monte pictures newletter august
TRANSCRIPT
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MONTE
www.mpictures.tumblr.com
The Need for
Special Effects
1990s:
From
Kathy Batesto Hannibal
Lector: Best
HorrorPerformances
of the Decade
Inside
In TheatersNow
Own it on
DVD
Movie
Reviews
FREE Newsletter
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Table of Contents
Monte Pictures was originally founded by Javier Serrano in San Diego, California on February 4, 2007. Monte
Pictures is the subject to the founders passion: to establish a film company. At this time, Monte Pictures
runs independently through monthly newsletters composed by the founder Javier Serrano and his editor-in-
chief Julia Wieczorek.
2009 Monte Pictures Newsletter. We acknowledge all photographs are subject to their original owners.
Monte Pictures was created to express, entertain and educate members of Monte Pictures the variety of
film selections available. We do not sell our newsletters nor accept donations of any kind; we are neither a
corporation nor non-profit organization. Questions or comments, please email your inquiries to:
The Need
for
Special
Effects p. 5
Horror Performances of the 90s p. 7
Which is better for
foreign language
films, dubbing orsubtitles? p. 18
Entertainer of the Month:
Kristen Stewart p. 21
Movie Reviews p. 22
Coming Soon to Theaters p.2
On DVD p. 24
1997, Titanic 1996, Independence Day
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ounders Message JAVIER SERRANOFOUNDERPlan for your life
Dont just let it happen
There is an element of truth that some people let life
happen to them. This statement is backed by the fact
that many people spend more time planning their
vacation than planning their life. The quest to
investigate this topic had great value but I feel its
terminology is incorrect. How do we plan a life?
Planning is a linear activity and life is full of twists, turnsand detours. We don't plan our lives as much as we
plan our day. Our day's plan is a result of a methodical
prioritizing of what is of value to us, with the
completion of the task as the end result.
My suggestion: We begin the process by identifying our journey. This journey is a process of
identifying who we are. For right brained thinkers, this is discovering our meaning and
purpose known as our personal mission. This is creative stuff requiring a search within the
heart and soul. Some ways to discover your mission is to ask someone to deliver your eulogy
at your funeral. What do you want the people at your funeral to hear about the way you spent
your life?
Nothing is ever accomplished without a solid plan. The things we have accomplished in life
whether it be the things we acquire or the things we desire all came to us because we had a
plan. Everything we have ever been or done was the result of a plan and putting that plan in
action. Think back for a moment on all of the significant and not so significant events of your
life. There may be a few events that were luck, but the majority of it comes from having a plan
and then going out there to accomplish it. If you want better things in your life, make a plan
on how to achieve it. You can be, do and have anything you want if you have a plan of how toobtain it. Think it through, and put serious thought into what you want for your life and then
set your plan in motion. Soon you will have all the things you desire.
You can be, do and have
anything you want if you have a
plan of how to obtain it.
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Editors Messagejulia wieczorekeditor-in-chief
*Remember things. Showing you care enough to remember something important to someone
else, and for your career or education, really shows you are dedicated to learning. It also
shows you actually do care.
*Spend time on the important things. Dont forget there are other things outside of your own
little world, your own job and life. There are other people, activities and adventures that need
attention too. It is also important to spend time with yourself, time to relax.
*Dont take anything too seriously. It is important to stay focused on accomplishing goals butwith any ambition, there are setbacks, and if you let these actually set you back then you are
just hurting yourself. Remember to see the more positive side of things before giving-up.
*Dont give up. If you try your best, it shows, no matter what the outcome. Trying your best
leads to being the best.
If you want to be the best, you
must lose your mind
Have you ever wondered how to be the best? How to
be best at whatever it is you want to do, whatever you
want to accomplish? Well there are some steps that if
followed, can help anyone on their way to being the
best at what they do.
*Help others. This can be family, friends, neighbors,
strangers. Helping gives one a sense of worth and pride,
a selfless act can actually do wonders for the self. It also
creates a sense of responsibility in ones actions.
*Listen. Listen to yourself, what are you really trying toaccomplish? Listen to others, other people are walking
and living encyclopedias of knowledge unique to the
individual. They can offer advice. You can offer advice
back, expanding cooperation between people.
*Give and take. Dont always take from others, give in
return. Part of life is making lasting connections and
these must be maintained through being there for
others as they are for you.
