Columbia Pictures Signs Mendes to Direct "Preacher"

Soon after it was revealed that Columbia Pictures had finally inked a deal to bring Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's uber-violent comic book series, "Preacher" to the silver screen, it was also revealed that the man helming the film would be "American Beauty's" Sam Mendes.

For those that don't know, Preacher was a long running series about Jesse Custer, preacher who finds himself posessed by a demon. No ordinary demon, this is a being with the potential power to overthrow God himself, and thus Jesse is now the most powerful person on Earth. The series chronicles Jesse's cross country trip to literally find God, who has gotten a bit lazy. The series is extremely violent, and it absolutely bangs the life out of every religious tenet you might hold dear.

It's fucking brilliant, if you ask me.

My problem is that this was initially meant to be a TV series to be aired on HBO. That would've been the perfect platform. Just think about how good and true to the comic the Spawn series was on HBO. This could've been better. A single film can't do this series justice.

Garth Ennis has been on a roll of late. Another one of his comics, The Boys, about a super powered gang who "police" the superhero community has also been optioned into a feature film due to start filming at some point. Ennis's initial storyarc in the recent Punisher comic book series also formed the basis for the storyline of the 2004 film starring Thomas Jane and John Travolta.

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SLJ to play Sho 'nuff in The Last Dragon remake

Samuel L. Jackson is officially in EVERY movie that comes out, and Hollywood is officially remaking everything ever made. The Hollywood Reporter is telling us that Mr. Jackson himself is signed on to play Sho'nuff the Shogun of Harlem from 1985's The Last Dragon. Honestly I want to hate this idea, but the original was the same kind of campy entertaining fun that Jackson brings to every performance and after seeing him play The Octopus in The Spirit I dont think this will be too over the top. There seems to be a resurgence in the 80's style martial arts movie, what with The Karate Kid getting redone, I just hope whatever comes of this is as entertaining as the source material as the martial arts movie is my #1 seed for guilty pleasure genres.

And just for your viewing pleasure here is the trailer for the original film.

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Review: Zack and Miri Make a Porno

The latest film from Kevin Smith has been the source of much anticipation here at Punch Drunk Critics International. As disciples of all things View Askew, Kevin Smith can pretty much do no wrong in my eyes, and I'm sure John feels the same. In fact, I'm sure John will be on here to do his own review before too long. But for me, Smith is at the top of his game when he sticks do what he knows best, and that is comedy. What makes Kevin Smith stand out is that he is one of the best wordsmiths in the business right now. He is a master of dialogue, right up there with Tarantino in my opinion. But it's the combination of raunchy sight gags with his ability to create three dimensional characters who talk like normal people that makes him unique. Zack and Miri, if set to the usual standards Smith has set with his previous work might rank right up there with some of his best.

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Favreau, Downey, and Cheadle Signed for Avengers Movie

According to a press release from Marvel Studios, John Favreau has been signed on to exec produce the upcoming Avengers movie, set to hit theaters in 2011. Robert Downey, Jr. is also set to reprise his role as Iron Man in the film in addition to playing the part in the Iron Man sequel. Don Cheadle is set to play War Machine in the Avengers movie, after Terence Howard's contract was not honored/renewed, whatever. More details on the story can be found by clicking HERE

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Punch Drunk Podcast: Episode #4

The Dynamic Duo cranked out two episodes in relatively short order! On this week's episode:

1. The impossible occurs and both John and Trav saw all three reviewed films! Will wonders never cease? Just in time for Halloween, it's Saw 5!
2. Bush Bashing is therapeutic and cathartic as the guys review Oliver Stone's, "W"!
3. Ed Norton. Colin Farrell. The director must've had a real headache on his hands! But how did our hosts fare in their review of Pride and Glory?
4. Hulk vs. The Avengers movie a done deal?
5. Trav reviews Jonathan Demme's new film, "Rachel Getting Married" starring Anne Hathaway.

