Balls of Fury
Does anything more need to be said other than that Balls of Fury is a ping pong action movie co-starring Christopher Walken? Frankly, that's enough for me. But if you happen to be a Bruce Lee fan, the fact that it's a spoof of Enter the Dragon may entice you. The comedy details a former Pong phenom called Randy (Dan Fogler), who is sent on a special mission to nab his father's killer, Feng -- who just so happens to be played by Walken. With Maggie Q and a spiritual guide, Randy gets back into ping pong shape and heads to Feng's jungle compound and his ping pong tournaments.

This DVD includes an alternate ending, a small serving of deleted scenes, a comedy bit about, erm, ball handling, and a "Making Of" featurette that includes cast and table tennis guru Wei Wang, who also helped out this year's other ping pong movie, Ping Pong Playa.

Check out James' Review | Buy the DVD

Blade Runner
It has been 25 years since Blade Runner first hit theaters, and now we're getting one hell of an anniversary DVD gift just in time for the holidays. Originally stemming from the mind of Philip K. Dick, the film is a cyber-heavy vision of the future where replicants (human clones) are whipped up to work on colonies outside of Earth. However, when some escape and head to the planet, Deckard (Harrison Ford), a cop and replicant terminator, must put aside his visions of retirement and stop them. The flick also starred the likes of Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, and Daryl Hannah -- and of course, it's one of the biggest and most loved sci-fi films to hit the screen.

Fans can choose one of 3 main sets -- the 2-Disc Special Edition, the 4-Disc Collector's Edition, or the mack daddy of collections: The Ultimate Collector's Edition. The 2-Disc set offers Ridley Scott's new, final cut of the film with three commentaries, plus a feature-length documentary on the film's creation. If that's not enough, you can up it two more discs and also get all the different cuts -- theatrical, international, and director's, as well as another disc with 90 minutes of rare footage and featurettes. Finally, you can add one more disc and store it all in a sweet, metal case. The extra DVD shares a "Workprint Version" that changes things up a bit (such as no Deckard narration and no happy ending) and includes one more featurette and commentary.

Check out Ryan's Review of the Final Cut | Buy the 2-Disc, 4-Disc, or 5-Disc DVD


Other New DVD Releases (December 18)
Stardust
Underdog
Halloween
Rush Hour 3
Evil Dead: Ultimate Edition DVD
Bring It On: In It to Win It
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True

*And apologies to Simpsons fans: The Simpsons Movie

Check out Peter Martin's Indies on DVD for even more new releases.

In a recent article for Cinematical, I wrote: "Too often, Asian-American actors are relegated to bit parts (the food delivery guy, gangster #3, mysterious prostitute) simply because of their race." Historically, there's another reason why Asian-American actors have not been cast in leading roles, even when the role is that of an Asian or Asian-American character: the "yellow face" factor, in which a non-Asian actor is cast as an Asian.

Playwright/actor David Henry Hwang has written a play with that title, which was inspired by the controversy that arose in the early 1990s when non-Asian actor Jonathan Pryce was cast as a Eurasian character in the original stage production of Miss Saigon. (Hwang's play opens shortly off-Broadway in New York.) Robert B. Ito wrote a biting article on the subject in Bright Lights Film Journal that gave historical context.

Philip W. Chung commented on the phenomenon last week in AsianWeek: "Often, these 'yellow face' performances [by non-Asian actors] both reinforced and embodied all the negative stereotypes -- funny accent, slanted eyes, buck teeth, and enough 'Orientalism' to send the yellow fever meter through the roof." Chung compiled a list of 25 "yellow face" film performances "that have arguably had the most impact on our cultural landscape." Last week's article counted down from #25 to #11.

Chung starts off his list with a recent example -- Christopher Walken in Balls of Fury -- and then stretches back to Richard Barthelmess in D. W. Griffith's Broken Blossoms (1919), which he says formed a "template for Hollywood's take on Asian men ... unrealistically noble, feminine and utterly asexual." Chung takes a fascinating skip through the decades and points out "yellow face" performances by Fisher Stevens (#20), Eddie Murphy (#18) and Peter Lorre (#13).

AsianWeek's Top 10 will be counted down this week. Who do you think should be included on the list?

