WES ANDERSON'S SHORT FILM "HOTEL CHEVALIER" TO JOIN

LOS ANGELES, CA, October 22, 2007 – Due to overwhelming demand, Fox Searchlight Pictures announced today that it will add director Wes Anderson's short film HOTEL CHEVALIER, starring Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman, to Anderson's hit comedy THE DARJEELING LIMITED beginning on Friday, October 26. The short is a companion piece to the main feature and details the life of one of the three brothers in the film played by Schwartzman, Owen Wilson and Adrien Brody. The short has been a popular download on iTunes during its month long availability which ends October 23. The film, together with the short, will expand into approximately 650 theatres.

Fox Searchlight Pictures’ THE DARJEELING LIMITED set the all time record 2-day opening theatre average when it opened in New York theatres on Saturday, September 29. The film had its premiere as the opening night film of the New York film festival on Friday, September 28 and to date has grossed over $3.9 million on only 200 screens.

HOTEL CHEVALIER was screened in four select Apple stores on September 25, with Anderson, Schwartzman and Portman at the Soho store in Manhattan to introduce the film and answer questions following the screening and Roman Coppola (co-writer, THE DARJEELING LIMITED) at the Chicago store as well as in Los Angeles and San Francisco stores. On September 26, following the in store premiere, HOTEL CHEVALIER became available for download online exclusively at www.apple.com/itunes and has received hundreds of thousands of downloads.

“Wes has crafted a brilliant companion piece to The Darjeeling Limited, adding to an already engaging and funny film,” said Peter Rice, President of Fox Searchlight Pictures. “After generating enormous buzz from festivals worldwide, we are thrilled to be showing these two films together in theatres for the first time.”

HOTEL CHEVALIER was shot on location at the Hotel Raphaël in Paris approximately one year before THE DARJEELING LIMITED feature, and has been shown at numerous festivals worldwide. HOTEL CHEVALIER was written and directed by Wes Anderson. The thirteen minute short is set in a hotel room in France and stars Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman. It is the brief coda to a doomed romance and the prologue to THE DARJEELING LIMITED.

In THE DARJEELING LIMITED, three American brothers who have not spoken to each other in a year set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to find themselves and bond with each other -- to become brothers again like they used to be. Their "spiritual quest", however, veers rapidly off-course (due to events involving over-the-counter pain killers, Indian cough syrup, and pepper spray), and they eventually find themselves stranded alone in the middle of the desert with eleven suitcases, a printer, and a laminating machine. At this moment, a new, unplanned journey suddenly begins. Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman star in this film about their adventure and their friendship. The film was written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola & Jason Schwartzman, produced by Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Roman Coppola and Lydia Dean Pilcher and executive produced by Steven Rale

Jerry Seinfeld was in Detroit!

Jerry Seinfeld was in Detroit on October first to promote his new animated film Bee Movie. Bee Movie is a promising film about Barry B. Benson (Jerry Seinfeld), a bee that is not happy with his career, who goes out into the world and discovers that humans are stealing honey without compensating the bees. So with the help of Vanessa (Renee Zellweger), Barry sues the Honey company and it's affiliates. Little do they know the ramifications of their victory.

Seinfeld is very passionate about this film. For him to come to Detroit and do a presentation like this with little to no fanfare is proof of that. He has spent the last four years writing, acting and just dipping his fingers into every aspect of the making of this film. Along with directors Spike Feresten and Barry Marder, they have created an interesting take on bee life in general and the production of honey. As ludicrous as the plot sounds, it does have a point. We steal the bee's honey, plain and simple. Most other natural resources are either the resource themselves or byproducts, while honey is actually made by bees. We just take it without a thought. Now I know that in real life bee's don't really have feelings but since we are talking about an animated film, we can stretch our sensibilities a little and ask, “How would you like it if it happened to you?” I'd sue too.

