• I’m writing this as I sit here listening to the new 3 CD set of the Blade Runner soundtrack. I scrounged up an early copy online to check out. Don’t worry, I’ll be buying the set when it comes out next Tuesday. The Blade Runner/Vangelis/film score nerd in me just couldn’t resist hunting it down early to check out. It’s a great set, btw. The first CD is a repackaging of the existing soundtrack CD from the early 90’s. The second CD is a bunch of unreleased material from the original score. It’s a very cool disc for us fans. It has a style and flow of its own, surprisingly well rounded away from both the film and the first CD material. It’s mostly the lower key, moody material. A cool CD to play in a dark room during the late hours while you’re typing away at the keyboard. Disc 3 is odd but cool. It’s assembled kinda like the first disc, as primarily music with some dialog thrown in as atmosphere. This material, however, is newly created and not from the film itself. Much of it is a reworking of material from the film, both musically and in terms of dialog (moody and atmospheric). Yet it’s also kind of an album in and of itself. It’s easily as cool to us Vangelis fanatics like myself as it is to us Blade Runner fanatics (guilty as well). It could do with less saxophone, though (but that’s just me and my dislike for that instrument). It’s like having the Vangelis of old back again.
• As you’ve likely noticed, more movie reviews are starting to finally appear. I aim to have all remaining reviews posted by the end of this weekend.
• NYC cops are taking entrapment to the next level. Good grief.
• A nice collection of photos from the recent Mutant Enemy Day on the picket lines for the WGA. If you’re looking for more video and photos of the day, there’s tons and tons of it online. Just do some searching.
• Johnny Depp as Pee-Wee? Hmmm. That’ll surely be interesting.
• Journeyman has apparently bitten the proverbial dust
• Avatar has been pushed from summer of 2009 to winter of 2009. Hmmm, a James Cameron movie getting bumped from summer to winter? How unusual.
• The overzealous RIAA continues their shenanigans
• OK, I’m off to the midnight preview screening for I Am Legend. I might get my review posted when I get back. If not, I promise to get it posted tomorrow.

A remarkably solid political, social thriller featuring an excellent cast. I wasn’t sure if this movie would work, but was very happy with the end result.

Writing: The script for this film is rather impressive. It makes a timely political statement, very obviously, without feeling forced. It also does so without making choices about clear-cut good guys and bad guys. And it manages to play with storytelling structure in surprising and elegant ways.

Production: The production of this film is pretty much pitch perfect. Balancing the two worlds of the movie, that of the middle-eastern interrogation and the austere political/home of the USA, the movie has a nice sense of flow and contrast. I particularly love the choice of often times placing Meryl Streep’s character in a location as mundane as the kitchen at her home. Cinematography is simple but effective, which is a description that goes for most aspects of the film.

Cast: A fantastic cast brings this well written story to life. Like the material itself, the cast engages the movie in a way that doesn’t club you over the head with the message. They are clearly most interested in getting into the heads of their characters. Reese Witherspoon makes what is probably the most thankless role in the movie work very well. What really makes the character work is her empathetic performance which is remarkably free from hysterics. Jake Gyllenhaal, who never fails to impress, is perfectly up to the task of portraying the frank and naive agent as a someone who remains surprisingly grounded. Meryl Streep can pull of the “in-command” and cold type of character in her sleep, and does so yet again with apparent ease. Omar Metwally does a nice job as the unsuspecting victim of the story. The typically impressive Peter Sarsgaard is an excellent casting choice as the political aid who chases the story as far as he dares. And Alan Arkin is an amusingly easy choice as the senator he works for. Other roles are filled with fine character actors, such as Bob Gunton and J.K. Simmons.

Music: Two fairly new composers, Paul Hepker and Mark Kilian, had worked with director Gavin Hood on his previous film, Tsotsi. Their work here is understated but effective. Not worth writing home about, but certainly up to the task.

While not completely my film genre of choice, this Ridley Scott film is quite good. Featuring some fine performances from the cast and a retro yet gorgeous visualization by Ridley, the solid script comes to life nicely.

Writing: Notable writer Steven Zaillian pulls off an interesting mesh of crime drama and class war, without it feeling like somebody trying to “pull off” something. It rolls out some tried and true pieces of the puzzle, such as the adversarial yet respectful relationship between the cop and the criminal. And it evokes the period quite well.

Production: There’s no such thing as a Ridley Scott movie that’s poorly produced. The look of the movie is gritty, but it doesn’t lose that sense of beauty and depth that Ridley brings to any material. While some scenes feel like they’re straight out of a John Frankenheimer movie from the 70’s, they still feel like they have a fresh approach.

Cast: No shortage of excellent talent on display when it comes to the cast. Denzel is an easy and obvious casting choice. He’s easily capable of pulling off both sides of the character. Russell Crowe is also an easy and obvious casting choice. This is Crowe’s third film with Ridley, and is clearly becoming a favorite acting choice for the director (he’s also starring in Ridley’s next movie, Body Of Lies). Denzel has worked a number of times with Ridley’s brother Tony (including the upcoming remake of The Taking Of Pelham 123), but this is his first movie for Ridley. What most people don’t remember is that Washington & Crowe have co-starred together before, on a movie that I’m quite fond of - Virtuosity. It contains what is still probably my favorite Russell Crowe performance (he chews up the scenery in it). Other bits of casting in this film are also quite good including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Carla Gugino, Ted Levine, Armand Assante, Cuba Gooding Jr and Joe Morton.

Music: Having spent about 10 years working for Hans Zimmer’s team of composers at Remote Control (formerly Media Ventures), Marc Streitenfeld was given his first composer credit with Ridley’s previous film, A Good Year. Clearly, he must have done a good job as Ridley used him again on this film and is using him again on his next movie, Body Of Lies. His score for this film is certainly well done. Like the movie, it takes a period retro approach but retains a different feel.