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5 Days of War: Movie Review

Laura Aguirre — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:42:51 +0000

Director Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2) returns to the big screen with 5 Days of War, which offers tons of explosions and battle sequences. 5 Days covers the events of the 2008 Russian-Georgia War through the eyes of Thomas Anders (Rupert Friend), an American war correspondent. And though the action is entertaining, because the true story is far more complex than the film, it suffers from some misleading information about an important event in history.

The Players:

Directed by: Renny Harlin
Written by: Mikko Alanne (screenplay), David Battle (based on a screenplay by)
Stars: Rupert Friend, Richard Coyle, Val Kilmer, Andy Garcia
Music by: Trevor Rabin
Cinematography by: Checco Varese

Plot:

An American war correspondent, his cameraman, and a young Georgia native are unintentionally at ground zero during the first Russian airstrikes against Georgia at the start of 2008′s five-day war between Russia and the Georgian Republic. As panic sets in, the three try to escape to safety only to witness – and film – attacks, explosions and the execution of many innocent civilians.

The Good:

Action/Adventure: Harlin knows how to put together kick-ass battle scenes and he wastes no time jumping right into the action. In the first few minutes the central characters are caught in a crossfire, which sets the frenetic tone of the film. The film is virtually non-stop action - and the characters are always running and on-the-go because there’s no time to sit down and chat with air-strikes and bombs going off every few minutes. Character development is done through the action, which works well because the film is structured around five days of non-stop war (hence the title).
Richard Coyle: Though the film has good performances, it’s Richard Coyle that really pops. As Friend’s British sidekick and cameraman, the character’s unapologetic personality could have been one-dimensional and annoying, but Coyle creates a character that is both likable and funny. It’s a star-making performance.
Andy Garcia’s Speech: Playing the part of Georgia president Saakashvili is Andy Garcia. He plays a small, but crucial role in the film. One of the best scenes in the entire film comes at the end when he delivers a powerful speech in front of Georgians (these were real Georgian extras). It’s admirable to see Garcia get deeply emotional in front of so many people.
The Anti-War Message: Though the Georgian soldiers are portrayed as brave and heroic, they are never celebrated for their actions. If the film is limited by only giving one side of the story, it still manages to put forth an anti-war message by showing how innocent civilians are tortured and killed in front of their families. These scenes may be hard to watch, but it’s with the intention of showing that war is ugly and heartless regardless of who is right or wrong.
The Real People: The end of the film offers documentary footage of the real survivors talking about the relatives they lost. Most of them are brought to tears when retelling their stories, and it’s hard not to join them – that kind of real pain cannot be faked.

The Bad:

Val Kilmer: Kilmer plays the part of the Dutchman, a veteran war journalist who encourages Anders to join him in Georgia (he does this through video chat, while taking a bubbly bath). He’s only seen a few times throughout the film, and each time he’s making goofy comments that make his character annoying. Being a guy who’s covered many wars, he could have served as as interesting mentor or father figure to Anders. Though this could be a fault on the writers and not him. Still, he’s easily replaceable.
One-sided Angle: Though the film is decidedly anti-war, Harlin’s version of the 2008 Russia-Georgia War is decidedly pro-Georgia. Here, Georgian military is heroic and their actions are only to save their country from the evil Russians, while the Russians are heartless criminals and are dressed in guerrilla uniforms and covered in tattoos. This film suggests that Georgia had no fault in this war, even though Human Rights Watch released a comprehensive and lengthy report that concluded both sides were at fault. On top of that, the American media also gets a share of the blame. The main character struggles to find a network who would broadcast his footage – all anyone cares about is the Beijing Olympics. The message here is clear – Georgia was abandoned by the world and left to rot in the hands of cold-blooded killers.

Overall:

5 Days of War‘s message is lost in its propaganda, which is too bad because it does deliver awesome battle sequences and explosions. It just could have been so much more.

Rating: 6/10

5 Days of War is available in select theaters now.

Trailer:

5 Days of War is in theaters September 2, 2011.

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Comic-Con 2011: Twixt and Francis Ford Coppola in Hall H

Mali Elfman — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 18:53:55 +0000

I love the way Comic-Con is going sometimes. Though opening the doors to less comic-book and more genre related films gives us things like Twilight, it also opens the doors to other indie filmmakers. The Con itself seems to be slowly moving into a more creative host for all kinds of creative endeavors with some of the finest filmmakers ever. A perfect example is that right now, I’m sitting here, in Hall H waiting for none other than Francis Ford Coppola to come out and present the first ever footage for Twixt at Comic-Con 2011 — I will remember this day. So great to see a name like Coppola’s in Hall H and at Comic-Con!

