Decent performances from fantastic actors isn’t enough to save Carnage, the latest film from director Roman Polanski. If your idea of time well spent is watching people argue, yell, and scream at each other for two hours, then you’ve hit the jackpot with this one.

Polanski’s sketchy history is enough to have some critics refuse to review his films altogether, and while I’m certainly not endorsing his actions, I don’t have a moral problem with watching one of the guy’s films. Taking his off-set behavior out of the equation and examining Carnage by itself, it didn’t seem like there was much to it from a directing standpoint. The story is based on a French stage play called God of Carnage, so naturally it’s going to be confined to a limited number of locations. This isn’t to say that there’s no room for stylistic flourishes in close quarters – if Michael Bay made this movie, it would look a lot different than Polanski’s – but because Polanski chose to film everything in a straightforward way, the movie felt a little flat. Everything’s just kind of…there.

The film opens on a shot of kids playing in a park in New York City, and after the credits roll, one kid hits another in the face with a stick. The movie then transitions to the home of the parents of the victim (Foster and Reilly). They’ve invited the parents of the attacker (Winslet and Waltz) over to talk it out and shed light on the situation. Things heat up when blame starts getting thrown around – turns out the attacker is in a gang, unbeknownst to his parents – and these apparently civil adults abandon their pretensions, plummeting off the deep end into name-calling and drunkenness.

Jodie Foster’s character was by far the most annoying, a haughty writer working on a book about Darfur. She whines and cries throughout, trying the patience even of her on-screen husband, John C. Reilly. He’s the best part of this movie, and the only thing that made it remotely tolerable for me; when he gets some alcohol in him, his inhibitions fall away and he starts telling it like it is, providing the funniest lines in the film by far. Waltz’s character is a lawyer who spends at least half of his screen time on his cell phone, locked in uninteresting conversations with one of his pharmaceutical clients about covering up a scandal. Kate Winslet’s character isn’t much better, a snooty holier-than-thou type who, in one of the film’s rare instances of something interesting happening, projectile vomits on a coffee table. I realize that’s not a character trait, but it’s the most important thing she does in the film, which tells you a bit about the dynamics of the conversations here.

Carnage is yet another statement on society seen through the eyes of a small group of people in one location. Over the past few years, I’ve drastically lost patience with these kinds of films; most of them are less like Sidney Lumet’s excellent 12 Angry Men and more like Frank Darabont’s dismal The Mist, which is to say that recent variations on this formula have tended to get overly heavy-handed. Because the characters in Carnage are educated and pseudo-intellectual, I think their devolution into chaos is more of a condemnation of humanity than the one depicted in The Mist - at least the characters in the latter film are depicted as idiots from the start.

Because this movie is such a grinding buildup of constant unpleasantness, I was yearning for its end far earlier than it arrived. But when the ending finally does happen, it’s so abrupt – seemingly in the middle of a random string of arguments, much like any other here – that it has absolutely no impact, other than providing the freedom for which I so desperately longed. Carnage will work for some people, but trudging through the annoying characters and grating dialogue just wasn’t worth the takeaway for me. Though it’s nowhere near as abysmal as Just Go With It or Burning Palms, Carnage is a film I’ll never watch again. Until next time…

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There have been many film adaptations of Alexandre Dumas’ classic 1844 novel, but this steampunk-inspired version of The Three Musketeers from the director of Mortal Kombat and Alien vs. Predator looked so purposefully terrible that I just had to see it. Much to my surprise, it turns out that the first half of the movie is totally competent (and even fun!), and it’s not until the latter half when things go off the rails and drag this film down into the realm of the mediocre.

I won’t try to convince you that this is a great movie. But it is a lot better than it has any right to be, and that’s mostly due to the fact that this story, at its heart, is so much fun. There’s heroism, deception, loyalty, betrayal, romance, swordplay – so many classic elements that it’d be hard to completely destroy the inherent awesomeness of this adventure. The screenplay is laced with humor, and for the most part, the actors make it work. (There’s an additional character tossed in for “comedic relief” that was totally unnecessary, but that’s to be expected from almost any studio film like this.)

