odnose kroz ovu akciju.

U vizuelnom pogledu, Chapiron se opredelio za visokoestetizovani pristup sa fotografijom koja je maksimalno uglađena, izgled filma je besprekoran, glamurozan u meri u kojoj to priča dozvoljava, U nekoliko navrata unosi vrlo male oniričke intervencije koje su mu svojstvene i ponovo uspeva da stvori odličnu atmosferu. Histeriju klasnog sukoba na kraju uspeva da prikaže mnogo efektnije od svog saborca Romaina Gavrasa, a na tom putu pravi i svoj do sada najpristupačniji i formalno "najkomercijalniji" film.

Mladi glumci u glavnim ulogama su sjajni ali ne treba zanemariti ni epizodiste koji ih okružuju i svojom sugestivnošću znatno doprinose interpretaciji glavnih glumaca

Scenario su napisali sam Chapiron i Noe Debre, učenik Thomasa Bidegaina, jedan od potpisnika scenarija za ovogodišnji trijumf Jacquesa Audiarda DHEEPAN. Scenario je dobro koncipiran i jedina krupnija greška jeste lik cimera koji isprva igra noseću ulogu u priči a potom biva marginalizovan čime se stvara osećaj izneverenog očekivanja.

LA CREME DE LA CREME me je u najboljem smislu podsetio na američke problemske filmove osamdesetih, i dao je tom konceptu savremenu millennial glazuru.

* * * / * * * *

[crippled_avenger]

Warner Bros. Pictures has pushed back two movies involving Ben Affleck, likely in part due to his commitments to playing Batman.

First up, Gavin O'Connor's "The Accountant" has been pushed back a whopping ten months from January 29th 2016 to October 7th 2016.

At the same time, the Affleck-directed adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel "Live by Night" has been pushed out of that October 7th 2016 date and into an unspecified 2017 release.

This is said to be due to Affleck quietly teaming with DC's Geoff Johns to write a freestanding Batman movie which Affleck will direct and star in. Affleck reportedly wants to finish the work on this before getting to work helming "Live By Night" which begins shooting in November.

Warners has a bunch of DC Comics movies coming, but a new "Batman" film directed by Affleck would take precedence over many of the lesser bankable heroes.

In fact Den of Geek is reporting that a rough cut of "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" was just screened and there's already talk of not just a new Batman film but a full trilogy of new Affleck-led Batman films.

[crippled_avenger]

Dosta sam očekivao od povratničke saradnje Marka Zarora i Ernesta Diaza Espnoze. Nažalost, uprkos činjenici da je ovaj film podržala američka kuča XYZ Films i da Diaz Espinoza ima izgrađeno ime u svetu žanrovskih festivala, čini se da je njegova pozicija zacrtana. Njegovo je da bude Drugorazredni Rodriguez iako je već sam Rodriguez drugorazredni.

REDEEMER je film koji u sebi ima temelj pristojnog borilačkog filma osvete, i na nivou ideje i pre svega sa Markom Zarorom u glavnoj ulozi. Međutim, uprkos mom raspoloženju za svedenu grindhouse akciju koja će istaći Zarorove fizičke predispozicije u prvi plan i njegovoj sposobnosti da to sve realizuje, Diaz Espinozin film je naprosto prečesto glupav i amaterski a to nedovoljno nadoknađuje nekim radikalnim idejama. Neke od naivnosti i loših scena proističu iz apsurdno loše stilizacije, kao recimo u sceni sa neonacistima, neke iz prenaglašeno cheesy subplota sa bolesnim detetom koji nikada ne zaigra, a ponajviše sa likom kog na jednoj lokaciji uz dosta mučnih monologa igra američki epizodista i koproducent ovog filma Noah Segan.

Akcija je u pojedinim scenama prilično dobra i tu Diaz Espinoza uspeva da postigne zaista dosta. Ipak, suštinski mi smeta ta nesumnjivo namerna idiotizacija svega ooga što okružuje akciju jer mi se čini kao da namerno pokušava da se uklopi u campy zahteve internacionalne žanrovske scene.

