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Drag Me to Hell

Rated: PG-13 for sequences of horror violence, terror, disturbing images and language.
Release Date: 2009-05-29
Starring: Ivan Raimi, Sam Raimi
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.dragmetohell.net/

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Sam Raimi’s ‘Drag Me to Hell’ is a deliberately funny, horror film, which is neither too funny nor too scary. It’s definitely not a classic, but a refreshing return to a format that has seen many successes in the decade of the 80’s. This film is not meant to be taken seriously at all; you’re supposed to laugh at the funny parts, and as a nice surprise, you’ll occasionally be on the edge of your seat with suspense. What you should expect is to be grossed out by a myriad of scenes. Raimi is obviously looking to make you feel uncomfortable.

The plot is simple and straightforward – a loan officer is cursed by a gypsy for not helping her keep her home and now she needs to try and stop evil spirits from dragging her to hell.

I must admit, I was caught off guard with the intentional hilarity of the film. I’m so conditioned to laugh at today’s horror films because of how bad they are that this one almost tricked me. Cinematically, this movie is not good. The acting is bad, the dialogue is comical and the pacing is off. Fortunately for me, I understood what the Raimi was trying to do here and it made me enjoy the rest of the film. Sam Raimi, known for his three Spider-Man films, is no neophyte to the horror/comedy genre, actually he’s known in many circles as the guy who created it with his series of 80’s cult movies – Evil Dead.

It’s funny to me though, how much the Spanish language and Hispanics (Mexican’s really) have integrated themselves within Hollywood storylines. The opening 5-8 minutes of the movie are spoken completely in Spanish with a Mexican couple trying to save their son from the clutches of the devil. The Oscar nominated Mexican actress Adriana Barraza (Babel) plays an enchantress who wants revenge on the devil. She goes on this Spanish spell monologue without subtitles which makes it difficult for non Spanish speakers to understand, but advantageous for us bilinguals to appreciate.

Overall, ‘Drag Me to Hell’ serves as a senseless night out with friends looking to laugh and be grossed out. I particularly wouldn’t pay New York City prices for it ($12.50 a ticket), but a good $5-7 ticket buy wouldn’t be out of the question for a fun time at the flicks.

‘Daredevil’ to make a cinematic comeback

The movie website Comingsoong.net posted the following news story about the remake of Ben Affleck’s Daredevil movie:

The blog for the Los Angeles-based store Golden Apple Comics spotted one such actor when “Battlestar Gallactica” star Katee Sackhoff went there to buy every single comic featuring Typhoid Mary she could get her hands on with “hopes to get a part for a marvel movie.”

Comic fans will realize right away that Typhoid Mary is the longtime foe (and lover) of Marvel’s Daredevil, a mutant with a multiple personality who develops various powers depending on which personality inhabits her at the time. She was created by Ann Nocenti and John Romita Jr., first appearing in their run with Daredevil #254.

That makes one wonder whether 20th Century Fox and Marvel Studios are already looking into possibly relaunching Daredevil on the big screen, following the Mark Steven Johnson version starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, which came out in 2003. Natassia Malthe played Typhoid in the 2005 spin-off Elektra with Garner. Typhoid also appeared in the early “Deadpool” comics, so this might be for the Deadpool spin-off with Ryan Reynolds.

‘Night at the Museum 2’ tops Terminator at B.O!

Twentieth Century Fox‘s sequel “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” won the domestic war against Warner Bros.’ reboot “Terminator: Salvation” at the holiday box office.

“Museum 2” grossed an estimated $53.5 million from 4,096 theaters Friday through Sunday, while “T4” grossed an estimated $43 million from 3,530 runs. Opening Thursday to $13.4 million, “T4’s” cume is $56.4 million.

Four-day totals for the long Memorial Day weekend won’t be released until Monday. But even with Monday’s grosses yet to be factored in, “Museum 2” appears to have the race sewn up.

Box observers had expected the contest between “Museum 2” and “T4” to be much closer, despite the fact that one is a family film, the other, a sci-fi actioner.

Benefiting from being the first family summer tentpole, “Museum 2” reps the best live action opening for a Ben Stiller pic.

