'Tis the Season

So it seems fitting, with this being Halloween and all, to rank the Halloween films. John Carpenter's original Halloween, from 1978, is truly a classic movie. Unfortunately, the success of this film spawned not only a sea of crappy imitators, but also and endless string of sequels that continue to this day. Without further adieu, here's my ranking of the films, and it's worth noting that Halloween III: Season of the Witch, because it was a sequel in name only and didn't follow the Michael Myers plot line, has been automatically defaulted to last place.

Halloween (1978) The log-line is quite simple: escaped mental patient stalks babysitters on Halloween night. This is the grand daddy of the stalk and slash genre. Director John Carpenter's slow build suspense, excellent use of light and shadow, voyeuristic steady-cam shots and iconic musical score combine to make a shocker that's still effective today. The only bad thing you can say about this film is that its success gave us over a decade of shitty knock offs that failed to capture (or even understand) what made this film so successful in the first place.

Halloween II (1981) Carpenter opted not to direct the follow up (though he did co-script it) and in doing so he muddied up the simple story of the original by suddenly feeling the need to give us a "motive" for Michael targeting Jamie Lee Curtis' Laurie Strode. This movie also seems to ignore the suspense and scares of the original opting for the bloodier style that many of the first movies imitator's went for, but this direct sequel, that sees the (living) cast return and picks up the moment the first film concluded has enough of the feel and tone of the original to be enjoyable. As an aside, it's probably best to forget that Michael is clearly blinded (by two gunshot wounds to the eyeballs) in the film's fiery conclusion because if you don't the subsequent sequels, where he would clearly be a blind man, don't make much sense.

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) The series was seemingly dead after the non-Michael Myers third entry failed to perform at the box-office. With Carpenter now leaving the franchise, Michael's return was left to Dwight H. Little, a no-name genre director who does a serviceable job with this entry that sees Dr. Loomis, the slightly loopy doctor of Michael Myers, at his best; crazed, funny, angry and over the top.

Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) We're already squarely in mediocre range with this entry, that gets extra marks for the return of Jamie Lee Curtis to the series (for the first time since 1981's Halloween II) and also for including her mother, Janet Leigh, who really was the first "scream queen" for her role as Marion Crane in Psycho. (Better known as the unfortunate woman who took a shower at the Bates Motel.) Myers mask inexplicably changes from scene to scene, including an incredibly strange CGI incarnation in one sequence and the film is marred by strange pacing throughout, but it picks up for a decent stalk-and-chase finale.

Halloween: Resurrection (2002) Directed by Rick Rosenthal, (who also helmed Halloween II) this movie is flat out awful and includes a scene so bad that it literally killed the series altogether (requiring a full on re-boot a few years later.) The scene in question sees rapper Busta Rhymes delivering a kung-fu kick to Michael Myers. Terrible, terrible flick, but it does open with Michael finally killing Jamie Lee Curtis, a murder almost 25 years in the making.

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) After Part 4 revived the series, and was successful, this crappy sequel was rushed into theatres for the next fall. The incompetent direction and horrible Myers mask (look at the photo above, Myers looks like Nic Cage) sank this entry well before the stupid sub-plot of the mysterious man who seems to be helping Michael fully derailed it.

Halloween (2006) Rob Zombie's trailer park version of the Halloween story misses in a big way. A large part of the terror of the original film is that Michael appears to be a normal little boy and then one day they discover he's a monster. No motive, no empathy, no logic. In this take, Zombie tries to rationalize the behaviour. The film is also marred by Zombie's sick need to make all of the victims in the film literally beg for the lives before they are murdered. Instead of the roller coaster thrills of a horror movie, you're left with a sick feeling after watching one person after another beg for their life. Far from fun.

Halloween II (2009) Same shit, different pile.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) A movie about an evil mask maker that wants to kill the children of America on Halloween night. Lame. This film was bad enough that it sent the series into hibernation for five years. That doesn't sound like long, but in the 80's horror movie sequels were an annual affair.

