Co-directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller reunite to bring Miller’s visually stunning [[[Sin City]]] graphic novels back to the screen in SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR. Weaving together two of Miller’s classic stories with new tales, the town’s most hard boiled citizens cross paths with some of its more notorious inhabitants. SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR is the follow up to Rodriguez and Miller’s 2005 groundbreaking film.
SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR will be in theaters August 22, 2014.
In a short period of time, two 20th anniversary box sets have been released, both using XX in their titles. The wonderful Canadian band Great Big Sea just had their celebratory two-disc set come out and now comes Tarantino XX, a more appropriately named set, commemorating the filmmaker’s two decades in the business.
Quentin Tarantino began like so many of did, obsessed with movies and television and pop culture. His tastes ran along the fringes such as the Hong Kong martial arts fare and the Blaxploitation films of the 1970s. A walking, talking cornucopia of film lore, he was the perfect video store employee, never at a loss for a recommendation regardless of taste. He fortunately turned those interests to filmmaking, bringing his knowledge and passion to screenplays for others and his own works.
If you had to write one line about his work it would be “Always shoot first, ask questions later” as his films are often violent blood fests. For those who appreciate his storytelling skills, you accept and enjoy the bloodshed since it’s all so over the top as to be step over the line between real violence and cartoon violence. Instead, you’re captivated by seeing fresh ideas, original and memorable characters who spout crackling, idiosyncratic dialogue.
He made us sit up and pay attention to his skills with Reservoir Dogs, a blend of mayhem and character that was filled with excellent dialogue and sharply delineated characters. After that, he came out with the brilliant Pulp Fiction and he became an actor’s director, always giving them something unusual and fun to play. As a result, his movies have been stuffed with actors from all corners of Hollywood, having the time of their lives. Why? It’s because his films are tightly structured pieces that pays as much attention to structure as it does to dialogue, making these riveting experiences.
The box set contains all seven films from his director’s chair – Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill Parts 1 and 2, Death Proof (Tarantino’s contribution to Grindhouse), Inglorious Basterds, plus True Romance which he wrote but the late Tony Scott directed. All that’s really missing is “The Man from Hollywood” segment of Four Rooms. While all have been previously released on Blu-ray and come complete with their usual extras, the box comes with five hours of new material spread over two discs. The films look and sound as one would expect so there’s nothing to fear about keeping your originals but for Tarantino fans, the extra material is worth having. For anyone with gaps in their collection, the box is well worth having and revisiting before seeing Django Unchained later this month.
Disc one contains the complete unedited version of the Critics’ Corner: The Films of Quentin Tarantino (4:50). Much of this has been sprinkled throughout the extras of many of the solo releases but you can hear some interesting critical thoughts from Scott Foundus, Stephanie Zacharek, Tim Lucas and Andy Klein. They work their way through Tarantino’s films, one by one, and their insights are useful in placing the films in context. It’s not all laudatory as the talking heads express preferences for some films and rejections of others while still appreciating the craft. Many interesting insights are offered up such as the alternate reality World War II tale, Basterds is all about language.
The second disc begins with Quentin Tarantino: 20 Years of Filmmaking (2:13), a fabulous career retrospective that traces his career from initial screenplays to first sale. Lawrence Bender, Robert Rodriguez, Pam Grier and Robert Forster show up to tell some funny anecdotes while Stacey Sher compares Tarantino to Roger Corman which is probably high praise to Tarantino even if I find it a little off the mark. Sally Menke, Tarantino’s perennial editor nicely receives her due here. Then there is Jackie Brown Q&A: A Film Independent at LACMA Event (32:15) as columnist Elvis Mitchell talks with Grier, Forster and Tarantino. Pleasant but nothing earthshattering here. We’re rounded out with Django Unchained—Coming Soon (10:43) which is a collection of trailers.
If you’re like me, who loves the musical stings that harken back to other projects or adore seeing character actors given something fresh to do and don’t mind the violence and gore, then you’ll probably appreciate sitting down with this fine set.
While fans continue to rally against explosion producer Michael Bay with his continual nerd-prodding over the recent announcement of the ‘Ninja Turtles’, it seems Bay can’t get enough of the hate. At a recent Transformers: Dark of the Moon Collectors Edition release and signing event at a soon-to-be closed Best Buy in San Paulo, California, Bay dropped a few more details on the upcoming Turtles release.
