Lots Of Potential

There isn't a second of this trailer that isn't completely assured, compelling. It all, moment to moment, holds so much promise of a good story, gratifying movie experience. The editing, even the music, is just right.

Looks like Ridley Scott has delivered. Can't wait.

Nice Clips

Ridley Scott's 'The Counselor' is looking very good. Not just tonality, potential depth of story, character, etc., but they way it looks. The picture. It's great.

This was shot on the Red Epic with Panavision and Angenieux lenses. Not like that's new, but here, for some reason, the look is different. Wonderful clarity/separation in colors with both controlled highs and fairly deep lows all in the same shots. I wonder if there's a reason or if I'm imagining things. Could it be a frame-rate/shutter speed combo? New glass? New sensor?

Maybe it's just a new codec from YouTube. I heard Google was rolling one out.

Looking forward to seeing this on the big screen. Would not want to watch at home without know what it looked like in theater.

Trailer for Ridley Scott's 'The Counselor'

Does it get better than this? Great director, great writer, great cast.























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Trailer for Machinima's 'Omega' -- aka -- The Next Cool Movie You'll Watch Online 12 Minutes At A Time For Free (While Generating Gobs Of Cash For Machinima)

YouTube (aka The New Cable TV) is home to Machinima which is becoming the next HBO. They have a great model: Put cool content up, with great production value, charge nothing for it, get tons of hits.

How do you make money? Simple. Play ads before (and during if possible) the movie/content.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Having just teamed with Ridley Scott for 12 short sci-fi flicks, Machinima is setting the pace for serialized internet movies. (And, if per-play ad revenue seems a tad lightweight [which I'm sure it ain't] wait till these become available, as a collection, on DVD/Blu-ray/rental/stream/subscription-based mobile viewing/regular TV/cable/etc).

Yeah. This is probably the new model. Somebody call Hollywood -- let em know.

Here's a trailer for their latest, 'Omega'.




















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I Just Knew It. 'Prometheus' Sequel on Track for 2014

I could just tell. The story is too rich and complex and has way too much potential for just one movie, and today THR announces the sequel to 'Prometheus' is moving forward with a release in 2014 or 2015.

Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace are reported to be on board. Fox head of production Emma Watts tells THR, "Ridley is incredibly excited about the movie, but we have to get it right. We can't rush it."

Well, yeah. Sure. Take your time. Take your time.

Yes! Score. I needed a juicy plot to speculate about and I just love typing the word 'Prometheus'.















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New Snippets from 'Prometheus'

It's funny, and I'm sure done on purpose. In (below) clip we see yet another robot open yet another door despite orders not to.

I'll bet Scott, Spaihts, and Lindelof loaded 'Prometheus' with moments like this.





Nod to AvPGalaxy

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Daily Dose of 'Prometheus' -- Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, and Ridley Scott Talk It Up

There's more genuine excitement surrounding this movie than I think I've ever seen. So much respect for Ridley Scott and the story he and writers Damon Lindelof and Jon Spaihts created. To hear the actors go on you can tell they believe this is special.

A nice little featurette (even though we get one every other day). And, to hear Scott talk about the possibility of another film in this series is...good.



















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New 'Prometheus' Featurette/Trailer: The Vision

You know, we've seen so many of these, and yes, they're getting a tad predictable, but this new featurette is very good. Tiny bits of new footage, comments from Ridley (he pretty much puts his cards on the table).

This resets the anticipation. Visually, sets the bar damned high. Storywise, could be one of the best in years.
















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Fakey Comic-Bookish Poster for 'Prometheus' Doesn't Just Spoil, It Flaunts. Ridley Scott Plays Us For Fools -- or -- Just Doesn't Care...

Okay, really. Either the marketing for 'Prometheus' has been taken over by an evil entity or we're being bamboozled. This new poster would seem to give away the entire Act III. The Prometheus is crashed into the horseshoe ship in order to keep it from going to Earth (presumably to deliver its payload of weaponized organisms in order to exterminate the entire human race) which leaves the crew stranded on the planet (to await events of 'Prometheus 2').

(Okay, I know we've seen footage of the HS crashing but that doesn't mean it was rammed by the Prometheus. Does it? No way. We're being played here).