And now it’s time and the man himself is here!

11:49 — Coppola has come out on stage with his star Val Kilmer and composer, Dan Deacon. Immediately he’s talking about not only why shot his latest film in 3D, but how. The whole film (much like almost every other film) is not in 3D because he doesn’t think it’s needed/used. He is speaking about how in Avatar he took the glasses off until there was a scene that should be shot in 3D. He believe “some good sequences should be thought in 3D [but not all]… so you don’t have to get a headache through the whole experience.”

Check out what he had to say on this and then keep reading for more…

Also, the 3D Edgar Allen Poe masks that were given out to watch the footage in (see below) also have a program on the back of them which is a throw back to Apocalypse Now, a film that had no credits but a program that accompanied it.

Coppola has also just announced, that much like what Kevin Smith has just done with Red State, he will also be doing live shows with TWIXT which will have music being composed live by Dan Deacon — though it’s not completely clear as to how or what exactly they mean by that, but sounds like a cool idea!

Now they’re rolling the footage. Check out what it’s like to watch Coppola footage at Comic-Con below (sorry for the “Val” typo, that should be “Val Kilmer”)…

Footage: We just got to see the footage for TWIXT. It’s really impressive, creepy and dark and yet artistic and fresh. It’s reminiscent of older films like Dial M for Murder (which Coppola spoke about) but it’s got a new edge including Val Kilmer sitting in front of a laptop, with whiskey in a plastic cup, working on versions of his book saying things like “a mist descends on the lake… in the… unwanted… the fog floated out like… the fog floats out like tears on a whales ass.” Rather funny. Je then starts talking about fog like a number of unique characters such as a steamboat captain and a gay 60′s basketball player. He can’t seem to find his way, but the improv is great!

Anyway… His character is trying to write for money in a small “haunted” town where the vampires dress up like well made up/lit Twi-hards. Bruce Dern appears to play a huge role in the film, his voice leads us in with it’s dark, deep tone and then he’s the one that shows us the secrets of the town.

Back to the panel….

This is unlike any other panel. Coppola is speaking about how cinema is still very young and compares them with the help of composer Dan Deacon to opera. He’s now trying to remix the film and play it with live music, but they seem to be having technological difficulties as they’re in the midst of the public dress rehearsal.

12:20 — Coppola just remixed his own film right now and is making Val Kilmer talk to everyone and vamp until he can remix the film…. Val Kilmer is saying “yeah I wanna go on tour. It’s great working with a genius”

Now they’re stopping and starting the creation because it wasn’t right… Coppola can’t seem to find the pause button. Problem found! Coppola is doing the narration himself for the clip! They’ve not restarted the clip AGAIN. He won’t let it be played it seems. Ok… find the play button. STOPPING AGAIN.

And NOW, finally we’re off! Only a few stumbles, he seems to know the intro well! How amazing is this! Coppola and Comic-Con narrating his freshly made clip with music being made by Dan Deacon as they play.

See for yourself…

12:26 — They don’t seem to be stopping people from filming things so I’m sure this footage will be online soon…

12:32 — Vampire electric chair anyone??? Oh yeah, as Val Kilmer says in the scene… “that’s different!” Gotta love a vampire with braces too… The world is interesting and time doesn’t seem to exist.

The second clip is different, not sure which is actually representative of the film, but both are fascinating! It’s like nothing you’ve seen but reminiscent of almost everything you have with a new spin. I love Coppola and Kilmer singing along “nosferatu” to they’re own clip.

12:36 — Now we’re watching a third SHUFFLED version of the clips. A version made by the computer…. Can can’t keep up so we’re doing it sans music. Never seen anything like this presentation before. I love how much fun they’re having with it!

The third version doesn’t really make sense, but it’s great to watch them play with something like this and be so free with their material.

Bob Stencil just got up hidden in his Edgar Allen Poe mask making him promise that he will never reboot The Godfather, sadly Coppola doesn’t own the writes but said “it’s a pity because that money could go to investing in new ideas…”

And on that note, Coppola makes them put up the lights so that he can say goodbye to everyone…

Val Kilmer To Play Wyatt Earp In Indie Western

traviswoods — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:41:54 +0000

Today in huh? news: turns out that Val Kilmer will be portraying the famous lawman Wyatt Earp in the indie western The First Ride of Wyatt Earp. This should be a surprise to anyone who will forever know the eccentric actor for portraying Earp’s sickly sidekick, Doc Holiday, in the ‘90s cheese classic, Tombstone (“I’ll be your huckleberry,” anyone?).

