You gotta hand it to the writers over at The Oatmeal…they know how to start a debate. Whether it be here on this site or any of the other number of sites, the comic about pirating Game of Thrones due to its lack of streaming availability has sparked some incredibly vocal controversy.

Some are waging in on the mental attitude of pirates, some about HBO’s potentially out-dated business model, and even some are arguing over whether it’s possible to steal things that aren’t physical ‘things.’

All of these discussions are thought-provoking and entertaining topics of deliberation – but there’s something that appears to be missed or ignored in this whole debate session, until recently on the AV Club,  and yet is almost directly front-and-center from the source of the discussion:

People are fighting hard against the wrong villain.

As shown in the comic, the only way currently to see Game of Thrones online without the potential of getting arrested is to purchase a monthly subscription of HBO through your cable or dish service provider, and then you will have the ability to stream the show via HBO’s online streaming service HBOGo. Therefore, if you have an HBO subscription already you can stream it online, and if you do not you can purchase the monthly subscription for the channel via your cable service provider, and then you can stream the show.

The consumers that leaves out in the cold are the people that don’t have cable, nor want to purchase cable specifically for one channel (let alone one show). With the above mentioned services offering network television programs online for about 1/10^th the monthly cost of cable the number of those consumers is rising. It’s simply just more cost-effective for a person to pay 8 dollars a month to watch 80 percent of the shows they want online and wait for their availability on that platform (sometimes months after the show initially aired on television) versus 50+ dollars to see 100%of the shows as they air.

It’s C grade service with A grade cost versus A grade service with D grade cost.

So Why Doesn’t HBO Tap Into the Online Market By Streaming Shows For a Fee?

With all these avenues in which HBO has the ‘ability’ to stream Game of Thrones and charge for it either on a per episode basis or through subscription to a direct online streaming service the question becomes, “Why don’t they?” They can obviously make a lot of money doing so by appeasing a market of consumers they have currently shut themselves off from; so what’s hindering them?

The companies with the most to lose by a direct HBO to consumer relationship are the cable/satellite service providers (ie Time Warner, ComCast, AT&T, etc).

In a web article published on Ad Age in January of 2010 the reporter speculated that Web Televisions may be the cable industry’s largest battle over the next couple of years, which is technically right now. A television set that connects directly to the internet offers a path to network content to be watched on a TV without the need of a cable subscription.

If Game of Thrones is offered on HuluPlus or Netflix, who doesn’t receive a paycheck for that service order? If the shows are made available to download on iTunes or Amazon for a couple bucks an episode, who doesn’t receive a paycheck for that purchase? More dangerously to the affected parties, if HBO offers a streaming service outside of their television channel subscription who can potentially lose an incredible amount of revenue because of that? HBO is not a free channel bundled in with a basic cable subscription, so what’s stopping a consumer from dropping HBO from their television package and getting it through an online streaming service? HBO won’t care because they still have the customer, but the offering company of their cable subscription just lost money, and if HBO was the primary reason they had cable to begin with then they have just lost a customer completely.

The next piece to the puzzle is the hypothetical “Well, then why doesn’t HBO just offer an online service outside of television programming even when whatever contract they have with cable company A is up?” And the possible answer to that was found in the same article from Ad Age:

“…one tech exec, who asked not to be named, predicted that the minute cable operators start to feel the disruption, they will clamp down and use their market power to keep TV and films from seeping into next-generation devices. They’re already putting the squeeze on networks; any free distribution is an argument for lower cable distribution fees. “

Therefore, is it worth it for HBO to even attempt to offer a streaming service non-sanctioned by the cable operators at the risk of not being able to reach customers who don’t stream and only watch television on the television? Essentially, is it worth the risk to be an online programming entity only, because Time Warner, ComCast et al would probably, very happily, black out HBO across the board to be watched on television.

A funny thing happened when I watched this second trailer for Men in Black III – I realized that I couldn’t remember a damn thing about the second film, which is funny, because that film deals with Tommy Lee Jones‘ Agent K losing his memory (get it?). I remember Men in Black with nothing but affection, but MIB2? That’s a blank page in my memory book, so it’s good news all-around that this trailer made me chuckle and look forward to the third film (inevitably in 3D).

Men in Black III goes back (back in time) after some funny space-time stuff goes down and Will Smith‘s Agent J gets hit with the news that Agent K is dead – and has been for forty years. Pitching himself back to the 1960s, J attempts to uncover what happened to kill his partner, fight off an alien invasion, and convince the younger K (Josh Brolin, terrifyingly well-cast) that he comes from the future.

We got a look at the film’s first trailer way back in December, but I daresay, this one is a fair bit better:

Men in Black 3 opens on May 25. [Yahoo! Movies]

It is still very unclear to me why SXSW Film opted to forego their Lone Star States category in 2012, but what seems abundantly clear is the shortage of feature-length films by local filmmakers at the festival this year. As I continue to rummage through the schedule to plan my nine-day marathon of film screenings, various questions keep popping into my mind. Did fewer local filmmakers submit their features to SXSW this year? Has SXSW lost the desire to support local filmmakers? Do SXSW’s standards exceed the quality of local film productions? What does all of this say about the Austin film community? Inquiring minds want to know!

The lack of local films in this year’s feature-length film categories would not have been as much of a shock if Austin had not enjoyed such a powerful presence at SXSW 2010 and 2011. In 2010, SXSW Film screened seven feature films by Austin filmmakers: Dance with the One, Earthling, The Happy Poet, Lovers of Hate, Mars, Richard Garriott: Man on a Mission, and When I Rise. In 2011, SXSW screened eight feature films by Austin filmmakers: Blacktino, Building Hope, Five Time Champion, Incendiary: The Willingham Case, My Sucky Teen Romance, Otis Under Sky, Outside Industry: The Story of SXSW, and Wuss.

This year the number of feature-length films by Austin filmmakers at SXSW has dropped to five: America’s Parking Lot, KID-THING, Somebody Up There Likes Me, The Taiwan Oyster, and Trash Dance. Note that I am not counting the special presentations of Slacker 2011 or Richard Linklater’s Bernie, because both films have already screened several times (including in Austin) and presumably did not adhere to the same application process as the other films programmed at SXSW 2012. That said – I am very excited that Slacker 2011 is screening during SXSW since it does showcase our local talent so well (more about that here); and I guess, in a way, it makes up for the lack of local films featured in this year’s program. It is also worth noting that three of the five local filmmakers who are screening feature-length films at SXSW 2012 also participated in Slacker 2011 (the Zellner brothers and Bob Byington directed segments and Jonny Mars acted in a segment).

