Extraordinary forces — knee-jerk wariness of capitalism, ordinary standards of human decency in the face death — conspire to give This is It the stench of a robbed grave. A rushed release of footage documenting rehearsals for a series of concerts Michael Jackson was about to launch when he died in of a drug overdose in June 2009, bought in a bidding war by Sony for a reported $60 million and edited by concert director Kenny Ortega (whose most impressive cinematic credits heretofore consist of Newsies and all three widgets in the High School Musical franchise), This is It exists on this earth only because Michael Jackson no longer does.

The problem is not just that Jackson’s death has changed the commodity value of this material from questionable to infinite, but also that it’s so clear that the Michael Jackson presented in the footage would never have sanctioned this release. Depicted here as a gentle genius who insists on having the last word in every aspect of the massive production (even if that word sometimes takes the form of impenetrable similes such as  “play it like you’re getting out of bed” — which takes on extra mystery coming from a man who apparently used intravenous anesthetic as a sleeping aid), it’s unfathomable that Michael Jackson would have allowed the world to see footage of him shuffling through blocking and stopping mid-number to nitpick, often dressed in mismatched layers (a bomber jacket and massive Ed Hardy sweats, a boxy silver lame blazer and orange jeans) that fail to obscure the boniness of his frame. How does he look? Like a 50 year old man who has had a lot of surgical procedures. This is not exactly a revelation, but it’s not flattering, either.

And so, it goes without saying that This is It is vile. But it’s also fascinating as a portrait of how far one man would go (and how many millions of dollars and thousands of workers and hours of labor he’d be able to employ) to restore his public persona in the image of his ego after years of undeniable damage.

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With ten spots available this year for potential Best Picture nominees, it’s been easy to consider every other new movie a candidate for the top Oscar. But for every pundit who believes something like Up or The Hurt Locker or, now, This Is It, is a shoo-in for a nomination there is an opposing argument available for why each of these films might not get the Academy’s votes. Finally, there’s at least one title that can not possibly be denied: Clint Eastwood’s Mandela and rugby movie, Invictus.

Our first look comes via this new trailer, which shows us Invictus has a winning combination of biopic and underdog sports drama. The only thing that would make it even more Academy-friendly would be something Holocaust-related. Yet apartheid should be enough of a substitute given the film’s other worthy elements.

Personally, as much as I appreciate the obvious Morgan Freeman casting, I kinda wish Nelson Mandela was playing himself. I’d love to see him get the Oscar that Freeman will probably be up for. As for Matt Damon, I’m unfortunately having trouble distinguishing his performance in this trailer so soon after watching him recycling his Jason Bourne act in the Green Zone trailer that hit yesterday. Still, it is his year for a nomination, so hopefully he’s better here than he was in The Informant!

Check out what the other film blogs are saying about the trailer after the jump:

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Did you see Paranormal Activity? Did you like it? If you answered yes to the second question, you mostly have writer-director Oren Peli to thank. But if you didn’t like it, you can thank Paramount for at least getting you in the movie theater. And the studio’s shareholders have Paramount’s marketing department to thank for the humongous profits the movie has been making — from people buying tickets, not from people liking what they paid for.

Obviously it’s more important to make money than a good movie, which may explain why Peli is reportedly having trouble securing distribution (and his asking price) for his follow-up, a sci-fi horror flick titled Area 51, despite the fact that his film just topped the weekend box office, has earned more than $60 million over five weeks of limited release and has been a Twitter trending topic consistently for about a month now. Neither of those things is at all thanks to him, right?

Maybe it isn’t helping him that his film looks like it was a piece of cake to make, and he kind of makes it seem that it was in fact easy peasy. But this was no Blair Witch Project, which was good in concept but not so much in execution. Paranormal Activity is structured terrifically and there’s nary a dull moment, even during the non-scary daytime scenes, which deserve a lot of credit for providing some very natural humor to balance with the sometimes silly paranormal thrills. Peli may not be a master filmmaker, but he did a pretty good job.

