It’s prime time for movie news at this very moment because the last part of the year is when studios get out all the good stuff, and start planning for summers ahead.
First up is all the debate over Ghostbuster 3. It really seemed like it came out of nowhere, first with Dan Akroyd claiming two writers were already hard at work. Now official word comes that two scribes from the American version of TV’s once funny show “The Office” are hard at work on a script for part three. Then comes the part that really gets me excited……Harold Ramis is working with them. This is already a sign of quality that this isn’t going to be some botched cash in, and hopefully this will make up for the mediocre (and entirely unneeded) sequel. I’ll be honest, I’m really excited. Ghostbusters is one of those movies that made me fall in love with film when I was young, and it’s still a quality piece of entertainment till this day. My only thing is Bill Murray better be back on board. If Bill doesn’t come back we’ll know that things are so good in Ghostbusters land.
Well festival season is in full swing once again and the Toronto Film Festival is one of the first to be underway. This is the time of year in which kids like myself across America that live in towns, and cities with almost zero culture get to sit back and watch critics chat up the films we’re dying to see months before we ever get them (I’m just a bit bitter). I’m really happy that Darren Arofonsky’s “The Wrestler” is getting positive buzz, I was worried Arofonsky was going to fall off the map after the lashing he received for the VERY VERY underrated 2005 film “The Fountain”. On a minor note the “clever marketing in disguise of a movie” of the year “Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist” is receiving poor reviews all around. Don’t get me wrong I don’t wish to see this film fail, I’m not that mean spirited. I haven’t seen “N&N” but I always feel like movies like that are simply cheap cash-ins on current teenage trends. I think that a quality teen film can be put out without cute t-shirts at Hot Topic, an indie rock soundtrack, and a plethora of other marketing ploys. (Though I’m not going to lie, knowing that Vampire Weekend & Mark Mothersbaugh are doing a song together for the movie makes me absolutely batty!!!)
I’ll be looking forward to hearing the buzz on the many foreign films and smaller independents that are making their debut at the festival. I’m not so sure about “Burn After Reading” anymore, I just have a really weird feeling it’s going to let me down. Guy Ritchie’s “Rock N Rolla” will surely be somewhat entertaining (more so than the dismal Revolver)….but looks like more of the exact same thing he’s always done. I really think he needs to apply his talent somewhere besides the realm of London gangsters, and Madonna’s bed side. Also, I’m so tired of Jeremy Piven. Honestly dude people like Jason Statham can get away with playing the same card over and over again because they have more than an ounce of charisma and personality. Piven is so obnoxious. I can stand him in the capacity of “Entourage”, but when his douche baginess creeps into my local theater…I draw the line. I used to say “get a new schtick”, but I was watching Robert Altman’s “The Player” the other day, and I realized he’s been doing the same thing since 1992.