Overseas, “Museum 2” also made a strong debut, grossing $50.1 million from 8,100 playdates in 93 markets. That puts the film’s worldwide opening at roughly $103 million through Sunday. “Museum 2” came in No. 2 overseas, beat by Sony holdover “Angels and Demons” ($60.4 million).

“Museum 2” saw a boffo 30% jump Friday to Saturday. Also, 52% of the audience were non-family. Film was able to overcome a box office hit in Los Angeles and Denver as sports fans in both cities tuned in to the NBA basketball playoffs.

Sequel easily bested the $43 million opening of “Night at the Museum” over the Christmas holiday in 2006.

In a not-so-good sign for “T4,” “Museum 2” beat it on Friday. Fan-driven pics usually do better on Fridays, while family films do bigger business on Saturday and Sunday.

However, “T4’s” five-day opening number should be in the vicinity of the five-day opening of “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,” which clocked in at $68 million.

“T4”–directed by McG and toplining Christian Bale–was produced by Halcyon. Project was a negative pickup for Warners, which invested roughly $50 million in the reboot (not including marketing costs).

Sony, which is handling “T4” overseas, invested roughly $75 million. “T4” doesn’t open at the international box office for another two weeks.

Michael Haneke wins Palme d’Or at Cannes

In awards that ran the gamut from the widely predicted to the jaw-dropping, Michael Haneke‘s “The White Ribbon,” a stark, black-and-white drama set in a rural German village on the eve of WWI, received the Palme d’Or from the jury of the 62nd Cannes Film Festival on Sunday.

Haneke, who had previously won the director award for “Cache” (2005) and the Grand Prix for “The Piano Teacher” (2001), received his first Palme from a visibly delighted Isabelle Huppert, president of the jury. Huppert had won Cannes’ actress gong for “The Piano Teacher.”

“Happiness is a rare thing, but this is a moment in my life when I am truly happy,” Haneke said in his acceptance speech.

The Grand Prix went to French helmer Jacques Audiard‘s tough prison drama, “A Prophet,” which had been a frontrunner for a major prize since screening early on in the fest.

The top two prizes rep a coup for Sony Pictures Classics, which acquired North American rights to “The White Ribbon” before the festival and will distribute “A Prophet” in multiple territories including the U.S.

Sole kudo to an American-helmed film, in a competition light on U.S. fare, was the actor prize for Christoph Waltz for his multilingual tour de force as the Nazi “Jew Hunter” in Quentin Tarantino‘s German-U.S. production, “Inglourious Basterds.” The 52-year-old, Vienna-born thesp was previously unknown outside Germany, where he’s spent most of his career in TV.

“I owe this award to (my role as) Col. Landa,” said Waltz in his acceptance speech, “and his unique and inimitable creator, Quentin Tarantino.”

To a standing ovation in the Grand Theatre Lumiere, French vet Alain Resnais, who turns 87 next month (and was in competition with the elegant tragicomedy “Wild Grass”), received a lifetime achievement award for his work and contributions to the history of cinema. The visibly frail helmer declared it “completely surprising,” a possibly ironic reference to his stormy past relations with the fest (starting with 1974’s “Stavisky … “), from which he’s previously won only one award, the Grand Prix for “Mon oncle d’Amerique.”

While many other Cannes fave auteurs were completely passed over by the jury — including Pedro Almodovar, Ang Lee and Palme laureates Ken Loach and Jane Campion — Danish maverick Lars von Trier‘s latest headline-grabber, “Antichrist,” at least walked away with an actress kudo for Charlotte Gainsbourg‘s performance as a mother whose grief over her child’s death takes a psychotic turn.

Sharing the jury prize were Brit director Andrea Arnold‘s slice-of-lifer “Fish Tank” and South Korean helmer Park Chan-wook‘s vampire meller, “Thirst.” Arnold scooped the same award three years ago with her debut feature, “Red Road.”

Australian helmer Warwick Thornton’s well-received Aboriginal teen drama, “Samson and Delilah,” nabbed the Camera d’Or for first film.

Though several of the awards had largely been predicted and were generally seen as well deserved, many of the others were seen as among the quirkiest in recent memory.

