Mediabreak on Hiatus

Sorry for the lack of posts, but I will be holding off on continuing this blog until mid-December. I am very busy finishing my film Zombie Allegiance. Once I am finished, I will have plenty of time to devote each day to blogging, and I will have a more focussed idea of what Mediabreak will be about. Until December, I bid you a Happy Fall!

Film Forecasting; DAY TWO - DISNEY/PIXAR

Another day, another studio.  Here's a look at the films going into production in early 2009.

Today: Disney/Pixar

"Alice in Wonderland" - Johnny Depp stars as the Mad Hatter in this Tim Burton directed live action/motion capture film also starring Burton's wife Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen.  I'm a huge fan of Burton's, from Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands and Batman to his recent greats Big Fish and Sweeney Todd, his dark tales are timeless.  With Depp and Carter (his muses) again, 'Alice' is promising.  ANTICIPATION RATING 4 out of 5

"Tron 2" - A sequel to the 80's film, again starring Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn.  I never cared for the original, and see no point in rehashing this franchise.  However, two of the writers from my favorite show Lost are writing the screenplay, so who knows?  ANTICIPATION RATING 2 out of 5

"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" - Nic Cage stars in this fantasy film based on the Goethe poem that also served as inspiration for the famous Mickey Mouse sketch in Disney's Fantasia.  This new wave of family friendly fantasy films has bored me (except for Golden Compass), and Cage has been lackluster as of late.  ANTICIPATION RATING 1 out of 5

"Mars Need Moms" - Robert Zemeckis directs this motion-capture film about martian children on Mars in need of Moms, who take them from earth.  This is based on an intriguing children's story, and Zemeckis is more than capable of bringing this story to the screen.  ANTICIPATION RATING 4 out of 5  

"Wild Hogs 2" - A sequel to the Tim Allen, John Travolta, Matin Lawrence film about mid-life motorcyclists.  The first was cute, so why not.  ANTICIPATION RATING 3 out of 5

"Up" - Pixar's newest computer animated film about a 78 year old widower living out his wife's fantasies.  An imaginative film from the only company that consistently makes quality family films.  "Wall-E" has been my favorite (thus far) of 2008, and "Up" sounds extremely charming.  ANTICIPATION RATING 5 out of 5

"Toy Story 3" - A threequel to the classic films starring Tom Hanks and Tim Allen.  "Toy Story 2" was a rare sequel better than the original, so 3 has great potential, especially with the full voice cast returning.  ANTICIPATION RATING 5 out of 5

Sunday...Fox!

Film Forecasting: DAY ONE - MGM

Variety last week published a list of 40 films (by major studios) going into production in early 2009. The list of films has been pre-budgeted with funding secured, so the current financial crisis has no bearing on their production. This is the first of 9 blog entries looking closely at each of the major studios slated productions.

Today: MGM

“The Matarese Circle” – A political thriller set during the Cold War, ‘Matarese’ will be the next film directed by David Cronenberg (Videodrome, The Fly, Eastern Promises) and is set to star Denzel Washington. Fresh off of the Russian thriller ‘Eastern Promises,’ Cronenberg (one of my personal favorites) is the perfect person to direct ‘Matarese,’ with its Soviet subtext. ANTICIPATION RATING 4 out of 5

“RoboCop 2010” – Originally this was supposed to be a remake of the original, which REALLY pissed me off because the original Paul Verhoeven RoboCop is one of my favorite films. But now it is reported that this will be a sequel to be directed by Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain). RoboCop in Aronofsky’s hands is a terrible match. While the two existing RoboCop sequels are not great, I worry that Aronofsky will completely kill the franchise. ANTICIPATION RATING 2 out of 5

“The Cabin in the Woods” – No info has been released on what exactly this film is about, but it was written by Joss Whedon (Firefly, Buffy) and will be directed by first timer Drew Goddard, known for his writing on my favorite show Lost. I’m a fan of both these guys, so I have a feeling this can be good, whatever it’s about. ANTICIPATION RATING 3 out of 5

“Fame” – A remake of the film ‘Fame’ about dancing high-school kids. Whoopi-dee-doo.
NO ANTICIPATION WHATSOVER

Wednesday…Disney!

Juneau Vice

On the eve of what could be an epic (in comedic terms) VP debate, I thought I'd share a few facts on Sarah Palin.  I don't by any means want this blog to become political, so I'll keep this short and sweet.  Sarah Palin seems like a nice woman, she's young and attractive, and seemingly sweet and naive.  Naive and VP don't sync up.  Mccain is old, so chances are higher than normal that Palin could become President.  We've done naive the past 8 years, haven't we learned anything?

Palin fought with Petroleum lobbyists to keep Polar Bears off the endangered species list, a ploy to prevent the Polar Bears status from being used to impose greenhouse gas limitations.  She went so far with this fight as to file suit against the government she now so wants to preside over.  If you've seen Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth, or read anything on global warming, then you know what the rapidly melting ice fields mean to the future of the Polar Bear.  Palin denies the existence of global warming.  Tell me then Sarah, why the crazy weather the last few years, was Katrina gods will?  You two are obviously close, so you should know.      

Finally, Palin as Governor of Alaska had a long history of corruption.  She equates her international experience to Alaska's geographic proximity to Russia.  Her 17 year old daughter is pregnant, yet she slashed funding for teen pregnancy in Alaska.  Sure she is a woman, but she is so against women's rights, being pro-life and going as far as trying to pass legislation in which rape victims were forced to pay for their own rape kits.  Her husband was a registered member of the Alaskan Independence Party, a group determined to secede from the United States and become a commonwealth, or independent nation.  Palin attended these meetings.  Does this sound like someone we want to be a heartbeat away from our Presidency?  Think about this while watching tonight's debate.