Chat transcript
Film critic Ty Burr took your questions
Ty_Burr: Hi all -- Ty B. here, on another lovely summer day when we should be lolling on the grass rather than talking about movies... but let's go to it anyway, shall we?
Ty_Burr: Send in your comments and questions and I'll try to sort it all out.
BostonScott__Guest_: What do you think about the film "The Happening?"
Ty_Burr: Oh dear. Scott, my review ran this morning, so you can check it out on the site, but the short answer is: Bad. Very bad.
Ty_Burr: I can see what Shyamalan's trying to do here -- pare his storytelling back to something much simpler than, say, "Lady in the Water" -- but he's pared it to the point of simplemindedness.
Ty_Burr: There literally is nothing happening in most of the movie except Marky Wahlberg adn Zooey Deschanel running through fields. From the wind.
Ty_Burr: Horror fans will hate it, but more to the point, people who want a well-told movie will too.
Moo__Guest_: Do you know when the film "Synecdoche, New York" is likely to be released commercially in the U.S.?
Ty_Burr: No date set, yet, Moo. Probably in the fall (it'll be opening in some European countries then). The Cannes premiere was not a very happy occasion. Word is that the movie's kind of a mess. But with Kaufman, I'll watch the mess.
Cheesesteak__Guest_: The Incredible Cheesesteak SMASH Ty in misplaced rage at Wesley's review of the Hulk!
Ty_Burr: I'll pass the SMASH onto Wesley, cheese. But I have to agree with him. It's a perfectly okay superhero movie but it ain't "Iron Man." A.O. Scott in the Times called it "The Adequate Hulk" -- that's about right.
Ty_Burr: But what can you say about a movie where Tim Blake Nelson gives the most interesting performance?
jaygee__Guest_: Ty, could you please tell me what happened to "Stiffs" that was filmed in and around Boston?
Ty_Burr: IMDb says it was released in 2007, but it never surfaced in theaters. Probably played a few minor festivals, may yet turn up on DVD. Good news for all you lovers of Danny Aiello movies.
Andreas__Guest_: What is your take on remakes of classic films like My Fair Lady?
Ty_Burr: There's a remake of that in the works for 2010 but no cast attached yet. In this case, I think it's fair game...
Ty_Burr: The original musical film was based on a Broadway play which was based on a George Bernard Shaw play which had already been made into a movie.
Ty_Burr: So you could say it's already a remake. And while the Hepburn MFL is fun, it's really not all that great a film. Long and stagey. Now, if they're talking about remaking, say, "Casablanca," that's crazy. And it's already been done.
kenshin__Guest_: Why does Hollywood keep making video game movies when NONE OF THEM HAVE BEEN HITS? (honestly, what are they thinking with a movie of Kane and Lynch: Dead Men, of all bad games?)
Ty_Burr: They don't have to be box-office hits, kenshin -- those movies do well in foreign territories (as all action films do) and they make their money back in ancillary markets like DVD. Remember, they're cheap to make.
Ty_Burr: It's not about art and it's not even about entertainment in Hollywood -- it's about turning a profit.
Andreas__Guest_: I think it's better to just re-release a film since it's the original film.
Ty_Burr: Not the way the suits think, Andreas -- although the Audrey cult has grown surprisingly in recent years. But wehy put the old version in theaters and make $5 million (at best) when you can make a new version starring Hilary Duff and make $50 million? (You are allowed to cringe now).
Andreas__Guest_: Any chance we can see a re-release of Hitchcock's Virtigo, which was written by Sam Taylor? He was my father's godfather.. I know he wrote the screenplay.
Ty_Burr: Not likely, especially since it's on DVD -- although the Brattle brings back the classics with regularity. Back in the 80s it was re-released to theaters with four other Hitchcock movies that hadn't been seen in decades due to copyright issues. But I don't see it happening now.
Ty_Burr: Sam Taylor? That's cool.