America’s Parking Lot – Jonny Mars’ documentary follows two die-hard Cowboys fans who are the de facto leaders of the legendary “Gate 6″ tailgate party during the Cowboys’ last season at the historic Texas Stadium. When the Cowboys move 20 miles west to Arlington, the shifting politics and economics of major league football threaten to dissolve the friendships and traditions they have built over the last 20 years.

Kid-Thing - David and Nathan Zellner world premiered Kid-Thing at Sundance 2012 and they just returned from the film’s European premiere at Berlin 2012. Now Kid-Thing is finally coming back to Austin for a regional premiere. Kid-Thing is a drama about a young girl named Annie (Sydney Aguirre) who relies on shoplifting for survival; her life becomes increasingly complicated following a strange discovery in the woods near her home. Aguirre (who made her cinematic debut in the Zellner Brothers’ short film, The Virile Man) shares the screen with David Zellner, Nathan Zellner and Susan Tyrrell (Cry-Baby, Fat City).

Somebody Up There Likes Me – Bob Byington’s Somebody Up There Likes Me is about Max (Keith Poulson), his best friend Sal (Nick Offerman) and the woman they both adore, Lyla (Jess Weixler). Byington’s quirky bro-mance/rom-com also stars Kevin Corrigan, Andrew Bujalski, Chris Doubek, Allison Latta, Anna Margaret Hollyman, and Jonny Mars.

The Taiwan Oyster – Writer-director Mark Jarrett’s The Taiwan Oyster tells the story of Darin (Jeff Palmiotti) and Simon (Billy Harvey), two American ex-patriots who steal the corpse of a fallen countryman and embark on a quixotic road trip through the Taiwanese countryside in search of a suitable burial place for a person they barely knew. Set in Taiwan in the year 2000 (thirteen years after the lifting of Marshall Law rule), The Taiwan Oyster explores deep existentialist questions regarding personal demons and the Southeast Asian ex-patriot experience.

Trash Dance – Choreographer Allison Orr finds beauty and grace in garbage trucks, and in the men and women who pick up our trash. Orr joins Austin’s sanitation workers on their daily routes to listen, learn, and ultimately to convince them to collaborate in a unique dance performance. After months of rehearsal, two dozen trash collectors and their trucks perform an extraordinary spectacle. Trash Dance director Andrew Garrison teaches film and digital production at the University of Texas at Austin.

All of this discussion about the lack of local feature-length films at SXSW 2012 is not meant to lessen the significance of the quantity of local short films screening at this year’s festival. SXSW did retain the Texas Shorts and Texas High School Shorts programs and both categories feature several Austin filmmakers.

Cinematic Things To Do in Austin This Week:

3/6 – Alamo Rolling Roadshow – The Alamo teams up with Open Road Films to put together a FREE Rolling Roadshow advance screening of Silent House at an undisclosed, super creepy location. (More Info)

3/6 – Alamo South Lamar – AFS’ Essential Cinema Series — Children of Abraham/Ibrahim 6 — continues with Granaz Moussavi’s My Tehran For Sale. (More info)

3/7 – Alamo South Ritz – The Alamo Drafthouse presents a special screening of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou featuring a fish and chips dinner and your very own Team Zissou-issue red knit cap. (More info)

3/9-3/17  – The 2012 SXSW Film Festival (More info)

Fans of sword-and-sandal action flicks have plenty of options these days. Whether they’re watching Spartacus or Game of Thrones on television or anticipating the upcoming Wrath of the Titans this spring, there’s a lot of CGI bloodshed happening. The latest thing to hit DVD and Blu-ray is Immortals, which was a surprise hit at the box office last November.

Telling the story of commoner Theseus who goes up against King Hyperion to earn his people freedom, this film can also be seen as Superman facing off against Whiplash from Iron Man 2. It can also be seen as a big, oily orgy of abs and nipples. And anyone interested in a big, oily orgy of abs and nipples should really have a few drinks during the experience.

And now, to cover our butts… This game is only for people over the age of 21. Please drink responsibly, and don’t boink a virgin oracle until after she reveals the prophecy.

TAKE A DRINK WHEN…

• Narration begins
• Someone is killed
• Someone fires the Epirus Bow
• A new silly hat makes an appearance

TAKE A DRINK WHEN YOU SEE…

• A statue
• A slo-mo shot
• A location title
• A wide CGI matte painting

TAKE A DRINK WHEN SOMEONE SAYS…

• “gods”
• “titans”
• “Theseus”
• “Hyperion”

CHUG YOUR DRINK WHEN…

• The Epirus Bow is uncovered

Click here for more Drinking Games

Back in August of last year, Universal Pictures chucked their big-budget Ouija back into turnaround – usually the kiss of death for a project like this, one meant to cost over $100m and to tap into the hallowed “four-quadrant” ground (meant to appeal to both sexes and all ages). That first pitch likened the film to something like Jumanji, which could certainly be appealing, but Universal was shy to give it the go-ahead. Even the attachment of producer Michael Bay and director McG didn’t keep them interested, and for all intents and purposes, the project being put into turnaround could have been the last we ever heard of it.

But it’s not. Deadline Chesterton now reports that Ouija has slid from a big “NO” to a much smaller “YES,” with Universal back on board to make it for a 2013 release, but with a significantly tighter budget than its previous incarnation. The new film will come with a tiny little $5m pricetag, one that signals that this will be no longer be a four-quadrant blockbuster, but something closer to a genre pic. Another indication that’s so? While original producers Bay, Brad Fuller, and Andrew Form are back in, they are also joined by Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions, who has produced films like Paranormal Activity and Insidious – films with small budgets that made big box office cash. THR also reports that Blum is responsible for the film’s new direction – a “high concept, lower budget model.”

Currently, McG does not appear to be attached to the picture – considering that his latest, This Means War, was such a bust, perhaps he should get comfy with smaller budgets.

Weirdly enough, though Ouija will permanently saddled with the “board game movie” tag, there’s a rich history to the boards that goes far beyond Hasbro’s popular version. Did you know that first known occurrence of the board’s “automatic writing” by way of a planchette (that’s the pointer) goes back to China’s Song Dynasty in 1100 CE? Or that that board was a popular parlor game all the way back in the 19th century? Or that Emily Grant Hutchings claimed her 1917 novel Jap Herron: A Novel Written from the Ouija Board was dictated to her by no less than Mark Twain’s spirit on, you guessed it, a Ouija board? Board game movies sound dumb as all get-out, but Ouija has a much greater history to borrow from than something like Connect-4: The Inevitable Blockbuster.

