Metro Times: The B-Roll Movie Blog

G.I. Joe: Showing is half the battle

In perhaps the least shocking surprise of the year, Paramount has declined to pre-screen G.I Joe for reviewing press.
This, of course, is the international symbol that a movie is not only lame or not good, but likely bad enough to cause severe birth defects for generations to come. G.I Joe has been shown for interview purposes to junket press, like Channel 20’s own Greg Russell, and for a small cadre of hand-picked bloggers like sweaty uber geek Harry Knowles, but, by and large, those of us ink-stained wretches who get paid to opine about such things got shut out.

Well fine, Paramount, be that way. I’ll take my action figures and go home. It’s not as if I was exactly clamoring to see boyhood buddi ...

McG hearts the Mitten.

A few hundred eager area moviegoers were treated to a nice bonus on Monday night, when an advance screening of Terminator Salvation turned into a meet and greet with the film's director, the man know as McG. Kalamazoo born and bred Joseph McGinty Nichol has made a splash in Hollywood with his glossy, hyper kinetic music video take on the Charlie's Angels flicks, and now he's traded Drew Barrymore for killer robots. The director was full of smiles and homeboy love for his fellow Michiganders, as he fired up the already juiced crowd, hyping the pic and hurling t-shirts into the cheap seats. He even hinted that our pleasant penninsula might host the next man vs. machine slugfest, saying: "Maybe we'll bring the sequel here and you guys can come han ...

ALL HAIL JACKIE EARLE HALEY

I was a pup when I first saw Bad News Bears; developed a heady childhood crush on Tatum O’ Neal, as a matter of fact. Be that as it may, what really got me was the anti-heroics of 14-year-old Jackie Earle Haley — as Kelly Leak— the smirk-y, cigarette-pack-in-sleeve badass whose manner bucked all kid-’70s suburban conventions, down to the motorcycle wheelies in the baseball diamond. His rock star features and swagger shaped wet dreams of a teen-girl nation; he was what ’70s cornflakes like Willie Aames or Leif Garrett or Scott Baio wished they were. I’d often wonder about Jackie Earle Haley and what happened to him, where he’d gone, how he survived. He sidestepped dire “Where ar ...

Morons at the movies.

The president has been pushing for more civility lately, but it can't come soon enough to the multiplex. Last night I attended an advance screening for a hard R rated slasher movie, one held at a later time of night than usual. Exactly the sort of event where you wouldn't expect to hear the cries of an infant, but there were at least two in the theater. And strangely enough, the babies did what babies do in dark places with scary noises, they cried, through the whole two hour movie. While horror movies are not known for audience decorum, and there was plenty of screaming, hooting and talking back at the screen "Don't go in there!" "Oh My God you idiot he's behind you!!", etc. No biggie, when adults do it, but a child can't help them selves, because kids und ...

Mitten Movie Night

Every month for the last few years, the Mitten Movie Project has taken to the screen, showing some of the best short subject films from around the state and beyond. It happens the first Tuesday night of every month, half-screening, half-party, a way to showcase local talent and bring local movie folk together.

If you’re a local filmmaker, you probably already know what’s on offer. But for those considering plopping down $10 for some unknown films, it can be a gamble. Well, now, through the miracle of Internet video, those who are unsure what to expect can drink in some teasers when making up their minds.

For a gander at one of the evening’s more serious films, take a look at this clip for It All Adds Up, ...

Oscar List: Robert Downey, Jr is In, Detroit Snubbed!

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released its list of nominated films, this morning.

On the list for the 81st Oscars are some obvious picks -- Sean Penn in "Milk", Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" and the numerous nods for "Benjamin Button".

One shocker is how well the voters liked "Benjamin Button" -- 13 nominations overall. Also, Clint Eastwood received a shutout for his work on Detroit lensed "Gran Torino". Speaking to some critics, they felt Clint would get something for the film because it is said to be his last acting role. But not all is lost for Mr. Eastwood, his other film in 2008, "Changeling" received multiple nominations -- but none for the 78-year-old mulit-talent and multi-award winner.

But the real shoc ...

A nice, shiny and vintage Gran Torino

Finally saw Gran Torino last night, an early evening show in a Birmingham theater filled with white grayhairs and their grandsons, fans of crusty old Clint. I was keen to see shots of Detroit in the film, to know that the weeks-long road obstructions last summer around Highland Park weren't for naught. In some sweet nostalgic way, the street obstacles reminded me of negotiating those in Los Angeles where you couldn't spit in any direction and not hit a film crew and its associated trucks, trailers and cops directing traffic. Film crews have diplomatic immunity in L.A., and apparently do here too, now. Nice that some type of "art" created in America — even if it is dull, celebrity-driven goo-gah — can still earn benevolent gestures from a community at large, and Lord knows Detroit ...

So you wanna be a filmmaker?

A new book called How Not to Make a Short Film (Secrets from a Sundance Programmer) just arrived in our office from Hyperion, and what a joy it is. Seems its "expert" author, Roberta Marie Munroe, is a rather witty filmmaker herself whose head happens to be crammed with insider-y film-biz knowledge, which basically fills these 300 or so pages.

Inside this paperback — whose chapters run a kind of "how to" gamut for those looking to create a short film — we found a section called "Top Short Film Maker Cliches." It got us howling. Its eagle-eyed analysis of hackneyed film devices is broken down into dozens of questions filmmakers must ask themselves. Said chapter's readymade for stints atop your toilet. Below are few highlights from a list that was partly assembled, Munroe w ...

Clint Puts "Gran Torino" on a Trailer

This past summer, Clint "Dirty Harry", "The Man with No Name" Eastwood was in town shooting a little film called "Gran Torino".

Check out the trailer!