~ julia wieczorek
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The Need for Special Effects
New technological feats have rapidly
increased and enhanced the computer
technology in this modern digital age.
What I love about this modern day of
movie-making is films offer incredible visual
and realistic experience through the use of
special effects. For instance, Michael Bays
Transformers: The Revenge of the Fallen
(2009) is an example of a recent film which
totally relies on heavy destruction and a
space-age visual experience by special
effects in order to reenact realization. Such
demands and requirements for the use of
special effects are incredibly expensive and
often are too much to experience in the
theater, but it sure beats teens adrenaline
in their crave for more action and less
drama. Although, I am not a special effects
kind of movie-goer; however, I do have to
admit there have been many films I
enjoyed the use of special effects.
But it is remorseful that most modern
films rely heavy upon the use of such
effects to be successful. The focus is less
on the skill of the actors, which majority o
films was originally about: performances,and more on the impression the film is
going to make on its viewers. Megan Fox
and Shia Lebeouf, stars of both
blockbuster films Transformers (2007) an
Transformers: The Revenge of the Fallen
(2009), have lacked in their performances
in the films, but unlike others, which I can
care less for series, these stars are youngand attractive, so, of course, the film will
generate more viewers from thirteen yea
olds. Another film example: Poseidon
(2006) relied on a lot of special effects an
carefully times stunts to make it a rather
exciting movie but in the end, this was no
the work of the actors, and the ship was
simply unbelievable.
By Javier Serrano
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Not to spoil the ending, but I felt no grief when the
character died and could not relate or feel sympathybecause of the dilemmas they faced in the end. I
feel as though the actors are being made redundant
by this increase of technology; what they lack in skill
can simply be made up for in use of special effects
and most of the time, it is successful. Though, the
increased use of computer technology has
subsequently given rise to popularity of animated
films; a more advanced form of cartoon whichusually falls in the childrens or comedy genre.
While these films are usually the same high
standard of normal films, they put less demand on
the actors. Brilliant voice acting is obviously shown
off in films like these bit I believe acting is much
more authentic than voice acting; it is the
communication and expression of feelings and
emotions through the body language is what strikes
great performances. Therefore, I believe special
effects should be merely an addition and not the
focus. The consequence of the contrary is the
decrease on acting skill itself. I believe Titanic
(1997) is a prime example of flawless special effects.
Hence, films such as War of the Worlds rely heavily
on special effects and consequently, the storyline
can become hazy at times and often hard to follow
and characters are left undeveloped; we are not
completely convinced by what is happened.
James Camerons Titanic
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Best Horror Performances
of a Lifetime
1990s
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Kathy Bates bring this psychotic fan
Annie to reality in a performance that ishaunting to Paul but also to all of us
who watch her. She goes from the
helpful good Samaritan, someone
anyone can trust, and turns it on the
person she respects most. The
performance shows us that we can be
manipulated at our weakest times by
those we put complete trust in. Kathynever fails to astonish viewers with her
performances, getting truly deep into
her characters and with this one, she
becomes very terrifying even with that
sweet accent. She went on to win an
Academy Award for her deranged
character.
Kathy Bates in MiseryBy julia wieczorekKathy Bates plays Annie Wilkes in the film
based on the Stephen King novel, Misery.
The film centers around Paul Sheldon
(played by James Caan), a best-selling
novelist who crashes his car during a
blizzard, and his number one fan: Annie
Wilkes. Annie rescues Paul and takes him to
her remote house in the woods where she
treats his injuries. He soon discovers the
once nurse is a little out of her mind, as herreaction to his latest novels ending sets her
off in torturing the man physically and
mentally. She renders him incapable of
walking and chains him to a bed and
typewriter, where she forces him to re-
write his latest novel, completely
destroying his previous manuscript. Poor
Paul soon discovers he is not her firstvictim.
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The Soloist
Anthony Hopkins in
The Silence of the LambsBy julia wieczorek
91
nthony Hopkinss Hannibal Lecter has
come iconic, as well as the psychological
riller he is introduced in, The Silence of
e Lambs. A student named Clarice (Jodiester) is sent to interview the once
ychiatrist, now mental-patient
nnibalistic serial killer, Hannibal. Hannibal
ows impatient with Clarice, but
entually helps her in her quest to find
other serial killer Buffalo Bill. They
gin making deals with each other, all
hile being video-taped. Hannibal soonscovers Clarices traumatic childhood and
es it in exchange for giving her the
formation she needs. Hannibal eventually
capes jail and murders more in the
ocess. In the end he contacts Clarice once
ore, asking her not to try to find him,
hen she disagrees he simply tells her he is
ving a friend for dinner, and stalks his oldoctor through town.
