M. Night Shyamalan
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BirthDate BirthPlace |
08/05/1970
Pondicherry, India |
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TCA: New Fox Shows Include Event Series from M. Night Shyamalan & Late Night Cartoons
January 08, 2013 9:04am ESTTCA is in full swing and in the spirit of revealing the best of TV’s upcoming events, Fox announced four new series to be added to its slate. In addition to filling out its Animation Domination block with new late night summer shows Axe Cop and High School USA! (featuring the voices of Mad Men star Vincent Kartheiser, Mandy Moore, Megan Mullally, Patton Oswalt, and more), the network dropped details about its long-form event series from M. Night Shyamalan and Band of Brothers writer Bruce C. McKenna. Both series are described as “high-impact, 10- to 12-part events” by Fox CEO Kevin Reilly. The first series, Shyamalan’s Wayward Pines is, of course, a mystery series sure to be full of Shyamalan’s signature “unexpected” twists. Based on the novel Pines by Blake Crouch, the series will deliver its secret service agent protagonist into a veritable smorgasborg of Shyamalanian fruit: he goes to the small town of Wayward Pines, Idaho in search of two federal agents but finds himself with even greater questions and the fear that he may never leave the town alive. McKenna’s event series, Blood Brothers, takes a tone more rooted in reality, telling the true story of the West Point class of 1861 as they graduate and are unleashed right into the bloodiest fray in American history: the Civil War. Classmates and friends find themselves on opposite sides of the country’s polarizing conflict but for the Blood Brothers in question, their bonds prevailed over the violence. Coming off of the huge critical (and relative box office) success of the Civil War drama Lincoln, Blood Brothers could be a good move for Fox. The long-form series don’t yet have release dates, but according to Reilly, "These two series are the first of many big ideas, big names and big talent that you can anticipate will be on our air in the next 12-24 months." The late night series include Axe Cop (about “the most badass who ever existed”), High School USA! from Community’s Dino Stamatopoulos (a.k.a. Star Burns), and an untitled animated series starring identical twins and stand-up Kenny and Keith Lucas. The three animated series debut July 27 during Fox’s new Animation Domination block from 11 PM to 12:30 PM ET. [Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures] More: M. Night Shyamalan Is Creating a TV Show: We Guess the Twist 'Bones' Renewed for 9th Season — It's True, Not a Fib-ula! Some Morons Think Neil Patrick Harris' Super Bowl Ad Mocks Christianity From Our Partners: ’Texas Chainsaw’: Top 5 Leatherface Kills (Moviefone) Quentin Tarantino’s Most Bad-Ass Music Moments (Moviefone)
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'After Earth' Reveals Jaden and Will Smith's Post-Apocalyptic World — POSTER
December 25, 2012 10:56am ESTA new poster has just hit the internet for After Earth, M. Night Shyamalan's sci-fi, post-apocalyptic movie starring Jaden Smith and his father Will Smith. The one-sheet, below, teases what might be Shyamalan's most epic work yet. After Earth — which will probably include a major twist at the end knowing Shyamalan's work — takes place in the future, after a crash landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden) and his father Cypher (Will) stranded on Earth 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humans to escape the planet. With his father critically injured, Kitai must embark on a journey to get help in uncharted, dangerous territory with evolved animal species that now rule the planet, and an alien creature that escaped during the crash. After the trailer came out a few weeks ago, this poster certainly increases our excitement for the father/son flick. The stunning visuals of Earth in the image are only hiding nefarious, dangerous elements, and that juxtaposition of beauty vs. the unknown is compelling — why did humanity leave the planet? After Earth hits theaters on June 7, 2013. Follow Sydney on Twitter @SydneyBucksbaum [Photo credit: Columbia Pictures] More:Jaden Smith is Looking More Like Will in New 'After Earth' ImageWhy Will Smith Said No to 'Django Unchained'Will Smith: We Miss Mr. July You Might Also Like: 20 Hottest Bikini Bodies of 2012: Kim Kardashian and More! ’The Hobbit’: Making Sense of Kili, the Hot Dwarf
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Twist! Will Smith and Jaden Smith Are The Only People Left 'After Earth' — TRAILER
December 10, 2012 9:50am ESTAlright, so what's the twist? After Earth, the upcoming sci-fi action vehicle starring Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith, is the latest film from director M. Night Shyamalan, so there must be a twist. We know it's not that after their terrifying crash landing, they don't run into some kind of "Damn you all to hell!" Planet of the Apes situation (though, primates do make an appearance in the trailer) and they've been on Earth all along. Papa Smith already confirms that for us. Maybe it has something to do with the elder Smith's indistinguishable accent. Seriously, what is that? Or maybe, in the ultimate twist, there's no twist at all. That after The Lady in the Water and The Village and The Happening, Shyamalan (whose name is completely absent from the trailer, perhaps because Columbia Pictures didn't want a debacle on par with the Devil trailer) decided once and for all to make his twists deader than Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense. That instead, he'll simply rely on the star power of the Smiths and some dizzying CGI effects of a post-apocalyptic Earth. The preview — which was released on Monday — certainly does. (None of the other cast members, like Zoe Kravitz or Isabelle Furhman are anywhere to be seen in the two-plus minute clip.) The preview for the movie, featuring the father and son duo (who have not appeared on the big screen together since 2006's The Pursuit of Happyness) trying to survive in a very post-apocalyptic — 1,000 years, to be exact — world, should certainly conjure up other cinematic memories. The intense, Cast Away-like crash, the I Am Legend-esque survival skills of Senior Smith, and perhaps most notably, a mysterious island prime for LOST-level theory baiting. Oh no. Guess we're not done with those twists after all. Watch the full trailer here: After Earth arrives in theaters June 7, 2013. [Photo credit: Columbia Pictures] More:Jaden Smith is Looking More Like Will in New 'After Earth' ImageWhy Will Smith Said No to 'Django Unchained'Will Smith: We Miss Mr. July
