Robert Rodriguez regular and ex-Folsom prison inmate Danny Trejo (whose lived-in face looks as leathery as his character’s trademark waistcoat) plays the man with the big blades in Tex Mex revenge flick Machete, the director’s return to the big screen following his failed commercial attempt at recreating the Grindhouse experience for a modern audience, and below-par kids effort, Shorts.

We’re in familiar Rodriguez territory here in this tale of an ex-Federale known as Machete who launches a violent campaign of retribution against his former bosses when they brutally murder his wife and leave him for dead. Hired by some unsavoury types to assassinate a senator, he soon realises he’s been set up again and is a cipher involved in the underhanded campaign of a corrupt senator to rid the US of illegal immigrants from the southern border.

An injured Machete escapes the clutches of his enemies (in the film’s most ridiculously over-the-top scene) and enlists the help of a taco street vendor-cum-revolutionary (Michelle Rodriquez) and a sympathetic border patrol agent (Jessica Alba) to help unearth the conspiracy and bring those who have wronged him to justice, or alternatively, attempt to carve them up into human kebabs-sized slices instead.

Rodriguez is actually credited as co-director (he shares the position with long-time assistant editor Ethan Maniquis) although there’s very little evidence here to suggest another filmmaker’s fingerprints on the finished film. This is a shame as the film itself could have done with a fresh approach. Where the likes of Desperado and Dusk Till Dawn were put together with a real sense of fun and inventiveness, Machete feels like Rodriguez is just going through the motions.

For the most part, there’s an unwelcome sense of déjà vu here, and the director’s usual trademarks (the slow-mo fades, the mixture of guns and religious iconography, pounding Mexican rock score) all seem a little tired and worn out this time around. Even the added socio-political subplot and fun Paul Verhoven-esque satirical commercials sprinkled throughout aren’t enough to inject new life into an overly-familiar narrative, which isn’t helped by a slack and uneven pace.

Even the majority of the colourful list of supporting actors fail to make much of an impression. Jeff Fahey is a welcome addition and (rather surprisingly) fellow villain Steven Seagal (wearing what looks to be a bad Pocahontas-type wig and a brown, loose-fitted brown khaki military jacket/maturity gown) gives the most relaxed and fun performance of his career to date, although when you have an overweight, DTV superstar providing a more memorable turn than that of Robert DeNiro (given very little to do here as the gun-tooting senator) you know that something is amiss. Lindsay Lohan looks suitably scuzzy in her role of Fahey’s slutty daughter, but it does make you wonder if she even avoided the make-up trailer all together and just found her own way to the set after a heavy night on the tiles.

Trejo (who has been a regular and welcomed fixture in Rodriguez’s films since 1995’s Desperado) asserts himself quite well in his first lead performance, but he isn’t given much to do and he’s playing a character, the likes of which we’ve seen different variations of in the director’s work numerous times before.

For all its failings, the film does occasionally come alive, and a superbly-staged church shoot-out sequence with Cheech Marin as a gun-tooting padre (set to a rendition of Ave Maria on the soundtrack), plus a effectively nasty slice and dice pre-credit sequence hint at what could have been. The opening truly looks like it has been unearthed in some kind of vault for unseen 70’s exploitation features (further enhanced by the faked distressed film look). This fun visual device soon disappears (much like it did in Grindhouse), and it also seems to take with it the entertaining and sleazy quality which the film could have greatly benefited from.

Although hardened fans may feel that the director has delivered exactly what they were looking for, if you’re expecting a film which pays homage to the genre it’s originated from, yet at the same time, still retains a unique vision (which Death Proof almost managed to do), this is not it. Rodriguez has the resources at his disposal to basically make whatever he wants and Sin City proved that he can still deliver the goods on both a visual and visceral level. Machete feels like a step backwards for a filmmaker who is capable of so much more.

For a film which famously started life as a fake, Gridhouse-esque trailer, maybe it should have stayed in that fun format (with audiences having to use their imaginations to fill in the gaps) instead of striving for feature-length legitimacy.

The first images to emerge from the forthcoming Pixar Shorts release have arrived along with a little bit more info.

The new shorts are called Moon Mater and Mater: Private Eye and will be featured on a new Blu-ray and DVD release of Cars Toon, subtitled Mater’s Tall Tales.

Here’s what they say about Moon Mater,

Mater is the first Tow Truck on the moon. His mission: Rescue the Impala XIII by giving him a tow and bringing him back to Earth. Lightning McQueen joins Mater and they are met with a hero’s welcome

and Mater: Private Eye,

Mater is a private investigator working on a case of counterfeit tires when Tia rolls back into his life. She hires Mater to find her sister, Mia, who’s been car-napped. Mater searches for clues and closes in on a major crime scene. Lieutenant Lightning McQueen arrives just in time to help bring the criminals to justice.

