And my favorite film of the decade is...

A full list will come later in the month. Granted, by some fluke if Avatar or Sherlock Holmes end up being my absolute favorite film of this decade, then some revisions may be in order, but let's presume that they just end up being really, really good. As I look at my list of favorites over the 2000s, I find it filled with movies that were warm and celebrated unexpected goodness, good deeds in a weary world to quote a famous chocolate maker. There was certainly a place for masterpieces of cynicism and despair (Frailty, The Prestige, The Pledge), but I found myself more impressed by those films that could wring emotion out of light rather than darkness. Be it the unwavering friendship of Sam as his friend Frodo descends into madness on their quest to dispose of a cursed ring, young Akeelah remembering all of the people in her life that helped her train for the spelling bee, or Penny Lane tricking Russell Hammond into visiting the home of the young journalist he betrayed so that he might make amends, the moments that stood out were the ones that celebrated surprising decency.

Clash of the Titans gets posters.

Being grown-up means not always being first...

As I mentioned earlier, I'll be seeing Avatar on Monday night, so expect a review either late Monday night or Tuesday morning. I figured it was worth waiting four days to see the film in IMAX at a more convenient theater. Besides, unlike IMAX, I have no real relationship with Fox, so I would have had to start jumping through hoops weeks ago. Sure, the geek in me wishes I were at tonight's screening at the Mann's Chinese, but the grown up is happy to wait a few days. Besides, I went through hell to get into the first press screening of The Dark Knight last year, only to find that I had to wait a week and a half until I could talk about it with spoiler-phobic friends (on the plus side, I compiled quite a few Warner Bros. contacts as a result). The key now is to remain spoiler-free (and expectations-free) until Monday night.

Scott Mendelson

Avatar premieres and the critics rave. Déjà vu King Kong?

The good news is that Avatar screened in America and London today, and the critics are confirming everybody's best hopes. The bad news... we were here back in December 2005. This smells like King Kong all over again. Early reviews are fantastic, as the film ends up being better than even the cynics thought. That breeds unrealistic expectations of record box-office and Oscar glory. But when the film opens just like a regular smash hit (due to running length or other reasonable variables), the press turns, calls the film a failure and we all spend the next four years forgetting how much we liked the film in the first place. I loved King Kong and still do, so hopefully history does not repeat itself.

Scott Mendelson

The two May titans, Iron Man 2 and Sex & the City 2, get posters.

Review: The Lovely Bones (2009)

The Lovely Bones
2009
130 minutes
Rated PG-13

by Scott Mendelson

The Lovely Bones is a film constantly afraid of its own subject matter. It is, at its core, the story of the rape and murder of a child and the effect that it has on those left behind. But the picture constantly shies away from exploring the depths of grief and sorrow at any level beyond the surface. It throws everything else it can at you, suspense scenes, comic relief, a visual realization of the afterlife, to distract you from the realization that the movie is desperately afraid of its own shadow. I don't know whether to blame the movie or the original book, but the material is so afraid of making you feel bad that it fails to make you feel much of anything. As a result, the film is surprisingly cold, and the emotional highs are few and far between.

Twilight Saga: Eclipse to be released in IMAX.

Fresh off the presses, Summit has announced that it will be releasing the third Twilight film, Eclipse, in the IMAX format. This is a first for for the series, and the first for Summit Entertainment. This is a surprise, but a smart move for several reasons. First of all, after two films with very little action and/or visual incident, this feels like an announcement that the third film will actually have big-screen imagery that would justify the large-screen format. Second of all, this is another attempt to portray the series as the heir apparent to the nearly-concluded Harry Potter franchise, a process that started when the first film jumped on the November 21st, 2008 date that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince had infamously vacated. Third, this is a sure sign that Summit wants that three-day opening weekend record, and it wants it bad. It's worth noting that the $142 million opening sprint for New Moon was the biggest opening weekend not boosted by the large-screen format's higher ticket prices. Since it's still not known whether theoretical weekend-record-breaker Iron Man 2 will go IMAX this May, the advantage is currently for Team Edward to make a run for The Dark Knight's $158 million record. Now if Summit could just figure out how to market and open its non-Twilight films, it might eventually become a real studio. On the other hand, maybe Summit can release Breaking Dawn parts 1 and 2 in D-Box, so you can rock and roll to the absolutely insane narrative of Stephanie Meyer's finale. Below is the official press release.

SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT TO DISTRIBUTE THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE TO IMAX^® THEATRES BEGINNING JUNE 30, 2010

Los Angeles, CA – December 9, 2009 – IMAX Corporation (NASDAQ: IMAX; TSX: IMX) and Summit Entertainment announced today that The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, the third film in the studio’s Twilight franchise, will be released to IMAX^® theatres simultaneously with the film’s launch on June 30, 2010. Directed by David Slade (30 DAYS OF NIGHT, HARD CANDY) and starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse will be digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience^® with proprietary IMAX DMR^® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie. The film franchise is based on the book series by Stephenie Meyer.