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Life of Pi Review
November 19, 2012 10:04am ESTThere is a lot that could go wrong with a big screen adaptation of Life of Pi the 2001 bestselling novel by Yaan Martel. Which may explain why the story of a young boy stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger — juggling deep themes of religion family nature and human existence — has been developed and let go by many big names in Hollywood. For nearly a decade filmmakers like M. Night Shyamalan Alfonso Cuarón and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amélie) have grappled with the project but it wasn't until Oscar-winner Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) that the film was fully realized. Lee's Life of Pi is an inspiring film sporting imaginative visuals and pushing the art of 3D in new directions. Even more impressive is what's underneath it all: a character-driven narrative that depicts the book's grand ideas with unexpected tenderness. Life of Pi dreams big. Thanks to Lee's expert direction and a solid script from David Magee (Finding Neverland) the survivor tale avoids the pitfalls of such an ambitious effort never straying into hokey melodrama. The film opens with a writer (Rafe Spall) visiting an adult Pi Patel (Irrfan Khan) at his home in Canada after being told that the Indian immigrant had an amazing life story in need of capturing. "Amazing" may not be enough of a superlative. Young Pi (newcomer Suraj Sharma) begins his life as a regular kid in Pondicherry India growing up on his family's bustling zoo while attempting to fit in with the world around him. His major struggle is with religion — while his father resents faith and his mother is dedicated to Hinduism Pi wants a little of it all. He's Hindu he's Catholic he's Muslim he's a wanderer between all ways of thinking. When he attempts to feed the zoo's tiger only to be caught by his father and disciplined for considering the beast to be anything remotely soulful. It's clear that his upbringing in the lush environment has seeped deep into Pi's way of life. The main character's passion for the world around him gives Lee the opportunity to direct Life of Pi with a painter's eye. Nearly every shot is exquisitely composed — from bold colors to camera movement to the layers of 3D. This holds true even when Pi's story takes a turn for the worse. Having run into financial troubles the Patel family packs up the animals and heads to Winnipeg on a French freighter. While crossing the Mariana Trench the ship encounters a catastrophic storm that floods it into oblivion (a moment of disaster that rivals the artistic destruction of Titanic). Pi and a few of the animal passengers escape on a lifeboat the glow of his past life slowly fading away into the depths of the Ocean. The set piece is gorgeous but Lee never forgets the impact the incident has on Pi's life. It's indicative of the entire film. The brunt of the story focuses on the man vs. nature we've seen in films like 127 Hours and Cast Away but in an even more terrifying landscape and played out with an expressionistic touch. Pi finds himself on a lifeboat with the Bengal tiger "Richard Parker " lowering the already minuscule chance of his survival to something unimaginable. He copes building a second raft out of wood planks and life preservers but his survival is a ticking clock. All he can do is sit fish write and pray. Lee approaches Pi's journey of floating in the middle of the Pacific with a jungle cat like a fever dream. Like the swirling universe he imagines as the residence of his various gods the deserted ocean is a luminescent wonder filled with giant whales glowing jellies flying fish and deep caverns that unlock Pi's wild imagination. All the while Pi tends to his tiger; their brotherly relationship is the core of Life of Pi. Sharma has heavy material to tackle for his big screen debut but even with its weak moments stands as a tremendous breakout. Over time Pi loses himself to the ocean reaching for understanding and investing more and more in his feline companion. It's a physically demanding performance too — Lee always pelting something new at his young actor and Sharma shining through even the biggest wave. The tiger is another marvel a CG creation that actually performs against Sharma. If Caeser in Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a milestone Richard Parker is the next step. On top of the central duo Magee's framing device of Older Pi and the writer works miraculously well thanks to the natural skills of Khan and Spall. Exposition be damned — these two can have a casual conversation that feels as dynamic as the larger-than-life tale they're discussing. Life of Pi arrives in theaters on November 21 and as all the makings of the perfect holiday film. On a visceral level it's simply a beautiful movie (any live-action film that evokes memories of Hokusai's "The Great Wave" is doing something right). But Lee transcends flashy blockbuster contemporaries by finding a source material where the breathtaking compliments the character's arc. Life of Pi isn't an overtly religious film even though Pi identifies with religions of all kinds. It's about the power of self the religion of humanism. There are few feats of mortal strength as impressive as survival. That's what makes Life of Pi one of the most powerful films of the year.
