Thursday, September 4, 2014

Riske Business: Coming to Theaters This Fall!

by Adam Riske
This week Heath and I discuss this Fall at the movies, Judy Greer’s questionable career choices and Ducktales! Woo-Hoo!

Interstellar and Big Hero 6

Adam: The big one for Fall is Interstellar, right? Do the two trailers make you more excited? Less excited?

I think the first teaser trailer, with the notion that the human race is going to migrate to another planet in order to survive, is interesting but the second trailer makes me less excited. Interstellar is starting to give me a Contact vibe. I feel like I've seen this movie before.

Heath: Until you said that about Contact, I had completely forgotten McConaughey's involvement in that film. At the moment I have no interest whatsoever in Interstellar.

Adam: Boom!
Heath: Like you, I was intrigued by that first trailer, but that second one depicts a movie that frankly looks really boring to me. I'm actually kind of over Christopher Nolan. I'm really tired of movies where everyone stands around looking like someone ate the last Pop-Tart, and that seems to be the only movie he's capable of making. It's probably unfair to judge a movie based on a trailer because they are often so inaccurate, but then again, trailers exist for the sole purpose of selling us on a movie. I can tell you this: the weekend Interstellar opens is the same weekend that Disney's Big Hero 6 opens, and if I can only get to the movies once that weekend, it won't be to see Interstellar. As you said, I feel like I've already seen it.

Adam: Haha. I’m still laughing about the “last Pop Tart.” I'm not as down on Nolan as you seem to be but I'd be lying to say I'm getting super excited about Insterstellar. It's cool that you brought up Big Hero 6, because that is a case where the trailer makes me more excited for the movie. Big Hero 6 looks very cute and I'm hoping Disney continues the positive momentum that started for them with Wreck-It Ralph and Frozen.

Our Most Anticipated Movies

Adam: Between September and Thanksgiving what movies are looking forward to the most?

Heath: That's a really tough question to answer because I really do try my best not to look forward to anything these days. We talk about it all the time on this site, but expectations almost always lead to a movie experience being ruined. That being said, this is the time of the year when the kind of movies I really enjoy seem to get released and there are a lot with the potential to be great. I think David Cronenberg's Maps to the Stars could be the movie we all end up talking about at the end of the year, but there I go again making predictions.

Adam: I'll see anything David Cronenberg makes that does not star Robert Pattinson so I don't...I guess I'll see Maps to the Stars??? The rest of the cast (Julianne Moore, Sarah Gadon, Mia Wasikowska) is strong.

Heath: I'm also really looking forward to Jimi: All Is by My Side because I think Andre Benjamin could finally break out as a movie star with this role.

Adam: I'm hearing bad buzz on that Hendrix movie (mainly that it doesn't have much Hendrix music in it - it was not sanctioned by his estate) but that might be a good thing. Get on Up was ok'd by James Brown's estate and that movie sucked. Maybe this Jimi movie will be more insightful as a result of not having to appease the creator's staff. That sounded dirty.
Heath: Fury with Brad Pitt looks like a movie that I'm going to enjoy as well.

Adam: I'll see Fury because of Brad Pitt, but I'm not a big Shia or Logan Lerman guy (he can’t be a soldier -- he’s 10 years old) so hopefully they won't be too distracting.

Heath: If I'm being 100% honest with you, it's probably Birdman with Michael Keaton that I'm most looking forward to. That movie looks right up my alley and I can't wait to see what Keaton does with the role. I have missed him SO MUCH and this looks like a Keaton tour de force.

Adam: I share your enthusiasm for Birdman. I don't love the director, but the cast is great and I've become a full-blown Michael Keaton fan in the past few years. It's good that he has a meaty role to play.

Heath: Oh, wait.

Adam: What?

Heath: I just remembered Left Behind with Nicolas Cage. Yep. Definitely Left Behind.

Adam: Left Behind (sigh).

