Screen Rant » Brian Kettler

Scream Awards 2009: A Report From Front Row Center

Brian Kettler — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:42:51 +0000

This past Saturday, October 17th, I attended my second year of Spike TV’s annual Scream Awards. Not only did I attend, but I had been hand-picked by the casting director to sit front row center for the show! As a fan-focused awards show, it’s much more enjoyable being seated amongst JJ Abrams, Karl Urban, Elijah Wood and Woody Harrelson. My favorite personal surprise of the evening came when the Best Science Fiction Actress nominees were being announced. I cheered (maybe a little too loudly for my girlfriend’s tastes) for Eliza Dushku when her name was announced, only to discover she was sitting right in front of me. She turned around and flashed me her lovely smile. Good thing my girlfriend isn’t the overly-jealous type.

As for the show itself, it seems as though the winners have already been leaked online, and the best surprises have been revealed, even on Spike’s own website. So keep in mind there be spoilers here.

Starting off the show was the “Most Anticipated Movie” award. I’m sure everyone there was utterly surprised by the winner. After a black and white checkerboard “red” carpet, and a Wonderland-esqe stage design, who would have guessed it would be Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland?

In all seriousness though, having Johnny Depp there was very cool. After his extremely brief appearance at the San Diego Comic Con panel this summer, I half-expected that to be his only appearance for this show. Thankfully I was wrong and he came back onstage one more time to present the Rock Immortal award to Keith Richards. Johnny was very gracious on his way up to the small center stage, shaking hands with many of us in the pit next to the stage. Keith Richards was very spry on stage, bounding up the steps to receive his award from his former on-screen “son.” Johnny reiterated the old axiom that after the End of the World, “all that will be left are cockroaches… and Keith Richards”. Take that, Nancy Reagan!

Megan Fox, as I’m sure you all have already heard around the net, was apparently trying to smooth things over with Michael Bay. Here’s her speech:

“I would like to take this moment to actually say something genuine. There have been a lot of false reports concerning how I feel about this movie and I just want to be very clear that I’ve always felt that I am a very ordinary part of an extraordinary film. These movies took me out of obscurity and they gave me a career and I am completely grateful to everyone involved with this franchise. I don’t know why you guys keep voting for me for these things. I don’t feel like I deserve them but thank you and I love you so much, thank you.”

At first, it seemed as though she was setting us up for a SNL-style gag. I thought we’d see her then jokingly refer to Jennifer’s Body, since she never once uttered the names Transformers or Michael Bay. But then, after the disappointing box-office on Jennifer’s Body, it’s no surprise she wants to be a part of Transformers 3. Her speech did sound genuine, it just sounded odd not hearing either name.

Vampires and Werewolves were very well represented this year, from stand-out series True Blood, to the new movie Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant. But judging by the cheers, it was Twilight that had the best reception. Representing the franchise was Taylor Lautner, star of the upcoming The Twilight Saga: New Moon. The footage shown to us was more behind-the-scenes than actual movie footage. After Depp and Lautner, my girlfriend had all but forgotten my earlier Dushku encounter.

Harrison Ford presented the Best Director award to JJ Abrams. It would be exceedingly cool to see these two Hollywood titans do a project together. I wonder if having Ford in the next Star Trek movie would cause some kind of mass nerd head-explosions? William Shatner was also present at the show. He practically begged JJ to be in the next movie. I would have given anything to have been a fly on the wall of that green room! Just imagining Shatner and Ford having drinks and talking shop, I’m reminded of a line from Free Enterprise. When the young character in that movie complains that a kid at school “said that Han Solo was cooler than Captain Kirk”, Shatner, playing himself, remarked “kick the little f&@ker’s @$$”. Seriously though, it would be pretty mind-blowing to see Ford play a Trek villain.

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How To Save The Next ‘Indiana Jones’ Movie

Brian Kettler — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:52:32 +0000

The holiday season is upon us once again. And in the time-honored tradition of making a wishlist of what we hope to receive, I thought I would present something from my personal list for 2009:

A fifth Indiana Jones movie.

Now don’t get me wrong, I certainly don’t expect to receive one in 2009. What I am hoping for is the official announcement that one is in progress; that the contracts have been signed, and pre-production is well under way.

I know that some of my colleagues here at Screen Rant have weighed in on their opinion regarding a fifth Indy movie. Harrison Ford, as quoted by the Los Angeles Times, stated that George Lucas was working on an idea that was “crazy but great.”