Today we salute the military veterans who have either served in wartime or in peace. I think technically Veteran's Day specifically honors war veterans, but I don't see why the non-combat military personnel needs to be excluded. Still, in the movies, it's the war vets that are most memorable, and on this holiday, I'd like to present my list of seven favorites.

Obviously this list isn't comprehensive -- in fact, I don't feature any examples of the now-stereotypical Vietnam vet character, which would include Tom Cruise in Born on the Fourth of July or Gary Senise in Forrest Gump. This is just a list of characters, positive and negative, that I prefer and which I think somewhat represents the wide and diverse scope of war vets.


"Homer Parrish" from The Best Years of Our Lives (1946, William Wyler)

About fifty years before Robert Zemeckis was digitally removing Gary Senise's legs to make him the disabled vet Lt. Dan of Forrest Gump, William Wyler directed a real amputee veteran named Harold Russell as the handicapped character Homer Parrish in this movie about the difficulty of coming home following World War II. Russell actually won an Oscar for his performance as Parrish, a former high school quarterback who returns to his childhood sweetheart, with whom he's engaged and for whom he no longer feels good enough. The actor/character has hooks for hands and appears in some sappy, obligatory scenes where he has trouble with them, but he ends up a guy that is beloved more than pitied, and it's almost easy to forget he has the handicap, especially after hearing him play piano with the false limbs.

The hunk ... He's a fairly disputed figure in the world of cinema, subjected to the taste and whims of anxious, heterosexual women everywhere. The hunk's popularity is often fleeting -- the beefcake stud for one year is often forgotten by the next. But most importantly, the hunk is entirely, and completely, subjective. One woman's pearl is another woman's stale, salty oyster.

One might argue that some tastes are, therefore, off, but subjectivity and sex are one of the world's big blessings. We don't all lust for the same people, and thus, the earth can stay safe. Otherwise, imagine a world-wide Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered. It wouldn't be pretty. So, what follows are my list of hunks.

I am sure you will question some of my picks, and I will admit -- some don't have the stellar physique that the others do. That being said, each of them have been in horror movies, and they've done their fair share of testosterone bewitching. But this is just my own, subjective taste, which will probably bother and bewilder some. But that's where the comments come in. Share your horror hunks, who have chased, or been chased, on-screen -- extra points if they're a little surprising. This is Halloween, after all, which is all about a world that's just a little different...

Imagine if you will the incredible team-up of Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken and Wiliam H. Macy -- not simply in the same movie, mind you, but as an on-screen trio. Now, imagine that they are playing the old security guards from Night at the Museum. OK, you've got a good mental picture of what The Lonely Maiden might look like. According to Variety, the three actors have been cast in the comedy, which was written by Michael LaSieur (You, Me and Dupree). The plot follows these three guards at an art museum (unlike Night's Museum of Natural History) who have become really attached to the paintings and other works they watch over every night. So, when some of the pieces are transferred to another location, the guys decide to pull a heist and steal the works in order to return them to their museum. Maybe they could have simply gotten jobs at this new place, but whatever.

The plot is very different from Night at the Museum, obviously, but I really can't get it out of my head that Freeman, Walken and Macy make for an almost perfect parallel to their respective counterparts Bill Cobbs, Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney. It's like this is a prequel to that hit Ben Stiller comedy. Sorta. Anyway, I'm excited to see these three actors working together. It's a much better mix for Macy than Wild Hogs, and it kinda reunites him with a fellow Another World cast member (did he and Freeman ever appear in an episode together?). Most importantly, though, is the fact that The Lonely Maiden will be just as much fun to listen to than to watch; rarely are such distinct and enjoyable voices grouped together in a non-animated movie. The Lonely Maiden (the title probably refers to a painting) will be be directed by Peter Hewitt (Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey) and begins shooting in Boston on November 12. Maybe at the Museum of Fine Arts?

It's been a long time since my teen years, when I was totally obsessed with UFOlogy and alien abduction tales. In the last decade or so, I even abandoned the interest enough to let mold infiltrate my autographed copy of Whitley Strieber's The Secret School. But I still have a passing enthusiasm for the subject, and so I'm very excited to see an adaptation of Strieber's The Grays moving into production. This time, though, the self-proclaimed abductee and horror author (The Hunger) isn't getting the barely-on-the-radar treatment that Communion received. Instead, according to Strieber's own site, Unknown Country, The Grays will be directed by blockbuster filmmaker Wolfgang Petersen (Poseidon) and produced by Sony. The movie doesn't have an exact start date, but the site says it should begin filming in the next few months for either a summer 2008 or summer 2009 release -- the latter stated as more likely.