Heath: What are you anticipating the most?
Adam: I think my top two are Gone Girl and Nightcrawler, both of which look super interesting. I love half of David Fincher's movies, so I'm hoping this new one is on par with a Zodiac, Se7en or The Social Network. I'll even be ok if it's as good as his Girl with the Dragon Tattoo remake. Nightcrawler I want to see totally because of Jake Gyllenhaal, who is an actor I will see in anything. He picks such interesting projects. I also want to see The Boxtrolls (the new Laika movie) because that studio is really doing some great animated features, Foxcatcher (although Steve Carrell's Best-Actor-please nose is distracting and probably unnecessary) and Whiplash, which cleaned up at the Sundance Film Festival and stars my boy Miles Teller.

Sequels

Adam: Which sequel are you anticipating the most? Dumb and Dumber To, the clumsily titled The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, Horrible Bosses 2, V/H/S: Viral, ABCs of Death 2, Dolphin Tale 2? Please say it's Dolphin Tale 2.

Heath: Oh, it's totally Dolphin Tale 2. Are you kidding? I'd be a real DOUCHE if I said it wasn't. But just for the sake of covering all our bases, I'll lie and say that the sequel I'm most looking forward to is Dumb and Dumber To. I didn't realize I liked the first movie all that much, but something has happened in the last few years and I find myself having a lot of affection for it. That probably has to do with the fact that they didn't immediately make a sequel (Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd never happened) and that I haven't seen these characters in 20 years. Time is a great equalizer, and I think it has been very kind to Dumb and Dumber. I really like Jim Carrey in his dramatic roles, but I'm so ready to see him do something really stupid and goofy in a movie without penguins. Maybe if this goes well we can get that Ace Ventura threequel?

What about you? Which sequel are you excited about?
Adam: In theory it's Dumb and Dumber To, because the original is my favorite Jim Carrey movie BUT the trailer has me very worried and comedy sequels have a spotty track record -- especially ones that have had many years pass since the original. Have I killed your buzz enough?

I'm looking forward to The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 like I am a cousin’s kid’s birthday party. I'd be more excited about it if it were not part one of a two-parter. So I think I'm going to go with V/H/S: Viral. I love horror anthologies and the last one was good so fingers crossed they can keep improving on that franchise.

Horror

Adam: Which of the big three horror releases this October are you looking forward to: Annabelle, Dracula Untold or Ouija? For me, it's Annabelle all the way. I remember seeing The Conjuring and thinking "they should make a movie about this doll" and THEY DID!
Heath: Even though I'm not exactly looking forward to it, I feel like I've got the most riding on Dracula Untold, if that makes sense. Yes, it's another (potentially) stupid origin story of a character that doesn't need an origin story, but as a BIG Universal Monsters fan, I really need this movie to be very good. It doesn't help matters that Universal wants to spin their monsters into an Avengers-like franchise overseen by Alex Kurtzman, whom I'm not sure should even be overseeing a local McDonald's. There's a lot riding on this Dracula movie because it will set the tone for what's to come and because if this is done well, the characters that I love can reach a whole new generation. But they're really going to have to knock it out of the park. So while I'm not sure that I'm looking forward to it, that's definitely the horror movie I'm paying the closest attention to.

Judy Greer, Willow, Ducktales and Movies We’ll See Against our Better Judgment

Adam: Are there any movies you know you're going to see against your better judgment? Or just others in general you are anticipating? For some reason I want to see The Equalizer even though Denzel is doing Man on Fire for about the 60th time. I will see The Skeleton Twins based on my fandom for Kristin Wiig, but I really wish it were a Halloween movie about skeletons. There's the next Jason Reitman movie called Men, Women & Children, which is supposed to come out in the Fall and stars Adam Sandler, Judy Greer and Rosemarie Dewitt. I watched Labor Day, so why get off the Jason Reitman train now?

Heath: Can I just say that I love Judy Greer? It makes me sad to see her shilling for Sprint in those commercials with a talking hamster.
Adam: OMG. I love Judy Greer too! She's adorable and YES I hate that she's in those Sprint commercials. She must be getting blackmailed. Those commercials are like a dare one ad exec made to another to concoct a commercial that has all unappealing elements - the hamster, the Goth kid...ugh!