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) I know I said that Halloween III defaulted to last place, but the sixth entry in the series is so incredibly bad, it has to claim the last spot. This movie tries to introduce an absurd subplot about a a cult that worships Michael Myers and the "curse of the Thorn" that is supposed to be the source of his evil. All subsequent films in the series ignored the muddled idiocy of this movie and went back to basics. The movie, likely due to it's moronic plot, was subjected to vast re-shoots and the finished product is almost incoherent and literally devoid of scares. Sadly, this cinematic shit sandwich was the last film that Donald Pleasence, who played Michael's doctor in the series, ever made. His role in the finished film is cut down dramatically because the hack director of the movie, Joe Chappelle, deemed his scenes "too boring."

Extended "Avatar" Trailer Now Online

The full trailer for Avatar, James Cameron's 12-years-in-the-making follow up to the Academy Award winning Titanic has arrived online. The film, when seen in theatres, will be in 3D, so we're not getting the full effect of the visuals for this movie; but much of the time spent between features for Cameron was allowing the technology catch up with his vision for the film. Cameron has been open about the fact that he's designed this film to be a spectacle that will lure people back to the theatres after seeing an increasing shift to people watching movies at home. The film is intended to be seen in IMAX and in 3D, so it's tough to gauge, from this trailer, what the film will really be like.

On the topic of Avatar and Cameron; things are not rosy, and not just because some fanboys on the internet didn't get sufficently blown away by the trailer. Cameron was recently hit with a plagiarism suit by author Poul Anderson who claims Avatar is awfully similar to his 1957 sci-fi novel Call Me Joe. Anderson's story is about a paraplegic who telepathically connects with a an artificially created life form in order to explore a harsh and unforgiving planet and soon finds himself being drawn more and more into his artificial life at the expense of his real one. If this sounds vaguely familar, that's because it also happens to be the plot of Avatar. After the release of The Terminator, James Cameron's break through film, he was also sued for plagiarism because the plot of that film closely resembled two episodes of The Outer Limits. While Cameron settled out of court, the fact that the man who sued him now his name on the credits of The Terminator certainly paints a clear picture of who "won."

The Third "Shutter Island" Trailer

Here's the third trailer for Martin Scorsese's next flick, Shutter Island. With each trailer, the film seems to be more of a horror flick and less of straight thriller, which is cool. Scorsese has never really ventured much outside the realm of realism in his movies, so a movie with fantasy and horror elements sounds like an interesting proposition. This seems to be the pulpiest Scorsese flick since his remake of Cape Fear. I'm looking forward to this flick in a big way. My first must-see of 2010. My apologies for the crappy commercial you'll have to watch first.

Pumpkinpalooza

Check out these amazing "villian" jack o' lanterns, just in time for Halloween. Here's the world's worst doll, Chucky, from the 1988 flick Child's Play. I'm a little disappointed that my man Jason Voorhees didn't make the cut - it seems his iconic hockey mask with its holes would be a natural for this project - but alas, I'm way too lazy to undertake such a task, so I guess I shouldn't complain about who they didn't do.

The whole set can be found over at screenjunkies. Definitely worth checking out.

Rob Zombie's An Idiot

I don't want to go on another rant about Rob Zombie and how shitty his take on John Carpenter's Halloween is. He was just the wrong choice to reboot the series and the good news is he's not involved in any plans for the series moving forward. Actually Rob, if you're reading this, why stop there? Instead of no longer making Halloween films, how about, no longer making films period? You can go back to focusing on your music. 'Cause that was just, really really great stuff. Just terrific. But I digress.

But just because he won't be involved with the proposed Halloween 3D, doesn't mean the stench of his efforts will soon waft past us. Back in August, when his Halloween II was released, while doing press to promote the film, Zombie revealed that he was working on his "director's cut" and that it would eventually be available on DVD. Wait a second... what? You're working on a director's cut? Then who's cut is the shitty movie that you just released in theatres? What kind of idiot tells you he's still working on his cut while he's promoting the film? I understand that marketing "director's cuts" and "unrated cuts" is a huge part of the horror DVD marketing plan, but have things really got to the point where the director of the film - while promoting the movie for theatrical release - reveals he's working on "his" cut that will be out on DVD? Why should fans even consider going to the theatre to see the other version of the film?

Well, this week, via twitter, Zombie revealed that "the director's cut is finally done." (Finally? Yes, the film was, after all, released to theatres in August.) Zombie, in an interview with the horror film website Icons of Fright, revealed how his cut differed from the theatrical version. The big difference was how the films heroine, Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis in the original series) was portrayed. In Zombie's new cut, she's "an incredible mess" with her life falling a part and a serious drug problem. He then added, ominously, "It makes for a real challenging movie to watch."

