Someone out there is going to use the phrase “the thinking man’s ‘Ring’” to describe “Dark Water,” the latest Japanese horror flick to get a round-eyed makeover. And it would not be at all cliché to do so. Indeed, “Dark Water” is less a horror movie than a psychological thriller, focusing on how the ghosts of our past haunt us more than any floating creepy crawlies ever could. It uses more of “The Ring’s” story structure than it probably should, Faustian deal and all (both “Ring” movies and “Dark Water” share writer/director Hideo Nakata), but “Dark Water” plunges far deeper…
Author: David Medsker
Disney is going to take some detailed notes on the experience of making “Herbie: Fully Loaded.” Their star, 18 year-old Lindsay Lohan, was making what everyone knew would be her last movie for Disney, and in her defense, she honored the contract of indentured servitude that her parents sold her into. To say she was accommodating, however, would be stretching the truth a tad. Lohan partied nonstop during filming, and her sudden, er, growth spurt so rattled the Disney brass that they had to address it in post, digitally shrinking her rack and raising her necklines. The lesson that they…
“Mr. & Mrs. Smith” has the unpleasant distinction of being one of those movies where the general public’s interest in the on-set drama far exceeded their interest in the movie, to the point where the movie is no longer a movie but a freak show. Everyone’s heard the stories on the chemistry between lead actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (one group of very clever guys even wrote a song about it), but the real bad news hit when stories surfaced that Jolie and director Doug Liman fought like cobra and mongoose. Suddenly, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” wasn’t just the…
There’s a story in “Lords of Dogtown” somewhere, and a compelling one at that. After all, Stacy Peralta, one of the movie’s protagonists, has already made an excellent documentary on the subject (2002’s “Dogtown and Z-Boys”). Peralta even wrote the script for “Lords of Dogtown” as well, so it would appear that the fictionalized version of their story is in good hands. And in spite of all this, the movie coasts when it should be soaring. It’s hard to believe that a story about the kids who revolutionized the world of skateboarding could be so tame. Set in 1975, the…
With the recent re-release of “The Longest Yard” on DVD and the new version starring Adam Sandler and Chris Rock hitting theaters, Bullz-Eye caught up with Sheldon Turner, screenwriter of the remake, to talk about the process, the business, his many other irons in the fire, and getting schooled on the court by Little Nicky. (Spoiler alert: the following contains several mentions of pivotal moments and climactic scenes from both versions of “The Longest Yard.” If you haven’t seen one or both of the versions, you’d best stop here.) Sheldon Turner: You saw the movie last night, right? Bullz-Eye: I…
The producers of the updated version of “The Longest Yard” had their work cut out for them. After all, the original is one of the best and most beloved football movies ever made. However, it was not so good that the idea of a remake was blasphemy. The end result is a movie that remains steadfastly loyal to the 1974 original, only faster, meaner, and much, much funnier, thanks to lead actors Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. It is also one of the gayest movies ever made. The makers of “Top Gun” must be seething with jealousy. Sandler stars as…
If the Blue Collar guys were the Beatles, Larry the Cable Guy would be Paul, the fan favorite who gives the people what they want. He even writes silly love songs (check out the song at the end of his new album, The Right to Bare Arms). Bullz-Eye recently caught up with Larry, in the midst of his US tour, and had a severely punctuation–and spelling–challenged email chat with him (cleaned up below). At the risk of embarrassing him, we’re going to assume that his hotel room was on fire while he was typing. Bullz-Eye: So where in the world…
There are many words that spring to mind that describe Will Ferrell to a tee. Fearless, no question. Shameless, even better. One thing that Will Ferrell is not, however, is picky. He doesn’t seem to turn anything down, and all of his movies paint with a very broad brush. “Kicking & Screaming,” his newest, is no exception, but it has enough charm, and soccer balls to the groin, to overcome a truly miserable second act. Ferrell stars as Phil Weston, who has nary a hint of athletic ability, much to the dismay of his hyper-competitive jock father Buck (Robert Duvall,…
There are a million things that Ridley Scott gets right in “Kingdom of Heaven.” It’s a pity that it’s difficult to care about them. The movie looks great, sounds better, and there is no question that Scott has given the movie his all. The problem Scott, and the movie, have going against them is that it is unclear whether the movie has a reason to exist. Set about a hundred years into the Crusades, Balian (Bloom) is a widowed blacksmith who learns that he is the bastard son of Lord Godfrey (Liam Neeson). Balian joins Godfrey on a trip to…
“xXx: State of the Nation” is what would happen if someone fed the script from “Commando,” an episode of “Pimp My Ride,” and a book of Mad Libs into a word processor and hit ‘puree.’ For a franchise (a term used rather loosely here, since it is doubtful we will see a third installment) that supposedly prides itself on extreme, edge-of-your-seat action, the plot, dialogue, and most importantly, the action are positively quaint. Ice Cube fills in for original xXx Vin Diesel (both Diesel and director Rob Cohen backed out of the movie early in production), playing Darius Stone, a…