As a nation, we are pretty obsessed with pop culture and Hollywood stars. So many of us are always on the watch for who is “up and coming,” the “breakout star,” the new kids on Rodeo Drive.
And while some of these stars win fame for just one or two roles, more have been in the game for quite awhile. It’s just taken us this long to notice them. [Read more…]
Solomon Kane, from the title alone, evokes the same mental image as “Alan Quatermain” or “Abraham Van Helsing” – either the movie will be about a swashbuckling hero or a sage protagonist with a wealth of knowledge used to help others.
But Solomon Kane is neither of these fictional characters. Based on the character created by pulp writer Robert E. Howard, Solomon Kane is a wandering puritan who lived in the 17th century and whose goal is to vanquish evil wherever he encounters it. The character appeared in many stories in Weird Tales, the seminal title that brought many high quality pulp horror stories.
I am not thoroughly familiar with Solomon Kane as a character so I’ll base this review solely on what I have seen in the movie and based on what I have just seen, Solomon Kane is a character that should really be given as much focus as the other comic book characters enjoying the adoration of the public.
Solomon Kane revisits the same familiar tropes of faith and repentance but given a deliberate Hollywood polish of expansive cinematography and special effects. Michael J. Bassett, who both wrote and directed the movie, tried to do his best to cram as much of Solomon Kane’s origins in order to give the audience a heftier idea of why he seeks redemption. As “origin” movies go, Bassett also had to contend with trying to cram in as much background story as he could without eating up too much of his available screen time. It’s a worthwhile effort and I feel that even though he has not fully achieved his goal, it was still a passable effort that gave us a good glimpse of Solomon Kane before he repented and began his quest for the deliverance of his soul.
Luckily, Bassett had a very capable actor in James Purefoy who injected just enough pathos in his performance that by the middle of the movie, the audience really roots for him. It is quite easy to ham it up in a movie like this but Purefoy managed to evade this easy trap. His Kane is fractured, conflicted and tortured but there is a nobility that shines through and a goodness that emerges naturally in his performance. Speaking of actors, I was quite happy to see the great Pete Postlethwaite as the well-meaning William Crowthorn. Actors like him always give any movie a worthwhile sheen and as always he delivers here. I feel that Jason Flemyng is thoroughly underused as the villain Malachai. His screen time is just not enough.
The cinematography was a bit hit and miss. I don’t know if it was the copy that I was viewing but there were some scenes that were a bit too poorly lighted. But it’s undeniable that Bassett has a great eye. There were some gorgeous scenes that would put to shame most of the hacks in Hollywood — which makes me wonder why Bassett is not being given more high profile projects. Solomon Kane is loads better than the very poorly made Van Helsing. To compare him to Stephen Sommers is an insult to Bassett.
I am also a bit underwhelmed by the movie’s ending. You get this feeling of wanting more but from the looks of it, it seems that the people behind the movie are hoping to make a franchise out of it. Hopefully, the movie has performed well enough to actually merit a sequel.
All in all, Solomon Kane is one of those action/fantasy movies that are not being noticed because it doesn’t have the pull of an A-list actor. But I think the beauty of this movie is precisely the fact that it is not totally consumed by Hollywood’s touch. Fantasy/action fans would be well advised to check this movie out.
Rating: B+
More information has leaked out about the currently in production Green Lantern movie.
Newly appointed Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment Geoff Johns, gave some relatively cool news about the new superhero movie. First, he confirmed that actor Mark Strong is going to play GL’s nemesis Sinestro. Strong was last seen in Sherlock Holmes and is also a part of the cast of another comicbook adaptation, Kick Ass.
AMong the other Green Lantern staples that you can also expect in the movie, based on Johns’ information are the Guardians, Oa, and fan favorite Kilowog.
Green Lantern will be directed by Martin Campbell and will star Ryan Reynolds in the titular role. Also starring in the movie are Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard and Tim Robbins. The movie will be released on June 17, 2011.
If you’re wondering what’s been happening to uber director Steven Spielberg (who hasn’t been seen since Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull), wonder no more. He has finally finished filming his new film, which is the big screen adaptation of the well loved French comic strip Tintin.
The new movie, officially entitled The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of The Unicorn was shot using techniques and technology that was used in James Cameron’s Avatar.
Spielberg reportedly used performance capture techniques so that he could get as close to Herge’s vision for Tintin. Spielberg thought that a live action movie will be too stylized for the audience, what with the unique costumes. By going digital, he said it fits better with the whole look of the movie.
The motion capture stage that they used for making the movie allowed Spielberg to watch his actors in real time, but using a screen that showed them already within the digital world created.
The movie will star Jamie Bell, Daniel Craig, Andy Serkis, and Simon Pegg, among others. It will be released on December 23, 2011.
When I read about this bit of entertainment news I suddenly realized how fast time flies.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Universal Pictures has plans to reboot the American Pie franchise. It’s surprising to realize that the first American Pie movie was released way back in 1999. The third movie, American Wedding, hit theaters in 2003. After this third movie, a number of direct to video movies carrying the “American Pie Presents…” banner came out to varying degrees of success in terms of delivering the laughs.
Some of the original American Pie cast are reportedly interesting in coming back for the reboot but everything’s still up in the air. I’m pretty sure though that Alyson Hannigan is not going to come back. With her tremendous success with How I Met Your Mother, there’s really no need for her to go back and try to milk a little more media mileage.