That's your sales pitch? The movie is "challenging to watch?" Thanks Rob, but I think I'll pass. This isn't a german art film. This is Halloween II. How about maybe making a film that the audience might actually like? What a douchebag.

Shame On You, David Spade

I was a huge fan of Chris Farley, who, despite his immense talent didn't exactly leave behind a legacy of great films. But he did leave one classic for us to enjoy, the 1995 film Tommy Boy. I've seen the film at least ten times, and I still find it absolutely hilarious each time. The chemistry between Farley and his co-star and fellow Saturday Night Live cast mate David Spade is absolutely magical. (And, interestingly, fizzled in their next effort, the woeful Black Sheep.)

Last year I read the excellent biography The Chris Farley Show, which was co-authored by Farely's older brother, and I was surprised to discover that Chris and David Spade - who were always shown in the press as inseparable buddies - had had a falling out before his untimely death and the two were estranged. (They fought over what guys always fight over: a woman.) In light of that revelation, I find this ad particularly tacky. You would think David Spade, who doesn't need the money, would have the good taste to turn down a gig schilling DirectTV in an advertisement that uses footage of his dead friend dancing around and calling himself fat, no? Turns out Spade would rather cash the check. Shameful.

Say It Ain't So, Sly!

Back in September, I wrote a post about how Stallone was really pushing his luck when the details filtered out regarding his new project, another Rambo sequel that had him hunting down a genetically altered beast. I felt that Stallone, who spent the better part of a decade exiled to movie star jail, was pissing away all of the good will he had built with audiences with his surprisingly good sequels to his big 80's properties with 2006's Rocky Balboa and 2007's Rambo.

In particular, I was impressed with Rocky Balboa because it really served as an excellent final chapter for the character, and ended the series on a much better note then the horrible Rocky V had attempted to do back in 1990. Stallone's film, which he wrote and directed, really understood the character and told a story not just about a washed up boxer, but about aging, about dreaming, and about still finding a sense of self-worth long have you've left the spotlight. Instead of being corny and heavy handed, the movie instead was nostalgic, sentimental and had a lot of heart. It really served as an apology for the string of Rocky sequels that seemed to forget what made the original so memorable and such a beloved movie; and, above all, it really was fitting final chapter.

Despite pulling that off, and giving audiences a great farewell to the character of Rocky, Stallone has decided, insanely, to make a Rocky VII. When he wrapped production on Rocky Balboa in 2006, Stallone made it clear that this was the final installment. "They talk about making Son of Rocky and all that, but no. I can't go any further with that. It's a miracle it got made, I'm just so grateful it got financed. It's my finest moment, I'm so happy with it." And now he's gonna try and milk that cow again.

He was recently quoted talking about the film, and it seems that perhaps he hasn't seen Rocky Balboa, because all of his quotes about Rocky VII, seem to be describing Rocky Balboa. He told a German television station that he wants to make Rocky VII and that "I know I'll probably make a fool of myself if I make another Rocky film after turning 60. I also know there's gonna be a lot of criticism. Even my wife says 'Don't do it. You're embarrassing the kids.' But I told her, 'If I don't try I'll be a real unhappy man.'" Stallone went on to say, "I know it's ludicrous and everyone would laugh. I would laugh about it. But I also know that I'd be successful if I can make this film about becoming older, not about boxing but about myself."

Uh, wasn't that what Rocky Balboa was about? Seemed to me that was exactly what made the previous film so satisfying and such a fitting last waltz for Rocky. People did laugh when they heard you were gonna make a sixth entry to the series and there was a lot of criticism. And despite all of that, against the long odds, you made a good film that instead of being embarrassing was a great gift for the fans of the series. Please, don't push your luck again, the story is told and it's done. Sly, I beg you, just say no.

