This is a cool little bit of news.

Universal (and probably all the big guns will follow suit, with the exception of Sony, perhaps) is pairing some of its upcoming Bluray releases with iPhone and iPod Touch apps that will allow for handheld interaction with the film while you are watching it on the screen.

Namely, for Bruno, Funny People, 9, American Pie Presents: The Book of Love, Public Enemies and Inglourious Basterds (which one of these doesn’t seem to fit in?) you’ll be able to access a bunch of features using the new “pocket BLU.” Pocket BLU will access your iPhone’s wifi connection and seamlessly link that to the network connection in the Bluray player itself.

According to the official press release, some of the features available through the pocket BLU app are:

• Advanced Remote Control: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray™ player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live™ functions with ease.

• Video Timeline: By turning the phone to landscape mode, users will bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the movie.

• Mobile-To-Go: Users can unlock a selection of exclusive bonus content with their Blu-ray™ discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there’s a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy exclusive content on the go, anytime, anywhere.

• Browse Titles: Users will have access to a complete list of pocket BLU™-enabled titles available and coming to Blu-ray™ Hi-Def. They can view free previews and see what additional content is available to unlock on their device.

• Pop-Up Keyboard: Enter data into a Blu-ray player with this easy and intuitive keyboard that will facilitate such Blu-ray™ features as chatting with friends and sending messages.

If you can’t wait to see what all the fuss is about, the pocket BLU app is available in the iTunes app store now, so go grab it and then pick up one of these Blurays when they get released soon!

Columbia Pictures has acquired the rights to the novel Waiting for Robert Capa, written by Susana Fortes, to be adapted by screenwriter Jez Butterworth (The Last Legion) and directed by Michael Mann (Public Enemies, Heat, Collateral).

The film will tell the story of Robert Capa, a war photographer who was romantically linked with Jewish German war photographer Gerda Taro during the Spanish Civil War. The two photographers revolutionized front line journalism, and Taro was eventually killed during the Battle of Brunete.

Mann will also produce the film under his Forward Pass label.

Let’s hope the director finds a more effective way of marrying the period piece subject material of the film to his digital shooting style — while Public Enemies certainly had its fans, many found the look of the film to be underwhelming or muddy.

With the summer movie season of 2009 drawing to a close, it’s time to look back at the ten films that made us laugh, cry, howl and above all entertain us. Now bear in mind while films like The Hurt Locker and Moon saw release over this summer, they won’t be included here as this focuses more on the blockbusters than it does some films that had play at festivals. Enough babble, onto the films.

10. GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST

Some are going to have films like Land of the Lost, The Proposal, or dare I utter Year One on their top ten lists, but I’m going to opt to put this one on there. Oh yes, it’s a shock this shows up here but the film was actually a decent little romantic comedy. It’s more a comment on how this summer has been, but let’s not discredit a movie that actually took the time to develop the leading characters and moved rather briskly. Matthew McConaughey is more than tolerable as Michael Douglas steals every scene he’s in. May 1st started blockbusters off on the wrong foot with Wolverine, but romantic comedies started off well with this fairly underrated movie.

Current Grade – 7/10

9. HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE

Potter die-hards snatched this film up and drank every last drop of it, others (like yours truly) felt it did just enough to be considered good, but lacked an explosive action scene present in most blockbusters. Word on the street is the book has a climatic battle that could have been present here helped the picture. Instead this remains a decent Harry Potter picture that shows the growth and talent of the leads and might be considered one giant build up for the final two films. If it is, it’s a well done ad for Deathly Hallows and did get me interested to see where this is going to end up.

Current Grade – 7/10

8. G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA

First, this by no means has anything in it resembling a good, even decent film. However, the film spoke to the child inside me and for that I enjoyed the hell out of it. Besides when you’re a kid playing with your action figures you don’t care about your Boba Fett or Batman action figure on a deep quest to find themselves. No, you want them to take out everyone in the room and engage in an all-out war, plot be damned. While the effects are spotty in some spots, it doesn’t matter in the end as Stephen Sommers gets the tone of G.I. Joe right and gave us the blockbuster Terminator Salvation, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen promised but failed to deliver.