Najveći gubitnik u ovoj priči nije Diaz Espinoza već upravo Marko Zaror kome biološki časovnik otkucava a svoje glavne projekte ipak radi sa Diaz Espinozom. On je pružio sve što je mogao i u ovom filmu a rezultat je ponovo film koji bi se pre mogao smatrati kao showcase za nešto ambicioznije i skuplje. Problem je u tome što su Diaz Espinoza i Zaror to davnih dana snimili, i sada se samo ponavljaju. Ipak, REDEEMER landgrabuje određenu gledaočevu pažnju zahvaljujući Zaroru i akciji. Diaz Espinozina stagnacija odnosno tapkanje u mestu podsećaju na slučaj Prachye Pinkaewa ali nažalost Zaror nije uspeo da se afirmiše internacionalno kao Tony Jaa.

* * 1/2 / * * * *

[crippled_avenger]

Pogledao sam severnokorejsku sportsku komediju A FAMILY BASKETBALL TEAM iz 1998. godine. Ovaj film spada u red klasika njihove kinematografije koji su uključeni u repertoar stalnih repriza. U odnosu na film o fudbalu, ova košarkaška komedija je mnogo bolja i može sasvim ravnopravno stati uz rame sa nekim manje uspešnim ali opet pristojnim komedijama snimanim u evropskim socijalističkim zemljama tokom pedesetih i šezdesetih.

Ideja je gotovo pa zrela za rimejk. Naime, na čelu jedne seoske severnokorejske porodice je čiča, uvaženi profesor fizičkog. Svi u porodici su zahvaljujuži njemu posvetili svoj život sportu. Međutim, sin koji želi da bude bokser dovodi snaju koja se ne bavi sportom ali ima ujaka koji je bitan funkcioner u Sekretarijatu za fiizčko vaspitanje na pokrajinskom nivou.

Film u pogledu vrednosnog sistema uspeva da obuhvati tu postmodernost Juchea gde se u centru jednog opšteg modernizatorskog i emancipatorskog projekta nalazi jak konzervativni koncept patrijarhalnosti i starešinstva koje u ovom slučaju čak i nije toliko politizovano, naime partijski funkcioner je jedini lik koji na neki način biva ismejan i kritikovan (žena ga podseća da se ugojio, sigurno u sklopu kampanje koja je u to vreme trajala da narod manje jede zbog loše žetve, poplava itd.) ali vrednost koje patrijarh oličava su izuzetno jake i svima jasno čitljive. Doduše, pred junakinjom se pojavljuju dva puta, jedan je da bude prihvaćena jer patrijarh naravno nije ludak i razume ljubav, mada voli da je proveri na sportskom terenu, a drugi je da nauči da igra košarku.

Naravno, jasno je kojim će putem poći i biće nagrađena prilikom da svojom trojkom u poslednjoj sekundi reši utakmicu na lokalnim radničkim igrama.

Lako bih mogao da zamislim ovakav film Lole Đukića sa Mijom i Čkaljom tokom šezdesetih, i ne bih očekivao da bude bitno liberalniji. Doduše, razlika je svakako u cinizmu koji je postojao u našoj komediji a kog u Severnoj Koreji nema. Junaci možda jesu amateri čije ambicije daleko nadilaze njihove moći ali njihov optimizam i vera su nepatvoreni.

Na kraju filma, interveniše i Kim Jong Il, kao ruka sudbine koja nagrađuje onoga koji je to zaslužio. Ipak, izuzev te nagrade, film ne prikazuje neku esencijanu ispravnost rada institucija. Saradnja sa vojskom, bavljenje sportom, radničke igre, povinovanje želji starog oca koji smatra da je "košarka značajna za razvoj radnih i odbrambenih mogućnosti", sve je to deo jedne opšte radosti življenja.

Filmofili raznih profila i interesovanja imaju masu razloga da potraže ovaj naslov.

* * / * * * *

[Meho Krljic]

Organizovana kampanja protiv FF se nastavlja. Marvel baš želi prava natrag    :

Angry fans are bombarding the 'Fantastic Four' social feeds warning others not to see the movie


Također:

Was the Fantastic Four Reboot Doomed From The Start?

[Ugly MF]

Tako im i treba kad Thing nije od belog mermera, mr.Fantastic nije latinos, a Su Storm nije azijatkinja!
E, neka im, ko ih...sisa....

[mac]

Na kraju teksta autor kaže kako Fantastic Four nije baš grozan kao Jupiter Ascending, ali je ipak mnogo loš. Meni je Jupiter zaokruženiji i superiorniji film od FF.

[Meho Krljic]

Meni je više signifikantno to da sajt poput biznis insajdera kao vest objavljuje da "gnevni fanovi putem socijalnih medija upozoravaju druge da ne idu da gledaju film". Missim, da sam ja Fox poslao bih im oštar demarš u vidu ekipe opremljene bejzbol palicama. Ovo je ponašanje na nivou sabotaže.