According to /Film, The First Ride of Wyatt Earp goes down like this:

“An elderly Earp sitting down with a reporter to reflect on the ride that made him a legend, when the young marshal rounded up a posse to track down the outlaw who mistakenly murdered the woman he loved.”

While it has yet to be specified, I’m guessing that Kilmer’s playing the older version of Earp. Further, with the success of True Grit, here’s hoping that the indie western will hew more closely to the Coens’ dry, kooky vision of the American west rather than the hyper-cheesy (but still fun) spectacle that was the goofy 1990s version.

However, as /Film notes, the resume of the film’s director doesn’t do much to inspire confidence:

“The resume of Mike Feifer doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence: it is littered with a bunch of direct to video films about seral killers such as Ted Bundy, Ed Gein, and Dennis Rader, the BTK killer… But everyone deserves a chance to step up; maybe Mike Feifer will be our huckleberry with this one.”

Here’s hoping, huckleberry.

What do you think of a new Wyatt Earp film?

MacGruber: Movie Review

Krystal Clark — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:31:54 +0000

Unruly dialogue, early eighties fashion, mullets, and explosions (can’t forget about the explosions) dominate the 88 minute run time of Jorma Taccone’s MacGruber. It’s been a while since “Saturday Night Live” has had the courage to produce a feature version of one of their skits, and they decided to take the plunge with the MacGyver inspired knock-off. MacGruber is transformed from a mediocre 30 second sketch to an amazing action satire complete with the presence of Powers Boothe, because no eighties action movie is complete without “The Boothe”!

The Players:

Director: Jorma Taccone
Writers: Will Forte, John Solomon and Jorma Taccone
Actors: Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe, Val Kilmer, Maya Rudolph, Powers Boothe
Music by: Matthew Compton
Cinematography by: Brandon Trost

The Plot:

The overall story centers on a retired MacGruber (Forte) living as a monk in Ecuador. His former commanding officer Colonel James Faith (Boothe) enlists him to fight the evil Dieter Von Cunth (Forte), who has a nuclear warhead and is attempting to kill the President. MacGruber assembles a rogue team including his trusty sidekick Vicki St. Elmo (Wiig) and a young soldier named Dixon Piper (Phillippe) to stop Cunth from executing his plan.

The Good:

Val Kilmer: Kilmer turned in a solid performance as the deliciously evil Cunth. He has the archetype of the eighties action villain down to a science but doesn’t portray the character in a cartoonish way. He’s one of the best things this film has to offer.
Powers Boothe: It’s no secret that this movie is a parody of several films but Powers Boothe plays his character completely straight. It’s like he was transplanted from Red Dawn or Rapid Fire and dropped directly into MacGruber. Either he wasn’t in on the joke or he took his role very, very seriously.
The Humor: This film proves that SNL is holding Will Forte back. A lot of the material featured in MacGruber would never see the light of day on the show because of its restricted content. He really brought his A-game and every scene is genuinely hilarious from start to finish.
The Action: Pointless explosions – check, excessive shootouts – check, high tension scene with the disarming a nuclear bomb – check! All the action you’d expect and want from MacGruber shows up in spades.

The Bad:

The Nudity: Will Forte is NOT afraid to expose his backside, so if you have sensitive eyes (or a weak stomach) you might want to ignore certain parts of the movie.

Overall:

MacGruber is pure popcorn movie fun. It’s entertaining from beginning to end because it doesn’t take itself too seriously. You get to see actors like Boothe, Phillippe, and Kilmer deliver some truly ridiculous performances and you enjoy it because it looks like they’re enjoying it. Don’t let the SNL sketch fool you MacGruber’s not that bad!

Rating: 8/10

MacGruber opens in theaters nationwide on May 21, 2010.

Photos:

Trailer:

Are you interested in seeing MacGruber this weekend?

