The Weigh In 70

This year so far:

Last week we took a look at films that I think everyone should look out
for over the next few months and it seems appropriate that this week
we take a look at some of my favorite films of the year so far. If you haven’t
seen these, you should definitely check them out. You know I’d never steer you wrong.

#7 Crank (still in theaters): Someone described this to me as Speed “in the human body”. That’s a pretty good description. This film is balls to the wall from open to close with crazy action and the best part about it; it is all tongue in cheek. From the sex scene in the middle of Chinatown to the over the top crazy ending that pretty much summarized the feel of the movie.	#6 The Descent (still in theaters): A tense, claustrophobic, horror film about a group of friends trapped underneath the earth and realizing they are prey to a group of mutant mole men. The director uses the darkness and cramped spaces to build suspense until dropping the audience in a pool of violence, gore, and hopelessness. Good stuff.
#5 World Trade Center (still in theaters): The personal story of two police officers that are trapped under the collapsed twin towers and their families, waiting to hear word of their fate. Oliver Stone brings a personal experience, and combines it with an experience we all took personally, showing tact and sensibility that make this movie an emotional rollercoaster ride.	#4 Mission Impossible 3 (on DVD 10/30): This sequel is the perfect mix of intrigue, gadgets, and action with a villain that would drive James Bond batty. Oh, did I mention that this film also had Ethan Hunt pulling off some of the craziest Wile E. Coyote stunts I have ever seen on screen. This is most definitely not a movie they will be remembering around Oscar time but definitely a great movie to sit down and stuff your face full of popcorn with.
#3 Superman Returns (still in theaters): As a Superman fan I kept up with all of the rumors and news from Kevin Smith to Tim Burton to McG (uggh) and finally let out a child like yelp when Brian Singer was signed to direct. He did not disappoint at all. Brian Singer took the Superman film franchise to a deeper emotional level without straying too far from what made the original great. As a fan though, Scott Kurtz of PVP said it best:
#2 Brick (on DVD now): This noir flick set in a high school was one of the smartest films I have seen in years. This film could have very easily been taken line for line and scene for scene from a forties Humphrey Bogart film without missing a beat. I still can’t believe how seamlessly writer/director Rian Johnson built this world of intrigue and how easily it was to slip into it.	#1 United 93 (on DVD now): Less a movie and more an experience that I will remember for a long time, Flight 93 is a very simple and almost documentary style view of the last few hours of the men and women on the flight that crashed in rural Pennsylvania. Tense and exhilarating while at the same time heartbreaking, there are moments in this film that are haunting and frustrating because you are fully aware of how it all ends. You can’t help but hope that through all the chaos and anxiety, that maybe you are wrong. Maybe there is a way out. No, there isn’t.

Quick news that is soon to be forgotten:

This week I wanted to start another featurette to the article running through some of the previous week’s movie news that probably won’t matter in the coming months, with a smarmy comment or two from yours truly. Drop me a line over the next few weeks and let me know what you think.

Brendan Frasier as officially signed to do another The Mummy sequel. Rachel Weiss is talking about signing for another. The strange thing: Studio executives are describing this as a “re-imagining” of the original Steven Summers films released just seven years ago. Upon hearing this, Jerry Bruckheimer is eagerly awaiting the first weekend’s box office for this film so he can dust off the “re-imagining” of Pirates of the Caribbean. Both Johnny Depp and Kiera Knightly have expressed interest in reprising their roles once they finish filming the third installment of the original imagining, Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End.

This weekend, the young male witch film The Covenant, was tops at the box office. Studios are already planning a sequel involving a group of high school girls who dip into the dark arts, tentatively titled: The Covenant 2, Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board.

Uwe Boll, in an attempt to silence critics of his god awful video game films, has invited some of his harshest critics to the set of his latest film in Canada to box him. I couldn’t make this crap up. Apparently, Uwe wanted to get that fresh punch in the face feeling we all get after walking out of his films.

Finally, Steven J. Cannel spoke out about the A-Team full length feature that is in development:

"We've gone through a lot of scripts that we haven't been happy with for one reason or another. We had one script writer who had never even watched the show! The studio was adamant about employing him but he just took the title and began to write anything he wanted, completely departing from the original show."

In completely separate news, with the hit television show NCIS under his belt, Donald J. Bellisario was supposedly in talks to produce a full length feature version of Airwolf, but supposedly dropped out after reading the first draft involving a teenage werewolf that could play basketball.


This weekend at your local multiplex (9/15/2006):
The Black Dahlia: Thriller
Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Mia Kirshner
Plot: The story of one of the biggest Hollywood mysteries ever, based on an Elmore Leonard novel. Josh Hartnett plays a detective who is investigating the brutal murder of a young actress and gets sucked into a world of mystery and intrigue.
Buzz: A noir film directed by Brian De Palma sounds like a wonderful thing. Plus the rumors of a graphic Scarlett Johansson sex scene can’t hurt either.

Gridiron Gang: Drama
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Xzibit, Danny Martinez, Mo, Trevor O’Brien
Plot: A youth detention center manager notices that the facility is becoming a revolving door for recidivists and a training ground for future criminals and decides to put together a football team to teach these boys responsibility and discipline.
Review: see review

The Last Kiss: Comedy/Drama
Zach Braff, Jacinda Barrett, Casey Affleck
Plot: A film about life, love and turning 30.
Buzz: Studio executives are hoping most people will pay for this movie thinking it is Garden State 2.

Everyone’s Hero: animated
(voices): William H. Macy, Raven-Simone, Rob Reiner, Brian Dennehy, Jake T. Austin, Robert Wagner, Whoopie Gioldberg
Plot: A young Yankee fan accidentally gets involved in the theft of Babe Ruth’s bat during the 1932 World series an with the help of his talking baseball “Screwie” has to get it back to save his father’s job and the World Series.
Buzz: see review


This week on DVD (9/12/2006):
Star Wars: Original Theatrical Release
Las Vegas (season 3)
The Empire Strikes Back: Original Theatrical Release
Great New Wonderful
Return of the Jedi: Original Theatrical Release
I am a Sex Addict
Lucky Number Slevin
Wildboys (season 3 and 4)
The Wild
Martin Lawrence Collection
Goal! The Dream Begins (see review)
Roseanne (season 5)
Taps (se)
Sandra Bullock Collection
Beavis and Butthead Do America (10 Anniversary Edition)
Smallville (season 5)
The Office (season 2)
Moonlighting (season 4)
Grey’s Anatomy (season 2)
Diagnosis Murder (season 1)
Bottom’s Up
Spongebob Squarepants (season 4)


As always you can send me your undying adoration and death threats at DPlace76@yahoo.com. You can read my random thoughts at http://bigdpimpin.livejournal.com/. Also, drop by our myspace site to learn all about the comings and goings of the Stumblebum crew at www.myspace.com/stumblebumstudios.