[crippled_avenger]

Ljudi, mislim da je sada potpuno jasno da je film doživeo sabotažu. Iznutra i spolja, i da iz ove vizure izgleda kao da je Marvel neko kome je to najviše odgovaralo. Prvo, gledao sam film. Rekao sam šta mislim. Ne samo da nije TOLIKO loš već bih čak rekao i da je dobar. E sad, kao isvaki superherojski film, potencijalno je šupalj na sto mesta, oni koji nisu fanovi kritikovaće sam sadržaj, oni koji su fanovi kritikovaće odnos prema kanonu itd. Međutim, ovo je pored sabotaže i odlična vežba kako je moguće sistematski uništiti film ukoliko to nekome odgovara i kako critic proof žanr odjednom postaje ranjiv.

[Meho Krljic]

Pa... Dizni je Dizni. Činjenica da je Marvel pre par meseci ukinuo strip-serijal Fantastic Four koji je praktično neprekinut izlazio od 1961. godine dosta jasno ukazuje da Dizni i Marvel nemaju problem sa prljavom igrom.

[crippled_avenger]

Pogledao sam TRAICANME LA CABEZA DE LA MUJER METRALLETA Ernesta Diaz Espinoze. Reč je o rodriguezovskom filmu iz faze Grindhouse ortodoksije. Sve je prilagođeno Grindhouseu, od fakture slike koja je naprasvljena da izgleda kao neki VHS snimak do preteranosti treš rešenja kojima se film bavi - a naslov otprilike opisuje ko je centralni lik.

Na svu sreću, Ernesto Diaz Espinoza shvata da je naslovna junakinja preekstreman koncept da bi bila noseći, glavni lik. Ali sa druge strane za glavnog junaka uzima mladog gejmera, DJa iz Santijaga koji svoju potragu za naslovnom junakinjom tretira kao igranje GTA. ČAk je i film podeljen na poglavlja koji su formulisani kao misije, sa različitim zadacima za junaka.

Međutim, Diaz Espinoza ne ulazi u suštinu gejmerskog iskustva čak ni kroz ovu maskaradu gde igrač preuzima avatar u igri iako nema one veštine koje protagonista u igri ima itd. Otud cela stvar sa GTA ne samo da deluje nategnuto već bi se moglo reći da mi je pobuđivala snažnu želju da prekinem gledanje filma i zaigram GTA. Situacije u kojima se junak nalazi unutar tih "misija" naprosto ne deluju toliko izazovno i nisu koncipirane kao "igra".

Kada se tome doda nemarna, a opet neduhovita okolnost koja je uvela junaka u potragu za glavnom junakinjom, rekao bih da dramaturški osnov filma baš i ne stoji, a akcije nema toliko da bi to mogla da prikrije.

S druge strane, taj mish-mash osamdesetih u estetici sa GTA i ima i nema smisla. Uostalom, meni najdraži klon GTA jeste SCARFACE produžetak, Međutim, prevelika količina tarantinovsko-rodriguezovske naknadne pameti (koje doduše ima i u GTA) nekako udaljava ovaj film i od ideje 80s throwbacka ili "oživljenog GTA".

Međutim. činjenica da je ovo 80s throwback i "oživljeni GTA" kao i inače kod Diaz Espinoze rezultira nekim stvarima u kojima je nemoguće ne uživati.

Atmosfera filma u najširem smislu je prilično cool, i Diaz Espinozin nedostatak ukusa zbilja odgovara ovom materijalu. U vizuelnom pogledu, razaranje kvaliteta slike pomaže Espinozi iako se oseća digitalna tradicija ovog reditelja kroz priličnu tupost optike kojom se služi.

Kao i drugi Diaz Espinozini filmovi i ovaj u sebi nosi efekat odličnog studentskog showcasea. I opet je problem u tome što ovo naprosto nije studentski showcase.

* * 1/2 / * * * *

[crippled_avenger]

Mehmete, tu ima jedan kinky momenat. Pre par meseci je Josh Trank otpušten sa Disneyevog projekta STAR WARS... Ne znam da li su spremni da idu toliko daleko da ga preemtivno otpuste i osramote. Ili su znali da će ga blatiti zbog Foxovog filma pa rešili da uklone "toksičnog" reditelja sa projekta?