Restricted MacGruber Trailer – Val Kilmer’s Out For Blood

Krystal Clark — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 19:01:07 +0000

A restricted trailer has been released for the “Saturday Night Live” based film, MacGruber and it features more violence, more blood, and more Iceman aka Val Kilmer. He stars as Deiter Von Cunth, an elusive bad guy who MacGruber must stop before he destroys the world! MSN Movies, got their hands on the trailer first, but we’ve also got it right here…

The film centers on the MacGyver-esque character MacGruber (Will Forte) and his attempts to stop a criminal from pulling off a massive scheme. Ryan Phillippe plays an army officer named Piper, who unwillingly works with MacGruber to bring down a villain named Cunth, played by Kilmer. The overall story centers on a retired MacGruber living as a monk in Ecuador — until he’s enlisted to fight the evil Cunth, who has a nuclear warhead; the mission is personal because Cunth killed MacGruber’s bride.

It’s really great to see Phillippe in a comedy, that guy always stars in the most depressing films. MacGruber will mark SNL‘s return to the feature film world, because they’ve been out of the game since the early 2000′s. The days of Pat, Superstar, and A Night At The Roxbury are long gone. It will be interesting to see how audiences will react to this brand of comedy being back in theaters.

MacGruber hits theaters on May 23, 2010.

Are you interested in seeing MacGruber when it hits theaters? Does it look funny to you?

MacGruber Green Band Trailer

Krystal Clark — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:13:37 +0000

Just yesterday we got our first live action look at the upcoming “Saturday Night Live” film, MacGruber. We got to see all the explicit stuff in the red band restricted trailer, and now the green band version has been released. There won’t be any middle fingers or F-bombs in this preview, but it’s still surprisingly funny…

The film centers on the MacGyver-esque character MacGruber (Will Forte) and his attempts to stop a criminal from pulling off a massive scheme. Ryan Phillippe plays an army officer named Piper, who unwillingly works with MacGruber to bring down a villain named Cunth, played by Val Kilmer. The overall story centers on a retired MacGruber living as a monk in Ecuador — until he’s enlisted to fight the evil Cunth, who has a nuclear warhead; the mission is personal because Cunth killed MacGruber’s bride.

Oddly enough this trailer is a lot better than the previous one, and includes a bunch of professional wrestlers such as Chris Jericho, Mark Henry, Dalip Singh, and Antonio Banks. Where the hell did they all come from? I have no idea, but it’s awesome. The most hilarious bits in the trailer feature the banter between MacGruber and Piper who obviously have two different ways of doing things.

MacGruber will hit theaters on April 23, 2010.

What do you think about the Green Band trailer for MacGruber? Do you think the movie will be funny?

Emmanuelle Chriqui Takes on Georgia

Krystal Clark — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:02:43 +0000

Actress Emmanuelle Chriqui is best known for her role as Kevin Connolly‘s on again off again girlfriend Sloan on the hit HBO series, Entourage. According to THR, Chriqui should get ready for her close up because she’s been cast as the lead in the film, Georgia. It’s director Renny Harlin‘s next project, and it’s being described as a “war drama.”

Georgia is a drama that involves an American journalist and his cameraman caught in the crossfire and a Georgia native (Chriqui) and doctoral student who becomes entangled with them. Val Kilmer has been cast in the role of the journalist involved in covering last year’s military conflict between Russia and Georgia. Harlin is also producing the project with Rex Films partners George Lascu, Michael P. Flannigan and David Imedashvili.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Kilmer is a semi-respectable role, so I hope his performance in this film reminds people that he’s still got what it takes. As for Chriqui, she’s been making way as a significant supporting actor in various films, and this could be the big break she’s been waiting for.

What do you think of Chriqui landing the lead in Georgia?

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans Trailer

Krystal Clark — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:23:33 +0000

A theatrical trailer for Werner Herzog‘s gritty drama, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans has been released. The film stars Nicolas Cage as the title character, a morally challenged lawman, who while trying to solve a murder exposes his own personal demons which include drug addiction, theft, and gambling. After watching this trailer you can easily see why the film has the word bad in front of the title.

Check out the trailer…

The original Bad Lieutenant was released in 1992, starred Harvey Keitel as the lead character, and was directed by Abel Ferrar. In this take on the film, both Herzog and Cage put their signatures on the story to make it their own. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m not particularly interested in seeing this movie because I wasn’t a fan of the original. I will admit that this trailer is a lot better than the unofficial footage they released a few months back. This one actually has a professional look to it.

What do you think of the theatrical trailer for Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans?

Official Bad Lieutenant Photos

Krystal Clark — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:15:11 +0000

I have to be honest, the original 1992 version of Bad Lieutenant scared me, and this remake is following suit. The original starred Harvey Kietel in the title role of a morally bankrupt law man. While trying to solve a murder he exposes his own personal demons which include drug addiction, theft, and gambling.

