"Shut it down; shut it down forever!" The birth of ModernPost

That's one of my favorite moments in Dark City (back when Alex Proyas was on top of his game). It's a very simple line of dialogue when viewed out of context, but it marks a major point in the movie when the Strangers think they have found the answer to continuing their posterity, and thus they shut down the massive clock-like machine that they use in their search for life. (I wish writing were as easy as "tuning," but it isn't. If you have no idea what I'm mumbling about, you better go watch Dark City. I'm not kidding; go now.)

I wrote my first introductory post on February 20, 2008, and now after slightly more than a year, the time for change has come. Why? I realized over the course of the past year that, much as I like "talking movies," there were times when the proverbial writer's block had a serious hold on me. I'm not sure if it was depression, anxiety, or spontaneous changes in my frontal lobe, but I'm certain it had to more do with the fact that sometimes I want to talk about things not necessarily movie-related. Yes I know, blogging gurus say we need to have a niche, but what happens when we have something to say that's out of our niche? We say nothing? It's a self-perpetuating habit, and I'm already repressed enough in real life. After a while, I suspect I built up for myself a hurdle of mental clutter which slowly led me wonder why I was blogging if movies and home entertainment news were all I could talk about. Someone as uninteresting as that shouldn't be blogging.

I saw the cure lay in expanding the topics that can be broached on my blog, and I've been worked to create a new group blog with writers covering a range of subjects other than movies: music, fashion, design, and technology, and maybe food and travel later (if I can find someone whom I don't have to pay to eat and travel and write about it). I'm still covering movies of course, and also offering entries on life in general, so you'll have to put up with my ravings until I can find other willing writers for these topics.

Without further ado, I would like to Moving Pictures officially defunct; and in its place I present to you ModernPost. All previously published posts have been migrated successfully (including comments), so don't worry if you need to look back in time at some of the silly things I might have said; it's all there. The list of writers and their profiles will be up shortly, and their entries on the topics mentioned earlier will probably start appearing in a couple weeks' time. Stay tuned (no pun intended).

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Total Recall: A do-over, or a lobotomy?

First Robocop, now Total Recall; are we going all remake-crazy over Verhoeven or what?

The Hollywood Reporter tells us that producer Neal H. Moritz and production company Original Films are closing in on a deal to remake the 1990 mind-job of a film, Total Recall. Based on a Philip K. Dick story and directed by Paul Verhoeven, the sci-fi actioner managed to draw mixed reactions from critics and audiences, much like Verhoeven's slightly more recent Starship Troopers.

As in the case of  Darren Aronofsky's upcoming remake of Robocop in 2010, I'm not too sure what to make of this. Right off the bat I'd have to say it doesn't sound like a good idea; the question of "Why?" just keeps popping up in my head. Are Hollywood film makers seriously running out of ideas, or do Aronofsky and Moritz think they can bring something new to the table? Only time will tell if these films will eventually join the ranks of Batman Begins or The Day the Earth Stood Still.

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Review: Ip Man (2008)

The latest collaboration between Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung, and director Wilson Yip yields a satisfying martial arts classic, and cements Yen's as the definitive martial arts actor of the moment.

Of late, martial arts movies from China can be divided into two wide categories: those that take their cue from the success of the resurgence of the classic wuxia pian following Lee Ang's well-accepted—and overrated—Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and the direct descendants of the Hong Kong urban martial arts flicks made by the likes of Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung (e.g., SPL, Dragon Tiger Gate, Flash Point). I am grateful Ip Man falls into neither.

From start to finish, Ip Man consistently favors restraint over flash, sentimentality over mawkishness. The film doesn't open with a dazzling display of martial arts prowess. Rather, a Master Liao turns at the Ip mansion, intent on pitting his skills against Ip's. Instead, he is kindly persuaded to dine with the Ip family first. After dessert and a smoke, Ip quickly and politely defeats Liao in a matter of minutes. So, within the first 10 minutes or less, we are given subtle but clear glimpses into the personas of Ip, his wife, as well the general regard for Ip represented by Liao. This restraint and economy in storytelling, superbly balanced by breathtaking fight sequences expertly choreographed by Hung, is Ip Man's strongest trait.

For the longest time, martial arts and action flicks from Hong Kong and China have been guilty of two things: action sequences tend to be so over the top as to be unimpressive; acting is typically melodramatic and shallow; and production values are usually slick but artless. The film makers behind Ip Man seem to understand that the effective punch is preceded by the effective pull. Every aspect of the film—acting, plot, editing, camera work—is kept in check, and Ip Man delivers with poise and precision when necessary. The film make even Flash Point—the previous collaboration between Donnie Yen and director Wilson Yip— feel more like a WWE production than a proper film.