Another reason this movie is better than it should be is some fantastic casting. Say what you will about the rest of this movie, but the casting director knocked this one out of the park. Logan Lerman is excellent as the cocksure D’Artagnan, turning out my favorite performance of his career. Matthew Macfayden plays the jilted Athos with style, leading the group with a straight face through the film’s wildly anachronistic twists and turns. Up-and-comer Luke Evans (who should be a household name in a few years with upcoming roles in big time projects like The Hobbit) brings just the right level of gravitas to the role of Aramis, something that Charlie Sheen failed to do in my definitive film version of this classic tale, the 1993 Disney film of the same name. Ray Stevenson is the best fit of everyone in the cast for his character, the surly and comedic Porthos. He’s brash, charming, and easily the most entertaining of the heroes.

Perhaps the biggest casting coup was snagging such big names for the villainous roles. Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz doesn’t quite match Tim Curry’s over-the-top sliminess from the ’93 version, but brings his own level of quiet menace to the role of Cardinal Richelieu. Orlando Bloom’s ridiculous haircut makes more of an impression than the actor himself in this movie, but he’s still fun to watch as the dapper and deceptive Duke of Buckingham. Mads Mikkelsen is perfect as the evil Captain Rochefort, and even Milla Jovovich (wife of this film’s director) is sufficiently seductive and well-equipped to handle the action elements of her role as Milady de Winter, the double-crossing assassin and Athos’s former love interest.

I was actually shocked at how much I liked the first half of this movie. The sword fight sequences are spectacularly choreographed, and at no point does it ever feel like a bunch of loosely trained actors swinging fake swords around. Paul W.S. Anderson’s direction is surprisingly confident and precise, and the editing is simple and effective. The geography of the action is well established at all times, and avoids the shaky cam trend of the past decade. Even the sets are beautiful, and Sony should take a good look at these for its upcoming film adaptation of the Assassin’s Creed video game. It’s only when the movie starts really concentrating on the steampunk elements, introducing giant airships based on stolen designs from Leonardo da Vinci – ahem, Hudson Hawk - that it starts to lose its luster. Because of how solid the first half of the movie was, this part of the film feels like studio intervention (“give us something that looks COOL!”). If they had avoided the ridiculous aspects altogether, this could have been a truly great interpretation of this story.

Despite the dreary second half, I actually liked this movie overall. It’s far better than the “so bad, it’s good” I’d initially hoped for, and if you can sit back and have fun with the spectacle of it, you’re sure to be entertained. I saw it in 3D, which provided some highlights during map transitions between countries and during the Pirates of the Caribbean-inspired airship battles, but ultimately 3D isn’t a necessity for The Three Musketeers. If nothing else, this movie has stopped my knee-jerk reaction to immediately write off Paul W.S. Anderson movies as unwatchable. This is perfect lazy afternoon home video entertainment. Until next time…

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Sony Picture Classics have released a new trailer for Roman Polanski’s Carnage, an adaptation of the stage play God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza. The film follows two sets of parents (Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly) who meet up to talk after their children have been in a fight that day at school.

Watch below:

A showdown between two kids: about eleven, in a local playground. Swollen lips, broken teeth…Now the parents of the “victim” have invited the parents of the “bully” to their apartment to sort if out. Cordial banter gradually develops a razor-sharp edge as all four parents reveal their laughable contradictions and grotesque prejudices. None of them will escape the ensuing carnage.

Carnage has a US release date set for December 16th, 2011. It premiered at the 68th Venice International Film Festival last month and currently has 94% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 16 reviews.

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Update: Amazon has made Water for Elephants available to pre-order on: DVD | Blu-ray

20th Century Fox has announced the Water for Elephants DVD and Blu-ray release date for November 1, 2011.

The movie, directed by Francis Lawrence, opened back in April to mixed/positive reviews, and it showed Robert Pattinson could bring some of his Twilight fans with him even if he doesn’t sparkle. Water for Elephants made $115 million worldwide which, on a budget of just $40 million, is a decent result.

