If you’re expecting a taut thriller with a super sexy Angelina Jolie kicking butt, you can let that vision go.  What ‘Salt’ is – is Angelina at her kick ass best and leaving the concept of sexiness in the rear view mirror.  In fact, aside from the sexy split skirt she sports in the opening interrogation scene, there isn’t another single memorable portion of the film that highlights or even accessorizes with her looks.  Therein lies the genius of making a great suspense-thriller; put your best looking offering in the role (which was offered first to Tom Cruise), and let the story and action work for itself.

Angelina Jolie (Gia, Hackers) portrays Evelyn Salt, a sharp-as-a-tack CIA officer who at the end of her shift wants nothing more than to get home to her husband and celebrate their first anniversary when fate, in the form of a covert Russian spy, derails her life and brings her to grips with her true self, her true identity, and more importantly – her purpose for existing.  The Russian spy, Orlov (played very eerily and almost David Koresh cult-like by Daniel Olbrychski), plants the idea to Salt and her CIA colleagues that she is a Russian spy whose mission is to kill the Russian President.  The notion of Salt actually being an enemy of The State should be foreign to her CIA pals, but Orlov’s story echoes elements of truth and is intermixed with tales of a top secret Russian program to create ‘sleepers’ like Salt whose job is to infiltrate the highest ranks of US government and wait for a ‘calling to strike.’  And strike she does!  From her daring escape away from CIA custody (this is a 10 story federal building mind you), to an intricate execution of a bombing to ensnare a target, Salt plays no games and takes no prisoners.  Watching this film, I started to grow resentful of the condition of U.S. anti-terror and national security operations.  Our best and brightest fall like dominoes to a single Russian spy.  Salt manages to get into places and escape from situations that are next to impossible and our government efforts to stop her made us look like ‘monkeys f$cking a football.’  It’s okay to run amok while our operatives chase, but escaping custody and capture every single time..geez.

Salt’s ‘Whodini’ act aside, an impressive standout in this film is Liev Schreiber (Kate & Leopold, X-Men Origins-Wolverine), who portrays Salt’s boss Ted Winter.  Screenwriter Kurt Wimmer (Equilibrium) deserves most of the credit for the dialogue, but Liev’s style makes the sharp wit and commanding presence of the character really play well.  Hats off to one of my favorite spy-thriller Director’s, Phillip Noyce (Patriot Games, The Saint).  With Salt, he was given a wider range than just the crisp thriller – this time he got continuous action sequences and performed admirably.  The frame work of Salt’s escape from NYPD’s finest was a real rush.  While on the subject, why would the U.S. government allow the NYPD to cuff and transport one of the wiliest covert operatives?  It doesn’t take an early screening of the film for you to know how that perp ride is going to end.

Still, what makes Salt enjoyable is not just the film being an adrenaline ride; it’s the attention to detail present throughout the movie and even in the characters.  As each character is discovered by the audience, you start to become suspicious of everyone you see.  If the secret Russian program has spies planted in the U.S. from the ages of 3 and up – almost anyone could be a sleeper and not know it.  Every person you meet could be an ally or an adversary and I confess, I was guessing throughout the film and enjoying discovering who was and who wasn’t.  The detail doesn’t stop at characters – it extends to production design.  The scenes involving the White House were some of the most intricate and explorative views I’ve ever witnessed on screen.  At one point you’ll see 3 of the top side levels (with individual rooms) and a sub-level that you’ve only heard about in conspiracy theories.   I questioned how the filmmakers got that level of detail; private access to shoot in the White House (schaa…as if!), or most likely liberties taken from sketches allowed during public tours.

‘Salt’ won’t redefine Jolie’s career, and it won’t be known as one of her sexy thrillers, but it will keep her viable as an action star – and box office willing, will spawn Salt 2 which is clearly a hole left open at the films conclusion.  Go see it to watch a great escape artist and a cunning covert operative work and you’ll be pleasantly satisfied.   After you’ve exhaled from the finale and walk towards the theater exit – ask yourself, what happened to Evelyn’s dog?

