This week will be a busy one – I’m seeing The Shape of Water, which I’m really looking forward to based on all the buzz surrounding it and because I love Del Toro. I’m also figuring out my Star Wars: The Last Jedi plans. Some places near me be will be showing the latter Thursday night, which I prefer to the massive presses of people in theaters on weekends.
Also, Xmas stuff, like wrapping and mailing presents, and non-Xmas stuff, working on my novel draft and some other writing projects.
Here is the International Trailer for Black Panther, which got me all het up this morning.
I feel bad for laughing at the narration at the end, but I did. My friend, who speaks a little Japanese, wrote it out as BU RA KU PANSA.
I want Eddie Murphy to go the Bill Murray route, and be in a string of brilliant comedies with a profound emotional center that win all the awards and set him up for the legacy he’s worked so hard to create.
I’ve been working on an entry on Eddie Murphy for a few months now, so when I saw that he was going to be in something new I got really excited. “Oh gosh! This is so timely! He must be making a comeback!” Yay!
Then this trailer happened:
As happy as I am to see him in a big film that’s getting a lot of coverage, that is how disappointed I am to see him in a film that is actually about a pretty blonde girl. I cringed as I ticked off the boxes below:
I want Eddie Murphy to make a comeback in a huge way, and be in some amazing film that blows our minds and returns him to the forefront of American cinema. I want Eddie Murphy to go the Bill Murray route, and be in a string of brilliant comedies with a profound emotional center that win all the awards and set him up for the legacy he’s worked so hard to create. He’s smart, savvy, and a great entertainer. I do not want him to be taking shit from a snotty little girl. I do not want him to be the supporting character to a little girl’s journey of self-discovery.
Maybe that’s not what this movie is! Maybe it’s too complicated to be summed up by a trailer, so to get people into the theater and talking about it, the filmmakers went with the ‘Well let’s do the tearjerker Mom Dies Of Cancer angle! That’ll get people to buy tickets!’
I want to believe! I want to!
Anyway, I hope that you’re having a great week, and that you have a great weekend. I went outside to see if I could spot any meteors from the Perseid Meteor Shower last night, but the sky was pretty overcast and I didn’t see anything. Maybe tonight’s the night!
I love Doctor Orpheus from the Venture Bros., who acts as a parody of Doctor Strange, but I can’t wait to see the real thing in action.
Quick Check-In:
I’m seeing the Animated Shorts collection tonight at the Enzian. Shorts are ALWAYS a wonderful grab bag, ranging from ‘meh’ to ‘GOOD LORD’ so I am really looking forward to that.
Last night I watched a real treat- Hush. It’s by the same writer/director as Oculus, which I reviewed in a bit a few months ago and while that had some nice things going on for it, ultimately I didn’t care for it. Hush is a completely different animal – this might be my new favorite horror movie! I want to do a whole review on it but I’ll just let you know the premise: a deaf female horror writer has moved to an isolated cabin. Her idyllic routine is upset when a sadist appears and begins a sick game of cat-and-mouse. The tension is so thick and tight that it had me in knots! Well-acted, brilliant use of space, lighting, and pacing, and a lead actress who is intensely charismatic while never saying a word. It could have been incredibly stupid and exploitative but instead it’s just masterful. If you’re a fan of horror thrillers YOU WILL BE PLEASED.
The Doctor Strange trailer has dropped and it’s SO THRILLING!
I really, really can’t wait. I love the Marvel films in general but this one looks ESPECIALLY up my alley! I love occult stuff. I’m aware of the controversy of the film containing a lot of Asian mysticism while being mysteriously bereft of Asian people and that makes me sad, but I feel like that is a bigger conversation for another day*. Still, it looks AWESOME. I love Doctor Orpheus from the Venture Bros., who acts as a parody of Doctor Strange, but I can’t wait to see the real thing in action. Also Benedict Cumberbatch’s fruity magic bathrobe is magnificent and I can’t wait to see him waving his hands around shouting things. His costume is beautiful and I want one. Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, huge galactic imagery, cities turned upside down – they need to stop reading my diary.
GO MAGIC BATHROBES, GO!!!!
That’s all I’ve got for today. I’m taking notes on everything I see through the Florida Film Festival and will publish a big post about it next week.
Have a great day!
*If you are interested in this controversy, the Nerds of Color have posted about it. The comments going on below the post are VERY helpful for understanding.
But then I remembered that this existed. Some COMEDY GENIUS set a bunch of scenes from the original Star Trek to White Rabbit and it’s the best thing you’ll see today.
There’s a new trailer for Alice Through the Looking Glass!
Yes, it features Pink singing the immortal White Rabbit for some reason. She doesn’t improve on the original and her voice is nicely comparable to Grace Slick’s, but there are some intriguing techno flourishes. I’m digging it, I admit. I do like Pink so perhaps I’m biased.
Looks WAY fun. I loved the first one. And hearing Alan Rickman’s voice brought on an unexpected bout of melancholy.
But then I remembered that this existed. Some COMEDY GENIUS set a bunch of scenes from the original Star Trek to White Rabbit and it’s the best thing you’ll see today.
My favorite is the scenes where they’re just standing around like ‘Is it working yet? do you feel anything?’
I totally teared up during this trailer. Between the music, the voicework, and that little boy’s spunky spirit, I am all over this. I am READY.
Got my internet situation handled, and I’ll have some entries up later this week – one for one of Gary Oldman’s greatest roles, that of Ludwig Van Beethoven in Immortal Beloved. HOW HAS HE NOT WON AN OSCAR BY NOW?
But today – oh, today!- here is another trailer for Disney’s new The Jungle Book.
I get that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but as a weird little only child who grew up climbing trees alone in a big backyard, and preferred the company of animals to people…
…this has me.
I totally teared up during this trailer. Between the music, the voicework, and that little boy’s spunky spirit, I am all over this. I am READY.
I LOVE the casting – I am hearing a lot of snark about Scarlett Johansen as Kaa, specifically her voicework, but I think it’s perfect. People are complaining that the line-reading sounds flat, but I disagree. After all, Kaa is supposed to be disarming, supposed to sound as if eating you is the farthest thing from her mind. She’s a 50-foot python and running prey down isn’t an option – large reptiles are ambush predators, meaning they wait hidden for you to let your guard down, before they strike. In the cartoon Kaa used hypnosis on his prey, but I like the reinterpretation. They’re playing with the ‘Eve and the Snake’ mythology of Western culture a bit too, with woman as ‘seductress,’ but I kind of dig it. Mowgli’s wolf mother is played by Lupita N’yongo, which is nice, but seriously can we get her in a big blockbuster role where we see her face?.
And Idris Elba as Shere Khan?
Get that casting director a bucket of awards and a dumptruck of money because that is PERFECT.
