Hellboy (2004)

Genre: Science-fiction/Fantasy/Drama/Action/Romance/Thriller

Starring: Ron Perlman, John Hurt, Selma Blair, Rupert Evans, Karel Roden

Towards the end of World War II, Adolf Hitler attempts at opening a dimensional portal and to free the Ogdru Jahad, a beast from another dimension in order to destroy the Allies. Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin (Roden) succeeds in opening the portal but their attempt is stubbed by an Allied attack on the portal, led by Prof. Trevor Broom (Hurt). Although the Nazi's attempt fails, a creature from the portal manages to pass through which the Allies adopt and name Hellboy (Perlman). Sixty years later, Hellboy grows up with Prof. Broom and does good for the world rather than evil. FBI agent John Meyers (Evans) is recruited by Broom to aid him in his Bureau and look after Hellboy. Rasputin's followers resurrect him and unleash a fearsome beast on the world which multiplies each time it dies. Its finally up to Hellboy to put a stop to Rasputin and prevent him from re-opening the portal. The movie does a very good job of mixing various elements together, yet the romance element does not seem to suit the movie and its plot and it makes it a tad boring. Probably if the focus was on the usual action and trying to solve the mystery, the movie would have been a less of a bore. The movie leaves behind a lot of lose and unanswered strings which make you wonder what really is going on. Probably they would get answered in upcoming sequences, yet the audience needs to have a basic understanding of the plot if one expects them to enjoy the subsequent parts. Its not something entirely new, but not something completely boring.

Thumbs up: Good thrills and action

Thumbs down: Unanswered and messy plot

Rating: 6.4/10

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Black Sheep interviews Richard Lewis

Richard's Version

An interview with Richard Lewis,

director of BARNEY'S VERSION

Toronto born filmmaker, Richard Lewis’s written version of BARNEY’S VERSION, based on the 1997 Mordechai Richler novel of the same name, is not the version that made it on to the screen. Lewis doesn’t care though. He’s just happy it finally made it there.

The idea of turning Richler’s character piece about a man named Barney Panofsky, who can almost only see things his way, has been in existence since the book came out in 1997. Famed Hollywood producer, Robert Lantos, had bought the film rights but wanted nothing to do with Lewis, an unproven talent at the time. Whenever Lewis would approach Lantos about the film, Lantos would, “scoff at me and say something like, ‘Peter Weir is going to direct it,’” Lewis tells me over the phone from his home in Los Angeles.

Lewis’s plan worked; Lantos bought the script and hired Lewis to come on as director as well. That’s where things got messy. Another writer, by the name of Michael Konyves, came along with another version of BARNEY’S VERSION, which Lantos loved. Suddenly, Lewis’s script was out and Konyve’s was in. “At first, I was really shocked and pissed,” Lewis confides. “As soon as I read it though, I was elated because Michael’s draft was better.”

It wasn’t until 2006 that Lantos would finally start to take Lewis seriously. Lewis was involved heavily with a little TV show you might know called, “C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation” at the time, directing a little here, producing a little there. In his off hours, of which there were surely few, Lewis decided to write his own script for BARNEY’S VERSION and just make Lantos believe in his connection to the material.

Konyve’s draft focused on Barney, his great love and the smaller experiments with love that led to the great one. The novel’s murder mystery plot is downgraded to subplot in the film, which allows the message of love to flourish. “It was important for us to distill the book down to its essence and that lies really with the love story between Barney and Miriam.”

Barney and Miriam are played by Paul Giamatti and Rosamund Pike. The two meet at Barney’s wedding reception to his second wife (Minnie Driver) and he knows, without any question, that she should be the mother of his child. Meeting her a few hours earlier seems like it would have been much more practical but how often does life afford anyone that kind of convenience?

It isn’t easy to love a man who makes a play for one woman less than an hour after marrying another. Yet somehow, by the time BARNEY’S VERSION comes to a close, there is a great deal of understanding and compassion for the character that was not there before, that seemingly has very little to do with the circumstances Barney finds himself in. “Paul gave me a lot to work with,” Lewis states about his Golden Globe nominated lead actor. “One of the reasons we cast him is because he has a certain likability, even in his curmudgeon-ness, even in his disdain for the world, his variable lack of ease, he is still able to bring real genuineness. That authenticity is something we’re attracted to whether the character is ‘likable’ or not.” Lewis is certain to specify that he used air quotes on the word likable so I suppose the jury is ultimately still out on Barney Panofsky.

