Filmscope

It’s been awhile since I had an opportunity to rave about “Ghostbusters 3.” As a fan of the series, I’m willing to overlook a lot of things. But after I saw “Year One,” which the sequel’s writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky penned, I had to back away a little bit. Hate to say it, but that’s really not a very good movie.

There’s also been precious little news about “Ghostbusters 3.” Until now. An insider has been talking, and apparently the original foursome — including noted holdout Bill Murray — are on board, according to Bloody Disgusting. It seems even Rick Moranis is considering emerging from retirement for another outing with his old pals. Best of all though… there’s some plot info. Careful though, it’s a bit on the spoiler-y side. Continue at your own risk.

So for awhile now its been known that the third movie in the series would be set some years later, with the original team retired — one of them, now a ghost — and serving in a more advisory/mentor capacity. Assuming this insider’s info is accurate, we now know a bit more about the makeup of the young team.

One of its members will be baby Oscar from “Ghostbusters 2,” now grown up and ready to take over the family business. More than that, its been revealed that he is in fact the child of Murray’s Peter Venkman, something mama Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) neglected to tell him in “Ghostbusters 2.”

If it’s true, I can dig it. It’s not an outrageous plot twist, but it offers a nice tie between the two previous films and the new one, something that simply bringing back the characters wouldn’t nail quite as well. If it’s true. At this point, I won’t be convinced there’s really a third “Ghostbusters” coming until Murray comes to the MTV Newsroom and tells me personally. Or until it hits theaters. Whichever happens first.

So I’m at work and kind of bored and wondering what it would be like if I lived a different life, in a different place. It’s not that I’m unhappy in my current situation – but when my mind is bored it tends to wander into that creative no-man’s land straight into my imagination. Next stop ladies and gentleman, the Twilight Zone!

Below are just a random sampling of some movie and TV worlds I would occasionally like to inhabit.

Cheers – I would love to plop myself on a barstool (preferably next to Norm) and just wax poetic all day with a mild buzz from whatever beer was on tap. The bar itself always looked so cozy, tucked away underground, enveloped by cool wood tones, and surrounded by friends. We know that there is a world going on outside of the bar but we rarely venture out  and that’s just fine.

The Truman Show – I don’t know what this says about me but something about the bright, clean, safe world of the Truman Show is very appealing. Sometimes I think I could live Truman’s life if I didn’t know it was all a sham. He’s married, has a decent job, neighbors he says hi to, a loyal best friend, and an easy commute to work. What more could one ask for? Of course as a viewer, we know that it’s all fake but what if you didn’t know? I believe this movie was filmed in the planned community of Celebration, Florida. If that’s the case, I might just be booking a ticket…

True Blood – You might be scratching your head on this one but if you think about it, Bon Temps is a pretty cool place to live! Sure if you can survive the occasional fang (or claw) this place is full of exciting new things. You can stop into Merlottes for a nice cold beer and some lunch and end the night taking in a show at Fangtasia. Vampires, Werewolves, Shape-shfters, oh my!

Back to School – Sometimes I really long for the days when I was… well, back in school! What better movie to take me back to those semi carefree days than this old Rodney Dangerfield classic. Messy dorm rooms, interesting classes (or classes with interesting characters), keggers, swimming competitions, and a great cameo by Sam Kinison. When I’m sitting at my desk doing some mundane task, that’s what I want my life to be like sometimes.

High Fidelity – Sparked by his break-up with current girlfriend Laura, High Fidelity follows John Cusack’s character Rob as he tries to figure out why all of his relationships have failed. The movie takes place in Chicago and if you’re into architecture, there’s really no better place to set up shop. Not that this movie focuses on the architecture, but it does make great use out of it’s two main locations; Rob’s apartment and the very cool record store he owns. I imagine myself working at the store with characters like Jack Black and (the underrated) Todd Louiso and I immediately feel at home.

So how about you? What movie or TV show would you like to live in?

