THE OBENSON REPORT

Yup, that's the title of his next film which is said to have wrapped production, and is scheduled for release later this year. It's labeled as a futuristic/sci-fi/action movie. The Diesel stars as a mercenary hired to deliver a package from the ravages of post-apocalyptic Eastern Europe to a destination in the megalopolis known as New York City. The "package" is a mysterious young woman with a secret.

It co-stars Michelle Yeoh and will hit theatres in late August. I haven't seen any real trailer for it... just a few teasers that don't give away much. I'm surprised about how quietly the project came to fruition. I knew absolutely nothing about it, until now anyway.

Here's the poster that's been promoted in parts of Europe. The director is Frenchman Mathieu Kassovitz best known for his critically acclaimed 1995 success, La Haine (a film I strongly recommend). You can check out the teaser trailer at the film's website - http://www.babylonad-lefilm.com/teaser/:

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Sounds somewhat like The Blade Trilogy doesn't it?

The film was originally a vehicle for Chinese star, Chow Yun-Fat of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Pirates of the Caribbean fame, amongst many other notable titles. But apparently, nothing came of his involvement. I wonder why...

Anywho... looks like the film may get a theatrical release after all. According to the film's financial backer, Snipes's recent public tax woes have given the star and the film some much needed, unexpected, free press! No idea when it'll be released, and by whom. Although Lions Gate (home to Tyler Perry's library of work) does own USA home video (DVD) rights. You can check out the film's official website HERE and read all about it and more.

Here's the just released trailer:

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Akon Calls T-Pain

I'm not a fan of either, but it's almost impossible to avoid them completely... so I know just enough about each one to think this was funny...

What happens when the two most vocoded voices in music come together… with some butternut reduction?

A few interesting items (at least, to me) worth sharing on a busy Sunday afternoon...

- A foreshadowing of things to come? I certainly hope not. In the 2002 Eddie Murphy futuristic box office dud, The Adventures of Pluto Nash, there is a scene in which Pluto (Murphy) holds up a stack of American dollar bills that have Hillary Clinton's face on them. I just happened to catch this, earlier today, as I was getting my hair cut, flipping through TV channels, and pausing for a few minutes to see Eddie embarrass himself. Interestingly, I've never seen the film, although, like just about everybody else, I've heard and read all the negative reviews of it. The few minutes I did see today certainly justified the reviews it received. Flipping to the channel on which it was screening, right at the exact moment that Pluto flashes the Hillary-adorned dollar bills, was rather chilling, especially since those of us in the room happened to be talking about the race for the democratic party nomination. I hope Pluto doesn't know something that we don't :o) Scary...

- Speaking of Election '08, did anyone catch the story last week about the Jonesville, SC church that put up an exterior sign that read, "Obama, Osama, hmm, are they brothers?" According to Pastor Roger Byrd, he just wanted to get people thinking, claiming that the message wasn't meant to be racial or political. "It's simply to cause people to realize and to see what possibly could happen if we were to get someone in there that does not believe in Jesus Christ," he said. Obama has said repeatedly during his campaign that he is a Christian, not Muslim. Despite some initial criticism, Byrd and his congregation refused to take down the sign. However, after the story got some national attention and accompanying controversy, the sign has come down. I can't remember what the exact number is, but I remember reading somewhere that something like 17% or more of Americans still think Obama is indeed a Muslim. Ignorant actions like those taken by the Jonesville church congregation only help feed those "fears." How Christianlike of Pastor Byrd and his congregation... I'm sure Jesus Christ would approve of your obvious attempts at deception and intent to discredit and demean another human being. May God bless you sir!

- Speaking of God (the absence of God anyway)... what would philosopher and novelist Ayn Rand say about the above pastor and congregation? What would she say about the race for the democratic nomination, if she were still alive? Who is John Galt? The answers to those questions and more could probably be found in her novels, despite the fact that they were published decades ago - notably the literary gigantor for which she is most known, Atlas Shrugged. If you haven't read the tremendous, suspenseful,1100 page novel about "a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world, and does," no problem, because, LionsGate Studios, one of the mini-majors, responsible for all of Tyler Perry's films, is adapting the story for the big screen, with Angelina Jolie starring as protagonist Dagny Taggart - although the actor who will play John Galt, Ayn Rand's vision of the perfect man, is still a mystery. I've read 3 of Ayn Rand's novels (The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged and Anthem), and, to borrow Mr T's word, I pity the fool who attempts to make a film out of any of her works, especially something as dense as Atlas Shrugged. The Fountainhead was adapted in 1949, and starred Gary Cooper, as Howard Roark. I've seen that film, but it doesn't quite do the book justice; maybe it doesn't have to... after all, both are different mediums altogether. Trying to capture an 1100 page novel into a 2-hour movie is impossible. Sure, you could probably summarize the major themes within the novel, but that wouldn't quite be the same as an adaptation. You can read a recent interview with LionsGate chief, Michael Burns, talking about the project, as well as a few words on Akeelah and the Bee, a film that LionsGate also released HERE.

- I was supposed to catch Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha this evening, but I had to give away my ticket, because something else is in demand of my attention tonight. I wish I could say that the "something else" was a booty call but, alas, it's not :o) However, the person I gave my ticket to promised me a review after she sees it tonight. I still plan on checking it out before it leaves the Tribeca Film Festival, but that's not a guarantee. At worst, I'll post my friend's review when I get it...

- If you didn't catch Reverend Jeremiah Wright's interview with Bill Moyers on PBS last week, you should. Thanks to Wigger Lover for the heads up. Here's a piece of it courtesy of the PBS channel on YouTube, where you can find the rest of it (I think there are about 5 parts to it). I believe this is the first interview he's given since the "scandal" with Obama - at least on a major network.

Ok, back to work... later kidz :o)

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