A couple months ago it was reported that The OC’s Adam Brody was attached to star in an adaptation of a Neil LaBute play called Some Girls. To be helmed by Mad Men and Flight of the Conchords director Jennifer Getzinger, and shot from a screenplay by LaBute himself, Some Girls is one of those naval-gazing relationship stories about a character taking stock of their romantic history. In this case, said character is a writer who feels like he has to get closure with his ex-girlfriends before he can enter into a marriage with his current fiancée. That means flying all across the country to track these girls down and get a little of the old face-to-face. And, for this movie, it means a need to cast a gaggle of young actresses.

So far, Getzinger and company seem to be off to a good start. THR reports that the first female member of the Some Girls cast has been signed, and it’s none other than Veronica Mars’ Kristen Bell. Reportedly, Bell will be playing a character named Bobbi, a super-smart girl that Brody’s character walked out on years earlier without a word. Predictably, she doesn’t have a very high opinion of him these days.

And neither will viewers if the rest of the actresses that get cast as the exes are as lovely and charming as Bell. It sounds like Brody is going to have a tough road ahead of him if he’s going to play a guy who walks out on girls like Kristen Bell while somehow retaining the empathy and support of Some Girls’ audience. It will be interesting to see if he has the charisma and the chops to pull it off.

Ever since Keanu Reeves intimated that he was into the idea of doing a third Bill & Ted movie, it’s been pretty hard to focus on anything other than how awesome it would be to see him and Alex Winter get back together to play the adult versions of their dim-bulb, metalhead characters. So, we should all thank Coming Soon for compiling a couple of reassuring quotes that point to the fact that Bill & Ted 3 might be entering production sooner rather than later.

First, Reeves mentioned the prospective project once again while doing an interview with The Independent. When asked about the long-rumored third film he replied, “Yeah, we have a script. We’re trying to put it together. It’s a good script too.” That’s encouraging, but not too different from things we’ve heard about this one before. The second uncovered quote points to the fact that a third excellent adventure is one step closer to becoming a reality, however. When asked about the movie on Twitter, Alex Winter responded to a fan and former Bill & Ted extra by saying, “Script done? Check. -We love it? Check. -Green light? Working on it!”

So, don’t go playing air guitar yet; Bill & Ted 3 still isn’t officially happening. Somebody is going to have to step forward and put up some cash in order for this most excellent proposition to become reality. With a completed script, both original stars verbally on board, and a cult following eagerly awaiting word of the franchise’s future, it’s probably only a matter of time before somebody coughs up some dough though. It’s just going to be kind of bittersweet to watch it all come together without George Carlin involved. Thankfully, we still have Station.

UPDATED: Since publication the Variety story sourced has been updated to reflect breaking news that Mortensen is out as far as this film goes, and that Casey Affleck is being thought of as the front runner to play the role of Bale’s brother. Trading Mortensen for Affleck doesn’t really change the sentiment of this article, as that’s still a great cast of actors. Let’s just hope that Affleck’s name doesn’t get nixed, or this editing process is going to get real complicated.

Since we first heard about the conception of Scott Cooper’s follow-up to Crazy Heart, Out of the Furnace, nearly a year ago, the project has moved forward and casting has begun. So far it’s been confirmed that Christian Bale will play the lead role, that of an ex-convict who is sucked back into the criminal world when his brother is murdered and he consequently vows revenge. But there’s also some intriguing maybes floating around out there as well. Variety has news that a trio of exciting actors are negotiating for or interested in taking supporting roles in this crime drama.

Firstly, Avatar and Colombiana star Zoe Saldana is in early negotiations to play the role of the Bale character’s ex-wife. She’s a small town waitress married to the local Sheriff. Secondly, Robert Duvall is “expected” to come on board to play Bale’s uncle. And lastly, Viggo Mortensen is said to be interested in playing the part of the villain, who I would assume is the guy who murdered the little brother.

With the skill at directing actors that Cooper showed with Crazy Heart and the staggering level of talent this prospective cast brings to the table, Out of the Furnace has suddenly gone from a promising script that, once upon a time, appeared on the Black List, to a developing feature that’s likely going to blow us all away in its execution. Hopefully everybody signs on the dotted line soon; especially Saldana. After the career-threatening badness that was Colombiana, she could really use a role like this.

Maybe it was the message. Maybe there are so many people out there just dying to hear how trees save us all, how we have to take a stand for what we believe, how it’s our Earth, too. Maybe people just can’t wait for the summer movie season to become a year-round period, but we’ll get to that in the weekend analysis below. Or maybe they just thought the Lorax was cute. Whatever the reasoning behind it, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax took top honors at the box office this weekend, and it did so with a fury.

There’s a healthy dose of shock that comes with learning the film topped the opening weekends for How the Grinch Stole Christmas – Jim Carrey, not Boris Karloff – The Cat in the Hat – that one’s not so much a shock as it is appropriate – and Horton Hears a Who! It easily becomes the biggest opening for a Dr. Seuss adaptation, which means Green Eggs and Ham starring Justin Bieber and Zach Galifianakis can’t be far behind.

That film might even come out the same weekend as Project X 2 or maybe even Project XXX, another sure-to-be sequel for a film that dropped in hard this weekend. Project X, the found footage, teen comedy stirred up the controversy late last week, some of it coming from our very own site. But Mr. Salisbury might have done the film and the people behind it, Michael Bacall and Matt Drake, a favor. Either audiences wanted to make their own opinion on a divisive subject, or Project X was striking at a demographic that didn’t care about things like morality or sexism in their teen comedies.

The $21m Project X brought in wasn’t a groundbreaking number, but it still made more than American Pie in its opening weekend. That fact speaks volumes. There have been seven total sequels to American Pie. How many do you think Project X will get?

Academy Awards were a factor in a slew of films whose box office increased from the weekend before. The Artist didn’t make enough to register in the top 10, but it did rise up 24.8% to make $3.6m this weekend. It passed the $100m mark for worldwide grosses this weekend, and it’s total take is now at $102.1m. Other films that saw increases in their weekend hauls include A Separation (up 159.9%), The Iron Lady (up 22.4%), The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (up 60.7%), Undefeated (up 325.8%), and In the Land of Blood and Honey (up 65.7%). I know what you’re saying. In the Land of Blood and Honey didn’t win an Oscar, but its director, Angelina Jolie, sure made headlines. The “leg seen around the world” is enough for Jolie’s little film to get a nice boost, and that it did.

