I talked to The Crazies director Breck Eisner about two weeks ago and where  he confirmed Flash Gordon would be 3D.  I recently got to talk to Eisner again about his latest film and now having more time with him, I got a few new updates on his planned space adventure. We already knew this wasn’t going to be a lovably bad piece of camp like the 1980’s Flash Gordon, that Eisner was going back to the original comic book strips, and that this isn’t a remake. While Flash is still a little way off, Eisner says we may see it in either 2012 or 2013, he’s even already thinking a bit about the video game (it’s Sony), and he also talks a bit about whether or not he would incorporate the Queen song Flash. Here’s what he had to say. Read the full story

Green Zone isn’t entirely what most people are expecting. It’s not Bourne 4, as people joke, and it’s not non-stop action. Is there action? Absolutely, and it’s handled masterfully in the way you’d expect from a pro like Paul Greengrass. In the end though, this isn’t an action movie. It’s a sharp, smart and very effective conspiracy thriller.

To get this out of the way early on, there’s one major flaw that holds Green Zone back from being a truly great film. At times, it’s quite heavy handed and loses sight of subtlety when it needs it the most. While it’s not scene after scene of pandering, there’s still a handful of moments that hit you over the head. There’s a specific moment towards the end that displays this. Without spoiling much, it involves someone getting shot and the shooter explaining himself. You know why the person did it, the meaning behind it and yet Greengrass goes on to let him explain why. Scenes similar to that are scarce, but are at times quite bothersome. That said, everything else about this film is top notch.

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A film featuring Johnny Depp and a story full of surreal imagery should have been a home run for Tim Burton. This is the man who made Edward Scissorhands, Big Fish, Sweeney Todd and even Batman. It’s a wonder how someone as visually impressive and original as Burton could deliver something so utterly generic. On paper Alice in Wonderland sounds like gangbusters, but instead it’s a hollow and meandering run-of-the-mill adventure film. Read the full story

Years ago, director Antoine Fuqua showed great promise with the truly excellent Training  Day. Over the past few years he’s been unable to live up to that bart set with King Arthur, Tears of the Sun, and the even the decent B-movie Shooter. While most of those films suffered from studio interference, they still didn’t serve as the best follow-ups. Does Brooklyn’s Finest? For the most part, yes.

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One of the most anticipated upcoming geek films coming out this year is Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. So far, everything that’s been heard from the test screenings is that it’s as awesome as one would expect. Kevin Smith confirmed this. Yesterday when I talked to Smith I asked him about what films he’s seen that we haven’t yet. This is the man that saw Watchmen and Star Trek well before their release dates. Soon he started to gush about how great Pilgrim is, how great Edgar is, and even how Quentin Tarantino liked it. As a quick side note, Smith also mentioned he saw Kick-Ass and really liked it. Here’s what he had to say Pilgrim: Read the full story

Who doesn’t like Kevin Smith? He’s a good writer and even a solid director. For years he’s continued to deliver a heap of solid work, Clerks and Chasing Amy being his best. Where does Cop Out rank amongst his body of work? Not too high. It may not come close his best work, but this is still an enjoyable parody that pokes fun at 80’s cliches and conventions. Read the full story

George A. Romero’s original The Crazies is no classic. In fact, it doesn’t even come near a good amount of his work. How does Breck Eisner’s remake compare? Quite favorably. The 1973 film was a strict B-movie. This remake rises above that standard.  Read the full story

Remember Cape Fear? Where Scorsese bombarded and frightened us with surreal images and a more-than-unsettling atmosphere? Shutter Island represents that side of Scorsese. It’s quite possibly his most tense film yet. While it’s difficult to label it as “scary”, it certainly knows how to make one feel consistently uneasy. This is a wonderfully crafted psychological horror film. Read the full story

Unsurprisingly, Flash Gordon will officially be in 3D. Earlier today when I hopped on the phone with Breck Eisner (The Crazies, Sahara) I knew I had to ask about the possibility of a 3D Flash Gordon considering every big budget movie nowadays is jumping the 3D bandwagon. To me, this couldn’t have been better news. Flash Gordon is the type of material that could work perfectly in 3D. They are currently at work on the script, but Breck couldn’t have sounded more passionate about it. Here’s a quick rundown of what Eisner said along with an update on the (possible) The Brood remake. As a quick side note, from what’s been said about The Crazies, it’s a solid remake and now I’m even looking more forward to Eisner’s take on Gordon. Read the full story

About a month ago we confirmed that location scouting for a third Riddick had taken place and now the much talked about sequel has finally been green-lit. According to Variety, Universal is moving forward and the film will simply be titled Riddick. David Twohy and Vin Diesel are returning and Diesel will even be credited as a producer. No release date is set, but expect to see Riddick around 2011– most likely a summer release date. There’s also no word yet on whether or not they’re moving forward with the hard R version or the more tamed down PG-13 version, probably (and unfortunately) the latter. Read the full story