Category: Movies

Transformers 2 coming in Summer 2009, Michael Bay confused

[UPDATE: Click here for the The Super Bowl Transformers 2 Trailer]

Transformers!

First off, it’s now official that Transformers 2 is hitting cinemas on June 29th 2009. That’s right, no Optimus Prime for you next year. The actual deal came early on with Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay, who decided on a sequel to this year’s hit Transformers. However, (fortunately or not) Bay appears to be preoccupied and may direct the film adaptation of 2012: The War for the Souls, and maybe the Prince of Persia movie. Wait, whah? Let’s clarify.

See, Michael Bay first confirms that he’s making a sequel for Transformers. Then news breaks out that he’ll also be handling Disney’s Prince of Persia, the movie. However, things are starting to look rather confusing now.

Bay now says that he may go for a pre-strike film. This unlucky movie can only turn out to be:

  • the film adaptation of Whitley Streiber’s 2012: The War for the Souls
  • the Prince of Persia movie (which is listed as a pre-strike movie, but now looks more like it’s geared for Summer 2009).
  • a home video. (Can’t trust a director who blogs. On the Internet.)

What choice will Bay choose? Why does it matter to us? How cheesy will the second Transformers be? Is this movie actually going to make some logical sense? Should Uwe Boll direct Prince of Persia? It appears that we must leave it to time to answer the questions now.

[Via /film]

Intel buys Havok – randomest acquisition of the week

Havok

Gamers will know Havok, the Irish company for their stellar physics engine, while movie buffs might know it for providing special effects from movies like The Matrix, Poseidon and so on. Well, word is that Intel has bought Havok. Why, you ask? I have no idea. Maybe they just thought it’s a nice company to buy.

But Havok’s CEO says “The acquisition will help Havok grow into new market segments,” which sounds good! Havok will continue to keep business on as usual, though. In layman’s terms, Havok’s the same – except that it might just get a little, and then a little bigger.

Havok was founded in 1998 and has created the famous Havok Physics Engine, which has been seen in dozens of games since, examples including BioShock, Half-Life 2, Deus Ex: Invisible War, Age of Empires III and many, many more.

[Via PC World]

It’s Absolutely Breathless!

Breathless

In 1961, Jean-Luc Godard, a master of French new wave, released A bout de Soufflé (Breathless). A young man named Michel Poiccard (Jean-Paul Belmondo) kills a police officer and then flees away into the city where he meets up with Patricia Franchini (Jean Seberg). Michel hides from the police with Patricia, but fate catches up with him as the fire fuels in the fatal but beautiful ending.

Jean Seberg and Jean-Paul belmondo

This French film has influenced many of today’s greatest filmmakers, artists, and countless other aesthetics. It is a tale dealing with love, youth, and beyond anything a beauty so acutely defined by Godard.

One of the most important elements that should be noted in this film is the simple idea of “all or nothing” and how love falls within this spectrum. This theme is numerously supported by underlying visuals, dialogue, and gestures. Director Jean-Pierre Melville (Le Samouraï, L’ Armée des ombres) plays a small role in this film but, what he has to say is immensely powerful. Patricia, the young reporter, asks him a very interesting inquiry,

Jean-Paul Belmondo

“What is your greatest Ambition in Life?” Melville responds back with this profound statement, “To become immortal and the die.” This can be interpreted in many different ways. One interpretation would consider that it is simply a contradiction and means nothing. Secondly, it can reflect the idea of choice. To have the power to die willing reflects complete control. On the other hand, to have no control simply means to have absolutely nothing…hence “to have all or nothing.”

Overall, A bout de Soufflé is a beautiful movie that anyone should consider watching. It is a foreign classic that still remains an astonishing movie. While other films will gradually disappear À bout de Souffle will remain as it has already remained throughout these years.

Jean-Luc Godard

Directed by Jean-Luc Godard, Starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, Daniel Boulanger, and Jean-Pierre Melville

Other Related films to consider:

Contempt by Jean-Luc Godard

Bande à part by Jean-Luc Godard

A Woman Is a Woman Starring Jean-Paul Belmondo

Saint Joan starring Jean Seberg

The Mouse that Roared starring Jean Seberg

Tron sequel, and no I’m not talking Tron 2.0

Tron, one of the first movie to use digital effects instead of practical effects, and probably the first to do it well. It’s been a cult classic for many years, and a point of inspiration for many game designers and digital effect engineers, yet we’ve never seen a sequel. Well it seems that some development is a brewing with in good ‘le Buena Vista. In recent years there have been attempts at making a sequel to the original movie, a notable one being that CGI studio Pixar was going to make one. Now, however, we have a report from the Hollywood reporter that the Light Cycles, MCP and Tron will be returning to the silver screen.

The report says that the original writer and director, Steven Lisberger, will be producing the movie with a man named Sean Bailey(producer of Matchstick Men). The movie’s writers will be Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, of Lost fame. The director? A relative no name, Joseph Kosinski, who will be directing the 2010 remake of Logan’s Run. There’s no set date or year when we’ll see it, but I doubt it’ll be soon.

Personally, I’d love to see a sequel. The first movie stands up well for a movie about video games before the big Nintendo boom. The movie’s art style blends beautifully with the digital effects they used for the movie. A sequel’s also troubling though with how video games are seen today. The first Tron was a fun, family friendly sci-fi classic, but I fear they might make it a preachy anti-violent game movie, or even worse, a cliche’d video game geek comedy-sci-fi fusion. Hopefully, with the original director and Lost’s writers on the project, we’ll see a sequel that’ll stand up as well as the original… but if they ruin the light cycles the wrath of thousand’s of people’s childhood memories will come crashing down around them.

[Via: Hollywood Reporter]

Now Playing: Amorousness

Amorousness is without a doubt the most artistic film ever aired on StuffWeLike.com’s Original Shows. It’s actually the first film on StuffWeLike.com that I didn’t have any personal involvement. It’s also the first of several films in which we hope to create a bold and new direction with the ‘Original Shows’ (for you old SWL fans, Our Movies) on The Pipeline. We’ll reveal more information about these upcoming films as the productions on them begin. After you watch Amorousness, read the Director’s comments.

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John-Erik Reese (Director): “This film is essentially a poem told with images. Much like an Ingmar Bergman or Jean-Luc Godard film, my short film takes a simple idea and a central theme as the necessary foundation, thus, making the two components revolve around the story completely.

My approach for the short was to make it ambiguous and anomalous for the motive that a simple thing (whatever it may be in life) is always much more intricate in its very own unique way. This short film is based on existential philosophy dealing with inner conflict, vanity, self-existence, and most prominently disconnected love.

I hope that everyone who views this may perhaps interpret the meaning his/her own way (as it was meant to be) and also may consider that images might perhaps appear as a meaning of its own (ex. Fire is seen in the beginning of the film as a symbol of love’s great fuel. Water, which is seen later, is a symbol for the love’s cooling or simply putting out the flames, which essential relates to the two figure characters).

Amorousness is, for all intents and purposes, filled with meaning and promising interpretation, the only aspect it requires is the initial thought.”

Iron Man = Next Marvel Success

If there has ever been a doubt about what Marvel will do next with their “left-over” super heroes, put all your doubts to rest. Apparently Marvel can still make an amazing piece of work that will both please fans and general movie goers. Unlike Ghost Rider, Elektra, and all the other crappy super hero films that Marvel has put out in recent years, Iron Man looks to be the most amazing film to come out of Marvel’s vaults since the original Spider-Man film back in 2001! The worst part about the Iron Man movie is that we’ll have to wait till next year to see it in theaters.
Watch and drool of the trailer RIGHT NOW!

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