All three of the Asian kudos drew heavy booing from the assembled press corps. Biggest scorn was reserved for the director prize for Filipino Brillante Mendoza‘s rape-and-dismemberment drama “Kinatay” (of which even admiring jury member Hanif Kureishi admitted, “I don’t ever want to see it again, myself”), followed by jeers for “Thirst” and mainland Chinese director Lou Ye’s “Spring Fever,” which copped screenplay (generally seen as its weakest element).

These awards appeared to have reflected deep divisions within the nine-member jury, which, apart from Huppert, included directors James Gray, Nuri Bilge Ceylan and Lee Chang-dong, writer Kureishi, and actresses Robin Wright Penn, Shu Qi, Asia Argento and Sharmila Tagore.

Before the awards ceremony, rumors were already circulating that jury discussions had been particularly fraught. One member described it as the worst jury experience he’d ever had, while another was said to have described Huppert as a “fascist.” Onstage, Huppert, looking visibly tense, referred to “an unforgettable week” and “several hours, uh, several moments of deliberation.”

Show’s host, comedian Edouard Baer, jokingly suggested that the onstage jury might “perhaps exchange telephone numbers and addresses” before parting. However, at the press conference afterward, several members went out of their way to stress that deliberations were “harmonious” and democratic.”

Somewhat less harmoniously, the ecumenical jury, which gave its annual award for spiritual values in filmmaking to Loach’s “Looking for Eric,” bestowed an “anti-prize” on von Trier’s “Antichrist.” Cannes fest director Thierry Fremaux was quick to denounce the dubious honor, calling it a “ridiculous decision that borders on a call for censorship,” particularly from a jury headed by a filmmaker, Romania’s Radu Mihaileanu.

INTL. COMPETITION JURY PRIZES

Palme d’Or

“The White Ribbon” (Michael Haneke, Germany-France-Austria-Italy)

Grand Prix

“A Prophet” (Jacques Audiard, France)

Lifetime achievement award

Alain Resnais, “Wild Grass” (France)

Director

Brillante Mendoza (“Kinatay,” France-Philippines)

Jury prize

“Fish Tank” (Andrea Arnold, U.K.), “Thirst” (Park Chan-wook, South Korea-U.S.)

Actor

Christoph Waltz, “Inglourious Basterds” (U.S.-Germany)

Actress

Charlotte Gainsbourg, “Antichrist” (Denmark-Germany-France-Sweden-Italy-Poland)

Screenplay

Mei Feng, “Spring Fever” (Hong Kong-France)

UN CERTAIN REGARD JURY AWARDS

Main Prize

“Dogtooth” (Yorgos Lanthimos, Greece)

Jury Prize

“Police, Adjective” (Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania)

Special Prize

“No One Knows About Persian Cats” (Bahman Ghobadi, Iran), “Father of My Children” (Mia Hansen-Love, France)

OTHER MAIN JURY AWARDS

Camera d’Or

“Samson and Delilah” (Warwick Thornton)

Special Mention

“Ajami” (Scandar Copti, Yaron Shani, Israel-Germany)

Critics’ Week Grand Prix

“Farewell Gary” (Nassim Amamouche, France)

FIPRESCI AWARDS

Competition

“The White Ribbon” (Michael Haneke, Germany-Austria-France-Italy)

Un Certain Regard

“Police, Adjective” (Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania)

Directors’ Fortnight

“Amreeka” (Cherien Dabis, Canada-Kuwait-U.S.)

SHORT FILMS JURY PRIZES

Palme d’Or

“Arena” (Joao Salaviza, Portugal)

Special Mention

“The Six Dollar Fifty Man” (Mark Albiston, Louis Sutherland, New Zealand)

CINEFONDATION

First Prize

“Baba” (Zuzana Kirchnerova-Spidlova)

Second Prize

“Goodbye” (Song Fang)

Third Prize

“Diploma” (Yaelle Kayam)

“Don’t Step Out of the House” (Jo Sung-hee)

ECUMENICAL PRIZE

“Looking for Eric” (Ken Loach, U.K.-France-Italy-Belgium-Spain)

PRIX VULCAIN TECHNICAL AWARD

Aitor Berenguer, sound mixer (“Map of the Sounds of Tokyo,” Spain)

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

Rated: PG for mild action and brief language.
Release Date: 2009-05-22
Starring: Robert Ben Garant & Thomas Lennon
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: USA, Canada
Official Website: http://www.nightatthemuseummovie.com/

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Ben Stiller’s new sequel ‘Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian’ is a perfect example of a motion picture that exists exclusively because its predecessor made a lot of money. And, like most movies that fit into that category, the filmmakers have been careful not to change the formula. The hope is that those who enjoyed the first installment will appreciate the sequel. I almost fell asleep. Nevertheless, this film is for families, but more particularly, the kids.

