Quentin Tarantino is one of America’s most celebrated living filmmakers and his latest film – currently due out Christmas day – is highly anticipated. But even a critically acclaimed filmmaker can have a dud, even if some fans might disagree. Tarantino himself weighed in on what he considers his least accomplished work. ” Death Proof has got to be the worst movie I ever [made],” Tarantino told THR. “And for a left-handed movie, that wasn’t so bad, all right? So if that’s the worst I ever get, I’m good. But I do think one of those out-of-touch, old, limp, flaccid-dick movies costs you three good movies as far as your rating is concerned.” Death Proof was part of Grindhouse , a double feature along with Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror . The duo didn’t exactly score at the box office either. It took in just over $25 million domestically on a budget that reportedly reached $67 million. Not all turned out dismal though, it did receive a 65 percent on Rotten Tomatoes among critics – not horrendous though certainly not gangbusters. Tarantino recently hinted to Playboy that his latest film Django Unchained may signal the sunset of his filmmaking career, saying that he wants to “stop at a certain point.” “Directors don’t get better as they get older. Usually the worst films in their filmography are those last four at the end. I am all about my filmography, and one bad film fucks up three good ones … When directors get out-of-date, it’s not pretty.” [ Sources: Huffington Post , THR , Box Office Mojo ]
“Everything is connected,” reads the tagline for Cloud Atlas . As it is with life and the history of time and humanity, so it is with film reviews; sharply divided reactions have been coming out of Toronto, where the ambitious, history-spanning epic had its world premiere. Seldom do movies garner such polarizing critical reads: Is Cloud Atlas a triumph of ambition or, as one critic spat, ” a unique and totally unparalleled disaster ?” [ PHOTOS: First Images From The Wachowskis’ Cloud Atlas ] That biting reaction comes courtesy of The House Next Door ‘s Calum Marsh ( full review here ), whose beefs — and there are many — range from technical shortcomings to wider structural issues… which, in the case of a film about human interconnectivity and spirit, which interweaves six disparate storylines set in different eras that are filmed in varying tones and genres and feature the same actors in multiple characters (and, sometimes, in yellow- and white- and whatever-face), can be a problem: “‘What is an ocean,’ one character asks smugly, ‘if not a multitude of drops?’ And what’s Cloud Atlas if not a multitude of terrible details and unwatchable moments? The problem isn’t that this is one of the worst films I’ve ever seen in my life; the problem is that it’s seven of the worst films I’ve ever seen in my life glued together haphazardly, their inexorable badness amplified by their awkward juxtaposition. Tom Tykwer and Andy and Lana Wachowski wanted to make a movie unlike any other, and they certainly did: Cloud Atlas is a unique and totally unparalleled disaster.” But one critic’s disaster is another’s transcendent cinematic opus. Devin Faraci, reviewing in Badass Digest ( full review here ), gives high marks to Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski, and Tom Tykwer’s reach as scripters and co-directors, arguing that while imperfect, Cloud Atlas is “one of the great pictures of the 21st century so far”: ” Cloud Atlas is sometimes silly, and it’s sometimes pretentious and it’s sometimes overstuffed. But every single one of those things, to me, is a positive. It’s an exceptional piece of filmmaking, one of the bravest works I have ever seen. The Wachowskis have followed the poorly received final two Matrix films and the bomb of Speed Racer with a three hour meditation on the nature of human interaction, featuring a few actors in many make-ups. Some may see that as self-destructive, but I see it as incredibly heroic.” Most early reviews thus far fall at various points between Marsh and Faraci ( Cloud Atlas is currently at 60 percent on Rotten Tomatoes with 10 reviews counted * ). That’s not too surprising, given the difficulty of the undertaking at hand; adapting David Mitchell’s 500+ page novel into their own structure, no less, can be a tricky feat; doing so while pushing a sentimental theme, even moreso. Critics may agree on how the parts fit, but whether or not they see the larger picture congealing is another story. Cloud Atlas jumps around from narrative to narrative, from an 18th century sea voyage to 1970s