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'Life of Pi' Paints Breathtaking 3D Spectacle from Exploration of Faith — EARLY REVIEW
September 28, 2012 11:05am ESTThere is a lot that could go wrong with a big screen adaptation of Life of Pi, the 2001 bestselling novel by Yaan Martel. Which may explain why the story of a young boy stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger — juggling deep themes of religion, family, nature, and human existence — has been developed and let go by many big names in Hollywood. For nearly a decade, filmmakers like M. Night Shyamalan, Alfonso Cuarón, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amélie) have grappled with the project, but it wasn't until Oscar-winner Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) that the film was fully realized. Lee's Life of Pi is an inspiring film sporting imaginative visuals and pushing the art of 3D in new directions. Even more impressive is what's underneath it all: a character-driven narrative that depicts the book's grand ideas with unexpected tenderness. The opening film of the 50th New York Film Festival, Life of Pi dreams big. Thanks to Lee's expert direction and a solid script from David Magee (Finding Neverland), the survivor tale avoids the pitfalls of such an ambitious effort, never straying into hokey melodrama. The film opens with a writer (Rafe Spall) visiting Pi Patel (Irrfan Khan) at his home in Canada, after being told that the Indian immigrant had an amazing life story in need of capturing. "Amazing" may not be enough of a superlative. Young Pi (newcomer Suraj Sharma) begins his life as a regular kid in Pondicherry, India, growing up on his family's bustling zoo while attempting to fit in with the world around him. His major struggle is with religion — while his father resents faith and his mother is dedicated to Hinduism, Pi wants a little of it all. He's Hindu, he's Catholic, he's Muslim, he's a wanderer between all ways of thinking. When he attempts to feed the zoo's tiger, only to be caught by his father and disciplined for considering the beast to be anything remotely soulful. It's clear that his upbringing in the lush environment has seeped deep into Pi's way of life. The main character's passion for the world around him gives Lee the opportunity to direct Life of Pi with a painter's eye. Nearly every shot is exquisitely composed — from bold colors to camera movement to the layers of 3D. This holds true even when Pi's story takes a turn for the worse. Having run into financial troubles, the Patel family packs up the animals and heads to Winnipeg on a French freighter. While crossing the Mariana Trench, the ship encounters a catastrophic storm that floods it into oblivion (a moment of disaster that rivals the artistic destruction of Titanic). Pi and a few of the animal passengers escape on a lifeboat, the glow of his past life slowly fading away into the depths of the Ocean. The set piece is gorgeous, but Lee never forgets the impact the incident has on Pi's life. It's indicative of the entire film. The brunt of the story focuses on the man vs. nature we've seen in films like 128 Hours and Cast Away, but in an even more terrifying landscape and played out with an expressionistic touch. Pi finds himself on a lifeboat with the Bengal tiger, "Richard Parker," lowering the already minuscule chance of his survival to something unimaginable. He copes, building a second raft out of wood planks and life preservers, but his survival is a ticking clock. All he can do is sit, fish, write, and pray. Lee approaches Pi's journey of floating in the middle of the Pacific with a jungle cat like a fever dream. Like the swirling universe he imagines as the residence of his various gods, the deserted ocean is a luminescent wonder, filled with giant whales, glowing jellies, flying fish, and deep caverns that unlock Pi's wild imagination. All the while, Pi tends to his tiger; their brotherly relationship is the core of Life of Pi. Sharma has heavy material to tackle for his big screen debut, but even with its weak moments, stands as a tremendous breakout. Over time, Pi loses himself to the ocean, reaching for understanding and investing more and more in his feline companion. It's a physically demanding performance too — Lee always pelting something new at his young actor and Sharma shining through even the biggest wave. The tiger is another marvel, a CG creation that actually performs against Sharma. If Caeser in Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a milestone, Richard Parker is the next step. On top of the central duo, Magee's framing device of Older Pi and the writer works miraculously well, thanks to the natural skills of Khan and Spall. Exposition be damned — these two can have a casual conversation that feels as dynamic as the larger than life tale they're discussing. Life of Pi arrives in theaters on November 21 and as all the makings of the perfect holiday film. On a visceral level, it's simply a beautiful movie (any live-action film that evokes memories of Hokusai's The Great Wave is doing something right). But Lee transcends flashy blockbuster contemporaries by finding a source material where the breathtaking compliments the character's arc. Life of Pi isn't an overtly religious film, even though Pi identifies with religions of all kinds. It's about the power of self, the religion of humanism. There are few feats of mortal strength as impressive as survival. That's what makes Life of Pi one of the most powerful films of the year. Follow Matt Patches on Twitter @misterpatches [Photo Credit: 20th Century Fox(2)] More: New 'Life Of Pi' Trailer: That's One Visually Epic Movie — TRAILER 'Life of Pi' First Look: A Man and a Tiger Are On a Boat... — PHOTO New York Film Festival 2012 Line-up: 'Life of Pi,' Bill Murray's FDR and More