Seinfeld came out and entertained us with some stand up like banter before getting to the honey, such as where has Seinfeld been for almost nine years? Well, this movie explains four of those years, two on the script alone! The other five saw a return to stand up as well as spending time with his family. Can't blame a man for that can we? After his short presentation he introduced us to the directors, Spike Feresten and Barry Marter, who proceeded to walk us through the clips they had brought. A courtroom scene in which Ray Liotta, playing a caricature of himself, was hilarious. And, it looked just like him! Gotta give a guy credit for being able to make fun of himself, right? Another showed the first meeting between Barry and Vanessa which showcased Seinfelds specific brand of humor as well as some close up shots of everyday objects with amazing detail. Water drops, blades of grass, even the texture of Vanessa's was realistic. Yet another showed a group of bees flying around, swooping around things, it almost made me dizzy. Ok, not really but it was a fun ride.

So that is my take based on the clips that we saw. With an all-star cast including Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, John Goodman, Ray Liotta, Patrick Warburton, Oprah and more, Bee movie will be sure to entertain the whole family.

Bee Movie buzzes into theaters Nov. 6^th. In the meantime , visit the official site at http://www.beemovie.com/ and watch out for “Bee Movie TV Juniors” on NBC. TV Juniors are short little comical spots by Jerry about his experience making the film. We had the pleasure of viewing two of these and I must say they are just as entertaining as the film clips we saw.

I hope to see you at the theater!

Mitch Emerson
mitchemerson@hotmail.com

Movie Review: 30 Days Of Night by ME

Title: 30 Days of Night
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston, Jon Bennett, Mark Boone Junior
Directed By: David Slade
Produced By: Nathan Kahane, Mike Richardson, Joe Drake
Genre: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Horror and Thriller
Release Date: October 19th
MPAA Rating: R for strong horror violence and language.
Distributors: Sony Pictures Releasing

I usually give horror movies some leeway when it comes to realism because these scenarios would never happen in real life. I give the same leeway for movies based on comic books. 30 Days of Night is a horror movie based on comic book so don't go in expecting the next great Vampire flick. No sexy or cool Vamps or suave dapper Christopher Lee types. Just evil monsters that have been hiding for centuries, always on the go. They discover Barrow Alaska, where the sun sets and does not rise for 30 days, giving vampires plenty of time to slaughter the townspeople and hunt down the survivors. Sheriff Eben (Josh Hartnett), his estranged wife Stella (Melissa George), Eben's younger brother Jake (Mark Rendall) and a handful of survivors try to make it to sunrise. Can they do it?

30 Days of Night is far from perfect. With plot gaps such as no reasons are ever given as to why Eben and Stella are separated as well as big gaps in continuity, the over use of the “Shaky Cam”, and vampires who annoyingly screech throughout, we are treated to a hit and miss addition to both comic book and horror genres by Hard Candy director David Slade. And you know what? That's fine with me. As long as there are good effects, good acting and a story that makes some sense, I consider it a decent horror movie. Cinematography wise, the color palette fits the mood of the film perfectly. Drab grays and shadows, even the snow is more gray than white. There is one shot that not only is a good example of the use of color, but the carnage that has been wrought by these monsters is and overhead shot that moves down the street, bodies lying in splattered puddles of blood, monsters darting here and there, grabbing victims. Great shot.

Besides seeming to always need a haircut no matter what role he is playing, Josh Hartnett is the strongest actor in the film, especially when it comes to protecting family. One scene in which his deputy has killed his family to spare them from the vampires has Hartnett shaking the man telling him, “You protect your family! Not kill them!” with emotion that you can feel. But then at other times he can be a little over the top. BUT remember, it is a vampire movie based on a comic book. Melissa George, who plays Stella, Eben's estranged wife is the standard strong woman character who wasn't even supposed to be in town (she missed her plane). I don't know the character name, so I can't look up the actor, but the lead vampire was extremely well acted. You don't want to mess with him because you can feel that he has centuries of experience at slaughtering humans. Which makes the final fight between him and Eben a little unbelievable. If you had centuries to practice, wouldn't you be the best warrior ever?