And while support for Panofsky himself may be slim, there is no shortage for the man playing him. In fact, Lewis attributes assembling his fantastic cast – from Dustin Hoffman and Rosamund Pike to Minnie Driver and Scott Speedman – simply to Giamatti’s presence, at least in part. “The script pulls the cast. You have a good script and you have one of the finest actors of our time attached to the project and actors seem to come from all directions to play with him."

An impressive cast, romantic locations (Montreal, New York, Rome) and cherished source material make BARNEY’S VERSION a delightful and surprising experience. They also make BARNEY’S VERSION an awards contender. Lewis is new to the game but he isn’t nervous. “If it doesn’t win any Oscars – and I think Paul is quite deserving – I still think it will be regarded as a good film. I’m happy with that.”

And after people see the film, I’m sure they will be happy too.

BARNEY'S VERSION is now playing in select Canadian cities.

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Band Baaja Baaraat (2010)

Genre: Comedy/Romance

Starring: Anushka Sharma, Ravneer Singh

Two college graduates are poles apart, where one plans on a career the other plans on nothing. Shruti (Sharma) aims on becoming a successful wedding planner, whereas Bittoo (Singh) the son a sugarcane farmer wants to do anything to get away from cutting canes all his life. Bittoo meets Shruti when he is crashing a wedding and starts flirting with her. He soon persuades her to make him a part of her company so that he doesn't have to go back to his dad. Shruti agrees, given the condition that Bittoo would not fall in love with her. Her golden rule, don't love the person you work with, be it your girlfriend or your wife and she intends to stick to it. Being a Yash Raj film, the rest of the story can be narrated flawlessly by a two-year-old, scene by scene. The movie has the very regular Bollywood cliches like the dialogues, plot development, twists, climax etc. There was a slight spark of comedy in the beginning which simply faded away as the movie went along. Probably if that aspect was picked up on, then the otherwise boring plot would still have become a bit more watchable. Overall, a good two hour paid nap is what you get.

Thumbs up: Ranveer Singh, having no previous modelling or acting experience has done a fairly decent job

Thumbs down: Everything else

Rating: 3.7/10

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Shopping with Sheldon

(Scroll over any film title for the original full length Black Sheep review.)

It is but a few days before Christmas and hopefully you've already tackled all your big ticket items and all you have left to purchase are some awesome movie stocking stuffers. Where do you start though? It seems like every movie released in the last little while is a must-own but you can't get them all. This is where I might be able to help you out.

My brother describes the gifts I give him as half what he wants and half my attempt to educate him on what he should want when it comes to film. I thought why not try the same approach with all of you. I have before me five blockbuster Blu-rays that I have paired up with five lesser known titles you might not have ever considered. Get both, why don't you? They'll love you for getting them the movie they wanted and they will thank you later for the the movie they may have never seen. That said, I am still waiting for that "thank you" from my brother.

THE TOWN

THE TOWN is Ben Affleck's second directorial effort and what a resounding success it was. This Oscar hopeful is part of 2010's resurgence of the adult drama at the multiplex. It is a taut thriller that is as well written as it is acted by the impressive ensemble, including Affleck himself, Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall, Black Lively and Jeremy Renner, who has been receiving a few awards season nods for his turn as a loose cannon bank thief in the bank robbery capital of the USA. THE TOWN includes an extended director's cut on Blu-ray and Affleck also takes you on a tour of his hometown, Boston, where the film takes place. He is obviously pretty proud of this one too as he also recorded a commentary track for the film. Dad will love you for it. (Warner Bros.)