But whatever. Since when does Hollywood care if a filmmaker is actually great at making films, anyway? Didn’t I just hear that Steve Carr landed another gig? Did Paul Blart: Mall Cop make so much money because of his talent or because of Sony’s ability to sell stupid comedies to the masses?

Who wants to set up an Eventful “Demand It!” campaign for Area 51?

Check out what other film blogs are saying about Oren Peli’s troubles after the jump:
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Nothing hurts the credibility of the film blogosphere like bad rumors. Not even supercilious comments from Armond White or Peter Bart (before he gave in and started blogging himself) have cut so deep as the embarrassment of believing word about an E.T. sequel, Daniel Radcliffe being cast as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit or Megan Fox signing on to play Wonder Woman.

In the past 24 hours the film blogosphere experienced what I believe to be the worst movie rumor of all time: a “supported” claim by MarketSaw that George Lucas is planning a new Star Wars trilogy that would be shot in digital 3-D and directed by such prestigious filmmakers as Lucas buds Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola. Fortunately there wasn’t a whole lot of people fooled and the rumor was debunked right away, but it still made me slap my forehead to see so many sites running the story, even if to comment on how unlikely it sounded or to relay its lack of truth.

Of course, by featuring the topic for this Bloggery post, I’m contributing to the unfortunate attention the rumor is receiving. But with a week left before SpoutBlog discontinues original content, I figure it’s more important than ever to focus on what’s wrong with the movie blogs, so others are able to fluorish.

To add my own two cents to the concept behind the rumor, though, I’d just like to say that nobody should ever be excited about the idea of either Spielberg or Coppola helming a Star Wars movie. We’re already aware that the former can make a terrible flick out of Lucas’ writing, and you must realize that Coppola’s installment would be more Captain EO (a 3-D movie co-written by Lucas) than The Godfather. Or, worse, like Jack in outer space.

Check out the other film blogs’ coverage of and response to this ridiculous hoax after the jump:

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Earlier this month, Sarah Ball at Newsweek’s Pop Vox blog took to dispelling the idea that zombies are the new vampires, arguing that they’ll never be as popular — basically because they’re not as sexually appealing. Jessica Barnes at Cinematical later responded with favor towards the living dead over the undead. But zombies are not a trend; they’ll always be around, at least in the background via low-budget horror cinema. The real question lately should be whether or not werewolves are the new vampires.

Werewolves do have some level of sex appeal, at least to those people who like hairy men (and/or women). And the fact that Twilight fans are divided over preference for bloodsucker Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) or lupine Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) proves there’s a debate to be had about which creature is better. More importantly, though, is the presence of cinematic werewolves on the web this week, first with a much-derided clip from the Twilight installment New Moon, followed by a new trailer for Universal’s new version of The Wolfman (which features part of Marilyn Manson’s “If I Was Your Vampire,” interestingly enough) — Ryan Adams at Awards Daily posts them side by side for comparison.

I’d even like to somehow qualify the trailer for Serious Moonlight, which in addition to having a werewolf-friendly title features Meg Ryan displaying plastic surgery that looks like something applied by make-up artist Rick Baker (An American Werewolf in London; Wolf; Cursed; The Wolfman) for the transition effects used in werewolf movies.

S.T. VanAirsdale at Movieline has already claimed this “Werewolf Week” as a result of all the lycanthropy. But here’s hoping the trend appropriately lasts at least a full lunar cycle. So come on MTV, you’ve got a month to get us at least some set photos ffrom your upcoming Teen Wolf TV series.

Check out what the other film blogs are saying about the werewolf invasion after the jump:

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So, this year The New York Times‘ Carpetbagger Oscar season blog will be written not by David Carr, who created the brand and helmed it for four Oscar seasons, but by Melena Ryzik, a reporter, video blogger and sometime poet previously on the paper’s general culture beat. The Variety story on the matter suggests that Carr stepped down from the post in order to fully focus his attention on “the quickly changing world of publishing,” and also because last year’s Slumdog-centric race bored the shit out of him and he couldn’t fathom pretending to care about a non-competition again contributed to “simple burnout.” Which happens. Even if you’re only doing it part time, four years is a long time to stay chained to a blog.

