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Interview: Judd Apatow (Part Two)
Filed under: Universal, Fandom, Home Entertainment, Interviews
Read Part One of this interview right here
When Judd Apatow's latest film, Funny People, was announced, many critics and audiences hailed it – even before they saw it – not only as an evolution of the filmmaker's style, but a return to the kind of drama-laced comedy that flourished in the 1980s and early '90s thanks to folks like Cameron Crowe and James L. Brooks. When it was released, the film more than satisfied those expectations, offering an unflinching but frequently hilarious portrait of an A-list comedian rediscovering himself, but there seemed to be a sense that audiences knew themselves less well than they felt like they knew the film's main character, resulting in a less enthusiastic response than perhaps even they expected.
The film arrives on Blu-ray this week, offering what is indisputably the most complete and comprehensive look behind the scenes at a comedy ever produced, and offers audiences a second chance to check out Apatow's most meaningful and resonant work to date. Cinematical got a chance to catch up with the writer-director via telephone to discuss the contents of the expansive, 2-Disc Collector's Edition; in the second part of our chat, Apatow talks about precisely what made the movie so personal for him, and offers a few insights about its place in his growing body of work, and its potential influence on his future films (including a Harry Potter movie, maybe?).
Cinematical: With or without talking to you at the time of the film's release, people seemed to assume that this was a very personal film, I think because it was more serious than your previous work. Was it really personal, and if so in what way or why?
Black Friday Movie Deals: Walmart
Filed under: Home Entertainment
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Our good friend and EIC Erik Davis (that's me!) had a very thoughtful idea for the holiday season: Why not scan the early flyers for the Black Friday sales, and report back to you -- the ravenous movie junkie -- to let you know where to find the best treats on the day after Thanksgiving? We'll be bringing you deals for a variety of stores and online retailers all week long. Here's what we've posted so far so you can keep track:Black Friday Movie Deals: Best Buy
Black Friday Movie Deals: Target
Walmart opens at 5am on Friday, November 27th. I've highlighted the most notable (for being awesome) deals in bold.
DVD/Blu-ray
17 Again (DVD) $9.00
Aliens In The Attic (DVD) $9.00
Blazing Saddles (DVD) $2.00
Blood Diamond (DVD) $2.00
Braveheart (Blu-ray) $10.00
Casino Royale (DVD) $2.00
Facing Giants (DVD) $2.00
Fast & Furious (Blu-ray) $10.00
Fireproof (DVD) $9.00
GI Joe (DVD) $9.00
Gladiator (Blu-ray) $10.00
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (Blu-ray) $10.00
HellBoy II (DVD) $2.00
Horton Hears A Who (DVD) $5.00
Hotel For Dogs (DVD) $5.00
I Am Legend (DVD) $2.00
Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs (Blu-ray) $10.00
Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs (DVD) $9.00
Iron Man (DVD) $5.00
Kung Fu Panda (DVD) $5.00
Little Black Book (DVD) $2.00
Madagascar 2 (DVD) $5.00
Mall Cop (DVD) $5.00
Marley & Me (DVD) $9.00
Monsters Vs Aliens 2 Pack (DVD) $9.00
Nim's Island (DVD) $5.00
More after the jump
Is 'Paranormal Entity' a Sequel to 'Paranormal Activity'?
Filed under: Horror, Fandom, Home Entertainment
From Horror SquadI love Paranormal Activity. It's one of my favorite horror films (for a variety of reasons), yet its absolutely insane success has proven to be a double-edged sword for horror fans. On the one hand, it gives a level of legitimacy not often seen within the horror genre outside of the throngs of fans who live for it. Conversely, it gives The Asylum an opportunity to make another movie.
In the wake of the film Walking Distance changing its name to Experimental Activity, which much like the very existence of The Asylum is nothing more than a shameless attempt to capitalize on the success of others, it would seem the company behind stellar films such as The Day the Earth Stopped and Transmorphers (which may or may not be better than the film it's emulating) has decided to make their own adaptation of Oren Peli's smash hit, known simply as Paranormal Entity.
Those wonderful folks over at Quiet Earth even got a look at the poster and revealed a brief synopsis for the "mockbustermentary" (my word, not theirs):
"Actual found videotape footage of the 2008 "murders" of the Finley family."
Short and sweet. The film will pollute video stores on December 29th of this year.