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Happy Halloween Week from the Punch Drunk Critics

Yes yes ladies and gentleman it is finally upon us, that fanciful week where everyone can act like a kid again and pretend to be whoever they want. Halloween for me is the true mark of the begining of the holiday season, and easily the most fun of the three. So everyone that reads this I hope you let go of your adult inhibitions and have some fun! Watch some scary movies, dress up and head out to a party, or just decorate your own house to scare the neighborhood kids!! To help you get in the mood here is Bobby 'Boris' Pickett & the Cryptkickers with Monster Mash.

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Review: Rachel Getting Married

Movies about wedding preparations that are fraught with one disaster after another are nothing new. They tend to be comedies; they usually feature an ex-boyfriend who shows up out of the blue or a new better guy shows up to make the future husband less appealing; and they tend to never actually feel like any wedding that could ever take place in any civilized nation. So it's to this movie's credit, and in particular legendary director Jonathan Demme, that he has created one of the most engrossing and realistic portrayals of a family mere hours before the eldest daughter goes through her nuptials. Not that everything goes off without a hitch. What kinda movie would this be if there weren't problems? Major problems.

Crisis comes in the form of younger sister, Kym, played brilliantly by Anne Hathaway. Kym is the typical wild child of the family. A former model, Kym has found herself in and out of rehab for the better part of ten years. Now she's released to attend the wedding of her sister Rachel, and with her come years of pent up anger and tons of emotional baggage waiting to be dropped at everyone's doorstep. It's no coincidence that one of Kym's first acts is to knock over a bunch of chairs, causing a loud ruckus that disturbs the entire room, because that's exactly what she represents. She is the 800 pound gorilla, except the gorilla refuses to stay quiet, chain smokes, and is just a teeeeeeny bit selfish. Oh, and the gorilla is a bit of a drama queen. Kym can't enter a room without making everything about herself. A pivotal dinner scene in which guests are all singing the praises of the couple-to-be ends with Kym turning it into a stage for her to talk about her 12 Step Program.

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Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince International trailer!

This new trailer for the sixth Harry Potter movie has popped up online today. I am not ashamed to admit that I'm a fan of the series and really can't wait for this one. I really think the Potter movies, at least for me, are new Holiday classics, by that I mean movies that just feel right to watch on a cold winter day with the family all around. That being said this new one looks a bit less feel good and a bit more kick ass, though as shown by the last bit in the trailer it looks like it holds onto its lighthearted charm as well. It's really too bad they moved the release date back to next year, but I guess we can hold ourselves over with the other five movies until this one is released next summer.

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Review: W.

Anyone who's listened to our podcast or knows me personally knows the venom I hold towards our current President, whom I affectionately refer to as the Preztard. I think he's been a complete and utter disaster in every possible way, and as such I take a special pleasure when those far more gifted comically and intellectually than me take their shots at him. I expected Oliver Stone's new film, "W" to be just that. Instead what I got was a fair, sympathetic portrayal of a man who is less buffoon than he is an egotist. And dammit if it wasn't a better film because of it.

Let's be fair, it would've been easy to make a film that served only to lend credence to those of us (approximately 80% of the country) who think the Prez has failed. It's much more difficult to create a solid piece of historical fiction that paints the subject in a way totally unknown to the vast majority of Americans. Josh Brolin plays Bush as a deeply conflicted man, simultaneously boastful and sheepish within the span of mere moments. Bush is shown mainly in his developmental years, beginning during his fratboy days in college, then post graduation his most awkward time as he moves from job to job with the support of H.W. Bush. Perhaps "support" is the wrong word, as the relationship between the elder Bush and his son is strained at best. W often swings between craving his father's respect to borderline hatred as he tries to prove his father's judgement inferior to his own. It's the dichotomy between these two that is both the driving force of this film but also of W's entire life. H.W.'s disappointment in constantly being forced to bail out his son from one crisis or another is prevalent in virtually every scene the two of them share.

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Punch Drunk Podcast: Episode #3

Episode 3 of The Punch Drunk Podcast has finally made it's way to American shores! On this week's episode:

1. A busy show as the guys take a hard look at yet another video game to be turned into a feature film, Mark Wahlberg's "Max Payne!"