I can't quite put my finger on the reason why, but 30 Days of Night reminds me of Phantoms, a movie based on the novel of the same name starring Ben Affleck (Affleck was the bomb in Phantoms!- just a favorite quote from Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back for those in the know), Rose McGowan and Peter O'Toole. But I digress. 30 Days of Night isn't without it's fair share of problems, but if you can overlook those, what you have left is more or less an action flick with elements of horror that is worth a rental on DVD.

http://www.30daysofnight.com/

Until 30 Days of Night 2: The Lost Boys Connection
keep reading,

Mitch Emerson
mitchemerson@hotmail.com

Movie Review: The Seeker: The Dark is Rising by JR

The Seeker: The Dark is Rising
Starring: Alexander Ludwig, Christopher Eccleston, Ian McShane, Frances Conroy, James Cosmo
Directed by: David L. Cunningham
Produced by: Walden Media
Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy/Kid’s
MPAA Rating: PG for fantasy action and some scary images

A very normal boy, Will Stanton, newcomer Alexander Ludwig, is turning 14. He has a rather large family, five brothers and one sister, and they unfortunately appear to be more interested in getting the family together for the upcoming Christmas holiday than celebrating Will’s birthday. While his family seems to regard the day as nothing out of the ordinary (his brothers give him a sock because they forgot to get him a present), it seems as though Will is just stepping into the threshold of a new destiny for his life. Strange men are following him around with a look of hope and knowing on their faces. And then he is told that he is to be “The Seeker”: a boy who has been chosen to lead the forces of Light to overcome the impending arrival of the Dark.

Alexander Ludwig is sure to become a popular child actor, hopefully to recover from the Hollywood Child Actor Syndrome. He has mastered the art of being an awkward teen while still being a role model. Something that isn’t done too often these days. He has a crush on a girl at school and the shyness and the fear of rejection is clearly visible on his face. He’s the youngest brother and is often left out of the fun that his older brothers have, leaving him to relate more to his sister. He’s a very socially awkward boy and he just wants to fit in. When he is told that he is supposed to be “The Seeker”, he is very curious and excited to find out what exactly this entails, but he is also scared. Ultimately, he succeeds and overcomes all of the obstacles set before him to become a truly great character for kids to look up to.

Alexander Ludwig even holds his own against the supporting cast of fine, established actors in this film. It must have been nerve-racking to act alongside actors such as Christopher Eccleston (“28 Days Later”, “Doctor Who” and “Heroes”), Frances Conroy (“Six Feet Under”), Ian McShane (“Dallas”, “Hot Rod”), and James Cosmo (“Braveheart”, “Trainspotting”, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”). These four make up the group of “Old Ones” who have been chosen to pass down the knowledge of the Light and the Dark and to make sure that the Light prevails. They are a joy to watch onscreen together.

The film is based on a five book series by Susan Cooper. I have not read the book, so I cannot compare, but hopefully a little more explaining is done in the book. The film was funny and very entertaining, but dragged a bit, especially in the second half when the film was supposed to be the most exciting. But a few things would have been nice to see. More of the history of the “Old Ones” would be nice, as well as some more back story about Will Stanton’s relatives. Also, why are all of the “signs” that Will is supposed to find in his immediate area? And why are they scattered throughout time? A very cool idea, yes, but why? Why wouldn’t they be scattered throughout the entire world instead of scattered throughout a tiny town in England?

These minor plot points could cause some frustration among adults seeking more, but from the reactions of the audience, the younger crowd to which this is geared doesn’t really care. They were more interested in the powers that Will receives as “The Seeker” than the plot. They were more interested in Will succeeding than where or how he found the signs. The children in the theater were cheering for Will. There is a new hero for children, and he is brave and normal and just like your kids. Finally there is a great role model for them.

