The many Al Capones

Al Capone has interested Hollywood in a manner no one from 'the dark side' would have, apart from maybe Hitler himself! Capone makes for the most boisterous in-your-face  type of villains, unlike the Agent Smith cool kinds seen in more recent times. His rise during the Prohibition era in USA in the 1920's and 30's, his high visibility in the public and his eventual fall when he was caught for tax evasion making him a high profile prisoner of Alcatraz later on, makes for intriguing story-telling. There are aspects of his life which remain unresolved, adding to the intrigue, exaggerated with time. The book called The Untouchables written by one of the agents, Elliot Ness, assigned to the task of nabbing Capone, its subsequent TV representation and the 1987 popular film of the same name, have also made Al Capone a name known to the ordinary. 

Portrayed by many, it is probably Robert De Niro as Al Capone in the 1987 movie The Untouchables which is more well-known. The wikipedia page on Al Capone indicates no less than 15 different portrayals of him on the big screen, and another 15 portrayals said to be based on Capone. With this big number goes my inclination to put across pictures of all the portrayals of Capone, though I still would like to put up the ones played in Hollywood upto De Niro himself. And while some do not even come close to resembling the real Capone, whose picture is there right at the bottom, the cigar is probably the one thing they could not do without!

Rod Steiger in  Al Capone (1959)

Neville Brand in The George Raft Story (1961)

Jason Robards in The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967)

Ben Gazzara in Capone (1975)

Robert De Niro in The Untouchables (1987)

The real Al Capone (1899 - 1947)

Now that indeed are way too many cigars!

3D re-releases... no, please!

This weekend has seen the re-release of Jurassic Park in 3D. Yep, the original one. Why? Well, they claim it is to commemorate the 20th year of this classic film which introduced dinosaurs to the human race the way no one has done before. Which might be partly true. But the bigger reason would of course be simpler. With 3D technology booming and no studio daring to release a potential blockbuster in only 2D (and so kudos to Christopher Nolan for not falling into this mayhem with The Dark Knight Rises), the studios are trying to benefit from the goodwill of their old films, convert them from 2D to 3D, and market it loudly to the audience to make quick cash. Not pennies, but millions of dollars! The way Titanic earned another $57 million last year with it's 3D release (that one was to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the actual tragic event). And so would have the likes of Lion King and Finding Nemo with their recent 3D re-releases. In case of Jurassic Park, there is the added advantage that bringing the film back to a relatively new generation acts as a good marketing ploy for Jurassic Park IV slated for a 2014 release. 

The problem I have with these re-releases is that it cuts down on nourishing new movies to a certain degree. The money which has been deployed for the 3D conversion process and meeting the marketing expenses could well have been used to fund an indie movie, maybe support the ambitions of the next Guy Ritchie or a Robert Rodriguez. While going for the easy money, the studios are hampering the possibilities of nurturing more talent and growth. And they also block out a weekend for any other movie to prosper, when you are releasing again something as famous as Jurassic Park. Having said that, re-releases are still a fickle notion, one which you hear very briefly, as thankfully there is enough refreshingly new content being made each year, either 3D or non-3D. Hopefully, that is the way it would continue and this idea of re-releasing movies in 3D (or 4D later on?) remains a rarity than a norm. 

While on the topic of 3D movies, many would find it hard to recollect the ones that were released before Avatar in 2009. And not surprisingly, for the outstanding box-office numbers of Avatar ensured that 3D films became a part of life only subsequently. But the history of 3D films goes as far back as 1915 when the first presentation of a 3D film before a paying audience is set to have been reported at Astor Theatre in New York. Coming closer to our times, while there were quite a few animated films released with 3D versions in the last decade, it was  2008's Journey to the Center of the Earth which became the first full-length feature film to be shot in 3D using the Fusion Camera System which has been co-developed by James Cameron and subsequently used for Avatar as well. 3D technology driven films are going to crowd the movie space, that for sure is guaranteed, and coupled with innovative and improving technology, Peter Jackson's The Hobbit with its 48 fps screening being a casing point, these are interesting and usually exciting times for movie viewing indeed. And if my wishes were to come true, the monies would be utilized on newer movies and newer technologies, rather than bringing in reruns of the old! 