“We’re taking the best of the property, and trimming off all of the fat. The movie is really sharply written. I know the fans are clamoring against us, but they don’t know all the details. The flick will be equal parts Sin City and Avatar. We have a large part of it ready for pre-production. We’re bringing in [Robert] Rodriguez in to help run the set-shots for the black and white stuff. I’ll be assisting on the 3-D effects. Trust me, seriously, once you see Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo in their Shell Power Suits… you know it’ll be worth all this hype.”
Fans continued to press Bay with questions. One spectator, donning head to toe TMNT merchandise pushed to the front of the line to ask (quite angrily) “What about Donatello?!”
Bay, normally a very jovial celebrity turned cold at the question, and quickly snapped back “Like I said, we trimmed off all the fat,” and had his escort take him out of the back of the store.
Well, just over a year after Avatar encouraged the Hollywood machine to overhype 3-D movies to the point where the fad is already fading fast, the hunt is on for the next great thing. Dimension Films thinks they have the solution, announcing that this summer’s fourth installment of the Spy Kids franchise will introduce the fourth dimension with Aromascope.
Of course, adding smells to movie (as opposed to movies that just smell) is nothing new, dating back to 1906 when canny filmmakers scented cotton wool and placed them in front of ventilators. Much as is happening now, after 3-D faded in the 1950s, people sought new gimmicks ot keep people away from the television and flocking to the theater. Italian director Carlo Lizzani called his process “AromaRama” and used it to screen Behind the Great Wall, a travelogue through China.
Hans Laube createdSmell-O-Vision used in 1960’s Scent of Mystery. Thirty different odors were released at key points during this thriller.
And there was John Waters weho had people scratch and sniff in the 1980s.
So really, everything that’s old is new again.
For the curious, here’s the Dimension release:
New York, NY, June 24, 2011 – Dimension Films announced today that SPY KIDS: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD is taking moviegoers to a whole new dimension in 4D with Aromascope.
Cutting edge filmmaker and director of the highly popular SPY KIDS franchise, Robert Rodriguez, was one of the first to re-introduce audiences to 3D since its inception in the 1950s. After many years away from the cultural mindset Rodriguez brought back a whole new wave and rebirth of 3D into mainstream cinema in 2003 with SPY KIDS 3-D: GAME OVER. The film impressed and entertained audiences and went on to gross close to $200 million. (more…)
On August 19, Robert Rodriguez takes his [[[Spy Kids]]] on a fourth mission, All the Time in the World.
The film’s synopsis:
On the surface, Marissa Cortez Wilson (Jessica Alba) has it all…married to a famous spy hunting television reporter, a new baby and intelligent twin step kids. But in reality, trying to mother Rebecca (Rowan Blanchard) and Cecil (Mason Cook), who clearly don’t want her around, is her toughest challenge yet. Also, her husband, Wilbur (Joel McHale), wouldn’t know a spy if he lived with one which is exactly the case – Marissa’s a retired secret agent.
Marissa’s world is turned upside down when the maniacal Timekeeper (Jeremy Piven) threatens to take over the planet and she’s called back into action by the head of OSS, home of the greatest spies and where the now-defunct Spy Kids division was created. With Armageddon quickly approaching, Rebecca and Cecil are thrust into action when they learn their boring stepmom was once a top agent and now the world’s most competitive ten year olds are forced to put their bickering aside and rely on their wits. With a little help from a couple of very familiar Spy Kids, Carmen (Alexa Vega) and Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabara), and some mind-blowing gadgets, they just may be able to save the world and possibly bring their family together while they’re at it.
The cast includes Jessica Alba, Joel McHale, Jeremy Piven, Ricky Gervais, Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, Rowan Blanchard, Mason Cook, Danny Trejo, and Antonio Banderas.
Frank Miller and Eva Mendes are doing the rounds of interviews as the December 25 premier of The Spirit inches closer and journalists are seeking every shred of information about future projects from the director and actress including both returning for SinCity 2, the long-awaited sequel to 2005’s Sin City.