As unhappy as many people were with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I was happy they managed to get the band back together again. The movie felt like a sound-check, a warm up jam session in preparation of the concert to come. It is my opinion that if Steven Spielberg, Lucas and Ford truly listen to the criticism regarding the last film, they have the ability to win back the fans of the franchise, and maybe even end the series on a high note. Is this likely? George Lucas certainly doesn’t have a history of caring what the fans of his films think.

Granted, while another film seems to be a sure thing, it still took seventeen years before we got our fourth Indy movie. One of the reasons for this is the MacGuffin, or object of Indy’ quest. Lucas has stated in the past that Indiana Jones’ greatest obstacle is finding a MacGuffin that he, Ford, and Steven Spielberg can all agree on. The two greatest, most memorable quests have been for the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail. But for many fans, it is not the Grail nor the Ark that are so fantastic, but the story that surrounds them. They are mere plot devices for the adventures of Indiana Jones.

What I am basically saying is: Don’t stress too much about the object of the adventure… just focus more on the characters and the action. Everyone knows that Indy will find what he is seeking – it’s how he achieves his goal that keeps us entertained.

To that end, one thing I’d like to see less of in the fifth movie is exposition. The last film featured more expository dialogue than any of the previous films. This slowed the pacing down noticeably at several points in the movie. While exposition is necessary in any film to get some points across, just tone it down a bit next time, please.

In regards to the characters, it should remain an Indiana Jones adventure, NOT a Mutt Williams picture featuring guest star Indiana Jones. If Lucas and company want to feature Mutt, I might be up for it in the future, but only after Indy has received a proper send-off. Personally, I enjoyed the character growth of Indy as a father, with the parallels drawn between the relationships of Henry Sr. and Indy with those between Indy and Mutt. In this context, Mutt as a character worked for me. What drew the ill-will for Mutt from so many was the way he took too much focus off of Indy. Henry Sr. was more of a foil for Indy, whereas Mutt seemed groomed as more of a successor.

Who would I like to see in a fifth movie? Aside from Indy, Mutt would be welcomed if he doesn’t take too much focus off of Indy. I would love to see Henry Sr. , but it would seem Sean Connery won’t be coming out of retirement any time soon. The two characters I’d really love to see are Marion and Sallah. Marion was such a pleasure to see in Crystal Skull, but she should have been given more. I’d like to see her utilized further in the fifth movie. Sallah, on the other hand, was greatly missed this last time around. I would love to see John Rhys-Davies return in the fifth Indiana Jones movie, and preferably as more than just a cameo.

Finally, in regards to the action in the fifth Indy movie, obviously I want to see more. Just keep it as close to plausible as possible. Keeping the CGI to a minimum would help in this case. Mutt swinging through the trees was so implausible that it took me out of the movie experience. And please, return to the super-natural tones of the first three films. The aliens, inter-dimensional beings or whatever they were just didn’t feel like a good fit for the Indiana Jones series.

Eventually, the Indiana Jones series featuring Harrison Ford will come to an end. My wish is for everyone involved to end it on the highest note possible. Crystal Skull featured many things I enjoyed, but I still feel there is at least one more great adventure awaiting us. With Harrison Ford in his mid-sixties we can’t wait another seventeen years for the next sequel.

So my wish is that before the end of 2009, we get the official confirmation that at least one more Indiana Jones film will arrive within the next three years.

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Screen Rant Chimes In On The New Star Trek Footage

Brian Kettler — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:13:45 +0000

[The following is a review/analysis of the 20 minutes of new 'Star Trek' movie footage previewed for the press on the Paramount lot in Los Angeles. It was attended by new Screen Rant contributor Brian Kettler - unfortunately I was not able to make it out to LA to render my own opinion on the footage. - Vic Holtreman]

Space… The Final Frontier. These are the words preceding many of my favorite works of fiction. From the weekly adventures of Captain Picard and his Next Generation crew, to the grand & epic storyline of Captain Benjamin Sisko and his allies on Deep Space Nine , I’ve considered myself a Star Trek fan for many years. While their successors, Voyager and Enterprise, left me cold and led me to stray to find solace in other fictional universes, there was one Trek that has always held pleasant memories for me: The Original Series. Also known as “Classic” Trek (or “TOS”) for good reason, the initial voyages starring Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Doctor McCoy, and the rest of the cast are arguably the most popular among Trek enthusiasts.

I was one of a lucky few invited to Paramount Studios in Hollywood to watch 20 minutes of footage from the upcoming new Star Trek movie. Unlike the New York presentation earlier this week, there were several of the actors in attendance for this viewing. Present were director J.J. Abrams and actors John Cho, Ben Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pine, and Zachary Quinto.