Cheesesteak__Guest_: So, "Bigger, Stronger, Faster" ... this summer's "Winged Migration"? j/k Still seems like a potentially better performing doc maybe getting beyond the usual doc audience, and well timed for a summer release
Ty_Burr: Well, the bloom is off the documentary rose, as far as box office is concerned -- there probably won't be another breakout on the lines of "Winged" or "March of the Penguins." "BSF" is well worth seeing, though, and it debuts a filmmaker who's another Michael Moore wannabe but less annoying than either Moore or Morgan Spurlock.
Chat_2__Guest_: How do you handle noisy and annoying people around you in the theatre ?
Ty_Burr: Beat them with a licorice whip. Actually? Best bet is to get an usher. So much fun to watch the offenders get the boot.
kenshin__Guest_: speaking of rereleases, any chances of Ran being rereleased? My dad says I'd love it but also says it's the type of movie best seen on the big screen
Ty_Burr: Probably not -- the re-release game is not what it used to be, especially since the DVD market and home theater are serving TV viwers and classic movie fans much better than theatrical.
Ty_Burr: In other words, kenshin, see it on TV -- just the biggest you can find.
Chat_2__Guest_: Is Spielberg working on anything right now ?
Ty_Burr: The Steverino always has several projects going at once. Next up, I believe, is "The Trial of the Chicago 7".
Ty_Burr: That hasn't been cast yet but there are rumors about Will SMith playing Bobby Seale. SPielberg is also planning a trilogy of Tintin movies, based on the series of comic book adventures from the 1940s through 1960s.
Ty_Burr: I believe those'll be done in motion-capture CGI.
Ty_Burr: Oh, and on "Chicago 7" -- Sacha Baron Cohen has signed up to play Abbie Hoffman. That's inspired casting, actually.
Cheesesteak__Guest_: You ought to plug Brattle, Coolidge Corner, even Harvard Film archives calendars for the occasional opportunity to see something great that's not going to be re-released through the distributors.
Ty_Burr: Yes, good point Cheese, although the Brattle's the only one that regularly brings back classics.
Ty_Burr: The HFA sometimes has great classic series, like the Leo McCarey fest that's running now.
Andreas__Guest_: And I should mention that we are not ashowing films in my hometown this month, due to locals loading down films! We also have the Soccer championships... So, it'll be a wait for Hulk.
Ty_Burr: Where *are* you, Andreas?
Andreas__Guest_: I'm still using the traditional DVD. At what point to yuo think Blu Ray DVD's will be in the mainstream. I'm waiting for that to happen here in Sweden.
Ty_Burr: Ah, Sweden.
Ty_Burr: Welcome to online Boston, then! I think the Blu-Ray machines won't be mainstream for at least a couple of years more. The industry wants people to upgrade right now so they're making the format sound like the second coming of DVD, which it really isn't.
Ty_Burr: It's a better format but not so much that you need to drop a few hundred in the midst of an economic downturn and toss out your existing DVD. Unless you're a gadget freak.
Andreas__Guest_: Yes.. I used to live in the Boston area.. worked at Tower video for a few years in Boston
Ty_Burr: Aha. Sorry, I actually miss that Tower, never thought I'd say that.
c__Guest_: Are you (assuming you're watching the Celtics) getting as tired of the Hancock commercials during the NBA Finals as I am?
Ty_Burr: Yep. And the cross-promotions and seeing Smith at courtside. But the gameplay comepensates.
kenshin__Guest_: Of all of this summer's movies, the one I'm most excited about is Wall-E. From what I've heard, it's actually supposed to be one of the most biting satires on American consumerism in recent years. Seems very different from the typical Disney release. Should we expect controversy?