Current Grade – 7/10

7. DRAG ME TO HELL

Look for this in something I’ll concoct at the end of the year called “Films I Was Wrong On.” It’s still not one of the films of the year, the movie is a nice mish-mash of new and old Raimi while the director just has a blast making a nice throwback film. Like another film on this list, it gets a little too self-indulgent for it’s own good and Raimi’s slapstick style doesn’t always work, but who doesn’t love an anvil taking out a demon. The performances were a little better than expected as well, the best of whom comes from Dileep Rao. Oh yeah, and I’ll still stand by it being one of the best horror films of the decade, credibility be damned.

Current Grade – 7/10

6. THE HANGOVER

You have to applaud this film for being the one to debunk Warner Brothers’ “no more tentpole R” films as this went on to become one of the highest grossers of the year. As far as the funny goes, this film brought it in spades with a decent plot and some great comedic performances. In fact, most of the random things these characters end up in are plausible considering this is supposed to be the craziest Vegas hangover ever. Ed Helms was terrific both on the piano and as “Dr. Douchebag” as Zach Galifiankis made up for his turn in What Happens in Vegas. It loses it’s way toward the end, but it still comes out as one of the funniest films of the year.

Current Grade – 7.5/10

5. STAR TREK

Most have called this ‘the film to beat this summer.’ While the film has some really big plot problems, overall J.J. Abrams brings it all together to craft one of the most entertaining and best films not just of the summer, but the year. This one also furthers the destruction of the “even-good odd-bad” theory that Nemesis helped to take care of. I may be the only one, but I still feel Chris Pine gave a better Kirk than Shatner (flame me below) but Karl Urban so sneakingly steals the film away from everyone, he should be arrested for it. It was action-packed, featured wonderful characters and while fun, wasn’t completely dumb. Oh, and it’s fourth best of the entire Trek series.

Current Grade – 8/10

4. DISTRICT 9

Boy, science fiction sure is having a wonderful year with Moon, Star Trek, Watchmen, and now this. It doesn’t insult it’s audience’s intelligence, the action is coherent and shot well, and the performances are just as powerful and moving as anything you’ll find this year (Sharlto Copely deserves at least a nomination.) One of the most original pieces of the year, District 9 remembered what it was that made summer such a gold mine for films in the first place. It’s tough to talk about anything in the film as the less you know going in the better but just know this: District 9 is the summer blockbuster we deserve and hopefully it’s a success so studios take notice that we want our movies to have some form of intellect behind them. Leave now, go see it.

Current Grade – 9/10

3. PUBLIC ENEMIES

I love Michael Mann, and will worship pretty much any film he makes (hey, I’ll at least admit it.) Public Enemies is another great one of his, and is the equivalent of Picasso painting a masterpiece or Mozart conducting another classic. That won’t work for some as Mann follows the beat of his own drum but at least here it ended up being one of the best flicks of the summer. It’s the 1930′s through the eyes of Michael Mann, and seldom has it ever been this stylish or cool. Public Enemies also has the best shootout this year with the cabin shootout and one of the most beautiful scenes that Mann’s ever filmed with Dillinger’s last moments. It’s poetry, pure poetry.

Current Grade – 9/10

2. UP

Pixar just outdoes themselves every year, even though WALL*E made a case that the trend had ended. Well, it doesn’t as Up edged the robots out to take the crown. Ten minutes in, Up gives one of the best directed scenes ever in ANY film and doesn’t let go from there. There’s likely not going to be a more deserving animated film to break the barrier and be nominated for Best Picture. It still overwhelms me how terrific this film is, from how subtle it is with telling it’s characters to making Ellie a character without her being there and not making Russell an annoying little kid. All that, and we’ve yet to talk about the story is pure bliss. In short, it’s Pixar’s finest hour to date.

Current Grade – 9.5/10

1. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

If I were a history teacher, I’d be teaching this film in history classes as fact. Tarantino has crafted a movie that’s his best since Jackie Brown, and no that’s not an overstatement. The journey might have been a long one for the Basterds to get to the screen but it was well worth it. Brad Pitt is at his finest and way, way better than he appeared in last year’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button namely because he as a personality in this one. The big winner of this is Christoph Waltz who should go on to bigger things thanks to his performance as Col. Hans Landa. For Tarantino, he does self-indulge like he did in Death Proof, but doesn’t go overboard and uses the dialogue to build tension during scenes. Also unlike that film, there’s no fat to be cut as everything moves the film along briskly. The results are magic, and as the writer/director himself puts it, a “masterpiece.”

