DeNiro + Pacino = Awesome? Maybe Just Flabby.

Trailer here:


Yep, that's right. Two old guys that could still kick your ass teaming up to go off and kick other people's asses - maybe even including 50 Cent! It doesn't get crazier than that.

When Fitty told off DeNiro in the trailer I awaited swift retaliation in the form of senseless and merciless death. I guess I'll just have to wait until the movie comes out. But come on Fitty... you can't tell off DeNiro. Everyone knows his actor persona has killed more people than your little rapper persona.

Sure it seems a little silly to go to the DeNiro/Pacino ass-kicking-fest so many years after the two stars' primes, but the campiness and novelty of the whole thing might work in its favor. Still, you can't help but think that these two legends of the silver screen have resorted to playing caricatures of themselves.

Pacino has gone that route, thanks mostly to this. Little Al has played the same character over and over again since (and come to think of it, the diminutive Mr. Pacino had been ridiculous and over-the-top even before then). He just ain't Michael Corleone anymore.

As for DeNiro, he's taken the high road and, despite a few setbacks, hasn't made himself too ridiculous. Robbie's finest performance wasn't in Taxi Driver or Raging Bull. It was here:

A few quick things...

Ouch, after much fanfare and introduction we go over a week without posting? Rough.

Regardless, here's a few notes.

1. The Dark Knight, continuing to rape every other movie in the history of ever, became the 2nd highest grossing film ever over the weekend, passing up the original Star Wars. It only trails this piece of shit.

2. Only days after I shared my disgust with Tom Cruise's upcoming WWII drama, Valkyrie, the film's release date was pushed up from a pathetic February date to a prime-time Christmas break spot. Regardless, I'm still not forgiving Scientology's golden boy for thinking he's this guy.

3. Finally, the new crappy animated Star Wars thing debuted in 3rd place at the weekend box office with a pretty weak $14.6 million. Hopefully this will be the final nail in the coffin we know as George Lucas' career and he just decides to give himself the Han Solo treatment.

-Rob

On a much sadder note...

Hollwood lost Bernie Mac today. He was 50. To anyone who had him on their 2008 death list, you may send this week's winning lotto numbers to me via e-mail.

In all seriousness, the 2008 Hollywood obituary has already been a rough one. Heath Ledger, Charlton Heston, Sydney Pollack, Roy Scheider, Stan Winston, Brad Rendro and now Bernie Mac - the list is tragic. Equally as tragic is the fact that Hollywood great Paul Newman looks to be the next name to join the list as many news sources report his poor health has worsened.

Keep ol' blue eyes in your prayers and go watch some great Newman movies - The Sting, Road to Perdition, and Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid.

Tom Cruise's Next Epic Fail

Believe it or not, when Tom Cruise isn't acting strange and being a douche, he's actually still making movies. This is both good and bad.

Good: Tom Cruise gets less tabloid attention.
Bad: Tom Cruise is acting.

Enter Valkyrie.


Now where do I start? How about the fact that everyone in the movie is speaking in a German or English accent except the esteemed Mr. Cruise? Kind of strange to have a German hero portrayed with an American accent, no?

The movie looks simply like an excuse to put an eyepatch on every character from every other movie Cruise has ever made. Throughout the whole trailer I was waiting for Iceman to appear out of nowhere. But alas, nada.

The film has been delayed as many times as Cruise has done something dumb, which is a lot. The fact that it's finally settled in for a February 13, 2009 release (as opposed to the hot summer slot it was supposed to have this year) tells us two things:

1) Tom Cruise sucks.
2) Valkyrie will probably suck too.

Rob's Bold Prediction: Valkyrie goes on to win 30 Oscars despite the fact there are only 24 available. Cruise credits the great L. Ron. Academy president Sid Ganis is seen driving around in his 15 brand new Bentleys the next day.

Steven's first impression: 'Public Enemies'

While browsing the vast world of the internet in my search for interesting upcoming movies, I discovered the Michael Mann film Public Enemies. Certain aspects of the film caught my attention like the fact that Johnny Depp will be portraying the infamous bank-robber/gangster John Dillinger.