I'M STILL HERE

While you're already getting your Affleck fix with Ben, why not keep it going with some Casey Affleck as well? The younger Affleck gave us his directorial debut this year, the controversial mockumentary, I'M STILL HERE. Of course, the controversy itself stemmed from speculation that the film, which was being billed as a documentary about Joaquin Phoenix's retirement from acting and new career as a hip hop artist, was in fact a big fabrication. It was eventually announced that it was a big hoax but that doesn't make the film any less engaging. The experience is unlike any I've had this past year and I'm surprised Phoenix isn't getting more awards season love for his dead-on portrayal of his own persona. Includes commentary with Affleck and Phoenix which should be fairly juicy. (Maple Pictures)

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE

I vowed not to watch any more of these vampire movies after that last disaster but I admit it, this TWILIGHT thing fascinates me. The third installment in the series, ECLIPSE, is definitely better than the last, NEW MOON, but that isn't saying much really. Still, instead of a whiny teenage girl pining for her undead boyfriend for two hours, there is plenty more action this time out, including a pretty solid battle climax that should satisfy even the biggest of non-believers. I still fully believe that this TWILIGHT series is going to ruin a whole generation of young women who are obsessed with them, by getting them to subscribe to a completely unrealistic idea of what love is, but it's too late to stop that from happening so why bother? The Blu-ray includes commentary from stars, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, as well as picture-in-picture options and a 6-part documentary for all you Twihards out there. I can't believe I just used that word. (eOne)

WINTER'S BONE

The reason I paired this indie drama with the massive vampire movie is because I think that all the girls out there who think Bella has such a hard life need to take a look at what a hard life really is. I am thrilled to see how much awards season attention is being lavished on WINTER'S BONE, the tense Debra Granik movie about a young girl (Oscar hopeful, Jennifer Lawrence) who must scour the Ozarks to find her meth head dad so that he can show up at his court date and save the home she shares with her incontinent mother and two younger siblings from being possessed by his bail bonds officer. The entire ensemble is chilling and what Lawrence must endure shows her incredible promise as a young actress. This is a part of America that is rarely seen and thanks to all the year end love it is receiving, it may actually get the recognition it deserves. (Maple Pictures)

INCEPTION

This doesn't happen too often for me. I sometimes see a movie, like INCEPTION, that is universally loved but yet that I feel reasonably tepid toward. I enjoyed INCEPTION in theatres but what I didn't like about it, took a great deal away from me. Usually when I give a movie like this a second chance, I feel the same way I did when I first saw it. When I watched INCEPTION again recently though, I was floored by how little the things that ruined it for me the first time out mattered to me now. At the time, I wanted it to be more emotionally engaging and less of a straight heist caper but watching it and allowing it to be exactly what it is was a trip and a half. There is no specific commentary track from Christopher Nolan but he does take you through some of the key moments in the film in what is known as Extraction Mode. (Warner Bros.)

I AM LOVE

I paired this lovely Italian film with INCEPTION because I AM LOVE is absolutely breathtaking. While the latter's beauty stems mostly from visual trickery, the beauty of I AM LOVE simply oozes from every aspect of its creation, from the sumptuous cinematography to the deep poetry of the screenplay. Tilda Swinton stars as the matriarch of a prominent Italian family that is going through a serious period of transition. Her children are going off to college or taking over the family business and it isn't long before she sees how little she knows of her former self. Director Luca Guadagnino contributes a commentary track with Swinton and delivers one of the most genuine works of art I was fortunate enough to experience all year. (Mongrel Media)

THE A-TEAM

This past summer, the three people who are closest to me in my life all told me in the same weekend that they had been to see THE A-TEAM and loved it. I had not wanted to see it that much but thought it might be entertaining. So when I heard such fun things about it, I was very happy to have received a screener for it in the mail. The morning after I watched THE A-TEAM extended cut, I called each of the people who had recommended it and yelled at them. I do believe this would have worked better on the big screen as the action was somewhat chaotic at home but more importantly, I just didn't buy into these elaborate plans that always came off perfectly. Still, obviously quite a few people out there liked it so if you know someone who likes mindless action, and I do mean mindless, it could work out for you. (20th Century Fox)

CYRUS

Now, this indie comedy has absolutely no connection to THE A-TEAM but CYRUS is another 20th Century Fox title and they have been so good to me this year that I cannot crap all over one of their titles without pushing another. CYRUS is hilarious, in a very dark way. John C. Reilly is middle aged and still not over his divorce from Catherine Keener, which took place over 7 years ago. He lives like a slob and would have do so by himself for the rest of his life if he didn't meet Marisa Tomei at a party. The two instantly hit it off but that means trouble for her son, Cyrus (Jonah Hill), who has a complicated relationship with his mother. These are faltered, damaged people and they do not shy away from that but there is hilarity to be found in ruin too. (20th Century Fox)

