The New James Bond! (Junkie Hype News)

Layer Cake's Daniel Craig (seen above aiming his new Mi6 gun right at some baddie, no doubt) will indeed be the sixth actor to portray James Bond in a feature film.

After Brosnan reportedly requested a package deal that would have earned him over $40 million for his fifth Bond movie, a year of negotiations has been come to an end with confirmation that Eon is planning to cast a new, younger James Bond for the 21st century. Among those reported (or rumored) to be considered for the role are Clive Owen, Julian McMahon (Dr. Doom in Fantastic Four, Jude Law and Orlando Bloom. With Brosnan's departue, it's very likely that past series regulars like Dame Judi Dench (M) and John Cleese (Q) might likewise be replaced. (3/29/05) According to "The Hollywood Reporter", Dame Judi Dench will indeed return to play M, but Cleese will most likely not return, most likely making Dench the one tie between the previous and new Bonds. The bigger news, however, *might* be (if this story is accurate) that a movie rumor site called IESB.net may have gotten Clive Owen to confirm his casting as James Bond. We'll see if there's anything to this. (4/6/05) Right, well, now a week later, the British tabloid "The Sun" is reporting that Daniel Craig is close to being announced as the next Bond. All sorts of crazy stories get printed in British tabloids, so once again, take this one with a grain of salt. (10/14/05) It took another six months for Eon to make it official, but they have, selecting Daniel Craig to be the sixth official James Bond film star.

source site: Greg's Previews at www.upcomingmovies.com

Screening Schedules This Week (10-26-05)

ROBINSONS MOVIEWORLD
The Legend of Zorro
11:45 AM, 2:15 PM, 4:45, 7:15 PM
Dungeons & Dragons II: The Elemental Might
1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM
Blade of the Rose (Twins Effect II)
1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM
One Missed Call 2
1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM
Ispiritista: Itay May Moomoo
1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM

SM CITY CINEMA
One Missed Call 2
11:50 AM, 1:40 PM. 3:30, 5:20, 7:10, 9 PM
Dubai
12 PM, 2:15, 4:30, 6:45, 9 PM
Ispiritista: Itay May Moomoo
12 PM, 2:15, 4:30, 6:45, 9 PM
The Legend of Zorro
11:20 AM, 1:45 PM, 4:10, 6:35, 9 PM
Dungeons & Dragons II: The Elemental Might
11:50 AM, 1:40 PM. 3:30, 5:20, 7:10, 9 PM
Blade of the Rose (Twins Effect II)
11:50 AM, 1:40 PM. 3:30, 5:20, 7:10, 9 PM

A History of Violence

A Cronenberg Masterpiece
By Reymundo Salao

It has been quite a while since I was able to watch a really good serious drama film. A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE is about a simple happy family man named Tom Stall who has been confronted by dark and shady people that claim that they know him, and that they want to settle some business with him. In this gradually suspenseful case of mistaken identity, Tom is driven into a disturbing world that threatens to disrupt the peaceful family life that he lives.

The film takes a peek into real lives, real relationships, how perfect and pure it can be sometimes, and how incidents of violence tend to make tremendous damage and unpleasant changes into the happy life that it sends the relationships toppling down. The setting of the film takes place in a peaceful country setting of semi-rural America where citizens know each other and are generally polite with each other. The protagonist Tom Stall lives the perfect family life, but when visitors come to their town with violence in their mind, things begin to change from white to red and black.

The film has a really simple storyline but what sets it apart from other movies of the relatively similar storyline is its perfect tone and pace that flawlessly builds up the intensity and the atmosphere for suspense and a gradual sense of menace. It has been blessed with a really good director, cast and crew.