2. 80's nostaliga for sex comedies is the hot topic as the guys review "Sex Drive!"

3. John is the only one qualified to review "Quarantine"; Trav sits on the sidelines and dreams of Sophia Bush.

4. The guys reveal long hidden details on the original missing "Third Episode" of the Punch Drunk Podcast, thought lost in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 but found complete with short review of "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist"

5. The DVDs that Matter to Us

6. News on Terence Howard booted off of Iron Man 2, and why Don Cheadle could never wear the War Machine armor.

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Friday the 13th Teaser Trailer

Man...must be trailer day here at Punch Drunk Critics. This teaser premiered at the Scream awards on SPIKE earlier this week. There is one money shot in it, but nothing that really made me saw wow. It definatley has that Platinum Dunes feel to it, like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake only with a blue light filter instead of brown. Really though I am excited for this one, I'm really interested to see how fast moving Jason is going to be. I hope it translates as well as the running zombies from the Dawn of the Dead remake.

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New Notorious trailer

I've come across the new full length trailer for next years release Notorious. I'm very interested to see what you guys think about this, personally I'll be there on opening weekend but this second trailer has curbed by anticipation a bit. The guy playing Biggie looks like he'll be great but some of the other aspects just come off with a little extra cheese. It's hard to judge a performance from clips in a trailer but I have a feeling that Diddy's character will be just a bit over the top, when your source character is allready that much larger than life you have to play that performance as close to the line as possible or you risk doing a caricature. Still...I really wanna see this, chime in with your thoughts.

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Scream Awards Watchmen Footage

This is gonna turn into the unofficial Watchmen movie page if we keep this up, but I had to post the new footage they showed the other night at the Scream Awards on SpikeTV. Enjoy.

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New Watchmen Poster

Wow...must be poster day here at Punch Drunk Critics. Just came across this new Watchmen theatrical poster and had to share it. This thing looks awesome, there aren't really many movie posters that look like art but this is close. Taken from one of the coolest frames in the graphic novel, anyway...have a look.

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How did I not know about this?

So here is the one sheet for a new Clint Eastwood starring flick Gran Torino. I have not heard word one about this, most places I've looked are saying it's Dirty Harry 6... I dont know about that, doesn't really look like Harry Callahan but let us know if you know different. Seriously though...let's stop bringing back old action actors PLEASE. I thought Rambo and Rocky were good, Ahhhnold was almost laughable in T3 but pulled it off, but really look at this poster, am I the only one that thinks you could replace the rifle with a cane and put a quote above him saying "YOU DAMN KIDS STAY OFF MY LAWN!" and it wouldn't seem out of place?

UPDATE: Got some plot information from the good fellas over at /film this looks quite a bit more plausible than Dirty Harry 6, and quite honestly sounds like something I wouldn't mind seeing.

In the film, Eastwood plays a disgruntled racist Korean War vet named Walt Kowalski, who sets out to reform his neighbor, a young Hmong immigrant teenage neighbor (played by newcomer Bee Vang), who, as part of a gang initiation, tried to steal Kowalski’s prized possession: his 1972 Gran Torino.Walt ends up confronting prejudices that have isolated him. The poster shows Eastwood with his M-1 rifle in hand, standing in front of his Gran Torino.

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Review: Blindness

Two of my favorite movies of the last five years are City of God and The Constant Gardener. Both films were by Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles, who excels at presenting an unflinching look at the dark realities of being born poor with little to no future, as well as the boot crushing oppression being foisted upon these people by manipulative governments. Fernando's latest film, Blindness, somewhat falls into that same vein but it's more of a parable than the two previous films. It tells the story of a world in which the entire population has been stricken with a form of blindness. That is all except one person, played by the uber talented Julianne Moore.