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

If there’s one thing that has significantly changed the landscape of escapist filmmaking, it’s the move away from star-driven vehicles to franchise driven ones.  Special effects, easily branded imagery and familiar rhythms are the elements that sell an audience on a franchise. Often there is a lack of energy and unpredictability that comes as a result of this trade-off. Filmmakers aren’t eager to break that contract with the viewer that promises what they are going to get is what they paid to see. Unfortunately, for the movie going audience, what we often get are pictures where the leads could be interchangeable.

Even in Avatar, which falls outside of my complaints above, Jake Sully could have been played by literally anybody. There was a time, even not so awfully long ago, when popcorn films were structured around actors and, more specifically, movie stars. Many years ago it was Cary Grant or Humphrey Bogart standing in as their own special effects and providing emotional pyrotechnics. Now, in James Mangold’s effortlessly fun new summer fling, Knight and Day, a newly recharged Tom Cruise and a playful Cameron Diaz remind how much a good set of actors can really bring to the table.

The film they are in is completely ridiculous, although significantly less so than the battiness of The A-Team or the solemn absurdity of Robin Hood. With Cruise as Roy Miller, an agent who’s maybe gone round the bend, and Diaz as the hapless young woman who falls into his orbit. Knight opens in an airport, moves onto a doomed airplane, careens down a large stretch of highway, and barrels through Austria on a train. Towards the end, all of the main players, incljuding the villainous Fitzgerald (Peter Skarsgaard), are chasingeach other through Spain, in search of  a powerful device known mysteriously as the Zephyr. As is wont to happen in movies like this one, Roy and June are forced to flee on a motorcycle, with Diaz wrapped firmly around Cruise, as they careeen in between the running of the bulls, with the bovine brutes trampling up and over speeding cars. I would have rolled my eyes, but by this point we’ve already watched Roy fall off a motorcycle and onto the hood of a vehicle, spraying machine gun fire down the freeway as other cars fly through air past his head.

All of the action scenes have a kind of gee-whiz, tongue-in-cheek quality to them. We aren’t supposed to take them seriously or have them jar the back of our skull loose. They have been so skillfully constructed to reveal the seams, that we can only conclude–following the smirking lead of Cruise–that we are meant to be amused by them, and to laugh at the over-the-top nature of it all. Either way, it doesn’t matter much. Unlike the crunch and munch of Michael Bay’s insanely loud and depressingly stupid blockbusters, James Mangold’s movie pops, snaps and zings it’s way to the finish line, like a pinball machine with real human beings at the center.

As I said up front, this movie stands or falls based on what Cruise and Diaz can bring to the table. Here, they bring alot. They make Roy and June not deep people, but realistic enough that we can connect with them, and once that happens, everything including the big explosions has a little more bite and kick to it.

 Tom Cruise comes out of the gate smirking here, and every nod of the head, half-smile, or sideways glance has been calibrated to remind his fans of an image of the Cruiser we haven’t seen in awhile. This isn’t the odd, egomaniacal persona that alienated fans a few years ago, but is much closer to the more self confident, but not self-absorbed, Cruise that did Mission Impossible. Diaz has a really appealing and straightforward quality that shines in the character of June. Together, they are both made better and they sell the angle that these two characters would be drawn to one another, even as the rest of the world seems intent on killing them.

A modern action movie might not require us to believe in any kind of a bond between characters who are on the run and are required by the script to face off with the villain at the end, and achieve a happy resolution. In the end, though, I’m thankful that Knight and Day does. It’s the best big budget, live action film to heat the theaters so far this summer and I hope it finds the audience it deserves.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Stephen King’s The Shining is not only a classic film directed by one of the best of all time, Mr. Stanley Kubrick, but also an endless source of artistic inspiration and expression as evidenced by this poster designed by Nick Tassone.

Chris Thornley designed this homage to Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets which had a fantastic official poster when the film was released in 1973 starring Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel.

If you’ll remember the line, “Make yours like mine.” from Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums then you know exactly what Ibrahim Youssef has illustrated in his poster for The Royal Tenenbaums.