Here’s how the weekend broke down:

1. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax – $70.2m NEW
2. Project X – $21m NEW
3. Act of Valor – $13.5m (-44.5%) $45.1m total
4. Safe House – $7.3m (-32.4%) $108.3m total
5. Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds – $7m (-54.8%) $25.7m total
6. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island – $6.5m (-51.1%) $85.2m total
7. The Vow – $6m total (-39.4%) $111.6m total
8. This Means War – $5.5m (-34%) $41.3m total
9. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance – $4.5m (-49.5%) $44.8m total
10. Wanderlust – $3.8m (-41.1%) $12.4m total

Thanks to Dr. Seuss – and I’m sure the fine people at Illumination Entertainment will be taking much of the credit, as well – this weekend saw the biggest opening March weekend in history. The previous record holder was 2004 when The Passion of the Christ started it three-weekend run in the #1 spot, but this past weekend speaks more for the state of the industry in 2012 than it does The Lorax versus The Christ.

We’re at a time where studios are looking for that one movie that hits big, driving the start date of the summer movie season up a full month or two or three. Fast Five all but guaranteed the end of April is the launch for the season, but that may have already been trumped here. With The Lorax coming on strong and John Carter hitting next weekend – it’s sure to be another summer-level, blockbuster opening, and 21 Jump Street, The Hunger Games, and Wrath of the Titans follow with each, consecutive weekend after that – the new start of the summer movie season could very well become the first weekend in March. Those low periods are starting to dry up. Before long, it’ll all just be a series of highs. It’ll take years before it becomes the norm, but people talking about it then will have to look to 2012 as the year it all began.

Also, Silent House and A Thousand Words drop next weekend, but most eyes will be on either The Lorax or John Carter.

We’ll be back later in the week to see how the weekend is shaping up.

What is Movie News After Dark? It’s a nightly collection of links, movie news, happy things and sad things. Tonight we begin with something sad, because it’s easily the biggest story of the night.

We begin this evening on a sad note. Over the weekend, Ralph McQuarrie passed away. Some of you may not know the name, but you’ve seen his work. In fact, his work may have defined a lot of what you consider to be the iconography of your childhood. He’s the man who helped George Lucas craft the look of a little project called Star Wars, among other things. Better men than I have written excellent obituaries. I found Drew McWeeney on Ralph McQuarrie and AICN’s Eric Vespe on Ralph McQuarrie to be the best of them. Also, Geek Tyrant has a great gallery of Ralph McQuarrie art.

Special Urgent News Bulletin

You can now follow Movie News After Dark on Pinterest, a place where our FSR scavengers will pin awesome movie-related things to a board in the cloud. It’s very New Age, we assure you. Just click the button below.

io9 presents a list of 24 weird and wonderful movies that you’ll never get to see, a gathering of strange and wonderful films from yesteryear that have been for one reason or another lost to the ethos. It’s proof that some movies aren’t forever. So cherish them, friends. Cherish every day you have with them.

Total Film presents a list of the 50 most hated movies ever made. It’s the culmination of something I can no longer stand: constant, unfiltered fanboy hate. Come on, people… aren’t we here because we love — and at the very least like — movies? That said, The Last Airbender was a real piece of shit.

The ever-expanding world of IndieWire has birthed a new blog. Matt Singer will write CriticWire for the site, a blog focused on the best of film criticism around the web. I’ve long enjoyed Singer’s work, especially his guest appearance on Reject Radio. Singer’s first most intriguing piece: Do Critics Owe Original Movies Good Reviews? The answer is no, as critics or bloggers or pundits or whatever don’t owe any movie anything, but it’s an interesting discussion on whether or not we’re more lenient when a filmmaker sticks their neck out with an original idea. On the flip side, are we too hard on sequels and remakes?

Previously we’ve featured the work of Matt Hermann, a man who has unleashed the Original Movie Ideas project. He’s trying to come up with completely original movie ideas, because as is the case with many a movie fan, he’s convinced that Hollywood’s well is running dry. And he’s right about that part. His latest idea is Pilot, Pirate, Ninja, Son, a film in which “a young boy must become a pilot, a pirate and a ninja to find his father and emerge from a coma.” I’ll let you decide how new it is. Personally, I wish more folks would try to make such meaningful contributions to the discussion about sequels and remakes. I approve of the proactive approach. That said, I dig this poster:

If Dr. Suess wrote Star Wars:

Harry Knowles has finally fulfilled his rightful destiny and become a literal puppet. It’s all part of AICN joining The Nerdist Channel, a YouTube conglomerate of nerd-friendly shows. Should be an interesting little project.

Animal House is coming to Broadway. And The Barenaked Ladies are doing the music. Just sit there for a moment and let that sink in. This could really go either way.

Not long ago, we reported that the guys from Portishead are going to release Cliff Martinez’s Drive soundtrack on vinyl. Now Mondo has announced that they will release the 2-LP set sometime in June. And it’s going to be awesome, as expected.

Over at IndieWire, Alison Wilmore asks, Will Luck Go Down Easier When You Can Watch a Whole Season at Once? The answer is yes, according to yours truly, who got to watch the entire first season of Luck altogether. It’s just one of those shows that works better as run-through on DVD. I find that to be true with many an HBO show.

Movieline explores Harvey Weinstein’s Bully problem, one that might be manufactured for additional publicity.

Tonight’s closing video is the real life manifestation of “These are a few of my favorite things.” Yes, friends and neighbors, it’s a mash-up of Doctor Who‘s 11th Doctor, Matt Smith, and Sherlock, as played by the incredible Benedict Cumberbatch. It’s a duet mash-up version of  ”I Can Do Anything Better Than You.” Oh, you’re already watching it? Okay, I’ll stop talking about it now…

Click Here to Continue Reading Movie News After Dark…

It wasn’t until watching the newest green band trailer for That’s My Boy that everything became clear. Underneath the baffling, annoying voice Adam Sandler makes through the whole thing, the simple truth remains: this is the unofficial sequel to Big Daddy.

In that 1999 comedy, Sandler played a terrible man-child who let his fraudulently adopted son become the smelly kid in class by being lazy and moronic. In the film from Sean Anders and John Morris, Sandler plays a terrible child-child who becomes a father after knocking up his middle school teacher and now (many years later) has to deal with an estranged, very successful son played by Andy Samberg.

In a movie world where Sandler doesn’t evolve or grow up in Big Daddy, this is what little Frankenstein would have become. He ate the terrible candy he wanted to, he dressed how he wanted to, he had zero discipline and here’s how it all turned out:

Would you see it?

