FilmRoar

I love to watch a good Con Men / Heist movie. Even a con flick without a very strong script or great actors can be fun to watch, but when you get a good combination of action / writing and acting like in The Italian Job (2003) it can be deliciously fun.
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Well ask and ye shall receive. According to StarWars.com the original Star Wars trilogy is finally getting a DVD release with the 1997 Special Edition versions coming out in a 4 DVD box set on September 21. Each movie is getting it’s own disc with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound re-mastering, the fourth disc is for special features and promises a making of documentary and “never before seen footage from the making of the three films”.

Peter Jackson said at an appearance that the extended release of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) will be 4 hours and 10 minutes long, that is 50 minutes more than the theatrical release. There is still no word on when the extended will be released but the theatrical release is expected on DVD late May to early June.

For somebody as in love with the high-contrast shadow filled look of Film Noir as I am Frank Miller’s graphic novel series Sin City borders on the pornographic. No, not because of the busty babes in slinky dresses (though that does help) but because of the beautiful sharp lines and harsh lighting that many have attempted but few films have truly managed (M (1931), The Third Man (1949), The Seventh Seal (1957)). Imagine my delight then when I read on Dark Horizons rumor that Miller’s graphic novels are not only being adapted for the screen but “there’s apparently going to be a unique tri-colour/high contrast method to filming”. Yeah, I know it is way to early to start celebrating but… Yeeha!

Update (2/26/04)

For the last decade I have been boycotting the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Awards (commonly known as the Oscars). With boycott I don’t just mean that I have not watched the Oscars but that I have actively avoided and encouraged others to ignore the whole Oscar hoopla. My dislike for the Oscars has been based primarily on the selection of titles for award nomination which are based more on who is popular with who in Hollywood and have for at least the last fifteen years had very little to do with actual acting or movie making talent, an effect I refer to in polite company as ‘Hollywood patting itself on the back’ and when I am really riled as ‘Hollywood giving itself a blow job’. I mean really, Gladiator (2000) as best picture best picture for 2000>? Titanic (1997) as best picture for 1997? Give me a god dammed break! Not only where there dozens, nay hundreds of much better movies released each of those years but both of these flicks sucked! Yeah, Gladiator was entertaining but it was a fluff popcorn flick. Titanic was barely worth the time it took to watch it. Keep going back and you will find crap like this specked among the truly worthy movies going back well before the 80s.

This year however, I believe the time may have finally come to stop turning my nose up at the award and give them some credit. Now don’t get me wrong, I still believe that the Academy is more about a bunch of self-gratifying egotistical entertainers than it is about culture, art and great filmmaking but this year’s list of nominees reaches a bit beyond the money makers at the megaplex and calls out some movies with true worth. I am a bit surprised that the third installment of Lord of the Rings came up for one last run at Oscar gold and still did not generate any acting nominations, specially since the epic special effects extravaganza enjoys the popularity that seems requisite to be present in the wondering minds of Academy members. Other more pleasant surprises like Finding Nemo (2003) going up for Best Writing (original screenplay) or Lost in Translation (2003) going up for Best Picture, Writing, Leading actor (Bill Murray) and Directing (Sofia Coppola) do give me hope though. The list of nominations for 2003 are still not what I would have chosen but they at least show some attention to talent above popularity.

According to an article on animated-news.com the Disney / Pixar divorce is getting nasty with Disney threatening to take the kids and exploit them for every penny (don’t everyone look so shocked all at once). Yes Disney, which owns the rights to the movies and characters from Toy Story (1995), A Bug’s Life (1998), Monsters, Inc. (2001) and Finding Nemo (2003) says that it will develop a third Toy Story movie without the talent and experience of it’s recent-ex Pixar… now that I would like to see! Or rather that is something none of us want to see. In related news it seems that the Pixar breakup may give former board members Roy Disney and Stanley Gold ammunition in their fight to oust the much reviled grinch at the head of Disney Inc., Michael Eisner.

I have added another set of Van Helsing pictures to the Van Helsing Picture Gallery. For the first set of images go to Film Roar: Van Helsing Pictures and Trailer or follow the link to the gallery. The new stills were originally posted on Dark Horizons: Van Helsing (2004), copies are below.
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