A different Ryan... and RIP Roger

There's a chillingly memorable line from the David Fincher classic Fight Club (that made me see Brad Pitt in a whole different light!) which goes like this, "I felt like destroying something beautiful!" If you have seen the movie, you would recollect the scene too. There is a picture displayed below in this post which reminded me of that line. In fact, this picture could so easily have been the poster boy for that amazing line. It features an erstwhile beautiful face, of one Mr. Ryan Gosling who has stolen the hearts of many a female who have laid their eyes on him. Well, it features what is left of the beautiful face. For it has now been smashed up, bulging out, in all the ways you would not want it to. If you are a lady, you might want to look away. This is the picture being circulated for Ryan Gosling's new film titled Only God Forgives. Playing a criminal running a boxing ring, one can expect there are going to be lot of punches being thrown around, hardly any of which would be pretty. 

To Gosling's credit, despite his strong lady-fan following, he has branched into numerous kinds of roles, none of which are remotely of a romantic nature aka The Notebook kind. Of the recent ones, I enjoyed his swagger in The Ides of March and Gangster Squad while he earned rave reviews for Drive.  I am not particularly enthusiastic about Only God Forgives but I had to put this picture up, even if it were to break quite a few hearts. The world has to see. And to quote another classic line, this time from The Godfather, "Look, how they massacred my boy!" Hope it does not come to that... Watch at your own risk! 

And a final shout out... RIP Roger Ebert! This lovely cartoon tribute from Chicago Tribune sums up a lot leaving no need for any more words for this great movie lover and critic. 

Pixar to find Dory!

April was supposed to ring in the happiness. But happiness is taking its own sweet time to enter my life. Hollywood seems to have taken a mini-break of sorts after the Joes wrecked loads of mayhem last time I checked. There has been hardly any news worthy item going around. And the optimist in me says that it is the lull before the storm. A good storm I refer to. Something that shall be called Iron Man 3.  Till then we live on the crumbs that are being offered. An irrelevant trailer here and there. New movie posters. And announcements of how life would be like in 2015 or 2016 or however far you wish to worry on. Life = Hollywood, when you are reading this blog. So this probably has been the most interesting story that has cropped up in recent days. Announcement by Pixar that Finding Nemo, the gigantic hit of 2003 (gosh, how time flies!), will have a sequel titled Finding Dory, releasing in 2015.

Remember Dory? Of course, you do! The blue coloured bumbling tang fish with a memory worthy of... eh, a fish, voiced by Ellen DeGeneres, captured many hearts in the first movie. And Dory is getting her rewards now, a film with her own name on it! The trick here is... it's a sequel. Now, I love franchises. I really do. They add the element of longevity. They create a broader universe, spanning a longer period, and if it's something like  Star Wars you might be watching the next trilogy with your son and at the same time recollecting watching the original with your dad! Nostalgia, that's a big thing to make sequels work. But when it comes to Pixar, I am not entirely convinced. 

People at Pixar are geniuses in connecting the audience emotionally with their characters and so it must have made economic sense to always look for a sequel after the first one gave a grand return. Somehow they safeguarded themselves from this temptation. Toy Story being the exception, Pixar have prided themselves in the original work that they keep creating, churning one massive hit after another, keeping those lovable characters coming. It must be a tough task, to do it so consistently. And then came Cars 2 in 2011. It just lacked everything that Pixar stood for; it lacked the heart, the story, the moments that made you forget it's an animation film after all. It banked on people still being in love with McQueen and Mater and would enjoy whatever the duo did. Wrong! It turned out to be the weakest movie Pixar created. It still made good money, but more from the goodwill of the original than the brilliance of the sequel. And this year, there is Monsters University, a prequel to Monsters Inc. Again the initial trailer has hardly left me excited. And even though I'm likely to end up in the theatre along with many others, I got a bad feeling about this too. 

The brilliance of Toy Story series lay in the manner the story moved from one movie to the other as Andy, the owner of the toys, grew. The relationship between the toys changed, the complexities increased, and somewhere in all this they grew into a more cohesive unit at the end of it all. Can you recreate that magic in Finding Dory? Can you grab the story of the first one and the relationships already developed therein and then take it a step forward? Pixar of course can do it, the expertise is not in doubt. But will the focus of holding on to the magic of a Pixar movie when working on a sequel remain as it does in an original? Especially when Pixar have The Good Dinosaur lined up for 2014 and Inside Out for 2015. The 2015 release for Finding Dory would also mark the first time that Pixar released two full-length films in an year. I'm a bit skeptical on how good will it all be. And I wish I'm wrong. And that everything goes well. And that Pixar never turns into a corporate entity seeking only the returns in form of green bucks while forgetting the rewards of the loudest applause. And that the world of Pixar remains magical and alluring as it has always been. The next few years could highlight a lot about the way Pixar is shaping up. Time to wait and watch!

