Hitting the zeitgeist on the head

Say what you will about the upcoming sci-fi feature “Repo Men” – it nails the health care zeitgeist better than any psychic could have foretold.

The new film stars Jude Law and Forest Whitaker as men who repossess artificial body parts when the owners can’t pay the medical bills.

Have scalpel, will travel.

It’s not only a snarky way to address health care reform, but it’s coming out the week ObamaCare hangs in the balance.

It’s only the most recent example of films hitting theaters at rather opportune times.

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Lousy timing for Hanks to open mouth, insert foot

Tom Hanks has come a long way since donning a wig – and heels – for the sitcom “Bosom Buddies.”

The actor went on to become a national treasure, anchoring rom-com hits (you know you get weepy during “You’ve Got Mail”) and stoic action epics (“Saving Private Ryan”) alike.

His Oscar winning turn in “Forrest Gump” defies categorization in the very best of ways.

But the 50-something actor hasn’t had a smash hit in a while, at least not one attached to Dan Brown’s wildly popular texts.

And now a pair of foot-in-mouth interviews has alienated segments of the movie going public – the folks who don’t think the U.S. fought Japan during World War II because its citizens were “Different.”

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Do you want healthier snack options at the cineplex?

The head of Sony Pictures thinks the battle against childhood obesity can start at the movie snack counter.

Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman and CEO Michael Lynton told the crowd at ShoWest this week that “adding healthier options to your existing menu is the right thing to do for our industry, for audiences and for our country,” according to a just-released press announcement.

What, no more Gummi Bears stuck to our teeth mid-movie?

Lynton cited a study commissioned by Sony Pictures which revealed, among other findings:

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New look, same content

This site received a long overdue tuneup tonight …

Most of the work completed here at WWTW went down behind the scenes, but suffice to say the site should be running much faster than before.

For those who have endured slow load times in recent months … please accept my apologies. And for anyone who prefers not to see my face at the top of the page … well, I can’t help you there. The web facelift is complete!

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‘Descent’ sequel streaks to DVD

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This horror hound has been waiting for the sequel to “The Descent” - no matter that common sense tells me not to get my hopes up.

My favorite horror flick from the last decade didn’t make much noise at the box office but its reputation continues to thrive on DVD.

So a sequel was inevitable – if not necessarily a guarantee of more subterranean chills.

Just found out “The Descent: Part 2″ is heading to DVD April 27. The film’s original director, Neil Marshall, is no longer behind the camera, but this site will review the sequel all the same.

(Photo: ‘The Descent’ proved one of the decade’s best horror films, and now a sequel is coming soon to DVD.)

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‘Attack of the Vegan Zombies!’ – Hold the brains, please

attack-of-the-vegan-zombies

It’s not easy to stand out in the crowded zombie genre.

We’ve already seen Nazi zombies (“Dead Snow”), funny zombies (“Shaun of the Dead”) and zombies serving as household pets (“Fido”).

Indie writer/director Jim Townsend’s spin on the genre involves zombies put off by eating brains and entrails.

They prefer a nice Chianti, and if they happen to find some in a person’s blood stream, so be it.

“Attack of the Vegan Zombies!” uses that as its twist, one which will likely attract gore hounds like bees to honey.

Writer/director/star Jim Townsend shrewdly sets the stage for his modest zombie affair, but he ultimately can’t decide whether his film is a spoof, a monster mash or an homage to classic zombie films.

It comes up a tad short in each category, but it’s still a diverting feature given the microscopic budget.

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Sunday link love: The ‘America’ edition

  • “Green Zone” flops at the box office … will this finally tell Hollywood the public isn’t interested in Iraq War movies?
  • “The People vs. George Lucas” bows at SXSW – long lines ensue, forcing the addition of a second showing at midnight.
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Comment of the Week: The ‘where did all the movie stars go?’ edition

Today’s hottest actors are still referred to as movie stars … but it’s clear the label ain’t what it used to be.

Rare is the actor who can guarantee full houses on opening weekend. Even Will Smith struggled to bring audiences to see his melodramatic 2008 film “Seven Pounds.”

So this rant from frequent commenter JIC really hit home:

There are no major movie stars anymore; just well-known, highly-paid actors. This isn’t the start of some sort of nostalgic rant, it’s a statement of fact: there are no actors active in American movies who can ‘open’ even a medium-budgeted movie – up to about ten years ago, the ability to open a movie was virtually the sole qualification to be a star. Even Will Smith and Adam Sandler can’t do it anymore.

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‘Green Zone’ – Ultimate Rorschach test for film critics?

green-zone

The new Matt Damon movie “Green Zone” isn’t just a slam-bang adventure about the search for WMD in Iraq.

It’s also a Rorschach test for today’s movie critics.

The film declares the Bush administration knew all along that Iraq didn’t have weapons of mass destruction, but that it lied to convince the public to embrace the subsequent invasion.

That’s not a spoiler. Nearly every film review puts that fact front and center. It’s the thrust of the whole movie.

But how critics react to that plot, and either ignore or detail the film’s flaws, provides a powerful lens from which to view a critic’s ideological blinders.

After all, the decision to invade Iraq was one of the most emotionally charged debates in modern history.

Suffice to say Roger Ebert gives the film four stars.

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‘Remember Me’ – There’s life after ‘Twilight’ for Team Edward

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Robert Pattinson will always have a gig with “Twilight.”

Sure, the film franchise can’t last forever, but just consider the endless tie-ins, promotions and, one day, comic-cons where he can sign autographs ’til his finger go numb.

That still doesn’t leave him with a movie career.

“Remember Me” could change that.

The drama pushes Pattinson beyond “Twilight’s” limited emotional canvas, allowing him to show something much closer to movie star chops than his detractors would expect.

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