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Cowboys and Aliens: Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 02:00:02 +0000

This weekend in theaters, Favreau is back with two grumpy, bad-asses, Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford with his latest genre twist, Cowboys & Aliens. The film is big and bad, with plenty of explosions and known faces, but it never quite delivered on anything I was hoping for. The biggest problem with this film is that it’s very much a Western, with alien bad-guys, that never really evokes the natural comedy that one would imagine should come with a film titled “Cowboys& Aliens”. Find out more below…

The Players:

Directed by: Jon Favreau
Screenplay By: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby
Screen Story By: Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Steve Oedekerk
Comic Book By: Scott Mitchell Rosenberg
Actors: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Abigail Spencer, Paul Dano…
Original Music by: Harry Gregson-Williams
Cinematography by: Matthew Libatique

The Plot:

The film is set in Arizona in 1873 in the midst of the gold rush in the wild west, a time where men were real men. Suddenly a spaceship arrives to take over the Earth and a posse of cowboys have to take them down before all of their friends and family are farmed by the aliens.

The Good:

Rockwell: He has a small role, but was by far the most humorous and interesting to watch. Rockwell seems to have a power on screen that sucks you in and makes you care about him even in the most trivial of roles. Favreau also works best with funny, quick-witted actors, that seem to enjoy their time on camera. He knows how to let them play and they know how to deliver. The combo was great in the Iron Man films and wonderful here as well.
Scares: This was the first time in a long time that aliens actually managed to scare an audience. In a film that was very bland, it was great to have a few powerful “jump” moments… if only there would have been more of that in the tone from the start, this may have been a kick-ass film…

The Bad:

Lack of Humor: For a film with such a humorous title they sure do take themselves extremely seriously. Everything about the film is serious, and Favreau doesn’t thrive in that genre. The film touches on horror aspects which to me sounds like a fun idea… I guess it’s a little too late to throw our that suggestion though? If you’re going to make a film “Cowboys and Aliens,” give the audience what they’re looking for, some humor and an epic battle between the two, this film has neither of the two.
Pleasant, Tough Old Men: You have Craig and Harrison, who are both old(er), cranky, tough guys — use it to the film’s advantage! Don’t rely on daddy issues, let the two have at it! Watching them bounce off one another could have been extremely funny, but instead, they played everything so damn seriously and the script was written without much humor and therefore their relationship was extremely flat and there was no real chemistry between two. They’re naturally grouchy, and have great timing… let us see it!
Writing/Writers: 5 screenwriter, 3 story writers and 1 comic book writer = 1 inconsistent mess with no real sense of self and no consistent tone throughout.

Overall:

It’s just not what it could have been and it’s a shame, though it’s not bad with a drink and a bucket of popcorn.

Rating: 4.5/10

Cowboys & Aliens in theaters July 29th.

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Kurtzman and Orci NOT Thinking About a Star Trek Trilogy

Krystal Clark — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:08:32 +0000

After the huge success of the Star Trek reboot in 2009 it was no surprise that a sequel was greenlit shortly after its release. The film already had a huge fan base thanks to the 40-plus years of previous television and movie installments to its credit. When you have such a sure deal you want to maximize the potential and expand the franchise as much as possible but according to screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, they’re not going into Star Trek 2 with the intent of setting up another sequel.

The writing duo recently spoke to the LA Times and revealed that they’ve never thought of Star Trek 2 as a kick off point for a trilogy.

Roberto Orci: Yeah, that is an interesting question. I don’t know that we’ve ever thought of it in terms of a trilogy. We thought of the first one as, “How do we tell how this happened the first time and how do we free it so that it can go on forever without stepping on what came before.” So, if you were thinking of this movie as a second act, yeah, you would think of it as an “Empire Strikes Back” sort of story, but I’m not sure we’re thinking of it as a second act. I can’t speak for everybody on that, though.

We don’t know how long their going to be able to make this a one-two movie entry. The studio and definitely the fans will want of a minimum of three films. Look at how many Star Trek movies existed prior to this reboot. They have a lot of story and a lot of villains. We say pick out the biggest and the best and make it a solid three-peat.

What do you think?