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Mandy Patinkin Calls 'Criminal Minds' the 'Biggest Public Mistake' He Ever Made
September 14, 2012 9:39am ESTIf we think hard enough, we can remember the old Mandy Patinkin: the one we knew before the days of Claire Danes-enabling and fluffy beardom. The actor's last television stint before Homeland was the CBS crime procedural Criminal Minds, on which he starred for two seasons between 2005 and '07. Patinkin's leave from the show was abrupt, as the actor has affirmed a distaste for the content of the program. A recent New York Magazine interview has Patinkin delving deeper into his issues with the show. The actor goes so far as to say, "The biggest public mistake I ever made was that I chose to do Criminal Minds in the first place." Patinkin joined Criminal Minds with ideas about what the show might be, but apparently wound up starkly disappointed: "I thought it was something very different. I never thought they were going to kill and rape all these women every night, every day, week after week, year after year. It was very destructive to my soul and my personality." He adds, "After that, I didn’t think I would get to work in television again." This isn't a sentiment he resigns to Criminal Minds alone, but to the crime procedural genre in general: "I’m not making a judgment on the taste [of people who watch crime procedurals]. But I’m concerned about the effect it has. Audiences all over the world use this programming as their bedtime story. This isn’t what you need to be dreaming about." But Patinkin has some very different feelings about his current job on his critically acclaimed Showtime drama: :A show like Homeland is the antidote. It asks why there’s a need for violence in the first place." And although Patinkin might have distance himself from the forces behind Criminal Minds with these statements, he joins the revered community of actors who hate the stuff they've been in. And he's in pretty good company: Katherine Heigl and Knocked Up Not only has Heigl declined Emmy nominations for Grey's Anatomy in light of the show's writing not meeting her standards of quality, but she has also gone on record against the 2007 comedy Knocked Up, taking particular issue with writer/director Judd Apatow's female characters. In an '07 interview with Vanity Fair,Heigl called the movie "sexist," and said, "It paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys." Bob Hoskins and Super Mario Bros. There aren't too many Super Mario Bros movie apologists out there who are going to take issue with Hoskins' lack of affinity for the film. In a 2011 interview with The Guardian, Hoskins was asked the following three questions: "What is the worst job you've done?," "What has been your biggest disappointment?," and "If you could edit your past, what would you change?" To these, the actor replied, "Super Mario Brothers," "Super Mario Brothers," and "I wouldn't do Super Mario Brothers," respectively. Mark Wahlberg and The Happening And then of course there is Marky Mark's tirade against his 2008 M. Night Shyamalan endeavor The Happening. During a press conference, Wahlberg eloquently illustrated his fervent distaste for the film's ultimate reveal: "F***ing trees, man. The plants. F*** it." Bill Murray and Garfield Here's a personal favorite: comic genius Murray admitted that the only reason he signed on for the 2004 film adaptation of Garfield in the first place was due to a case of mistaken identity. In a 2010 interview with GQ, Murray revealed the truth behind his "I looked at the script, and it said, 'So-and-so and Joel Coen.' And I thought: Christ, well, I love those Coens! They're funny. So I sorta read a few pages of it and thought, Yeah, I'd like to do that ... So I worked all day and kept going, "That's the line? Well, I can't say that." And you sit there and go, What can I say that will make this funny? And make it make sense? And I worked. I was exhausted, soaked with sweat, and the lines got worse and worse. And I said, "Okay, you better show me the whole rest of the movie, so we can see what we're dealing with." So I sat down and watched the whole thing, and I kept saying, "Who the hell cut this thing? Who did this? What the fuck was Coen thinking?" And then they explained it to me: It wasn't written by that Joel Coen."While Murray presumed the screenwriter of Garfield to be the famed Joel Coen who co-wrote and -directed critically acclaimed movies like The Big Lebowski, Fargo, and No Country for Old Men, the Joel Cohen behind his film was in fact the writer of Toy Story, Cheaper By the Dozen, and Evan Almighty. Topping this off, Murray made a tongue-in-cheek jab about Garfield while playing himself in the 2010 horror comedy Zombieland. As Murray lay dying in the film, he is asked by stars Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson about his biggest regret, to which he shrugs and surmises, "Garfield, maybe." Alec Guinness and Star Wars And finally, the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, who grew a strong distaste for the iconic film Star Wars after its fandom began to grow well past the levels he felt appropriate. In Guinness' memoir A Positively Final Appearance, published in 1999, the actor shares an anecdote about a run-in with a 12-year-old die hard devotee of the film, who admitted that he had seen Star Wars over one hundred times. Guinness agreed to supply the young boy an autograph if he would grant him one request: never watch Star Wars again. The actor remarks in his book, "I shrivel inside each time [the movie] is mentioned." [Photo Credit: Ronen Akerman/Showtime] More: The First 20 Minutes of 'Homeland' Season 2 Are Jam Packed with Action 41 Questions About the 'Homeland' Season Two Trailer New 'Homeland' Trailer: How Dangerous Is A Role Reversal? — VIDEO