Current Grade – 9.5/10

So there you have it, these are the films that took summer 2009 by storm. Sure things started off bumpy with Wolverine and there were pot-holes along the way in Terminator Salvation, Year One, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen but this summer didn’t limp to the finish line. In fact it went out with a big bang and turned in some fun and two seriously great pictures. In fact, that may as well define the summer as one that showed promise, faltered, then delivered big time in the clutch. Here’s to a great end of the year with The Lovely Bones and Black Dynamite still to come.

For the first time which in this reporter’s opinion seems to be a long while is a tie for first over this past 4th of July weekend. Dreamworks’ Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs ties up with the robot-clad Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen both coming in with 42.5 million each. The third installment of the Ice Age animated trilogy involves the fuzzy mammoth Manny (Ray Romano) and his wife Ellie (Queen Latifah) expecting, while Sid (John Leguizamo) gets himself into some big time hijinks that even his friend Diego (Dennis Leary) cannot save him out of as they discover a world underneath them of dinosaurs. Even though Ice Age 3 did have a really strong opening, especially on this past holiday weekend, Transformers 2 definitely is starting to loose steam which is most likely coming from the big time negative reviews on the flick.

Also slinking its way into the top three is Michael Mann’s 1930′s gangster drama, based off of true events, Public Enemies. Starring Johnny Depp, Chrisitian Bale and Marion Cotillard, the thrilling dramatic tale took in 26.1 million. With an estimated budget of 80 million, one can easily see this movie make it all back and then some with the fairly positive word of mouth.

Earlier released movies such as The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 and Year One have thrown themselves into bomb status, making this summer movie season evenly matched with overly outstanding pics and ones that just fall straight on their faces. Pelham only scrapped in 58 million total despite its 100 million dollar budget which it does not seem it will make back, along with Year One having 38 million despite its 60 million budget. Enough chit chat, lets take a look at the results below:

Weekend Box Office (July 3-5)

1. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs  ($42.5 Million)
2. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen  ($42.5 Million)
3. Public Enemies  ($26.1 Million)
4. The Proposal  ($12.7 Million)
5. The Hangover  ($10.4 Million)
6. Disney/Pixar’s Up  ($6.5 Million)
7. My Sister’s Keeper  ($5.2 Million)
8. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3  ($2.5 Million)
9. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian  ($2.1 Million)
10. Year One  ($2.1 Million)
11. Star Trek  ($1.8 Million)
12. Away We Go  ($1.1 Million)

Note: The list is extended due to two ties in total numbers over the weekend

Time to draw out another huge selection of movies with this Friday’s new releases that include I Love You Beth Cooper, Bruno, Blood: The Last Vampire, Soul Power among many others. Keep on going to your local theater fellow movie goers!

Is this a minibot on my tail?

Although normally we do push a weekend box office report, since it is summer time and there are a fairly larger number of films being released mid-week, we cannot ignore it any longer. Sam Witwicky and his friendly Autobots have succumbed to the fallen after this past Wednesday. No, I am not referring to The Fallen in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen but to the cute and cuddly mammals in Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.

Taking in around 13.8 million on its opening day, reptiles and weasels alike reigned at the top of the box office. Optimus and his own Matrix of Leadership managed to take in 10.9 million, and all though it does not seem that impressive, it just brings them even closer to making around 300 million domestically (and in its second week too). Now you must be pissed and or wondering, what’s the deal with Michael Mann’s latest cinematic achievement of sorts, Public Enemies? It still made a smaller but still noticeable amount, bringing in 8.2 million for its first day.

The weekend has not even begun though, and then is when these three films will really duke it out. Stay on here to check out Philip’s weekly box office prediction article, The Wrong Guess along with the monday released weekend box office from myself.

It’s no secret that I think Michael Mann is the greatest director of all-time, dead or otherwise. One can throw all the Scorsese, Kurosawa, Ford, or Spielberg they want and I’ll still conclude that Mann is better than all of them. His style is unparalleled and has influenced my own approach to the way I make films. Maybe it’s how cool he makes everyone appear in his movies, or maybe it’s how no one does action better than him. Mr. Mann just has a touch to his films that really speaks to me. I’m awed by how well and how different he’ll shoot his material and how he builds his characters for the actors.  While not every one his films has been masterworks (Ali and The Keep come to mind) he rarely misses. Public Enemies, I’m proud to say, falls into the latter category.