Solomon Kane, from the title alone, evokes the same mental image as “Alan Quatermain” or “Abraham Van Helsing” – either the movie will be about a swashbuckling hero or a sage protagonist with a wealth of knowledge used to help others.

But Solomon Kane is neither of these fictional characters. Based on the character created by pulp writer Robert E. Howard, Solomon Kane is a wandering puritan who lived in the 17th century and whose goal is to vanquish evil wherever he encounters it. The character appeared in many stories in Weird Tales, the seminal title that brought many high quality pulp horror stories.

I am not thoroughly familiar with Solomon Kane as a character so I’ll base this review solely on what I have seen in the movie and based on what I have just seen, Solomon Kane is a character that should really be given as much focus as the other comic book characters enjoying the adoration of the public.

Solomon Kane revisits the same familiar tropes of faith and repentance but given a deliberate Hollywood polish of expansive cinematography and special effects. Michael J. Bassett, who both wrote and directed the movie, tried to do his best to cram as much of Solomon Kane’s origins in order to give the audience a heftier idea of why he seeks redemption. As “origin” movies go, Bassett also had to contend with trying to cram in as much background story as he could without eating up too much of his available screen time. It’s a worthwhile effort and I feel that even though he has not fully achieved his goal, it was still a passable effort that gave us a good glimpse of Solomon Kane before he repented and began his quest for the deliverance of his soul.

Luckily, Bassett had a very capable actor in James Purefoy who injected just enough pathos in his performance that by the middle of the movie, the audience really roots for him. It is quite easy to ham it up in a movie like this but Purefoy managed to evade this easy trap. His Kane is fractured, conflicted and tortured but there is a nobility that shines through and a goodness that emerges naturally in his performance. Speaking of actors, I was quite happy to see the great Pete Postlethwaite as the well-meaning William Crowthorn. Actors like him always give any movie a worthwhile sheen and as always he delivers here. I feel that Jason Flemyng is thoroughly underused as the villain Malachai. His screen time is just not enough.

The cinematography was a bit hit and miss. I don’t know if it was the copy that I was viewing but there were some scenes that were a bit too poorly lighted. But it’s undeniable that Bassett has a great eye. There were some gorgeous scenes that would put to shame most of the hacks in Hollywood which makes me wonder why Bassett is not being given more high profile projects. Solomon Kane is loads better than the very poorly made Van Helsing. To compare him to Stephen Sommers is an insult to Bassett.

I am also a bit underwhelmed by the movie’s ending. You get this feeling of wanting more but from the looks of it, it seems that the people behind the movie are hoping to make a franchise out of it. Hopefully, the movie has performed well enough to actually merit a sequel.

All in all, Solomon Kane is one of those action/fantasy movies that are not being noticed because it doesn’t have the pull of an A-list actor. But I think the beauty of this movie is precisely the fact that it is not totally consumed by Hollywood’s touch. Fantasy/action fans would be well advised to check this movie out.

Rating: B+

As we mentioned earlier, producer Ridley Scott plans on teaming with “State of Play” director Kevin Macdonald and the popular video uploading site YouTube to create “Life in a Day,” described as “the first user-generated feature-length documentary.” The project is rather ambitious, essentially highlighting a day in the life around the world — that day specifically being July 24, 2010 — through a compilation of user-submitted videos. Ideally, the documentary will give audiences a different, multi-faceted and profound perspective of the world around them.

While we certainly applaud the crew for their bold attempt, we can’t help but wonder… what if instead of showing us a day in the life of our world, “Life in a Day” showed us a day in the life of some of Ridley Scott’s most famous characters? What would that look like?

Let’s find out after the jump, shall we?

“Alien”
Depending on the chosen day, this movie either features Sigourney Weaver sleeping in a suspended animation pod the entire time or a crazy, fight-for-her-life survival epic as Ripley tries to escape the Nostromo before becoming food/toy/egg for a bizarrely sexual looking alien creature. If it’s the latter, well, we get the movie “Alien.” If the former, as long as Ripley is wearing the same sleeping wear from the end of the first film, we are in.