Here are the specifications:

Blu-ray

• · Feature Film
• · Special Features
  • - Robert Pattinson Spotlight
  • - Feature Performer Reese Witherspoon
  • - The Traveling Show: From Page to Screen
  • - Working Without A Net – The Visual Effects of Water for Elephants
  • - The Star Attraction
  • - Raising the Tent
  • - Secrets of the Big Top
  • - Audio Commentary with Director Francis Lawrence and Writer Richard LaGravenese
  • - Theatrical Trailer
  • · Live Extras
    • - Exclusive: Stars of the Circus
    • - Bluoray Highlight: The Traveling Show: From Page to Screen
    • - Theatrical Trailer
    • - Live Lookup
    • - Digital Copy

DVD

• · Feature Film
• · Special Features- Robert Pattinson Spotlight
  • - Feature Performer Reese Witherspoon
  • - The Traveling Show: From Page to Screen
  • - Audio Commentary with Director Francis Lawrence and Writer Richard LaGravenese
  • - Theatrical Trailer

Based on the acclaimed bestseller, Water for Elephants presents an unexpected romance in a uniquely compelling setting. Veterinary school student Jacob meets and falls in love with Marlena, a star performer in a circus of a bygone era. They discover beauty amidst the world of the Big Top, and come together through their compassion for a special elephant. Against all odds — including the wrath of Marlena’s charismatic but dangerous husband, August — Jacob and Marlena find lifelong love.

Update: Amazon has made Water for Elephants available to pre-order on: DVD | Blu-ray

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Today sees the release of the first trailer for Roman Polanski’s Carnage, an adaptation of the stage play God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza. The film appears to solely take place within the confines of one house, but that doesn’t matter at all when you have Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz being hilarious. Yes, it’s a comedy.

Watch below:

A showdown between two kids: about eleven, in a local playground. Swollen lips, broken teeth…Now the parents of the “victim” have invited the parents of the “bully” to their apartment to sort if out. Cordial banter gradually develops a razor-sharp edge as all four parents reveal their laughable contradictions and grotesque prejudices. None of them will escape the ensuing carnage.

Carnage has a US release date set for December 16th, 2011. Potential Oscar-bait?

Read similar posts to Trailer for Roman Polanski’s Carnage at Filmonic

Summit Entertainment has released the second official trailer for The Three Musketeers. The movie stars Matthew Macfadyen (Frost/Nixon) as Athos, Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson) as D’Artagnan, Ray Stevenson (Punisher: War Zone) as Porthos, and Luke Evans (Tamara Drewe) as Aramis. Christoph Waltz, Milla Jovovich, Mads Mikkelsen, and Orlando Bloom also appear as villains.

Watch below:

I’m not expecting much, but it looks like it might be fun (if you ignore the inevitably bad dialogue). It has a Pirates of the Caribbean-type vibe to it, which Summit may have been aiming for. Swashbuckling sells

Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil: Afterlife) is directing in 3D, and the movie follows the hot-headed young D’Artagnan (Lerman) who joins forces with three rogue Musketeers (MacFadyen, Evans and Stevenson). They must stop the evil Richlieu (Waltz) and face off with Buckingham (Bloom) and the treacherous M’lady De Winter (Jovovich).

The Three Musketeers will be released October 14.

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Negotiations with Will Smith have obviously come to nothing (presumably money/image related) and Idris Elba will be heading to the Pacific Rim with Guillermo Del Toro, so the path has now been cleared for Oscar winning actor Jamie Foxx (Ray, Collateral) to take the lead in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained.

From Deadline:

Quentin Tarantino has made his choice and negotiations will begin for Jamie Foxx to play the title character in Django Unchained. Tarantino’s next film will be distributed domestically by The Weinstein Company and overseas by Sony Pictures.

No deal has been made yet, but it shouldn’t take long. While the early focus had Will Smith the likely participant, Deadline told you on June 7 that those talks had gone south and we were first to identify Foxx as a prime contender for the role, along with Idris Elba and Chris Tucker.

Django is a freed slave, who, under the tutelage of a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) becomes a bad-ass bounty hunter himself, and after assisting Waltz in taking down some bad guys for profit, is helped by Waltz in tracking down his slave wife and liberating her from an evil plantation owner (Leonardo DiCario).

Filming will begin in November and The Weinstein Company has given Django Unchained a December 25, 2012 release date.

Is Jamie Foxx the right man for Django, or would you have preferred Will Smith or Idris Elba?

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Christoph Waltz is in, Leonardo DiCaprio might be, and nobody knows yet whether Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Idris Elba or another actor will take the role of Django, but what’s more certain is the release date.