Another Chris Thornley design this time perfectly capturing the dark humor and playfulness of Christian Bale’s American Psycho. This is as perfect a time as any to point out that recently Bale was quoted as saying he used Tom Cruise as a model for his Psycho role. I don’t know whether or not Cruise should take that as a compliment.

Matt Needle designed this Michael Caine Get Carter poster, unlike Sylvester Stallone’s remake the original was as cool as Caine and Matt Needle’s poster has harnessed that coolness.

What do you think of these posters? Do any of them make you want to revisit these films? Have you seen any good lookin’ posters or reinvisioned posters lately, please share them with us!

Is Tom Cruise’s burly, foul-mouthed producer alter-ego, Les Grossman headed to the big screen on his own?

Looks that way. Grossman, who made his screen debut in 2008’s raunch comedy Tropic Thunder also took the stage Sunday at the MTV Movie Awards, where he busted out in a rap dance that looked similar to the mating rituals of a silverback gorilla. Here’s the press release for the film, written as if Grossman is the real deal.

Film fans who already have one too many overbearing, insane producers to deal with, will be relieved to note that for the time being, Grossman is just a parody, albeit one fired pretty close to the heart of the industry.

Check it out:  

‘Paramount Pictures and MTV Films announced today that they are set to develop a movie around mega-producer Les Grossman. The announcement comes on the heels of Grossman’s groundbreaking and visionary production of the soon-to-be Emmy® award-winning 2010 MTV Movie Awards Sunday night. Tom Cruise, along with Ben Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld of Red Hour Films will produce and have secured the life rights to Grossman.            

Grossman, best known as a mega producer, has most recently mentored talents such as Rob Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. In 2008, Grossman was introduced to the masses by Stiller in the comedy “Tropic Thunder” where the famed producer had a cameo playing himself.

Said Ben Stiller: “Les Grossman’s life story is an inspiring tale of the classic human struggle to achieve greatness against all odds. He has assured me he plans to quote, ‘F**king  kill the sh*t out of this movie and make Citizen f**king Kane look like a piece of crap home movie by the time we are done.’ I am honored to be working with him.”    

When asked what the screenplay was about Grossman responded: “To quote my great friend Kirk Lazarus, ‘I don’t read the script, the script reads me.’”

Adam Goodman, Paramount Film Group President said, “Everything I learned in this business, I’ve learned from Les. I started out as his assistant, and from the first day he threw his desk at me when I got his lunch order wrong, I have loved him like a father.  I am forever grateful to Ben and Stuart Cornfeld and their ability to secure his highly-coveted life rights,”

Tom Cruise is said to be in talks to portray Grossman in the film.

Michael Bacall (“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”) will write the script. He is repped by WME.

WME also reps Ben Stiller and Red Hour Films.’

Although it was reported that Brad Bird was in final negotiations to direct M:I 4 a while ago, that news has now been confirmed by Tom Cruise, in an interview with Empire.

In June, it was announced that J.J. Abrams and Tom Cruise had an idea for a fourth installment. Abrams wrote an outline and hired Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec, of Alias, to pen the screenplay. After it was announced that he would not be directing (apparently he was busy on something else), possible directors included Edgar Wright, Ruben Fleischer, and Brad Bird.

Well, Bird has officially signed on in what will be his live-action directing debut. His previous animated work includes The Incredibles and Ratatouille with Pixar and The Iron Giant, all among the best animated films ever. After working on getting his project 1906, about the San Francisco earthquake, off the ground at Warner Bros., the studio balked at the $200 million price tag, forcing him to rework the script.

Now, at first this upcoming film was considered a “reboot” but I’m not entirely sure what that means if Cruise is returning as Ethan Hunt (which was confirmed last October). Maybe the movie is a set-up for a new star? Anyway, I loved the first Mission: Impossible, loathed the second (that film made me sick — I’m not kidding), but then the third one came back in a huge way. Hopefully, the super-talented Bird can continue this streak and deliver an awesome spy film.

(By the way, that image of Bird is ridiculously high resolution, so if you want a poster of him or something, now is your chance.)