The cast of the film are not only good actors and actresses, but excellent character performers who have the talent to dive right in to a role that requires incredible character detail to the point that they can really breathe life into a whole new different, remarkable and unforgettable character. The main character of the film is played by Viggo Mortenssen (who is now popularly recognized as Lord of the Rings’ Aragorn), who has delivered a great portrayal of a man in agony and under pressure as his family is under threat because of an identity he never claims as his own. From his tiniest mannerisms up to his own posture, you can tell that he really immerses into a completely different character whenever he’s portraying this man who lives a peaceful life, now haunted by gangsters. Ed Harris’ role as Mr. Fogarty, the mob boss who haunts Tom, is as menacing as any movie monster, even though all he does is sit down and delivers his threatening little speech to Tom. His role in this film may be brief but prominent. But his character is equally unforgettable as the role of Ritchie portrayed by William Hurt. It’s rather unique and refreshing to see Hurt play a mob boss character, for he is well-known to play light roles, usually that of a father or a protagonist’s mentor. He contrasts his previous gentle roles with this bossy and quite vulgar one. Also in the film, and not to be undermined in terms of performance is the beautiful Maria Bello who plays Tom’s wife Edie, Ashton Holmes as Tom’s son Jack, and Heidi Hayes as Tom’s daughter Sarah.

The film is directed by David Cronenberg, who’s known for many good psychological and thought-provoking thrillers and chillers such as “The Dead Zone”, “The Fly” and “Dead Ringers” he has also directed “M. Butterfly”, his body of work has that of subtle and layered intensity themes. This film has a degree of simplicity but is filled with heavy tones of drama and stress layered into it. A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE is Cronenberg’s best film so far. Truly, on my opinion, the best drama picture of the year.

Now Showing this Week (10-19-05)

SM CITY CINEMA

The 40-year-old Virgin
12:20 PM, 2:30, 4:40, 6:50, 9 PM
Dubai
12:20 PM, 2:30, 4:40, 6:50, 9 PM
Land of the Dead
12:15 PM, 2 PM, 3:45, 5:30, 7:15, 9 PM
Deuce Bigalow 2: European Gigolo
12:15 PM, 2 PM, 3:45, 5:30, 7:15, 9 PM
Into the Blue
12:20 PM, 2:30, 4:40, 6:50, 9 PM
A History of Violence
12:15 PM, 2 PM, 3:45, 5:30, 7:15, 9 PM

LAND OF THE DEAD

INTO THE LAND OF THE DEAD
By Reymundo Salao

GEORGE ROMERO & HIS DECADES OF THE DEAD (A BRIEF OVERVIEW)
George Romero is a living icon of the horror genre. He virtually established the zombie horror standards, practically invented, would be a more appropriate term. His 1968 revolutionary gore-horrorfest classic NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (the one which is in black & white) broke ground and became the template for the zombie horror genre. At its time, it was the most frightening horror movie ever made, as it creates a seemingly inescapable world of monstrous and cannibalistic living corpses feasting on its helpless human victims. It took a decade later, 1979, when he came out with its sequel DAWN OF THE DEAD which intensified the storyline’s degree of gore, action-thriller, and the setting that focused on the zombie menace that has already gripped the urban community. It wasn’t monotonous to the first movie as this one has a subliminal message about man’s tendency towards consumerism, one that tells us that our modern lives have become too routinary that even in the zombie state we would find ourselves doing the same lifestyle routine, specifically, of going to the mall. Another decade later, in 1985, Romero released DAY OF THE DEAD, the third installment of what has now become his zombie series. On this sequel we learn that the zombies have completely taken over much of civilization and the survivors now live in an underground facility where scientists have experimented and realized that many of the zombies could be domesticated, and even taught to do tame manners.

In 1990, Tom Savini directed the remake of the NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, a very good remake that made only slight changes and relatively faithful to the original except that it was in color and had a somewhat happier ending. Just last year (2004) DAWN OF THE DEAD was also remade under the helm of director Zack Snyder. It was a great remake movie, even if it was done without the thumbs-up approval of Romero. But this year, George Romero has finally indeed gone “back from the dead” with his long-awaited sequel to 1985’s DAY OF THE DEAD entitled LAND OF THE DEAD.


LAND OF THE DEAD
The present day world has become a world that has been devastated, massacred, and overrun by the zombie menace that has seemingly swiped humanity. In this world, the human survivors are but a few, but in time, they managed to re-establish an organized civilization with a fortified city surrounded by walls and guards that would stop and destroy intruding zombies (that they call “stenches”). But they have soon discovered are beginning to learn, and develop some degree of intelligence, the kind of intelligence that can surely restore what is known as the Land of the Dead.