Anthony Hopkins won an Oscar for his
performance and there is no doubt as to
why. He was terrifying. Anyone portraying
someone with a mental disorder, and
someone with this severe of a case, has to
really focus on the character, if not it will
become un-realistic. Hannibal is just creepy,
and the way he is able to manipulate
Clarice shows how cunning he must have
been with his victims, who became his
food. Hopkins gave us a stunning
performance that left the audience sick and
enthralled. Without getting too gory, the
film was able to capture disgusting horror
and also one cold serial killer. Hopkins will
be remembered his role as this strange
cannibal.
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Gary Oldman in DraculaBy julia wieczorekGary Oldman brings a truly amazing
performance as he depicts a man whogrows young again, and transforms from
a human to a vampire. He shows all of
Draculas different disguises and does it
in a very charming way to top it off! He
has been known to be very diverse and
has most recently been seen playing
parts in several Harry Potterfilms as well
as Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.Becoming Dracula, Oldman was able to
bring heart to the heartless in a subtle
intensity that is chilling to watch. Dracula
is the main character, not quite the
villain, but not really the hero, in a tale
that is meant to haunt and dazzle those
that are swept into it.
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sed on the novel by Bram Stoker, Dracula
picts the escapades of the famous
ansylvanian vampire. In the film version,
ount Dracula, played by Gary Oldman, is
otivated by romance more so than he is by
ood. He uses the reason for biting others as
means of avenging the death of his wife in
e 15th century. She committed suicide after
aring he had died, a false report, and he
nounces God in anger of her eternal
mnation. Dracula eventually comes to
ndon to meet Mina Harker, played by
inona Ryder, who is the living image of his
e wife. Anthony Hopkins plays the obsessed
mpire hunter Van Helsing, out to finish-off
acula with all the other vampires. Other
st include: Keanu Reeves-Jonathan Harker,
d Tom Waits-bug-eating Renfield. Bram
oker's Dracula won three Academy Awards.
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Macaulay Culkin in The Good SonBy julia wieczorek93
In The Good Son, a woman dies of
cancer and her husband must leave ona trip, so their young son Mark (Elijah
Wood) is left in the care of his aunt and
uncle. He is excited to be always
around his cousin Henry, played by
Macaulay Culkin, because he has
someone his age (8 years old) he can
play with. He soon discovers that Henry
enjoys more sinister activities, such ascausing car accidents, toppling
treehouses, killing animals and even
drowning his 3 year old brother (he
admits this to Mark). When Henry gets
jealous of Mark, whom no one believes
when he claims Henry is evil, Henry
attempts to murder his own younger
sister and then Mark himself.
Macaulay Culkin has proven himself as a
reputable child-actor time and time again,in strings of family films he has starred in.
In The Good Son, we are simply scared of
him. He portrays this innocent young boy
with a loving family, but shows his darker
side in a way that is almost hard to
imagine such a young child can have. He
plays the part brilliantly and we really start
to believe he is evil, as well as a goodactor in the movie because his character
convinces his parents of his innocence.
Poor Mark is in a similar situation many of
us have seen ourselves in, warring
between doing the right thing and fitting-
in with our peers. Henry is down-right
cruel, and a movie-depiction of real-life
children who end up with serious mentaldisorders and become sociopaths. Culkin
was able to pull it off horrifyingly.
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Although the film can be somewhat hard
to follow, unless you know the characters
and understand the long chain of
previous films, it turns the traditional
slasher-movie we love into reality, at
least for one of the first stars and the
filmmakers. Robert Englund once again
plays the twisted undead child-murdererwho haunts children and teens in their
dreams. His voice and facial expressions,
under the burned flesh of his face, and
not to mention the way he taps his claws,
add to Freddys character in a way that
creeps his viewers out so much they have
their own nightmares. Wes Craven has
mentioned his inspiration for Freddycame from a string of unsolved-deaths
while sleeping, in which the people
complained of suffering nightmares. He
used inspiration from his own fear of a
local homeless man and bullies at school,
as well as his cat (for the clawed-glove) to
come-up with a unique character that
truly haunts our dreams.