The blindness strikes innocently and quietly at first: a single man driving along a busy city street. Then it spreads to the optometrist who treats him...the man who helped the driver get where he was going...and so forth. When her husband, the doctor who treated the first victim, goes blind himself and is to be herded along with dozens of others into a quarantine, Moore fakes blindness herself in order to be with her husband. She soon finds herself playing nursemaid to dozens of helpless others. What can only be described as a Lord of the Flies mentality begins to take shape inside the quarantine. More and more people are herded in, creating cramped conditions. Food is scarce as they are dependent on an evaporating government to feed them. They fend for themselves in squalid conditions, with feces and urine staining the walls, no clean clothes, and no form of entertainment. It's a combination set to explode at any time, and all Moore can do is watch it happen while the others remain blissfully unaware of just how horrible the situation is around them.

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Quarantine

To run down the plot Quarantine follows a field reporter with a local LA news station, who is shadowing a fire department squad for the night. All seems quiet when they finally get a call to what they think is going to be a basic medical emergency. They arrive at the apartment complex where the call originated and find an elderly woman in a zombie like state who attacks one of the already on scene police officers. When the group attempts to leave the building to get help for the downed officer they find that they have been locked in by the police and CDC. From here they enter a battle to survive with whatever it is that is infecting the residences of the apartment building.

Think The Blair Witch Project meets Outbreak meets Dawn of the Dead and you have Quarantine in a nutshell. In a cast of mostly no name actors the performances delivered were surprisingly effective given the material that they had to work with. This is by no means a ground breaking or altogether amazing movie, but I have to admit that I was on the edge of my seat for a majority of the movie. The tension is built using some of the old parlor tricks like people jumping out from nowhere, however the bulk of the creepiness came from two main things; the lack of action through a good part of the movie and the absence of any score. No, usually if I say a lack of action it’s going to be a bad thing, however for this movie it worked. Every time something starts to happen and you think its zero hour for everyone involved the terror begins to recede, the tension you feel waiting for something to happen does not. The lack of a score is, I think, one of the most underused tricks in the horror movie genre. Sure creepy music can intensify any feelings of dread, and shock scores like the famous Psycho theme will get you right to the point of being horrified but they really serve to keep you OUT of the movie and in your seat. Quarantine does an amazing job of having no musical cues at all which really keeps you in the movie, experiencing what the characters are experiencing. The flick is shot in the handheld style made famous by the previously mentioned The Blair Witch Project through the point of view of the news stations cameraman. Most of the time I find this style not only distracting but nauseating and just downright annoying, however Quarantine managed to do this in a way that only served the suspense and terror created by the story, I do have to admit that even though I didn’t mind it this time there still were some scenes where I though the shaking was a bit over done and it became a bit uncomfortable to watch. On the bad side for this one, like I said earlier you’re not seeing anything new. This really serves as a watch and forget it type movie that would be best viewed this time of year when everyone is looking for a good scare. Also, the actual story of how the whole “infection” began is glossed over very quickly and unless your paying really close attention to everything in the scene and everything that’s said you may just miss it totally, then again this may be another way to make you feel like your really there because really that’s all the characters in the flick get for an explanation.

Quarantine is a definite theater movie for this time of the year. If you plan on seeing a movie this weekend and you want to be on the edge of your seat for 90 or so minutes I would definitely recommend this film. However, if you don’t get out to see it this weekend I would just wait for the DVD as there are a bunch of more Halloween flavored flicks coming out over the next two weeks.

7/10 for a good scare
5/10 for a good movie

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Review: Appaloosa

Ed Harris is bringing the Western back. Or atleast he's trying to. In Appaloosa, his second crack at directing and starring in a film since 2000's Pollock, Harris has made a concerted effort to recapture the glory of the old style western. The most recent attempts at this genre such as The Proposition, Seraphim Falls, and even as far back as Unforgiven have mostly been in the revisionist category, using that time period to poke a sharp stick at the ideals of the time. Not so with Appaloosa, which is all machismo, all the time, and for the most part it works.

