Is this going to be better than the barely mediocre Burn After Reading? It doesn’t matter. I will fork over money every time these guys make a movie because they’ve rarely let me down.
A Serious Man is a black comedy set in 1967 and centered on on Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg), a Midwestern professor who watches his life unravel when his wife prepares to leave him because his inept brother (Richard Kind) won’t move out of the house.

Yes, Daft Punk is doing the soundtrack to the Tron sequel now titled Tron Legacy. Yes, it is as awesome as you think it is. Check out a track from the soundtrack below. Thanks to Ellice for the heads up. She rocks my socks.

The Plot:
Extreme Prejudice is the story of tough as nails Texas Ranger (Nick Nolte) and his fued with a drug kingpin (Powers Boothe) who just happens to be his childhood best friend. The feud is complicated when an army of supposedly dead mercenaries come into town and it’s unclear where their loyalties lie.

The Cast:
Prejudice is chock full of 80′s movie icons and bit part players. The supporting cast includes: Michael Ironside, Tiny Lister Jr., Rip Torn, William Forsythe, Clancy Brown, Larry B. Scott, Matt Mullhern, and Maria Conchita-Alonso, it’s a smorgasbord of 80′s goodness.

Best Line:
Powers Boothe as Cash Bailey has the classiest line of the film when he tells Serita Cisneros (Maria Conchita Alonso) to quit whining and “show us some tit if you want to be useful”.

Bottom Line:
This is more than your typical 80′s action flick. It’s a bloody bullet filled homage to Sam Peckinpah’s “The Wild Bunch”, and it’s a damn good one. In the final showdown between Cash and Jack, Hill makes his most obvious nod to Peckinpah and he does so with amazing style. His action sequences spurt blood and break bones with lightning speed. The cast, particularly Rip Torn, turn in great performances. It is the film’s story that is its weakest point. Every twist and turn is telegraphed, but by the end of the film you’re having such a good time watching Benteen dispense justice to baddies that you won’t care. Extreme Prejudice, despite it’s minor flaws, holds up as a fantastic action/western that shouldn’t be missed.

A while back we learned that Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, The Patriot) had acquired the right to Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series. I foolishly hoped time would pass and the film(s) would never get made. Or at least not get made by Emmerich himself. David Chen of /film sat down with Mr. Emmerich today at Comic-Con where he was promoting the release of 2012 and revealed that Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan) would soon be finished with the first script.

The premise of The Foundation series is that mathematician Hari Seldon spent his life developing a branch of mathematics known as psychohistory. Using the law of mass action, it can predict the future, but only on a large scale. Using these techniques, Seldon foresees the fall of the Galactic Empire, which encompasses the entire Milky Way, and a dark age lasting thirty thousand years before a second great empire arises. To shorten the period of barbarism, he creates two Foundations – small, secluded havens of all human knowledge, on opposite ends of the galaxy.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can’t think of two people less qualified to tackle this project. Sure Emmerich can produce special effects driven crap that can pass as mildly entertaining for a brief time, but Foundation is real science fiction. Foundation is not Will Smith dragging an alien through the desert complaining about how he’s missing a barbecue. If not these two, who would you like to see adapt Asimov’s classic series?

Check out Chen’s Original Article on /Film here.

Yes it’s a lot of the same footage that was shown at Comic-Con 2008, but it’s all cleaned up and pretty! I can’t begin to explain how excited I am about this movie. The cast includes Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, and John Hurt. It will be released in 2010 in 3D as well as IMAX. Get your geek on below.

Want to play Tron Light Cycle game on your Mac or PC? Go here! It is, however, incredibly addictive. You’ve been warned.

When people begin exploding from stress, George Washington Winsterhammerman tries to ignore the epidemic and live his usual life, but then he suffers his first symptom. Are you a tunt? Want to find out? Johnny Vengeance will be hosting a screening party for this dark comedy in the DC area very soon.Keep checking back for details and if you’re interested let me know below.

Tim Burton has been dead to me since 2003′s Planet of the Apes. Some of you may still infatuated with Burton’s spiritless filmmaking, which is why I posted the trailer below. Wonderland is Burton’s adaptation of the Alice in Wonderland story, and it looks pretty similar to everything else he’s done in the last 8 years. If you liked his Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you’ll likely love this. Enjoy (or not) the trailer below.

