Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Flash Mob Assignment: See IRON MAN Again!

You want to mess with The Man in Hollywood?

This coming weekend the only action flick we have is the DEATH RACE remake. I'll probably see it, but I suspect it's junk. The reason why I loved the original is because it's all about hitting pedestrians - something that causes you to lose points in a driving game... but in the film you *got points* for running over people. It's a sick film. The remake seems sanitized - prisoners against prisoners.

So, DEATH RACE isn't a must see for me. I was thinking about what film I really liked and would like to see again... and instead of seeing DARK KNIGHT one more time, I thought it might be cool to see IRON MAN. And it's still playing at some far off cinema in Los Angeles. Hey, why not?

So, here's the deal - if you like IRON MAN, and it's still playing somewhere near you, and you want to have fun with the big chart in Variety - see it again this weekend. And spread the word. I think it would be fun if suddenly IRON MAN jumped up the Variety list a few steps so late in its run. Over the weekend it was #22 on the list, playing on 315 screens in the USA.

If we can get enough people to see it again that it jumps back into the top 20, someone in Hollywood's gonna wonder what the heck happened... and become confused.

- Bill
IMPORTANT UPDATE:

TODAY'S SCRIPT TIP: Take My Name Off It!
Yesterday’s Dinner: Fish Tacos at Islands.
Pages: Working on an article for Script... and the rewrite.
Bicycle: Rode yesterday and today... and that's the plan until I'm 30 pounds lighter. Just keep riding.
DVD: BUG - Missed it in the cinema, $3.99 on DVD. Trailer had bugs crawling under people's skin... none of that in the movie. Minute 41 was the first bug. Except, there are no bugs. Based on a stage play. and it shows... even down to the sloppy plotting and lack of an end. Has some creepy stuff, just not enough... and it's mostly talk (hey, it was a play). It's not a bad movie, just not a good one. Judd and Harry Connick are great (Connick is her abusive jailbird hubby - and he's freakin' evil! Total image change for him - and he's more scary than anything else in the film.) Problem is male lead - he's from the stage version. The role is a guy in his early 20s, but this guy is *obviously* late 30s. Maybe even early 40s. On stage, he can probably pass - on screen, he's just too old for the role. And he's one of those obviously intense actors, when this needed someone who could start as an innocent and build the intensity. Worst part of the film - no bugs. It's a talk-drama... and could have been better if *we saw* the delusions. Instead, the set becomes more extreme (like it would in a stage play) to reflect the mood... and it's overkill. Eventually they have covered every square inch of their apartment with aluminium foil and use black lights and wear white clothes. Completely artificial & stagey. The trailer had bugs under the skin... and they *talk* about that. But why not show it? The thing is, the story has nowhere to go - it also doesn't seem to have much point. Judd is so good as this character continues to deteriorate mentally, that you want to see her in more movies.

- Bill

7 comments:

English Dave said...

Not only is it prisoners against prisoners but the co-drivers are co-opted in from the female prison up the road. Corman would be turning in his grave. If you're making tits and violence at least be up front about it and don't patronize the audience with the 'misunderstood bad guy versus The Man' bollocks.

Sounds like a teen/kleen movie to me. I'll be avoiding. lol

wcmartell said...

Maybe the female prisoners shower regularly - and Sybil Danning is the nasty lesbo warden who spanks them when they don't use their turn indicators?

- Bill

Good Dog said...

Oh, Sybil Danning...

Yeah, so the remake is set in a prison where the drivers have women in the seats beside them and guns and shit mounted on their cars. In prison...

Do you get the feeling it may all end in tears?

And I love it that after 15 weeks Iron Man is still going strong while all manner of films that opened after it have gradually dropped, or totally plummeted, down the list.

Anonymous said...

too bad Wendy O. Williams didn't off herself, she would have been great in it

Mama's Boyfriend said...

Michael Shannon from "Bug" is in his mid-thirties. When he premiered in the stage play he was in his mid-twenties, playing early twenties. The trouble is they stuck with him even though he had obviously grown older. Terrific actor, though.

Anonymous said...

Coincidentally, Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby are scheduled to speak at the Maui Writers Retreat/Conference which I happen to be attending. So I suggested a "field trip" to see Iron Man this weekend, as well.

Mark

P.S. I also met several more screenwriters who would be interested in a class when you're here.

Bryan said...

Now, it’s been my experience that “forgetting” the screenwriter is common enough. In its very, very early days, IMDB only listed the director’s name under the “Overview” section beneath the title. I sent them a very lovely email explaining why this was insulting to writers, and a week later, screenwriters were included.1

But this is worse. In this instance, we have a theater employee parroting a policy that reduces the screenwriter’s participation to that of a non-author.

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