Despite the obstetrical impossible, Mean Girls has labored to deliver Mean Moms – a follow-up of sorts to the Lindsay Lohan-starring comedy. It also stems from an advice book written by Rosalind Wiseman, and shares a producer in Jill Messick. Plus, the logline in exactly the same, but in reverse: “A happily married mother of two moves from small town America to the high class suburbs and is faced with confronting the cutthroat world of competitive parenting.”

Replace bitchy teenage girls with bitchy mothers, and you’ve got a movie. Or it’s close at least. Variety is reporting that New Line has hired writing partners Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein (The Vow) to rewrite the current script. It’s also important to note that Kohn and Silverstein have been behind Cubic Zirconia Era rom-coms like He’s Just Not That Into You and Valentine’s Day (where they earned a story credit).

This may be an unfair comparison, especially with that resume, but it seems unlikely that they’ll be able to craft something as sharp and still human as Tina Fey did with Mean Girls. There’s a huge difference between character and caricature, so far this team’s writing doesn’t show that they know that difference. Is there any chance this next project won’t be a movie version of Real Housewives of Wherever?

While doing press for 21 Jump Street, Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and, more importantly, Clone High) discussed their “LEGO” movie over at Warners and name-dropped The Matrix, The Magnificent Seven, Lord of the Rings, Time Bandits and Star Wars as tonal and plotting inspirations. The point? If you’ve got a moronic task to bring pieces of plastic to life, go huge. It worked for Michael Bay, and this team brings more to the table in terms of character and story. So, this thing could be awesome (in the oldest sense of the word, Wesley).

That’s definitely a thought to get used to, but something even crazier is the idea that Harry Potter and Luke Skywalker could be making appearances. When he mentions Star Wars, it might be more than a reference point. According to Collider, Miller offered up that the usual yellow pieces won’t be the only things saving the day. “I will give you one piece of tidbit which is that there are some [Intellectual Property] characters, LEGO characters, but we can’t say who they are (laughs). That’s not really a tidbit, but it’s not just all original characters, there are some from other things that you might recognize.”

It seems unlikely that they’ll get the spotlight, but with the involvement of director Chris McKay from Robot Chicken, it seems like LEGO Batman be hanging out at the bar with LEGO Indiana Jones for a few pop culture references while LEGO Hermione snaps LEGO Ron’s wand. So there you go, Harry Potter fans. The boy who lived might not be done with movies yet.

So if I buy the rights to make a movie about the My Dinner With Andre action figures, I can make a movie with Sean and Andre? Is that how it all works now?

Hollywood is filled with people clambering to get noticed in a sea of noise. When that hard work has paid off and an aspiring filmmaker catches the eye of a studio or producer, this appears to be a big break. However, the good folks at AnimatedViews.com remind us that a big break in this town doesn’t always mean that your career is made.

AnimatedViews offers a detailed and intimate story behind the rise and fall of Disney’s Circle 7 Animation Studios, a company launched in 2005 to generate sequels to the wildly popular Pixar properties. More specifically, they profile Circle 7 writers Bob Hilgenberg and Rob Muir, who first broke into entertainment as part of Second City and The Groundlings.

Hilgenberg and Muir’s early television work included writing bumpers for USA’s Up All Night host Rhonda Sheer and penning a script for the forgotten The Munsters Today. Other notable projects included Disney’s 2011 mega-flop Mars Needs Moms (though their script was trashed by director Robert Zemeckis, so we can’t blame them for the final project).

However, it was at Circle 7 that Hilgenberg and Muir appeared to get their big break. They were offered several writing gigs, including developing scripts for Toy Story 3 and a sequel to Monsters, Inc. They were even in negotiations to develop a script for the conceptual Toy Story 4 before the third movie was reworked by Pixar with Lee Unkrich at the helm and Oscar-winning screenwriter Michael Arndt writing the script.

Nothing ever plays out as you expect it would. Shortly after Disney flat-out purchased Pixar in 2006, Circle 7 was shut down and the employees were absorbed into Walt Disney Animation Studios (which went on to produce films like Meet the Robinsons, Bolt and Tangled). Hilgenberg and Muir found some success in launching the direct-to-video Tinker Bell franchise, but their scripts for the Pixar sequels were abandoned.

The writing team is still working today, developing a Molly Shannon vehicle as well as a live-action adaptation of Bill Keane’s beloved comic strip The Family Circus, but sadly that big break everyone dreams of (which led them to develop scripts for some of the highest grossing animated films of all time) turned out to be not very big at all.

For an interesting read into the tumultuous world of animated films, check out the full story on Hilgenberg and Muir from AnimatedViews.

These items would have no doubt made Simon’s list this week, but they all come with a hefty price tag. Marvel is auctioning off several pieces of screen-used props, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, they’re expected to go for anywhere between $100 – $30,000.

So what’s up for grabs? You can check out the full Captain America catalog preview for yourself, but they’ve got everything from director’s chair backs from the production to Captain America’s shield in an ice resin. From concept art to Red Skull’s SS costume to Iron Man‘s Mark II “Autopsy” Suit to a full-scale motorcycle from Captain America to Thor‘s stunt hammer. Profiles in History, the auction house in charge, has got a lot to work with.

It’s almost as if they’re selling everything they used to make the movies.

The whole thing will be done online, but some of the bigger items will only be available at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo on April 14th. If you’re feeling generous, this Captain America War Bonds Poster would be perfect for my office.

Welcome back to This Week In DVD! A wide range of movies are hitting shelves today, but the two best releases happen to be television series including HBO’s Game of Thrones and my pick of the week below. On the movie front we have the fantastic racer doc Senna, the surprisingly funny indie comedy High Road, Pedro Almodovar’s twisted thriller The Skin I Live In, Adam Sandler’s latest abortion Jack and Jill, and more!

As always, if you see something you like, click on the image to buy it.

Adventure Time: It Came from the Nightosphere

A boy and his dog spend their days playing in the world of their imagination, and the result is some gloriously effed up adventures. I make no apology for loving this show. It’s like swallowing a sugar-filled grenade that explodes in your head over and over again throughout each episode’s eleven-minute run-time. Everything about the show is free-flowing and utterly weird, from the animation style to the humor to the stories themselves. This DVD features sixteen episodes including the Emmy-nominated “Nightosphere.”

Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season

Pitch: Judging by the sheer amount of doggie-style sex happening throughout this kingdom winter isn’t the only thing coming…

Why Buy? The king of Westeros asks an old friend (Sean Bean) to come serve by his side, but the politics and machinations of the various families of power throughout the kingdom lead them all inexorably toward war. And let’s not forget the darkly magic menace from beyond the great wall that may beheading their way as well. HBO’s ten-episode adaptation of George RR Martin’s first novel in his A Song of Ice and Fire series is a visual and dramatic feast of treachery, combat, sex, and more treachery. I’m not much of a fantasy fan in general, but the show’s depth and care given to its myriad characters make for a constantly surprising and fascinating show. Amidst the many great characters/actors, Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys, Maisie Williams’ Arya and Peter Dinklage’s Tyrion are the three most consistently endearing and engaging. They’re also the shortest.