Heath: Should we be worried for Judy Greer? I mean, should we reach out to her and see if she needs some help? Because she's made a lot of movies; she shouldn't have to be married to a talking hamster. The mafia may be involved in this.

Adam: I'd be happy to reach out to Judy Greer. As long as it's not financial, I'm fine helping her. I feel bad that apparently her human relationships scarred her so badly that she is now trying things out with a hamster. I get that he's a talking hamster, but he's still a hamster. It's not like he's a turtle or something that knows ninja and is human size. Is she just a really big fan of G-Force and was like "I want one of those!"

Heath: Back to movies - As for Jason Reitman, I think I've settled on "he's fine." Once is usually enough for me with his movies. But to answer your question, there are a ton of movies that I'm going to see against my better judgment: Liam Neeson going to the same well again in A Walk Among the Tombstones, and Tusk, the new film from Kevin Smith, even though I lost faith in Kevin Smith long ago. He keeps exploring different territory and isn't making the same movie over and over anymore, though, so I want to reward him with my good faith. I admire what he's aiming for if nothing else.

Adam: Good call on Tusk. I'm intrigued by the trailer.

Heath: Going back to Dracula Untold, obviously I'll be going to see that movie against my better judgment too, because the odds of it being anything other than a steaming pile of garbage are pretty low. I actually approach that with more dread than any other feeling. Leprechaun: Origins (AGAIN with the origins)…

Adam: Haha Leprechaun: Origins. I will not see that because always Warwick Davis. They are going to Jackie Earl Haley up the series with this wrestler guy.

Heath: I'm with you on Warwick Davis. I actually love Warwick. He's Willow Ufgood for crying out loud! He was also incredibly generous when I had the opportunity to meet him several years ago. I'm HOPING that he's outgrown the Leprechaun franchise, because he certainly served his time in sequel hell on that series (even though I like them for what they are). Now he's doing things with Ricky Gervais and you just know he's going to be in the new Star Wars sequels.
Adam: Have you seen Willow recently? It's great. I really enjoyed it. I think it might be a better movie than anything we see this Fall. Remember when Jay Baruchel did the Willow impression in Fanboys? That was awesome.

Heath: I haven't watched Willow in years. It's out on Blu-ray now and that's the way I want to watch it when the time comes (rather than my 2003 DVD), but I haven't picked up the new disc yet. I’ll tell you what I DID pick up last Fall, though: Willow on VHS. And no, I don't even have a VCR anymore, but I was feeling the effects of that documentary Patrick was talking about last year (Rewind This!) and the tape was only 50 cents...sorry, the tape was only FIDDY CENT. Plus, the box for the video is the original, first generation sleeve with the poster art on it and I had to have it. I'm glad to hear that it holds up, though; I think that was the first time that the morphing technology that eventually became so popular in Terminator 2 was seen in a movie. It also taught us the important lesson not to take a pee pee when you're supposed to be watching a Daikini baby. And I never have.

Adam: Willow for fiddy? You gotta get that. I have been thinking about plugging in my old VCR so I can watch Ducktales: Treasure of the Lost Lamp and Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book with Jason Scott Lee and Cary Elwes. They are either not on DVD or out of print. They are gaping holes in my life.
Heath: Dude, I have Ducktales: Treasure of the Lost Lamp on DVD. It's a Disney Movie Club exclusive (yes, I am a member...jealous?)? It's like 25 dollars if you just outright buy it from them, but I selected it as one of the DVDs you get for next to nothing when you sign up. I'd rip you a copy if you ever want me to. Big Ducktales fan; big Disney afternoon fan in general. Tale Spin, Darkwing Duck, you name it. Some mornings before I go to work I'll sit and watch a few episodes of Ducktales just to get me in my happy place.

Adam: I will totally take you up on that offer for a copy of the Ducktales movie! You the man!

Left Behind, Running Times, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Dolphin Tale 2

Heath: Is there anything we haven't covered that you want to discuss? Can we talk more about Dolphin Tale 2 and Left Behind?

Adam: Sure we can talk more about Dolphin Tale 2 and Left Behind. It also has my mom's One Tree Hill crush Chad Michael Murray. I thought for a while I was going to have a stepdad.