The New "A-Team"

Over at /Film they have the first look at the new A-Team. The cheesy 80's action series is being brought to the big screen by Joe Carnahan, the filmmaker who brought us Narc and Smokin' Aces. The film stars Bradley Cooper as "Faceman," Liam Neeson plays Hannibal, Sharlto Copley (who made a very impressive screen debut this summer as the "human" star of District 9,) plays "Howling Mad" Murdoch and finally, in the iconic B.A. Baracus role is former UFC Fighter Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

For awhile, in one of the MTV News edit suites, we had, hanging on the wall, a list of casting suggestions for a big screen edition of The A-Team. I believe it was my colleague Joe Keenan (the man behind one of my favorite blogs ep.com bookmark it) who first posted the "casting call." I thought any television property as cheesy as The A-Team, anything that '80's, would have to be handled in a comedic fashion. I had Ryan Reynolds in the "Faceman" role, George Hamilton was Hannibal, Jim Carrey was "Murdoch" and Mr. T. himself, despite his advanced years, reprised his role as B.A. Baracus. We were amused, of course, when we heard that after many development delays the actual movie version was greenlit. The real version, it seems, is not going with a comedic take and instead is doing something more in tune with Michael Mann's big screen Miami Vice, which took a very dated, very 80's premise and updated it and took it seriously.

I like my version of the A-Team better.

"Entourage" Goes Porno

Considering Vincent Chase spent the bulk of this past season of Entourage fucking a laundry list of Hollywood bimbos; its not really a huge stretch to see the show spun off into a porno version.

Ideally, I'd like to see a scene where Ari's constantly berated and humiliated former assistant Lloyd bends Ari over his desk and takes his revenge for a litany of homophobic remarks, but the real question will be: will they let Turtle get laid? Shockingly, the acting appears to be lousy, but perhaps more shockingly, the film has an actual plot, and if you're a fan of the show, it riffs on actual things that have happened in the series. Here's the premise: Vince's career is in the toilet which requires a leaked sex tape to get him back in the game. That, of course, leads to triple-X parody of Aquaman. Yes, this triple-X parody of Entourage features a triple-X parody of Aquaman! We're through the looking glass people! Check out the trailer below.

Lucasfilm makes their lameness collectable

Lucasfilm, a company that has spent more then a decade pissing all over the incredible legacy they built for themselves in the late '70's and '80's with the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises before releasing new, remarkably shitty installments to their iconic series' have now made their remarkable lameness "collectable."

They've teamed with Sideshow Collectibles to make a limited edition run of 600 12" Indiana Jones figures emerging from a refrigerator. Yes, they've decided to commemorate the scene that elicited groans from the audience when I saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and spawned the phrase "nuking the fridge;" a term used to describe the precise moment when a beloved film franchise officially becomes utter shit. To recap, in the film Indiana Jones stumbles into a test site for a nuclear bomb, but he manages to escape by simply getting inside a refrigerator, which, while everything around it is destroyed, is simply thrown a great distance from the blast site and because it's lead lined somehow saves Jones, who emerges from the fridge completely unscathed. Let me just repeat, this was a nuclear blast.

The limited run of just 600 figures - and fridges - have already sold out, so if you wanted to have a timeless reminder of how truly shitty and disappointing the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones series was, sadly, you'll have to look elsewhere. But I would like to congratulate George Lucas, and his terrifying bearded turkey neck for finding another way to monetize how he fucked up a beloved film franchise from my youth.

"Inception" Trailer: New Chris Nolan Flick

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Here's the trailer for the new Christopher Nolan flick Inception. This is a teaser trailer for sure - it's totally unclear what the film will be about - but it has some interesting visuals, and Leonardo DiCaprio hasn't picked a bad script in ages, so I have high hopes for this movie. Considering Nolan's Memento was a mind-fuck of a movie, the tagline that "your mind is the scene of the crime" leads me to believe that this flick - also scripted by by Nolan - might bring us something in that vein with a sci-fi vibe as well.

"Uncharted 2" Best Video Game Ever?

I've been waiting for the release of new video game Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, essentially from the moment I completed the first entry, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, but the anticipation hit a fever pitch back in July when PlayStation flew me down to Los Angeles to attend a sneak-peek presentation of the game. The wait was over last week when I was notified that I would be sent my review copy, but because I'd already booked the Friday off, the game arrived on my desk while I was at home lounging. (That's what I do on days off now that golf season is over, I lounge. Highly recommended.) The vultures quickly circled and soon I was received a curious email telling me the game was there - from a co-worker who happens to own a PS3. With the extended Thanksgiving weekend upon us, it would be four long days before I would get my hands on it, so I reluctantly passed it over to him so at least someone would be able to enjoy it. It's not like me to be so unselfish, so I hope this means I get hooked up in the afterlife. And when I say hooked up, I mean that I want a harem of virgins, and not virgins that had no say in the matter, I mean virgins that were the head cheerleader and spent most Friday nights fighting off pawing dudes because they were "saving it for someone special."