High Road

Pitch: “There better not be any Gary Glitter shit going on…”

Why Rent? A drummer in a band sees said band disintegrate shortly before his amateur dope dealing business gets him fingered by the cops. With no place else to turn he runs off with a teenage boy to Oakland in search of his father. This comedy is reportedly a mostly improvised affair, and that fact is visible in some of the exchanges. And that’s not a diss, as there are some very funny conversations here. The main character and story are fairly meh, but the supporting cast (Abby Elliott, Lizzy Caplan, Horatio Sanz, Joe Lo Truglio, Rob Riggle and more) makes this a worthwhile watch.

Senna

Pitch: As rodas do carro para ir ronda e ronda…

Why Rent? Ayrton Senna was a champion Formula 1 race car driver through the 80s and 90s and a great personality on and off the track. This doc takes a look at his life throughout that time and highlights his interactions with other drivers and the sport itself. It also offers a glimpse into the man’s drive and motivation. Asif Kapadia’s film charts Senna’s life chronologically as he races towards the inevitable, and it presents him as a charismatic and extremely talented figure. The doc is both energetic and dramatic and a fantastic watch.

The Skin I Live In

Pitch: Is rich, Corinthian leather-like skin…

Why Rent? A young woman spends her days in a sparsely decorated room wearing a form-fitting body suit and practicing yoga. Any potential for voyeuristic sexiness is thrown out the window though when it’s revealed that she’s an experiment in progress under the watchful eye of Dr. Robert Ledgard (Antonio Bandaras). But who she is and why she’s there will be the biggest revelations of all. Or not. Director Pedro Almodovar’s latest is a horror film of sorts about identity, affection and gender politics, and while it’s a little obvious at times it remains a beautiful and engaging film. It’s also a much needed reminder that Bandaras can in fact act.

Columbus Circle

Pitch: Not to be confused with the Magellan Trapezoid…

Why Avoid? An agoraphobic woman with a hidden past gets drawn into a deadly mystery when a neighbor is murdered and a bombastic couple move in next door. The setup here is fairly interesting, but the revelations and twists are stupidly predictable. Even more damning are two big and inexplicable plot points. But check out this cast… Selma Blair, Beau Bridges, Robert Guillame, Jason Lee, Kevin Pollak, Giovanni Ribisi, Amy Smart, and Jerry Penacoli! The Jerry Penacoli you ask? Yes! Skip it and watch Copycat instead.

Jack and Jill

Pitch: Went up a hill and released a shitty movie…

Why Avoid? An annoying husband/father (Adam Sandler) lets his inexplicably identical and even more annoying twin sister (Adam Sandler) visit for the holidays, but when it refuses to leave unfunny hijinks ensue. To be clear, I’m not a Sandler hater. The guy can act when he wants to and he’s made at least one great comedy (The Wedding Singer), but he too often settles for lowest common denominator humor. The jokes are lame, the gags are obvious, Sandler’s Jill voice is grating and when the best thing about your movie is the presence of Katie Holmes you know you’re in trouble. (And I like Holmes!) Skip it and watch Dead Ringers instead.

Mercenaries

Pitch: Billy Zane! Is only in five minutes of this…

Why Avoid? A quartet of mercenaries is tasked with rescuing a US ambassador and capturing the leader of an Eastern European coup. Billy Zane appears briefly early on here, but his presence is a tease as the action shifts away from him towards some far less charismatic characters. The soldiers on both sides are generic and forgettable… as is the action. And that’s the real issue here. A good action movie can exist with bland characters, but the gunfights here neither exciting nor well choreographed. Skip it and watch Tears of the Sun instead.

Tooth Fairy 2

Pitch: You might be a redneck if your Halloween pumpkin has more teeth than you do…

Why Avoid? Haven’t seen this one, but I have zero qualms about telling folks to avoid it. The first Tooth Fairy film was a lackluster effort even with the charismatic powerhouse that is Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, so can you imagine a lower budgeted, straight to DVD sequel focused on Larry the Cable Guy being any better? No. Neither can I. Larry is a comedic sinkhole in movies as evidenced by anything he’s ever touched. Skip it and watch Marathon Man instead.

Also out this week, but I haven’t seen the movie/TV show, review material was unavailable, and I have no blind opinion:

Footloose
Immortals
Like Crazy
Recoil
The Search for One-Eye Jimmy

Read More: This Week in DVD

What are you buying on DVD this week?

The mockumentary is a relatively recent genre of storytelling whose origins are probably as recent as the last hundred years. And that’s including all stories that could be considered mockumentaries by stretching the definition. The actual term, “mockumentary,” is even newer. By some accounts it first came into use when Rob Reiner used it to describe his 1984 cult classic This is Spinal Tap. Adding a word to the lexicon could be seen as a pretty big accomplishment for a goofy comedy, but, despite its subject matter, the legacy of this film shouldn’t be downplayed. Few movies live on as long and remain as popular as Spinal Tap has. Every few years a new generation of college kids discover this thing, and its legend just keeps growing.

Far from being an originator, A Mighty Wind is a later film from the crew of mockumentarians led by Christopher Guest. And despite the fact that it’s full of a lot of good work, it often gets a bad rap. Guest and crew’s previous efforts, Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show, were so ridiculously funny that A Mighty Wind gets unfairly judged in comparison. And that’s unfortunate for a couple reasons. For one, those first two Guest-directed mockumentaries were such a high water mark for the genre that it was probably unfair to expect them to keep producing at such a level. And secondly, A Mighty Wind goes for funny a bit less that its predecessors, and plays a bit more in the drama pool, and that threw people because it’s an unexpected approach from a movie made this way.

What do they have in common?

Not only are these movies both entries in the same unique genre, but they’re both movies that focus on the music industry as well. Their characters are self-important and deluded in a way that few people other than professional musicians can be, and mining such egomania ends up being pretty fertile grounds for comedy.

Also, they share a ton of the same actors. Spinal Tap and The Folksmen are the same three guys playing two different bands in two different movies. Not only does that show what talented gents Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer are, it also ties these two films together pretty dang closely.

Why is This is Spinal Tap overrated?