San Francisco to the dystopian “Neo Soul” future and beyond. At least it has stars Tom Hanks and Halle Berry, who appear in multiple characters throughout, to lend some star wattage. (Jim Broadbent, Jim Sturgess, Hugh Jackman, Ben Whishaw, Doona Bae, Susan Sarandon, and Hugo Weaving fill out the cast.) Did I mention it’s three hours long? The strange thing about these early reviews is that I’m inclined to believe them all. Both sides of the coin: Triumph and, perhaps, disaster. (Then again, I loved Speed Racer . That turned out to be both at once.) * The film’s Tomatometer rating is now up to 73 percent with 15 total reviews, 11 fresh and 4 rotten. Goes to show how quickly the tide can shift so early on. We’ll be keeping an eye on the critical reaction as it builds toward week of release . Stay tuned for more on Cloud Atlas , in theaters October 26, and catch up on Movieline’s coverage of the Toronto Film Festival. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Director Andrew Stanton may have made one of the biggest flops in a generation, but you know what else he made? The Oscar-winning blockbuster Finding Nemo . Thus today’s big news from Mike Fleming at Deadline: “I’m told he’s now officially come aboard the Finding Nemo sequel and has a concept the studio loves. As for Disney coming through with another live-action project, I’m hearing that nothing is firm but that the studio is working on it. It looks like the studio is ready to give Stanton a mulligan on John Carter . Stanton, who has played a big role in many of Pixar’s hits going back to Toy Story , has an opportunity to put a big flop behind him.” Terrific! All’s well that ends in a $200 million write-down well. [ Deadline ]
On Monday a shockwave rippled through the delicate ecosystem that is the internet, the place where fans, critics, commenters, bloggers, and lurkers live and breathe (and mouth-breathe), over the first reviews of The Dark Knight Rises . The Bat- and Christopher Nolan-faithful rose in arms against the first critics who dared break the news that the comic book movie threequel was maybe not the best movie of all time. Threats were made . Nasty comments were flung . Entire websites were overrun and taken out in retribution. So I ask you, Bat-fans: What Would Batman Do ? The fanboy (for lack of a better word) frenzy felt more akin to Bane’s terrorist assault on Gotham City in TDKR than any heroic pursuit of justice Batman himself would exact. Either due to blind faith (like that of Bane’s fanatical, extremist followers), or the outrage of the disadvantaged 99% (i.e. fans who have to wait until Thursday night at midnight to see TDKR for themselves), the worst of the irate fandom lashed out, ill-informed and vicious, at the mere suggestion that what they love wasn’t good. But, wait. Most TDKR fans haven’t even seen TDKR yet! How do they know the movie even deserves their love, or the self-debasement of their own humanity that comes with issuing hateful vitriol at strangers? Realistically, I’m guessing it will fall into the mid-70s-to-low-80s on Rotten Tomatoes – and yes, I’ve actually seen the film. And when fans finally see it for themselves, let’s be real, they’re not all going to be thrilled. That’s not to say I don’t sympathize with the downer that is hearing that the thing you’ve been looking forward to since The Dark Knight in 2008 isn’t as great as it looks (and those snippets and glimpses of TDKR we’ve seen pre-release were pretty fantastic). I get it. I’ve been a Christian Bale fan for longer than most Batman followers knew who he was. Unless you’ve accepted Newsies into your life, Bat-fans, you don’t know what real love is. Sometimes real love, real fandom, is embracing a thing that you connect to in spite of its flaws. If you still love it warts and all, then doesn’t that mean all the more? But let’s look at why so many folks embraced the Nolan Batman series, whether or not they’d self-identify as Batman fanboys (or Nolanazis , if you will ), or are plain old laypersons who just enjoy the hell out of the movies: Because Nolan & Co. translated these comic book superhero tales into compelling storytelling for grown-ups. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight already well legitimized comic book stories in the film art world and, certainly, the marketplace; we now get nothing but superheroes every summer blockbuster season. At this point, validity as a film genre has already been established, albeit with mixed results (though that’s more the fault of studio filmmaking than the source material). So why wouldn’t fans demand better films be made from the properties they love? Perhaps after Friday, fans will turn to the messages in TDKR to guide them. In the wake of the first wave of negative reviews and mixed-positive reactions, the Bat-faithful looked a lot like the 99% in TDKR – and in TDKR , said 99% is not exactly celebrated as a righteous movement of disenfranchised people, but that’s a conversation for another day. In the film, the villainous Bane preys on the hopes and feelings of injustice among Gotham’s underprivileged class, rousing them into misguided unrest and mindless mob violence. Amidst the chaos, Batman espouses a message of individual heroism, quietly leading by example while minimizing the carnage. He insists that anyone can become Batman, anyone can become a hero. So use your words, Bat-fans – but make sure you’re using the right ones, and for the right reasons. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Critics love the effects and praise Michael Fassbender’s performance, but some feel the sci-fi flick gets lost in its own high-mindedness. By John Mitchell Michael Fassbender as David 8 in “Prometheus” Photo: Twentieth Century Fox One of the summer’s most anticipated films, director Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus,” doesn’t open until June 8, but early reviews for the sci-fi blockbuster are already trickling in, something many studios would fear so far ahead of a film’s release — that is, if they weren’t as universally positive. So far, the consensus is clear: “Prometheus” is a flawed film with a lot of great things going for it, most notably a breakout scene-stealing performance from Michael Fassbender (“Shame”), inspired and amazing 3-D effects and plenty of “jolt and amaze” moments that all but assure filmgoers “will be right back for seconds” when 20th Century Fox releases the film next Friday. Critics have nothing but praise for the performances of Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace and Idris Elba, though they are particularly emphatic in their appreciation for Fassbender as the android butler David. When MTV News caught up with Theron recently, she gushed about what makes Fassbender worthy of all that praise . And for fans who can’t wait to see the cast in action, Theron will appear at the MTV Movie Awards, airing this Sunday, June 3 at 9 p.m. E.T. on MTV. “Technically, ‘Prometheus’ is magnificent. Shot in 3-D but without the director taking the process into account in his conceptions or execution, the film absorbs and uses the process seamlessly,” The Hollywood Reporter writes. “There is nary a false or phony note in the effects.” “Scott and his production crew compensate to some degree with an intricate, immersive visual design that doesn’t skimp on futuristic eye-candy or prosthetic splatter,” Variety agrees. Those going in expecting a straightforward prequel to Scott’s “Alien” may be disappointed. While it does answer a few questions burning in the minds of sci-fi aficionados, including some insight into the acid-for-blood aliens of the original series and the spacecraft they are discovered aboard, “Prometheus” is very much its own film. “Much of Scott’s audience are expecting a fully-formed prequel to ‘Alien,'”
In a new interview at Prestige Hong Kong , Chris Evans , he of Fantastic Four and Captain America and the upcoming Avengers fame, admits that some — okay, a lot — of his films haven’t been very good. In fact, he’ll even give you a number: “I’ve made about 20 movies and I’m probably proud of three,” he said, admitting that press tours do a number on his nerves because he’s forced to put on a brave face to promote “piece[s] of shit.” Aww, Chris. Fret not! You’ve got some solid movies under your belt! Let’s name them and guess which trio of credits Evans is most proud of. You’ve got to give Evans points for candor; even while he was promoting Captain America he acknowledged that it took a lot of convincing for him to take on the responsibility of a ginormous superhero franchise that could make or break his career. According to his Prestige chat, he sought help from a therapist to deal with the pressures of the gig even before filming, which might be when this revelation hit: “I started to realise, I think the main reason I struggle so much in press, is because I’m usually promoting a piece of shit. It’s really difficult to find a flowery way to tell people to go see this movie, that your face is all over, that your name is all over, that you’re endorsing. And then you begin to feel like a liar, like you’re transparent. You feel undeserving and it makes the interview