While I've only just begun the game, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves may well be the best video game I've ever played. I can't over state how good this games looks. It looks like nothing I've ever seen before and the game is about as close to "playing a movie" as you can get. This game sends a clear message to XBox 360, and that message is, it's over. Enjoy the head start you had by releasing your console before the PlayStation 3, because now it's not about catching up, it's about the end game. The Xbox, quite simply, can't make a game that looks and plays as good as this. Without the expanded space of a Blu-Ray disc, you literally couldn't fit this game on a disc for the 360, nor could that system render a game this delicious. It feels like I'm playing PlayStation 4, I've gone next level on the next gen and I'm not going back.

The story is essentially in the vein of Indiana Jones. You play Nathan Drake, a globe trotting adventurer who's handy with a pistol, climbs like a monkey, is catnip to the ladies and collects priceless artifacts while dodging machine gun fire, explosions and the occasional crumbling building. The game is incredibly well written, with believable dialogue, and an interesting plot (the sequel has Drake looking for Marco Polo's lost fleet) and actual characters that are fully developed and help move the story forward. Even more pleasing is the fact that the game is well directed, too, something often not found in these games. Usually cut scenes in games that advance the plot are something to be endured while waiting to pick up the controller again. In this game, they are beautiful to watch and totally engaging. With the PlayStation 3 recently dropping in price down to a more manageable $299, I think this game will go a long way toward to selling hardware. It's simply that good.

If you've been waiting for the prices to drop before buying a next-gen system, or are thinking about grabbing a Blu-Ray player and dig playing the occasional game; now is the time. This game is that good.

Paranormal Activity Could be a Record Setter

Paranormal Activity opened nation wide this weekend after a series of midnight screenings at Festivals and university campuses, and it might be headed for a big record.

The film was made, amazingly, for $15,000 by a novice filmmaker named Oren Peli using a handy-cam. After he wrapped production, which took just a week, and landed representation at CAA, the movie eventually ended up at Dreamworks, where Steven Spielberg screened it. (Spielberg, according to the LA Times was genuinely freaked out by the movie. Shortly after watching it, he discovered his bedroom was locked, inexplicably from the inside, which required a locksmith to be summoned. Spielberg, apparently goofier than I had originally thought, then placed the "haunted" DVD in a garbage bag and returned into to the studio, but wasn't spooked enough to pass on the movie, Dreamworks secured the rights.) Originally slated to be re-made with a real budget, the studio arranged a screening with several of the potential screenwriters for the remake mixed into a real crowd. When the executives saw the incredible reaction the film got (which included several people that walked out because the movie freaked them out) they scrapped their remake plans and realized they couldn't improve on what they already had.

So a movie that cost just $15,000 hits theatres nationwide and is now raking in millions in its first weekend of release (after already making $8 million last week in its limited run.) While nobody is expecting this movie to do the insane blockbuster numbers of Titanic, Spiderman or any of the other mega-budget big earners, it does, however, have a great chance of being the most profitable film ever. Hollywood measures "profitability" as the precent of increase on your investment, and with this movies shoe-string budget it has a good chance to give the reining king, The Blair Witch Project, a run for her money. That film, interestingly also a handy-cam shot horror mocumentary, was made for just $60,000 and raked in $248 million for a whopping 414,333 percent return. Through Friday night, Paranormal Activity has already passed the $20 million mark. By the end of the weekend, it should be interesting to see where it stands.