Pixarblog.de (via Pixar Planet) found the pics and the info, so credit to them.

The big news this week has revolved around JJ Abram’s next project, and the rumours and half truths surrounding it. Did he just direct the teaser, is he directing the full film? Is it a Cloverfield sequel or prequel? Right now we have as many questions as answers, but we do know that JJ Abrams is directing Super 8, Steven Spielberg is producing, and we’ll see it in Summer 2011.

We also know that it will be set in 1979, and will revolve around an extraterrestrial happening of some sort, reminiscent of Spielberg’s movies from that very period, speaking of ET and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It is an interesting and exciting idea. You don’t get the kind of alien movies Spielberg made any more, filled with mystery and wonderment. We are much more cynical nowadays, and demand grittier, more realistic storylines. As intrigued by the movie as i am, whilst reading the post, and the others around it, i felt an odd feeling come over me. It was kind of like Deja Vu, only, not.

Scanning over the news articles from Friday, there was a very definite theme. A Planet of the Apes prequel is in the works. Titled Rise of the Apes, it shows the lead up to the events of Planet of the Apes, made in 1968. Also on the page, more posters from Tron: Legacy, which picks up the story from the original movie some 25 years on. There were also some TV spots for the characters from the new A-Team movie. Due out in July, it is based on the TV series, which like the original Tron originated in the eighties.

There were further stories covering Mission Impossible 4, a movie series based on a sixties and seventies TV show, and Predators, continuing on from the series that began in 1987. The Nightmare on Elm Street remake was also mentioned. There’s a lot of resurrection going on, revolving mostly around the seventies and eighties. Trends, fads and particular periods do tend to come back in fashion, but there are much older properties being exploited too.

The highest grossing movies so far this year have been Alice in Wonderland, based on stories from the 19th century, and Clash of the Titans, a remake of a movie from the 1980′s based on ancient Greek mythology. Next week sees the opening of Ridley Scott’s latest film, Robin Hood, about a semi-fictional character purported to be around in the 12th or 13th century, just one movie in a long line made about the character.

Even cinema’s big innovation, the current 3D movement, is rooted in a 50 year old plus concept. 3D movies were released in the fifties, then again in the eighties. The technology has been improved upon, but it still isn’t really innovative. The current state of the movie industry is mirroring that of the fifties and early sixties, when big spectacle was being employed to draw in an audience.

The only stories about modern, original movies were the news that Kick-Ass was getting a sequel, and a new poster for Christopher Nolan’s Inception. Kick-Ass is a contemporary take on the comic book movie, it subverts the genre somewhat and is a very original movie in many ways. It was the first great movie of the year, but turned out to be not what mainstream audiences were looking for, and disappointed at the box office. Inception is an original sci-fi movie directed by one of the best filmmakers in the business. Nolan used  modern Imax cameras for The Dark Knight, a much newer innovation than 3D. Unfortunately Inception hasn’t made use of this technology, though apparently some scenes were shot in 65mm. Inception should fare far better than Kick-Ass at the box office too. Lets hope it does, because if original work isn’t succeeding, we may lose it altogether!

Is there a genuine lack of good, original material out there, or is Hollywood just reluctant to risk money on it? It isn’t unusual in times of economic recession to see attempts to bring about nostalgia. It gives people a warm feeling inside, and reminds them of better times long past. And don’t get me wrong, i’m not against remakes, rehashes, reboots or sequels per se. There is a definite place in the industry for all the projects i mentioned at the top. But if you look at all the other movies being released this year, an overwhelming percentage of them have some tie to the past. It looks to be getting a little out of hand. It seems to be a little short sighted too. For instance, will Nightmare on Elm Street really make any more money than an original horror movie could have made?
 
I’d argue there is no real evidence that these ‘nostalgia’ movies are more likely to be successful than new films with no pedigree. Just last year, the highest grossing movie of all time was released. The general storyline may have not been particularly original in itself, but the property held no tie-in to previous work. Completely new characters and settings proved not to be a barrier to financial success. This should be proof enough that new ideas are worth exploring. Unfortunately, it took a powerful filmmaker like James Cameron to get it done. Lesser known writers and directors are struggling to bring their ideas to fruition.

Recently, it seems the most effective way to get attention for great new ideas is to put together a brilliant short film. Last year, Shane Acker’s 9 was released. A truly unique animated film, it came together because a short film he made in college several years ago caught the attention of some big name producers. It was a similar story for District 9. Director Neill Blomkamp’s short film Alive in Joberg came to the attention of Peter Jackson, who put together the financing for a feature length movie. Then just last month, one of the five shorts made for the Philips Parallel Lines project made a big impression, and now Carl Erik Rinsch’s futuristic The Gift looks to be developed into a full length movie. It’s easy to see why short films are replacing independent features as the calling card of choice. If you spend the same amount on a short as you would a proper length indie movie, the production values are infinitely more impressive, and it is much easier to see how good a full length, big budget version would look.

