Another Summer, another reason to pony up cash at the local cinema (not to mention outrageous prices at the concession stands). This year is going to be pretty interesting, compared to last year's Sequel-fest. There's a lot of interesting films making their way to theaters this Summer, (unfortunately, some that I'm looking forward to don't look like they'll be making their way to my small town in the middle of nowhere). So here's a list of a few movies being released this season that I think deserve some mention [Summaries courtesy of IMBD.com]...
Son of Rambow (5/2):
[Set on a long English summer in the early 80's, Son Of Rambow is a comedy about friendship, faith and the weird business of growing up.]
Ok, so this film already came out earlier this month. I saw the trailer for this a few months back and thought it looked really cool. It's these kinda unpopular kids who see 'First Blood' and want to make their own sequel to the movie, and they start getting more recognition by their peers. Seems pretty feel-goodish.
The Tracey Fragments (5/9):
[15-year-old Tracey Berkowitz is naked under a shower curtain at the back of a bus, looking for her little brother Sonny, who thinks he's a dog.]
It's sad to see a movie that looks promising getting bad reviews from critics. Ellen Page plays Tracey in a movie that looks very dark, and quite original.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (5/23):
[Famed archaeologist/adventurer Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones is called back into action when he becomes entangled in a Soviet plot to uncover the secret behind mysterious artifacts known as the Crystal Skulls.]
Soviets instead of Nazis? WTF?! I was not looking forward to this movie, but my love for Raiders of the Lost Ark, along with liking Shia LeBeouf as an actor, is going to drag me to seeing this movie in the end.
War, Inc. (5/23):
John Cusack takes what works for him in his typical love story movies, and uses the setting of a Middle East nation, as Cusack plays an assassin hired to kill an oil minister. It looks absolutely ridiculous and Hillary Duff plays a sexy Middle Eastern pop idol. What's not to love?!
The Happening (6/13):
[A paranoid thriller about a family on the run from a natural crisis that presents a large-scale threat to humanity.]
Marky Mark takes lead in this M. Night Shyamalan film about a mysterious phenomenon causing people to kill themselves. Looks spooky, and loads of fun! A GUY FALLS IN FRONT OF A COMBINE HARVESTER, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!
The Incredible Hulk (6/13):
This is a title I'm unsure about. I'm not a fan of The Hulk, but a total do-over of Marvel's 2003 crapfest is a plus. That, and I have a slight man-crush for Edward Norton. >_>
Get Smart (6/20):
[Maxwell Smart, Agent 86 for CONTROL, battles the forces of KAOS with the more-competent Agent 99 at his side.]
I remember watching this show on TV Land. It was like James Bond, if Mel Brooks put his spin on it. Actually...that's really what the show was: Mel Brooks' take on secret agents. The movie has Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway. Should be a good combo.
Wall-E (6/27):
[The year is 2700. WALL*E, a robot, spends every day doing what he was made for. But soon, he will discover what he was meant for.]
Pixar. Need I say more?
Wanted (6/27):
["Wanted" tells the tale of one apathetic nobody's transformation into an unparalleled enforcer of justice...]
Over-the-top action movie with Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman. Funny thing is James McAvoy, the nobody in the movie, is practically one in real life. This movie could be promising for his career.
Hancock (7/4):
[A hard-living superhero who has fallen out of favor with the public enters into a questionable relationship with the wife of the public relations professional who's trying to repair his image.]
A washed-up superhero movie? Sounds intriguing. I'm still iffy about how the movie will be, but the concept itself sounds cool enough...
The Dark Knight (7/18):
[Batman and James Gordon join forces with Gotham's new District Attorney, Harvey Dent, to take on a psychotic bank robber known as The Joker, whilst other forces plot against them, and Joker's crimes grow more and more deadly.]
I'm a little ashamed by the fact that I didn't even have to look up the release date for this movie. I've been waiting for July 18th to get here for so long! If you can't tell, I'm really anticipating this film! It'll be amazing!
Midnight Meat Train (8/1):
New York photographer stakes out a serial killer who kills his victims on trains at night. Seems like a good thriller movie to me.
The Pineapple Express (8/8):
[A stoner and his dealer are forced to go on the run from the police after the pothead witnesses a cop commit a murder.]
Stoner Flick with Seth Rogen and James Franco. Not a movie for the intellectual mind, but if you can dumb it down for a couple hours, it seems like it could be funny.
Tropic Thunder (8/15):
[Through a series of freak occurrences, a group of actors shooting a big-budget war movie are forced to become the soldiers they are portraying.]
Big 'Apocalypse Now'-type movie being filmed, actors (Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downy Jr. (who undergoes cosmetic surgery in the film to play the black role)) get involved in actual warfare situations, but think they are in a controlled environment. Zoolander meets Hollywood.