This is one of those movies that gets grandfathered into the pantheon of greats because it was so original when it came out. The concept of staging a fake documentary played like a clever stunt back in the early 80s, and the subject matter was perfectly suited to play to a college audience that was being inundated with a tidal wave of hair metal bands at the time; bands who were ripe to get the piss taken out of them. College campuses, even before the Internet, were a perfect place for cult hits to get incubated so they could grow. Colleges are an insular world, where everyone is young and hip and discovery is the name of the game. So even before “going viral” existed, they were the perfect places for hipster cred to become currency, where knowing about this weird, fake documentary had real value. And once “it goes to 11” became an indicator of whether someone was cool or not, there was little chance of this movie being viewed as anything other than a milestone ever again.

But, despite its originality and its handful of enduring catch phrases, does Spinal Tap really hold up as a solid movie all the way though? Sadly, no. The main problem with Spinal Tap is that you just don’t care much about the characters, so it’s hard to watch it repeatedly like you can the best cult films. The Spinal Tap guys are clueless idiots. They’re crass and spoiled, and none of them really learn any lessons or grow over the course of the film. We’re watching this fictional band as their career falls apart, and it becomes a cruel, sadistic experience over time. This movie mocks its own characters, and we’re asked to laugh along with the bully as it does its dirty work. If the filmmakers had more affection for these characters, if they were presented as earnest metalheads instead of hacky jerks who change their band’s image along with every passing trend, Spinal Tap would take up a bigger place in your heart, and you’d want to watch this movie more often to spend time with old friends.

And while the high moments of this film are admittedly pretty high, it’s uneven overall. A lot of that has to do with the pacing of the film and the story being told. We’re watching the disastrous final tour of a band who are on their last legs, sure, but there really isn’t any goal or any big climax in sight. These guys aren’t heading towards anything, they’re just helplessly falling apart. When a classic bit like the souped up amplifier discussion or the criticism of the little bread brought by catering is happening that doesn’t much matter, but during its low points this movie really starts to drag. Things would have been improved greatly if everything was leading to a make-or-break show, or some sort of high stakes milestone, but that isn’t the case at all. The conflict and the conflict resolution of Spinal Tap’s story are both squeezed into its third act, and it feels like a series of sketches riffing on shallow musicians haphazardly trying to wrap itself up more than it feels like an effectively told story.

Why is A Mighty Wind underpraised?

Seeing as it came so much later in the history of mockumentaries, A Mighty Wind is a much more polished entry into the genre than a trailblazer like Spinal Tap. While Spinal Tap has a guerrilla, flying by the seat of their pants feel, this movie is clearly produced by people who have done this before. There aren’t any throwaway scenes, or random appearances from friends of the filmmakers. This is an epically sized cast, and everybody is doing great work. From the biggest role to the smallest, every character in this film is being played by an experienced and hilarious improvisational actor, and when you factor in how many more layers of cleverness are baked into Guest’s films when compared to the work of Reiner, it really shows. There is no down time here, something important to the overall presentation is always happening.

And though A Mighty Wind isn’t as wall-to-wall hilarious as some similar works, it’s interesting in that it explores the ways in which improvisational acting can be used to do more than just create humorous situations. There’s a real melancholy to this movie. We’re focused on musicians who are past their prime, which is heartbreaking, but we’re also watching them as they get one last shot at greatness, which is kind of bittersweet. In addition to creating satire and presenting gags, A Mighty Wind is also a dramatic story about a big moment in the lives of characters that you grow to love.

Throughout this entire movie we’re building to the big reunion show at the end, and along the way we’re constantly learning more about each character involved, being informed of what the stakes are for them as individuals. By the time the big event happens you’re emotionally invested in it in a way you aren’t about anything that you see in Spinal Tap. Rather than just being a formless mess of sketches that are all riffing on a theme, A Mighty Wind is a complete story truly deserving of feature film treatment. And I defy anyone to not get goose bumps when it gets to the point where Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara’s estranged Mitch and Mickey are either going to kiss or have an awkward stage moment during their big performance. That’s the sort of movie magic that deserves to be remembered.

Evening the Odds

Maybe another way to compare these two films would be to look at all of the original songs that make up their soundtracks. Undoubtedly, This is Spinal Tap is full of great songs that have stood the test of time, whether the intent of their creation was humorous or not. If one didn’t take too close a look at tracks like ‘Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight’ or ‘Gimme Some Money’ they wouldn’t appear out of place on a classic rock playlist at all.

But there’s something to be said for The Folksmen’s version of ‘Never Did No Wanderin’’ as well. I wouldn’t mind sitting down and listening to that one on an autumn day. And you wouldn’t judge me if I said that sometimes I listen to ‘A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow’ and cry, would you?

Continue reading Over/Under

The 2012 Tribeca Film Festival will attack eyeballs from April 18-29, and they’ve launched their first offensive by declaring some of the movies they’ll have in their arsenal.

That group includes James Franco and Ian Olds‘s Francophrenia (or Don’t Kill Me, I Know Where the Baby Is) which was filmed during tapings of Franco’s appearances on General Hospital.

It also boasts new work from Harmony Korine and several of the most interesting-sounding flicks from the European Film Market.

Check out the full list below:

World Narrative Feature Competition

All In (La Suerte En Tus Manos), directed by Daniel Burman, written by Daniel Burman and Sergio Dubcovsky. (Argentina) – International Premiere. Professional poker player Uriel has been on a real hot streak—with the ladies—since his marriage fizzled out. But in between growing his online gambling business and helping to raise his kids, Uriel has rediscovered his old pre-marriage flame, Gloria…. Starring the great Valeria Bertuccelli (XXY) and Oscar®-winning songwriter Jorge Drexler, this romantic comedy from Daniel Burman (Lost Embrace) unfolds in the acclaimed director’s signature style: poignant, natural, and bitingly funny. In Spanish with subtitles.

Beyond the Hill (Tepenin Ardi), directed and written by Emin Alper. (Turkey, Greece) – North American Premiere. Faik, a proud old forester, is having trouble with nomads grazing their livestock on his land. For revenge, he and his hulking farm hand Mehmet snatch a goat to butcher for a family holiday, unwittingly sparking a dire blood feud. Debuting Turkish director Emin Alper creates an atmosphere of skin-crawling terror in this psychological drama by withholding, not showing, the escalating acts of violence that hurtle these feuding farmers toward a shocking confrontation. In Turkish with subtitles.

First Winter, directed and written by Benjamin Dickinson. (USA) – World Premiere. In this extraordinary debut feature, a blackout of apocalyptic proportions strands a group of Brooklyn hipsters in a remote country farmhouse with no heat and no electricity during the coldest winter on record. At first, it’s all sex and drugs and acoustic guitars. But as the days go on and the food supply dwindles, struggles of power, jealousy, and desire threaten the group’s ability to work together in order to survive.