“Gladiator”
This would literally be a straight up, non-stop action film filled with gladiator match after gladiator match. A Maximus documentary would focus on our hero waking up in the morning, sulking a bit over how terrible his life has turned out, then heading out into the coliseum to promptly take said misery out on armored dudes with huge axes, chariots, spears and comically over-sized lions. Give the lion body armor and an axe in its mouth and this all of a sudden morphs into the greatest documentary in the history of everything.

“Blade Runner”
Instead of focusing on Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard, I’d definitely pay to see a documentary told through the lens of Rutger Hauer’s Roy Batty. His ending monologue alone brings a level of depth and curiosity that spawned a legion of fans. He says that he’s “seen things you people wouldn’t believe.” Well, dang it, we want to see those things. Let us see it documentary style, Ridley Scott!

“Hannibal”
Now that Hannibal Lecter is running about fancy free, what’s he up to with his time? Maybe he just chills at home reading. Maybe he restarted his own private psychological practice. Maybe he hosts a cooking show. Maybe a zombie apocalypse breaks out and Hannibal Lecter finds himself ironically on the other side of the equation for once. The possibilities seem endless and deliciously awesome.

“Thelma Louise”
Over the course of a day, Thelma and Louise — two women who were out to have a little vacation away from their mundane life until things spiral out of control after they kill a rapist — grow ever bolder, robbing a store, kidnapping a cop and blowing up a truck, before determining suicide together is better than life in jail, prompting them to drive off the Grand Canyon.

Wait a second… this documentary pitch sounds incredibly familiar…

Tell us which of these characters you’d like to see in a Ridley Scott-helmed documentary in the comments section and on Twitter!

Elvis and monsters make for an unlikely pair, but fans of the Bruce Campbell-starring “Bubba Ho-tep” are already well aware of how well that combination actually works. Those same fans have anxiously anticipated “Bubba Nosferatu,” the film’s vampire-centric sequel, ever since “Ho-tep’s” release. But the project has experienced numerous setbacks and delays, not the least of which is Campbell’s departure as Elvis.

In the upsides department, Ron Perlman was mentioned as a possible replacement for Campbell in 2008, while actor Paul Giamatti is still set to co-star as Colonel Tom Parker. Giamatti remains as enthusiastic about the project as ever, telling MTV News that “Nosferatu” will definitely get off the ground — eventually.

“We’ve been trying to make that for two, three years, and we’re going to get it done at some point,” Giamatti told MTV’s Adam Rosenberg about the status of “Nosferatu.” “I’m going to f—ing break my spine in half if I have to to get that thing done.”

“We’ve been trying so hard and we’ve had so many near-misses,” he continued. “It’s almost come together like 15 freaking times and then it falls apart. At some point we’re going to get that done because it’s a great script. We’ll get it done at some point.”

Giamatti is clearly a big fan of the creative work that’s gone into “Nosferatu,” saying that the real trouble lies in finding investors for the film.

“I think it’s just the atmosphere of movies right now, smaller movies. Nobody has the balls to make a movie for under — it’s got to be a $40 million comedy or a $200 million ‘Avatar,’ and that’s it,” he said. “Those are the only things anybody wants to make right now. Nobody wants to do anything else. Everybody’s terrified of doing anything else except that kind of thing. So that movie is deemed way too bizarre and outside the box right now. Which is stupid, because there’s an audience for that movie, totally.”

Even if financing is currently hard to come by, Giamatti is convinced that “Nosferatu” will eventually get made.

“We’ll find some way to do it, I swear to god,” he said. “I think ‘Bubba Ho-tep’ is just a f—ing great movie. I really do. We’ll make this other one somehow.”

Tell us what you think of Giamatti’s “Nosferatu” hopes in the comments section and on Twitter!