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'Pretty Little Liars' Recap: Cabin in the Woods
August 15, 2012 5:51am ESTHanna is the laziest person in the history of Lazy Rosewood because Hanna will not help PornStarMom move this random giant plant in the middle of their home. Okay. This is a really weird/awkward way to start the episode, because all of a sudden we’re discussing this… plant. The plant ends up being fake-not-really important because when Hanna finally decides to stand up, she notices a secret old rainy note on the ground. Hanna is the laziest person ever. The note is from Maya, starting with an apology but also saying that she had something to tell Emily. Maya also explains that her cellphone was stolen, which is something you would know in 2.7 seconds of it happening with Facebook and Twitter and everything. Maya wrote the note the day that she died, which is awful. However, it seems that Maya’s death wasn’t as convenient as Ali’s Labor Day demise. I love hearing Spencer talk about Labor Day, because Spencer is really smart and knows that date of Labor Date. Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of the Pedophile Professor, I made a major mistake in last week’s recap! I just assumed that Ezra’s Mother paid for an abortion, but I guess it would make more sense if Mother just made the pregnant girlfriend disappear. That still doesn’t really solve the issue of Ezra being the father of a child, but it is what it is and this is Pretty Little Liars, people. Ezra and Aria make super uncomfortable morning banter while Aria puts cream cheese on 17 jalapeno pepper bagels. I didn’t know that was a thing – jalapeno pepper bagels – and I wish I still didn’t know; Ezra and I are in the same boat here. Aria begins asking a lot of questions about Maggie; Ezra is like, “UMM sorry I didn’t tell you all of my secrets the first time I met you” while Aria is all, “UMM sorry I’m not sorry that my secrets are the most serious thing ever in the history of the human race or the universe.” I don’t understand when the Liars have school and when they have free time because it seems like everyone just goes to school to talk on the cellphone in the hallway or to eat vegetables for lunch. Hanna is stalking Maya’s videos like her life depends on it (it probably does) at the local coffee shop when Wren appears out of the ether. HOT BRITISH DOCTOR!!! KISS HIM, HANNA!!! Hanna says she will not kiss him, but Wren proves that he is the most understanding gentleman and leaves. Spencer spends all of her time at school, as she is the only high school senior in Rosewood that’s even remotely concerned about getting into college. However, she also spends a lot of time not doing school things. Spencer has a long chat with Emily about Maya, and about how no one cares that Nate is super creepy. Also, Toby is working out in Bucks County for the time being, which means that he is either visiting my cousins that live in Bucks County or he is visiting the set of a M. Light Shyamalan movie. Emily thinks that lying to Toby would be like “lying to the Dalai Lama.” NOPE. Toby is an evil teenage werewolf! Spencer is also freaking out about getting a B in one of her classes (“B is for bad”). Be less boring here, ladies. The conversation ends when Paige arrives wearing a LESBIAN AMERICAN BIKER CUT-OFF and Spencer runs away in fear. Cute Punky Wannabe Ryan Gosling Coffee Shop Owner, known to everyone on the show as Zach, is on a question mark date with Aria’s Mom literally in the middle of her classroom. Zach is wearing a CLASH shirt and a leather jacket, so he is clearly super alternative but not scary alternative. Zach talks about having a “cannoli to stuff,” makes out with Aria’s Mom in the middle of the school, and has awkward banter with Aria. I think the old-young dynamic going on in the love lives of both Aria and her mother is really interesting. It made me squeal, if I’m going to be really honest with you all. However, Aria’s Mom is dating 1,024 people at the same time due to her dating website profile; she doesn’t want to settle down with Zach just yet, and PornStarMom taught her to be an independent slut. Hanna has become super creepy bizarre about Maya. Like, this is some Claire Danes on Homeland episode 109 business (that episode is titled “The Vest” – I will not ruin anything because I hate spoilers and Homeland is amazing and at the end of that episode I was actually shaking). Hanna printed out every single picture of Maya from the awful cursed Maya website, and even Emily is not getting good vibes. Hanna reveals that she is basically secret dating Caleb, but needs to keep everything a secret so A doesn’t target Caleb. That’s really smart. The pictures lead to the revelation that Maya was visiting Noel Kahn’s cabin the night she died. Yikes. A bunch of weird random stuff occurs that isn’t really important. Basically – Nate is the worst, Paige is a bad swimmer now, and Spencer sneaks into the men’s locker room during football practice to steal from Noel. The whole Spencer shebang felt like