Friday Night Flicks

Last night I was in possession of what has to  one of the “golden tickets” of SXSW. This golden ticket was the combination of a SXSW Express pass and a red Predators ticket (see image). The combination of these two items gave me the chance be a part of the sneak preview of Robert Rodriguez’s and Nimrod Antal’s reboot of the Predator’s franchise: “Predators”.

After hours of waiting the house lights dimmed, and out came the master of ceremonies Austin’s native son Robert Rodriguez. Robert started the evening showing us the trailer for Predators. I don’t think I have ever been so pumped after seeing a trailer. By every indication this movie is going to be off the hook and will satisfy Predator fans worldwide. The trailer introduces our protagonists who find themselves transported to a Predator hunting planet. There are some heavy hitters in this cast. We have Lawrence Fishburne, Adrien Brody and Topher Grace in there. We also have one of my favorite actors Walton Goggins (who you might remember from the FX show The Shield). After the screening of the trailer Robert told the audience the history of how his involvement in the Predator franchise happened. This movie came from a pure writing job Robert took while waiting for the start of Desparado. Originally it was going to be a sequel for Arnold Schwarzenegger having his character Dutch transported to a hunting planet as a prize to be hunted. Well all know that didn’t happen and over a decade later Robert and the Troublemaker crew were knee deep in rebooting one of the best characters ever created.

After more explanation of how this project got off the ground, Robert showed us a different version of the trailer. This version has a few more scenes intercut and gave you a better idea of what is transpiring on the hunter planet.

The ordering last night’s events are a little hazy to me, but here are some more highlights. Two key players in the reboot joined Robert on the stage. Special effects wizard Greg Nicotero and film director Nimrod Antal. There was also and one more “special guest”, an animatronic Predator head used in the film. During the next 45 minutes the audience was treated to views of the conceptual artwork from the film running in the background (there are some cool new Predator designs, Predator dogs and other scary as hell creatures that are going to show up in this film). While the images ran Greg, Nimrod and Robert went into more details of the fun they had making this film and rebooting a franchise they are huge fans of. During this we were treated to one more clip from the movie. In this scene we learn that Lawrence Fishburne’s was here before the other people and is a badass in every sense of the word.

Finally we were treated to a Q&A where we learned more about the tribal nature of the Predators and finally that this reboot is in great hands. I am confident that audiences will not be disappointed.

Mystical, bloody, sweaty, smoky, scary, gritty, damp, snow covered, and intense. These are the words that bring back memories of either Seattle, WA or the kick ass film I watched last night:  Solomon Kane

Solomon Kane is writer/director Michael J. Bassett’s story depicting the origins of  Robert E. Howard’s Solomon Kane (James Purefoy). The film introduces our lead as a rouge marauder full of questionable morals. Kane and his band of thugs lay siege to a castle in hopes of gaining riches from the inhabitants. What they find is a castle full of malevolence. At this point we realize that Kane is a cursed man, owing the devil his soul. Kane battles a lich and then we cut away to a future time where Kane has sworn off evil deeds for a life of peace.

Forced from his home we find Kane at the hands of thieves who take advantage of his new lease on life, almost costing him his. By the graces Kane finds himself in the caring hands of the William Crowthorn (played by (Pete Postlethwaite) family. Kane travels the countryside with the Crowthorns when trouble find Kane and the Crowthorns. A battle ensues and Kane makes realizes he can no longer sit idle while evil triumphs. We can all imagine what happens from here.

This movie works well on a number of levels. Michael Bassett did a great job of providing the back story for Solomon Kane. If you know nothing of Solomon Kane (like your author) you will walk away with a total appreciation of the character wanting more.

One thing I am excited about is the potential for this character. Robert E. Howard wrote a number of different stories describing the adventures of Solomon Kane. I hope to one day more of these stories make it to the screen.

Accompanying  a well crated story, the visuals in this movie are exceptional. The creators of this film did a great job of immersing you into the world of Solomon Kane. The whole movie gives you a sense of the harsh climate that these people lived in. The landscape of this film remind me of a smoldering campfire after a late night camping. The smoke clings to every molecule of your existence, cold creeps under your wool clothes and the elements (copious amounts of rain and snow) add to your misery. These storytellers made you feel like you were there. The only thing missing was the actual smell of rotting flesh.

Complimenting the visuals, the battle scenes were top notch. One of my favorite scenes in “sword movies” is the battle scene at the beginning of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. The brutal depiction of the battle between the Romans and the Germanic Barbarians was a brilliant piece of film making. This movie takes that experience to 11. This movie has numerous battle scenes ranging from epic to up close and personal. You could almost feel the swoosh of the blades and the dripping of sweat on your being.

This movie works well on so many levels. I hope you find yourself in a dark theatre watching this great piece of work.

Thanks,

Rodman