3 out of 5 stars

Jenny Rushing

beccajane67@yahoo.com

Movie Review: The Heartbreak Kid by ME

Title: The Heartbreak Kid
Starring: Ben Stiller, Michelle Monaghan, Malin Akerman, Carlos Mencia, Robert Corddry
Directed By: Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly
Produced By: John Davis, Joe Rosenberg, Marc S. Fischer
Genre: Comedy and Remake
Release Date: October 5th, 2007
MPAA Rating: R for strong sexual content, crude humor and language.
Distributors: DreamWorks SKG, Paramount Pictures

The Farrelly brothers, Bobby and Peter, remake a relatively obscure move titled The Heartbreak Kid in which Ben Stiller plays Eddie Cantrow, an everyman who meets Lila (Malin Akeman). Six weeks later they are married and on their honeymoon in Cabo where Lila gets a horrible sunburn which allows Eddie to wander around, meet, and fall for, Miranda (Michelle Monaghan). Eddie neglects to tell Miranda that he is on his honeymoon and the hilarity ensues.

While There's Something About Mary pushed the comedic boundaries and became a classic, The Heartbreak Kid fails to capture that same quality that made Mary so good. At times The Heartbreak Kid is a standard, yet enjoyable romantic comedy. But, every once in a while an over the top Farrelly gag is tossed in and feels really out of place. It's almost as if the Farrelly's couldn't decide if they were making a mainstream movie or a “Farrelly brother's comedy”, and it really shows. The clincher that ultimately tipped this from being an “ok” movie into the realm of a bad movie was the ending. Let's just say that Eddie didn't learn from his experience.

Although this is a Ben Stiller movie, the real stand out was Michelle Monaghan, who you may remember from kiss kiss bang bang or MI3. She plays a fun loving, sports oriented woman who captures Eddies heart and would be the perfect wife. She just gives a great and believable performance in a film that is full of stereotypical characters. Stiller's Eddie is still the same old Ben Stiller, just a little older and grayer. The Farrelly's must not have been able to get Cameron Diaz for this one so they hired her clone, Malin Akeman, who acts, looks, and moves just like Cameron. Carlos Mencia pops in and proves that he can't act as Uncle Tito, the hotel employee who is helping Eddie juggle the two women. Jerry Stiller has his almost obligatory part as, of course, Eddie's father and is the second most crass character in the film.

Not quite up to par with “Mary”, The Heartbreak Kid is pretty much just another mediocre comedy that will be easily forgotten. The best way to describe it tone wise would be if you took the heart of 50 First Dates and edited in all the raunchy bits from There's Something About Mary and hoped that you could satisfy fans of both films.

Visit the site at http://www.heartbreakkidmovie.com/

Until The Heartbreak Kid: The Honeymoon's Over,
keep reading,

Mitch Emerson
mitchemerson@hotmail.com

Movie Review: Seeker: The Dark is Rising by ME

Title: Seeker: The Dark is Rising
Starring: Alexander Ludwig, Ian McShane, Gregory Smith, Austin Vaccaro, Frances Conroy
Directed By: David L. Cunningham
Produced By: Marc Platt
Genre: Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation
Release Date: October 5th, 2007
MPAA Rating: PG for fantasy action and some scary images.
Distributors: Unnamed Fox-Walden Joint Venture

A young man, Will Stanton, discovers he is the last of a group of immortals dedicated to fighting dark forces of evil. Traveling back and forth through time, Will uncovers a series of clues, some dating back to biblical times, that lead him to a showdown with forces of unimaginable power. -Yahoo! Movies

Seeker: The Dark is Rising tries to grab onto Harry Potters fanbase and fails miserably. Adapted without consultation from Susan Cooper, Seeker has way too much crammed into it and at the same time explains the bare minimum to keep the story moving. One example – Will is tasked to collect six signs in order to stop the Dark. Now unless I dozed off, it was never explained what these signs were or what they were to be used for. He just runs around looking for this swirly design and lo and behold, there is the sign. There are many other faults, too many to list here.