Robert Englund inNew NightmareBy julia wieczorek
Robert Englund is one of my favorite
actors because of his portrayal of one of
my all-time favorite movie characters:
Freddy Krueger. In New Nightmare, the7th film in the Nightmare on Elm Street
franchise, Freddy Krueger has been
possessed by a demonic force seeking
entry into the real world. The film takes
place in the real world in which Freddy
Krueger is simply a character in the
Nightmare on Elm Streetmovies. Heather
Langenkamp, who plays Nancy inprevious Nightmare on Elm Streets, is
being followed by strange occurrences
and discovers she must play the part of
Nancy, once again, for Wes Cravens
latest film within a film, in order to defeat
the new real-life Freddy. She also must
seek help from Robert Englund, playing
himself as well as the new demonicFreddy Krueger, in her conquest.
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Nicole Kidman in To Die ForBy julia wieczorek
95Die Foris based on a novel, based on
story, about a woman named
zanne, played by Nicole Kidman, who
determined to become a TV
wscaster no matter the costs to
tain it. She is limited intellectually
d talent-wise, but that doesnt stop
r ruthlessness. She convinces some
ens she is doing a story on, to kill hersband, in which they are arrested
r. One of the teens is able to record
zanne's plot but she is acquitted due
the way the police handled the
vestigation. When her husbands
afia father finds out what Suzanne
d done, he has someone murder her
d bury her under her favorite lake,ly to be skated over by her dead-
sbands sister when it freezes over.
Nicole Kidmans Suzanne knows exactlywhat she wants and is willing to do just
about anything to get it! She makes up
for whatever she lacks, in cold
determination and diabolical wiles. As
she pursues her goal with relentless
focus, she believes she is forced to
destroy anything and anyone that may
stand in her way, regardless of theultimate cost or means necessary. In a
twist, the teen who recorded her
murder plan was the one who ends up
becoming the star on TV. Kidman plays
diabolical well, and mixed with her
beauty, her character becomes that
much more of an interesting
antagonist.
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Fairuza Balk in The CraftBy julia wieczorekTeen drama meets witchcraft in thefilm, The Craft. When the 16 year old
troubled teen Sarah, played by Robin
Tunney, moves to a new town to start
fresh, she befriends an interesting
group of girls. Faruiza Balk plays Nancy,
the head of the group. What Sarah
doesnt realize, until its too late, is the
girls are witches that practice blackmagic. She is the link that completes
their coven and when she decides she
wants out, it is too late. The power
Nancy wields over people and nature
causes her to spin out of control and
torture, attempting to murder Sarah.
Her defeat is by Sarah herself, because
Sarah is a natural and more powerfulwitch.
Faruiza Balk plays the evil and all-powerful teen witch to a point we
really believe in her character and fear
it. Her character comes from a troubled
past and uses that anger and jealousy
to fuse with her power and skill at
casting spells. Balk literally transforms
her character on screen in front of our
eyes, from that of a slightly rebellious-Catholic school girl to a full on crazed-
dark witch, dressing and acting
different as the film goes on. At the
end she is screaming, her own voice
cracking in rage and power and the last
Nancy is seen on screen is muttering to
herself in a mental hospital. Seeing a
young teen transform the way Balk wasable to, can be very disturbing.
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Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate
By julia wieczorek
97
e Devils Advocate centers on onentastic lawyer named Kevin (Keanu
eves) who has yet to lose a case. He
ows a certain client is guilty of his
me, but causes him to get-off not
ilty anyway. Later he is approached
recruits to a prestigious New York
w firm, headed by John Milton (Al
cino). After he wins his first case hearts to spend more time at work and
ss with his wife. When those that are
gry with Kevin suddenly start dying,
ter he complains about them to John,
begins to suspect something isnt
ght. Through events that leave him
ddened and angry, Kevin runs to his
oss, only to learn John is not only awerful lawyer, he is Satan himself,
d Kevin is his son.
Al Pacino delights his audience with
memorable performances and this is
just one of them. He plays the part of
an all-powerful lawyer, and devil, very
well. His character is sly, evil and
greedy, manipulating others to get
what he wants. What would you think
if your boss told you he was the Devil?Let alone you were the son of the
Devil? Pacino almost becomes comical
in his fits of rage, screaming while the
theatrics blaze behind him, but he is
still scary in that way that makes one
want to shudder at his overall
hatefulness.