Look back into the future

We live with memories. No matter how much we try to fool ourselves into believing that we are always looking forward, we do occasionally turn around and look back and sigh. For it is usually the pleasant thoughts that come back to us. The ones that give warmth to the heart. That is good. Anything that makes you feel pleasant is good. Have a look back occasionally before you venture forward again. For the past teaches, it thrills, it at times puzzles, and at times makes you understand. The past is mysterious, maybe more than the future. And as I think of something old from the world of movies, my mind eerily recollects one that dealt with moving back and forth in time. In fact, one was not enough, so they made three movies to dig deeper into the mysteries of time. A science-fiction movie meant for one and all; a story filled with adventure, romance, comedy and of course the ever engaging concept of time travel and its implications. A movie that made McFly and Doc two of the coolest names to shout out! This movie surely would someday earn its own remake. A classic indeed, that never shall feel old. Back to the Future! And a picture to recollect and sigh.

It's Skyfall DVD time

Though much is taken, much abides; and though

We are not now that strength which in old days

Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;

One equal temper of heroic hearts,

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

With my recent purchase of Skyfall DVD, I had the pleasure of watching the film for the third time. And it still does not lose its charm. Especially the scene when Judy Dench's M is quoting the above lines from a poem of Alfred Tennyson as Bond rushes like a bull through  the streets of London to reach her while Silva closes in to kill her. These lines could define a lot about the plot of Skyfall itself and if one sought more from the movie, these lines could very well be the guiding light in trying times. That particular scene has never failed to invigorate a fresh strength in my heart! 

Coming back to the DVD, it is a worthy one to add to your collection. Mainly of course for the quality of the film, which has been the highest-grossing Bond film ever. And to add to that, the Special Features section contains short videos on the things that are so much essential to Bond movies -- Title Sequence, DB5 (Aston Martin car), Women and Locations. These videos showcase some shooting sequences (behind-the-scenes), along with thoughts and views of the director Sam Mendes, Daniel Craig and the screenwriters and many more on these topics. I especially liked the description on the title sequence provided by Bond-veteran Daniel Kleinman (who has been the title designer for six Bond movies now!) and his 'surreal take' on this sequence shot from Bond's viewpoint. This DVD is definitely worth keeping!

Woah! Spielberg to direct the next Terminator!

A news item that I could never have fancied coming. Steven Spielberg has agreed to take on the director's chair for the next and fifth installment in the Terminator series. And to make things more exciting, Arnold Schwarzenegger is more than happy to reprise his most iconic role as well. The latter part makes sense; after all, Schwarzenegger has been quite vocal in expressing his interest to don on the black jacket once again having missed out on the fourth movie due to his Governor duties. But Spielberg to direct a Terminator movie!? Wow! 

But if you pause for a second and think about it, it is not that crazy after all. You might see  Spielberg differently at present due to the success of his latest film, Lincoln, which is oh so nothing like the Terminator movies. But Spielberg is the master when it comes to dealing with any kind of story, be it a biopic, a war story, a science-fiction tale or even an animated film. He has had his fair share of success with sci-fi movies too, remember? Most notably, Minority Report and War of the Worlds. He's also the creator of other movies having a broad science fiction theme, such as Jurassic Park and E.T. which are nothing again like a Lincoln. His next project was to be the strangely named Robopocalypse which has been currently stalled and as the name suggests should have had robots somewhere involved. So which better project to take up if your creative bug is inching you to deal with the complex relationship between man and machine? A Terminator movie, of course. And isn't the Terminator series itself looking for something fresh? The rights to the movies, for those unaware, had been sold off in an auction in 2011 by The Halcyon Company that filed for bankruptcy. And picked up by a relatively unknown studio, Annapurna Pictures, which is inching up now in the market having produced the popular Zero Dark Thirty. All the details of the deal have been finalized only as late as December 2012 and bagging Steven Spielberg might be the ambitious way to go for Annapurna Pictures and even for the Terminator series. Interesting times indeed, and we should get to hear on this more as further deals are concluded and the wheels on the bus pick up speed. Till then... remember just one more thing...

Happy April Fool's Day! :)