Ty_Burr: Well, it's Pixar, really -- directed by Andrew Stanton, who's Pixar head John Lasseter's second in command, more or less. Pixar essentially took over Disney animation when Lasseter stepped in to run the show. Which is good for everyone, I think -- certainly has me looking forward to "Wall-E"
Ty_Burr: As for controversy? Well, heck, bring it on. Anyone who wants to broach the topic of consumer culture is welcome in my house. Ironic that it's coming from Disney, though, the studio that has done more to ram marketing down our throats over the past 20 years than any other.
Andreas__Guest_: I miss Tower these days, especially given that we could, from time to time attend the previews of films. I was working there when Dances with Wolves had a great premier in Boston. And the original Look who's Talking comes to mind.
Ty_Burr: Have you seen Dances lately? It is not a movie that holds up well.
Ty_Burr: Sometimes I wonder if a Best Picture Oscar has become a kiss of death, at least for a movie's longterm prospects.
Andreas__Guest_: Do you think family movies have become more violent? We hardly see musical films like Mary Poppins.
Ty_Burr: Oh, yes, family movies have become a lot more violent in the past 2 decades. "Pirates of the Caribbean" was considered a "family movie" even with the rotting corpses.
Ty_Burr: But, I'm sorry, some parents are idiots. I see kids under five being taklen to hard PG-13s and Rs all the time.
Ty_Burr: As for musicals, well, "High School Musical 3" will be a theatrical release -- is that what you had in mind?
Ty_Burr: Actually, after "Hairspray" and "Sweeney Todd," I think we're living in a period of resurgence for the musical.
Cheesesteak__Guest_: Did you catch Tropic Thunder at Cannes, or are did you pass for the U.S. release in favor of harder to see films?
Ty_Burr: "Tropic Thunder" didn't play at Cannes -- although they were promiting the heck out of it. I would have seen that one I think, just to see what Downey was up to. I waited on "Kung Fu Panda" until I came home, though -- think it was a wise decision.
Cheesesteak__Guest_: Kinda worried it may just be an A-list cast version of that Larry the Cable Guy's take on a war farce.
Ty_Burr: Advance word has been pretty solid, even with the potential non-PC timebomb of Downey in blackface. And Tom Cruise has a cameo that's supposed to be hilarious. On purpose.
kenshin__Guest_: Musicals aren't always nonviolent, Andrea s. Just look at Sweeney Todd. XD
Andreas__Guest_: No.. well Dances with Wolves was a good film for us to view when we studied about native americans here in Sweden. So, in retrospect that was a good film.
Ty_Burr: That's an interesting thought. I wonder what the film is that would reflect America most accurately to other countries.
Ty_Burr: 30 years ago I would have said "Nashville."
Andreas__Guest_: Oddly enough the film Wedding Crashers recieved a from 7 years old rating here in Sweden, so when I was going to rent that film with my cousins I hadn't realised that it was R. Sexual attituddes are very different here.
Ty_Burr: Yes, you folks have that figured out a bit better than we do. But, hey, we were founded by Puritans.
kenshin__Guest_: probably The Simpsons Movie
Ty_Burr: lol
Andreas__Guest_: Actually the teacher who taught us about Native Americans was from the USA.
Ty_Burr: Was he Native American? I think most Americans have such complex feelings about Native Americans that you might get a truer picture from a non-American source.
Cheesesteak__Guest_: Top Gun, hands down.
Ty_Burr: Maybe "Dazed and Confused"...
kenshin__Guest_: Superbad is a good one if you want to portray American high school students
Ty_Burr: Yes, but accurate? A very funny exaggeration, more like.
Ty_Burr: "Election" might be a bit closer. I heart Tracey Flick.
Cheesesteak__Guest_: Andreas, "Smoke Signals," if you haven't seen it is a pretty decent film re: Native Americans in modern america.
Ty_Burr: Ah, good one, Cheesesteak. Or "Powwow Highway."
kenshin__Guest_: the action's insane, but scarily enough, people do talk like that at my school
Ty_Burr: in "Superbad"? Okay, but to they talk like that because they're learned it from the movies? I wonder if Van Sant's "Elephant" might be the most realistic high school movie of 'em all.