The footage was presented by J.J. Abrams, who spoke before each of the four different scenes that were presented. Abrams states:

“My dream in life is to make movies. My father was a producer on this lot, and so I saw the first screening of ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture’ on this lot. This film was a joy to do for so many reasons. I wasn’t yet a fan, but the script was so good. It was an adventure, it was funny, romantic, sexy, scary, epic. I’m grateful I didn’t pass it up!”

So I guess what J.J. was trying to say is that he does have some prior Trek cred, and he is now a fan.

In regards to casting, Kirk: “Couldn’t fall back on the pointy ears like the other guy”, but he was very happy with Chris Pine’s performance. The audience was thrilled with it, myself included.

On Spock: “casting Spock was going to be impossible”, but Zach was the first person they cast. After viewing the footage, it was most definitely the logical decision. I’m eager to see more. I believed he was Spock, and hope to see how he grows the character. This was the younger, slightly less reserved Vulcan than Nimoy presented. Of what was shown, I think his performance ties very well into what Nimoy had established.

Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine in the new Star Trek movie

SPOILER ALERT: I’m going to focus on my feelings about the footage, so while I’ll attempt to keep the spoilers to a minimum, there are going to be a few. Okay, you’ve been warned. From here on out, There Be Spoilers Here!!!! (BTW, the most uber-detailed description of the footage online can be found here at Coming Soon.)

Overall the footage had a very J.J. Abrams signature style to it. The tight focus on the faces during emotional scenes gives the relationships a very real feeling to them. There’s tension, there’s real drama there. There is some fast-paced cutting during the hand-to-hand fights, which flowed very quickly. This is certainly more of a hip, sexy Star Trek than what we’re used to with these classic characters. I really enjoyed the musical score, it had me on the edge of my seat in a few places. The technobabble, ever-present in all of the modern Star Trek’s, was kept to a minimum here. There is a real dichotomy between the sterile Starship sets and the large-scale industrial locations. The Earth-based shipyards had a very blue-collar feel to them. There were few exterior shots of the Enterprise in space, but the few brief angles shown worked very well for me. Many, many nods to the fans were noted, and all of them worked without requiring a 40-plus year familiarity with Trek lore. Everyone can understand the concept of the planet Vulcan, but hard-core Trekkies can enjoy seeing the CGI-enhanced Vasquez Rocks (The location where Arena was filmed, along with many other Trek episodes). The communicator “chirp” had a nice touch to it. And the new Transporter effect was…different. I liked what I saw, it just had this kind of splatter-effect to it at the end that I think I need another viewing to let it sink in.

The new Transporter effect

The first scene takes place in a bar in Iowa. Kirk shows off his prowess as a ladies’ man (Wow, they really have that character down!). This scene had a lot of well played humor along with a brutal fight scene (by Trek standards). Bruce Greenwood brings real gravitas to the role of Captain Pike, a real father-figure for the aimless, drifter-like Kirk.

Karl Urban as Dr. “Bones” McCoy

The second scene featured Karl Urban as Dr McCoy as he manages to get Cadet Kirk onboard the Enterprise. Urban really embodies the soul of Deforest Kelly, a very inspired casting choice! Like his predecessor, his nurses all wear short skirts. Unlike in classic Trek however, the nurses all wear white. Anton Yelchin is perfect as Chekov. He’s given a great bit of material to work with and performs admirably. More on him later. Urban does a great rendition of “Good God man!” The humor does seem a little forced with the “numb tongue” bit falling a little flat, but overall it’s still solid work. And for the detail oriented nitpickers, the black shirt Cadet Kirk is wearing seems to be the same type everyone else wears under their colored tunics. He’s not an actual member of the crew at this point, so no yellow tunic for him.

I was not too impressed with the designs of the Romulans however. They seemed like gothic, pointy-eared pirates here. They were all bald, to differentiate them from the Vulcans, which worked for me. But their dress and facial hair just kept screaming vampire-pirates to me. I guess I just miss the Nosferatu style brows featured in the modern TV shows. The few lines shown by Eric Bana worked for me, I just wish his minions had a different feel to them. As Abrams states about Bana, his character is “so relatably mostly evil”, so I can’t wait to see what he means.

