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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A few days ago, Erik Davis of Cinematical Tweeted that he was watching Rambo: First Blood Part II, and he made a comment about how if Robert Rodriguez’s Predators doesn’t work out, he’d get behind a Rambo vs. Predator film. I thought the idea was a little silly since that’s basically what the original Predator was, only with Arnold Schwarzenegger instead of Sylvester Stallone. Little did either of us know that Rambo V: The Savage Hunt would end up involving a half-human, half-beast adversary that does seem to be like what Davis had in mind.
One thing appears to be different, though. Apparently Rambo (Stallone) is going to the Arctic Circle to battle the creature, which aligns it more with the first Alien vs. Predator movie. Sure, it’s the wrong Pole but the same climate and terrain — superficially anyway. Oh, and here’s another thing that’s slightly different: the creature isn’t an alien; it’s a secret governement genetic experiment gone wrong. In the poster, made before the official synopsis was even revealed, it looks like a werewolf.
The only thing more ridiculous would be for Rambo to fight teenage vampires, though I think werewolves may actually be the hip new thing as dictated by Twilight, so that might not be any more silly or popular. Hey, going sci-fi worked for Indiana Jones, right? And Rambo is even getting a young “hunting partner” in this installment. Maybe it’s actually his son?
Check out what the other film blogs are saying about this crazy Rambo V scenario after the jump:
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Since today has been pretty light in terms of hype, and no stories have excited the internerds enough to truly qualify for an interesting roundup, I’m going with a topic I really enjoy writing about: the state governor training program popularly known as the movie Predator. Ever since Arnold Schwarzenegger took his political seat in California, making him the second cast member from the 1987 sci-fi actioner to be elected governor of a state (Jesse Ventura was the first), I’ve been waiting for the announcement that Carl Weathers, Shane Black, Richard Chavez, Elpidia Carrillo or Bill Duke is campaigning for a similar political position.
Former porn actor Sonny Landham, who played the Navajo soldier “Billy” in the movie, actually ran for Governor of Kentucky back in 2003, but he lost, which leads me to believe no more than one Predator costar can be in the office at any given time (Ventura led Minnesota up until 2003, the year Schwarzenegger took over in California). So, Landham should certainly try again in two years, as the “Governator” will be done with his second term in 2011.
If he wins, who shall be the next in line? I’m really hoping for Duke to run in his home state of New York. But if none of the original actors are interested, we can always depend on a whole new roster of candidates, thanks to the newly confirmed reboot of the Predator franchise, which Robert Rodriguez will be directing at some undetermined time (I’ve got serious doubts that it’ll really be rushed for the reported Summer 2010 release date). Any strapping young actors out there with dreams of a future in politics: tell your agents they need to get you in this movie.
Okay, enough of my own political dreams; and on to the few fresh responses to the reboot (particularly its titular pluralization) after the jump:
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After nearly four years of YouTube, I’ve had enough of abridged movies. You know, where a user edits together only the necessary plot points of a film for a video called “(movie title) in 60 seconds.” But I must make an exception for the British rap duo The Anomalies. Those guys (DJ Mayhem and MC Mouthmaster Murff, specifically) know how to do condensed classics right. By rapping the plot synopsis.
Earlier this year, they released an abridged version of Predator with rhymed narration. It was pretty funny. Now, they’ve come out an even better rap for RoboCop. It’s longer, it has a steadier rhythm and it utilizes the film’s dialogue far better than the Predator rap did. Plus, it’s so comprehensive at 10 minutes that I wonder why the film ever needed to be 102 minutes. Seriously, are there any necessary scenes excluded?
Too bad it takes 9 months for the guys to make something so brilliant. I’m anxious to see what movie they tackle next. Fortunately, I could watch this video over and over and over to tide me over. Check it out for yourself after the jump, and be warned that it features the film’s very NSFW language.
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