Peter Berg Wayne Gretzky Doc Online

Filmmaker Peter Berg, the man who directed Very Bad Things, Friday Night Lights and Hancock, made a documentary about the Wayne Gretzky trade that shocked Canada back in August of 1988. The doc was made for an ESPN series, which is unfortunately not available in Canada, called 30 for 30. The series is to commemorate ESPN's 30th birthday and the network commissioned a series of filmmakers and interesting people to make documentaries about compelling sports stories from the "ESPN era." This series should prove to be quite interesting. Also in the series Rain Man director - and Baltimore native - Barry Levinson's take on the Colts leaving Maryland for Indianapolis. Ice Cube directs a doc on the relationship between citizens of Los Angeles with the L.A. Raiders; Steve Nash helms a piece on fellow Canadian Terry Fox's inspiring Marathon of Hope while Bull Durham director Ron Shelton looks at Michael Jordan's brief - but fascinating - foray into minor league baseball. Berg's installment, titled Kings Ransom, actually screened at TIFF, but I was out of town and unable to check it out. TSN recently ran the doc here in Canada. I would recommend catching it if they decide to re-run the film.

Meet Your King: Max Records, the human star of "Where the Wild Things Are"

Here's a cool little video (click the little picture) that focuses on Max Records, the (now) 12 year old star of Where the Wild Things Are. In my review of the film, I singled out his excellent performance as the "heart" of the story, and this video shows the effort Jonze putting into finding the young actor for this role, and also the incredible experience shooting this movie was for him, and the relationship the director and youngster forged while making the flick. There's also a lot of funny stuff with Max's younger brother, who got to hang around on the set thoughout production. In the summer of 1979, I spent the summer on the set of Bill Murray's first film Meatballs. (My older brother played a camper in the film.) Watching this video, I was reminded of many of those experiences and how mind-blowing a film set can be to a young child.

This is a really great little video, and it won't spoil the film for those that haven't seen it. Check it out, and my apologies for the brief commercial you'll have to endure first.

Where The Wild Things Are: Jonze Delivers

This morning I saw an advance screening of Spike Jonze's eagerly anticipated film adaptation of the classic children's book Where the Wild Things Are. As I've mentioned in previous posts, this is a film I've been not-so-patiently waiting for all year. Actually, I've been waiting for this film since it was announced a few years back.

En route to the screening with a few colleagues this morning, I started to get a sense of dread that the film couldn't possibly deliver on the lofty expectations I had for it. After all, Where the Wild Things Are was a truly beloved book of mine as a child and despite the fuzz of memory, there is still, to this day, a very clear picture in my mind of what the story is and who the characters are, and what the world they inhabit is like. The magic of the book and fondness I have for it, are, in large part, a creation of my own devices, and therefore, it seemed unlikely somebody elses interpretation could be up to snuff. I remember drawing my own versions of the Wild Things, expanding the story on my pad of paper, or, if not that, in my mind. The original text, amazingly, only contains nine sentences. When I had read that in a recent article about Spike Jonze in the New York Times, I thought it was an error. I remembered, in my minds eye, so much rich detail to the story; so many amazing little particulars about the Wild Things, that I had actually gleaned from the fantastic illustrations, not the body of the book. In large part, the magic of the book stems from the fact that so much is suggested in the drawings rather than explicitly stated in the text, which makes the book very personal as the child fills in the considerable blanks themselves.

My fondness for the material is also tinged with a healthy dose of nostalgia, remembering a time when the premise of the book seemed less fantastic and much more... possible. Given this, how could a film deliver on such an unquantifiable thing as my own personal response and connection to the material? If I can't even put into words what it is about the book that drew me so strongly to it in the first place, how could I expect a filmmaker to draw that whimsy, charm, mischieviousness and sense of adventure out and put it on celluloid? Not only that, how could he do it in a way that not only met my expectations, but elevated and enriched the book so that it worked cinematically and matched the tone and magic of Maurice Sendak's original book? It's such a tall order that as we drove the Warner Brothers screening room this morning; it started to dawn on me that what I was really asking for was for a complete stranger to somehow capture all of this; all of these personal reactions and responses to the story; and package it in a way that worked with the version that only exists in my head, and thats compounded by the fact that the memories of the book are clouded by years where the Wild Things no longer ran wild in my imagination, and instead existed solely in my heart; as a part of my childhood and a time of innocence, whimsy and childlike wonder.