Tom Cruise and producer J.J. Abrams (also the director of 2006′s Mission: Impossible 3) have been searching the film world to find the right person to helm the next chapter in the blockbuster spy series, but of all the possible names and contenders, I don’t think anyone would have expected Brad Bird!

Oscar-winner Bird has never made the foray into live-action filmmaking, but his animated features, The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille are all widely considered to be masterpieces in their own right. Bird has also been hard at work on getting a live-action project into production, but plans for his proposed drama 1906 have stalled recently, meaning that he could conceivably take the gig with M:I 4.

In addition to Bird, some other names are being tossed around for the director’s chair, most notably Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer and Edgar Wright, the British wunderkind that gave us Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and the wildly anticipated Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. However, Wright would most likely be too busy with the press and promotion for Pilgrim to jump into production on M:I 4, as Paramount heads reportedly want the film underway by this summer to be ready for release by May of next year.

So, your mission, should you choose to accept it: tell us what you think of animation master Brad Bird taking the Impossible reigns.

Recently I asked you who your favorite big screen werewolf was and that got me thinkin’ about some other popular characters portrayed by multiple leading men in the movies. This discussion must always start with the character of agent 007 James Bond, best played by Sean Connery. Other popular Bonds were Pierce Brosnan and Roger Moore while Timothy Dalton and George Lazenby aren’t

remembered so fondly for their portrayal of the famous secret agent. Currently carrying the torch and ordering shaken martinis is Daniel Craig who seems to make a lot of people happy; I prefer him on the other side of the law as he was in Layer Cake and Road to Perdition.

Then there’s Dracula, or vampires in general. The list of actors who have played a vampire on film is a long one. So here are a few that come to mind, please remind me of any as I’ll most definitely leave some out – Leslie Nielsen (Dracula: Dead and Loving It), Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise (Interview with the Vampire), Willem Dafoe (Shadow of the Vampire),  Robert Pattinson (Twilight), Bela Lugosi (Dracula), Gary Oldman (1992′s Dracula), Frank Langella (1979′s Dracula), Christopher Lee (1970′s Count Dracula), and Kiefer Sutherland (The Lost Boys). Needless to say, all of these guys suck, but who is your favorite?

Second in big-screen adaptation popularity to Dracula is  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes who, along with Dracula, has been in the movies since the very beginning. Personally I’ve got a John Barrymore’s Sherlock Holmes (1922) waiting for me on my DVR, which I recorded after seeing Robert Downey Jr. play the part this past Christmas. I also watched a slew of Sherlock films from the late 1930s into the 40s starring Basil Rathbone, the man most of us think of when we imagine Holmes. Robert Stephens played the part of Holmes in what I consider to be one of the worst Holmes films The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. Probably the most popular Holmes story The Hound of the Baskervilles has seen many leading men including Peter Cushing (1959) and Peter Cook (1978) in the role of Holmes. My favorite Holmes adaptation is Disney’s The Great Mouse Detective (1986) starring Barrie Ingham’s Basil of Baker Street as a Holmes-like mouse.

Another Hollywood mainstay that’s been around almost as long as Sherlock and Dracula is Robin Hood. Russell Crowe will be slinging arrows this May in theaters as Robin Hood. My favorite Hood is a tie between Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Disney’s foxy 1973 adaptation voiced by Brian Bedford. Douglas Fairbanks first wore the tights and feathered cap in 1922′s Robin Hood followed by Errol Flynn in 1938′s Robin Hood. Mel Brooks didn’t play the part but he did direct Cary Elwes as he had fun with the part in Robin Hood: Men in Tights. One Hood adaptation that I’ve not seen and as a native Texan am dying to see is Gene Autry’s 1947 Robin Hood of Texas! I can only imagine…

Honorable mention goes to Batman and Superman, both qualify for this discussion but I really don’t think either are very interesting as the best/worst in each case are pretty black and white. Don’t agree with me? Say so!

This list is near and dear to my heart, as I am a true fantasy genre freak. From my childhood till now, there are a very large number of fantasy films in my top 25, even my top 10 films of all time. With that being said, below is my list of the top 10 fantasy films ever!

