The Hollywood Reporter has my recap of the marketing for Drew Goddard's throwback mystery Bad Times at the El Royale. The movie comes from 20th Century Fox with a description that reads like something more out of the late 90s post-Tarantino era than a movie in 2018. Drew Goddard writes and directs the story of … Continue reading Selling Bad Times at the El Royale
Selling Serenity
You can read my full review of the marketing campaign for Serenity at Film Threat. Serenity, the movie based on the short-lived show, takes its name from the ship manned by Malcolm Reynolds and his crew of outlaws. The movie takes place shortly after the show ended and follows Reynolds and the crew of Serenity … Continue reading Selling Serenity
Selling The Corpse Bride
Let me just get this on the record: I'm tired of computer animated films, even those from Pixar. There. Now you all know that I really am the heartless SOB everyone has long suspected I was. I don't think they bring anything new to the film lexicon, there's nothing inherently different or unique about them … Continue reading Selling The Corpse Bride
Selling The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Late summer and early fall always brings out the inner boogeyman in the major studios. They pounce upon Halloween like a fat kid on a cupcake. It's the perfect excuse to trot out all their supposedly “scary” stories which have of late starred far too many current and former actors from The WB and UPN. … Continue reading Selling The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Selling The Brothers Grimm
Anyone remember that old Peter O'Toole movie "High Spirits?" O'Toole plays the proprieter of an Irish castle turned hotel that's about to go under. In order to draw in some visitors he enlists his staff to make the castle appear haunted not suspecting there are real ghosts that come back to interact with the American … Continue reading Selling The Brothers Grimm
Selling Pretty Persuasion
Ahh, the black comedy. Such an easy genre to describe (“It’s funny in a tragic way.”), but such a hard one to actually make a good film in. It’s said that drama is easy, it’s comedy that’s hard. If that’s the case then black comedies are the toughest of the lot since they don’t play … Continue reading Selling Pretty Persuasion
Selling The Island
Oh my God, Michael Bay is back. We tried exiling him to the island of Elba after Armageddon. We tried spinning three times, throwing a shaker of salt over our shoulder and hoping he’d go away after Pearl Harbor. Unfortunately, like Michael Myers (or, for that matter, Mike Myers) he keeps coming back to prove … Continue reading Selling The Island
Selling Wedding Crashers
I’ve written before in various places of my belief that the comedy clique the stars of this movie are part of may be unprecedented in movie history. Don’t get me wrong, no one’s ever going to replace the Ritz Brothers, Marx Brothers, Abbot & Costello, Arbuckle and Keaton, etc. I mean the overall quality and … Continue reading Selling Wedding Crashers
Selling The Fantastic Four
This summer, the breasts of Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears team up in "The Fantastic Four"No? How about this one: This summer, the only men who didn’t say “shit!” when they read Jennifer Garner was schtuping Ben Affleck are The Fantastic Four. In actuality, "The Fantastic Four" is the latest attempt by Marvel Comics to … Continue reading Selling The Fantastic Four
Selling War of the Worlds
How bad does Steven Spielberg have to be feeling right now? He makes a movie with Tom Cruise one of the biggest stars in the world, involving an alien invasion that's based on a classic H.G. Wells novel. That novel was the foundation for one of the greatest publicity stunts of the 20th century when … Continue reading Selling War of the Worlds