an expensive set-up for bad porn. Emily and Hanna decide to sneak around the Kahn cabin to find missing clues, and Spencer decides she is not starring in a porno. The Kahn cabin is a mess. The Kahn brothers need to learn how to clean up, because these girls are finding the mess in the middle of the week and I believe the Kahn brothers throw their shindigs on Friday nights. Hanna sneaks into the biggest board game closet ever, and finds a secret door behind the game cabinet. Hanna has sleuthing superpowers. Inside the secret room is a gross sleeping bag and a stool that you can maybe buy from IKEA. Maya has a card that Emily made for Ali on her 14th birthday in some luggage that was left behind in the back room, which is the creepiest. Creepier than every doll combined. BUT, SUDDENLY, HANNA AND EMILY ARE LOCKED IN. Duh. This was never going to end well. Spencer is out of the loop – she failed at stealing things from Noel’s football locker, and she failed at having sex with the entire football team in the showers. Lose-lose. However, Spencer gets a blocked email that links to… nighttime footage of the outside of the Kahn cabin? Who has nighttime security footage of their frat pad? Who knows how to send a blocked email? Spencer keeps a lot of handy notes on her iPad, so she knows that the footage comes from the night of Maya’s murder. The Kahn cabin has become such a staple this season, which I really appreciate because the writers did not create a brand new character/location to make all of this madness occur. That is what usually happens, and I’m not complaining, but yeah. While three Liars are risking their lives (and sexual porno integrity) to discover what happened to Maya, Aria is gossiping with her mother about this new boytoy. Aria tells Zach that she will crush the coffee shop scones if he hurts her mother. That’s kind of kinky! Scones! Aria and Mom do yoga together and chat about Zach. Mom decides she’s ready to go for the gold with Mom. Zach thinks Mom is really sexy. Go, Mom, GO. Hanna and Emily are trapped in this cabin. TRAPPED. Everything is dark, everything is boarded up, everything is the worst. Hanna gets stabbed in the leg. This is not a joke. There is blood all over Hanna’s tight pink jeans. Emily turns into Xena Princess Warrior and hacks her way through the boarded up window with either a baseball bat or an ax; it was dark, so I couldn’t see the weapon. The ladies escape, but Hanna can barely walk because she is bleeding. Do people bleed on PLL? I feel like this has never happened before, and it is h-o-r-r-i-f-y-i-n-g. We get a note in red spray paint on the side of the cabin: I’M SAVING YOU FOR LATER –A. THAT IS HORRIFYING. When Emily and Hanna finally make it home, Emily knows that Hanna’s leg is in trouble – “It’s not a cut. It’s a stab wound.” I’m not sure when Emily learned how to differentiate between cuts and stab wounds, but Emily is now an expert at those two things. Hanna clearly doesn’t want to go to the hospital. So… Hanna calls Wren! Wren has to slice off Hanna’s jeans to get to the stab, which means that her nice pink jeans are now completely ruined. Tragic. Wren tries to get romantic after the leg is patched up with stiches and everything on top of the kitchen counter, but Hanna clearly isn’t in the mood for a make-out session. Wren is still kind of confused, considering that he is incredibly attractive and has a British accent yet cannot woo Hanna, but Wren respects Hanna’s space. UGH. Secret Caleb relationships! Not great! Emily does home to relax and prepare to watch a movie with Paige, but Nate shows up. Nate is currently my least favorite character on the show; I hope Nate is A and I hope Nate killed Maya and I hope Nate dies a gruesome death. Nate is crying a lot because he is emotional about losing Maya, which seems a little ridiculous because they are only cousins and Maya did not mention Nate once in her entire life… Then. THEN. No. Nate kisses Emily. Emily is okay with it. They are making out. Paige walks up and sees! This is the worst. This is so upsetting. I talked a couple of weeks ago about how awful it would be if Nate and Emily started something romantic and/or sexual. I hate all of this. Emily clearly did not enjoy the moment but Nate clearly enjoyed the moment. Paige cancels the date because she doesn’t “feel well.” Emily, you mean nothing to me. Emily, I’m so mad at you. The next day, Emily and Paige talk in the locker room about the night. Paige is being passive-aggressive and asking intense questions, but I wish she would just grab Emily in a chokehold and slam her against the lockers. Also, Emily says that Nate showed up looking super emotional but does not mention the kiss to Paige. None of this is good for you, Emily. You look bad. I feel sick to my stomach now. I feel you, Paige. I understand Paige’s pain. Ezra and Aria are dealing with a lot of silence this episode. Ezra is out of it because Ezra found Maggie. Maggie is living in Delaware. Ezra is going to figure out what he’s doing in regards to this baby mama. I don’t like Maggie, but I liked Ezra’s little brother Wesley and I wish he was still around this episode. I also wish CeCe was hanging around, at least to give Spencer moral support for Penn, but that dream also did not come true. FMaggie is clearly going to appear in the next couple of weeks, so I think everyone should start bracing themselves… now. Thankfully, this moment allows everyone to sneak away from their dumb personal drama to deal with Spencer’s real world murder drama – Maya finally jumps into the frame of the