First Image From The Live-Action "Kiki's Delivery Service"
Courtesy excite (note: site is in Japanese), here's your first publicity-still from the live-action version of "Kiki's Delivery Service;" which evidently is a thing that is happening.
"Machete Kills"
The key to the original "Machete" - for me, at least - was that it was the first instance in a long while of a Robert Rodriguez movie actually being about something beyond the surface-level faux-grindhouse jokefest. I have no idea what Rodriguez politics are and thus no idea how strongly he "really" feels about the U.S. immigration debate; but whether authentic or just part of the winking 70s-exploitation pastiche it was the ferocity with which "Machete" engaged the subject that made it stand out: The wildly-applauding, predominantly Latino audiences at my screening(s) certainly didn't think it was a joke.
So I wonder if "Machete Kills," which Rodriguez may or may not have put together partially by having the castmembers of "Sin City 2" put on different costumes for pickups during their greenscreen shoots, is going to keep that going or let Part 1 be "the political one" and just focus on the spectacle of improbable action-lead Danny Trejo hacking up a succession of stunt-cast cameos and Latin-cinema mainstays.
The first full trailer for the film (it's a Yahoo, sorry) doesn't let much out in the way of story beyond what we already know: Machete is called in for a mission by the U.S. President (Charlie Sheen, here using his real name "Carlos Estevez" for the first time in a film) involving a supervillain played by Mel Gibson; whose scheme may or may not involve a "Moonraker"-style outer space component. Rodriguez has "joked" in the past that the third film "Machete Kills Again" will be a Space Opera, possibly incorporating leftovers from his scuttled John Carter project.
So I wonder if "Machete Kills," which Rodriguez may or may not have put together partially by having the castmembers of "Sin City 2" put on different costumes for pickups during their greenscreen shoots, is going to keep that going or let Part 1 be "the political one" and just focus on the spectacle of improbable action-lead Danny Trejo hacking up a succession of stunt-cast cameos and Latin-cinema mainstays.
The first full trailer for the film (it's a Yahoo, sorry) doesn't let much out in the way of story beyond what we already know: Machete is called in for a mission by the U.S. President (Charlie Sheen, here using his real name "Carlos Estevez" for the first time in a film) involving a supervillain played by Mel Gibson; whose scheme may or may not involve a "Moonraker"-style outer space component. Rodriguez has "joked" in the past that the third film "Machete Kills Again" will be a Space Opera, possibly incorporating leftovers from his scuttled John Carter project.
Introducing The BOFCA YouTube Channel
The Boston Online Film Critics Association, of which I am a member, now has their very own YouTube Channel. Bookmark it now, because fun stuff will be incoming.
"Planes"
Here's all you need to know about Disney's "Cars" spinoff, "Planes." Pixar - which had no problem signing it's name to both of the wholly-disposable "Cars" movies, is letting Disney take sole credit for this one.Dane Cook stars as a cropduster who dreams of competing in an airplane race against an elite gathering of broad ethnic stereotypes.
Ma vie en rose
Huh. Well, this will be interesting.
The Hub, which is still looking for an original kids' series that people will watch other than "Friendship is Magic," thinks it's found a winner in an Australian animated series called "Shezow." I hadn't heard of it until the (week old) trailer for it's U.S. premier started making the rounds, but the premise is interesting: The (magical) mantle of a female superhero with decidedly female-gendered accoutremants (sparkly miniskirted costume, Barbie-esque pink car, etc) is accidentally passed to a teenaged boy.
Okay, so it's kind of a single-joke premise parody wise re: male superhero uniforms are considered "unisex" but heroines' are not, but I've seen a lot more made from a lot less. I don't recall ever hearing if anybody freaked out about this in it's native Australia, but as you'll expect the usual gang of idiots is already apoplectic about what they see as another assault on children by The Gay Agenda.
Even without their "help," of course, if the series catches at all that it'll be roped into the debate(s) surrounding LGBTQ children is inevitable; though it's hard for me to get a read on what those communities will/do actually think of this: The premise appears mostly played for laughs, i.e. Shezow is alternately thrilled with his powers but annoyed/embarassed at the form(s) they take (I haven't tracked down an episode, but I'm assuming that, by the law of teen heroes' powers usually being learning-opportunities, the hero has some sort of overcoming-his-own-assumptions-about-girls'-abilities character-arc going on?), and I'm not 100% clear as to whether the transformation (his "By the power of GraySkull!" is "You go girl!") makes him biologically female or just puts the costume/hair/makeup on; but my sense is that any kid-targeted series that - even humorously - says "dressing outside gender-roles is cool/acceptable" has to be a step in the right direction, yes?
Well, we'll see. "Shezow" makes it's U.S. debut Saturday, June 1st.