[Meho Krljic]

Da, da, slično sam i ja razmišljao. Je li Dizni toliko namazan da namerno prezentira Tranka kao problematičnog mesecima unapred da bi još više razlabavio poziciju Fantastic Four?

Sad, zanimljivo bi bilo saznati šta su u Foksu mislili sve vreme. Trank tvrdi da je njegova ideja za film bila MNOGO bolja od ovoga što je na kraju napravljeno. Ko zna šta je sve studio tražio da se uradi i po čijem nalogu.

[mac]

Ima objašnjenje, tipa Trank i studio su se dogovorili za 3 velika setpisa, a onda studio odustao od toga, kao i ko zna kakva još podmetanja i miniranja. Moja je teorija da pošto studio nije imao ideju šta da radi sa licencom onda će opet samo da je produže, praveći se da ulažu novac, a u stvari da potroše što manje.

[Meho Krljic]

Pa, nije da to nije već jednom rađeno, samo tada su potrošili MNOGO manje para, i nisu se trudili ni da puste film u distribuciju. Ovo sada mi deluje kao da je u samom studiju bilo neslaganja o tome kuda i šta sa ovim IP-jem i da je ovo rezultat: ni cinični low budget proizvod da se zadrži licenca, ni ful proizvod da se kapitalizuje na toj, jelte, licenci.

Ali indikativno je da prvo Sony uneredi Spajdermena, a onda Foks Fantastic Four, dok Marvel čak i sa "problematičnim" filmovima uspeva da ubije na boks ofisu i/ ili da dobije solidne kritike. Nije da sam sad neki veliki pobornik teorija zavere ali stvarno deluje kao da Dizni rovari iz sve snage svim mogućim kanalima. Ovde je jedino X-Men anomalija... Možda je Dizni mislio da posle Last Stand ne mora da se trudi?

[Ugly MF]

Pa, nije da to nije već jednom rađeno, samo tada su potrošili MNOGO manje para, i nisu se trudili ni da puste film u distribuciju. Ovo sada mi deluje kao da je u samom studiju bilo neslaganja o tome kuda i šta sa ovim IP-jem i da je ovo rezultat: ni cinični low budget proizvod da se zadrži licenca, ni ful proizvod da se kapitalizuje na toj, jelte, licenci.

Ali indikativno je da prvo Sony uneredi Spajdermena, a onda Foks Fantastic Four, dok Marvel čak i sa "problematičnim" filmovima uspeva da ubije na boks ofisu i/ ili da dobije solidne kritike. Nije da sam sad neki veliki pobornik teorija zavere ali stvarno deluje kao da Dizni rovari iz sve snage svim mogućim kanalima. Ovde je jedino X-Men anomalija... Možda je Dizni mislio da posle Last Stand ne mora da se trudi?

Ma jooook,,,,
i sam citas stripove,pa ce ti biti jasno....
Prva tri Spajdermena,i prva dva F4 i svi ovi sad Ajronmeni, Avendzeri itd su SNIMLJENI STRIPOVI. I zato su svima dojaja....
ovi novi Spajdermenovi i sad ova F4 oce budu Filmovi sas Superheroji unutra....al, breeeeee, neeeeece to tako, nema smek....ko fol, pogle kako ovaj snimio Prometheus i uzo pare, pa ovaj Interstellar, aj mi cemo tako, to je trend, jeeee,grand parada, samo sa popularni Marvel superheroji, idi begaj.....
Al selci, zajebali se...
Pra'is ti politicki korektnu mozgoispiralicu,pffffff....

[crippled_avenger]

Pazi, Fox je doveo FANTASTIC FOUR ispod budžeta do distribucije. A to znači da je Trank snimio još materijala koji nije ušao u film da bi se uštedelo na efektima. Zna se i koje je scene snimio koje su ispale u postu. Dakle, oni su osetili da F4 dobija buzz problematične produkcije kao JOHN CARTER i odlučili da reduciraju troškove. E sad, kako je dobio taj buzz pre prezentiranja ijednog kadra?

A film je definitivno drugačiji od stripa i od drugih Marvel filmova jer nema rakuna koji govore i Downeya koji se kerebeči...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[milan]

Mehmete, tu ima jedan kinky momenat. Pre par meseci je Josh Trank otpušten sa Disneyevog projekta STAR WARS...

Navodno je u pitanju saradnja sa Sajmon Kinbergom, koji je radio kao EP na FF a sada radi na novim Star Wars standalone filmovima. Dakle, Trank je na njegovu preporuku dobio SW gig, ali je onda, kada je Kinberg video kako se Trank "problematicno" ponasa u odnosu sa studiom, ali i nekim ljudima iz ekipe, lobirao da Trank izgubi taj posao.