security footage. Noel and Jenna arrive in their swanky car and waltz inside. This is when we see Maya again. This is when we see Maya grabbed, only the assaulter is outside of the footage frame. This is one of the scariest things ever, because this tape and other outside evidence shows that Noel, Jenna, and Garrett are all innocent in the murder of Maya. We’re dealing with some serious drama. I’m scared. Who could have done this? NATE. That’s not an answer but my guess that I am presenting as solid evidence to arrest Nate forever and ever amen. Our last scene with A shows A hanging up a bunch of identical black hoodies and listening to a news story about the court case against Garrett. I liked the hints from Old A/Mona because they always had the creepiest music and genuinely revealed something that would come into play very soon. Tonight’s “clue” was pointless. I wish I could light tonight’s clue on fire... Question of the week – how long before Paige sneaks into Nate’s room in the middle to cut off his balls? My official guess is two weeks, but we all know that Paige is incredibly unstable and could attack in 43 minutes. Fingers crossed.[Image Credit: ABC Family] More: Pretty Little Liars Recap: Tweezers Pretty Little Liars Recap: Can You Spike the Punch at Church? Pretty Little Liars Recap: Bad Lies, Bat Hats, Bad Drugs
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The Ending of 'Total Recall' and a Missed Remake Opportunity
August 04, 2012 1:23pm ESTSpoilers for Total Recall new and old to follow. The ending of Total Recall, the 1990 adaptation of Philip K. Dick's “We’ll Remember It For You Wholesale,” doesn't leave too much room for speculation. Although Arnold Schwarzenegger's character Quaid is pulled back and forth over the course of the film between his understanding of who he is, who he was, and who he can become based on his choice, there is nothing at the end of the film that suggests that what we have seen on screen hasn't actually happened in the world of the film. But the possibility lingers. The action of Total Recall is incited when Quaid chooses to have fake memories of a past life as a super spy implanted into his mind, only to realize that those memories already exist. Theoretically, everything that happened after Quaid was locked and loaded into Rekall's brain chair could be a series of artificial manifestations. We don't see Quaid wake up after he's activated the alien technology that terraforms Mars into an inhabitable planet, saving the planet's entire human population, but it's possible those moments are minutes away off-screen. That's too much digging to really make sense — if director Paul Verhoeven intended us to question Quaid heroic adventure, he would have shown us something at the end. (Although many believe hints at the beginning are enough to call the events in to question, pictures of Mars and actress Rachel Ticotin evidence that the whole shebang being a dream). Either way, Verhoeven's Total Recall feels like a story of a man gaining back his memories and deciding to pass them over in favor doing the right thing. Mind-bending, but rather straightforward. When the idea started brewing to remake Verhoeven's kooky sci-fi classic, people immediately picked up their pitchforks in riotous protest. Surely there was no way to improve upon the glory of Total Recall. In honesty, this fanboy felt the same — but further, tempered thinking did see one opportunity. Verhoeven loved toying with the Dickian ideas in Total Recall, but he also loved the imagery, the action, the violence. If someone was going to redo Total Recall, they could tip the balance, and when Hollywood.com visited the set of the 2012 remake, that's what director Len Wiseman sounded like he intended to do. Take the terrors of ambiguity by the reigns and leave the audience asking questions (even while being whipped around in blockbuster action scenes). This weekend's Total Recall does not do that. As I pointed out in my review, the modernization is more of a rehash than remake, sticking to the major beats of the 1990 Total Recall while cranking the action up a few notches (and actually sacrificing the heady stuff in the process). Perhaps there are scenes on the cutting room floor, but Wiseman's original vision as described on set ("There’s going to be a lot of speculation. I would think — I would hope! — some people are going to absolutely think one way, [other people] may think the other.") doesn't fly with the ending at hand. In the final moments of 2012 Total Recall we get a bit of a tease: the grand finale set piece — a wrestling match between Quaid (Colin Farrell) and Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston) atop the imploding Earth elevator "The Fall" — segues to a black screen, the voice of Rekall's McClane (John Cho) alluding to the implanted memories. Perhaps this is all a dream? He wakes up in an EMT van, Melina (Jessica Biel) by his side. But there's something different: she's missing her identifiable scar from when the two were shot while holding hands. Quaid snaps into action and rips a face mask doohickey off her neck. It's actually Lori (Kate Beckinsale), attempting one last time to slay her fake husabnd. Gotcha! The moments plays with our expectations — since this Total Recall didn't stray far from the original's path, it seems reasonable to think it will wrap up nicely in the same fashion as its predecessor. The last second twist isn't more than one more excuse to have a brutal scene. Quaid takes Lori down no problem, reunites with the real Melina and everyone lives