Andreas__Guest_: Smoke Signals will NEVER be released here
Ty_Burr: Yes, but you can find it on DVD.
Andreas__Guest_: Or how about the film, Pearl Harbor for WW II?
Ty_Burr: How about it? It wasn't received very well in the States when it came out. Caught a lot of flack for layering a Hollywood love story on top of a sacred topic.
Faust__Guest_: With Leterrier's Hulk coming out today, I'm willing to bet his flick is more action than Ang Lee's Hulk from a few years ago. Do you see super hero movie's moving away from an introspective character development towards action? What's your take on Dark Knight and Ledger's Joker?
Ty_Burr: Oh, the new Hulk definitely has more action than the Lee version. It will make the fanboys very very happy while making others think twice about trashing Lee's movie.
Ty_Burr: I think, actually, the superhero movie is expanding is boundaries, partly by Marvel getting in the game as a producer itself. "Iron Man" benefits from having an ace leading man, "Hulk" delivers the straight up action, "Dark Knight" should be another smart iteration by a smart filmmaker (with Ledger being a sideshow, and a good one).
Ty_Burr: Personally I'm getting to the enough-already point. There's a Thor movie in the works. Oy.
Andreas__Guest_: We don't have any films to rent older than say a few years back.. Live in a very small town.
Ty_Burr: But there's Amazon, or the online equivalent, isn't there?
kenshin__Guest_: don't forget Hellboy 2, which should be amazing
Ty_Burr: Ah, yes -- Del Toro feeling his oats.
Andreas__Guest_: Yes, but if yu listened to Pearl Harbor's commentary, you realise how realistic that film was in story telling and reflection of the times. Most people missed that point.
Cheesesteak__Guest_: Those who know the Batman mythos see the trailers telegraphing an "A villain" (Joker) and "B Villain" in Dark Knight, kinda like what you had in Batman Begins I'm guessing.
Ty_Burr: So who's the B villain?
Cheesesteak__Guest_: Seriously on the Marvel movies, all apparently leading up to The Avengers ... which if maintains all the cast from other movies, may wind up being one of the most expensive movies ever made I'm guessin'.
moviegirl__Guest_: Ty - I'm sure Mamma Mia will be ridiculous...but think it'll be worth seeing with the great Ms. Streep?
Ty_Burr: Oh, it;ll be worth seeing for Streep -- but the thing about Mamma Mia and ABBA in general is that those songs were always ridiculous -- and indestructible. The camp cheeseiness is a big part of the appeal. Go, don't feel guilty.
kenshin__Guest_: B villian is Two-Face
Cheesesteak__Guest_: (potential spoiler: Aaron Eckheart's D.A., Harvey Dent is Two Face ... you see the lead up to the acid burning scene in the trailer )
Ty_Burr: Huh. Guess Tommy Lee Jones is too old to reprise the role :)
Cheesesteak__Guest_: Hey Billy Dee Williams played that guy (the attorney to become Two Face) in the '89 Batman, kinda like some double reverse and back again Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury retconning casting confusion.
Ty_Burr: Ow. My head hurts.
Andreas__Guest_: Mamma Mia will most likely be a hit here in Sweden. And I'm betting we'll see a surprise scene. But, my guess is that Abba will be in the film singing "Mamma Mia"
kenshin__Guest_: going from the most mainstream from the most obscure, I've recently discovered Jan Svankmajer's shorts on Youtube and am impressed with their wierdness and occasional poignancy. Are his movies any good?
Ty_Burr: HAve you seen "Alice"? You must. Extremely weird take on "Alice in Wonderland" using marionettes and meat.
Ty_Burr: brilliant and deranged, and a real influence on Tim Burton, clearly.
Ty_Burr: Folks, time's up and I have to get back to the salt mines. Thanks for coming by -- see you in a few weeks.
Ty_Burr: Go Celtics!
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