This week’s assortment of news bites largely consists of superhero movie news and other adaptations. There are a few denials of things, a few rumors, and a few confirmations. There’s also a distressing amount of Michael Bay news. Such is life.
Read on to find out what’s going on. Continue reading
In Neil Jordan’s 1988 film High Spirits, Peter O’Toole stars as Peter Plunkett, last heir and owner of Plunkett Castle in Ireland. Peter is desperately trying to drum up tourism in the castle, as maintenance costs and an outstanding mortgage are threatening to take his ancestral home out of his hands. His mother (Liz Smith) makes an offhand comment about how his ancestors are upset about the state the castle is in — implying that she still talks to them actively — and Peter hits upon an idea: advertise Plunkett Castle as being the most haunted castle in Ireland. Have the crew rig up special effects and fake being ghosts to scare the tourists, and they’ll come by the droves to be frightened in the night.
The first batch of American guests arrives a few days before Halloween, and things immediately go awry. The guests see through the ruse immediately, realizing the “ghosts” are just cheap parlor tricks… but we all know what must inevitably happen after that, don’t we? Continue reading
“We’re gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny f’ing Kaye!”
For my second “Favorite Films” review, I thought I’d go back to the well I went to in the first one — that of John Hughes holiday movies. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation may have a lot more competition, and much steeper competition, for the title of best movie for its holiday, but even if it wouldn’t take everyone’s top spot, it’s certainly a solid contender. It’s easily the Christmas movie I watch most often, and that’s due to both how funny it is, and how believable it is.
Released in 1989, when Chevy Chase was at the peak of his career, Christmas Vacation has him reprising his role as Clark Griswold, this time trying to ensure the perfect Christmas for his kids and extended family. Of course, it’s not going to be that easy — he’s Clark Griswold, after all, and there’s no such thing as a successful Griswold vacation. Continue reading
Battle for Terra, previewed in 2007 and given a full release in March of 2009, is a relatively short (85 minutes) science-fiction animated film that is absent of attempts at comedy or musical numbers, instead seemingly aiming at the young adult crowd (though it still had a PG rating). I give it credit for not going the easy comedy route established by fellow CG films such as Shrek, Ice Age, Hoodwinked, and so forth. I also give it credit for not aping the art design of any other movie, and for recruiting a surprisingly large number of known actors for the voices. Seriously, the number of minor-to-major roles filled here by actors who are seldom headliners anymore but are solid performers is really surprising.
Sadly, I cannot give it credit for being a great movie. When I saw it was available on Hulu, I was curious as to why I hadn’t heard of it; after watching it, I can see why it didn’t generate much buzz. It’s just not a very good movie, nor a very memorable one. Continue reading