Harris plays Virgil Cole, a travelling lawman alongside his best friend and deputy, Everett Hitch, played perfectly by Viggo Mortensen. Cole and Hitch have just accepted a new job as protectors of the city of Appaloosa, an eyeblink of a town with roughly more tumbleweeds than actual citizens. They just found out that the previous sheriff, an old friend, had been gunned down by a local band of thugs led by Randall Bragg(Jeremy Irons). Obviously, revenge must be sought, otherwise what kinda film would this be?

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Review: Religulous

Bill Maher shouldn't be where he is today. It's hard for me to fathom that the guy who I found so irritating as a stand up comic and lame supporting character in bad 80's comedies is now the same man I make a point to watch every single week on HBO. His standup, when focused on more generic topics, is still grating, but when he turns his attentions to politics and religion it's like he's speaking directly to me. Like me, Maher was raised in a religious household but eventually turned away from it for various reasons. Like me, he's not so much an atheist as an agnostic. He wants answers to some very important questions, and in his new documentary Religulous he attempts to get some.

One of the major criticisms levied against Bill Maher is that he pokes too much fun at people just for having faith. I never found this to be true, but I was worried that Religulous might validate some of those arguments. Afterall this is a comedy directed by Larry Charles of Borat fame, a film which had some of the same complaints made about it. However, I needn't have worried.

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A tuesday morning laugh for you!

These mix up trailers are usually a dime a dozen, but every once in a while you'll get one that stands out. This Toy Story/The Dark Knight mash up does such a great job matching fitting scenes, and the choice of voice to cast matching is hillarious!

Check it out....

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Review: Miracle at St. Anna

Spike Lee is one of the best directors of our or any generation. His socially conscious yet fully realized films have produced some of the most iconic images of the past twenty years. Yet I've always found certain aspects of his work to be less than fulfilling. I've taken most of my pleasure in the films that weren't clearly tailored to mainstream audiences. My favorite films of his are School Daze, Do the Right Thing, and 25th Hour. Lee's last two films, Inside Man and Miracle at St. Anna, are clearly grabs at a larger audience, and to some degree I found them both wanting.

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Punch Drunk Podcast: Episode #2

Episode #2 of the Punch Drunk Podcast will hereafter be known as the Ethan Embry Memorial Episode....

On this week's show:

1. A review of Shia Lebouf and Michelle Monaghan in Eagle Eye..

2. Frank discussion on the career trajectory of the former star of Can't Hardly Wait, Ethan Embry...

3. New DVD releases, featuring more Ethan Embry chatter with the release of Can't Hardly Wait on Blu-Ray. Oh, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Iron Man came out also.

4. The latest news on Ghostbusters 3 and a prequel to I Am Legend...

5. Trav is outed as a closet Bill O'Reilly fan. Not!!!!

6. So much babbling that the guys completely forgot the Love This/Eff That segment. It'll be back next week.

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Review: Sex Drive

Review: Sex Drive
Ian is a 17 year old socially awkward virgin who spends his time going to school, working at a donut kiosk in the mall, and chatting online with the unbelievably hot ‘Ms. Tasty’. Ian’s days of everlasting virginity seem to be at an end when Ms. Tasty invites him to come to Knoxville and meet up. With his best friend Lance and Felicia, the girl his attentions should be on, Ian sets out on a road trip to manhood with plenty of potholes along the way.

Sure, the plot sounds like about 10,000 other teen sex road trip comedies out there but sometimes it’s not about what you do, but how you do it. Sex Drive is a glowing beer covered example that if you make up for in laughs what you lack in originality you can still have an extremely enjoyable and entertaining movie. The first ten minutes alone are worth the price of admission and perfectly setup Ian’s somewhat pathetic existence. I don’t know who thought of a talking donut suit with a sombrero but whoever you are, you sir are a genius. James Marsden plays Ian’s older somewhat abusive alpha male brother who is one part Chuck Norris and two parts Midwestern homophobic, football player stereotype. Marsden really shows that he has some comedic chops even if they are of the low brow slapstick variety. Also making a hilarious appearance is Seth Green as the helpful but hyper sarcastic Amish guy Ezekiel… as a matter of fact the entire Amish angle really adds to the hilarity of the movie. The only real problem I had with this movie was the best friend character Lance. He is made out to be this Lord of the Ladies lothario, but looks like the result of Jonah Hill and Rosie O’Donnell having a kid. Maybe they were trying to say something about having confidence or maybe the writer’s made the choice just to be ironic, but I couldn’t buy him or his storyline. The character was funny, but I really think they should have just made him the fat geeky friend of the geek instead of this bloated ladies man it’s not like they were trying to break new ground in the teen sex comedy genre so why not just stick to the tried and true formula?