Steven Spielberg Joins Kurtzman and Orci for Locke and Key

Krystal Clark — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:41:24 +0000

How many sci-fi writers and producers do you need to make a great show? Last February we reported on a developing property from fanboy favorites Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci called “Locke & Key.” At the time, the duo had just received the rights to the comic book series and now it’s gone from a possible feature film to a TV show that Steven Spielberg wants to be a part of.

Locke & Key was written by Joe Hill (Stephen King’s son) and centers on a family whose father/husband is murdered, and the children and their mom are forced to relocate to Keyhouse, a house with many rooms that only open with special keys. The series includes a terrible creature that hides behind closed doors, and the father’s murderer coming back to finish off the job.

It’s unfortunate that this property won’t be headed to the big screen but with shows like “The Walking Dead” debuting this fall, this might be the beginning of something big. Remember what happened when “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” became a hit? After that we got “Angel” and then “Supernatural.” It’s a domino effect.

Spielberg will produce the series via DreamWorks TV, similar to how he’s doing with his other show “Terra Nova“.

What do you think of them turning Locke & Key into a show as opposed to a film? Do you think it will do better?

Source: Vulture

Kurtzman and Orci To Produce Locke and Key

Laura Aguirre — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:30:06 +0000

Alex Kurtzman and his long time collaborator Roberto Orci have been granted the rights to the comic book series Locke & Key, written by Joe Hill and drawn by Gabriel Rodriguez. Latino Review reports that Kurtzman and Orci will produce the project through their DreamWorks deal, which has potential to become a huge franchise.

Locke & Key tells the story of a family whose father/husband is murdered, and the children and their mom are forced to relocate to Keyhouse, a house with many rooms that only open with special keys. The series includes a terrible creature that hides behind closed doors, and the father’s murderer coming back to finish off the job.

In 2009, the series was nominated for Best Limited Series and its writer Joe Hill — son of legendary novelist Stephen King – was also nominated for Best Writer. Hill’s debut novel Heart-Shaped Box has already been bought by Warner Bros. and is well on its way to becoming a film.

Kurtzman and Orci are the guys responsible for penning the screenplays for The Legend of Zorro, Mission: Impossible III and Transformers. There’s no word on whether or not they’ll write the script for Locke & Key, but let’s hope and pray that they do.

Are you excited to see Locke & Key hit the big screen?

Kurtzman and Orci Won’t Return for Transformers 3

Krystal Clark — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:15:52 +0000

Last week, Michael Bay informed the world that he would be returning to helm the third installment of the Transformers franchise. The film is scheduled for a July 2011 release, and will feature the return of Shia Labeouf and Megan Fox in their respective roles. As for who won’t be returning, co-writers Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci have opted against writing duties for the third film.

Roberto confirmed via the Don Murphy website that he along with writing partner Alex Kurtzman would not be returning to the Transformers franchise. He was asked by a forum member if it was true that the duo had left the series and he replied with “It’s true.” He also went on to say that he would pass along any fandom info or suggestions to Ehren Kruger, the other screenwriter on the films.

I’m not particularly surprised by this news considering the way these two had been distancing themselves from the project after its release. Revenge of the Fallen was poorly reviewed, and contained some of the most unnecessarily crude “jokes” I’d ever seen in a movie. One of the posters even asked Orci how he felt about parents not wanting to take their kids to see the movie due to its content, and he replied with “I can’t blame them.”

Transformers 3 is now left in the solo hands of Ehren Kruger. I’m afraid, I’m very afraid.

What do you think of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci leaving the Transformers franchise?

DreamWorks to Produce Xombie

Krystal Clark — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:13:56 +0000

DreamWorks is in negotiations to acquire the rights to Xombie, a story that was recently pitched to the studio. Oddly enough, the film isn’t a horror thriller based on the radical behavior of the undead. Instead, the film centers on a zombie who also happens to be a police officer. The movie was pitched by a policeman turned writer named Will Beall.

According to Reuters, Xombie is based on a comic book by James Farr entitled Devil’s Due. The comic was in turn based on the animated series of. The story of Xombie centers on a dead cop named Dirge who attempts to saves humanity’s remnants, particularly a young girl named Zoe, from evil zombies. Since the studio is still in negotiations to gain the story rights, the plot details for the film are being kept under lock and key.

Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are in talks to produce the film once all the legal issues are taken care of. The man behind the film pitch Will Beall, was a former beat cop and anti-gang policeman in the 77th Division. He was promoted to the position of homicide detective and continues to serve the LAPD while writing.

