Talking Horror With the Writers of John Carpenter’s 'The Ward'
August, 03, 2011 1:14 pm | Comments On #dark feed, horror, michael rasmussen, Movies, rasmussen brothers, shawn rasmussenThe Rasmussen Brothers, Shawn and Michael, are quickly making a mark in the horror and thriller genres.
In 2005, their screenplay “Long Distance” was produced and starred Monica Keena. In 2010 horror icon John Carpenter directed their script “The Ward.” That film features Amber Heard, Danielle Panabaker and Lyndsy Fonseca and is scheduled for an August 16th DVD release.
The brothers’ latest project is “Dark Feed,” another trip into sinister territory that they are both writing and directing.
The Rasmussen Brothers talked with me about their work past, present and future, the...
Read MoreThe Summer Movie All Stars: From Tudyk to Byrne, Who Has Stood Out
July, 17, 2011 2:25 pm | Comments On #hollyblog, Michael Lee, Movies, summer movies
We’re at the All Star Break in Major League Baseball, so here’s a list of my Summer Movie All Stars so far.
Please note I haven’t yet seen “Harry Potter.” But these are the people who’ve really stood out in this long summer movie season for various reasons. Some are longtime stars, others are newbies, more are seasoned pros who hopefully will be getting more attention in the future.
Alan Tudyk, “Transformers 3”: About halfway through the film’s long running time, the former “Firefly"/"Serenity” star walks in and steals the show...
Read More10 Ways to Un-Screw Up 'Green Lantern'
July, 07, 2011 10:51 am | Comments On #Movies, the Green Lantern
“Green Lantern,” we saw, we left the theater.
The movie managed to turn off casual viewers and hardcore comics fans. Despite that the producers have announced that there will be a sequel.
So what to do now? This summer proves a movie doesn’t have to be great or even good to be a hit. But in a genre that includes “The Dark Knight,” “Thor” and “Spider-Man 2,” it might be a good idea to aim a little higher. So what do they need to do differently?
1. Make it a reboot. Take a cue from the “...
Read MoreThe Top 10 Biggest Detective Blunders on AMC's 'The Killing'
June, 24, 2011 6:46 pm | Comments On #Television, The Killing“The Killing” sounded like a great idea.
After over a decade dominated by “Law & Order” and “CSI” the crime drama seemed ready for a fresh take -- but things quickly went sour. If “Game of Thrones” went out on a high note, “The Killing” limped into its season finale.
I wish I could say the critics were being too harsh but they weren’t. Instead of a breath of fresh air, the AMC show just reminded everyone why police procedurals became so popular. Gil Grissom or Lenny Briscoe wouldn’t have bungled the case this badly.
I’ve got my own list of “The Killing’s” biggest police work blunders. The worst part about this list is that I came on board at episode 9 and I was still able to come up with 10 examples of shoddy detective work.
And this...
Read MoreShocked by 'Game of Thrones'? You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet!
June, 17, 2011 5:39 pm | Comments On #Game of Thrones, TelevisionSo I had this Facebook conversation with a friend of mine about the last episode of “Game of Thrones.”
ME: So you didn’t read the book?
HER: No! And now I don’t want to read the damn book! *Pouty Face*
Well, I have read the entire series so far. I knew what was coming. What follows is a discussion for fans of the books on what the series producers will do next. So this is MAJOR MAJOR SPOILAGE approaching.
Be warned! If you don’t want to know what happens next (at least in the books) bail out now!
First here’s the trailer for the next episode. Looks awesome!
Read More'Thor’s' Villain: Tragic Hero ... or Was He Playing Everyone?
June, 10, 2011 10:53 am | Comments On #3D, Chris Hemsworth, Kenneth Branagh, Movies, Natalie Portman, Thor, Tom HiddlestonKenneth Branagh’s “Thor” has garnered a lot of justified praise. There’s the “Dr. Who”-like science fiction angle. There are the sturdy performances from leads Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth. But most the praise is aimed at the film’s villain Loki played by Tom Hiddleston, who previously worked alongside Branagh on the British TV series “Wallander.” IO9 called him the one of best villains ever in a comic book movie.
