[Review] The Smart Studios Story
The Smart Studios Story
Director: Wendy Schneider
Rating: N/A
Release Date: March 16, 2016
The Chicago International Movies & Music Festival (CIMM Fest) opened last night with the first Midwest screening of The Smart Studios Story, at The Music Box, and it did not disappoint. The documentary revisits the legendary Madison recording studio that helped birth the indie rock and pop culture scene of the 80's and 90's. Founded by Butch Vig and Steve Marker in 1983, the studio produced bands such as Killdozer, The Smashing Pumpkins, L7, Tad, Garbage, and Nirvana. The story chronicles the humble beginnings of the studio, their rise to fame, and the end of a grand era.
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The Smart Studios Story premiered at South by Southwest this year, but this screening here in the midwest, where it rightfully belongs, was quite special. CIMM Fest even provided an exclusive Q&A after the screening where Butch Vig, Steve Marker, and Director and Co-Producer Wendy Schneider were completely open to sharing their experience in making the film, going through memories, even sharing some that didn't make the film.
Overall, this was one of the best music documentaries I've seen in a long time. The bass thumping soundtrack, along with heartfelt interviews from Butch Vig, Steve Marker, Billy Corgan, Dave Grohl, Shirley Manson, Donita Sparks, Chris Walla and tons of great bands were all completely raw and entertaining. The special impact the Midwest continually has on pop culture is eloquently demonstrated, and the story has all the footage to prove.
For more screening and event info, check out their site here.
James Wan Rumored to Produce Mortal Kombat Film Reboot
My roommate and I have been obsessed with Mortal Kombat X since its release this past April, and while we've been taking breaks recently to play Rocket League, our hearts lie in the hands of Sub Zero and the rest of the MK squad. Apparently, we're not the only ones obsessed with disemboweling our opponents as Mortal Kombat X is currently the best-selling game of the year.
However, as a 25-year-old franchise, we've been down the road of Mortal Kombat propaganda, including the animated series, the films, and the online series to middling success. Yet, we're in a new age of Hollywood reboots and adaptations that can actually treat the source material with enough reverence and a decent budget to carry the name along. We've seen Mortal Kombat on the big screen already, but imagine a new vision with modern technology...
New Line Cinema is reportedly in talks with Furious 7 director James Wan to produce a new Mortal Kombat reboot with "darker, brutally real martial arts" with a story that departs from the confusing plot that's plagued the games in recent installments. Instantly, The Raid comes to mind, and my expectations might be set way too high to have Iko Uwais star in the film (or at the very least, set the choreography).
Whatever the case may be, I'm excited to see how this new Mortal Kombat film will play out.
[via IGN]
The Hateful Eight Teaser Trailer is Vintage Tarantino
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It's so rare for a Hollywood director to make constant hits with little to no misses. We're nearing eight films into Quentin Tarantino's career, and the director just continues to find success with every film he's made.
Amidst controversy over script leaks, Tarantino wavered over creating the film. After all, he's an auteur that likes to control all aspects of his art, and the leaks were enough to derail his plans. However, following a live table read, the director decided to go through with the film's production. Excitement is high for this one, especially considered the all-star cast. Watch the teaser trailer now!
The Hateful Eight will be released exclusively in theaters equipped with 70mm projectors on Christmas, followed by a wide release on January 8, 2016.
In THE HATEFUL EIGHT, set six or eight or twelve years after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Leigh), race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Jackson), a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Goggins), a southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new Sheriff. Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie’s, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces. Bob (Bichir), who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray (Roth), the hangman of Red Rock, cow-puncher Joe Gage (Madsen), and Confederate General Sanford Smithers (Dern). As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all…
Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese Reunite for The Devil in the White City
There aren't many guarantees in Hollywood, but the duo of Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese has proven their successful longevity over the years. Now, the The Wolf of Wall Street duo will reunite for a new thriller based on a true story.
DiCaprio and Scorsese's next joint project will be The Devil in the White City, a film adaptation of Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America about America's first serial killer, H.H. Holmes, and the purported 27-200 people he killed during the 1893 Chicago World Fair. DiCaprio will depict Holmes based on a script written by Billy Ray (Captain Philips).