It is hard to imagine The Carpetbagger sans Carr’s red-carpet-outsider Bagger persona, but I wish Ryzik (seen above, posing with Karl Lagerfeld) luck and I’m excited to see what she brings to the beat. And not, unlike some of my chromosomal compatriots, just because of “girl power.” Because, really — the game of Oscar yelling is already overcrowded. Her being a broad (and, as Carr put it on his Twitter, a “fresh young” one at that) isn’t going to matter much if she doesn’t have something interesting to say, and maybe even more importantly, a way of saying it that cuts through the noise and demands attention.

In other words, I’m not concerned with gender quotas in Oscar blogging. I’m concerned that Oscar blogging has lost its urgency –– as has much of year-round film blogging, as so many of us either waste time bickering amongst ourselves, or piling on the same semi-stories in a desperate quest to chase the traffic that keeps us alive. I don’t know what the solution is, but I hope for Ryzik’s sake, she finds a way to shake up the cycle.

I feel alone every time I try to talk about Glee with my male friends. Turns out, it’s not a show that other guys watch. But I’m not ashamed to be a straight man who loves musicals and TV shows filled with showtunes. It’s just my upbringing, having been raised somewhat by Rodgers & Hammerstein and spending most of my teen years acting in high school drama productions.

Ironically, though, I have no interest in the film adaptation of Rock of Ages, the 80s rock anthem-filled “jukebox musical” that Adam Shankman (Hairspray) has been tapped to direct. It looks cheesy and I don’t much like the idea of these types of musicals that revolve a plot around a greatest hits compilation. But Shankman thinks it will be like “Mamma Mia! for dudes,” meaning he actually believes heterosexual guys, the kind that don’t watch Glee and The Sound of Music if they can help it, will want to see it.

The whole idea got me wondering, though. What are the most guy-friendly musicals ever made? Probably those from Monty Python. Is Paint Your Wagon on the list? How about Tommy? Grease? Is Guys and Dolls cutting it close? Honestly, unless Rock of Ages has a lot of action and explosions, I don’t see it appealing to the average straight man.

Shankman is also in the news today with the announcement that he’ll co-produce the 2010 Academy Awards telecast with former Fox exec/producer Bill Mechanic (The New World). This makes me wonder if Shankman will try to jump off last year’s “musicals are back!” theme with a “guys can like musicals and the Oscars, too!” vibe. Preferably with his Pacifier star, Vin Diesel, hosting (and dancing and singing and maybe kicking some ass). In all seriousness, though, Shankman will probably try to bring Steve Martin back.

What do you think it would take for real manly dudes to both go see Rock of Ages and watch the Oscars? Comment below with your suggestions and check out the other film blogs’ responses to Shankman’s goal after the jump:

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It’s been a long time since we saw Mel Gibson in a movie, and many people are anticipating his return to the big screen with a beaver puppet on his hand. And that makes us disappointed to learn that there’s this other Gibson vehicle arriving in theaters first: Edge of Darkness, the trailer for which arrived online last night. Couldn’t this be pushed back indefinitely (and we get Malick’s delayed The Tree of Life in its place)? Or, at least until after the Jodie Foster-directed The Beaver opens?

Such disappointment would be felt with any other Gibson movie after all the Beaver hype, but the feeling is exacerbated by the fact Edge of Darkness looks like just another vigilante thriller in the wake of Taken, Law Abiding Citizen and the Foster-starrer The Brave One. The cast is great, even if Danny Huston seems like 100 other characters he’s played before (not that I ever dislike his rehashed performances). And of course a script co-written by William Monahan and direction from Martin Campbell in his first feature gig since Casino Royale should mean the film won’t be terrible. Still, does anyone want to see this at all?