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Inou Rie in RinguBy julia wieczorekRingu is about Asakawa (the aunt of ateen victim) who is a reporter that
begins researching a weird video, said
to be cursed, she falls into the world of
one strange child: Sadako, played by
Inou Rie. She watches the video, but
when eventually her son watches it,
she only has 7 days to discover the key
to save him (and herself) from thecurse. Following clues from the tape
itself, Asawaka discovers the girls past
and frees her body from a well she was
thrown into years before. Her
unfortunate ex-husband discovers too
late that it wasnt freeing the body
that saved Asawaka and her son, it was
copying the video and showing tosomeone else that did. Thus the curse
never ends.
Ringu may have spawned nightmaresfor many people, possibly because the
faces of terror the dead victims in the
movie take-on are quite simply,
disgusting. Inou Rie portrays the ghost
of Sadako, but really encompasses a
popular Japanese ghost, with white
clothing and long dark hair that covers
the face. Although she has no majorrole in the film, her vengeful ghost
characters stiff movements as she
crawls out of the TV and shuffles her
way towards her next victim, make the
viewers own skin crawl. Her stunning
silent horror spawned numerous copies
of this type of ghost in films and of
course, numerous American versions ofthese films as well.
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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/78/Sadakotv.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/78/Sadakotv.jpghttp://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A9G_bHOeNIVKZKgAjx.jzbkF/SIG=12k8qcvhk/EXP=1250330142/**http%3A//www.kittysafe.net/reviews/ring/media/ring/image_49780.jpg -
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Eihi Shiina inAuditionBy julia wieczorek
99
Audtion is one of those movies thatstarts out ordinary enough, and pulls
the viewer into a twisted tale that
becomes more and more twisted until
it finishes with a gory ending. A lonely
executive of a company, Aoyama, sits-
in on auditions for actresses of a non-
existent film his producer friend sets-
up. He is intrigued by one youngwoman, Yamazaki (Eihi Shiina), and
asks her on a date. What he doesnt
see on the other end of the line is her
tied-up victim in her dark room. The
movie climaxes with the sweet young
woman using rubber gloves and
doctors instruments to torture
Aoyama in a painfully long homesurgery.
Eihi Shiina portrays the innocent and
nave young woman beautifully, and
the evil sadist eerily. Her character
takes her odd but nice exterior
personality and creates a faade that
others are captivated by. What makes it
more unnerving is the smile she
plasters on her face while using a
needle to torture her victim, and the
odd way she hovers over him. The film
creates an atmosphere of horror by
using little music in critical points. Once
again an actor, in this case Shiina, plays
a part that is contradictory in front of
our eyes, and that just makes things all
the more terrifying.
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Which is better for foreign language films, dubbing or subtitles?
As a lover of languages and cultures, I am
appalled by people who refuse to watch foreign
anguage movies just because they are subtitled.
The actors voice is the most vital importance
and the emotions that he or she conveys cannot
be conveyed by a person reading a voice-over.
Actors invest a lot of time and energy into
preparing for a performing their roles and every
emotion comes from inside them. Theses
emotions cant be duplicated and added after
the fact. Every actor is unique, and their unique
voices help them to shape the characters they
play and bring that role to life. When it all
comes together, the audience can become lost
n the action and the characters become real tothem. I have never liked dubbed movies.
Watching subtitled movies from all over the
world has made me more culturally enriched. I
mmediately recognize people speaking
anguages like Korean, Mandarin, and Cantonese
when I walk down the street. However, as I am
dubbing, majority of people would rather watch
a film that is dubbed than subtitles. The main
mportance of watching a movie in my opinion isto be entertained and be educated. The idea to
sit back and watch a movie should be mindless
effort to some people. Though, it is supposed to
allow the viewers the opportunity to unwind
and relieve stress, and enlighten the individual,
right? In my opinion, subtitles are not at enough
contrast to the background of what is going on
the screen. To most people, sometimes the
entire works and letters blend in with screen
shot so much that they are difficult to read.
