DIFF 2011 Review: GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD

Rating: 4.5/5

Writers: Jack Zagha Kababie, Enrique Chmelnik
Director: Jack Zagha Kababie
Cast: Carlos Alberto Orozco, Monica Bejarano, Justo Martinez

Sometimes going into a movie not knowing what to expect can be the best way to do it. Even going in with a basic idea of the plot but no clue as to what the film will be like tonally can intensify your overall opinion about the film. That was certainly the case for the Mexican film GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD, a film about a man whose terrible outcomes turn into our comedic pleasures.

Angel (Carlos Alberto Orozco) can’t catch a break. It all starts when he loses his job, in this economic climate many business are suffering cutbacks and, according to his boss, they should blame the Chinese. As if things couldn’t get any worse, his personal life is also falling apart. He can’t even free his pet hamster to the wild, as when he does a cat comes and snatches it up. All he wants is to find a new career, and a place where he feels comfortable. Then, when he least expects it, he finds that place of belonging – after he accidentally mugs a man. He had inadvertently joined a small crime ring, one with a heart. While robbing a bus that they didn’t realize had already been robbed that day, they leave the money with a young boy on the bus whose school supplies had been stolen. Together they try to find their ticket to riches, and maybe have a good time while doing it. Continue reading “DIFF 2011 Review: GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD” →

DIFF 2011 Review: A KISS AND A PROMISE

Rating: 4/5

Writers: Mick Rossi and Phillip Guzman (screenplay)
Director: Phillip Guzman
Cast: Mick Rossi, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Sean Power

We all have parts of ourselves that we don’t care to share with the rest of the world, especially those close to us. What would happen if they didn’t understand, or if they found our darker side to be horrifying? The duality can oftentimes be too much to handle, and eventually the two worlds begin to blend together. This brings us to Phillip Guzman’s A KISS AND A PROMISE, where we explore the duality of a very sick individual.

The film follows the story of David Beck (Mick Rossi) who owns and operates a bed and breakfast in Ontario with his wife. Their luck is about to change, as they recently bought a vacancy sign for their business. This is likely to bring them plenty of new customers. But of course, as things start to fall in place, it causes problems for the family. See, David has a very dark secret. He is a serial killer, who finds solace in raping women and choking them to death with a belt. After he kills a young girl who ran away from home, two detectives take on the case and begin the search for the killer. Continue reading “DIFF 2011 Review: A KISS AND A PROMISE” →

Disney in negotiations to make Ice Cube's CHROME AND PAINT

Ice Cube busted on to the scene in the late eighties with his iconic rap group N.W.A., and subsequently evolved himself into an actor after his unforgettable performance in BOYZ N THE HOOD. After that performance, he hasn’t had a problem finding acting work, but now he looks to be expanding his resume even further.

His upcoming film project, CHROME AND PAINT, is currently in negotiations with Disney, who is looking to make the film in to a PG-13 feature. The film is set to be directed by Ice Cube, who also co-wrote the script and will star in the film. It has been likened to BOYZ N THE HOOD, only set against the subculture of customized cars and their popularity in South Central Los Angeles. The film’s co-writer, Eva Vives, will be doing some re-writes, and the film is expected to shoot at the end of summer.

CHROME AND PAINT would mark Ice Cube’s second directorial outing with a feature film, his first being 1998’s THE PLAYERS CLUB. Continue reading “Disney in negotiations to make Ice Cube's CHROME AND PAINT” →

Trailer for Roland Emmerich's ANONYMOUS lands

I first heard about Roland Emmerich’s film ANONYMOUS at 2010’s SXSW Film Festival, during my interview with actor Rhys Ifans. He briefly mentioned the plot of the film and his involvement, but didn’t have much else to say about it. Even at the time I remember being fascinated with the concept of Shakespeare not writing what is claimed to be his work, but couldn’t really imagine what the film would be like.