Check out what the other film blogs are saying about the trailer after the jump:

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When news came that Chris Pine is (maybe) the new Jack Ryan, all I could think of was that he’s just not a big enough star. Sure, he was in a hit movie this summer, but Star Trek is not enough to propel anybody into stardom. Should William Shatner have gone on to play Indiana Jones after Star Trek: The Motion Picture? Of course not. Nobody would have seen that. Okay, I would have definitely seen that, but not for positive reasons.

The thing about the Jack Ryan character is he’s kind of boring, so he needs someone like Harrison Ford to play him. Or, it has to be made at a time when adults go to see good movies like The Hunt for Red October without need for a big star (though Sean Connery’s face didn’t hurt that film). I liked The Sum of All Fears okay, but not even a semi star like Ben Affleck could carry it sufficiently. I don’t buy that Pine can carry the next one.

Unless he has help and the trust of the studio. For the character to work, Paramount needs to find an actor who they’ll stick with and who will stick with the role. Otherwise moviegoers are not going to think of it as a familiar franchise. With only four films the Jack Ryan series is already gaining quickly on the number of actors that played James Bond, to whom Ryan should be looking up. Ryan should be like the domestic answer to 007 and should equivalently have an iconic look, some trademarks (a kind of vehicle and favorite drink, for example) and maybe even a catchphrase.

I know, this all sounds like bad news, mainly because such things shouldn’t be forced or they’re liable to be corny. But if there’s no writers smart enough to make it work they should just abandon it.

Let’s see what other film bloggers think of the casting after the jump:
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One of the few things I like about Spider-Man 3 is the depiction of Sandman. The character was never that interesting to me in the comic books — few Spidey villains were — but he proved to be a pretty cinematic creature, even if he sometimes reminded me of The Mummy. Surprisingly Venom, who was always interesting in the comic books — until he started finding underground cities and acting less like a bad guy — did not translate so well to the big screen.

So, as long as it seems, via an interview with MTV.com, that Sam Raimi still doesn’t know who the villain(s) in Spider-Man 4 will be, despite it going into production in March, I thought I’d offer an opinion, which is likely an unpopular one: he should go with Absorbing Man. Too much like Sandman? Maybe, but the special effects could be cool. Oh, wait, is he too much of a Thor villain? Man, Marvel is so confusing. Okay, then I pick Kraven, since he probably requires the least amount of CG of all the Spidey villains.

According to a poll on MTV’s SplashPage, the fans want Spidey to battle The Lizard, but knowing Hollywood, that’s just going to look like Spidey vs. a velociraptor (in a lab coat). Meanwhile, second choice, Carnage, would just be a mess of CG that will be nearly as disappointing as the Venom of the last film. In the new interview with Raimi, he makes it seem that neither of these are who he’s got in mind, but unfortunately we still have no clue.

Anyway, them’s my thoughts, which don’t matter much since I haven’t read a Spider-Man comic since the mid-90s and even then barely knew much about most of the superhero’s enemies. So, let’s check in with the rest of the film blogosphere for other responses after the jump:
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Movie fans were shocked today with the news that Oscar-winner Adrien Brody is turning action hero to star in the Robert Rodriguez-produced Predator reboot, Predators. At first I thought maybe he’s trying to distance himself from the Roman Polanski mess by picking a movie as far from The Pianist as possible. But then I remembered that since winning Best Actor six years ago Brody has done little to show himself worthy of the award (he’s great in The Darjeeling Limited at least).

But will anybody believe him as a guy who can defeat a bunch of Predators? That he’s better than Arnold Schwarzenegger, who barely survived one of them? That he’s the guy to lead kick-ass costars like Danny Trejo, Oleg Taktarov, Walt Goggins and even … umm … Topher Grace (he’s at least been an action movie villain before, even if a bad one)? Well, obviously this gig is going to require that supposed Oscar-caliber talent in order to convince us.