In the new version entitled, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Nicolas Cage takes on the lead role, and he terrifies me in every way. View some official production photos below.

Images courtesy of Encranlarge.com

It’s another team up of Cage and Eva Mendes for our viewing pleasure (or poison). The two actors previously starred in the 2007 comic adaptation Ghost Rider. Another interesting casting note comes in the form of rapper-actor Xzibit aka Alvin Joiner. I was going to try and avoid saying anything about Val Kilmer, but when I look at the above photo it reminds me that Batman Forever was a long time ago!

What do you think of the first photos from Bad Lieutenant?

Ryan Phillippe and Val Kilmer in Talks for MacGruber

Krystal Clark — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 01:00:21 +0000

I haven’t been a fan of Saturday Night Live inspired films for a very long time. There was a point in my life where I thought they were funny, and so did the rest of the general public, but somehow they lost their mojo. Have we returned to the point where SNL skits can once again be adapted into feature films? According to Yahoo News, MacGruber the MacGyver-esque character from the weekly sketch show has gotten a movie deal. Not only will he be heading to the big screen but he’s bringing Ryan Phillippe, Val Kilmer, and Jorma Taccone with him!

Jorma Taccone, one-third of the comedy troupe The Lonley Island (along with Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer) has signed on to direct the feature film version of MacGruber. Taccone created the character and writes and directs most of it’s skits for SNL along with star Will Forte. Forte and Kristen Wiig will both reprise their roles in the film as MacGruber and his assistant Vicky. The screenplay for the feature was written by Forte, Taccone, and John Solomon.

The legendary, much-decorated MacGruber is retired and living as a monk in Ecuador — until he’s enlisted to fight the evil Cunth, who has a nuclear warhead; the mission is personal because Cunth killed MacGruber’s bride.

That sounds like a tacky premise. I’m not talking regular tacky, I’m talking eighties action tacky, which I think is their goal. Sources are saying that Ryan Phillippe is negotiating to star as an army officer named Piper, who unwillingly works with MacGruber to bring down Cunth whom will be played by Val Kilmer.

I can’t believe that we may actually see Ryan Phillippe in a comedy. That guy has been doing nothing but serious stuff for a while now and if it weren’t for his good looks he would be such a downer. I’m just happy to see Val Kilmer aka “The Iceman” get some work. What happened to him? For goodness sake at one point he was Batman!

Do you think Phillippe and Kilmer should join MacGruber, or has the SNL movie craze run it’s course?

Castings: Dwayne Johnson, Robert De Niro, James McAvoy

Krystal Clark — Thu, 07 May 2009 15:45:00 +0000

So many castings, so little time. A lot of news regarding some of your favorite actors and actresses has broken overnight. Here’s a rundown of who’s hooking up with who and for what project.

Dwayne Johnson will be going back to his action roots with his latest film. The actor is in final negotiations to star in Faster, where he’ll play an ex-con trying to avenge his brothers death. The film will reteam the actor with Gridiron Gang director Phil Joanau. [Variety]
After the greatness that was 2001′s The Score, Edward Norton and Robert De Niro are reuniting for another project. They will star in the indie thriller, Stone. De Niro will play “a correctional officer who is seduced by the wife of a convicted arsonist (Norton) up for parole.”[Variety]
James McAvoy, Elizabeth Banks, Laura Linney, and Anna Friel will star in a comedy entitled, The Details. The film will be directed by Jacob Estes, who also wrote the screenplay featuring a couple who disagrees about how to handle a raccoon infestation in their backyard. [RopeofSilicon]

Ray Stevenson, Val Kilmer, and Christopher Walken are teaming up for the mob drama The Irishman. Stevenson will play a Cleveland based mobster, Kilmer will star as a cop, and Walken will play a loan shark. [Variety]
The cast of Alexandre Aja’s Piranha 3-D keeps growing with their latest addition, Jerry O’Connell. No further info has been given regarding his character, but producer Mark Canton thinks the film could be “the ultimate Jaws for this generation.” [RopeofSilicon]

Which casting hook up are you the most excited to see?

ScreenCrave.com » val kilmer

5 Days of War: Movie Review

The Players:

Plot:

The Good:

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 6/10

Trailer:

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MacGruber: Movie Review

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The Plot:

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Overall:

Rating: 8/10

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Trailer:

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