The Girl, directed and written by David Riker. (USA, Mexico) – World Premiere. From the director of La Ciudad comes this moving drama about a single mother (Abbie Cornish) caught in emotional quicksand after losing her job and custody of her son. Desperate to earn cash for her custody battle, she makes the daring choice to help smuggle illegal immigrants over the border. A deep connection to a young Mexican girl will take her on a life-changing journey and force her to confront her past. In English, Spanish with subtitles.

Jack and Diane, directed and written by Bradley Rust Gray. (USA) – World Premiere. Tomboy Jack and bubbly Diane fall head over heels in love one hot summer in New York City. When Diane reveals she must leave the city for school in Europe, their budding love is tested. Weaving horror elements into a distinctive and fresh yet timeless and universal first-love story, TFF alum Bradley Rust Gray (The Exploding Girl) brings his unique vision to this idiosyncratic story of the joys and terrors of first love. A Magnolia Pictures release.

Nancy, Please, directed by Andrew Semans, written by Will Heinrich and Andrew Semans. (USA) – World Premiere. Paul’s life is good. He has a gig teaching literature at Yale, and he just moved in with his longtime girlfriend, finally shedding his casually sinister roommate, Nancy. There’s just one thing. Paul left an item of great importance at his old apartment, and Nancy doesn’t want to give it back.… Paul’s life is about to unravel. Debuting director Andrew Semans skillfully orchestrates a minor annoyance into an all-consuming obsession in this smart, stunning psychodrama.

Postcards From the Zoo (Kebun Binatang), directed by Edwin, written by Edwin, Daud Sumolang, and Titien Wattimena. (Indonesia) – North American Premiere. Acclaimed Chinese-Indonesian director Edwin (Blind Pig Who Wants To Fly) returns with a gorgeous, dreamlike fairy tale set inside Jakarta’s wondrous Ragunan Zoo. Abandoned in the zoo as a little girl and raised among the wild menagerie, Lana finally embarks outside the peculiar confines she has always known—and into the seedier side of Jakarta—when she falls in love with a charming magician. In Indonesian with subtitles.

Una Noche, directed and written by Lucy Mulloy. (UK, Cuba, USA) – North American Premiere. Fed up with catering to the privileged tourist class, Cuban teens Raul and Elio are tantalized by the promise of a new life in Miami. Accused of assaulting a foreigner, Raul has no choice but to flee, but Elio must decide whether his own escape is worth abandoning his beloved sister. Brimming with the nervous energy of Havana’s restless youth and evocative cinematography of the sun-bleached capital, Una Noche follows one sweltering day, full of hope and fraught with tensions, that burns to a shocking climax. In Spanish with subtitles.

Unit 7 (Grupo 7), directed by Alberto Rodriguez, written by Rafael Cobos and Alberto Rodriguez. (Spain) – International Premiere. Unit 7 is a semi-official police detail with a seemingly impossible mission: kick Seville’s most vicious drug trafficking ring out of town ahead of a major international expo. By any means necessary. As they slip outside the bounds of the law in the name of duty, two officers fueled by violence, lies, and ambition end up on opposing paths. Spanish superstar Mario Casas (Neon Flesh) stars in this adrenaline-pumping action thriller. In Spanish with subtitles.

War Witch (Rebelle), directed and written by Kim Nguyen. (Canada) – North American Premiere, Narrative. At 14, Komona has lived through horrors that eclipse any adult’s worst nightmares. In this mesmerizing, otherworldly drama, shot entirely in the Congo, she confides to the baby growing inside of her the harrowing story of her life since rebel warlords stormed her village. Fortified by eerily mystical powers and the warming friendship of an albino boy, the sensitive girl battles through this dire, war-ravaged world enchained as a child soldier. In French, Lingala with subtitles.

While We Were Here, directed and written by Kat Coiro. (USA) – World Premiere. Jane (Kate Bosworth) and her English husband travel to Naples hoping to reinvigorate their silently disintegrating marriage and escape a personal tragedy that hangs heavily between them. When Jane, facing writer’s block, takes a day trip to a beautiful island off the coast, she meets a young American man living a hermetic life on the island. As the two embark on an unlikely emotional affair, Jane faces some drastic changes in her life.

Yossi (Ha-Sippur Shel Yossi), directed by Eytan Fox, written by Itay Segal. (Israel) – World Premiere. Returning to the role that won him TFF’s Best Actor award in Eytan Fox’s Yossi & Jagger in 2003, Ohad Knoller is extraordinary as Yossi, a closeted gay man living a solitary existence in Tel Aviv. A chance encounter with a group of soldiers ignites Yossi’s desire to live an open, fulfilling life. Written and directed with uncommon honesty and compassion by Fox, this is a deeply moving film about the power of second chances. In Hebrew with subtitles.

Paramount and director Michael Bay seem bound and determined to turn Bay’s next big picture, true-life tale Pain and Gain, into a real piece of work (read – not a film that gets its big gags from racist robots). First, Bay secured a story that’s seemingly ready-made for the cinematic treatment – a dark, funny, bizarre, and captivating story about loser bodybuilders in Miami who get mixed up violent crime (violent crime that, despite their bulk, they are truly not cut out for). Then, he filled out his cast with a mix of recognizable talent (Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson), spiced it up with some solid hitters (Ed Harris, Tony Shaloub, and Anthony Mackie), and then (for once in his directorial career), cast a model (Bar Paly) in a role suitable for a model. What next, Bay?

According to THR, screenwriter Scott Rosenberg has been brought in “for polish and punch-up duties” on the film’s script. First penned by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (all three The Chronicles of Narnia films, Captain America: The First Avenger), Rosenberg will likely add bigger action and and the sort of humor Bay goes for (fun fact, Rosenberg wrote the “Animal Crackers” scene in Armageddon).

While Rosenberg has been working almost exclusively in television for the last few years (his credits include cancelled series like October Road, Life on Mars, and Happy Town), his feature film resume is weirdly impressive and quite varied. Rosenberg has penned stuff like Things To Do in Denver When You’re Dead, High Fidelity, Gone in Sixty Seconds, and Kangaroo Jack. But Rosenberg’s best script is far and away 1997′s Con Air. I am not kidding. Do you not love Con Air? I unabashedly love Con Air. If Pain and Gain can harness that film’s weird mix of humor, action, and (dare I say it?) heart, I’m sold. But, then again, I’ve been sold on this baby for awhile.

Also, have you read the original Miami New Times report that Bay is basing his film on yet?