An ensemble cast ranging from nobodies to “haven't we seen that guy in something?” do what they can with the material, but aren't quite up to the task of carrying a film like this. Alexander Ludwig, as Will Stanton, carries most of the weight here and holds up well, reminding me a bit of Zachary Ty Bryan from Home Improvement. Heroes fans may recognize Christopher Eccleston, who played Claude, the recluse, who taught Peter Petrelli how to become invisible. He plays The Rider, the main villain in the story and if you ask me, he was scarier as Claude, a good guy, than as The Rider in Seeker. There is even a Professor McGonagall clone in Frances Conroy's Miss Greythorne. Sad to say most of the other cast members blandly blend into the background.

There seems to be a rush of fantasy movies this fall and Seeker: The Dark is Rising will just fall into the cracks as another mediocre attempt at adapting a large epic-type novel into an hour and a half movie. My advice, stay home and watch Harry Potter again.

For more info visit the site at http://www.seekthesigns.com/

Keep reading,

Mitch Emerson
mitchemerson@hotmail.com

Movie Review: Lust, Caution by JR

Lust, Caution (2007)
Starring: Tony Leung, Wei Tang, Joan Chen
Directed by: Ang Lee
Written by: Eileen Chang (story), James Schamus (screenplay)

Distributed by: Focus Features

MPAA Rating: NC-17 for explicit sexuality

In Japanese occupied China during the 1940’s, a resistance to the Chinese oppression is thriving. A group of school friends, upon hearing about the resistance, band together to make a change in the current state of their nation. They decide they will form a plan to assassinate Mr. Yee (Tony Leung), a Chinese born man who has joined the side of the Japanese. Because of her accomplishments in acting at their school, Wang Jiazhi (Wei Tang) is chosen to be the undercover spy, to befriend Mr. Yee, in order for her friends to murder him.

Tony Leung (“Infernal Affairs”, “2046”) is becoming one of my favorite actors. He’s got such a weathered but strong handsomeness about him. The emotion in his eyes and the delivery of his lines remind me of, dare I say it, Bogart himself. The slower pace of this film works in his favor, for he savors every moment that he is onscreen. Even when off-screen, his presence is still there. His character, Mr. Yee, is strong, weathered, and handsome, yes; but Mr. Yee is also tyrannous and unmerciful, having murdered many Chinese on behalf of the Japanese. Only Tony Leung could pull off as complex and as deeply scrutinized a character as Mr. Yee.

This is Wei Tang’s first movie and you’d never know it. She acts with such poise and grace and still is unfaltering in her friends’ mission to murder Mr. Yee, the man that she appears to be falling in love with. It seemed to me many times that she would blow her cover to be with Mr. Yee, I was literally on the edge of my seat. Wei Tang as Mak Tai Tai, the undercover name for Wang Jiazhi, is relentless and unmerciful. The perfect companion for Mr. Yee. The two of them have chemistry to spare.

Speaking of the chemistry between Mr. Yee and Mak Tai Tai, “Lust, Caution” is quickly gaining the reputation for being this obscene and almost soft-core porn. Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you: It is not. Out of the 157 minute run time, the sex scenes couldn’t possibly take more than 10 minutes. This is merely the doing of the MPAA, whom apparently say that it’s OK to make movies like “Saw” rated R, but movies that actually show a normal human activity are to be forbidden. For those of you who must know more about these sex scenes, here you go. For those of you who don’t, skip to the paragraph after.

**Spoilers**

The first sex scene in the movie is very surprising. By this time, we have only seen Mr. Yee and Mak Tai Tai in a very formal setting. Mr. Yee has invited her to a hotel room and she goes, hoping to become his mistress and therefore allow her friends to get closer to him. She begins the foreplay by straddling him, taking the cigarette from his lips. You think that this is how it will be: lustful, teasing, but no. Mr. Yee rips her dress from her body and throws her on the bed on her stomach. He then pulls off his belt and ties her hands together behind her. It’s a very intense scene, but not worth an NC-17 rating.
The sex scenes that follow are less intense, and by “less intense” I mean like less of a rape scene, and are very heavy and intimate, but still not worthy of an NC-17 rating. The two actors are obviously nude, and could very well be actually having sex, but they are not. We see breasts, female genitalia and partial male genitalia.