Edit: Type o

[mac]

Taj Sajmon Kinberg je radio i na Jumperu, na koji me FF bolno podseća. Ništa ja njemu ne verujem. Doduše, radio je i na Elysiumu. Verovatno je samo zaboravio da kaže režiseru s kojim tačno budžetom raspolaže.

[crippled_avenger]

Kinberg je čudan svat. Počeo
je kao totalni duduk a sad je nekako postao cool kad se dohvatio sa Matt Vaughnom i ekipom... On je neki fazon scenariste-činovnika, kreativca-producenta... Ono otpuštanje na SW je bilo sramotno, sa sve Trankovim gripom na žurci i sl. Moguće je da su se Kinbergovi odnosi sa Trankom poremetili na F4 pa je odlučio da ga skloni, da ne bi morao sebe. Mada, pred premijeru je Kinberg okrenuo priču u Trankovu korist...


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[Meho Krljic]

Prvi, mutni kadar u kome se navodno vidi Spajdermen iz Civil War. Lepo izgleda ovaj improvizovani kostim:

[Meho Krljic]

A evo ga i tizer za Westworld, HBO seriju inspirisanu kultnim filmom Majkla Krajtona iz 1973. godine u kome, jelte Jul Briner igra psihopatskog androidnog revolveraša. 2016. Pisao Džonatan Nolan (Džej Džej Abrams  se mešao), pojavljuju se Ed Haris i Entoni Hopkins:


http://youtu.be/OM8HNuRLIBI

[Meho Krljic]

Nastavlja se agonija Fantastic Four:



'Fantastic Four' Gets Worst CinemaScore Ever for Studio Superhero Movie

The news just kept getting worse for Josh Trank's Fantastic Four reboot as it began rolling out in theaters.
Not only were reviews scathing — resulting in a 9 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes — audiences on Friday night gave the $120 milliion Fox tentpole a C- CinemaScore, the worst grade that anyone can remember for a marquee superhero title made by a major Hollywood studio. (CinemaScore, based in Las Vegas, was founded in 1979.)
Related: Inside a 'Star Wars' Firing: 'Fantastic Four' Problems Led to Director Josh Trank's Ouster
In 2008, The Spirit, based on the comic strip and directed by Frank Miller, likewise received a C- CinemaScore, but that film was produced and financed independently by OddLot Entertainment, and cost far less to make, or roughly $60 million.
Last Thursday, Trank tweeted that the final version of Fantastic Four was not his own, and that his version would have gotten better notices. (He later deleted the tweet.)
Fox domestic distribution chief Chris Aronson wouldn't comment on the tweet but said Sunday afternoon that the "studio fully supported Josh Trank's vision for the film, as we do with all our filmmakers."
For the weekend, Fantastic Four, starring Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara and Jamie Bell, topped out at a dismal $26.2 million from 3,995 theaters in North America, one of the lowest openings of all time for a Marvel Comics film adaptation.
Related: Miles Teller Fires Back at Esquire: Cover Story "Very Misrepresenting"
Audiences have rarely given superhero movies variations of a C grade, even those that have failed at the box office. The Green Hornet, flopping in 2011 with a $33.5 million debut, received a B+ CinemaScore, while duds Elektra, Catwoman and Daredevil earned a B. Exceptions include Ghost Rider: The Spirit of Vengeance (C+), Batman and Robin (C+) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace ©.
The Hollywood Reporter revealed in May that Trank's behavior and unusual conduct on set was a cause of great concern for the studio and producers Simon Kinberg and Hutch Parker. Trank was tasked with rebooting the Fantastic Four franchise — the previous two films each received a B CinemaScore — after impressing with his edgy, low-budget superhero film Chronicle.
Heading into the weekend, Fantastic Four was expected to clear at least $40 million, although many expected it to approach $50 million. No one's sure what the film's start means for the sequel, which is already dated for June 2017.