10 – Willow – I know I’m going to get picked on about this one, but it is what it is. Willow is still one of my favorite films. Something about Willow is charming, fun, adventurous and simple; I love it!  Maybe it’s because Ron Howard was involved, or maybe it’s just because it’s a great, yet cute story. Who knows, but this movie has a special place on my DVD shelf that will remain as a constant in my fantasy collection.

9 – The Princess Bride – The Princess Bride, what can be said about this awesomely funny fantasy movie? Anyone who knows movies can quote way too many lines from this movie. From Andre the Giant to the ever beautiful Robin Write Penn, this movie stands tall amongst the best of the genre. This movie puts together all the ridiculous clichés of the fantasy genre all the while giving you a cast containing a mixed bag of fantastic actors. Classic and timeless – can you blame me for this pick?

8 – E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial – Spielberg. I could stop there but I am not that big of a Spielberg fanboy! This simple story of the bond between an average kid and a very lost (and ugly) alien wowed us all.  The storytelling is both personal and heartbreaking, to this day it can make me cry at the end. Spielberg takes a simple storyline, one created in his mind after his parents broke up, into one of the best movies of all time. Period.

7 – The Wizard of Oz – It’s the original. A wizard, a couple of witches, lots of freaky flying monkeys, what more do you want in a movie? A classic story and a classic film, this movie is beyond classic, it’s part of us all. Growing up close to where Frank Oz grew up, I have been on the actual yellow brick road! This is a must for all collections not matter what format!

6 – Pan’s Labyrinth – This film was such a surprise for me. The idea that this was more along the lines of an adult fantasy world really peaked my interest. The extreme violence I must say I was not expecting from the movie; it may of swayed people in the opposite direction but I truly enjoy this movie, rewatch after rewatch.

5 – The Labyrinth – This great film from the 80′s has a strong cult following, and I am glad to say I am part of that following. David Bowie as the villain, strange puppets, a gorgeous world, an interesting plot, and a very young Jennifer Connelly. Do you ask for more? I also will drop the ever awesome name of Jim Henson, what a master in all he did.

4 – Legend – Ridley Scott, yes that Ridley Scott, created such an enormous universe for this film that it surprises me how long ago it was made. He was able to bring to the screen something huge.  This is a film that many people have forgotten but if it’s on TV or if I am in the mood – I watch it. Such a great tale of deception, love and much more.  It’s an adventure/fantasy that will linger with you long after the film has ended. Enjoy it!

3 – The Dark Crystal – A lot of people know that I love this movie, and I am sad that there is an even larger number of people who have never heard of this film. This film stars lots and lots of Muppets and is actually a really incredible fantasy story that will draw you in as you watch it. If you liked Labyrinth but missed this one, then you need to watch it right away! It’s the classic hero trying to save a nearly doomed world, and you’ll be surprised by how good it is. The Muppets, the man behind them, Jim Henson, and the team bring such a gorgeous story to life in a world that is all too familiar. GRAB this one now!

2 – The LOTR trilogy – You could argue how I could put three movies into one spot on the top ten list, I honestly don’t care. These movies are separate for one reason: the length, and that only. These movies are one very large story and an amazing one at that. Sit down and watch these amazing stories unfold before your eyes and allow yourself to be drawn into the world that has been built before you.  These movies are gorgeous interpretations drawn from the pages of books that are world renown, and bring you into the world of Middle Earth. The acting, the story, the effects all bring so much to the screen, it is hard to doubt anything about these movies. They are second for a reason. Below is that reason!

1 – The Neverending Story – This is one of my top 5 films of all time. A true classic in the realm of fantasy. The story of a boy locked in a room in his school reading a book that he shouldn’t be reading. So simple, yet an awesome starting point for something that is amazing. He controls the fate of a far away world all along finding himself. I remember as a kid (and an adult) watching this over and over again, following Atreyu, along with Falkor, one of my favorite creatures ever, through their journeys. I never get sick of this movie, and it’s one of those rare gems that is worth watching again and again.

That is my list – hope you enjoyed it. Please leave some comments on movies I may of left out or any issues or questions you may have. I do own all of these in one format or another, as should you!