The plot is full of imagination – security guard Larry Daley infiltrates the Smithsonian Institute in order to rescue small men, Jedediah and Octavius, who have been shipped to the museum by mistake –  but it is so childish that you slowly become annoyed at the story, the characters and the movie as a whole.

Ben Stiller put forth some effort in the first Night at the Museum; here he’s just going through the motions, like almost everyone else. The exception is Amy Adams, who believes she’s in a better movie than the one she actually is participating in.

I suppose kids will enjoy Night at the Museum 2; it’s pitched at those with approximately a first-grade education, and they will likely appreciate its limited roster of laudable qualities. Adults have the choice of either admiring the scenery or taking a nap. There’s not much else worth doing.

Lookout: Latinos in summer films!

Several Latinos, including some working behind the scenes, are the creative forces behind this year’s summer movie fare. From blockbusters to indie flicks, we give you the rundown on who to watch and whose work to look for this summer.

Coming attractions

Oscar nominee Adriana Barraza (2006’s “Babel”) plays Shaun San Dena, a medium trying to help a young woman exorcise a demon, in the Sam Raimi-directed horror thriller “Drag Me to Hell.” Opens May 29.

Oscar Nuñez goes from “The Office” to the big screen comedy “The Proposal,” opposite Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. He plays Ramone, who befriends Bullock’s book editor character as she prepares a quickie wedding to stay in the country. June 19.

Cameron Diaz plays Sara Fitzgerald, the mother of a critically-ill child, in the Nick Cassavetes-directed drama “My Sister’s Keeper,” opposite Jason Patric and Oscar-nominee Abigail Breslin. June 26.

Natalia Tena returns as Nymphadora Tonks in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” the latest installment of the highly successful movie franchise based on the J.K. Rowling books. July 15.

‘High School Musical’ alum Vanessa Hudgens plays a musician competing in a battle of the bands contest in the musical comedy “Bandslam.” Aug. 14.

Alexis Bledel leaves the ‘Sisterhood’ to play a recent college graduate forced to move back home in the comedy “Post Grad.” Aug. 14.

Behind the scenes

Mexican-born filmmaker Roberto Orci teams with his longtime writing partner Alex Kurtzman – they’ve been friends since childhood – for “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” the sequel to the duo’s 2006 film “Transformers.” Kurtzman and Orci, who’s also executive producer of “The Proposal,” are the writing team behind the summer movie season’s biggest hit, “Star Trek.” June 24.

San Antonio’s native son Robert Rodriguez (“Grindhouse”) takes on four duties in his upcoming “Shorts.” He’s the film’s director, producer, editor and writer. Rodriguez has described “Shorts,” as a “ ‘Pulp Fiction’ for kids,” referring to its overlapping storylines, not its violence. Aug. 7.

Brazilian-born animator Guilherme Jacinto, who was part of the team that created the Oscar-winning “Wall-E,” works his magic in “Up.” The animated film from Disney Pixar features the voices of Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer and John Ratzenberger. May 29.

Voiceovers

Oscar winner Penélope Cruz (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”) provides the voice of Juarez in “G-Force,” an animated film about government-trained secret agent guinea pigs. July 24.

John Leguizamo returns as the voice of Sid in “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.” It’s the third installment in the animated film series that follows the adventures of a group of pre-historic animals. July 1.