Well, isn't that something we would have wanted to learn at the theater while watching the movie? No, this poster can't be real. One clue is the poor graphic quality, especially the fireballs falling from the wreckage. It's cheesy (who would've thought that would ever apply to anything associated with 'Prometheus'). The high values are almost blown (I toned them down a bit but still they're too hot). The dynamic range of imagery from 'Prometheus' up to now has been excellent. Another indication is the tone -- it's from another movie altogether -- one with the words 'Attack' and 'Another Planet' in the title. Another indication this is fake is just how completely story-wrecking this imagery is. This could be (must be) a hoax. Perhaps 'misdirection' is the better descriptor seeing that we're just a few weeks from the movie's release and with all the plot speculation out there Scott and crew wanted to have some fun.

Really, this is completely out of character for an otherwise elegant, subtly intelligent campaign. At any rate the motives behind releasing this overwrought comic book frame have to be examined.

I'm voting for misdirection, curve ball, sly sleight of hand. Scott is just too smart. If not, well, that means Scott has yet another ace to play or, well, we know precisely what's going to happen and, with a couple weeks of spoilerific trailers and stills and posters yet to be released, we'll know the entire movie beat by beat before it hits theaters.

So. To sum up. Here are the possible conclusions one can come to:

1) Ridley Scott is dumb and doesn't care about spoilers being released or the graphic quality of posters for 'Prometheus' because...what the hell, or

2) Ridley Scott is not dumb. He's smart. And if you buy this poster you're playing into his hand.

Please let it be choice #2
 
ADDED A FEW MINUTES AFTER ORIGINALLY POSTED:

Here's a pretty clear indication this poster is a joke. Look at the engine of the Prometheus. It's in the landing position. Why would you ram a ship is such a way? You wouldn't. You'd head straight into it. Visually, that would be more exciting (as well as lining up with what we know about Kamikaze tactics) and it just makes more sense.

As pictured, the Prometheus has approached the HS but used a braking maneuver at the last moment...why? To lessen the impact?

Sorry. Doesn't fly (so to speak). This is a joke. This could be the cover of a fantasy novel but it's not the new poster for 'Prometheus'.

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Jon Spaihts Talks Writing 'Prometheus' with Ridley Scott

Did you know the 3D alien star map...

...was inspired by this painting? 'The Orrery' by Joseph Wright of Derby, 1766

According to Spaihts (screenwriter of 'Prometheus') in an interview with Forbes:

• “In a conversation we were talking about star maps and the story-necessity for the navigational instrument we would see, and Ridley Scott started talking about a painting he had in his mind,” Spaihts remembered. “Circles in circles with a candle lit image,” Scott had said. Spaihts thought of the Wright painting and did a Google image search. 

• “Yes, that’s the painting I mean,” Scott exclaimed. “Scientist, scholars and children.” 

• That was Scott, “making the leap from a star map, to an Enlightenment painting, and then back into the far future. His mind just multiplexes in that way,” said Spaihts. “For a writer it’s like riding a f***ing bronco. That kind of interplay is one of the great joys of screenwriting.”

Really, that's pretty cool. The whole thing is a pretty good read. Lots of insight into what it's like working with Scott.

Spaihts has been tapped for 'The Mummy' reboot, which is good news. Really, that series is so hammed up, busy, and sparkly I can't watch (not, of course, the 1932 version with Boris Karloff -- that's required viewing). Not even on disc, a few minutes at a time, with lots of breaks to, like, mow the lawn or something. I just give up. With Spaihts on board we might just have a sci-fi adventure worth watching and even, dare I say, thinking and talking about.

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Ridley Scott, Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, and Michael Fassbender talk 'Prometheus'

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The 'Prometheus' Plot Cipher (Continued) and Decoding the Secret of New Stills (POSSIBLE SPOILERS)

ADDED 4/11: More here

ADDED 5/12: Latest here "Space Jockeys are Galactic Police"

Above image is one of the most intriguing yet from 'Prometheus'. I went on at some length regarding plot possibilities after the last batch of stills and, while I still like my conclusions, this new photo gives reason for pause.

SPOILERS

Don't continue if you're not into speculation about plot. If anything I conjure up turns out to be true it will be a woofing spoiler. So, stop now.

Okay. if you're still reading, the new pic is curious. As I posited, the Space Jockey (SJ) were, from appearances (read: what I extracted through brute force from tenuous indications), on their way to Earth to colonize the planet when an accident or malfunction caused the release of an alien (as seen in the movie 'Alien') which killed the crew of the horseshoe ship (HS).

(This is predicated on the presumption the HS in the trailers for 'Prometheus' is the same one found crashed on its side in 'Alien'. If this isn't the case it blows most of my theory out of the water).

So then. The crew of the Prometheus go aboard the HS (or, perhaps, feasibly, into the tunnels system built into the mountain shown in the holographic map) and they find the above image in the ceiling. What does that mean? Why would such an image be on the HS?