extremely uncomfortable, for me at least. But you know what? Sunshine , which he’s said is a favorite of his , was great (well, until the end). Captain America earned far more critical acclaim than his previous superhero stint in the Fantastic Four films. And Evans lent a fantastic injection of mocking Hollywood swagger to his Lucas Lee in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World . Hell, even Not Another Teen Movie was pretty funny, and launched Evans’ career, and despite its mixed reviews, the indie drama Puncture , in which he played a drug-addicted lawyer, was a bold move. Granted, there have been many misfires — 16 out of 19 of his films are “rotten” on Rotten Tomatoes — but they’re not all complete stinkers, are they? Surely he’s proud of his work in more than just three? Take a look at Evans’ full filmography and chime in. The Newcomers (2000) Not Another Teen Movie (2001) The Perfect Score (2004) Cellular (2004) Fierce People (2005) Fantastic Four (2005) London (2005) TMNT (2007) Sunshine (2007) Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) The Nanny Diaries (2007) Battle for Terra (2007) Street Kings (2008) The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond (2008) Push (2009) The Losers (2010) Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010) Captain America (2011) Puncture (2011) What’s Your Number? (2011) [ Prestige Hong Kong via Moviefone ]
Film had the seventh-highest second weekend ever, beating out ‘Wrath of the Titans’ and ‘Mirror Mirror.’ By Ryan J. Downey Jennifer Lawrence in “Hunger Games” Photo: Lionsgate
Lily Collins tells MTV News her Snow is a ‘young woman who found out that she can save a prince as much as a prince can save her.’ By Kara Warner Lily Collins Photo: MTV News If you’re looking for a fun, fantastical, family-friendly movie to see this weekend, Tarsem’s “Mirror Mirror” has you covered. The visually appealing and star-studded film is a new spin on an old classic, featuring an exuberant “man child” of a prince played by Armie Hammer , Oscar winner Julia Roberts as an unhealthily vain Evil Queen and Lily Collins as a more independent and self-assured Snow White. When MTV News caught up with Roberts and Collins recently, we asked them to explain how their characters differ from the familiar fairy-tale mold. “I think she’s deeply misunderstood,” Roberts said of her Evil Queen. “And I think she is correct in her ambition and drive and desire and focus to annihilate Snow White. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. She’s clear,” she joked. “She’s exacting.” Collins explained that her Snow White is not your typical damsel in distress. “She really becomes a fighter, emotionally and physically, and turns into this young woman who found out that she can save a prince as much as a prince can save her,” she said. “She really becomes this fighter, and I got to swordfight and fence and wrestle and do all these cool things that you don’t normally associate with a princess.” Speaking of fighters and swordfights, we couldn’t help but ask for the castmembers’ opinions on the fact that another Snow White-centric film, “Snow White and the Huntsman,” will be hot on the heels of “Mirror Mirror” when it opens June 1 and how it might fare against their film. “I’m interested to see what they did,” Hammer admitted. “I think what we did is make a movie that’s family-friendly. The parents are going to go to it and enjoy it almost as much as the kids are. Plus our movie kicks that movie’s ass, let’s be honest,” he added with a grin. ” Yeah. And we’re out first. And we’re gonna kick their ass!” he joked, clearly not concerned with competing against “Huntsman.” “We’re gonna make so much more money than they are! Our Rotten Tomatoes score is gonna be so much higher.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Mirror Mirror.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Mirror Mirror’
Stephanie Zacharek already kind of addressed this phenomenon in her review , but as John Carter postmortems go, yeesh : “[W]hat’s really sad is when you look at the Rotten Tomatoes pages for The Lorax and John Carter . Among ‘top critics,’ The Lorax has a 48 percent fresh rating, and most of the reviews I’ve seen have been pretty respectful. (Except for the New Yorker , which says ‘The badness of the picture is a shock,’ and the New York Times , which called it ‘a noisy, useless piece of junk.’) And critics pretty much piled onto John Carter — among ‘top critics,’ it’s at 35 percent fresh, with people outright gloating about how expensive it was and how much it falls short. It’s like there’s a collective agreement that The Lorax is too big and too much of a mainstream juggernaut to call out — but the herd decided it was okay to feed on John Carter .” [ io9 ]