Let’s address the look first which many have whined over since the first trailer has been released. Mann re-teamed with Dante Spinotti, the genius who helped him shoot Heat, for this picture and they used the new Sony F23 to film a good chunk of scenes. It looks nothing short of gorgeous and immerses the viewer in the 1933 era Mann so perfectly recreates. Had the picture been shot on film, the era would have been given a “glory days” type feel to it and that was never the intent of this story. Spinotti and Mann want to put the audience in the era, and shoot certain scenes as if one is next to Dillinger and company as they joyfully escape a prison or just had a successful score. Even better is a scene where Dillinger and Billie Frechette make love. Billie’s explanation of herself is inter-cut with the two engaged in intercourse to create cinematic beauty. The love-making is aggressively shot, in contrast to the stoic way Mann films the quieter moments of the scene. Perhaps though the best directed scene is Dillinger’s demise (which if you cry fowl over, do some research) and is nothing short of brilliant. Mann builds the scene by showing Dillinger watching Manhattan Melodrama and gives one the feeling Johnny thinks that’s him up on screen while Melvin Purvis and company wait patiently outside for him. It’s all subtle, yet pure magic as it unfolds to leave the viewer breathless.

Then of course, there’s the action and oh my, how amazing all of it is. By comparison, Michael Mann makes Michael Bay repeat every grade since pre-school. In fact, this is the most action packed of any of Mann’s films and he doesn’t fail. Where most directors blow their wad thirty, sometimes ten minutes into the film, the auteur that is Mann patiently builds up to an explosive shootout in Wisconsin that is arguably the best shootout since Mann’s own Heat. The action is placed wisely, moving the plot forward rather than slowing it down or happening just because it can. The opening prison break, as well as the other action pieces, all have a beginning, middle, and an end. But again, all the ones prior to the Wisconsin shootout don’t overshadow it and let it take center stage. Here is when Mann decides to go all out and deliver nothing but balls to the wall blitz and gunfire. What results is an edge of your seat sequence that blows the pants off of 99% of the summer blockbusters that claim to feature “dazzling action” or “superb effects”. Likely one will wish their theater handed out complimentary Tommy guns so they can fire back at the screen. The action in this film is just that terrific and is incredible and immersing the viewer into feeling like they’re there.

Every male’s dream was made a reality when Mann casted Christian Bale and Johnny Depp as the two leads and neither man disappoints. Let’s start with Johnny Depp who plays John Dillinger as reserved. True, Depp is known for being outlandish of his other roles but here he fits like a sequined glove. Like Vincent in Collateral, Depp’s Dillinger is cold and calculating but the epitome of slick and cool. The film obviously characterizes him as our protagonist, our hero, so you want to root for him. Mann has always excelled at making the villains the hero and here it’s no different. He shows Dillinger as an individual goes for the gold damning the consequences. Once faced with the consequences he finds a way out of it and it’s easy for Depp. Nothing comes off forced and not once does one wish for another actor to embody Dillinger. Much like Johnny himself, Depp has a presence that’s unparalleled. He commands the screen like few other actors have the ability to do and really feels at home here.

Complaints likely will be made about his relationship with Billie Frechette played by Oscar winner Marion Cotillard in that they lack chemistry. These people are wrong in every sense of the word. Their relationship isn’t in your face and much like everything else in the film is handled very subtly. Marion portrays Billie as someone who didn’t think much of herself and wasn’t headed anywhere until Dillinger came into her life. While it would have been nice to have another scene with them (and that’s one of the very few strikes against this film,) what we’re given is enough for one to form their own opinion on what their relationship was. Cotillard is fine as Billie, hitting the right notes and clicking just dandy with Depp’s Dillinger. They seem natural and not “in your face” or sappy.

