FILM: David Koepp to Pen Spider-Man 4

Writer of Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible, and War of the Worlds, among others, to write the next Spider-Man flick.

David Koepp is one of those writers who's always in the Hollywood spotlight and seems to usually have some sort of input into the years' top blockbusters. He's worked with powerhouse directors to the likes of Steven Spielberg, Brian De Palma, Ron Howard, and David Fincher as well as directing some feature films himself such as Secret Window and The Trigger Effect I think he should stick to writing, but that's my opinion. Koepp also recently finished writing the script for Indiana Jones 4.

Koepp hasn't signed a contract for the fourth film as of yet, but Columbia is pursuing the project and has confirmed that he will write the screenplay for the film. Koepp co-wrote Spider-Man, but wasn't involved the second film or the third installment which hits theatres in May.

I'm not sure this is a good choice for the franchise. All of Koepp's great films have had other writers working on the screenplay alongside him. Most of the projects he attempts alone are nowhere near as good as the projects he works on with other people. Also, he's one of those writers who just abuses the one-liner to death. Watch a movie like Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, or Mission: Impossible and count the amount of quips, it's astounding.



Koepp also usually keeps the films he writes fairly light-hearted. This is fine and dandy for the average blockbuster but he may be brining Spider-Man away from the dark world he is in now. Since Koepp left the production of Spider-Man 2 the franchise has been getting darker and has started taking itself serious. The last thing I want for a fourth film is it to go back to the quick quips and cheesy dialogue found in the first Spider-Man film. I think that Koepp coming back to write the fourth might also be a hint that Raimi won't be returning to direct the picture, but that's just speculation on my part.

What do you think about David Koepp writing the fourth Spider-Man flick? Is it a good thing of is the film doomed? Post a comment.

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Factory Girl Review

Is this shallow art or is there something deeper that begs to be discovered?

I went into Factory Girl with no expectations whatsoever. I had read a few reviews beforehand but nothing to influence my mindset before entering the theatre. Even with a blank slate in front of me as I took my seat, I left the cinema with a sour taste in my mouth.

The film, which was directed by George Hickenlooper (Dogtown), stars a determined Sienna Miller (Layer Cake) as Edie Sedwick, a art-school dropout who moves to New York with aspirations of fame. There she meets the unconventional artist Andy Warhol, who is played by the versatile Guy Pearce (Memento), and he sets her on the path towards stardom.

What bothered me most about Factory Girl is how it would stop and focus on an idea or subject, only to skip away quickly before the audience could grasp what Hickenlooper was trying to get across. While the plot is easy to understand, the movie is quite confusing because you aren't sure what the director is saying about the subject matter. Hickenlooper also fails to flesh out the story in certain situations, often trying to narrate the story through the weak dialogue instead of visually, or both. Now, I respect a film that doesn't spoon-feed its audience, but I felt that Factory Girl was a poorly done narrative with little substance or grip.



Another thing that got under my skin was the way Hickenlooper treats the characters in his film. With the exception of Edie and Warhol, all the characters are portrayed as flat and undeveloped. Some get a chunk of film's running time but we never get to see them evolve, making them easily forgettable.

Now, both Sienna Miller and Guy Pearce try their best to save the film but it's unsuccessful. While they both do a good job, it's the static characters played by the likes of Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), Jimmy Falon, Edward Herrmann, and James Naughton that ruin the illusion and bring you out of the film. They aren't necessarily bad actors, it's just that the subject matter they're working with isn't the best.

While some will enjoy Factory Girl as a period piece or for it's gratuitous nudity, I can't overlook the previously mentioned mistakes. It's not a bad film, just one that could have been developed more through a better script and director.

Have you seen Factory Girl? Let me know what you thought, leave a comment.

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FILM: Borat Sequel May Be a Possibility

Yesterday Rupert Murdoch, chairman of 20th Century Fox, announced that Sacha Baron Cohen has signed on to do a sequel to the 2006 hit Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. No details were announced on where the film would be set or any of the plot points as Murdoch claims they are still in the "idea stage."

Sources are saying that Cohen will go shoot Bruno for Universal Studios before beginning production on the Borat sequel. Fox didn't comment on when the sequel would enter production.



I'm glad that they are making a sequel to Borat. I'm a huge fan of the character and it's great to see him doing well on the big screen. Sacha Baron Cohen deserves everything that he's earned for himself and it's good to see him working his way up the ladder.

I'm sure that it will be harder to shoot both Universal's Bruno and Fox's sequel to Borat because of all the media attention the first film attracted. More people are in on Cohen's joke this time around and won't be duped as easily. Then again, there are always going to be ignorant people who haven't heard a whisper about the British comedian or his skits.

What do you guys think about a sequel to Borat? Will Sacha Baron Cohen be able to pull it off?

Cheers.

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Ultimate Spider-Man #105 Review

The conclusion to the clone saga. How will Brian Michael Bendis mop up this mess?

