Do you remember the end of the movie "Snake Eyes", and the condition of Nicolas Cage's character? He was limping, bruised, bleeding and a bit hysterical (of course). Wasn't that cool? Now, imagine that a near unknown independent feature comes along, with little to no dialogue, just one main setting, and an actor that has to START the movie from where Cage ended the one listed above. Oh, and the actor is Adrien Brody. How much would that rock?
Luckily, someone already imagined it. In "Wrecked", Adrien Brody plays a man with no name, who wakes up in a crashed car in a forest. A few dead bodies surround the area, making him the only known survivor. His leg is broken and trapped, his face is cut up and heavily bruised and he is scared shitless. Remember, this is the beginning of the film.
Throughout the next 90 minutes, we witness Brody (who I explained in an earlier post is a sex symbol) cry, piss on himself, hallucinate, crawl through the woods and make friends with a dog. Slowly, through flashbacks and some evidence on the ground, we get the idea that he was somehow involved in a bank robbery - but he has more pressing matters to deal with; finding help and staying sane.
As an oscar winner, Brody ought to be choosing cushy roles - the kind that guarantee large paydays and maybe critical acclaim. Instead, he fucks a genetic hybrid ("Splice"), kills alien hunters ("Predators"), portrays Salvador Dali ("Midnight in Paris") and stars as Psycho Ed ("High School"). When he picks a role, it must be because it sounds fun.
And, you know what, watching Brody grunt for an entire movie IS fun.
Holding this movie back are the flashbacks and the ending. It would've been much better to have seen Adrien not remember ANYTHING, and just watch his character struggle with a broken/infected leg, trying to survive another day. Instead, we find out exactly how he ended up in the accident, what the hallucinations meant and that it was all some weird PSA for seat belts.
What was the point of all of this? *Spoilers* Brody was a hostage who caused the accident to get away from the robbers, and the hallucination was his wife, who we thought was a representation of guilt or something (which he shoots at one point). Was this just about survival? A guy loots the car at one point, and is later found dead in a cave - what happened and what did that mean?
I think this was all just an excuse to watch Adrien Brody do a mix of "127 Hours" and "Cast Away", minus the dialogue and hope. A new genre called Brody-sploitation has been created, and for that, I thank the filmmakers. Oh, and Adrien Brody, of course.
Along with this blog, I've also been contributing articles for Invade Nola. Below are previews of those articles:
3 Underrated Movies You Could Be Watching On Netflix
If the recent announcement of increased fees for Netflix users wanting both DVD and streaming services hasn’t pushed you into a boycott, chances are you’re a major movie nerd. As a fellow movie nerd, I enjoy giving people viewing recommendations, and appreciate some being given to me (as long as the words Michael Bay aren’t involved, of course). Recently, I watched three films that, in one way or another, could be considered “underrated”, and I would consider “entertaining”. So, if you are looking for something to watch that may be outside of your comfort zone, I have a few recommendations that you may want to add to your queue (if you still have one) Continue Reading
N.O. Dollar Theatres
I was recently reminded of an old local tv commercial I once saw. In this commercial, a man rummages his home for loose change; under and in the couch, behind the fridge, in the laundry, etc. By the end of his search, holding a few bucks in change, He announces, “We’re goin’ to the movies tonight”. After reminiscing on this, I wondered; when was the last time anybody in the New Orleans area was able to go to the movies with a handful of pocket change? Continue Reading
When the word underrated is tossed around, it implies that something has had its quality overlooked. Sometimes, however, that somethings' quality has been underrated on purpose.
“Skyline” follows a group of characters that could've been extras in any of the “Fast and Furious” films, who wake up after a penthouse party and are forced to pretend that the city is being harvested by aliens. The rest of the movie features highlights such as Donald Faison producing a gun from nowhere, and Eric Balfour DEMANDING that the survivors go to the roof, despite the fact that the idea has been nixed several times.
When I first saw Balfour's character screaming at the sky in the trailer, I laughed myself to the conclusion that this would suck. I only ended up watching this on Netflix after I took a writing assignment for InvadeNola. And from what I understand, I am not alone in my thoughts regarding the movie.