The best performance though comes from Christian Bale as Melvin Purvis. He’s ten times better here than he was in Terminator Salvation and The Dark Knight. Purvis here, is the young hotshot who’s just making his way up the ladder. Instead of making jokes left and right, this iteration is unsure of himself and of the FBI. One of the best shots in the film comes during Purvis’ confrontation with Dillinger. “Do you think this’ll hold me?” Dillinger retorts or something to that effect and Purvis stops to give a very soft-spoken look of doubt. It’s a great counter to Depp’s confident Dillinger while making one sympathize for Purvis. He’s quite possibly the antagonist, but one that’s hard to root against. He wants Dillinger, like a kid wants a new toy on Christmas but he’s unsure if he’s going to get that shiny new bike. Bale is virtually flawless while never succumbing to what hindered his performances in his last few outings.

The supporters all lend a wonderful hand in making the film as great as it is, the standout being Stephen Lang who’s worked with Mann before. Also wonderful is Billy Crudup as J. Edgar Hoover, playing him as a tough yet subdued boss. The real star here though is Mann’s direction. Likely, it’s the best directed film of the year so far and should (hopefully) earn a golden boy come February. No shot is unwelcome and Mann proves once again why he’s one of the best at placing music in his pictures. He conducts his actors in his own way, and the result is sheer genius. One might complain about his shots being “too shaky” but it’s not overdone and is meant to feel like the audience is looking at it. Mann has always achieved that in each of his movies and here it’s no different. Where Miami Vice was watching a maestro at work, Public Enemies is watching said maestro paint another masterpiece.

Mann always sticks some themes into his pictures and personally, different people are going to take something different from all films, not just his. Public Enemies gives the sense that Dillinger lived the American Dream in his own way. He was a celebrity (again, something else the film should have touched on a little bit more) due to his Robin Hood nature and even he had a kick out of it. With Frechette and Dillinger’s relationship, it feels as if Billie is filling a void in her life. For Dillinger it’s just going through the motions yet the film leans more toward Dillinger having feelings for Frechette. Did he? Mann ultimately leaves it up the audience to decide.

Melvin Purvis is the embodiment of a traditional hero. He knows the old way isn’t working and wants to shake up things. He represents the law our world is used to, and not the one that would let gangsters and such get away. In some respects the hero’s journey could be applied to him as he doubts himself, then is told by his superiors Dillinger is going to be a tough act to catch. He perseveres through it all, much like Luke does during the original Star Wars films. One of the final shots of Purvis walking down a Chicago street as chaos errupts around him, dressed in white. It’s this imagery that speaks good will prevail no matter how cool or chic bad might be at the time.

In case the previous 1503 words weren’t enough, I loved Public Enemies and feel it’s one of the years best. It comes with a warning though as Michael Mann’s style of filmmaking doesn’t cater to the masses. Through and through, this is a Michael Mann film that’s unapologetic in it’s approach and execution. Public Enemies demands one think on it and even watch it a second or third (or likey to be in my case six-hundredth) time to fully appreciate it. It’s not a film that one can easily come out of and proclaim “IT’S SO AWERESOME!” and needs time to chew on. Public Enemies isn’t for everyone, but for those it’s catered to, they’ll have witnessed a master who’s added another masterpiece to his repertoire.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

With June now leaving us, this marks the midway point of the year. It also means Comic Con, District 9, the 2009 NFL Season (GO STEELERS), my birthday, and Christmas are all around the corner. It also means it’s time to take a look at as of right now are the ten best films of the year. As always, I suggest you take this as opinion only and not some form of law that these are absolutely the best films of the year so far. But really, I’m right and you’re wrong anyway so that’d be pointless.

10. STAR TREK
Star Trek may have a story that’s full of plot holes and problems, but J.J. Abrams makes the chaos work to create the film that kicked off summer. Chris Pine takes Captain Kirk and makes him his own while Karl Urban a performance DeForest Kelley would be proud of. The effects don’t disappoint and the action is pretty thrilling. It works, and it’s certainly better than Orci and Kurtzman’s other film this year. Here’s looking forward to another, better adventure with this team.
Current Grade – 7.5/10

Showing off seven brand new clips from the upcoming Michael Mann film Public Enemies, we get a bigger sneak peek of sorts on the world during the ‘golden age of crime’. Starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard, the 1930s crime drama comes out in theaters on July 1rst everywhere. In order to satisfy your hunger of movie goodness, check out the videos below: