According to an article I read in today’s Empire Magazine Online, former “Seinfeld” writer, Larry Charles, has been speaking with Paramount Pictures about adapting “The Dirt,” a Motley Crue autobiography, into a mainstream film.

     Charles also directed and wrote some “Curb Your Enthusiasm” episodes as well as directing the film, “Masked and Anonymous.”

     As a tenage Crue fan, I admit that I would pay money to see this and probably be excited as well. I did read the book and I don’t see how the film can be any different than any of those other VH1-type movies about any other “sex, drugs & rock n’ roll” band (Def Leppard, Skid Row, Poison, etc.).

     Still, The Crue were the kings of decadence and they helped get me through the hell that was West Jr. High. So I’m all about a movie being made. Now I’m just curious to find out who plays the band members.

-Drewbacca
MoviePatron.com

     Controversial films deserve a controversial blog post. “United 93″ opens nation wide on Friday. I have very mixed feelings about the making of this film. From the early reviews I have read, heard and talked to people about, it is nothing short of amazing. I don’t doubt that for a second. Writer/Director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy) took great pains to ensure accuracy and faithfulness to those precious minutes of September 11, 2001.

     Every single one of the victim’s/hero’s family members signed off on the project and gave the greenlight to it being made. They described as best as they could who their loved one was and what they were wearing that day, etc. so that their role aboard the plane would be portrayed as accurately as possible. So it’s encouraging to me that the family members appear to have no problem with the film being made.

     The film is apparently made sans partisan politics. It is supposedly just a true to life as possible story about the actual chain of events aboard flight 93 that crashed just outside of Philadelphia. It is also shown in real time which is a very difficult task for film makers. Two people I have talked to have said that you will come out of the theater absolutely hating terrorists. Good.

     I also agree that it’s important to keep the memory of that day fresh in everyone’s mind. I personally feel that many in this country are suffering from some sort of mass amnesia. My point is that I think it’s important to see those images that the media quit showing us years ago. As I believe it’s important for everyone of the right age to see the tortures and beheadings of innocent people killed by the same type of people who committed the atrocities on September 11th.

     I’m getting off topic. I do believe that there are redeeming features of this film and I don’t think Greengrass and the other creators are totally heartless bastards. BUT, I do believe that the making of this film is exploitation. It is being made first and foremost to make money. If there was no money to be made, I guarantee that Universal studios would not invest in the production and distribution if they thought it would be a flop. All it took was for someone with balls to come out and say, “I’m going to make a movie about 9/11,” and they were in. It’s a guaranteed money maker. Everyone is going to see it. It will break the 100 million dollar mark by the third week easily, I believe (assuming it is to be shown on enough screens nationwide). I’m just not sure that exploiting the 3000+ people who died that day, just to tell a story we already basically know, is worth it or respectful.

     My second problem with the film is this: I’ve seen the newest trailer. It is very heavy. My heart sank as I watched. You see the usual suspects. You hear the confusion of the air traffic controllers radio chatter. You hear cell phone calls from loved ones aboard the plane. You see the astonished look of gawkers and air traffic controllers. You relive the whole day in about 3 minutes. When that trailer was released in New York City a couple of weeks ago, people screamed at the screen, “too soon!” and many left the theater demanding their money back. It has been reported that some just wept in the back of theater. Imagine this, if you will: your brother was killed in the rumble of the WTC on that fateful day, or your cousin was a fireman trying to save as many people as he/she could before the collapse and was killed in his/her heroic actions. Now, 5 years later, you walk into a theater to see “Scary Movie 4″ or “Thank You for Smoking” and are forced to endure that day all over again in your mind. Your whole day (not to mention the great movie you were about to see*) is now ruined. I don’t blame the people of NYC one bit for leaving the theater in disgust. They were there that day. They don’t need to hear about it right now.

     Movies are supposed to be fun. Even tear-jerkers and slasher flicks are supposed to be sad or scary in a good way. Now, I can appreciate a little terrorist ass-kicking aboard a plane. I do get enjoyment from that. But reliving one of the biggest tragic days for this country all over again, not even five years later, is unnecessary and smply put, exploitation. A “do it before somebody else does” mentality on the part of the filmmakers.

     You may say, well what did you think about films like “Pearl Harbor,” “Saving Private Ryan” or “Platoon?” Well, the answer is simple. These events took place years, even decades, before I was born. It is almost a teaching tool. Saving Private Ryan was one of the most impactful, entertaining, powerful, educational and inspiring films I have ever seen. Pearl Harbor wasn’t that exactly, but at least it gave me an idea of a group of people’s vision of what that day must’ve been like. We don’t need that for 9/11…at least not yet. I’m not going to give an exact number of years before I think it’s okay for a film like this to be made. I’m just saying that right now is too soon. And I know I’m not alone.

     Just a side note: I do know people (many of whom are close friends) who are okay with this film being made. I don’t look down on, or think anything less of those people. I don’t even necessarily think they are wrong. I just have differing opinions and maybe stronger feelings and I’m expressing them.

     After all my rant, I will be seeing “United 93″ opening day. I will be posting an in depth, partisan free, objective analysis review of the film on the MoviePatron main site. I will not, however, pay for the film. I’ve gotten a free pass from a “friend” and intend to use it for that movie. I’m going to see this movie with an open mind and I may very well change my mind. I will place a brief (I promise) personal opinion about the film on this blog.

     Here are excerpts from a report by Yahoo news about the sneak peak of the film, just shown last Tuesday in New York City…

     “At Tuesday’s premiere, the screen went dark after the stomach-turning sequence showing the plane’s nosedive. The theater was silent except for the gut-wrenching sobs and wails from the loge, where the relatives were seated together.      Moviegoers absorbed and shared their pain. Throughout the screening, they wept, drew sharp breaths, gasped and covered their faces with their hands. They shifted in their seats, sometimes to look back at the family section.

“United 93″ opens this Friday, April 28th at a theater near you.

- Drewbacca
MoviePatron.com

*Author does not necessarily advocate “Scary Movie 4″ or “Thank You for Smoking” as great movies; they are simply used as an example.

UPDATE (9/13/06):  I have completely changed my mind and think United 93 is the best film of 2006 as of September.  You can read my FULL REVIEW HERE.

     Ok, I admit it. I like the MTV Movie Awards. Not enough that you’ll actually see me sitting down and watching them, but I still enjoy them for what they are, even though I’m not a screaming teenager. I’m always at least interested in the nominees and winners. It’s not the true greats of the year, mostly just the popular crowd, but it’s still fun and there are a lot of deserving people and films in the nominee list. No one takes these awards seriously, of course. But still, they have some redeeming features.

     First off, I like the fact that it’s the people who get to vote on the nominees and not some corrupt academy or judges. Even though I don’t agree with many of the nominees, I also like the different categories that they have. It’s not the normal award show with actors, actresses, cinematogrpahy, costume design, etc. They have some interesting categories that although really mean nothing, are still fun to check out for movie fans; very similar to the Movie Patron Reader’s Choice Awards. I also think it’s interesting that they don’t differentiate among the sexes. It’s best leading role, not actor or actress.

     So anyway, here are the nominees along with my vote (in bold maroon, as always) and some other commentary I may choose to leave. There are instructions and a link to follow at the bottom of this post on how and where to vote, should you choose to do so.

BEST MOVIE
* The 40-Year Old Virgin
* Batman Begins
* King Kong
* Sin City
* Wedding Crashers
     This was a tough call for me. King Kong was amazing, but really, it was just a really good special effects movie with major intensity. I was also very pleasantly surprised with Batman. But Sin City was so original and great, I have to give it my vote for best movie. If it was favorite movie, it’d be an even more difficult decision.

BEST PERFORMANCE
* Joaquin Phoenix - Walk The Line
* Jake Gyllenhaal - Brokeback Mountain
* Rachel McAdams - Red Eye
* Steve Carell - The 40-Year Old Virgin
* Terrence Howard - Hustle & Flow
* Reese Witherspoon - Walk The Line
     Of these particular nominees, she wins hands down. Phoenix is a close second though.

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
* Owen Wilson - Wedding Crashers
* Adam Sandler - The Longest Yard
* Steve Carell - The 40-Year Old Virgin
* Tyler Perry - Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion
* Vince Vaughn - Wedding Crashers

BEST ON-SCREEN TEAM
* Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen & Romany Malco - The 40-Year Old Virgin
* Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott & Jessica Simpson - The Dukes of Hazzard
* Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans & Michael Chiklis - Fantastic Four
* Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson & Rupert Grint - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
* Vince Vaughn & Owen Wilson - Wedding Crashers
     I hated all the other films, so this was a no-brainer

BEST VILLAIN
* Cillian Murphy - Batman Begins
* Hayden Christensen - Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
* Ralph Fiennes - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
* Tilda Swinton - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
* Tobin Bell - Saw II
     Toss-up between Hayden and Tilda, but c’mon…it’s Darth Vader. Is it really even a question?

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
* Andre “3000″ Benjamin - Four Brothers
* Isla Fisher - Wedding Crashers
* Nelly - The Longest Yard
* Jennifer Carpenter - The Exorcism of Emily Rose
* Romany Malco - The 40-Year Old Virgin
* Taraji P. Henson - Hustle & Flow

BEST HERO
* Christian Bale - Batman Begins
* Jessica Alba - Fantastic Four
* Daniel Radcliffe - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
* Kate Beckinsale - Underworld: Evolution
* Ewan McGregor - Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
     Sorry Obi-Wan, Bale took over this role…FINALLY!

SEXIEST PERFORMANCE
* Beyonce Knowles - The Pink Panther
* Jessica Alba - Sin City
* Jessica Simpson - The Dukes of Hazzard
* Ziyi Zhang - Memoirs of a Geisha
* Rob Schneider - Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo
     She is such a HORRIBLE actress, not to mention her singing inabilities, but it is sexiest; not best acted. Weird too, because I’m normally a brunette kinda guy.

BEST FIGHT
* Kong vs. The Planes - King Kong
* Stephen Chow vs. Axe Gang - Kung Fu Hustle
* Angelina Jolie vs. Brad Pitt - Mr. & Mrs. Smith
* Ewan McGregor vs. Hayden Christensen - Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
     The dumbest set of nominees in the show. Where the hell is Yoda vs Emperor? And Kong vs. Planes instead of the T-Rex? Please.

BEST KISS
* Jake Gyllenhaal & Heath Ledger - Brokeback Mountain
* Taraji P. Henson & Terrence Howard - Hustle & Flow
* Anna Faris & Chris Marquette - Just Friends
* Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt - Mr. & Mrs. Smith
* Rosario Dawson & Clive Owen - Sin City
      You gotta love any kiss while people are being shot to shit right below you. Heath & Jake would come in a close second (the only slightly intense moment in the film in my opinion).

BEST FRIGHTENED PERFORMANCE
* Rachel Nichols - The Amityville Horror
* Jennifer Carpenter - The Exorcism of Emily Rose
* Derek Richardson - Hostel
* Paris Hilton - House of Wax
* Dakota Fanning - War of the Worlds
     I don’t know about best frightened performance; but easily the best death of the year. If you haven’t seen Hilton’s head stuck on a metal pole, you’re missing out.

mtvU STUDENT FILMMAKER AWARD
* Joshua Caldwell (Fordham University) - A Beautiful Lie
* Sean Mullin (Columbia University) - Sadiq
* Stephen Reedy (Diablo Valley College) - Undercut
* Jarrett Slavin (University of Michigan) - The Spiral Project
* Landon Zakheim (Emerson College) - The Fabulous Felix McCabe
     I haven’t seen or know anything about any of these. That’s right, I’m not the 100% movie genius you thought I am.

     The ceremony will film on June 3rd and be shown on June 8th. You can vote in the following ways:

By visiting movieawards.mtv.com before May 19. Fans can also vote from their mobile phone by texting “MOVIEAWARDS” to 91757 to receive a ballot. Voting is also available by dialing toll free to 1-877-MTV-VOTE where fans can support their favorite nominees with a different category available for voting each day.

The winners will be posted here as soon as they are announced.

- Drewbacca
MoviePatron.com

     I just got word that Angelina Jolie has agreed to reprise her role as Lara Croft in the video game genre film, Tomb Raider. She will be waiting until after she is settled from the birth of her next child.

     I haven’t played the new Tomb Raider game yet, but if it turns out to be good, principal photography for the project may begin as early as next year as they’ll want to capitalize on the success of the game.

Here is the quote I read from creator, Ian Livingstone:

     “Paramount has optioned it and Angelina has agreed to star in the third. If the (new) game is as successful as the others it’s likely Paramount will put the third movie into production soon.”

     I personally didn’t think too much of the previous two films, but that’s just me. That can be just good fun on a summer evening for sure, I just never got into them. I’ll see the new one when it is released and have a full review at the main page of course.

-Drewbacca
MoviePatron.com

     This is the best news I’ve heard all year! The critically acclaimed (by me) “Bubba Ho-Tep” is going to have a sequel! Writer/director Don Coscarelli spilled the beans to Bloody-Disgusting.com, that indeed Bruce Campbell will don the Elvis get-up one more time to defeat evil vampires and werewolves while shooting a film in Louisiana. Whether this is a prequel (hence a younger Elvis) or a sequel (an even more elderly Elvis than before) is not clear at this time, but rest-assured I will be tracking this one. This new film will be entitled:

Bubba Nosferatu: Curse of the She-Vampires!

But wait…. just look what else you get…

     PAUL GIAMATTI HAS SIGNED ON AS CO-STAR!!!! AAAAAAAA! I’m going ape-shit. My current favorite actor is apparently a huge Bruce Campbell fan and he has signed on to play Colonel Parker.

     A shoot-begin date has not been set and I haven’t confirmed the date of release; although IMDB.com claims 2006, while other sources (Joblo, Bloody-Disgusting) claim 2007.

     Either way, I can’t wait.

Click HERE to read my original review of BUBBA HO-TEP

- Drewbacca
MoviePatron.com