I have always had a strong passion for crime movies and I believe this one will turn out quite well because it also has the very talented Dark Knight himself, Christian Bale. He plays Melvin Purvis, a fed eager to capture Dillinger and his crew of gangsters.

Behind the camera is the very hit-and-miss director Michael Mann whom has made some movies which I really like and some I wouldn't touch with a stick. Flashing back to the epic gun fight in Heat this little Cuban boy can only imagine how superb the weaponry in this picture will be.

I'm quite excited to see this movie, and I already have strong feeling it will succeed as compared to my feelings about Dragonball, but we will get to that one later...

PUBLIC ENEMIES hits theaters July 1, 2009.

-Steven

10 Movies I'm Looking Forward to in '08

August is upon us, meaning that after this month of summer-movie leftovers the real breadwinners will come out to play. It's very rare that a film released before September goes on to win the Best Picture Oscar (The Departed and The Silence of the Lambs are two notable exceptions). I've compiled a short 10-film list of flicks I'm excited about between now and the end of the year. You can view trailers (if there is one) by clicking the movie titles. Tomorrow I'll post the top 10 movies left this year I'm not thrilled about.

And away we go...


10. Pride and Glory, October 24, 2008


Starring: Edward Norton, Colin Farrell, Noah Emmerich, and Jon Voight
Two excellent actors star as brothers from family of New York City cops... didn't they make this movie last year and call it We Own The Night? Regardless, the trailer looks promising and Edward Norton always makes movies better by being Edward Norton. With Pride and Glory and the critically acclaimed In Bruges earlier this year, Colin Farrell is doing a fine job in resurrecting a career some thought was in a downward spiral.


9. Miracle at St. Anna, September 26, 2008


Starring: Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Clint Eastwood is like a god among men (more on him later), so when he and Spike Lee got into a war of words last month... well I'll let you take a guess whose side I took (plus, pulling the race card is so 90's). Regardless, the trailer for Lee's new WWII film caught my eye and its intrigue and mystery has me on a string. I thought Inside Man was overrated but I'll keep my expectations high for "St. Anna."


8. How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, October 03, 2008


Starring: Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst, Megan Fox, Jeff Bridges
The hilarious trailer gives off the resonance of a quirkier, dirtier, and funnier The Devil Wears Prada... except, well, totally not gay. I'm a big fan of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, so it's neat to see Pegg step into a big Hollywood movie and Kirsten Dunst looks to be making good use of her opportunity to prove that she isn't totally bland and uninteresting. The goofy and hilarious comedic timing that made Pegg a hit in "Shaun" and "Fuzz" is ever-present in this trailer, but one has to wonder how effective he'll be without director/buddy Edgar Wright and oddball sidekick Nick Frost. Still, I'm expecting some laughs from Pegg, and having Megan Fox (a.k.a. the hot chick from Transformers) can't hurt.



7. Revolutionary Road, December 26, 2008


Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
Sam Mendes makes every 40-something woman's dream come true and reunites Leo and Kate 11 years after Titanic. Now they're a couple raising a family in a Connecticut suburb during the 1950s. Winslet is always great and DiCaprio, though he was absent in 2007, has been on a roll since he and Scorcese became movie-making buddies six years ago. With 3 Oscar nominations but zero wins Leo has been really busy with another film, Body of Lies, due in 2008, along with a slew of 2009 releases. DiCaprio is definitely one to watch in the next few years and Revolutionary Road is a definite stop on the trip.


6. Choke, September 26, 2008


Starring: Sam Rockwell, Angelica Huston, Kelly Macdonald
Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club was adapted into one of the most popular films of the 90s. If savage, transcendental violence was your thing nearly 10 years ago, perhaps this decade's movie-to-remember will be Choke, a sex-obsessed romp that already has critics raving while rolling on the ground in laughter. The trailer looks promising and the red band is even crazier, though I'd go to hell if I posted that so you'll just have to find it yourself.