Hamlet 2 (8/22):
[In this irreverent comedy, a failed actor-turned-worse-high-school-drama teacher (Coogan) rallies his Tucson, AZ students as he conceives and stages a politically incorrect musical sequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet.]
Silly business. Nothing more.
A good list of films, plus many more coming out if you none of these picks interest you. Enjoy your Summer at the movies!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
RamblingSimon Rants About: Michael Hollick
In the New York Times yesterday, they had this article about Michael Hollick, the voice actor for Niko Bellic, the lead character in the new Grand Theft Auto 4 video game by Rockstar Games.
Because I know nobody and their nonexistent grandmother's are going to click that link and read it for themselves, let me just summarize it. In a nutshell, Michael Hollick got paid $100,000 for his role for 20 weeks of work. Now that the game has grossed over $600 million in the last three weeks, Hollick and other voice actors from the game are coming out to express how upset they are over the fact that they are getting no residuals or royalties from this boom.
For once, I'm not siding with the little guy here. I'm fearing the worst: I might be becoming conservative and pro-big business.
There was no way of determining the commercial success of the game over a year ago when contracts were drawn up. Had the game sales been mediocre, Hollick probably wouldn't have his panties up in a bunch about this. Instead, he's like every other greedy bastard out there who wants another buck. The guy got ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS for talking! I make $7.50 an hour serving food to the general public! No sympathies here. They all signed contracts saying they'd get paid this much a day and not make royalties or residuals. It should have been negotiated beforehand.
Yes, the game is worth much more than $100,000 and had they predicted such huge turnouts he should've been paid more, but that's just it: that's indeterminable! Now that it's a huge success, you can't expect Rockstar Games to willingly pass out free money to voice actors. Yes, some of the money goes into undeserving corporate pockets, but most of that money goes into research and development, to make bigger and better games so corporate pockets can be filled again LATER! Gotta think long-run in that industry...
I'm aware that voice actors do get screwed over in their business, but I also enjoyed Grand Theft Auto 3, when the main protagonist was SILENT. I have yet to play GTA4, but unless his voice is like a gift from the heaven's, I'm doubting it was extremely important to have it, minus making it easier to progress through the game's main storyline. Voice actors are good to have, but they DO NOT play as integral of role to the game as elements such as gameplay and graphics.
This is NOT a personal attack on Michael Hollick or any of the other voice actors. I agree they got screwed over, considering the success of the game, but their contract said nothing about residuals. It sucks, but you guys signed it. Even if it couldn't be negotiated, do you REALLY need more than $100,000, Mr. Hollick?
Because I know nobody and their nonexistent grandmother's are going to click that link and read it for themselves, let me just summarize it. In a nutshell, Michael Hollick got paid $100,000 for his role for 20 weeks of work. Now that the game has grossed over $600 million in the last three weeks, Hollick and other voice actors from the game are coming out to express how upset they are over the fact that they are getting no residuals or royalties from this boom.
For once, I'm not siding with the little guy here. I'm fearing the worst: I might be becoming conservative and pro-big business.
There was no way of determining the commercial success of the game over a year ago when contracts were drawn up. Had the game sales been mediocre, Hollick probably wouldn't have his panties up in a bunch about this. Instead, he's like every other greedy bastard out there who wants another buck. The guy got ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS for talking! I make $7.50 an hour serving food to the general public! No sympathies here. They all signed contracts saying they'd get paid this much a day and not make royalties or residuals. It should have been negotiated beforehand.
Yes, the game is worth much more than $100,000 and had they predicted such huge turnouts he should've been paid more, but that's just it: that's indeterminable! Now that it's a huge success, you can't expect Rockstar Games to willingly pass out free money to voice actors. Yes, some of the money goes into undeserving corporate pockets, but most of that money goes into research and development, to make bigger and better games so corporate pockets can be filled again LATER! Gotta think long-run in that industry...
I'm aware that voice actors do get screwed over in their business, but I also enjoyed Grand Theft Auto 3, when the main protagonist was SILENT. I have yet to play GTA4, but unless his voice is like a gift from the heaven's, I'm doubting it was extremely important to have it, minus making it easier to progress through the game's main storyline. Voice actors are good to have, but they DO NOT play as integral of role to the game as elements such as gameplay and graphics.
This is NOT a personal attack on Michael Hollick or any of the other voice actors. I agree they got screwed over, considering the success of the game, but their contract said nothing about residuals. It sucks, but you guys signed it. Even if it couldn't be negotiated, do you REALLY need more than $100,000, Mr. Hollick?
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