According to Box Office Mojo Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained has been given a release date of December 25, 2012. Filming is scheduled to begin later this year, so all Tarantino needs to do is get the cast in place.

Here’s the synopsis for the movie (potential spoilers):

Django is a freed slave, who, under the tutelage of a German bounty hunter (played by Christopher Waltz the evil Nazi officer in Inglorious Basterds) becomes a bad-ass bounty hunter himself, and after assisting Waltz in taking down some bad guys for profit, is helped by Waltz in tracking down his slave wife and liberating her from an evil plantation owner.

Read similar posts to Django Unchained release date set at Filmonic

Earlier this week we heard that Quentin Tarantino had handed in the script for his next movie, Django Unchained, to The Weinstein Company. No start or release dates have been set, but casting is now under-way as Tarantino apparently wants Will ‘aw hell naw’ Smith to play the lead role in the film.

From THR:

Will Smith has emerged as the frontrunner to star in Quentin Tarantino’s next film, a spaghetti Western about a slave in the Old South who teams with a German bounty hunter to search for his wife. Tarantino stalwarts Samuel L. Jackson and Christoph Waltz also are circling key parts.

Sources say Tarantino would like Smith to star in the film, the script for which has been making the rounds in recent days to wide acclaim. No official offer has been made to Smith, and any deal would of course be subject to working out finacials, which might be difficult given Smith’s status as one of Hollywood’s few sure-thing stars.

Meanwhile Variety says “Smith would be willing to give up his usual $20 million salary for the chance to tackle different, more controversial material”, so it’s certainly a possibility. The trade also mentions Quentin originally wrote the role of Dr. Schultz for Leonardo DiCaprio, but the actor passed, so he decided to re-team with Waltz instead. Brad Pitt was also said to have been offered “one of the numerous juicy supporting roles”, but Pitt obviously wasn’t interested (not when he can be leading other films).

Quentin Tarantino + Will Smith + Samuel L. Jackson + Christoph Waltz is certainly a winning combination. Hopefully we get confirmation of their involvement soon, and details on the other cast members.

Here’s the synopsis for Django Unchained (potential spoilers):

Django is a freed slave, who, under the tutelage of a German bounty hunter (played by Christopher Waltz the evil Nazi officer in Inglorious Basterds) becomes a bad-ass bounty hunter himself, and after assisting Waltz in taking down some bad guys for profit, is helped by Waltz in tracking down his slave wife and liberating her from an evil plantation owner.

Read similar posts to Will Smith wanted for Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained at Filmonic

Back in February we heard that Quentin Tarantino was working on a spaghetti western project which would reunite him with his Inglourious Basterds actor Christoph Waltz. Little has been heard since, but now some plot details have emerged and we have a title: Django Unchained.

Thompson on Hollywood confirmed that Tarantino has handed in the final draft of his script for Django Unchained to The Weinstein Company, who distributed and co-produced Inglourious Basterds, and while no start date or locations have been decided, the aim is to begin production later this year.

Shadow and Act got hold of a synopsis for the movie, which follows a former slave who tries to save his wife from an evil plantation owner.

Spoilers below:

Django is a freed slave, who, under the tutelage of a German bounty hunter (played by Christopher Waltz the evil Nazi officer in Inglorious Basterds) becomes a bad-ass bounty hunter himself, and after assisting Waltz in taking down some bad guys for profit, is helped by Waltz in tracking down his slave wife and liberating her from an evil plantation owner. And that doesn’t even half begin to cover it! This film deals with racism as I’ve rarely seen it handled in a Hollywood film. While it’s 100 percent pure popcorn and revenge flick, it is pure genius in the way it takes on the evil slave owning south. Think of what he did with the Nazis in Inglorious and you’ll get a sense of what he’s doing with slave owners and slave overseers in this one.

Another revenge flick for Tarantino, but this time touching upon the issue of slavery, which is rarely seen in movies nowadays. Back in 2010 the director said “I want to do movies that deal with America’s horrible past with slavery and stuff but do them like spaghetti westerns, not like big issue movies. I want to do them like they’re genre films, but they deal with everything that America has never dealt with because it’s ashamed of it, and other countries don’t really deal with because they don’t feel they have the right to.”

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