Most times while audiences are in the
middle of trying to decipher a certain work,
the new subtitle is put on the screen, which
you will often see people concentrating too
hard for a movie or squinting at every
recognizable word. Again, movie dubbing
however has many drawbacks. Often, the
emotion in the voices of the actors is not
portrayed quite the same as the original
version. Most times the intonation of
emotion is not the same either in the
performances. Many actors are recognized
by their distinct voice you are hearing does
not match up with the mouth movement.
Another point to bring up is that often many
words or important phrases are lost in thetranslation. This means that you are getting
a brief broader statement many times
instead of the poignant one in the original
version. Hence, movies with subtitles are
not much of a step about the original talkies
when the motion picture industry first
started nearly a century ago. During those
silent films the words were projected on to
the screen while instrumental music playedappropriately coordinated with what
emotion the actors were portraying. Often
the music was loud and annoying too.
By Javier Serrano
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Movie Sequels and Remakes: Is Hollywood out of ideas?
Martin Scorseses The Departedis a well-
crafted crime-thriller that sees Scorsese return
to the cinematic heights he once scaled with
GoodFellas. Set in the murky underworld of
the Boston-Irish Mafia, the film is a remake of
recent Hong Kong crime-thriller Infernal Affairs.As such, its the latest entry in a long line of
Asian to American remakes, which, for all their
individual merits, represents perhaps the most
cynical side of Hollywood film production.
Over recent years, Japanese horror films
illuminated across the globe with such films as
Ringu (The Ring), Dark WaterandJu-on: The
Grudge, have provided fresh material for
Hollywood to plunder greatly. Despite beingfreely available, in their original forms, on both
sides of the world, these movie collectives, also
known as, Foreign Film has hindered their
circulation in all but the most enthusiastic film
clubs and academic-film circles. The major
American studios, however, are not about to
miss out on the opportunity, and as a result all
three of the titles Ive mentioned have been
remade in the United States, with The Ring and
The Grudge spawning the originality from the
Japanese origins.
Hollywood has an uneasy relationship with
originality. The major studios in the United
States tend to operate best when a problem can
be solved by throwing money at it, which is
great when creating a summer blockbuster
where adrenaline will keep the popcorn-
audience entertained. Over the past few years,
the well of originality in Hollywood has becomeparticularly dry, with studios falling back on big-
screen versions of class TV shows, hoping to
cash-in on the fan-bases, whilst never
underestimating the help of big-name stars.
Think of Drew Barrymore, Lucy Lu and Cameron
Diaz in Charlies Angels, Nicole Kidman and Will
Ferrell in Bewitched, Sean William Scott and
Johnny Knoxville in the Dukes of Hazard, are you
getting my drift? Remakes are as effective anexercise in risk-reduction, although studios have
for some time now been raiding their archives.
For examples, The Poseidon Adventure, The
Omen, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The
Amityville Horror, to name but four, have all hit
theaters across the nation in the past five years.
Like Steven Spielbergs remake ofWar of the
Worlds stemmed from his lifelong enthusiasm
for the story.
By Javier Serrano
Naomi Watts in The Rin
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His version turned into an effective modern invasion-thriller, and has interpreted as the
directors response, to the events of 9/11. Another example, Peter Jackson, director of the
Lord of the Rings trilogies, wanted to remake his childhood ambition King Kong, the film that
inspired to become a filmmaker. The biggest problem deals with some of the remakes,
adaptations and sequels that come out each year. While it is true that there are many differentremakes of films that become popular the big problem is that a remake of a classic film will
generally not be as memorable or as good as the original. The new version ofThe Day the
Earth Stood Stillis completely different from the original class and is rather forgettable. Of
course there are some good ideas out there in Hollywood.
What I found to be humorous, people assumed Diablo Codys,Juno was her original idea, on
the contrary, her idea was original in the American sense, but the films plot is loosely based
on South Korean filmJenny and Juno. However, I will provide one film that I believe was one
of Hollywoods best original films, 2008, WALL-Ebecause the concept was so unique, witty
and charming. Many other films that have unique ideals like The Wrestlerand Burn After
Reading showed up on many of those same lists too because they were very different from
Hollywoods same old movies. Look how big comic books-turned-movies have done for
Hollywood?
Then, Halloween 1978; Now, Halloween 2008
Then,Jenny & Juno 2005 (South Korean); Now,Juno 2007 (Canadian)
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Entertainer of the MonthKristen Stewart
In 2002, at the age of 12, Kristen
Stewart starred in her first major
Hollywood film in Panic Room
alongside Academy Award winners
Jodie Foster and Forrest Whitaker.