Heath: So in the event that your mom does marry Chad Michael Murray (I hear he's single), will you change your name to Adam Murray, or go straight for the less-subtle-but-very-Hollywood Adam Michael Murray? Then again, there's always Adam Murray, nee Riske. You play your cards right, we could see you in Left Behind 2.
Adam: I don't particularly like the name Adam Murray. Adam Michael Murray is better. Even better would be Adam Gilmore, because that means I married Rory and took her name. CMM was totally on Gilmore Girls.

Heath: Well, Adam Gilmore, do you have any other topics you want to cover? I need to go get advance tickets for the premiere of Dear White People before they're all gone.

Adam: If you were a movie (or if they made a movie about your life)....what would be your runtime?

Heath: A tight 105 minutes. If someone has to go to the bathroom because you keep going on and on, that's too long. Also, don't read my entire first year of columns in which I blatantly ignored this philosophy.

Adam: Did you buy The Amazing Spider-Man 2 yet? And if so, did you get the deluxe edition in the Electro bust? Have you seen that? It's crazy looking.
Heath: I have NOT bought The Amazing Spider-Man 2 yet, though I'm sure I will at some point. That Electro bust is kind of cool, I guess, but it's also kind of ridiculous. Plus, it would take up so much room. You know how we do: we have to have everything matching and easily file-able, and I can't stick a bust next to the first blu. I mean, I could, but how would I sleep?!

The main selling point for the Blu-ray for me will be the special features. I'd like to know why some decisions were made. That movie affected me SO MUCH on an emotional level, and I still can't really explain it, but I do understand all the criticisms.

Meanwhile, a couple of nights ago we were all sitting here watching TV when a commercial for Dolphin Tale 2 came on and my step-daughter launched into how great Dolphin Tale was. She's still talking about that movie and I don't even know where or when she saw it. So stay tuned for my hard hitting review of Dolphin Tale 2. Just kidding. I guess it definitely has an audience.

Adam: You should totally review Dolphin Tale 2. There's a new dolphin in this one named Hope. I know this because in the commercial Morgan Freeman is all "Hello, Hope." I wish he followed that up with "Let me tell you something, my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane."

15 comments:

  1. Very entertaining column. Ah, Labor Day. When Kate Winslet’s eyes popped open with delight after sampling Josh Brolin’s baking for the first time was the biggest laugh I’ve had at a movie all year. That movie must be seen to be believed.

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    1. Labor Day sure is funny but it legit won me over by the end. I'm not sure why.

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  2. Judy Greer is right up there with Illeana Douglas when it comes to kinda awkward Jewish girls I have a mad crush on.

    Tweeted with Riske awhile back about there wasn't anything I wanted to see until Tusk but it looks like there's a bunch of stuff after that should be interesting at least. I haven't seen a thing about Nightcrawler and I might just keep it that way cuz Jake's been doing no wrong lately and I like surprises. And yeah, the latest trailer for Interstellar has sucked out all excitement I had for that movie, which I suppose at least leaves room for it to exceed my expectations.

    But who am I kidding anyway, the thing I'm most excited about for the fall is Scary Movie Month! Only 27 more sleeps!

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    1. Judy Greer is a fox. Scary Movie Month!!!!!!!!!! Only 27 more hearty breakfasts.

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    2. Uh, Illeana Douglas is 1/8th Jewish and Judy Greer is 0% Jewish.

      For future reference:
      Actors of fully Jewish background: -Logan Lerman, Natalie Portman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mila Kunis, Bar Refaeli, James Wolk, Julian Morris, Esti Ginzburg, Kat Dennings, Erin Heatherton, Odeya Rush, Anton Yelchin, Paul Rudd, Scott Mechlowicz, Lizzy Caplan, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Gal Gadot, Robert Kazinsky, Melanie Laurent, Marla Sokoloff, Shiri Appleby, Justin Bartha, Adam Brody, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Gabriel Macht, Halston Sage, Seth Gabel, Alden Ehrenreich.

