Top 3 Books You'd like to See Turned into a Movie

I cringe every time filmmakers decide to take my favorite books and turn them into Hollywood blockbusters, as I know that in some way the movie will never be as good as the book. Filmmakers made several attempts in the last 20 years to bring some of my favorite book to the big screen with marginal success. Nevertheless, I look at my bookshelf and see three books that would make for some good movie material and with any luck considered as major cinematic works of art. I offer the following books for film adaptation, along with a few casting recommendations of my own: Frank Herbert's Destination Void, Robert Heinlein's Job: A comedy of Justice, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. I now believe that any film is an entity unto itself, and that more people are encouraged, after seeing a movie, to read the novel. Read More ...

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2012 is the time to Take Shelter

Are the end of days near, and it is time to "Take Shelter?"  This is a little known movie that came out in 2011 and didn't really gain much notice.  Only in 91 theaters in 144 days the film only brought in just over 3 million dollars worldwide. The film cost about 5 million to make so technically this film lost money.  In spite of these figures "Take Shelter" is actually worth the two hours of your time.  That being said, I have to warn you, that filmmaker Nichols takes a lot of care with his story in presenting it and allows the tension to grow within his characters and in his audience slowly.

Today, when someone has dreams of impending doom we tend to think the person is, if not insane, then not quite right in the head. However, long ago, if you had strange dreams about an upcoming storm or the end of the world, you may be crazy or you may be a saint. When John wrote about his revelations, early Christian church fathers took his writings and made them the last book of the New Testament. When Noah told friends and family about an upcoming flood, his neighbors thought he was crazy, but they were wrong. Early civilizations had a term for those who saw visions; they called them Shamans, today we call these people delusional. "Take Shelter" is writer and director Jeff Nichols' second film since his critically acclaimed 2007 offering titled "Shotgun Stories." "Take Shelter" is about a man who in the prime of his life is questioning not only his purpose in life as a husband and father, but also his sanity.  Read more of "Take Shelter" movie review...

Movie Data

Genre: Drama, Thriller

Year: 2011

Staring: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain

Director: Jeff Nichols

Producer(s): Tyler Davidson, Sophia Lin,

Writer: Jeff Nichols

Rating: R

Running Time: 121 minutes

Release Date: 11/10/2011

Anonymous

The term "Anonymous" is typically related to the hackers that go up against the corporations and the government.  However, Roland Emmerich. uses the term as the title of his film about who really wrote the plays we attribute to William Shakespeare.  This film challenges the conventional history that the Bard of Avon was no more than an actor who played a part in this grand conspiracy.  If you saw the trailers in theaters, but blinked and the film was in and out of theaters in two months, don't feel bad.  For whatever reason, Sony/Columbia studios only released this film in only 533 theaters and only made about 10 million dollars with 70% of that revenue coming from foreign ticket sales.  I don't know if it is the subject that perhaps the studio thought was too daunting for the audience, however, it doesn't seem like they gave it the support that I think the film deserved.  Is the film controversial,  yes it is if you believe everything you were taught in school. Are the Oxfordian's right? Who knows/

Since the mid-1800s, a controversy about the authorship of Shakespeare's plays has been debated back and forth. "Anonymous" is the culmination of that debate that tries to reconcile those theories by offering what, by some, is the most plausible, and the most probable author. Disaster director Roland Emmerich ("The Day After Tomorrow," "2012"), along with writer John Orloff ("Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole") put together a film, not so much about William Shakespeare himself, but about the political intrigue within the court of Queen Elizabeth I played by mother and daughter team of Joley Richards and Vanessa Redgrave. As a period piece, Emmerich does a great job of bringing us this story in such a way that not only is easy to understand, but in many ways captivating. Although not a true story in a historical context, Orloff's script does provides a reasonable doubt about who wrote Shakespeare's plays. Read more about the film "Anonymous"

Movie Data

Genre: Drama, History, Thriller 

Year:  2011

Staring: Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, Sebastian Armesto, Rafe Spall, David Thewlis

Director: Roland Emmerich

Producer(s): Roland Emmerich, Robert Leger 

Writer: John Orloff

Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 130 minutes
Release Date: 10/28/2011

Iron Sky

Not since the Norwegian film  "Død Snø" have we seen the return of classic Nazi's in modern day settings. I use the term "classic" meaning that I am not referring to neo nazis nor white supremacy.  No, in fact "Iron Sky" is about how in 1945 during their defeat, escaped to the moon and have been waiting for the last 75 years been plotting their revenge.  Ludicrous, huh?