Well, World Wide Web. You had a good run while it lasted.

According to a music legend, the computer age has already passed us up.

Indeed, Prince is coming out with a new album (“20Ten”), which will be available as a free insert in various magazine and newspapers in Europe this week. A release date in America has not yet been announced, but one thing is for certain: fans will NOT be able to purchase it from iTunes.

The Internets completely over, Prince told The Daily Mirror. “The Internets like MTV. At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated. Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers and that cant be good for you.

Hmmm… if the Internet is over, how are you reading this right now? We just blew your mind, didn’t we?

It’s time to take a side in this feud. Vote now:

Tony Romo he’s not. But Eric Johnson isn’t too shabby himself.

“He’s one of the nicest guys around,” says an NFL insider who has worked with the ex-San Francisco 49ers player and current Jessica Simpson plaything.

The source notes, later stating the obvious a bit by adding, “I’m surprised he is dating Jessica Simpson. She is such a big star and he is so reserved.”

The guy also went to Yale … go figure!

Johnson, who also played briefly for the New Orleans Saints, definitely has experience with the limelight, however, having excelled in sports all his life.

Former NFL star Eric Johnson couldn’t catch on with a pro team for that long … but he’s got quite a catch in Jessica Simpson. Here’s hoping he doesn’t fumble it away.

The 6′ 3″ Needham, Mass., native broke 11 school records while playing wide receiver for Yale University. He’s also a former academic All-American.

Called “The Big Nerd” by Yale friends, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, “He’s very smart, and one of the most down-to-earth athletes I know.”

Simpson began dating Johnson in May after friends introduced them. He’s currently separated from his wife, Keri, who filed for divorce earlier this year.

“He is the polar opposite of what you think of when you say ‘player,’ ” says the source who knows him well. “When I met him, he was driving a Prius.”

Slams and jokes flew fiercely in Twitter-Wood today, what with Levi Johnston’s public apology to the Palin family and Lindsay Lohan’s sentencing. Kim Kardashian contributed some positivity to the situation, though, sending good vibes to Lohan.

Elsewhere, no one was tweeting good things about the heat wave in the U.S. — at least no one in my feed. You can check out what Ashley Greene and Mark Webber think about the weather after the jump along with Edi Gathegi’s travel plans, what Alison Brie’s been having to do for “Scream 4″ and a photo from a day in the life of Wil Wheaton.

I’m @brianwarmoth, and this is Twitter-Wood for July 7, 2010.

Twitter Pic of the Day:
@wilw OMG look at the wrap gift I got from my hair and makeup goddesses! http://twitpic.com/232y0y
-Wil Wheaton, Writer/Actor (“Stand By Me,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation”)

@iamedigathegi @cserratos so i opened up my suitcase and lo and behold you weren’t in there!!! did you end up in Malaysia? flight 246…
-Edi Gathegi, Actor (“New Moon,” “My Bloody Valentine”)

@cserratos @iamedigathegi you forgot me! God you’re rude. Whatever. not like Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world or anything. Yuck
-Christian Serratos, Actress (“Twilight,” “New Moon”)

Heat wave pt. 1: @AshleyMGreene It’s 90 and night time in NYC. WHAT is going on here??
-Ashley Greene, Actress (“Eclipse,” “Skateland”)

Heat wave pt. 2: @likemark i’m naked sitting in an ice bucket spraying mist into a fan in front of me. #eastcoastheatwave
-Mark Webber, Actor/Writer/Director (“Scott Pilgrim vs. The World,” “Explicit Ills”)

@alisonbrie Had to use google AND dictionary apps to decipher cryptic scene description on call-sheet today. But I promise I’m not stupid. #Scream4
-Alison Brie, Actress (“Mad Men,” “Community”)