TOY STORY 3

TOY STORY 3 is the biggest film of 2010 and with very good reason. This closer to the TOY STORY franchise was destined to disappoint but instead it blew everyone away and will likely follow its $1 billion+ success worldwide with an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. It is at times hysterical and at other times, downright devastating. Pixar proves once again that genuine emotion transcends the realm of the physical and new levels of depth can be reached in objects as simple as toys. Disney has released a 4-disc set that contains 2 Blu-rays, a DVD and a digital copy. Special features include the brilliant Pixar short film, DAY & NIGHT, as well as many a detailed featurette about how the film came to be and an interactive trivia game. (Walt Disney)

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Well, as it turns out, there is absolutely nothing thematic about buying the summer indie hit, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, in conjunction with TOY STORY 3. I just think that the two films are so infectious that anyone would be fortunate enough to own both of them. Perhaps if you are attending a holiday party, you can pick both up for friends who have kids of their own. The parents would then have something watch with their kids as well as something to watch after the kids have gone to bed. This family drama has been praised for its modernity and realism, its starkly original screenplay and its subtle, humanist direction from Lisa Cholodenko. And of course, who can forget that incredible cast - Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson. (Alliance)

There you have it. Get out there and get shopping! I hope Sheldon and I have been able to help make your holiday a little happier. And in case you wanted to get Sheldon and me a little something for our tree, I will gladly accept a copy of EASY A and/or SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD. wink, wink.

Source: blu-ray.com

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Black Sheep @ The Box Office

(Scroll over any film title for the full Black Sheep review.)

There was never any real doubt that TRON: LEGACY would not debut at number one this weekend. Just as there was never any real doubt that it would be anything more than a spectacular light show. Will people want to play the game again and again though? I can't say I don't habe my share of doubt there.

Disney should be happy with the $43.6 million debut TRON: LEGACY pulled in. It is slightly higher than what tracking was suggesting for opening weekend and it is also more than 10 times what the original TRON film earned in its 1982 opening weekend. It is even $10 million more than what the original brought it in its whole theatrical run. Granted, that was nearly 30 years ago. I'm thinking those numbers would be higher with inflation. Does anyone know how to calculate that?

Aside of TRON: LEGACY though, no other blockbuster was able to make a significant impression on audiences again this week. Last week's disappointments, CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER and THE TOURIST continued to do just that, each suffering declines of close to 50%. Then you have YOGI BEAR, a film I've seen the trailer for far too often at this point. Clearly, Warner Bros. was hoping for some chipmunk size numbers here but it will be a Christmas miracle if this animated flop is able to put together a decent picnic after its run finishes. Still, it could be worse. You could be Reese Witherspoon returning to the screen after a 2-year absence or Universal Pictures, the company that laid down a reported $120 million to make HOW DO YOU KNOW, starring Witherspoon. This kind of light hearted romantic fare usually cleans up at the holiday box office but then again, this kind of fare is usually actually funny as well. The James L. Brooks disaster pulled in a dismal $3K per screen average begging the question, how do you know when to give it up?

Christmas is looking dark this year on the indie front, dark green anyway. Prestige pictures continued to impress this weekend as major Golden Globe nominees, THE FIGHTER and BLACK SWAN continued to sell out crowds across the nation. After debuting on 4 screens last week, the David O. Russell directed THE FIGHTER explodes on to 1200+ screens and takes in a solid $4.8K average. Word of mouth will certainly grow past this weekend as it is a knockout of a film. Darren Aronofsky, a producer on THE FIGHTER, should be doubly pleased as his Oscar hopeful, BLACK SWAN, increased its screen count to nearly 1000 after blasting into the Top 10 last week on just a handful. The expansion proved quite fruitful with a very healthy $8.6K per screen average.

Below the Top 10, John Cameron Mitchell's beautiful RABBIT HOLE pulled in decent but not amazing numbers on 5 screens, with an average of $11K. THE TEMPEST saw an increase of 26% with the addition of 21 screens. THE SOCIAL NETWORK even saw a slight 5% bump after being named movie of the year by most every critic in America. It is still THE KING'S SPEECH that is the Oscar front runner, as it pulled in another $25K per screen on just 43 screens. The Tom Hooper film goes wide on Christmas day.