[Meho Krljic]

'Batman v Superman' And Why Early Screening Reports Need To Be Taken With A Grain Of Kryptonite

Late last week, Den Of Geek reported that according to their source, a not-quite finished version of "Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice" screened on the Warner Bros. lot and received a "standing ovation" from those in attendance. In fact, the movie was so good, that the studio was reportedly looking to ink Ben Affleck to a three-picture Batman deal. Villain Smash debunked that report with a fairly level-headed take on Affleck's current slate at WB, and his role in the larger DC universe for the time being. However, this recent rumor is a good reminder that, like early tracking numbers, very early test screening reports tend to be inaccurate and/or hyperbolic.
I recently spent a bit of time digging around test screening reports of yore, and the results are pretty eye-opening. Big claims have been made about movies months before they've opened that often don't quite pan out. Let's start with Zack Snyder's "Man Of Steel," which five months before it opened was called by one source from a test screening "the best movie of the year" with others reporting they had heard the film was "the ass-kicking, action-packed and heartfelt Superman movie you can't wait to see." Of course, the final film largely wasn't embraced that way by the fan boy set or critics.
And it isn't just limited to superhero films or comic films: "Grace Of Monaco" ("Nicole Kidman may be throwing her hat in the Oscar ring for Best Actress"); "Dumb And Dumber To" ("Jim Carrey is back and it's funny as hell"); "Scream 4" ("It was phenomenal...easily the best of all the series"); "August: Osage County" ("...easily one of the best films of the year").
These are just a few examples of early buzz from a quick dig around the internet. To get an idea of how random screening scores can be, last spring Disney chairman Alan Horn told folks at CinemaCon that "Million Dollar Arm" (that Jon Hamm baseball movie you didn't see) tested higher than any movie at Disney or Warner Bros. ever ", and that includes the first 'Harry Potter,' which was so highly anticipated." Total box office for "Million Dollar Arm"? $38.3 million worldwide.
Both inside and outside the industry, people like to see movies first, and excitement can steer the valuation of a film. Or, sometimes a randomly assembled group of viewers have a taste that's out of sync from how a movie will be generally received. But either way, this sort of talk is worth taking with a grain of salt. Or kryptonite.
As for "Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice," there is still a very long road ahead. While WB themselves might be pleased at the moment with the picture, they have a lot riding on the film— its success or failure (which is not an option, as far as WB is concerned) will determine the future of their DC universe movies. And there will certainly be more test screenings ahead, with responses swinging both positive and negative. What if the studio loves Affleck but early viewers take to another character or actor instead?  Or what if viewers find Snyder's movie too violent or grim? There are likely lots of little questions about the movie WB wants answered by test audiences before the movie opens. Snyder will certainly be spending the next seven months tweaking and shaping his picture to be the best, most widely pleasing it can be, while still retaining his overall vision.
For studios, test screening serves a variety of functions, from how to market a picture to figuring out if it even works. And sometimes they are just totally off base. Let's not forget that Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity" had mixed to disastrous test screening reports very early on, before going on to win seven Oscars.
It's easy to hear and find rumblings about movies early on. While it's sometimes fun to dive into that buzz, positive or negative, the best movie experience you'll have is the one that's all your own, not weighted by what others have been saying.

[Meho Krljic]

Logičan sledeći korak u prljavoj kampanji    Tekst pominje da je pokrenuta peticija na change.org koja je za 24 sata sakupila "čak" 1000 potpisa. Bože, ovo je gore od propagande koju je NATO koristio 1999. godine.

Fox To Broker Fantastic Four Deal With Marvel? Fans Certainly Hope So


I još

How Fox & Marvel Can Save The 'Fantastic Four'

[crippled_avenger]

Ovo sa test screeninzima je posebno poglavlje u istoriji Holivuda. Mada, koliko sam shvatio DAWN nije imao test nego interni screening za rukovodstvo WB.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Meho Krljic]

Da, ovo je verovatno interni skrining za egzekjutive. U svakom slučaju, ne treba previše težine i značaja pridavati ovome.

[crippled_avenger]

Test screening ima jedan osnovni problem. Pita publiku da li im se sviđa film. Ne pita publiku da li bi ga gledali. Dakle, testing through the roof ne znači ništa ako publika nije zainteresovana za film "na neviđeno"...

Istio važi ia za screening producentima. Svi oni su toliko umešani da je sasvim moguće da su istinski zadovoljni jer su dobili ono što su hteli. Ostaje uvek pitanje, da li je ono što su hteli prava stvar.

Mada, ti znaš da bih i ja tapšao internoj projekciji MAN OF STEELa jer mislim da su ga uboli na duže staze...