The painting bears a resemblance to our own religious imagery. Also, it's up high, in the ceiling. Placement and style suggest it's a focal point of reverence. That the SJ worshiped us, or in lieu of that, held us in the highest regard, however, is a tough sell. If the HS was filled with a cargo of parasitic beasts that would gestate inside a human and burst out when ready killing the host in the process, it seems very unlikely the SJ revered us. It would seem much more likely they were on their way to Earth to exterminate the human race. If not, why bring thousands of pods containing a weaponized organism? (If the pods don't contain this it would change everything, but we have to utilize what we know from 'Alien'. Otherwise, there's no point in speculation).

Another argument against the possibility the painting holds humans in reverence is that such images serve no practical purpose on any spacecraft (with one notable exception).

Then, if the painting does not depict a human as an object of reverence, what does it depict? My guess would be it shows a being (who represents and entire race) submitting to conquest. The figure's head is bowed in submission and he averts his gaze to the side in deference to a superior being not seen in the photo. The image is but one of several painted along the edge of the ceiling, each showing another species which has been destroyed by the SJ. This is a gallery of conquered races and the conqueror, the Space Jockeys, is/are pictured in the center of the ceiling, directly above any viewer who might enter the room, gloating over the vanquished.

Let's take an even closer look at the person in the painting.

I've optimized contrast and density to make things clear.

What is that circled on the man's chest? It has a long body, perhaps four legs on either side, and a head with eyes. That would be one of the weaponized organisms in the pods in the cargo hold of the horseshoe ship.

Yes?

Pictured is a trophy gallery on board a ship heading to Earth to take over the planet. This would make the SJ an arrogant race of conquerors who take over any planet with an oxygen-rich atmosphere, killing all its intelligent inhabitants, who glorify the process in paintings. In fact, the SJ are so full of themselves the paintings are standard-issue on all invasion craft, put there to inspire the crew on their long journey.

In the movie, in this scene, (if the above is true), the person shining the flashlight would look around the ceiling. There, he or she would see paintings of other beings from other planets the Space Jockeys have conquered, all with their heads bowed in submission (or to look at the nasty thing on their body about to kill them), and their arms open in acceptance of their fate.

The SJ, it turns out, are brutal and have no concern or respect for other life forms whatsoever, and the only thing that stopped them from reaching Earth was an accident or malfunction. You have to wonder what that sets up story-wise and whether another HS will appear in a sequel.

Apologies if I ruined the story (assuming I got it right), but you were warned.

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YouTube Announces Your Film Festival

To be run by Ridley Scott, the film fest will accept shorts of up to 15 minutes. These will be judged by Scott and his team, who will select 50 films. These 50 will be voted on by YouTube viewers who will choose 10 finalists which will show at the Venice Film Festival this year. The winning film will be selected by Scott and the other judges at Venice.

Top prize is a $500,000 budget and a chance to turn your short into a feature-length movie with Scott's production company. Entries can be submitted starting February 2.

Details at YouTube's site.


















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Tim Buel and Alex Billington on First Video from Ridley Scott's 'Prometheus'

Prometheus Footage Comic-Con Video Blog from FirstShowing.net on Vimeo.

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First Still from Ridley Scott's 'Prometheus'

Totally, completely my kind of movie. Do they even need a marketing campaign after this image?

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Trailer for 'Life in a Day'

wow

'Life in a Day' Trailer

YouTube's blog announces 'Life in a Day', directed by Kevin McDonald and produced by Ridley Scott, will premiere at Sundance January 27.

Here's a teaser trailer:



Looks great. Wonderful. Can't wait.

Do I Really Believe This?

Body of Lies - Exclusive Clip | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

I like the trailers for 'Body of Lies' but there's a problem with this type material. You never know what you can believe and what's pure Hollywood hyperbole. Take the above clip -- a standard car chase except it's supposed to be the real thing. That is, instead of Bond or Bourne in a firefight barely escaping a sticky situation it's a real-life CIA operative. Or, more precisely, the chase is something we're expected to accept could happen and has happened in real CIA day-to-day work.

There must have been times when a CIA operative experienced this kind of thing. The problem is obvious though. CIA work is secret, so how would we know. 'Body of Lies' is based on the novel of the same name by David Ignatius, who is an Op-Ed columnist with The Washington Post. Ignatius has covered international politics including CIA operations for years. I'll bet he's had CIA guys tell him stories over a couple beers about events such as the one in the clip. But, again, how do we know? Possibly, such a car chase happened yesterday, but it wasn't in any news report. If such events are covered up out of the need for secrecy, fine. So be it. If they're not reported in the news because they never happened... Well, how do we know the difference?