The Grays is a more fact-based fiction of aliens than Communion, which featured Christopher Walken as Strieber. The book focuses on some aliens (aka Grays), called The Three Thieves, who are performing genetic experiments on humans, and a woman who may be able to save mankind through her ability to communicate with the Grays. Since Walken will be in anything, I'd like him to pay a nod to the earlier film by being cast in The Grays. He could certainly play the part of a military leader who tries to keep the aliens secret. Or maybe he would be better off playing some kind of Strieber substitute. I never read this particular book, so I'm unfamiliar with its characters. Strieber is on a hot streak these days; he recently sold the rights to his new book, 2012: The War for Souls, which Michael Bay is producing (and possibly directing).

[via AICN]

There are comedy pitches so insane that they go past 'crazy,' around the sphere of possibility to 'brilliant' and back again. Watching the trailer for Balls of Fury -- a comedy backed by many of the minds behind Comedy Central's Reno 911! -- I felt something like awe at the audacity of the pitch: They're making a ping pong comedy ... with the same plot as Enter the Dragon? For those of you not in the know, Enter the Dragon was the final film Bruce Lee completed before his untimely death in 1973; the plot involved a group of martial artists being asked to take part in a tournament at the secret island fortress of a shadowy criminal mastermind. Some come to the tournament for riches; some come for the juice; but one man (Lee) comes to infiltrate the island on behalf of an intelligence service -- and avenge the death of a loved one at the hands of the criminal mastermind. ...

And that's the plot of Balls of Fury -- only with ping pong in the place of martial arts, the husky-yet-funny Dan Fogler in the place of Bruce Lee, Christopher Walken in the role of the criminal mastermind. Co-writers Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant have thrown some broad comedy stuff into Balls of Fury's mix -- mining laughs from portly people falling down or people taking ping pong balls to the head or sudden reversals of fortune. But they also have some very specific stuff that mocks Enter the Dragon -- everything from sound effects to set design to a weird-but-brilliant riff on one of Enter the Dragon's creepier moments, where the criminal mastermind host offers his guests sex slaves for the evenings of their stay. ...

And yes, it's hard to make a sex slave joke work, but Lennon and Garant manage to pull it off. Fogler (playing ex-Olympian ping pong player Randy Dakota) -- who manages to play grandiose swagger and a sweet sense of insecurity in the part -- is a big part of Balls of Fury's success; he's like a kinder, gentler version of early Jack Black, less manic and more sympathetic. He's also surrounded by a supporting cast who work with the film, and who all seem to be on-board with the film's overall arc. George Lopez plays the FBI agent who recruits Randy with something like restraint; James Hong (best remembered as the insanely over-the-top David Lo Pan in Big Trouble in Little China) plays the ping pong mentor who gets Randy back in the game; Maggie Q plays Hong's daughter and Randy's sparring partner.

As evidenced by our Resurrecting the Champ insert caption entries last week, 99 percent of which included a swear word or some variation of "motherf***ing," all it takes is a photo of Samuel L. Jackson to turn even the most docile blue-haired granny into an f-bomb-dropping badass. Without further motherf***ing ado, here are this week's gloriously foul-mouthed winners:

1. "Hehe, well sh**. Maybe I should've said no to Snakes on a Plane. Hindsight. Got a quarter?"
-- Curt

2. "Ah man, I can't wait to wipe my ass with this."
-- Aaron Lopez

3. "What!! Half off at SuperCuts!!?? Out-Mother-F&%!ing-Standing!!!"
-- Shanec

See full image and all captions

This week, we bring you a photo of a mulletted Dan Fogler and a purple-robe-clad Christopher Walken from the upcoming Ping-Pong comedy-epic Balls of Fury. So let the male genitalia puns commence and hit us (not in the Balls, please) with your best caption. Winners will receive Balls of Fury underwear briefs, T-shirt, Ping-Pong paddle and a pack of balls -- just in case, you know, you don't have any of your own.