[Meho Krljic]

Dobro, danas kada su donekle presudni marketinški elementi uspeha nekog filma to da li publika posle odgledane projekcije uzbuđeno tituje o istom, nije besmisleno pitati ih da li im se dopao nakon gledanja, jer to pretpostavlja kreiranje socijalnog buzza i peer pressurea u vreme premijere... Ali, da, znam da su tvoji utisci o Man of Steel znatno iznad proseka. 

[crippled_avenger]

Seti se fenomena SCOTT PILGRIMa. Buzz na internetu tek treba da se dokaže kao pouzdan indikator. Naravno, uvek je dobro imati film na koji publika dobro reaguje.


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[Meho Krljic]

I još:

More Shocking News Emerges About Josh Trank's Behaviour On Fantastic Four Set

[Meho Krljic]

Whoa.


Gene Wilder Wanted For Ready Player One

"We here AICN got a tip that Steven Spielberg was pursuing Gene Wilder for one of his upcoming projects and that just about made 8 year old me cry tears of joy," said the folks at Ain't It Cool News. "It was almost too good to be true since Wilder has long stuck to his retirement, but we dug a little deeper and got a second source to confirm that meetings will be or already have taken place."


"Our sources seem to think Spielberg is trying to get Wilder to lend his voice to The BFG (which would be a remarkable return to the world of Roald Dahl for Mr. Wilder), but there's also another project on Steven's plate that he'd be perfect for."

"Let's use our pure imaginations for a second and think about how amazing Gene Wilder would be as James Halliday, the creator of the virtual universe OASIS in Ready Player One."

Of course, fans of the original novel (written by Ernest Cline) will recognise that Halliday is certainly in the same mould as Wilder's brilliantly eccentric Willy Wonka... and as a figure who looms over the entire story, it's exactly the kind of casting we'd love to see.
Either way, it looks as though Spielberg is keen to drag Wilder out of retirement. But whether or not he's interested is another matter entirely.

Appearing in his last movie back in 1999, Gene Wilder has often stated that Mel Brookes is one of the few filmmakers who could tempt him out of retirement.

Will Steven Spielberg prove to be one of the others? For now, we'll have to wait and see.

'Ready Player One' heads to cinemas on 15 December 2017.

[crippled_avenger]

Last month's Comic Con trailer for "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" brought us a first look at Gal Gadot in action as DC Comics superhero Wonder Woman, the first time the character has come to the screen.

The footage itself saw the character obviously engaging in a fight with someone, but it's not made clear regarding who exactly she's taking on. Now, Heroic Hollywood has posted a report where they claim to have the answer

MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD

The site says that Wonder Woman will be facing famed Superman villain Doomsday in what is being called an "integral scene in the big showdown."

The report goes on to say that Wonder Woman manages to chop off Doomsday's hand, however he reportedly grows back a "bone blade" in place of his severed hand. It isn't known if Batman or Superman will be a part of this action sequence as well.

Doomsday has been rumored to be involved in the film for some time, serving as the 'muscle' for Jesse Eisenberg's main villain Lex Luthor.

END SPOILERS

While Wonder Woman will play a key part in proceedings, "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" is expected to include appearances from Jason Momoa's Aquaman, Ezra Miller's The Flash and Ray Fisher's Cyborg as part of the setup of the larger DC Cinematic Universe.

Out doing promotion for "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." this week, Superman himself Henry Cavill tells Uproxx that the film is just a cog in a much larger plan:

"There's a big plan in place at WB for the whole DC franchise. So, all of this stuff ties in. They're not thinking from movie to movie, they're thinking from a big tent pole type thing and each story has its own story, which is attached to the major issue. Yeah, there's a big plan."

[crippled_avenger]

Ovaj READY PLAYER ONE spada u red knjiga koje mogu izbrojati na prste jedne ruke - počeo sam da je čitam i nisam je dovršio...

[Meho Krljic]

Ja sam ga stavio na tablet ali ga još nisam počeo. No, ovo sad i nije neki šajning endorsment 

[Meho Krljic]

Nego, da se pripremimo za novi talas izliva besa (i, kod nekih, rasizma) na internetu koji će počinjati besmrtnim rečima "Nisam rasista ali..."


David Oyelowo Next To 'Play James Bond'

David Oyelowo is next up to play James Bond... after snaring the role in a forthcoming audiobook.
The star of 'Selma', in which he played Martin Luther King Jr, was personally invited to take on the part by the estate of Ian Fleming, the creator of 007.


Though it's a rumour that has oft baffled its subject, it appears he's now beaten Idris Elba to the accolade.
Elba had long been rumoured as a possible replacement once Daniel Craig relinquishes the role of Bond, but had frequently denied any supposed meetings with Bond studio Eon.