With Lionsgate’s big screen adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ teen-centric sci-fi survival-adventure The Hunger Games hitting screens this week, it’s kind of impossible not to draw comparisons to that other YA juggernaut series, which concludes its billion-dollar run on pop culture this fall. So how does The Hunger Games measure up to Twilight ? Some spoilers follow. THE BOOKS Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight , first published in 2005, spawned a total of four books (and one spin-off novella) that were adapted into five movies ( Breaking Dawn Part 2 hits screens this November), with over 116 million copies in print. Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games , first published in 2008, spawned a total of three books set to be adapted into four movies, with over 26 million copies in print. Advantage: Twilight THE HEROINE Twilight : Bella Swan is a 17-year-old girl who moves to gloomy Forks, Washington and falls in love with a vampire. Unassuming and average, she finds her inner strength after four novels’ worth of being imperiled by embracing her destiny and starting a family. Hunger Games : Katniss Everdeen is a 16-year-old girl who lives in gloomy District 12 in the fascist future world of Panem and must fight for her life in a televised battle royale. A skilled huntress, she finds her inner heroine after three novels’ worth of being a pawn in the Capitol’s games by embracing her destiny and becoming a symbol of the resistance. Advantage: Hunger Games SUPER POWERS (AND SUPER WEAKNESSES) Twilight : Left at the mercies of other people’s protection, Bella’s the lame duck for most of the saga, until she discovers that her secret power is, literally, the ability to protect her loved ones. Seriously. Meanwhile, her love for Edward keeps threatening to ruin everything – prom, her sex life, the future of all vampirekind. Hunger Games : Empowered at an early age thanks to her father’s untimely death, Katniss is the provider in her family for most of her life, until she enters the Games and discovers that compassion for others, and the newfound ability to trust in Peeta, is the key to survival. Her only weakness, it could be said, is that her personal drive to survive is so strong she has trouble seeing the big picture, and her place in it. Advantage: Hunger Games THE LOVE TRIANGLE Twilight : Bella must choose between two suitors – Edward Cullen, the sparkly vampire, and Jacob Black, her werewolf BFF. Heated tent scenes, make-out sessions, and torrid glances ensue. Hunger Games : Katniss must choose between two suitors – Peeta, the golden baker’s son (and her fellow Tribute in the Hunger Games), and Gale, her earthy BFF. Play-acted cave scenes, tender kisses, and internal struggles ensue – that is, when Katniss isn’t busy, you know, fighting for her life. Advantage: Twilight THE THEMES Twilight : Love, lust, abstinence, teen pregnancy, motherhood, sexuality vs. sin. Hunger Games : Fighting injustice, taking a stand, trusting others, personal responsibility. Advantage: Hunger Games. THE ONSCREEN PG-13 ACTION Twilight : Speed-ramped vampire running, bad wirework, CG werewolf-vampire melees, non-gory limb-shattering/ripping/beheadings, and one vivid, suggestive C-section by vampire scene. Hunger Games : Training exercises, arrow-shooting, hand-to-hand combat, bladed weapons, Tracker Jacker (i.e. hallucination-inducing poison bee) attacks, and one vivid, suggestive shaky-cam Cornucopia melee. Advantage: Hunger Games FILM PEDIGREE Twilight : Installments directed by Catherine Hardwicke ( Twilight ), Chris Weitz ( New Moon ), David Slade ( Eclipse ), and Oscar-winner Bill Condon ( Breaking Dawn Parts 1 & 2 ). Top Rotten Tomatoes score: Eclipse , at 49%. Hunger Games : The Hunger Games directed by Oscar-nominee Gary Ross, who is set to direct the next sequel, Catching Fire . Current Rotten Tomatoes score: 100% (with 17 reviews in). Advantage: Hunger Games — Seems like The Hunger Games has the edge over Twilight by most of the above criteria, stemming from its more complex and stirring lead character, story, and themes. That said, Twilight fandom outpaces Hunger Games fandom by the millions, circulation-wise. Will solid critical reviews and stellar pre-release ticket sales help bump The Hunger Games to Twilight -level box office returns — and convince non-fans to give it a shot? Sound off below, Movieliners!