Back in October we found out that a live action World of Warcraft movie was in the works. Most of us feared the worst, Uwe Boll. Thankfully, that is not the case. Instead Variety is reporting that Sam Raimi will begin work on the film immediately following Spiderman 4. This is good news and bad news. For most of you nerds out there it means you’ll get to see your favorite MMORPG brought to the big screen by one of the most talented directors around. Sadly, it means Evil Dead 4 is that much further away. WoW is reportedly budgeted at 100 million and should begin by mid 2010.

1. Watchmen

A complex, multi-layered mystery adventure, Watchmen is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the “Doomsday Clock” – which charts the USA’s tension with the Soviet Union – is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion–a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers–Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity…but who watches over them?

What’s good about it:
Everything. Zack Snyder’s fantastic vision of Alan Moore’s nihilistic yet campy graphic novel is breathtaking. The cast is fantastic, particularly Jackie Earle Haley and Patrick Wilson. I wasn’t a fan of 300 (yes, I know it’s a sin) but Snyder more than makes up for it with Watchmen. Must own this film.

What’s bad about it:
It’s not for everyone. Some of you will find it a bit too heavy-handed and ponderous.

Bottom Line:
Like I said it’s not for everyone. Those of you who enjoyed Moore’s graphic novel will likely enjoy the experience. Those that go into it expecting The Dark Knight or another 300 will be sorely disappointed.

2. The Echelon Conspiracy

Mysterious cell phone messages promise a young American engineer untold wealth–then make him the target of a deadly international plot. Dangerous security operatives chase the engineer across the globe, while a powerful government official pursues a mysterious agenda that threatens the stability of the entire world.

What’s good about it:
Nothing. The film’s obvious budget constraints work against it.

What’s bad about it:
Just about everything. Ed Burns showed up for a paycheck, and you can tell. The storytelling is sloppy and the editing and camerawork are standard at best.

Bottom Line:
This is a waste of your time. If you’ve seen Enemy of the State or the atrocity that is Eagle Eye you know exactly what you’re in for here.

Other releases I didn’t get to see:
Coraline, The Great Buck Howard, Super Capers, Skeleton Crew.

*Buck Howard is getting some great reviews.

What you should buy on Blu-Ray this week:

1. Midnight Express

Midnight Express is the story of a young american, Hayes, who is caught trying to smuggle drugs out of Turkey and is thrown into prison. It is basesd on Billy Hayes’autobiographical book of the same name and was adapted to the screen by Oliver Stone. Express is one of Stone’s first produced writing efforts. Second only to his hard to find horror “Seizures”. While it may seem a bit tame in comparison to HBO’s “Oz” Midnight Express is still a solid prison Drama that packs an emotional punch. The high definition transfer looks fantastic except for a bit of grain during the darker scenes.

Upon choosing No Blade of Grass for this week’s Forgotten Films I had an argument with a good friend about what it is that defines these picks as “forgotten”. She insisted that to be forgotten you would first have to know about the film. Perhaps she is right. So let me redefine this segment for all of you. The films that I bring to your attention during these weekly segments are those that are overlooked, lost, hard to find, and yes – sometimes forgotten. You’re welcome Heather.

Based on John Christopher’s novel of the same name, No Blade of Grass is a post-apocalyptic tale about a strange new virus, which only attacks strains of grasses such as wheat and rice, and the world is descending into famine and chaos. Architect John Custance, along with his family and a handful of friends, is making his way from London to his brother’s farm in northern England where there will hopefully be food and safety. Along the way they encounter hostile soldiers, biker gangs, and all manner of people willing to kill them for food.

Director Cornel Wilde’s bleak locales and deliberate pacing help bring out the desperation that is inherent in the story. Wilde also does a good job of putting very moral characters in difficult situations and while, at times, it can seem a bit heavy-handed, he never crosses the line. If you find you like this film, also check out Wilde’s “Beach Red” and “The Naked Prey”.

No Blade of Grass is a solid post-apocalyptic drama that, while sometimes self-indulgent and dated, is still a great watch. If you’re a fan of such movies as “The Quiet Earth”, “Panic in Year Zero”, or “A Boy and His Dog”, I suggest you check this film out. Since it’s not currently in print, No Blade of Grass can be found here at Cinema de Bizarre or if you’re really nice perhaps I’ll burn you a copy and send it to you.