"Loki's arc is a lot more subtle and surprising. Without giving too much away, Loki goes through just as many changes as Thor, and faces just as much heartbreak. Loki is not...
Read MoreNo New 'Wonder Woman'? No Worries -- We Still Have the Super Heroines of the '70s
June, 02, 2011 7:12 pm | Comments On #70s heroines, Bionic Woman, Buffy, comicbook, Lindsay Wagner, Television, Wonder WomanIncredibly the NBC execs looked at Adrianne Palicki in the classic costume and said, “No way.” I had big concerns regarding the script and whether or not David E. Kelley’s style of TV would mesh with super heroics. But it’s still disheartening that the Amazon princess should come so far and fall short.
I’m sure the pilot will be seen, probably distributed on the internet just like the “Aquaman” pilot from several years back. But until then we still have the Lynda Carter series from the '70s.
The '70s were a surprisingly good decade for female super heroics. Sure the '90s had Xena and the start of Buffy. But in the '70s you had both “Wonder Woman” and “The Bionic Woman” on the major TV networks as well as some live-action offerings on Saturday Morning.
Here are some of the...
Read MoreWhy 'Bridesmaids' Will Spawn a New Generation of Gross-Out Copycats
May, 23, 2011 5:51 pm | Comments On #Bridesmaids, hollyblog, Michael Lee, Movies“Bridesmaids” stormed out the gates on opening weekend.
A sequel is already in the works. Yet the fashionable thing to do on the internet is to downplay the effect this film will have on the entertainment landscape. That’s the safe thing to do. Lower expectations. Bet on mediocrity.
Well nuts to that. What’s the use of a blog if you don’t stick your neck out? “Bridesmaids” is a great movie. It deserves every bit of praise it’s been getting and it will change Hollywood. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen.
SPOILERS AHEAD
To understand why this movie is going to change comedy you have to get into what makes it such an effective comedy.
I laughed hard during “Bridesmaids.” There were several sequences where my face hurt from simultaneously...
Read More'Fast 5' Is More Cartoon Than Action Movie
May, 19, 2011 4:56 pm | Comments On #fast 5, films, hollyblog, Michael Lee, Movies“Fast 5” is part action movie part Looney Tune.
And by that I mean 25 percent Sylvester Stallone and 75 percent Chuck Jones/Bob Clampett.
The scene where Paul Walker and Vin Diesel ride a car off a hundred-foot cliff and into a river? The director might as well had them hit solid ground with a Wile E. Coyote dust cloud then cut to a scene of the two of them lying slightly flattened on a dry desert floor that’s sporting a few new cracks and fissures.
It would not have been too far out of place for this movie.
There are more absurdities per minute in “Fast 5” than in the last Austin Powers movie.
Ordinarily, that should sink an action movie, but here it’s strangely entertaining.
The film isn’t deliberately winking at the audience like a Roger Moore James Bond film. It’s not the...
Read MoreThe Best Movie You Haven't Seen
May, 06, 2011 3:30 pm | Comments On #Dumbstruck, Movies, Out of the DarknessI recently judged some films for the Mountain Film Awards, and I’m glad I did. I got to see a number of great shorts and features. Two documentaries really stood out from the pack; one quirky and one that is simply amazing. The quirky one is out in theaters. The amazing one isn’t yet and that’s a shame. Hopefully that will change shortly.
“Dumbstruck” is the one out in theaters. I thought it was goofy and sweet. It’s about ventriloquists, or “vents” as they call themselves. The film features Terry Fator, who won “America’s Got Talent” and parlayed that...
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Description
Michael Lee is a novel writer, blogger and freelance journalist living in L.A. He's been a judge for the prestigious PAGE Awards and blogs about his two biggest passions, screenwriting and food, at Screenwriting Foxhole and To Cook and Eat in L.A., respectively. Lee is also a co-author of "The Insider's Guide to Screenwriting" and has just published his first novel, "My Frankenstein."