As we arrived at the screening, I had resigned myself to the fact that all of my anticipation of the film was really quite naive. My expectations weren't just unlikely to be met, but instead, they were impossible. Shortly after the lights dimmed and the film began, something incredible happened. Amazingly, the film delivered exactly what I had been hoping for. Jonze, and his wonderful film, perfectly capture the feeling of being marginalized, misunderstood and under appreciated that comes with being a child - and, in the case of Where The Wild Things Are - drives the story forward. He knows where the gold of the story is - on the island with Max and the Wild Things - and he wisely gets us there quickly, but not before doing an excellent job of showing us what kind of kid Max is in the real world. Once the story transitions from Max's life at home with his mother and sister and moves to ... where the wild things are; the film cast me under a spell much like the book did when I was eight years old. Jonze and his production design team have done an absolutely incredible job of creating a world of where these monsters can exist; and while it looks very much like the world we inhabit, it also has its own aesthetic and style. It feels real and familiar but also wild and unique. But more importantly, they've created Wild Things with unique personalities, nuances, relationships and stories that are somehow true to the core of the book while at the same time are completely new inventions of Jonze and his co-writer Dave Eggers. They've brought the well known illustrations from the book to life, and added details that seem just right. It's how I always imagined it and how I never dreamed it would be at the same time.

Jonze's greatest success with this movie - and there are many - is the restraint he shows not just as a director but as a story teller. The movie keeps it simple, sticking to the basis of the original story and not clouding things with over the top production design, virtuoso camera work and an overly involved or needlessly complicated story. The film sees the world - and tells the story - like a child would. The movie exists in a world where trust is given not earned, people are accepted as they are and the notion that everything will be great if we just build a great fort and and stay together isn't naive, it's the mission statement of the island. Max doesn't ask to be the King, but rather takes the role out of necessity. But once he is crowned the King of the Wild Things, he does his best to meet their needs and keep them happy and doesn't try to rule over them, but rather give them everything they've ever wanted. Despite his good intentions, he soon discovers that their world - and their problems - are much more complicated than he ever imagined; and perhaps, the job is too big for a boy. How the story arrives here, though, is really quite magical. I've never seen a film with non-human characters that does such an effective job of letting you get past the suit, or the special effect, or the CGI, and really focus on the character itself. A large part of this success can be attributed to the voice work in the movie, particularly by James Gandolfini, who is absolutely fantastic; with great support work from Catherine O'Hara, Forest Whitaker, Chris Cooper and Lauren Ambrose. I was very skeptical about Gandolfini voicing one of the Wild Things; but I couldn't have been more wrong. Not only does he deliver a very moving, sad, powerful performance, he so convincingly brings the character of Carol to life that I simply couldn't imagine anyone else playing the part after seeing the film. Another revelation is the exceptional performance of the child in the role of Max. Max Records, who's only previous acting experience was a bit part in last year's The Brothers Bloom is absolutely perfect in this movie. Records performance says so much with so little; he seems to be delivering a performance that he himself couldn't possibly understand at his tender age. It's pitch-perfect and it's the heart of the movie.

Where the Wild Things Are made me feel like I was eight years old again, and that's really the highest praise I could give the movie. I can't wait to see it again on an IMAX screen. My congratulations to Spike Jonze and his entire creative team. Wild Things is a fantastic accomplishment; and you somehow exceeded my expectations when I thought simply meeting them was impossible.

Matt Damon is obsessed with charity work... on Entourage

On this weeks season finale of Entourage, Matt Damon cameoed, as himself, in full-on charity mode. Damon tried to shake down Vinnie Chase for a charitable donation for the One By One foundation. When Vince only offers $20,000, Damon, along with cameos from LeBron James and, hilariously, Bono, urge him to give more.

After the end credits for the show ran, the above clip served as an "easter egg" bonus. Apparently the promised bigger check of "a buck fifty" never arrived and nothing gets Damon more upset than people that don't follow through with their charitable donations.

Pretty funny stuff.

...On lead vocals, Stephen Harper.

Here's a video of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, fresh off surviving a vote of non-confidence, as a surprise musical guest at a Yo-Yo Ma performance with Canada's National Arts Centre Orchestra.

While I give him full credit for singing the lyric "I get high with a little help from my friends" in this era of hyper-conservative political correctness, I do think it's odd that a Prime Minister who championed cutting funding to the arts is so adept at tickling the ivories and singing.

Apologies for the abrupt end to this video ... it runs out before the song does.