Maybe I'm a bit harsh calling Bendis' take on the infamous clone saga a "mess." Sure, the arc has been convoluted and all over the place, with so many details and characters being thrown around that it's hard to keep track of, but I've thoroughly enjoyed it. An homage to the original clone saga wouldn't be complete without a bit of confusion anyhow.

Well, issue 105 hit the shelves on Wednesday and provided, in 32 pages, a chance for Bendis to wrap up the enourmous number of events that have occured in this 8-part story-arc. When I say there were an enourmous number of events I'm referring to Peter getting cloned, clones going crazy, Peter's dad coming back from the dead, so did Gwen Stacy, Aunt May having heart attack, MJ turning into a wolf-beast, Doctor Octapus ending up out of jail, the Fantastic Four gotting involved, Shield getting involved. Am I missing anything? Probably. It has been a crazy arc and an entertaining one.

Now, unlike my Spawn 164 review, I don't want to give too much of this issue away. Ultimate Spider-Man 104 ended with the Fantastic Four giving Peter the question of a lifetime: continue as Spider-Man or let them take away the burden of his powers. Now, this question takes the entire issue to answer but is broken up by some key plot developments. We find out Nick Fury's reasoning behind sending all those spider-mechs to Peter's house in Queens. Peter also gets closer to Mary-Jane than he has since they broke up and must choose between MJ or Kitty Pryde. Peter must also deal with Aunt May who is recovering in hospital. She now knows her adopted Son is Spider-Man and Peter doesn't know if she will be able to cope.



Brian Michael Bendis does a good job wrapping up the story while leaving some of the story open for conclusion later on in the title's history. I think he did an excellent job with the Clone Saga and was able to throw so much at the reader without losing them (too much). I'm always in awe of how Bendis is able to really capture the human quality of things in such an action packed book. As much as I enjoy his fight sequences and the battle royales, I always appreciate the conversation scenes that much more. Sure, some of the stuff is corny and cheese fluff, but it works well in the book.

Mark Bagley is also up to his usual standards in issue 105. His compositions are top notch as usual and he does an excellent job nailing his characters' emotions in this issue. I don't think I'm saying anything new when it comes to Mark Bagely's art. He's done 105 consecutive issues on the title, the man knows how to draw AND meet his deadlines, something some of the best artists aren't able to do these.

I thought Ultimate Spider-Man 105 was a great issue and I'm looking forward to seeing what Bendis and Bagley can do with their next issue: Daredevil.

Cheers.

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TV: Muppets Reality Show In the Works

Muppets set to the tune of The Office. I'm in.

Hoping to bring the Muppets back into the limelight, Disney has decided to develop a mini-series featuring the fuzzy puppets set to spoof reality TV. Shot in a similar style to NBC's The Office, the show will follow the muppets as they set out to create a new show. Rumours have also been circulating stating that, if successful, the show will be a launchpad for new full-time TV series.



This is huge news for me. I've been a fan of the Muppets as far back as I can remember and I'd love to see them start making a comeback. I'd cut off a toe to see Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, and the rest of the gang back in action in a full time TV series. In fact, just thinking about these guys makes me want to pull out all the old Muppet shows I have recorded on VHS in some dusty closet somewhere.

There's no doubt in my mind that the mini-series will be a success. The muppets are known for their banter and their wit and throwing them into a setting similar to The Real World would only amplify that.

If green-lit by Disney, the mini-series will most likely hit the air in the late fall or in early 2008.

Is bringing the Muppets back a good thing or a disaster waiting to happen? Tell me what you guys think.

Cheers.

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FILM: Toy Story 3 Confirmed For 2009.

New Toy Story will be fully financed by Pixar.

Over the past few years there has been more than a bit of tension between the folks at Pixar and the executives of Disney. Pixar threatened to leave the company and in return Disney threatened that they would release a crappy quality, straight to DVD, third Toy Story film (something along the lines of Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea). Now, Pixar didn't want their prized franchise being flushed down the toilet by greedy Disney executives, so they decided not to leave (along with other reasons).

Now things seem to have settled between the two studios. Disney calmed down and was able to acquire the animation studio without too many hassles. Pixar was then able to place powerful people in high enough positions inside of Disney to create Toy Story 3 under their own creative control.

John Lasseter, the chief creative officer at Pixar, has made it clear that Toy Story 3 will be done right and that the animation studio will put all of it's resources towards the feature film.



For starters, Lasseter announced that his Toy Story 2 co-director, Lee Unkrich, will direct the third installment of the trilogy. He also announced that Oscar-nominated writer Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine) will write the thing. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are also set to return along with the regular voice cast (except for Slinky Dog, Wheezy the Penguin, and Lenny the Binoculars due to voice actor deaths).

I'm fairly excited to see what Pixar and Disney can pump out here. While I may not be a fan of 3D animation flicks I respect what Pixar was done with the first two Toy Story films. While other studios pump out celebrity driven 3D garbage every few months, Pixar keeps their heads and (usually) releases well thought out films.

What do you guys think of a third Toy Story movie? Is it a good thing or are they just milking the cash cow for all she's worth? Post a comment, let me know.

Cheers.

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