Pitching movies to major production studios is a hell of a side job for a detective.

What do you think about the story for Xombie?

JJ Abrams Says Star Trek 2 Will Have A Different Mission

Krystal Clark — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:59:27 +0000

After the success of this summer’s Star Trek reboot, director J.J. Abrams has been busy creating a detailed story for the follow up. With the sequel being confirmed, there are several things that the director along with the rest of the cast and crew have to live up to. The first film was liked by the majority of fans and critics, but still had a few kinks to work out. Abrams is well aware of those problems and plans on fixing them the second time around.

According to a recent article in the LATimes, he made a small mission statement regarding Star Trek and the direction he would like to take the next film into.

“The ambition for a sequel to ‘Star Trek’ is to make a movie that’s worthy of the audience and not just another movie, you know, just a second movie that feels tacked on. The first movie was so concerned with just setting up the characters — their meeting each and galvanizing that family — that in many ways a sequel will have a very different mission.

It needs to do what [the late 'Trek' creator Gene] Roddenberry did so well, which is allegory. It needs to tell a story that has connection to what is familiar and what is relevant. It also needs to tell it in a spectacular way that hides the machinery and in a primarily entertaining and hopefully moving story. There needs to be relevance, yes, and that doesn’t mean it should be pretentious. If there are simple truths — truths connected to what we live — that elevates any story — that’s true with any story.”

It sounds like he wants to go deep into the area of social context. Anyone who’s ever watched an episode of the old series or even the earlier films, knows that was a big part of the Star Trek world. Co-writer Roberto Orci chimed in with his take on J.J’s direction and the corrections that will be made in part 2.

We got a lot of fan response from the first one and a considerable amount of critical response and one of the things we heard was, ‘Make sure the next one deals with modern-day issues.’ We’re trying to keep it as up-to-date and as reflective of what’s going on today as possible. So that’s one thing, to make it reflect the things that we are all dealing with today.

When Trekkies speak, writers and directors listen. It seems like the creative team behind the film will take the fan suggestions to heart and incorporate them into the movie. I wish the people behind the X-Men franchise listed to their fans like that. Perhaps, one day we’ll get that type of consideration.

What do up think about the upcoming political shift that will take place in Star Trek 2?

Fringe Writer to Pen View Master Movie!

Krystal Clark — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:30:18 +0000

Stop the madness people! If you thought film adaptations based on inanimate objects were a fluke, there’s another one coming your way. According to ComingSoon, Brad Caleb Kane who currently writes/produces the Fox series Fringe is working on a screenplay centering on the View Master. It’s the toy we’ve all played with at some point in our childhoods that allows you to view slides by pushing down a lever.

Kane says that once he’s completed the script for the Wolfgang Petersen film Uprising, he will be completely focused on the View Master project. He’s also being backed by two people who a know a little something about toy adaptations, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci who’ve previously worked on Transformers Revenge of the Fallen.View Master is being developed over at DreamWorks, and is said to be an homage to some old school Spielberg films. According to Kane, “it’ll be like the old 80′s Amblin movies: Goonies, Young Sherlock… In that vein.”

This is sad in so many ways. I’m a huge fan of Fringe so for me to read that Brad Caleb Kane is involved in this hurts me on the inside. What’s even more sad is that the sci-fi, fantastical direction their trying to go in doesn’t seem that far fetched. How hard would it be to have a View Master as some type of device that let you see into other worlds or something? Darn you DreamWorks!

What do you think of a View Master live action movie?

Weekend Roundup: The Proposal, Moneyball, Star Trek..

Anet Hovhanesian — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:33:16 +0000

Check out all the news you missed over the weekend…

Brakes have been placed on Steven Soderbergh’s new movie about the career of former baseball phenom Billy Beane, titled Moneyball and starring Brad Pitt. According to Variety, Columbia Pictures had a change of heart after company topper Amy Pascal read the final script and didn’t like the new direction the filmmaker was going in. Soderbergh planned to use real former baseball players, Scott Hatteberg and David Justice in the movie. (Variety)
Start of your week with a laugh with 10 of the best clips of Sacha Baron Cohen as Bruno. (unrealitymag)
Ms. Romantic Comedy is back! Sandra Bullock’s new movie, The Proposal opened at number one. It was Bullocks best opening ever with The Proposal grossing an estimated $34.1 million, proving the superstar still has what it takes to pull it off. The movie, produced by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, cost just $40 million to make. That’s a good investment if you ask me. (comingsoon)