Valkyrie

Rated: PG-13 for violence and brief strong language.
Release Date: 2008-12-26
Starring: Christopher McQuarrie, Nathan Alexander
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA, Germany
Official Website: http://valkyrie.unitedartists.com/

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Paul Blart: Mall Cop

Rated: PG for some violence, mild crude and suggestive humor, and language.
Release Date: 2009-01-16
Starring: Kevin James, Nick Bakay
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: NULL

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After stumbling through a lackluster first 30 minutes that features all the tepid humor one might reasonably expect from a mediocre comedy, Paul Blart: Mall Cop does something unexpected: it becomes watchable, perhaps even passably enjoyable. That’s because this movie elevates its objective from lampooning mall security guards to satirizing one of Hollywood’s biggest genres: the action/crime movie. In particular, Die Hard. To be sure, the iconic 1988 Bruce Willis film has been the subject of numerous big-screen parodies during the past two decades, but none has succeeded as well as this one. Considering the dubious quality of many of them, that could be considered damning with faint praise. And, although Paul Blart is by no means great cinema, there is amusement to be uncovered as we watch Kevin James bumble his way through actions oh-so-similar to those navigated with more blood, sweat, profanity, and dead bodies than Willis. Too bad there’s no “Yippekayay…,” but this is rated PG.

Paul Blart (Kevin James) is a rent-a-cop at a North Jersey mall. He doesn’t get to carry a gun but he has a Segway to ride around on. Paul’s ultimate dream is to join the New Jersey State police force, but hypoglycemia has thus far prevented him from completing the physically draining entrance exam. There’s another point of dissatisfaction in Paul’s life: he’s lonely and dreams of finding Ms. Right, even though the on-line dating service in which his daughter (Raini Rodriguez) has enrolled him keeps telling him “You have no matches.” Paul has his eye on Amy (Jayma Mays), the operator of a new kiosk at the mall, but he lacks the gumption to approach her. Meanwhile, he has the task of training a new security guard: Veck (Keir O’Donnell), who’s only on duty because he couldn’t get accepted for any other job. On Black Friday, however, Paul’s life undergoes a radical change when terrorists take over the mall, locking the police out. The only one in a position to help the hostages and apprehend the bad guys is Paul.

I admit to having looked at my watch a few too many times during the movie’s prolonged opening act as we “get to know” Paul. Like most one-dimensional comedy protagonists, he’s not really worth spending so much introductory time with. The scenes of him going about his daily mall patrol duties, while arguably necessary to the setup, are rather dull. Kevin James imbues Paul with more likeability than we would get from, say, Adam Sandler, but it’s a generic role. The film takes off, however, when it gets to the Die Hard stuff. This is actually a pretty clever way to rework the basic scenario of John McClane trapped on his own with a group of terrorists in a building. Paul Blart: Mall Cop refers either directly or indirectly to Die Hard numerous times (I can see a drinking game here…), and it’s amusing to recognize how minimal tweaks can convert thrills into laughs.

The PG rating assures that the violence will be limited and cartoonish. There’s a nod to this when Paul, apparently injured, peels back his shirtsleeve to reveal a tiny cut (upon which he places a childish band-aid). Would the film have been funnier had it been more graphic? Perhaps, but the essential innocence of the proceedings defuses anything resembling tension. Those who enjoy Paul Blart: Mall Cop will be watching purely for its comedic and satiric value, not because there’s any inherent interest in how the storylines will be resolved.

Kevin James possesses the Teddy Bear factor that served John Candy well. Like Candy, James is a big man and plays characters with big hearts. He’s a refreshing change from the Sandlers and Carreys who have dominated motion picture comedies with their often mean-spirited antics over the past 1 1/2 decades. And, unlike Will Ferrell, James isn’t in a perpetual state of arrested adolescence. He’s a regular guy. That’s his charm. Here, he’s a schlub who deserves more out of life but takes pride in the lowliest of jobs: being a mall security job. The term “loveable loser” was coined for this sort of individual.

I’m not going to claim that Paul Blart: Mall Cop deserves placement on anyone’s movie schedule ahead of the many fine Oscar bait films against which it is competing. It’s a juvenile motion picture designed primarily for a juvenile audience. But there’s a little more here than one might reasonably expect and that makes it a passable choice for watching at home, when viewers tend to be less demanding. Certainly, the question of what Die Hard would have been like in a suburban mall with Kevin James as the hero offers the potential of a diverting 90 minutes. To the extent that this is Paul Blart: Mall Cop‘s goal, it can’t be said to have failed.