By: Brad McHargue
Hellz Yeah! adidas Launching 'Star Wars' Line in 2010
Filed under: Fandom, Home Entertainment
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Usually this is something we'd post over at SciFi Squad, but I thought these sneakers deserved some more love over on Cinematical, too. Apparently adidas Originals is launching a collection of Star Wars-themed sneakers and clothing for the 2010 Spring/Summer season -- and with it comes this first look (more of a tease) at some of the products they'll be pimping to the public. As a self-proclaimed adidas fanatic (not to mention a giant fan of all things Star Wars), I'm already head over heels (get it?) for these Stormtropper sneakers. Of course they don't show you the entire sneaker, but how cool is that back? I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the hippest or most up-to-date when it comes to the hot new sneakers on the market, but that Stormtrooper sneaker has to be one of the more fantasticlly fanboyish I've seen in quite some time.
In addition to the Stormtropper sneakers, adidas Originals is also adding Vader-themed sneakers, sweet Skywalker-themed sneakers, Yoda-themed sneakers and a totally retro sparkly silver lightsaber battle/Han Solo vibe'd pair of sneakers for those who have no problem saying "F*ck it -- this is what I'm wearing, this is what I love." Check out the teaser images below, and stay tuned to SciFi Squad as we'll dole out more photos over there once they arrive online. The line is due out in January 2010.
Black Friday Movie Deals: Target
Filed under: Home Entertainment
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Our good friend and EIC Erik Davis had a very thoughtful idea for the holiday season: Why not scan the early flyers for the Black Friday sales, and report back to you -- the ravenous movie junkie -- to let you know where to find the best treats on the day after Thanksgiving? To those who choose to brave the stores on 11/27/09, you have my best wishes. I'll be sleeping.We'll be bringing you deals for a variety of stores all week long. Here's what we've posted so far so you can keep track:
Black Friday Movie Deals: Best Buy
For Target, the 2-Day Sale starts Friday, November 27, at 5 a.m
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (blu-ray) -- $12.99
- Baby Mama (standard) -- $3.99
- Christmas Vacation (standard) -- $5.99
- The Dark Knight (blu-ray) -- $12.99 (standard: $3.99)
- Elf (standard) -- $3.99
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall (standard) -- $3.99
- Gone With the Wind (blu-ray) -- $12.99
- Goodfellas (blu-ray) -- $8.99
- Gremlins (blu-ray / Target exclusive) -- $12.99
- I Am Legend (blu-ray) -- $8.99
- Kung Fu Panda (standard) -- $5.99
- Monsters vs. Aliens (standard) -- $10.00
- Nights in Rodanthe (standard) -- $5.99
- P.S. I Love You (standard) -- $5.99
- The Polar Express (standard) -- $5.99
- The Proposal (standard) -- $8.99
- Paul Blart: Mall Cop (standard) -- $5.99
- Sex and the City (standard) -- $3.99
- Transformers (standard) -- $5.99
- Up (standard) -- $13.99
- V for Vendetta (blu-ray) -- $8.99
- The Wizard of Oz (blu-ray) -- $12.99
Exclusive: Title Track for 'The Road' Soundtrack
Filed under: Drama, Music & Musicals, New Releases, Fandom, Home Entertainment
Cinematical has just received the following title track for Nick Cave and Warren Ellis' original and haunting film score for The Road. It's simple and chilling -- just as any accompaniment to a post-apocalyptic world should be -- full of violin and piano tunes, some wind instruments and sound loops. The soundtrack is being released digitally today over at Amazon, with further digital retailers tomorrow and a CD release to follow on January 12, 2010.We first alerted you to the score back in March, and then to the duo's Soundtrack Collection in September. As you might have gathered, some of us are big Cave & Ellis fans. And rightly so. They provided an award-winning score for John Hillcoat's earlier feature The Proposition (which Cave also wrote), and also scored The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. And of course, that's besides their work in Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, which has memorable cinematic ties to Wings of Desire (before Ellis teamed up with Cave).
Too often these days it's easy to get pulled out of movies due to overly imposing and grandoise film scores desperately trying to yank at emotions, rather than just lightly coaxing the right feel for a particular scene, and Cave and Ellis definitely know how to let simplicity reign. Check out the clip and track list after the jump and grab it over here at Amazon.
Making The (Up) Grade: Rocky
Filed under: United Artists, Fandom, 20th Century Fox, Home Entertainment
While new Blu-rays of old movies are sometimes dubious replacements for prior editions (hence the need for this column), box sets released in the high-definition format have thus far been fairly helpful, at least in terms of shelf space: many or most of them forego a lot of the frills and flourishes of their standard-definition iterations in favor of more streamlined packaging. Unfortunately, that's also sometimes extended to their extras, thanks in no small part to the legal entanglements of transferring commentaries and bonus content from one format to another.
Both Warner Brothers and Fox have faced this challenge a couple of times thanks to their ownership/ adoption of the libraries of MGM and United Artists, which until a few years ago issued their own releases. Rocky, which is one of United Artists' premier franchises, was recently released on Blu-ray in The Undisputed Collection, a set that contains all six of the films in the series, but it remains to be seen whether complete also means comprehensive in this particular case.
