by Cory Woodroof | Aug 4, 2012 | News Slider, Sports
Per Aberdeen News, a film focused on former Lipscomb men’s basketball Coach Don Meyer is being planned. The filmmakers hope to shoot in both Nashville and Aberdeen, S.D. (home of Northern State University – the school where Meyer coached until his retirement in 2010). The film’s producers were scouting on location in Aberdeen this past week. The independent film, currently going by the working title of My Many Sons, has yet to be fully cast but hopes to secure funding and talent to begin production this year. The project is reportedly attracting notable names and anticipates a release window of 2013. The newly founded Moonglow Films will head up the project, with Hollywood veteran Brad Wilson serving as a producer. Carol Miller will serve as the screenwriter and a co-producer. Director Ralph E. Portillo will helm the project. Miller reportedly interviewed former Lipscomb and NSU players and read the biographical books How Lucky You Can Be: The Don Meyer Story and Playing for Coach Meyer to prepare for the screenplay. She also met with Meyer to discuss the project. The script has completed its first draft and is currently being re-written. Lipscomb alum Casey Bond, a former MLB player who recently starred in the 2011 film Moneyball, will have a role in the film in addition to having a producer’s credit. The idea for the film reportedly came to light when Lipscomb administration told Bond last fall that he should pursue making a movie about Meyer. Bond was very keen on the idea, and he pitched the project to Moonglow Films. “I just had an epiphany on how this movie...
by Cory Woodroof | Jul 27, 2012 | Opinion
I dare you to find a film released in 2012 that offers more originality, heart and sheer bewilderment than Beasts of the Southern Wild. With Beasts, first time director Benh Zeitlin manages to do what most veteran filmmakers cannot – create a uniquely uplifting story with a realized atmosphere and grand ambition. Honestly, Beasts of the Southern Wild is one of the most staggeringly original products to come out of Hollywood in recent memory (even though it’s an adaptation of a stage play). The film follows Hushpuppy (newcomer Quvenzhané Wallis), a young child living with her hard-drinking father Wink (Dwight Henry, another fresh face) in the Bathtub – a community on the outskirts of Louisiana blocked off from the rest of the United States by a gigantic levy. The citizens of the Bathtub take their community pride to heart, throwing large celebrations with no other reason than to celebrate their existence. To the people of the Bathtub, their pride fuels their way of life – Wink and Hushpuppy being no exception. But when a terrible oncoming storm threatens their home, many residents flee. Wink and Hushpuppy stay alongside a handful of others, believing in the power of their pride. Besides the impending weather, Hushpuppy faces other issues. Wink is slowly dying. Although she’s only a child, Hushpuppy must quickly rise to the occasion, becoming the film’s unsung hero in the midst of her strife. She longs for her long-lost mother but still manages to perk up the enthusiasm to leave behind signs for “scientists in the future” of her and her father’s predicament. As the storm closes in, her...
by Cory Woodroof | Jul 23, 2012 | Uncategorized
The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan’s iconic follow-up to Batman Begins, has nothing left to prove. It’s one of the few films of the last decade to solidify its classic status – a film that impacted and influenced cinema in a way that will forever shape the idea of what a superhero movie is and what it can be. When plans were announced for a third installment – a follow-up to one of the most successful films of all time – many wondered if Nolan would be able to create a product that could top The Dark Knight. The idea of a sequel being better than its predecessor isn’t that hard to grasp. Time after time, we’ve seen second installments all but eclipse the films they follow. Third installments, though, are another ball game. Time after time, these efforts are written off as money-grabbing exploits that wring out every last bit of creative zest the said franchises have left. Rare films like Toy Story 3, The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi managed to give worthy closes to their franchises – beloved products that honor the films that precede them. Thankfully The Dark Knight Rises has joined that small group of worthy “threequels.” In the grandest sense possible, Nolan wanted to give his Batman series a proper send-off – a definitive end to a story that he has spent over seven years crafting. In many ways, Nolan succeeded in giving the franchise an ending worthy of the first two films. This fact alone is worth celebrating. But did he top...
by Cory Woodroof | Jul 3, 2012 | Uncategorized
If when watching The Amazing Spider-Man a feeling of sincere déjà vu looms over your collective memory, then don’t worry. You’re not alone. The newest incarnation of everyone’s friendly neighborhood hero might seem a bit too familiar to some since this origin story has already been told to greater success. I’m talking, of course, about 2002’s Spider-Man. The original take on Peter Parker’s rise to hero status featured Tobey Maguire’s nerdy Parker, Willem Dafoe’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-esque Norman Osborne/Green Goblin, Kirsten Dunst’s dreamy love interest Mary Jane Watson, James Franco’s cool-but-jaded best friend Harry Osborne, the infamous upside-down rain kiss, pumpkin bombs, a jerky Flash Thompson and, of course, Uncle Ben’s legendary call for great responsibility to follow great power. Two sequels soon followed. Five years removed from Spider-Man 3 (the final film in the original trilogy), the new Spider-Man flick feels a little too close for comfort. This time, Andrew Garfield plays a hipper version of Peter (skateboard and angst included), Rhys Ifans plays the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-esque Dr. Curt Connors/Lizard, Emma Stone plays the dreamy love interest Gwen Stacy. There’s no best friend for Parker this time (he’s a loner, naturally), but we’ve got another jerky Flash Thompson, more kissing, another scientific weapon and, of course, a call for responsibility from Uncle Ben. See what I’m coming from? I don’t want to make this review seem more negative than it is (I actually liked elements of the film quite a bit), but as origin stories go, you’re going to have to shake off the inert feeling déjà vu if you have any desire to truly enjoy this reboot....
by Cory Woodroof | Jun 22, 2012 | Uncategorized
After Cars 2, I began to wonder if Pixar’s magic was on a brief hiatus. Sure, Cars 2 isn’t a horrible film. It has some decent qualities, but the entire film just lacks the usual Pixar flair. As a frequent movie-goer, I have to admit that missing that yearly feeling of Pixar awe and wonder really left a hole in my cinematic heart. There’s just something about Pixar films that give viewers a special feeling. Thinking back on Ratatouille, I remember the flashback sequence to food critic Anton Ego’s childhood – that moment of serene bliss when old Ego remembers the feeling of a home-cooked meal. It’s one of my favorite moments in any movie ever. It’s what I feel when I watch movies that I love – many of them opening with the Pixar logo. So after Cars 2 disappointed, I began to wonder if that feeling would ever come back. Brave, the 13th Pixar film, brought back a few shreds of Pixar’s warmth, but not the entire feeling. The original fairy tale helped me remember some of the magic from Pixar’s past, but at the end, I just didn’t get full closure. Brave is a very well done Disney movie, but is it a great Pixar movie? That’s the question at hand. Brave is both an experiment and a dance in the comfort zone for Pixar. While this is the studio’s first fairy tale, Brave features so many staple features of the studio’s lineage of hits that it almost feels as if Pixar is treading light water. While Brave could have used the fierce stamp of originality...