Simon Pegg as the new “Scotty”

The third scene, as set up by Abrams, features an acting-Captain Spock “trying to get Kirk the f**k off his ship” (Abrams’ quote). It also features the return of Leonard Nimoy to the role he made famous. On directing Nimoy, Abrams said “what do I say to HIM on how to play Spock?” Indeed. The scene shown did not show how Spock first appears on screen, but rather after his reveal. It was rather jarring to miss that introduction, and that is the part I most anticipate next year. That being said, Simon Pegg as Scotty completely steals every scene he has with Nimoy! Pegg was the cast member I was the most worried about, simply due to my baggage of thinking of him as Shaun from Shaun of the Dead. But he was so incredible in his scenes, that to even take focus away from Nimoy was impressive. Pegg won me over as Scotty! Nimoy of course had some very wonderful, touching lines that are sure to please the fans. I won’t spoil them here, but he does consistently refer to Kirk as “Jim”. Very nice!

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Straczynski Corrects Forbidden Planet Rumors

Brian Kettler — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:34:37 +0000

After the critical success of his first-draft-straight-to-shooting script for Changeling (starring Angelina Jolie), Hollywood is finally cluing in to the true potential of writer J. Michael Straczynski. The creative genius behind Babylon 5, Straczynski (or JMS as he is more affectionately known), has his sights currently set on one of the true classics of the Sci-Fi genre:

Forbidden. Planet.

This week word of the new version of the classic Sci-Fi film surfaced on the internet and JMS has chimed in to let people know that report is not accurate.

AintItCool writer “Beaks” claims:

“We have additional info that indicates this is not so much a “remake” as a complementary piece to the Fred M. Wilcox/Cyril Hume classic.”

A sequel to the 1956 movie? Not so fast! According to JMS himself:

“That report is totally incorrect. It’s not going to be retro, and it’s not going to be a continuation. When Altair 4 blows up, it blows up. I have, however, found a way to honor the original movie without in any way besmirching it in order to do this iteration. Once folks find out what we’re actually going to do, I think they’ll be most pleased. ‘Forbidden Planet’ remains one of my favorite films of all time, and I wouldn’t even think about doing this project if I didn’t think there was a way to do it that would not in any way diminish the original…which is why this is the the first development in years to actually get to the script stage. Everybody involved is very excited by the approach.”

The original Forbidden Planet movie was released in 1956 and introduced moviegoers to Robby the Robot, who became a Sci-Fi icon. It also predates Leslie Neilsen’s Police Squad, Naked Gun and Scary Movie days to stand as a tribute to his career as a serious actor.

Based loosely on “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare, Forbidden Planet tells the tale of the search for the missing colonists of the planet Altair-4. The rescue team discovers the remains of an ancient alien civilization, along with their still-functional technology. All of this is familiar territory for JMS, as evidenced by the similar themes showing up in Babylon 5.

I for one think this project is in good hands. That’s not to say that studio interference might not lead to disaster as it has in previous JMS-penned projects (Amazing Spider-Man anyone?).

Of course, this paves the way to my dream coming true: Scary Movie 5 featuring Leslie Nielsen spoofing Forbidden Planet 2010! Come on David Zucker! Nielsen’s not getting any younger!

Source: JMS News, AICN

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‘Lost’ To Disappear Before It Jumps The Shark?

Brian Kettler — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:17:37 +0000

J.J. Abrams, Lost executive producer, recently sat down with MTV news, discussing (among other things) the hit show’s eventual demise. Perhaps learning from the mistakes of previous genre hits such as The X-Files and Star Trek: The Next Generation, the series co-creator talks about not overstaying the show’s welcome:

“ABC agreed to end the series after six years. Which is a gift, because you know you won’t have years seven and eight where you’re thinking ‘they should’ve ended at year six,’ and you know how to pace yourself so that you know how to end the series.”

But what about following the aforementioned X-Files and ST:TNG into the lucrative movie market? Abrams goes on to say:

“The only reason why I think maybe there would be a movie, is that by doing that — which is hopefully the right way to go and that’s it — you do have that sense of, well, it didn’t go on any longer and therefore is there something else that you could do? So there’s a chance, but my gut is it would never happen.”

Personally, I think this is fantastic news. How often does creative vision win out against the almighty dollar? Ending the series organically, when the story calls for it is the wisest choice to keep the fans wanting more.

This should prevent fans from lamenting the days “when the show used to be good.”

So what do you think? After the series finale in May 2010, do you hope to venture down to your local theater for the further adventures of the Oceanic Flight 815 survivors?

Or should they just continue the TV series with forced plot lines or new lead cast members?

Source: MTV

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