What's Already Available:
Interview: Judd Apatow (Part One)
Filed under: Universal, Fandom, Home Entertainment, Interviews
Funny People was the latest in Judd Apatow's ongoing series of summer comedies, but it was anything but a typical summer comedy: following a successful comedian (played by Apatow's longtime friend Adam Sandler) who reflects on his life after discovering he's going to die, the film offered lots of humor but with decidedly heavier themes lurking beneath the yuks. The film debuts on Blu-ray in a 2-Disc Collector's Edition next week, and the contents are amazing, showing how Apatow combined lighthearted fare with more serious ideas in the service of exploring something substantive.
Cinematical was lucky enough to catch up with Apatow via telephone one recent morning to discuss the process of putting together the film's home video iteration. In addition to discussing the bonus materials, extras, featurettes, and a documentary that's the most thorough and thoughtful ever produced about a comedy production, Apatow talked about finding the right ending for his magnum opus, discovering and deconstructing the process of producing laughs, and front-loading the film's universe with outside content about the supporting characters.
Cinematical: One of the ideas highlighted in the Blu-ray bonus materials was the fact that you knew this was going in a different direction than your previous films. Even knowing that while you were making it, were you surprised by the reactions of audiences and critics when it was released? Or does it matter?
Free Flick of the Day: The Doom Generation
Filed under: Home Entertainment
The '90s were a good time to be a teen -- especially if you were itching for more than just the mainstream. Nestled between the John Hughes '80s and the bubbly Disney '00s, the '90s were a time when teen films thrived in tunes-led rebellion. It wasn't all about spunky mainstream music marketing and bubbly personalities. Scores and strangeness got to go a little wild, and Gregg Araki ran with that idea when he made The Doom Generation. Dubbed Araki's "heterosexual movie," the film starred then-newcomer Rose McGowan as Amy Blue, a tough-as-nails, filthy-mouthed, self-proclaimed virgin in love with one Jordan White (James Duval). Their rather mundane lives are thrown through the ringer when they help out a strange boy named Xavier (Johnathan Schaech), who leads them through an insane road trip of unintended violence. A trip, mind you, that showcases a slew of names from all walks of life -- Skinny Puppy (band), Margaret Cho, Dustin Nguyen (21 Jump Street), Heidi Fleiss (the Hollywood madam), Perry Farrell (Janes Addiction), Parker Posey, Nicky Katt (Dazed and Confused), Zak Spears and Rex Chandler (gay adult film stars), Christopher Knight (Brady Bunch), Lauren Tewes (The Love Boat)...
It is, however, a film spliced in tone. The first three quarters are violent, black comedy, while the last third makes the violence personal as the trio faces off against Neo-Nazis -- a rather apt juxtaposition between pulpy imaginary thrills and violence laced with a sense of reality.
Get dark with The Doom Generation now on SlashControl!
'Rin Tin Tin' Goes From Iconic WWI Dog to Lawsuit
Filed under: Family Films, Home Entertainment
I was unaware that one could trademark a dog, but apparently you can, though it may not hold up in court. Rin Tin Tin Inc., a German Shepherd breeding company named after the dog an American soldier during World War I in France, filed a lawsuit last year against Nu Image and First Look Studios alleging that the use of their breed's name in the kid film Finding Rin Tin Tin: the Adventure Continues was, well, a trademark infringement. Unfortunately for them, a judge has finally ruled on the matter, coming to the rather obvious conclusion that "This descriptive use of the name is fair because it tells the consumer what the film is about -- the story of the historical dog Rin Tin Tin -- and because it is actually about the historical dog Rin Tin Tin." What I find funny about all of this is not only the fact that an entity who takes their name from a widely-known, long-dead dog actor would sue a film for doing the exact same thing, but that their suit called for retainership of all profits from the film and complete destruction of every DVD of it in existence.
Really? It's not as though Rin Tin Tin Inc. invented German Shepherds or discovered the original dog that would go on to be a film, TV, and radio star (yes, a dog used to have several radio shows). All they thought to do was capitalize on its popularity by making a brand out of the dog's genealogy, which at this point must be severely diluted. I hate to see our legal system put to such frivolous use, but I'm glad to see a judge saw fit to dismiss the suit: I'd hate to live in a world without a single DVD of Finding Rin Tin Tin!
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Exclusive 'Nine' Poster Premiere!
Exclusive: Title Track for 'The Road' Soundtrack
Movie Popcorn is Bad for You? Who Knew?_thumbnail.jpg)
'New Moon' Smashes 'Dark Knight's' Opening Day Record!
Black Friday Movie Deals: Best Buy
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