Read the official rules for this contest

The calm before the storm has ended, and now it's time to get ready for some Balls of Fury. At the end of last year, Scott Weinberg and I posted about the insane ping-pong film that has Christopher Walken looking like, in Scott's words, someone who looked like they just walked off Dracula: The Spoof. Then, as is usually the case, things calmed down for a bit. But now we're less than a month away from the flick's August 29 release date, and the buzz is brewing once again. Chris Ullrich covered the film at ComicCon, and now VH1 has an interview up where MTV chatted with the film's star -- Dan Fogler.

It's a pretty entertaining interview, and entirely appropriate for the subject at hand. You won't hear about the delicate operations of filmmaking. Instead, Shawn Adler talks with the actor about training and techniques for ping pong: "people might say it's just a matter of a turn of the wrist, but for me it's all moxy, blood, sweat and tears," and then a whole "balls" riff -- trying to think up the best movie title if one of the nouns is replaced with "balls." Juvenile, but amusing. Funnily enough, the actor goes on to talk about Christopher Walken, and muses over a potential future film where the duo go on a road trip "Thelma and Louise-style." I bet he hasn't heard about the man's latest project, which is similar -- without the army chase and "cosmic explosions." And finally, I know you all were wondering what Mr. Walken smells like. According to Fogler: "He's got a certain smell, a real Walken-y kind of smell... I'd say lilac and orange peels." Yum.

And lastly, check out the new poster to the right. Am I the only one reminded of that scene in Heathers where you saw a flash of the two croquet balls and mallet?

I just don't know... Christopher Walken as a conman? He's Annie Hall's suicidal brother. He's the dancing pimp from Pennies from Heaven. Sometimes, he even sees the future. Walken is the farmer looking for Sarah, Plain and Tall. He's known for his uber comedic roles like zany inventor Calvin Webber in Blast from the Past. He's not a criminal. When has he ever done something like that? Heh, I kid. While it is entirely not surprising that Walken has just signed on to play a conman in a new film, it is nice to see him get a starring role.

Walken and Alessandro Nivola (Laurel Canyon) have signed on to star in Five Dollars a Day. It's a road movie about an older conman (Walken) who is proud that he can life on $5 a day, and his son (Nivola) who has gotten thrown in the slammer for one of his dad's crimes. Variety says that the con artist is pitted "against his more conservative son," so perhaps Nivola will try to bring his dad down in exchange for his own freedom? According to IMDb, the flick's about them reuniting and going on a cross-country road trip together, so we'll see. Nigel Cole, the man who brought us Calendar Girls, will direct the feature, from a script by Neal and Tippi Dobrofsky. The movie will head into production in New Mexico and Atlantic City next month.

Not long ago, I posted a Monday Morning Poll asking which summer films you think will surprise us the most. For awhile now I've been in the minority in predicting that New Line's Hairspray will wind up shocking a lot of people when it turns out to be one of the more entertaining films this summer has to offer. I'm not sure why I felt that way; sometimes you just get this vibe and you either run with it or keep it to yourself for fear you could be completely wrong. I've always liked Hairspray (saw the original movie a bunch, as well as the Broadway musical); it's colorful, campy and fun -- and if director Adam Shankman can find a way to update the film so that it appeals to a wider audience, while still managing to retain Hairspray's awesome quirkiness, then pic should have no problem pleasing just about everyone when it arrives in theaters on July 20.

That said, I discovered an early review of the film over at Fox News that leads me to believe my initial instincts were right on the money. Not only does it refer to John Travolta's performance, in drag, as Edna Turnblad, as "remarkable," but it also calls the film "a big colorful carnival, with loads of cotton candy." The review goes on to rave about the various cast members -- with Queen Latifah (who they say could wind up with a few more awards and nominations) being their favorite -- and Travolta, Christopher Walken, Michelle Pfeiffer and newcomer Nikki Blonsky all turning in "excellent" performances in their respective roles. But don't expect Hairspray to break any box office records right out of the gate. Since it will face some pretty heavy competition from the Adam Sandler comedy I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, as well as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (which will be in its second week), it might take a little while for Hairspray to build buzz. Nevertheless, come this fall, I wouldn't be surprised if Hairspray is one of only a handful of summer flicks people are still talking about.