Now we have a pretty good idea, as a trailer of the upcoming film has been released. You can check it out after the break! Continue reading “Trailer for Roland Emmerich's ANONYMOUS lands” →

EXPENDABLES 2 gets a release date

God bless Sylvester Stallone. After all these years, he is still just as bad-ass as ever. He proved just that last year when his super-project, THE EXPENDABLES was released. Not only did the film have all the awesome action stars that we looked up to as kids, but it ended up being a giant hit in the box office, raking in over $270 million.

We all knew that a sequel was coming, but now we know exactly when. Continue reading “EXPENDABLES 2 gets a release date” →

MTV's "Teen Wolf" series gets a trailer

We’ve known that a television series version of teen classic TEEN WOLF has been brewing over at MTV for a pretty long time now, with little information known about the show. Would it be in the vein of the Michael J. Fox film, or would it be something completely different altogether?

That answer is very apparent from the show’s first trailer, and it looks like it might be a little more TWILIGHT than we expected. Continue reading “MTV's "Teen Wolf" series gets a trailer” →

Surprise cameo confirmed for THOR

THOR is just around the corner and excitement is at an all-time high for the project. Everyone is curious to see what the film will end up being like, and how it will tie itself into the upcoming AVENGERS movie. We had heard that we might have an Avenger show up in the film, but nothing had been confirmed. Until now.

Jeremy Renner’s portrayal as Hawkeye will apparently first happen in THOR, in what is assumed to be an extended cameo. At CinemaCon, Paramount showed off footage from the upcoming film and one scene involved Hawkeye working with Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson. Renner had several lines in the scene and even used his bow and arrow. No word yet if his part extends past this scene, though. Continue reading “Surprise cameo confirmed for THOR” →

Hank Azaria and James Marsden could fill the other two THREE STOOGES roles

THE THREE STOOGES movie has been trying to get its cast together for a good while now to no success, with actors hopping on board and dropping off constantly. With the film getting ready to begin filming next month, they really need to get cracking. With the recent news that Will Sasso would be playing Curly, they certainly are in high gear. But who will play Moe and Larry?

The word around the campfire is that Hank Azaria and James Marsden are the men to take up the roles.

Azaria would be getting a bowl cut to play Moe Howard, and Marsden would be the man to portray Larry Fine. Both actors are very funny, and certainly have the ability to pull their roles off. Azaria especially has potential to be a really great Moe. Continue reading “Hank Azaria and James Marsden could fill the other two THREE STOOGES roles” →

Robert De Niro joins FREELANCERS with 50 Cent

Robert De Niro is arguably one of the greatest actors of all time, appearing in many films that have gone on to receive critical acclaim. His career is just as hot as ever, even with films that fan the flame a bit like LITTLE FOCKERS. De Niro has the opportunity to be in the spotlight until he doesn’t want to be anymore, so he can do pretty much any project he wants.

Now he is looking to team back up with Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson in his upcoming film, FREELANCERS.

The story follows Jackson’s character as he joins the NYPD following his father’s death. He finds himself ultimately teamed up with his dad’s ex-partner (De Niro), becoming a member of a special task force. Jessy Terrero will be directing the film, and Forest Whitaker is in talks to join the cast. Continue reading “Robert De Niro joins FREELANCERS with 50 Cent” →

MGM gets a CHILD'S PLAY remake started

Horror reboots are all the rage these days, continue to capture Hollywood’s imagination and attention. We’ve so far seen remakes of TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, HALLOWEEN, and even A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. Now it looks like MGM wants to bring one of their classic franchises back from its slumber in a series reboot.

MGM is reportedly trying to put out a reboot of the CHILD’S PLAY franchise starring everyone’s favorite killer doll, Chucky. The studio released the original film, while Universal put out all the sequels to the series. Because of this, there was a little bit of a rights dispute over the franchise. That has since been ironed out, and MGM will be releasing the reboot. It has been described as a darker version of the original story. Don Mancini, the man behind the franchise. will be writing the script with Brad Dourif, the voice of Chucky also involved. Continue reading “MGM gets a CHILD'S PLAY remake started” →