**End Spoilers**

There are several movies that I can think of offhand that are sexually worse than this film and received R ratings. I’m sure there are several that you can think of as well. I thought that “Brokeback Mountain”, Ang Lee’s last film, was very similar in this aspect. Personally, I didn’t think that “Lust, Caution” was worthy of an NC-17 rating, but that’s my opinion.

“Lust, Caution” is a beautiful movie; Ang Lee has delivered once again. Despite the long run-time, and the slow pace, this film kept me completely engaged. This will definitely be one to watch come Oscar time.

4 out of 5 stars

Jenny Rushing

beccajane67@yahoo.com

Movie Review Link: The Evading by ME

I have recently been accepted as a reviewer for our very own Fatally Yours! Since she was kind enough to send me a screener, I figured I would let this one be an exclusive to Fatally Yours Horror Reviews.

After his wife dies, Josh Carter (Eric Stevens) suffers from depression. The condition gets so bad he begins having visions of a figure in a black cape. The figure pulls Josh into a secret society, and soon Josh recalls the accident that killed his wife in a completely new and disturbing way.

Combining visual elements from films like The Ring and The Grudge, Rick L. Winters has written, produced and directed a film that has outstanding effects, somewhat decent acting and a twist that actually changed my opinion of the film.

For the rest, click here.

Mitch E
mitcheemerson@hotmail.com

DVD Review: The Cooler (2003) by JR

The Cooler (2003)

Starring: William H. Macy, Alec Baldwin, Maria Bello, Paul Sorvino, Ron Livingston, Joey Fatone

Directed by: Wayne Kramer

Written by: Frank Hannah, Wayne Kramer

Release date: January 17, 2003

MPAA rating: R for strong sexuality, violence, language, and some drug use.

Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy) is the unluckiest guy in the world. He’s so unlucky that he’s made being unlucky his job. He works as a cooler for the Golden Shangri-La casino, owned by his old friend Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin). What is a cooler, you may ask? A cooler is someone whom the casino hires to “cool down” a table when a player is winning too often. The casino has to make money, right? Since Bernie is so unlucky, all he has to do is walk over to the winner at a table, sit down next to him, and the winner automatically stops winning. However, once Bernie meets Natalie (Maria Bello), all bets are off.

If you haven’t seen “The Cooler” yet, you may know it from all of the praise that Alec Baldwin garnered for his role as the casino owner. This praise is well-deserved. Alec Baldwin is known for playing a good bad guy. He even played the bad guy in “Spongebob Squarepants: the Movie”. His bad guy in “The Cooler” is one of the best. He’s swaggering, self-obsessed, Scrooge-like, sallow-hearted and so deeply seedy, there’s just nothing redeeming about him. Billed as a minor character, Baldwin leads the already incredible cast. Every performance in this movie is top notch.

Which leads me to William H. Macy and Maria Bello. Bernie and Natalie. This is truly the odd couple. Bernie is a middle aged, not very attractive, definitely not the most positive of thinkers, really doesn’t have much going for him, guy. It’s hard to believe that any woman would fall for him (other than the fact that it’s William H. Macy and “Road Hogs” aside, he’s just a badass). Maria Bello is a beautiful cocktail waitress. You can see some depth to her eyes that suggests a painful past, but this only adds to her beauty. Despite their differences in the looks department, the two of them develop such a deep and caring relationship. One of the sweetest in recent film memory.

As a warning for film audiences, if you’re put off by nudity and violence, you may want to skip this one. I was surprised at the amount of nudity in this film. Not necessarily that it’s a bad thing, I just wasn’t expecting to see this much of William H. Macy. It was a shock at first, but then it became just really cool. Cool that he’s so comfortable in his own skin. It was very refreshing to see someone who doesn’t look like a model get naked. Especially a man.

The story line in the movie got lost for me. When the credits began to roll, I was more concerned about the characters than what the plot of the story was. I wanted to know more about them. I wanted to see where they would end up, what would happen to them. Now that’s the mark of a really good movie. You want more.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Jenny Rushing

beccajane67@yahoo.com