Check out the stunned reactions from other film bloggers after the jump:
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Because last year’s list of dress-up ideas for cinephiles was a hit, we’re doing it again. From movies released in the past 12 months, there are few obvious costume ideas. We’re sure to see a lot of guys dress up as the main trio from The Hangover, while girls inspired by Whip It will be sexy Girl Scouts (with or without roller skates).

This time around, though, we’re presenting ten costume ideas that shouldn’t be too popular. And that makes them somewhat appealing, because nobody wants to show up at a Halloween party where someone else is dressed in the same outfit (especially if the other person’s costume is better). Of course, keep in mind that some of the following unpopular ideas could in turn make you unpopular, too.
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In all likelihood, a new documentary about Robert Pattinson titled Robsessed is a total cash grab and a waste of time. But let’s not completely toss aside the potential of this film, which UK-based distributor Revolver Entertainment has acquired and will release to DVD in the U.S. around the time that The Twilight Saga: New Moon opens in theaters.

I’m reminded of all the late night commercials I used to see for Biggie & Tupac years ago. The way the film was being sold sure made it seem at the time to be as cheap and disregardable as any of those compilation CD sets advertised in the same late hours. I never would have guessed the film was made by such an interesting filmmaker as Nick Broomfield, who I now place within my top five favorite documentarians. If only I’d been a bigger hip hop enthusiast I might have discovered Broomfield earlier than I did.

Likewise, if I’d been a greater Nirvana fan I might have been turned onto the filmmaker through his prior doc Kurt and Courtney (it wasn’t until years later when I wrote a paper on first-person documentaries that I acquainted myself with Broomfield’s films). And speaking of Kurt Cobain, I’m sure some of his young fans rented Kurt Cobain About a Son only to wind up interested in non-traditional documentary and the further work of director A.J. Schnack.

Could Robsessed really have been directed by a true talent like Broomfield and Schnack? It’s hard to imagine, especially since neither the news release nor Revolver’s website reveals the filmmaker behind this documentary. But since the film may concentrate primarily on Pattinson’s obsessed fanbase, it could at least be as interesting as docs like Trekkies and We Are Wizards, which deal with devout followers of the Star Trek and Harry Potter franchises, respectively.

I wouldn’t write Robsessed off so much as I’d say to ignore the film’s DVD-set companion, a pre-Twilight RPattz movie titled The Haunted Airmen.

Check out what other film bloggers are saying about the documentary after the jump:

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Everyone knows a rumor is just a rumor until it shows up in the trades. But let’s not forget that most of the news in the trades comes via publicists. So we can’t always buy what these reports say anyway. So, even though The Hollywood Reporter has announced what we’ve been hearing for a long, long time — that an Arrested Development movie script is in the works — many of us remain skeptical.

Worse than skeptical, though, I’m also annoyed. I get over being teased very quickly, and I’m at the point where I really don’t even want there to be an Arrested Development movie. Honestly, I didn’t really care for one to begin with, but I would have at least been more interested in seeing it had it been made a couple years ago. But it’s been 3 and a half years since the final episode aired, and I’m seriously content with the Bluth’s story being over.

Unfortunately, Hollywood can’t ever let things end well; they have to overdo every good thing. I wish the short run of Arrested Development could just be accepted the way British TV shows are accepted, with few seasons (series). Sure, we Spaced fans would love to know what’s going on with Tim and Daisy ten years after they first became flatmates, but isn’t it actually enough, if not much better, that Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright were able to break out and give us other amazing things to watch them in/do (if only Jessica Hynes, nee Stevenson, was doing more films rather than being a domestic).

Isn’t anybody else sufficiently happy with seeing Jason Bateman have a career again? Isn’t anyone simply thankful that the show introduced us to Michael Cera, Alia Shawkat and Tony Hale, each of whom is doing other enjoyable things these days? Can we just let go of the idea and remember Arrested Development as a classic show that we can continue to revisit on DVD? No movie is going to be good enough after so much anticipation anyway.

Check out what other film blogs are saying about this “news” after the jump:
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