NEXT WEEK: Speaking of Christmas, it starts early this year on Wednesday, with wide releases, LITTLE FOCKERS (3450 screens) and TRUE GRIT (3000 screens). The gift giving continues on Christmas day itself, with Jack Black in GULLIVER'S TRAVELS (2400 screens), nut I might return that one if I were you. And there's something for the art crowd too, with limited runs starting for THE ILLUSIONIST, COUNTRY STRONG and SOMEWHERE.

Source: Box Office Mojo

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TRON: LEGACY

Written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz

Directed by Joseph Kosinski

Starring Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde

Twenty-eight years is a long time to go between films. When the original TRON was released in theatres in 1982, I was but five years old. I can’t say I remember anything about it at the time, other than that the effects and animation were really cool. Special effects have come a very long way since then but after seeing the sequel, TRON: LEGACY, I can essentially say pretty much the same thing about this one as I did about the first when I was five; the special effects were cool and twenty-eight years from now, that will be all anyone will remember about the new one too, if anything at all.

The story has not changed. In 1982, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) was sucked into the computer world he helped design by the Master Control Program. In 2010, it is his son’s turn to play. Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) pays a visit to his dad’s old arcade after not having seen his father for nearly twenty years. Someone is still paying the electricity bill though as everything still works, including the passage way to Flynn Sr.’s secret computer lab. Once inside the system, Sam, a user, is easy to spot amongst all the programs and it isn’t long before he is brought face to face with good old Dad, who has been trapped in this world all this time. Together they must vanquish Clu, Kevin’s virtual counterpart (a surprisingly impressive effects designed younger, more strapping version of Bridges) before he takes his desperate need for perfection outside of the computer and into the real world.

The truth about both TRON films is that nothing other than the special effects and some high-energy game playing sequences matter in either of them. How else can you explain that they basically recycled the story from the first for the second? Both films imply that there is something deeper being said about religion, technology and how mankind can’t seem to get his head around how close these two concepts truly are to each other, but neither film actually leaves the viewer with any true insight. Philosophical constructs are simply a device to fill the space between each mind-blowing game scene and this is done adequately enough to distract from how empty all that space really is. It doesn’t hurt either that the space, albeit empty, is incredibly gorgeous, with all its geometric exactitude and bursts of light and colour to break up all the darkness.

And so I say, let the games begin. TRON: LEGACY, for all of its clunky dialogue and questionable plot points, is completely mesmerizing when the games are on. The original elements of the games are still intact but updated in such a way that they justify the entire existence of the film. Couple that with the dynamic and driving Daft Punk score and you have two hours that will dazzle your senses like you’ve never known. When those two hours are up though, you will put down the game and it will almost be like you never played at all.

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HOW DO YOU KNOW

Written and Directed by James L. Brooks

Starring Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd and Jack Nicholson

Psychiatrist: Figure out what you want and how to ask for it.

Lisa: Those are both really hard.

Silly me. I assumed that HOW DO YOU KNOW, the new film by Academy Award winning director, James L. Brooks, was asking an age old question about how you know when you’re actually in love. I did not realize that what it could also be asking is how do you know when you’re watching a bad movie. For me, I knew when I was about half way through this muddled mess of a romantic comedy and still had no idea what the story actually was. Everything looked so pretty that I hadn't noticed that Brooks had yet to make any effort to answer the question himself.

Reese Witherspoon returns to the big screen for the first time in two years in what certainly must have looked like a good project on paper. Everyone wants to know how you know you’re in love, including her character, Lisa, an Olympic softball player whose career has just stalled and whose interest in finding love seems to have stalled long before that. She is going through the motions with her casual boyfriend, Matty (Owen Wilson) but the clueless twosome actually think they are breaking new relationship ground every time he makes some space for her in his sock drawer. Meanwhile, Paul Rudd’s George is going through a crisis of his own but he knows without a doubt that Lisa is the girl for him. Naturally, we know as well too so we just have to sit around and wait for Lisa to get on the same page as everyone else.

If George can figure the whole love thing out, it stands to reason that anyone can, but Lisa and Matty exist on this plain where apparently love is a convoluted concept, that is as hard to understand as Jack Nicholson’s decision to appear in this farce. Love needn’t be so complicated but at least one thing is clear in this film – Brooks doesn’t know how you know anymore than anyone else does.

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