“Twilight moviegoers will have a whole new way to experience this next installment of the series, with the enhanced image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience putting them IN the movie,” said Richie Fay, Summit Entertainment’s President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution. “The IMAX release puts us on the event film calendar for 2010, and we’re very excited to work with IMAX to bring a new kind of film to the IMAX theatre network.”

“Our 2010 film slate continues to fill out with strong titles, and a film from this incredible franchise is a very welcome addition,” said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. “This title fills a valuable spot in our 2010 summer release window, and will no doubt thrill IMAX audiences.”

“We’re very excited to work with our new partners at Summit Entertainment to transport the very loyal and enthusiastic Twilight fans into the world of the Volturi via The IMAX Experience,” added Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. “With our growing theatre network, we’re poised to take advantage of the rapidly growing fan-base devoted to this dynamic, cutting edge series.”

In The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life.

Avatar gets a theatrical one-sheet.

James Cameron's Avatar finally screens on Thursday. Barring unforeseen variables, I'll be seeing it on Monday in IMAX 3D. But for now, here's the official theatrical poster. I'll be back tomorrow morning with a review of Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones.

Scott Mendelson

Blu Ray Review: The Hangover (2009)

The Hangover
2009
108 minutes (Unrated Cut)
100 minutes (Theatrical Cut)
Available from Warner Home video on DVD, Blu Ray, OnDemand and iTunes on December 12th.

This insanely popular R-rated comedy succeeds as much for what it doesn't contain (overt vulgarity, misogynist humor, gay-panic jokes, endless improv riffs) as for what it does contain (solid actors playing real characters, a genuinely compelling mystery, a truly plausible comic narrative). It's a wonderfully funny comic-thriller that works because director Todd Phillips and writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore concentrated on making a good film first and a funny movie second. So instead of a bunch of gags that happen to be contained within a feature film, we get a wonderful movie that happens to be very, very funny.

The film works almost as well the second time around. If I was not laughing as hard on my second viewing, I was able to truly appreciate the intricate screenplay construction. I once again marvel at the brilliance of the film's backwards narrative, which basically allowed Phillips and company to make an R-rated comedy where all of the sexual hijinks, vulgarity, and general comedic unpleasantness occurs completely offscreen. This film ended the summer as the third-highest grossing R-rated film of all time, and the third-biggest comedy in history. It deserves both of those honors. As for the eight-minute longer 'unrated edition', I only noticed one small difference at the film's conclusion (a minor plot point concerning a car). I'm pretty sure that about five of the eight extra minutes apparently occur in the first act of the picture, since the bachelor party faded to black at the 22-minute mark in theaters and the 27-minute mark at home.

The film looks and sounds pretty terrific, but this is not and never will be demo material. There is a picture-in-picture commentary for the theatrical cut, which is basically the director and his three leads doing a normal commentary. The most interesting bit is the one scene that the studio asked the filmmakers to alter, and you'll be surprised at how insignificant it was. The actual video content comprises about forty-minutes of material. There's about 25-minutes of behind the scenes material that is annoyingly broken up into a 'map of Vegas'. Why they couldn't just combine these bits into a documentary is beyond me. There is a much-touted photo gallery, the name of which constitutes a huge spoiler. Don't look at the bonus material or even look on the box before seeing the film. There's also a music video version of a the 'Three Best Friends' song, as well as an extended version of the Dan Band doing a terrible cover of Fame. The highlight of the bonus material is a seven-minute improv reel of the invaluable Ken Jong. Mr. "Spanish Genius" is quickly making himself into a national comedy treasure, and it's great fun to have his outtakes on the disc. Oh, and there is a digital copy included as well, for those who care.

Overall, this is the rare comedy that's worth owning, as it merits at least two viewings to appreciate the genuine craftsmanship that went into this surprise mega-smash. Most of the extras are fluffy in nature, but there's enough good stuff to make it worth the work.

Scott Mendelson

Neil LaBute's Death at a Funeral gets a trailer.

I can't remember the last time I actually laughed out-loud at a trailer. This remake of a 2007 Frank Oz comedy looks like a genuinely witty little gem from Neil LaBute of all people. Of course, LaBute is the very definition of 'hit or miss'. When he scores, we get Nurse Betty or Lakeview Terrace. But when he botches it, we get The Wicker Man or Possession. Still, the cast alone will make this worth seeing. Kudos for getting James Marsden to again play to his comic side (he helped make Sex Drive watchable). Danny Glover is always fun when he's not taking himself seriously, and he appears to not be wearing his Shooter/2012 dentures this time. Everyone (Chris Rock, Zoe Saldana, Keith David, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, Columbus Short, Luke Wilson, Peter Dinklage, Loretta Devine, etc) looks in top form and I now have very high hopes for this April 16th release. But in the meantime, I'll probably check out the original.

Scott Mendelson