Lindsay Lohan pt. 1: @KimKardashian Sending positivity your way @LindsayLohan Love you! Everyone please send LL your sweet prayers. U never know when someone really needs it
-Kim Kardashian, Actress (“Disaster Movie,” “Beyond the Break”)

Lindsay Lohan pt. 2: @lindsaylohan thank you so much @KimKardashian – thanks for being such a good friend, it means a lot to me
-Lindsay Lohan, Actress (“Herbie: Fully Loaded,” “Mean Girls”)

Lindsay Lohan pt. 3: @JamesUrbaniak Kim Kardashian sent Lindsay Lohan some positivity but I got it by mistake. Do I have to give it back?
-James Urbaniak, Actor (“The Venture Bros.,” “Across the Universe”)

@jonhurwitz Levi Johnston, you are no longer my hero. Effin p—y.
-Jon Hurwitz, Writer (“Harold Kumar Go to White Castle”)

Don’t forget to follow @MTVMoviesBlog on Twitter for all the latest updates and colorful commentary from the world of movies.

Last week on The City, Whitney Port and Roxy Olin’s professional relationship took a turn for the worse. Now the latter is packing her things and moving out!

Her tenure at work a disaster-in-waiting from the start, Roxy leaving was inevitable. Now she’s searching for a new apartment but NYC rent isn’t that cheap.

Here’s THG’s plus-minus recap …

Roxy’s financial woes force her to ask her director/actor father, Ken Olin, for help. It’s difficult not to see Ken as the guy from Brothers Sisters … Minus 5.

Erin Kaplan runs into Whitney Port and asks to use her Whitney Eve line for an Elle shoot with Ashley Greene. Eclipse and The City, together at last! Plus 6.

MOVING OUT: Whether Roxy Olin is moving up is another story.

Olivia Palermo is resistive towards the Whitney Eve pieces, shockingly, despite Joe’s insistence that they use them. Minus 4, because we just hate her so hard.

Roxy Olin refuses to speak to Whitney at People’s Revolution. Plus 3 for the palpable awkwardness and Kelly stepping in, telling them to put it aside … STAT.

The tension boils over in the front row of a charity fashion show, however, and Kelly is forced to intervene when the girls’ fight starts to cause a scene. Minus 7.

Whitney finds out from Samantha that Roxy started looking for a place. Minus 6 for the off-chance this clears the way for Stephanie Pratt to join the cast.

ASHLEY IN WHITNEY EVE: Greene helped Port beat expectations.

Ashley Greene wears a jacket by Whitney Eve during her interview for Elle. Plus 5. Olivia interviews her but sidesteps asking about the jacket. You b!tch. Minus 5.

Olivia tells Joe she’s planning a trip to Japan and asks if she can produce pieces from there for Elle. Plus 7 for the slim chance she gets stranded there indefinitely.

Plus 4 more ’cause Naturally, Seth and Erin are excited about Olivia’s trip if it means her absence might become permanent. We’re all thinking it, they just said it.

Ken shoots down Roxy’s request for money. Plus 8. Whitney comes home to find Roxy packed and ready to move out of their apartment. It’s a little sad. Minus 2.

TOTAL: +8. SEASON: -4.

There’s a reason that “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” has gotten so much buzz around Hollywood in recent weeks and months – it’s because the source material and the original Swedish film are both very, very good. Before the developing American adaptation of the crime thriller finds its way into theaters, movie lovers can investigate the “Dragon Tattoo” hype for themselves this week as director Niels Arden Oplev’s critically acclaimed movie arrives on DVD. But if you’re still not sure that taking the plunge is worth a DVD purchase, check out what MTV’s very own Kurt Loder had to say about “Dragon Tattoo” after viewing the film several months ago.

“The story is fat with characters, most of them various Vangers, some of them back-in-the-day Nazis, one of them possibly a murderer,” he writes, adding that the film has “Silence of the Lambs” overtones. “It’s a movie in which there’s a lot going on, almost all of it interesting.”

Check out Loder’s full review over here!