The director of 'Body of Lies', Ridley Scott, also gave us the excellent 'Black Hawk Down', taken from the book by Mark Bowden, which is based on real events that were reported worldwide. It's easy to get swept up in the action in this movie. Even mundane stuff like soldiers going thirsty because they didn't think to bring enough water feels real. More conventional war movie action, like seeing a door a soldier is hiding next to shot full of holes, elicits a visceral response. The point being: if 'Black Hawk Down' were a work of fiction the screenwriter would be criticized for coming up with such a lame plot element as 'they go thirsty because they forgot to bring enough water', or something so predictable as having a door with bullet holes. But, because it really happened it hits home -- the audience feels the absurdity of having to fight for your life while suffering from extreme thirst and sympathizes with a soldier who is hiding next to a door full of bullet holes.

It's hard to take 'Body of Lies' as seriously. Here, a high-speed chase where the protagonist shoots at bad guys with an automatic weapon and manages to survive RPG fire (with the help of American military helicopter gunships) plays much more like Hollywood fluff than the real thing. It's like Bourne but not as good because the action isn't juiced enough. It's like Black Hawk but not as believable because, well, we don't know whether such stuff happens -- not for sure. The clip from 'Body of Lies' is exciting, no doubt about it. The problem isn't that, it's how to react to it. Do we enjoy the rush while munching popcorn like it's a Bourne action flick, or do we watch soberly like it's something some poor brave slob had to live through? I think we're expected to do both and I'm not sure too many people are interested in that. They want one type of movie or the other -- not a mix. I feel a little gullible and a little guilty accepting the action in 'Body of Lies' at face value. Perhaps, it doesn't help that the movie has the word 'lies' in its title.

I think audiences will sense that and avoid 'Body of Lies'. I hope I'm wrong, but still. And, that's not the only thing that might keep crowds away. This movie has other issues. It deals with terrorism, the Middle East, makes people think of the wars we're into, and has sequences where intelligence agents torture a suspect for information. Not a very appealing recipe, especially these days, and especially if it's supposed to be based on reality. Making it worse -- (from what I've heard) the novel on which the movie is based has a very convoluted plot. How, exactly, do you sell 'Body of Lies' to your friends at work over the water cooler on Monday morning?

This weekend, audiences may prefer family fare like 'City of Ember', or the predictable feel-good sports picture 'The Express', or even the purely escapist 'Quarantine'. I wouldn't expect 'Body of Lies' to do well next weekend going up against 'Max Payne', 'W.', and 'Sex Drive'.

I'm looking forward to 'Body of Lies' but I think it suffers from bad timing and a contradictory tone.

Body Of Lies

This one has potential, but if it's just another by-the-numbers thriller posing as a meaningful statement it will fall flat. It's not as if there aren't plenty of real bad guys out there to make a movie about. As Russell Crowe's character (CIA honcho Ed Hoffman) says, "It's a dangerous dangerous world..."

The trailer isn't getting much traction, though. People are skeptical. Story will have to deliver the goods on the very real and very dirty work the CIA engages in if 'Body of Lies' is to succeed. Ridley Scott certainly has what it takes. His 'American Gangster' had the ring of truth and subtle performances by Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe made it work.

The last thing people want to see is a fakey look at terrorism (see last year's 'The Kingdom' which was Hollywood schlock and a slap in the face, and lost money). If 'Body of Lies' doesn't deliver audiences will shoot it down.

Here's an interview with David Ignatius, the author of the novel (of the same name) on which the movie is based. Ignatius is a journalist with The Washington Post and has the connections one would need to create a credible story about CIA operations.

I hope they did this story justice. If not, I just don't need that crap in my life. If so, I'm looking forward to it.

Frank Lucas: American Gangster

I just finished watching 'American Gangster' on DVD. Movie is nicely directed by Ridley Scott with 'invisible' camera technique that not only doesn't bring attention to itself, it makes you forget you're watching a movie. Also to credit for this movie's easy flow is screenwriter Steven Zaillian whose script brings this true story to life in a direct and accessible way, without over-stylizing it for the big screen. Drug lord Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) and the detective that chased him, Ritchie Roberts (Russell Crowe), are brought to life by Zaillian's script, and backstory is handled so effectively and naturally you feel like you know them by the end of the movie -- in fact you feel like you've known them for years.

'American Gangster' is a pleasure. I'm looking forward to watching the extended unrated version.

Here's Denzel's outlook on Lucas, with comments by Brian Grazer, Ridley Scott, and Russell Crowe.