Make no mistake: Ip Man doesn't pull any punches when it comes to martial arts action. Donnie Yen has always been serious about martial arts, and he certainly delivers in his portrayal of the founder of Wing Chun. A sequel is reportedly already in the works, and Wong Kar-wai apparently is also making his own biopic based on Ip Man's life. However they turn out doesn't matter much; for now, Ip Man will have you shadow-boxing all the way home.

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Bond on Blu round two, in steel

I'm still rushing to finish up my Ip Man review, now also known as the "Man, am I slow!" review. Some household chores are beckoning me (it's the Lunar New Year again), so I'll make this short and sharp.

I presume most James Bond fans like myself already know what's coming in the second wave of catalog Bond films on Blu-ray, namely Goldfinger, Moonraker, and The World Is Not Enough (all to be released together with Quantum of Solace on 3/24, as mentioned earlier).

In addition, The Digital Bits reports that MGM has also thrown a Never Say Never Again: Collector's Edition Blu-ray release in the mix.Yes, we'll be seeing that Bond title on 3/24, which will include commentary with director Irvin Kershner and James Bond historian Steven Jay Rubin, three featurettes ("The Big Gamble," "Sean Is Back" and "The Girls of Never Say Never Again"), a theatrical trailer, and a photo gallery. I know, I know, Never Say Never Again is not officially a "Bond" film because it wasn't produced by Cubby & Co. (click here to school yourself), but hey, we are not all purists here.

Finally, you might have noticed that the links above lead you to Amazon.com exclusive "steelbook" editions of the Bond Blu-ray discs (except for Quantum of Solace). Check out the images. Steelbooks? That sounds better that the Warner Bros. digibook format. It's not that I don't appreciate the effort by Warner, but those digibooks are seriously lacking in build quality. I would much rather have a saddle-stitched inlay in a plastic case compared to those. If the Bond steelbooks are anything like the packaging for Band of Brothers, I say keep 'em coming. NB: Despite what was reported elsewhere, the steelbook editions cost only about a buck more than the regular editions. (In the case of Goldfinger, the steelbook is currently cheaper than regular edition!)

Alrighty then, I'm off to clean a toilet ... and a happy Lunar New Year to those of you who celebrate it.

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Coming up: Falling Down, Let the Right One In, Quantum of Solace, and more

OK, here's a bunch of Blu-ray releases to look forward to (I know I am).



I don't really like any of Baz Luhrmann's work since Strictly Ballroom, but those of you who do, Australia will be coming to Blu-ray on March 3. The release will include deleted scenes, a documentary (Australia: The People, The History, The Location), and nine featurettes (Photography, Production Design, Costume Design, Locations, Cinematography, Sound, Editing, Music and Visual Effects).

Next, Let the Right One In arrives on Blu-ray on March 10. Features and specs for this title have not been announced yet, but you can bet I'm looking out for this one.

Jonathan Demme's Rachel Getting Married will arrive on Blu-ray on March 17. I haven't seen this one yet, but it's gotten pretty decent reviews, so I'm definitely interested.

On March 24, we'll getting The Matrix (finally, free from the accursed trilogy!) on Blu-ray. For those of you who got the trilogy on Blu-ray, not to worry: this is not some scam by Warner Bros. to screw you out of more green. Apparently, the disc in this digibook release is EXACTLY the same as the first disc in in the trilogy. It's just that Warner Bros. heard the prayers of people like me who love the first one but detest the sequels; hence the standalone release (although I don't really care for the digibook packaging).

Okay, I know this will thrill the socks off some people, but unfortunately not me: also on March 24, Quantum of Solace arrives Blu-ray. Features include theatrical trailers, the "Another Way to Die" music video, seven featurettes (Bond on Location, Start of Shooting, On Location, Olga Kurylenko and the Boat Chase, Director Marc Forster, The Music and Crew Files). Yep, all that in high definition. I don't know, but Quantum of Solace just didn't work for me, just like The Dark Knight didn't work for me. I like Casino Royale A LOT; I like Batman Begins a bit less, but the sequels to both films left me colder than last night's dinner. But hey, to each his own. Quantum of Solace will probably be a kick-ass Blu-ray and sell like hot cakes, just like The Dark Knight.

Well, there it is. I'll be back with a review of Ip Man by the end of the week. Stay tuned.

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