John Waters 1988 hit movie-turned-Broadway-musical is heading back to the big screen on July 20 -- this time as a musical -- with Adam Shankman (The Wedding Planner) at the helm and a bevy of A-list stars in the cast. We have an exclusive first look at 10 Hairspray character posters below, from an in-drag John Travolta to a still-smokin' Michelle Pfeiffer. Click on the images for larger versions.

Newcomer Nikki Blonsky stars as Tracy Turnblad, a chubby teen who wins a spot on the American Bandstand-esque Corny Collins Show in 1962 Baltimore. Amanda Bynes plays Tracy's saucy best pal Penny Pingleton.

John Travolta plays the plump Edna Turnblad, mother of the aforementioned aspiring dancer. Yes, that's correct: A virtually unrecognizable Travolta plays a woman. And he's married to Christopher Walken. Great stuff.

New Line has provided Cinematical with a first look at the brand spanking new Hairspray website, which goes live today at 6PM EST/3PM PST. The picture you see above will be the new home page intro; as you can see, it features the entire cast in character -- with newcomer Nikki Blonsky (Tracy Turnblad) leading the pack. 16 years after the classic John Waters film, Hairspray is about to receive a big-screen revival -- thanks, in part, to the success of the hot Broadway show. Have you ever wondered what John Travolta would look like overweight and dressed as a woman? And what if he was married to Christopher Walken? As creepy as it sounds, that's where they're going with this thing -- and if director Adam Shankman can find a way to tap into the campy spirit of the first film, then fans old and new should have a blast with this star-studded spectacular.

After the jump, we've provided you with two more screenshots from the website, as well as further details on what you can expect to find later this afternoon when the Hairspray gang officially attack the web ... in all their sticky, colorful glory. The film also stars Queen Latifah, Michelle Pfeiffer, Amanda Bynes, Allison Janney, Brittany Snow, Zac Efron and Elijah Kelle. Featuring old and new material, Hairspray hits theaters on July 20

John Waters' 1988 hit about a chubby teen who wins a spot on the American Bandstand-esque Corny Collins Show gets a makeover courtesy of choreographer-turned-director Adam Shankman (The Wedding Planner) in this summer's Hairspray. This time around, John Travolta plays the plump Edna Turnblad, mother of the aforementioned aspiring dancer (Nicole Blonsky). Yes, that's correct: A virtually unrecognizable Travolta plays a woman. And he's married to Christopher Walken to boot. I'd go on about how the all-star cast also includes Michelle Pfeiffer, Amanda Bynes, and Queen Latifah, but frankly Shankman had me at "Travolta married to Walken." Get an exclusive first look at the poster below (double-click on the image for a larger version).

Get more about Hairspray | See John Travolta photos

No matter how much crap Nicolas Cage throws at the screen, I still consider him one of the most inventive and exciting actors working today. His performances in Moonstruck, Leaving Las Vegas, Honeymoon In Vegas, The Rock, Wild at Heart, Bringing Out The Dead, Adaptation, and one of the best comedies of all time, Raising Arizona, are great enough to make you wish he would be a little choosier with his roles. The guy can still do great work, as he did in the unfairly overlooked The Weather Man, (not to be confused with Cage's The Wicker Man or The Family Man), but I always fear he's one or two movies away from becoming a joke. So it is with a heavy heart that I bring you the poster for his new project Next, which is exactly what I said when I read about the movie.

Next was directed by Lee Tamahori, best known for XXX: State of the Union, Die Another Day, and getting arrested for soliciting a prostitute while dressed as a woman. On the plus side, it does have Jessica Biel, who is so hot I can't look directly at her. And Julianne Moore is also in it, who I generally like but who is no stranger to unintentionally hilarious performances herself (Just crack a beer and rent Freedomland - hoo boy!). Next releases on April 27, and you can check out the trailer here. Cage stars as a Las Vegas showroom magician (what is it with him and Vegas movies?) who can see a few minutes into the future. (Reminds me of that old Saturday Night Live sketch with Christopher Walken -- "Ed Glosser, Trivial Psychic"). The plot concerns a terrorist group threatening to blow up Los Angeles, and Moore's character captures Cage's character in hopes of using his mind power to stop the destruction. The script is based on the Philip K. Dick story The Golden Man. Dick adaptations have made for some awesome movies - see Blade Runner and Total Recall, and some horrible ones - see Paycheck, which this movie reminds me of right down to their eerily similar posters. Put the two up next to each other on your screen and see for yourself.