The Curse of "Juno"

This weekend, Ellen Page's first starring role since her breakout in Juno hit theatres... with a thud. The film, Whip It, is a girl empowerment feel good movie and marks the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore. But alas, the audience has spoken, and it appears they really weren't hankering for a roller skating movie. Whip It made just $4.9 million this weekend and opened in sixth place.

Sixth place is also where Juno scripter Diablo Cody's follow up feature, Jennifer's Body opened. It appears that audiences love affair with Juno was a passing fancy. It's dissapointing to me that both of these films failed because they were projects I had been looking forward to because they are movies that were written, starring and directed by women; a disturbingly rare commodity in Hollywood where the notion of gender equality in the workplace is much more of a rumor than a mandate.

While I haven't seen Whip It (I was in New York when it screened at the Festival) I'm still surprised to see it finish out of the Top Five, particularly when Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs finished in third in its third week of release (after back to back first place finishes.)

Both of the Juno follow ups represented stories of girl power (though in very different packaging. Jennifer's Body, because of its hyper-sexualized Megan Fox in kilt and a low cut top movie poster, seemed to be aimed at squarley at men, but the story is literally about a maneater.) It's incredibly rare that Hollywood bothers to make films for women, and when they do, the women that are targeted are much older. It's a shame to see two films in a row - written, directed and starring females and featuring the talents of women like Diablo Cody and Ellen Page - be so thoroughly ignored at the box office. It doesn't really bode well for more films aimed at that audience, and the last thing we need is an excuse for clueless studio executives to make more movies aimed at 14 year olds. 'Cause I think we've got that covered.

New "Shutter Island" Trailer

Here is the second trailer for Martin Scorsese's upcoming flick Shutter Island. The film was originally slated for release this month, but Paramount pushed the film into early February instead, allegedly because they didn't have the cash for a big Oscar campaign for the film.

This is Scorsese in thriller mode for the first time since his remake of Cape Fear. I have high hopes for this flick.

Lucky Number 13

When I was 13 years old, I thought that the Friday the 13th films were about the coolest thing in the world. My greatest hope was that each and every year they would release yet another sequel - which frankly could have just been a loose re-hashing of the previous installment, and often was - until they ultimately got to Friday the 13th Part XIII, which, fittingly, would be the final chapter in the adventures of Jason Voorhees.

For a stretch in the 1980's, this wish seemed like it was easily achievable. Between 1980 and 1989, Paramount Pictures released eight (mostly lousy) Friday the 13th films. The eighth entry, which saw Jason head to Manhattan (which looked suspiciously like Vancouver) was the lowest earning entry in the franchise, and ultimately Paramount felt they had finally wrung the last dollar out of Crystal Lake and scrapped any plans for future sequels. New Line Cinema, the studio behind the Nightmare on Elm Street films, purchased the rights to the series with an eye toward making a Freddy vs. Jason movie. While that movie took over a decade to get to theatres, New Line churned out two more Jason flicks, starting with the awful Jason Goes To Hell and followed by the even worse Jason X. In 2003, they finally made Freddy vs. Jason, which, after years of diminishing returns, made Jason Voorhees a box-office draw again for the first time since the mid-1980's. That, in turn, brought us last year's Friday the 13th remake.

Today, Warner Brothers, the new studio in charge of the series, announced that Friday, August 13th Jason will slash his way back into theatres with the ingeniously titled Friday the 13th Part 2, which, will see my childhood wish achieved. Amazingly, it will be the thirteenth installment in the seemingly unstoppable Friday the 13th series. What a long, strange road it's been.

Roland Emmerich Destroys the World. Again.

German director Roland Emmerich has a real hard-on for destroying the world. It seems every couple of years he brings out a new movie where he gets to destroy shit.

He's directed Independence Day, Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow and now, 2012. 2012 is about a "global cataclysm that occurs leading to the end of the world." Amazingly, Emmerich's last film, 10,000 BC, which was a box office cataclysm, didn't lead to the end of Emmerich's career.

The above clip is a five minute sneak peek, that debuted yesterday, of the film. The scene shows John Cusack desperately trying to get his children to safety as California is about to cease to be. The clip, like Emmerich's films, requires you to shut your brain off and simply watch the carnage and destruction. It looks idiotic, fantastic, absurd and amazing.