      Actors with Jewish mothers and non-Jewish fathers -Jake Gyllenhaal, Dave Franco, Scarlett Johansson, Daniel Radcliffe, Alison Brie, Eva Green, Emmy Rossum, Jennifer Connelly, Eric Dane, Jeremy Jordan, Joel Kinnaman.

      Actors with Jewish fathers and non-Jewish mothers, who themselves were either raised as Jews and/or identify as Jews: -Andrew Garfield, Ezra Miller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alexa Davalos, Nat Wolff, James Maslow, Josh Bowman, Ben Foster, Nikki Reed, Zac Efron, Jonathan Keltz.

      Actors with one Jewish-born parent and one parent who converted to Judaism -Dianna Agron, Sara Paxton (whose father converted, not her mother), Alicia Silverstone, Jamie-Lynn Sigler.

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  3. Me too. Im watching less horrors recently. Only about 3 a week. Im slowing down ready to overindulge. Im excited

    Im also looking forward to Dracula. Please please please dont mess it up. Hopefully Kurtzman can get time away from his McDonald's job to do the film justice

    Also Kevin Smith. Yeah. Im also a fan. He is very capable and has made some great movies. To use the old cliche. Hopefully "A return to form" would be nice

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    1. As long as that return to form isn't Clerks 4, 5, and 6, am I right?! Look, that's the best joke I can come up with. I'm not even supposed to be here today.

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    2. Yep. Your right. No more Clerks movies.

      Red State had problems. But it was a step in the right direction at least. Compared to Cop Out. You could tell Bruce did not want to be there for that one

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  4. Looking forward to "Horns" and, God help me, "ABCs of Death 2".

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    1. Forgot about Horns. I'm looking forward to that one too!

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  5. I have high hopes for both Interstellar and especially Gone Girl. I have a great level of interest for any new Fincher movie (as I do with any new Paul Thomas Anderson movie, but that's a conversation for the Winter season, I suppose).

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    1. I am also looking forward to Interstellar and Gone Girl. In the near term, I hope This is Where I Leave You is good because I like the cast.

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  6. I think Adam has been reading my mind, as like him I am most looking forward to Gone Girl and Nightcrawler this fall.

    Crime procedurals (eg Zodiac, Gone Baby Gone, Prisoners, and Seven) have become my favorite genre of movies. I have a ton of faith in Fincher, as he either makes great movies, or at least ones of some interest. The one thing I found rather strange was the casting, as a movie staring Tyler Perry, Kim Dickens, Neil Patrick Harris, and Sela Ward sounds more like a Hallmark Sunday Night Movie. Surely Fincher knew this though, and chose them for a reason. I actually want to read the book, but might wait for the movie.

    Then there's Nightcrawler, which fascinated me from the moment I saw the trailer. Sure it has that Drive/noire vibe going for it, which was part of it; the trailer has some fantastic shots of downtown LA. It looks like Gyllenhaal must have been extremely committed for the role. He's been on a roll recently as I really liked Enemy (need to watch it many more times to appreciate it more), and loved the aforementioned Zodiac, Prisoners, End of Watch, and Source Code. I've been saying using his catchphrase "you have to make the money to buy a ticket" from the trailer, so if anything I am probably to psyched for this one.

    Great choices there Mr. Riske!

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    1. Sorry, I meant to say If you want to win the lottery you have to make the money to buy a ticket. And then make sure you scream as loud as you can to make it sound proper.

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  7. Ah i cant wait for the fall movie season myself, if only to get away from the glut of summer films (and I agree overall this summer was pretty good). I am very excited about Interstellar myself as it definitely feels like one for him rather than one for them (Dark Knight Rises). Something feels right about that movie, it looks a little futuristic without being all "look how much stupid sci fi crap we have" about it.
    Gone Girl also looks like solid Fincher which means enjoy the darkness kids. Also Liam Neeson in "Not Taken" aka A Walk Among the Tombstones looks cool as do most Neeson action flicks. Also got two comedy sequels with Hot Tub Time Machine 2 and Horrible Bosses 2, I have zero interest in Bosses but I'm cautiously optimistic about Hot Tub 2 being a fun follow up of the ending of the first movie.

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