While the film won't begin production for awhile, you can read the book's synopsis below:
Not long after Jack the Ripper haunted the ill-lit streets of 1888 London, H.H. Holmes (born Herman Webster Mudgett) dispatched somewhere between 27 and 200 people, mostly single young women, in the churning new metropolis of Chicago; many of the murders occurred during (and exploited) the city’s finest moment, the World’s Fair of 1893. Larson’s breathtaking new history is a novelistic yet wholly factual account of the fair and the mass murderer who lurked within it.
[via Collider]
Leaked Story Reel Featuring Chris Farley as Shrek
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Before Mike Myers took Shrek to an unprecedented high, there was one other actor in charge of giving Shrek life. Back in 1997, Chris Farley was in place to voice the gentle green giant. Unfortunately, following his untimely death, Myers took over the role, and the rest is history.
However, a story reel featuring Eddie Murphy's Donkey and Chris Farley's Shrek was released, showing fans what could have been. Farley's take on Shrek is noticeably different from Myers', as he's reminiscent of Farley's brand of sweet, but uppity character. The video is a good teaser showing what Farley's voice over work was like, and it's unfortunate that we'll never be able to find out what could have been.
If you want to get more of your Chris Farley fill, you can check out the documentary I Am Chris Farley in select theaters now, or you can wait for the VOD and home media release next Tuesday.
Red Band Trailer for Deadpool's Deadly Debut
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At one point, it seemed like Deadpool was forever going to be tainted and mishandled thanks to his "appearance" in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It's so hard to tarnish an insanely popular superhero, yet Fox found a way to do the Merc with a Mouth wrong in that film.
Since then, Ryan Reynolds, who portrayed the character, has wanted to make up for the lackluster characterization by making a stand-alone Deadpool film done correctly. The problem is, the character is so rooted in R-rated shenanigans and metafictional commentary and constant fourth-wall breaking that it was seen difficult to pull off efficiently in a film, especially one that necessitated an R rating for a film franchise that has always targeted the PG to PG-13 demographic (for maximum profit, of course).
All it took was constant support from Reynolds and a leaked CGI proof of concept to finally get the ball rolling. And after its successful showing at San Diego Comic Con 2015, the film's first official trailers were released last night on Conan. I won't go too much into the trailer to allow all of you to watch it for yourselves!
The red band (uncensored) trailer is above, while the green band trailer is below. Enjoy!
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The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki Blu-Ray Set is Available for Pre-Order
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Despite being a huge Hayao Miyazaki fan, my movie collection is sorely lacking some of his best works. Luckily, my patience (re: laziness) has paid off as Studio Ghibli is releasing The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki Blu-Ray Set. The collection, which will be an Amazon exclusive, features Miyzaki's full filmography (Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo, and The Wind Rises), a television pilot for Yuki no Taiyo (Yuki's Sun) that Miyazaki directed, storyboarded, and animated in 1972, three episodes of Akado Suzunosuk (Little Samurai) that Miyazaki storyboarded, the uncut video of Miyazaki's retirement press conference, and The Great Dichotomy: Looking at the Works of Hayao Miyazaki by Tomohiro Machiyama, a book that explores and analyzes the themes of Miyazaki's filmography.
The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki Blu-Ray Set is going for $225 and can be pre-ordered from Amazon right now.
[via /Film]
Live-Action Naruto Film Adaptation Announced by Lionsgate
The insanely popular Naruto franchise continues to live on following its 15-year run as a manga. While video games and film sequels like Boruto: Naruto the Movie are set to come out (at the very least), but the franchise will be approaching new territories soon, as Lionsgate has announced a live-action film adaptation of everybody's favorite Hidden Leaf Ninja.
For those unfamiliar, Naruto is the story about an orphan growing up in a village full of ninjas. Overlooked and made fun of because of his lack of talents (and parents), Naruto trains and perseveres on his way to becoming the world's best ninja. In terms of popularity, it's typically been ranked towards the top of shounen ("for boys") anime alongside such series like Dragon Ball Z and One Piece.
Michael Gracey, who has done some VFX work on some upcoming films, will be making his directorial debut on the film. I'm guessing he was primarily chosen due to his visual effects work, as a film like Naruto would need a very dedicated and strong VFX team. However, despite Lionsgate's successes with adaptations like The Hunger Games and Divergent, it's hard for an American studio to successfully adapt anime into a live-action film. However, if the studio can pull off both Power Rangers and Naruto, Lionsgate could become the de facto studio for modern film adaptations.
As always, we'll have more on the Naruto film adaptation when developments arise.
[via /Film]