I will not be surprised when this movie comes out and takes off thanks to word of mouth praise similar to the way American Pie did back in ’99. I highly recommend this flick to any fans of the genre, or just anybody who enjoys low brow, slapstick comedy get out and see this movie. Don’t be surprised when October 31st rolls around and there are a bunch of sombrero clad donuts at whatever party you decide to attend. Viva La Mexican Asshole!!!

8/10

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Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Review: Nick and Norah’s Infintie Playlist

To rundown the plot, Nick is a heartbroken teenager who was recently dumped by the way too hot for him Triss. In several failed attempts to win her back Nick has made Triss mix tapes which have caught the eyes (or ears I guess) of Norah, a pseudo-friend of Triss’s. When we first see Nick he is holed up in his room leaving messages for Triss and is only coaxed out to do a gig with his band by the news that his favorite band, Fluffy, is doing a secret show somewhere in New York City. The movie then follows the group through the night as a series of coincidences put Nick and Norah together in NYC looking for Norah’s drunken friend and the secret show as well as answers to the questions posed by their newfound feelings for each other.

Michael Cera is an unlikely movie star, that’s what this movie has taught me. That is if you define a movie star as an actor that makes any movie he’s in watchable, despite the material. Nick and Norah is by no means a bad movie but Cera’s delivery has a way of making even mediocre lines laugh out loud funny. As a whole the movie is pretty predictable and follows the date movie template very closely with a side of hyper trendiness. Still, the cast makes the material enjoyable; Kat Dennings has a weird attractiveness about her that really grows on you. Caroline, Norah’s inebriated friend, is the comedic hidden gem of the film and Nick’s band mates, who are all gay, provide laughs in every scene they are in. Norah’s inebriated pal Caroline is a real hidden gem in this and brings with her not only the c The only real problems I had with this movie are issues that you see in most every romantic comedy but this one just felt like it was going to go for more realism and failed. Problem #1 is the ex girlfriend, the girl that plays Triss is about 80x’s too hot for Micheal Cera’s emo bass player even with the “I’m in a band” thing working on his side. Second is how quickly these intense strong feelings develop to the point where both parties are ready to forget whatever was bad in their lives before they met their new love. I get it, there’s only 90 minutes to tell the story and you want to have a happy ending, cool, fine. Can we at least make it believable?

All in all if you’re headed out for a first date this weekend or just want some time to enjoy a sweet story with your significant other check out Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. It’s an enjoyable albeit run of the mill story made just a little better by the great performances of the cast.

6/10

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Review: Towelhead

I learned three things while watching Towelhead the other day:

1. Alan Ball is one fucked up dude. Between this, Six Feet Under, and American Beauty I scarcely can think of a creator with a more twisted outlook on suburban life in America.

2. Aaron Eckhart is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors. He's even good in crapfests like The Core and The Black Dahlia.

3. I saw more blood in this film than I'm likely to see in Max Payne. And that's just sad.

Towelhead tells the story of Jasira, a half-Lebanese girl living in America with her strict father. Jasira's mother is self absorbed and emotionally unstable. When her boyfriend touches Jasira inappropriately, she blames Jasira and ships her off to live with her father. Jasira's father, Rifat, is a completely different kind of crazy. He's strict in his rules when it comes to Jasira, but lax when they apply to himself. He openly slaps and hits Jasira for minor infractions. He defends her to others, then chastises her in private for the same thing.

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