Taking conspiracy theories, Science-Fiction themes along with a touch of parody, Finnish director Timo Vuorensola and writers Johanna Sinisalo and  Jarmo Puskala bring us "Iron Sky."  Stating that V2 rocket scientist Hans Kammler (he was real) developed anti gravity technology and along with loyal supporters escaped to the moon 24 years prior to Apollo 11's landing. Hiding out on the dark side of the moon, the Nazis have been planning to retake the Earth and build an new glorious Fourth Reich.  This is director Timo Vuorensola's third film. His first film was a short called  "Norjalainen huora" (The Norwegian whore) that runs about 24 minutes.  In 2005 he directed "Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning" a parody of "Star Trek."  What is unique about "Iron Sky," is how it was made.  Collaborating with viewers through the website "Wreck a Movie," they focused not on the end product, but the process.  On February 11^th 2012 "Iron Sky"  premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and is due out in the United States on March 10th 2012.  Vuorensola's Finland won't see the film until three days later on March 13^th 2012. 

It has been well over half a century -- can we look back and laugh at the atrocity that was Hitler's Third Reich -- or are we so full of anger and hate that this film will just offend the hell out of us. You decide.

Take a peek at the trailers and let me know what you think...

Teaser trailer 

 Official Trailer Testimonials

Theatrical Poster

Movie Data

Genre: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi

Year:  2012

Staring: Julia Dietze, Christopher Kirby, Götz Otto, Udo Kier, Peta Sergeant

Director: Timo Vuorensola

Producer(s): Oliver Damian, Tero Kaukomaa, Samuli Torssonen

Writer: Johanna Sinisalo, Jarmo Puskala, Michael Kalesniko, Timo Vuorensola

Rating: R

Running Time: 93 minutes

Release Date: 4/4/2012

Safe House

So far, after only one week in theaters, "Safe House" has made over $49,201,240 in domestic ticket sales and another estimated  $10,200,000 in foreign sales. With an estimated $85 million production budget, Universal Studios is just over the half way point of breaking even with this film.  However this is a long way from other films of this type, which include films like any of the Jason Bourne films which holds three positions in the top five of the "thriller-on the run" sub genre of films.  The other two, ranking at number two and four respectively are "The Fugitive" with Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones from 1993 and "Minority Report" with Tom Cruise from 2002.  Right now "Safe House" hangs at number 13 right behind the 1998 release of "US Marshals" and just ahead of Sondra Bullock in "The Net."

Some movies within a certain genre are better than others are. "Safe House" is somewhere in the middle. Denzel Washington ("Man on Fire," "Déjà vu," "Training Day") is rouge CIA agent Tobin Frost who is now in the business of selling nations secrets. Tobin doesn't care which nation's secrets he sells. It could be the United States', it could be the UK's, or it could be all of them. Well, things go wrong for him while purchasing the "intel" and after some initial fight and flight scenes Tobin ends up at the US Consulate in Cape Town South Africa. Matt Westin is the keeper of the US's safe house, where Tobin will transfer to a few scenes later. Ryan Reynolds ("Van Wilder," "Blade: Trinity") plays the poor sap who for the last year has pretended to go to work at a clinic for the poor but is really been staring at four walls waiting for a house guest to arrive at the safe house. "Safe House" is rated R for extreme violence and language. Don't take the kids.  Read more of this review

Beyond the Black Rainbow

I came upon this trailer for "Beyond the Black Rainbow."  This is a Canadian film set in the retro past of 1983.  The trailer is more like a hallucination of a bad dream or a bad trip.  This is Panos Cosmatos first film and he both wrote and directed this reature.  In the last ten years I have come to respect Canadian filmmakers and actors and find them highly underrated.  Here is the synopsis from Wikipedia 

"Deep within the mysterious Arboria Institute, a disturbed and beautiful girl (Eva Allan) is held captive by a doctor in search of inner peace. Her mind is controlled by a sinister technology. Silently, she waits for her next session with deranged therapist Dr. Barry Nyle (Michael Rogers). If she hopes to escape, she must journey through the darkest reaches of The Institute... but Nyle won't easily part with his most gifted and dangerous creation."  

I don't think this film is for everyone, but I think if you enjoy filmmakers who like to see things abstractly and from an expressionistic point of view then "Beyond the Black Rainbow" might be up your alley.  In some ways I see a touch of "THX1138" in this film and bits of imagery of "2001: A Space Odyssey" or "Tree of Life"  with a touch of paranoia.  

Set to release direct to DVD and Blu-ray on September 11, 2011 in the United States.  
Here is the trailer

Movie Data

Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller 

Year:  2012

Staring: Michael Rogers, Eva Bourne, Scott Hylands, Rondel Reynoldson, Marilyn Norry

Director: Panos Cosmatos

Producer(s): Oliver Linsley, Christya Nordstokke

Writer: Panos Cosmatos 

Rating: R

Running Time: 110 minutes

Release Date: 9/11/2012