Going back and revisiting great concepts from the past is fine, and the practice shouldn’t be eradicated altogether. But powerful movie producers should try to be a bit more broadminded, and seek out more all new material. There is money to be made from the future as well as the past, and if Hollywood goes back to the well once too often it could result in a jaded movie-going public. Some of the biggest and best films of recent years have been based around great original ideas, and i hope that will continue. Possibly starting with Christopher Nolan’s Inception, potentially the film of the year, coming to cinemas very soon.

Bazmann – You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/baz_mann

Today I was sent a screener of ‘SHORTS’, the new Robert Rodriguez film, and was lucky enough to go feed my inner child and watch it.

Shorts is another children’s movie by the versatile director who made such violent classics as Planet Terror, Dusk till Dawn, Desperado and Sin City and also the creator of well regarded children’s movies Spy Kids 1-3 and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.

I haven’t seen any of Rodriguez’s children films but I have always wanted to have an excuse to see one, and this was my chance to see what this brilliant director can do with this genre.

I didn’t know what to expect from Shorts, Desperado for kids? or a regular childish story with kiddie humour and lots of fart jokes? Obviously it was no Desperado but gladly it wasn’t entirely a regular kiddie film either.

The description for the film reads ” A young boy’s discovery of a colorful, wish-granting rock causes chaos in the suburban town of Black Falls when jealous kids and scheming adults alike set out to get their hands on it” Sounds pretty simple, but the film was a lot more.

The film sets off showing Part Zero, the first short story about two young kids, a brother and a sister, having a ‘no-blinking stare out’ competition which is really amusing as they carry out their daily lives not taking their eyes of each other no matter what, these two keep appearing throughout Shorts in background scenes and their expressions are hilarious.

The movie then goes to the main story set in a town called Black Falls where all the houses look the same and everyone works for Mr Black (James Spader) who owns Black Box Inc. that make the Black Box, a communication and do-it-all gadget that is sweeping the nation, everyone has one and everyone’s lives are ruled by it.

Our hero and narrator, a young boy called Toe Thompson who has no friends, played excellently by Jimmy Bennet (young Kirk in the New Star Trek), he wears braces and gets bullied at school until one day the bullies corner him and throw a magical rainbow coloured rock that hits him in the head, Toe is then encouraged by the rock to make a wish and he wishes for friends and is joined by little aliens who help him get revenge of the bullies.

The film suddenly fast-forwards quickly through rest of film showing glimpses of things to come then pauses on a baby surrounded by destroyed debris and a large alligator flying through the air about to eat her, our narrator explains the story needs to be explained from the start, and so in a form of ‘Shorts’ we are taken through short little stories out of sync about the adventure of the wishing rock passing from person to person in Black Falls and of the wishes they make.

Each little story is a fantastic chance for Robert Rodriguez to be able to let anything happen due to the wishing rock and it’s endless possibilities. One story is of three kids who want an adventure, and kids being kids dream of crazy things like pterodactyls endless supplies of chocolate bars and castles surrounded by snakes and alligators, but when one of the alligators eats the rock it makes a wish, naturally, and when the alligators start standing up on two legs and chase the kids, enough is enough and they get rid of the wishing rock where it finds it’s next owner.

Other stories are of paranoid germ hating scientist, played by the excellent William H Macy, and his son creating a big Bogey monster. Toe’s parents becoming joined together like conjoined twins at a fancy dress party, and Mr.Black getting hold of the one thing that can do more than his Black Box and using the wishing stone for evil.

Each little story is well told and quickly concluded, but all have a nice little morale to them and the underlying tale of a boy who wants friends is endearing when in the end he makes the best friends he could possibly want through the adventures of the wishing stone.

I did enjoy the film and could see why kids will be excited when they watch it. It was exciting, funny, imaginative and like a Pixar film un-patronising which made it a more adult friendly movie than i thought it would have been but there were a few fart jokes, but it wouldn’t be a kids film without a few would it?!

Robert Rodriguez is a truly wonderful director, he knows what he want to show on screen and knows his audience. He makes the sort of film he wants to watch with his kids and has an imagination that probably comes from his kids minds as well as his own which is why this works so well, the story is great and doesn’t slow down to bore even the shortest of attention spans.

Buy this DVD for your kids or watch it as an adult by yourselves if you fancy 86 minutes to fly by during a highly entertaining family friendly movie.

Shorts is available on both DVD December 7th. You can pre-order it now. Check out the trailer here.