The only two positives that I can think of are also negatives. One - Paul Walker was not in it. This is a positive for the obvious reason, and a negative because this is exactly the kind of movie that I'd expect him to be cast in(especially the first 15 minutes). Two - The special effects. The alien ships and the disaster they cause are quite impressive visually. Unfortunately, they are not used to serve the story. The whole movie comes off, to me, as an advertisement to get business for a visual effects company("look at what our computers can do!").
Indeed, this is underrated, and for good reason. But, I would still recommend this be viewed - Eric Balfour's tearful screaming will induce such wonderful laughter.
It's not an overstatement to say that movie theaters have taken a big hit from video on demand(VOD) services. With wireless internet becoming more accessible, VOD(online and cable) services more affordable and ticket prices more expensive, film exhibitors have reason to worry. Suing and preventing movie pirates, along with attaching 3D surcharges to assembly line schlock, hasn't been enough to open the wallets of or endear themselves to the frustrated and disillusioned moviegoers that NATO(National Association Of Theatre Owners) wants back. So, how can the movie industry as a whole get people to come and come again to the theater? Chris Dorr has a proposal, a company has a plan and I have a city to test it on. Image via Wikipedia
Former film producer Chris Dorr recently wrote up an exciting article about how instead of fighting Netflix and other VOD, theaters should embrace the technology. What Mr. Dorr proposes is a more social network friendly variation to what UGC and CineWorld have done in Europe - an unlimited movie pass to any movie at any subscribed theater for a monthly fee.
The idea is truly exciting(much like the idea for Solar Roadways), and the details more so. It's a lot like being a member of a local film society; getting special screening preferences, discount prices, free passes, etc. And when a startup project called MoviePass announced a test run in San Francisco, I was ecstatic. The idea was looking to become reality; $50 a month for unlimited viewings(one movie a day), $30 limited, all from a mobile phone. Positive support for this was all over facebook and twitter, clearly showing an enthusiasm from the demographic this kind of program is aimed at.
But, faster than Marlon Brando asks for the butter(Last Tango in Paris (Uncut Version) [Blu-ray]), chain theaters like AMC refused to participate. It's been suggested that this happened due to the chains being unaware, or that the program might affect their own membership programs. I'm not sure if notification would've been all that necessary(maybe as a formality), since they were already affiliated with movietickets.com, and it's certainly possible for a program like MoviePass to sync up with a theater chain's membership program(much like twitter/facebook, or bank accounts/direct deposit), so I'm not really sure why the theaters in San Francisco were so apprehensive. In fact, filmmaker and Camera 7 exhibitor Alejandro Adams expressed his interest on Twitter:
"To those of you who asked me privately about MoviePass: first of all, congratulations on being smart enough to ask an exhibitor about it. And thanks for your patience. My marketing/promotions director has done all necessary research. It turns out the service operates through movietickets.com, so any theater affiliated with movietickets.com is automatically affiliated with MoviePass. The exhibitor is not directly offering a discount of any kind or endorsing the service in any way. MoviePass is creating a fund via which they broker ticket purchases on a member's behalf. The only way this impacts exhibitor revenue is if more people for to the movies. Let's hope so. #MoviePass"
Whatever the reason, MoviePass was denied an opportunity to prove itself, and moviegoers were denied a chance to help. The project is said to be on hiatus, until they get their bearings together and find a new place to beta test. Maybe a city with some independent cinemas. Maybe a city with a large group of bohemians and film majors. Maybe a city that has attracted many Hollywood productions in recent years. Maybe a city...like New Orleans.
Why New Orleans? Why not? New Orleans and it's metro area has about 9 theaters, 5 of which are partnered with movietickets.com(though 3 of those are AMC's). The independent theaters include The Prytania, Chalmette Movies, The Zeitgeist, and special events hosted by NOLA Drive-In and New Orleans Film Society. And, while not necessarily independently owned, Canal Place is an equally popular venue. I can't speak for any of these theaters/organizations personally, but if MoviePass were to, at least temporarily, partner with them for a trial run, I guarantee you that film buffs, UNO film majors, film crews from Hollywood South, and even families hungry for an outing will come, armed with their smart phones, from all over the area.
No doubt, innovation is sorely needed at the ticket window. But with short mindedness running rampant, how can a program like MoviePass thrive? New Orleans, a city that has helped produce some amazing films recently through it's tax breaks, could become the example that an unlimited movie pass program would need. If Netflix, Gamefly and Hulu can do it...
), chain theaters like AMC refused to 