The opening credits was really awesome and reminded me of Nine Inch Nails music videos, with its black-&-white motif and its creepy-fast-&-shaky film speed as it focused on the face of corpses decaying on screen, transforming into zombies. The pace of this film is faster than any other zombie movie, perhaps due to the fact that it does not need to waste time on explaining what has transpired before. The film quickly assumes that the audience must be familiar with the post-apocalyptic genre of most zombie movies and proceeds to the film’s main storyline. The opening sequence with the zombies doing “human habits” was eerie and funny at the same time, but it was very self-explanatory of what was going on; the zombies were becoming intelligent. Even to the point that the tables have turned that we see the zombies being the victims of what has become man’s appetite for barbarism. In this film we get to see things from the point of view of the zombies, for a change. And how this one pseudo-heroic zombie leader become the revolutionary head of what seems to be a vengeful zombie uprising. It was very “scratch-your-chin” interesting. On the other hand, we also see another subliminal message of the film telling how mankind still tends to restore his own sense of greed and powerlust even at a time when unity and peace must be established, that is, in the guise of the characters played by prominent actors Dennis Hopper and John Leguizamo. The heroes of this movie are played by the not-so-famous Simon Baker, who plays Riley and his scary-faced buddy Charlie, played by Robert Joy. And by the way, the lovely Asia Argento is one heck of an eye-catcher on this film, especially in her kinky get-up during her first scene. Trivia: Asia Argento is the daughter of Dario Argento, one of the producers of “Dawn of the Dead” and the have also produced many horror greats in the 80’s including Lucio Fulci’s “Zombi” a.k.a. “Zombie 2”

Apart from Romero’s other zombie movies, this film is relentless, fast-paced, explosive, and more rabid. More like an action movie, Producer Bernie Goldmann says the film is "Night of the Living Dead meets The Road Warrior." It even reminds me of John Carpenter’s best films which are action-packed macho and gory at the same time. In fact he was initially considered to be the director of the film. But that was back when the film was under development. With Romero having completed this new masterpiece, it now makes me suspect if he is indeed one of the living dead…

Screening Schedules This Week (10-12-05)

ROBINSONS MOVIEWORLD
Transporter 2
11:15 AM, 1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM
The Perfect Man
1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM
Land of the Dead
1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM
Deuce Bigalow 2: European Gigolo
1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM
The Constant Gardener
12:15 PM, 2:35, 4:55, 7:15 PM

SM CITY CINEMA
The Perfect Man
12:15 PM, 2 PM, 3:45, 5:30, 7:15, 9 PM
Dubai
12:20 PM, 2:30, 4:40, 6:50, 9 PM
Land of the Dead
12:15 PM, 2 PM, 3:45, 5:30, 7:15, 9 PM
Deuce Bigalow 2: European Gigolo
12:15 PM, 2 PM, 3:45, 5:30, 7:15, 9 PM
Transporter 2
12:15 PM, 2 PM, 3:45, 5:30, 7:15, 9 PM
The Constant Gardener
12 PM, 2:15, 4:30, 6:45, 9 PM

Screening Schedules This Week (10-5-05)

ROBINSONS MOVIEWORLD
A Sound of Thunder
1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM
The Perfect Catch
1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM
Dark Water (2005)
1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM
The Long Weekend
1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM


SM CITY CINEMA
The Brothers Grimm
12:20 PM, 2:30, 4:40, 6:50, 9 PM
Dubai
11:25 AM, 1:20 PM, 3:15, 5:10, 7:05, 9 PM
Dark Water (2005)
11:50 AM, 1:40 PM. 3:30, 5:20, 7:10, 9 PM
The Perfect Catch
11:50 AM, 1:40 PM. 3:30, 5:20, 7:10, 9 PM
A Sound of Thunder
11:50 AM, 1:40 PM. 3:30, 5:20, 7:10, 9 PM
The Long Weekend
12:15 PM, 2 PM, 3:45, 5:30, 7:15, 9 PM