happy ever after while the towering symbol of oppression burns underneath them. As I describe in my review, the new Total Recall isn't a terrible movie, but it is a failure of a remake. The creative team behind the picture had an opportunity to take their version into new territory by playing up the ambiguity of the ending, that would also speak volumes to a great theme at play in the film. Quaid is desperately trying to escape his blue collar life with the future equivalent of a "get rich quick" scheme. Implant a few memories and everything will be better. Even though his journey ended with a few cuts and massive city destruction, he succeeds by cutting corners. He's escaped the life of a factory worker. He gets the girl of his (literal) dreams. He's a hero. That's unfulfilling when reminded of how Quaid got there in the first place, as the Rekall callback in the final moments of the movie boldly do. By blurring the reality ending, actually embracing the ambiguity of the situation, Total Recall would have deviated from its blueprints in a bold fashion while playing directly to its overarching themes. It feels like Wiseman and his pair of screenwriters, Mark Bomback and Kurt Wimmer, intended it, yet that feeling of uncertainty never emerges. There's even a precedence for taking the ambiguous route. Recent indie films have sent audiences into a welcome tizzy with open ended conclusions (Martha Marcy May Marlene, Take Shelter); Christopher Nolan — an indie-spirited man himself — as kept the door open on many of his blockbusters (Inception and some may argue the ending of The Dark Knight Rises); and even while he gets a lot of hate, M. Night Shyamalan has proven a great twist goes a long way in keeping people talking (for or better or worse: see The Sixth Sense and even Lady in the Water). No amount of action can ever bury a film's core ideas. Total Recall could have made a hard left at the gate before cutting to the credits, but it opted to follow the suit of the other Total Recall. I love that movie, but a fresh memory would have been preferred for the remake. What did you think of the ending of Total Recall? Suitable or was there a better way to wrap it up? Follow Matt Patches on Twitter @misterpatches [Photo Credit: Sony Pictures] More: Kate Beckinsale & Jessica Biel on Their Big 'Total Recall' Fight Bryan Cranston's Amazing Impression of 'Breaking Bad' Costar Dean Norris — EXCLUSIVE VIDEO An Ode to the Three-Breasted Woman of 'Total Recall' You Might Also Like:15 Oscar-Winning Nude ScenesTopanga's Revealing Lingerie Shoot: Hello '90s!
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M. Night Shyamalan Is Creating a TV Show: We Guess the Twist
August 03, 2012 8:15am EST“I’ve got a new idea for a movie,” M. Night Shyamalan tells the world. “But here’s the twist — it’s a TV show.” Bwaaa? That’s right, lovers of The Sixth Sense, likers of Unbreakable, and begrudging tolerators of Signs. The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Shyamalan has opted to create his own TV pilot… which, from the sounds of it, is pretty darn Shyamalan-esque. The project, which the filmmaker is developing for Syfy, is called Proof. The story focuses on a wealthy young man whose parents die in a sudden accident, prompting him to seek out evidence of an afterlife in order to experience emotional closure. The hero publicizes his mission, offering a handsome reward to anyone who can prove to him that a life beyond ours on Earth does indeed exist. Deep, mystical, supernatural… as said, pretty darn Shyamalan-esque. So there’s only one thing left to figure out: what’s the twist?! Theory #1: The son is the one who died in the accident! And the search for proof of an afterlife is, in fact, what his afterlife has manifested itself to be. Theory #2: Nobody died in the accident! Instead, the entire ordeal is just the hero’s eccentric father’s means of teaching him about loss, life, and exploring our beliefs. Theory #3: Everybody died in the accident! Similar to Theory #1, except that literally everybody died in an unidentified apocalyptic event, and the search for an afterlife is just how the human race is destined to carry out its eternity. Theory #4: The accident was no accident! Foul play! Deceit! Murder! Maybe the son killed his parents as a means of inheriting their fortune and embarking upon this long-desired mystical quest! Maybe a jealous illegitimate child killed them to exact revenge over his abandonment! Maybe the butler did it! Theory #5: It was Earth all along. As the young hero claws desperately at the sands of the shoreline, he recognizes a familiar countenance in a tattered, gigantic structure nearby. The Statue of Liberty! But that would mean… wait, no, this doesn’t really apply here. Theory #5.2: It was all just a dream. Yeah, that’s better. [Photo Credit: David Edwards/Daily Celeb] More: Will Smith to Direct Cain and Abel Movie? Puppets Get In On the Web Series Phenom With 'Puppet High' Thursday TV Throwback: Memorable '90s Commercials
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M. Night Shyamalan taking on TV
August 03, 2012 5:00am ESTDirector M. Night Shyamalan is swapping films for the small screen to make a new TV show. The Sixth Sense filmmaker will helm Proof, about the son of a technology tycoon who looks for the proof of an afterlife after his parents die in an accident. He will direct, co-write and executive produce the project, which will air on U.S. network Syfy, according to The Hollywood Reporter. If the pilot is a success, the show will be picked up for a full series.