Born to a script supervisorAustralian mother and a stage-
manager and television producer
American father, Kristen Stewart
starred in several leading roles like
2004, Speakand 2007, In the Land
of Women, and her most critically
acclaimed performance as Bella
Swan in Stephanie MeyersTwilight.
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reviewsmovie
Pans Labyrinth (El
aberinto del Fauno)
Dir. Guillermo del Toro2006
this Spanish-language twisted
ntasy film, a young girl, Ofelia
ana Baquero) and her pregnant
other go to live with her
others new husband, a captain
ho lives in the woods during
st-Civil Way Spain in 1944. Ofelia
ves books, mainly fairy tales and
er seeing an insect she believes
m to be a fairy. The fairy takes
r down a maze into a labyrinth,
ere Pan the faun dwells. Pan
ls her she is a fallen princess and
ust complete tasks to come back
her fathers kingdom. Ofelia gets
o trouble trying to complete her
ks and meets extraordinary
eatures, some of which arerifying. Ofelias fails at saving
r mothers life and upon her last
k to spill the blood of her
nocent newborn brother, she
uses Pan and is left to suffer the
nsequences of not completing
r tasks. This film is visually
unning and the story captivating.
s also so very heart wrenchingnging viewers to tears, it
serves the title of dark fairy tale.
Edward
Scissorhands
Dir. Tim Burton1990
Johnny Depp and Tim Burton are a
great pair and in this earlier
fantasy film by Burton, Depp plays
Edward, a young man who was
created by a scientist who lived on
a dark castle atop the highest
mountain of a small suburb. The
scientist dies before he can
complete Edward, leaving his
hands for last Edward is now stuck
with the scissors he was originally
in place with. A local Avon
saleslady discovers Edward and
takes him in with her family. He
quickly falls in love with her
daughter Kim (Winona Ryder) and
becomes a hit with the neighbors
designing hedges and cutting theirhair in outlandish styles. Everyone
falls in love with him, until a local
teen blames him for a crime, and
Edward has to deal with something
he has never felt before, rejection.
He spirals out of control and is
soon feared by all the neighbors.
This dark fairy tale is all about self-
discovery and isolation. TimBurtons take on suburbia is weird
and funny, and the film reflects
that nicely.
Lady in the WaterDir. M. Night Shyamalan
2006An apartment buildings caretake
named Cleveland (Paul Giamatti),
who lives in a cottage next to the
pool of the complex, starts to
suspect there is someone
swimming in the pool after hours
He questions the residents of the
building, all of whom had differen
backgrounds and comical quirks.
When he injures himself, he wake
up to find he has been saved by a
young woman (Bryce Dallas
Howard) named Story. He soon
falls into her tale of her people
that live in water, Narfs. When he
tries to send her back home, she
explains its not as easy as it look
and there are beasts all around
them that can only be seen bylooking certain ways. It is up to
Cleveland to gather the tenants in
a mission to protect Story during
the one night she is to be rescued
and brought back home. But thei
grave mistakes leave her so injure
that it may be too late. This dark
fantasy/thriller is innovative and
touching in that it brings all typesof people together with one
common goal, and forces the ma
character to open up to others.
By julia wieczorek
http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A9G_bHOAYItKZrcAD_CjzbkF/SIG=12fbkschi/EXP=1250734592/**http%3A//i22.photobucket.com/albums/b301/cometorta/EDWARD.jpg -
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Coming Soon
nglorious Basterds. Quentin Tarantino
ens August 21, 2009
the first year of the German
cupation of France, Shosanna,
yed by Melanie Laurent,
tnesses the execution of her
mily at the hand of Nazi Colonel
ns Landa, played by Christopher
altz, which he won a Best Actor
ward at this years Cannes Film
stival. Shosanna narrowlycapes and flees to Paris where
e forges a new identity as the
wner and operator of a film
eater. Elsewhere in Europe,
utenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt)
ganizes a group of Jewish
merican soldiers to perform
ift, shocking acts of retribution.
ter known in the film to theiremy as the basterds, Raines
uad joins German actress and
dercover agent Bridget (Diane
uger) on a mission to take down
e leaders of the Third Reich.
rantinos re-imagining,
herwise, remake of the 1978
lian film, takes many risks which
ys off. It is definitely not for
eryone, but there are plenty
ho will enjoy the cinematic
perience. Grade: A -
Halloween IIDir. Rob Zombie
Opens August 28, 2009
I really have nothing positive to say
about this film. However, I will
provide a short synopsis for you.