At IGN, Miller said, “Sin City 2 is written. It’s mainly a matter of working out the details of the production. I’m hoping to do it with Robert Rodriguez again in the same circumstances that we did the first one, and we could begin shooting again as early as April.” The script is said to be adapting the graphic novels A Dame to Kill For which as a prequel to prequel to The Hard Goodbye. The focus will be on Blue Eyes and the Old Town Girls while a new Nancy Callahan (Jessica Alba) story will be included.
Rosario Dawson confirmed to IESB that she will return as Gail while Mendes has told the press she’ll also be back.
Mickey Rourke told MTV last week he’s ready to return as Marv but then Superherohype reported this weekend that Rourke has no interest in returning. Could he not like the script or be holding out for more money? Who can say?
The fact remains that the film still needs to sort out accreditation issues with the director’s guild.
Brett Ratner gets his name attached to a lot of films, some by design and some through association. When he took a meeting Nu Image regarding the Conan the Barbarian film, it was suddenly reported everywhere that Ratner was no attached to the film.
According to the Latino Review, Nu Image was talking to Ratner as one of many directors being considered for the revival of Robert E. Howard’s immortal character. Other directors spoken to include Neil Marshall, James McTeigue, The Strause Brothers, Mark Neveldine, Robert Rodriguez and Brian Taylor. Next on their shopping list is Juan Carlos Fresnadillo.
While Rodriguez is reportedly the most rabidly interested, given his association with the companion Red Sonja film, he’s booked way beyond Nu Image’s time frame.
Entertainment Weekly has posted a load of video interviews from Comic-Con, including a handful with Stephanie Meyer, creator of the Twilight novels, which have been made into a film.
Teen-age girls, commence your screaming.
Another guest to the interview room includes Hugh Jackman, who surprised everyone when he showed up to talk about X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The interview with him is right here.
Then, of course, there’s a collection of Watchmen interviews, with the first being r
Frank Miller’s adaptation of The Spirit won’t hit theaters until January 16, 2009, but the marketing hype is already underway. The first outdoor artwork posters for the upcoming movie have been revealed and are highly reminiscent of the visual style employed by Miller’s Sin City.
The film is an adaptation of Will Eisner’s popular comic series about a cop that returns from the dead in order to fight the criminal element in Central City.
Miller shared credit with Robert Rodriguez on the adaptation of Sin City, but The Spirit marks his solo debut in the director’s chair. The film stars Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Paulson, Paz Vega, Jaime King and Eva Mendes.
High resolution photos of the posters can be viewed at Superhero Hype.
Director Robert Rodriguez will be directing the remake of Barbarella.
The director of such hits as Sin City and From Dusk To Dawn, well-known for his low budget on-time green screen work, has put Babs on his schedule alongside The Jetsons (live action) and Sin City 2, which has been in pre-production for a while. Casino Royale writers Neal Pervis and Robert Wade will be scripting, and Dino De Laurentiis will be repeating his duties as producer. Production is scheduled to start next year. Jane Fonda is not expected to be cast as the lead once again, although a villain role has not been ruled out.
To tie into the movie, the original Barbarella comics stories by Jean Claude Forest will be re-released in two volumes; material that had never been published in English will be included.
While fans continue to rally against explosion producer Michael Bay with his continual nerd-prodding over the recent announcement of the ‘Ninja Turtles’, it seems Bay can’t get enough of the hate. At a recent Transformers: Dark of the Moon Collectors Edition release and signing event at a soon-to-be closed Best Buy in San Paulo, California, Bay dropped a few more details on the upcoming Turtles release.
Frank Miller and Eva Mendes are doing the rounds of interviews as the December 25 premier of The Spirit inches closer and journalists are seeking every shred of information about future projects from the director and actress including both returning for Sin City 2, the long-awaited sequel to 2005’s Sin City.
Brett Ratner gets his name attached to a lot of films, some by design and some through association. When he took a meeting Nu Image regarding the Conan the Barbarian film, it was suddenly reported everywhere that Ratner was no attached to the film.
Entertainment Weekly has posted a load of video interviews from Comic-Con, including 
Frank Miller’s adaptation of The Spirit won’t hit theaters until January 16, 2009, but the marketing hype is already underway. The first outdoor artwork posters for the upcoming movie have been revealed and are highly reminiscent of the visual style employed by Miller’s Sin City.