"I am officially the only person on planet Earth who can legitimately say: 'I am the new James Bond' – even saying that name is the cinematic equivalent of doing the 'to be or not to be' speech," said Oyelowo of his appointment.
"I was asked specifically by the Fleming estate, which is really special."
Speaking about the previous talk of Elba taking up the role, he said: "A titan on screen, he has all the qualities that you'd want in a James Bond. Because films and TV affect culture, a black Bond would be a cultural event. A statement... beyond just entertainment."


His first job will be to play Bond, and other characters, in 'Trigger Mortis', penned by Anthony Horowitz from a commission by the Fleming estate.
Oyelowo isn't the first black actor to play Bond, however.
That honour goes to 'Holby City' star Hugh Quarshie, who voiced Bond in an audio book version of 'Dr No', released last year.
"What an honour to have an actor as talented as David to read my take on Bond. He has a brilliant voice and talent for bringing out the nuances of dialogue and characters," Horowitz added.
'Trigger Mortis' was released earlier this year, coinciding with Fleming's 107th birthday, and takes place two weeks after the events of 'Goldfinger'.
Odds on Oyelowo becoming the next Bond in the movies have now been slashed. William Hill is offering 5/1 in a dramatic drop from the previous 50/1.
Damien Lewis is still favourite to take over, at 5/2, with Idris Elba at 3/1 and Tom Hardy at 4/1.

[Meho Krljic]

A da se vratimo na trenutak u Sjevernu Koreju... Nadam se da Lajbah neće pokušavati ništa nesmotreno:


North Korea Vice Premier Choe Yong-Gon 'Executed For Opposing Kim Jong-Un'

Choe Yong-Gon was said to have been killed by firing squad in May this year after he spoke out against Kim Jong-Un's forestry policies

North Korea has reportedly executed its vice premier for voicing opposition to the country's leader, Kim Jong-Un.


Choe Yong-Gon, seen above on the right talking with Bahk Byong-won, the vice finance minister of South Korea, was said to have been killed by firing squad in May this year after he spoke out against Kim Jong-Un's forestry policies.


An anonymous source made the claims to a South Korean intelligence agency.
While the 63-year-old's death is yet to be verified, his name has not been mentioned in North Korea state media since October last year.
Choe has also not been spotted in public since December last year, according to South Korea's Unification Ministry - which deals with all ties to their neighbouring country.
The ministry said it was "closely monitoring the possibility of any changes in Choe's circumstances".
He was appointed as one of seven vice premiers in June last year, with his appointment seen as an attempt by Kim Jong-Un to retain close ties with South Korea.
If his death is confirmed he would be the second high-level execution in the notoriously secretive North Korea this year.
In April, defence minister Hyon Yong-Choi was brutally executed by anti-aircraft fire after he apparently fell asleep during military rallies.
South Korea intelligence has also alleged that Kim Jong-Un ordered the execution of 15 officials in the first four months of 2015.

[crippled_avenger]

Pogledao sam A COOL, DRY PLACE Johna N. Smitha, adaptaciju romana Michaela Granta Jaffea, iznenađujuće efikasnu, svedenu, melodramu o ambicioznom čikaškom advokatu koji se povlači u unutrašnjost na lakši posao, da bi brinuo o malom sinu kada ga supruga napusti. Iako se za A COOL, DRY PLACE ne može reći da je savremeni ekvivalent KRAMER VS KRAMERa, reč je o solidnoj, jasnoj melodrami sa odličnom ulogom Vincea Vaughna u svom centru i solidnim doprinosom Monice Potter i Joey Lauren Adams oko njega.

Uprkos plačevnoj temi, film uspeva da bude duhovit a da ne skreće previše u direktnu komediju, i Vince Vaughn, tada još uvek prevashodno "dramski" glumac odlično kanališe takva kretanja u tonu.

Ukupni ton filma je bez sumnje mejnstrim, ali u suštini ovo je ona vrsta filma koja je već tada morala da se bazira u indie okvirima, a to je melodrama smeštena u američku provinciju, bez globalnih ambicija.

Smithova režija je jednostavna, akademska, film je efikasan, bez viškova, sa duhovitim i ubedljivim odnosom između Vaughna i klinca. Ipak, nedostatak većih rediteljskih egzibicija nesumnjivo iz današnje vizure tera A COOL, DRY PLACE na mali ekran.

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