The film picks up right where the
first film left off, Laurie is taken to
the hospital after supposedly killing
the man who was responsible for
the deaths of several people in the
town of Haddonfield, Illinois.However, her stay at Haddonfield
General becomes very brief when a
very much alive Michael Myers
appears once more. Michael
disappears, and Laurie survives the
infamous Halloween massacres, but
is still haunted by it years later.
Laurie struggles to come to terms
with her dark past. But thesupposedly dead Michael has other
plans, and as the anniversary of his
massacre approaches, he returns to
Haddonfield once more, with a
family reunion planned that Laurie
will never forget. Have you noticed
Michael Myers is too tall. Well,
casting a former wrestler to play
Michael Myers is just so not
convincing. Grade: D +
Worlds Greatest
DadDir. Bobcat Goldthwait
Opens August 21, 2009
Oscar winner and comedian
Robin Williams plays a high
school English teacher Lance
Clayton, a well-meaning but
incompetent parent to 15-
year-old Kyle, played by Dary
Sabara, starred in the film Sp
Kids as Juni, whos a rude,fouled-mouth moron. When
Kyle dies accidently during
auto-erotic asphyxiation,
Lance rearranges the body t
make it look like a suicide an
pens an eloquent note, all to
give his son a little dignity at
the end of his life. Goldthwa
spends nearly half of the filmestablishing Kyle as the
worlds worst son, so its a
relief to actually see him
parish. After that, Williams
admirably understated as
Lance, and does a good job
conveying the mix pride and
self-loathing that drives his
actions. Overall, the film ha
its annoyance and funny
moments. Robin Williams at
his best, of course. Grade: B
By Javier Serrano
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n DVD
wo Loversaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow,
nessa Shaw, 2008
this tale of love and yearning,
aquin Phoenix stars as Leonard
aditor, a man who has returned
his parents home in Brooklyn.
apparent from the start that
onard is struggling with
motional and psychiatric issuesd his mother, played by Isabella
sselini, is worried about him;
s recovering from a recent
ed relationship . Eventually, he
eets Sandra, through his parents
y-cleaning business. In a
oment fraught with potential
miliation, Leonard sits with
ndra in his childhood bedroomd shows her his photographs;
r quiet enthusiasm somehow
akes everything more
mfortable. Leonard shows his
ection to Sandra, but then he
eets Michelle, played by
wyneth Paltrow, his neighbor
ho lives in the same building.
perb performances from all
The Last House on the Left
Tony Goldwyn, Monica Potter, SaraPaxton, 2009
The difference between this
version from director Daniel
Illiades and Wes Craven 1972 The
Last House on the Leftis the
budget. We dont need much
reminding when it comes to the
remake, an affair which turns intoa brutally straightforward rape-
revenge suspense film. Wes
Cravens original masterpiece had
a very low budget which the score
played majority of the suspense.
Nearly three decades later, the
craft of this film is more fluent in
terms of filmmaking. But the set-
up remains the same: a gang of
criminals abduct two teenage girls
and drag them into the woods,
where one, played by Sara Paxton,
is raped. The major innovation is
that she survives, crawling back to
the home of her parents, played by
Tony Goldwyn and Monica Potter,
who have unwittingly offered their
daughters attacker a bed for the
Revolutionary RoadLeonardo DiCaprio, Kate
Winslet, 2008
Without doubt Kate Winslet
Oscar winning performance
The Readerwas a deserving
one. However, I preferred h
to win the Oscar in this
performance in Revolutiona
Road, which she was directeby her Academy Award
winning husband Sam
Mendes. In 1955, a young
couple the Wheelers, Frank,
(Leonardo DiCaprio) and his
wife, April (Kate Winslet)
settle into suburbia but
dream of reclaiming lives as
free spirits. The adaptation
Richard Yates novel is
understandably trumpeted a
a high-class affair. Most
appealingly it reunites Titani
romantics Leo DiCaprio and
Kate Winslet, But people
keen to reaffirm the
transforming power of love
may experience the desire to
By Javier Serrano