Talking about Kurtzman and Orci. Screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman are talking about the sequel. According to /Film, the two are debating which direction to go with the new movie and whether or not there should be a theme/storyline connecting the sequel with the third (yes, there will be more to come) installment. Read the interview with full details. (/Film)
Rumor has it that Warner Bros. is in the talks to re-make the 1985 popular movie, Teen Wolf. The original starring Michael J. Fox was about a guy in high school who discovers the werewolf within. No one is attached the the project as of yet. (firstshowing)
“Dancing with the Stars” dancer and country singer Julianne Hough has been cast in the lead female role in Paramount’s remake of Footloose. She will be starring opposite Chace Crawford. Sorry all you Zac Efron fans! He’s really not doing the film! (comingsoon)

Star Trek Announces Sequel

Mali Elfman — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 06:44:51 +0000

As we’ve seen over and over again, with big blockbusters (Indian Jones comes to mind for some reason), sometimes hype is enough. It’s enough to break box office records, it’s enough to get a horrible movie released and it’s enough to green-light a sequel to a film before the original has even been released. I mean, they did it with Twilight, and we saw how that one came out.

Paramount has just announced that the amazing writing trio Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof have been hired to write the screenplay for Star Trek sequel before the “new” one has even been released..

Lindeolf recently said about the upcoming screenplay:

“There’s obviously a lot of hubris involved in signing on to write a sequel of a movie that hasn’t even come out yet… But we’re so excited about the first one that we wanted to proceed.”

Although it may seem like they’re jumping the gun, Kurtzman says that the writing team is not just jumping on the hype, but thinking things through:

“Obviously we discussed ideas, but we are waiting to see how audiences respond next month,” he said. “With a franchise rebirth, the first movie has to be about origin. But with a second, you have the opportunity to explore incredibly exciting things. We’ll be ambitious about what we’ll do.”

The hypothetical screenplay will be written for a 2011 summer release. Now all we have to do is wait until May 8th to see the first one.

What do you think? Sound like a good idea?

Transformers Writers Out? Leonard Nimoy to Voice the Fallen?

Krystal Clark — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:15:16 +0000

I’ve got some good news and some bad news for Transformers fans. When Paramount announced that there would be a third film, it seemed as if they jumped the gun on a lot of things. For one, director Michael Bay blasted the studio for setting a premature release date for the flick. Bay stated that he agreed to directing the film for 2012 not 2011 as reported. If that wasn’t bad enough none of the cast from the first two films were attached at the time of the announcement. The only other thing that would make me more nervous about Transformers 3 is if the original writers dropped out. Wait a minute……..

According to the Robert Murphy Forums screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman might not come back for a third round of Transformers action.

“Time for fresh blood!” writes Orci. “The main reason we would move on is because we risk getting stale and comfortable. If you only sing one song for too long, you miss the opportunity to sing new songs. We’ll see.”

It looks as if these are two Hollywood writers who won’t cave for money. I like how Orci gives a metaphor as to why they wouldn’t return the third film, but he still leaves the option open. I’m really surprised that this much backtracking has been made with this movie,and its not even in pre-production yet. I wonder if Paramount even considered anyone else’s schedule before setting the film’s release date.

On a lighter note, according to /Film Leonard Nimoy aka the original Spock from Star Trek could turn up as a featured voice in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen as the Fallen! Nimoy starred in the original 80′s cartoon where he voiced the character Galvatron. Orci spoke out about the status of Nimoy returning for the big screen version.

“I actually talked to him about it, given the odd coincidence that he is Michael Bay’s cousin through marriage, but fan outcry has also put Welker in the running.”

Even though Nimoy’s got familiar relations on his side, there’s been an outcry for fan favorite Frank Welker to get in on the action as well. Welker also did voice work on the original series as Megatron, Soundwave, and Galvatron.

Do you want the original writers to return for the third film? Who should voice the Fallen, Nimoy or Welker? Let the battle begin!

ScreenCrave.com » Roberto Orci

Cowboys and Aliens: Movie Review

The Players:

The Plot:

The Good:

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 4.5/10

Photo Gallery:

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