February 2009 Archives

Reasons The Neverending Story Remake Is a Bad Idea

by Angel Cohn February 27, 2009 3:14 PM
Reasons The Neverending Story Remake Is a Bad Idea

Here's the thing about the film The Neverending Story -- the effects are completely terrible by today's standards. The scenes of Atreyu riding on Falkor are so blue-screened it is ridiculous. However, this remains one of my favorite fantasy films. The puppets and the characters are believable (despite the low-budget nature), and it's just such a sweet story. It holds a special place in my heart, and after watching it in my adulthood, it actually holds up as a touching tale. Nice job, Wolfgang Petersen! (It makes me want to erase that whole Poseidon debacle from my mind.) While the film only covers half of the ground from Michael Ende's novel, it's to be expected when trying to condense this big story into a two-hour plot. However, there's someone out there who thinks they can remake this classic film, while incorporating more of the novel. Good luck.

10 Unlikely Movies You Should Watch Before Watchmen

by Tippi Blevins February 27, 2009 11:56 AM
10 Unlikely Movies You Should Watch Before Watchmen

Are you eagerly counting down the days until next Friday's Watchmen release? Are you looking for a way to pass the time? You could gorge yourself on past superhero movies to prepare yourself for the inevitable comparisons and dissections. Or you could give these somewhat unlikely movies a gander to examine things from a slightly different perspective.

Street Fighter: The Legendary Box Office Failure of Chun-Li

by Zach Oat February 26, 2009 3:57 PM
Street Fighter: The Legendary Box Office Failure of Chun-Li

It's finally here -- Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li comes out this weekend, and we cannot imagine a more poorly put-together movie. First of all, it stars Kristin Kreuk, and we can only imagine that they chose her because she was the only actress with Asian heritage who was willing to take the role. But on top of that, it appears as if every single element of this movie was designed for failure. Yes, we realize it's a movie based on a video game, and the last time they made it into a movie it starred Jean-Claude Van Damme, but still, doesn't anybody even try to make a good movie anymore? Even Super Mario Bros. with Dennis Hopper and Jon Leguizamo had high production values. Here's our list of the seven things that will make Street Fighter a legendary failure.

The Jonas Brothers in 3-D: Dear God, Why?

by Zach Oat February 25, 2009 4:01 PM
The Jonas Brothers in 3-D: Dear God, Why?

OMG, you guys -- Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience is coming out this weekend, and we are soooo psyched. ...Just kidding, we aren't psyched. In fact we're trying to ignore it, because we hate their music and we hate their haircuts and we hate the fact that they seem to be the most popular band in America today. Not since Hanson mmmbopped their way into our spleens have we hated a band this much, and before you say that the Jonas Brothers are much better than Hanson, let us point out that that's like saying that Miley Cyrus is a better actress than Amanda Bynes. Since their popularity shows no sign of waning any time soon, we decided to brainstorm some ideas for Jonas Brothers 3D movies we'd actually like to see. Hopefully, the producers will take our suggestions to heart when extending the franchise.

Michael Cera's Arrested Development Contract Revealed!

by Lauren Gitlin February 25, 2009 3:56 PM
Michael Cera's Arrested Development Contract Revealed! It's official: the Arrested Development movie is happening! After months of hemming and hawing from one Michael Cera (aka George Michael Bluth), the lone player refusing to sign on to the film, homeboy has finally agreed to do the damn thing. (Mitchell Hurwitz said he wouldn't move forward on a script unless he had all of the original cast members on board.) Over the course of these last tortured months, I found myself asking what the hell was going on with young Mr. Cera. Since when do retiring milquetoast hipsters turn into demanding divas that hold up production of a movie fans have been campaigning for since the beloved show got canceled? Why would Cera, whose public persona has always been affably awkward, essentially bad-mouth the show that made him a star? And you think you know a person. I've pieced together the hellishly demanding terms of his contract in the hopes of revealing MC's true nature.

Watchmen: What You Can Learn From Books

by Zach Oat February 24, 2009 12:41 PM
Watchmen: What You Can Learn From Books

You can learn a lot by reading. But we're not talking about history books or science books -- that stuff's for squares. No, we mean you can learn a lot about movies by reading their book tie-ins before you go to see them. Not only are they packed with spoilers, they sometimes have intriguing behind-the-scenes information you wouldn't know otherwise. Such is the case with the two lavishly illustrated Watchmen movie tie-in books: Watchmen: The Art of the Film and Watchmen: The Film Companion. Read on, and check out the ten (non-spoilery) things we learned about the movie from these info-packed tomes.

Oscar Coverage Round-Up!

by Zach Oat February 23, 2009 9:40 AM
Oscar Coverage Round-Up!

Last night, the TWoP staff were busy little beavers, building damns (and other mild cuss words) to create the snarkiest coverage of the Oscars to be found on the Internet. Not only did we Liveblog the entire event, commenting on each and every moment of the show worth noting, we also have a guide to the Best and Worst Moments! Fashion your thing? Or maybe just making fun of what people are wearing? Then check out our gallery of the Best and Worst Fashions of the night! It's breathtakingly judgmental and resplendent! And, of course, to simply see who won everything without the snark, click here.

Academy Award Winners

by Angel Cohn February 22, 2009 8:46 PM
Academy Award Winners

Have something better to do with the next 12 hours of your life and can't be bothered watching the Oscars? Can't say as we blame you. Keep checking here as we'll update the winners as they happen.

Winners:
Best Picture - Slumdog Millionaire
Best Actor - Sean Penn in Milk
Best Actress - Kate Winslet in The Reader
Director -- Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - Heath Ledger in Dark Knight
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role -- Penélope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Best Foreign Film -- Departures (Japan)
Original Song -- "Jai Ho" -- Slumdog Millionaire
Original Score -- Slumdog Millionaire
Filming Editing -- Slumdog Millionaire
Sound Mixing -- Slumdog Millionaire
Sound Editing - Dark Knight
Outstanding Visual Effects -- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Documentary Feature -- Man on Wire
Best Documentary Short Subject -- Smile Pinki
Best Short Film (Live Action) -- Spielzeugland (Toyland)
Achievement in Cinematography -- Slumdog Millionaire, Anthony Dod Mantle
Achievement in Makeup -- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Achievement in Costume Design -- The Duchess
Art Direction -- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Animated Short Film -- La Maison de Petits Cubes
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year -- WALL-E
Original Screenplay -- Milk, Written by Dustin Lance Black
Adapted Screenplay -- Slumdog Millionaire, Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy
Ten Ways Mickey Rourke's Life Will Change If He Wins the Oscar

After nearly two decades spent in B-movies, thankless roles and boxing rings, Mickey Rourke is once again being praised for his acting, and he stands on the brink of winning the most prestigious acting award in the land -- the Academy Award for Best Actor. If he wins, it's a total game-changer, and his life and career have the potential to improve dramatically. We've thought about it, and come up with a list of ways that Rourke's life will change once he's holding that little gold statue in his hands.

Watchmen: Watch and Learn

by Zach Oat February 19, 2009 9:36 AM
Watchmen: Watch and Learn

Watchmania is upon us! The world has reached its saturation point with three trailers, nine movie clips and 20-odd posters promoting the upcoming Watchmen film (due out March 6), and the storyline seems more confusing than ever. If you haven't read the comics the movie is based on, all you know is that there's guys in costume running around and acting all serious. Well, we decided to put together a little guide to the world and characters of Watchmen for those who just want to know what the hell it's about and who in the hell these people are. In fact, we've titled it Watchmen: Just Who in the Hell Are They, Anyway? Check it out, and let us know what you think in the comments below.

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