5. Changeling, October 24, 2008


Starring: Angelina Jolie, Amy Ryan, John Malkovich
Clint Eastwood knows what he's doing. There may not be a truer statement in all the world. The coolest desperado around made the smooth transition into acclaimed director and has 4 Oscars under his belt. So when I heard he was to direct a film set in 1920's Los Angeles it was as if a grand Hallelujah! rained down from cinematic heaven. As hyperbolic as that statement might have been, my excitement for this film is still ridiculously high. Amy Ryan, fresh from her Oscar-nominated (should have been Oscar-winning) performance in Gone Baby Gone, supports Angelina Jolie, who's isn't just used as eye-candy by her producers anymore. Keep this one on your radar as it's sure to be all the rage come awards season.

4. Defiance, December 12, 2008


Starring: Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell
When Daniel Craig donned 007's tuxedo I thought his days as a badass Jewish freedom fighter were over. It looks like I was wrong. Craig adopts a solid Belarussian accent and joins up with Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell to kick some Nazi ass in this WWII-era epic directed by Blood Diamond's Edward Zwick. The trailer looks promising and with that mid-December release date you can be sure this one will be looking to scoop up nominations for acting, directing, and overall best picture.


3. The Road, November 26, 2008


Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Guy Pearce
Can Cormac McCarthy go two years in a row with his award-winning literature being adapted into award-winning films? The Coens hit the nail on the head last year with No Country For Old Men and now McCarthy's Pullitzer Prize-winning (and Oprah-beloved) novel The Road is in the hands of John Hillcoat. Hillcoat may not be the Coen brothers but he does have Viggo Mortensen, who has proven that he has the acting chops to take on a role as intense as this. Still, The Road should be a challenge to adapt. If it works, expect it to be a sure Oscar contender. Keep an eye out for Guy Pearce, who'll be sure to scare the pants off you if he plays his character true to the text.


2. Quantum of Solace, November 07, 2008


Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric
Hell yeah, I'm excited about James Freaking Bond. Daniel Craig was excellent as 007 in 2006's Casino Royale, a reboot of the popular series. By the looks of the trailer, Craig's edgy Bond is back and in business. I've got two slight misgivings about QoS (and not just the less-than-commercial title): 1) Bond flying a plane, Bond jumping motorcycles, Bond flying around the world to turn back time - the great thing about Casino Royale was that Bond wasn't the campy super-hero that Pierce Brosnan evolved into - let's hope it remains that way. And 2) we've been built up toward this ass-kicking sequel with hopes of a great Bond villain to follow up Mads Mikkelson's excellent Le Chiffre. And we've got Mathieu Amalric. Was the little dude from Penn and Teller not available? Regardless, Quantum of Solace is definitely one of the most anticipated movies of the year.


1. Burn After Reading, September 12, 2008 (trailer is red-band, so beware if you're not into that kind of thing)


Starring: Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, George Clooney, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton
The Coens have decided to follow up the violent No Country For Old Men with a comedy. By the looks of the trailer, it seems that this may be a brilliant move. This star-studded romp (and I mean "star-studded" - there's just a ludicrous amount of famous people in this movie) looks to be the next great Coen comedy, continuing where Fargo and The Big Lebowski left off. And really, is there anything better than watching Brad Pitt act like a jackass?

Michael Cera in "Michael Cera Gets with a Chick out of His League 3"

Yep, that's right. Michael Cera is doing what he does best yet again - playing an incredibly uninteresting teenager that may or may not be a reflection of his equally uninteresting self. That undeniable quirk, the whiny whisper of a voice, his unique "I know you're not buying this" swagger - that Michael Cera is something, is he not? Someone hand him an Oscar already! Or at least hand him a bigger paycheck because anyone who can get audiences to hawk over big bucks to see him recycle the same character in each of his movies is certainly a keeper - just look at Chris Tucker!

Regardless, "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" appears to be the movie that showed up late to the quirky-teen-film party. Theater audiences will be split between those who should be arrested for being too old to be Miley Cyrus fans and retro fashionistas who will marvel at Michael Cera's ability to pull off the hooded sweater with such grace and humility - and they'll all wonder why Juno isn't in the sequel to her own movie.

Bold Prediction: "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" comes up just short in the "Boy and Girl With Plot Device" film race, losing to "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" by a nose... or some other unmentionable body part.

-Rob