Editorials > Filmwad Breaks it Down: Tuesday, December 11

Reality star Jamie Chung has been cast as Chi-Chi in the live-action version of Dragon Ball. Director James Wong is hoping to begin shooting this January in Mexico. If you're doubting Chung's acting abilities, I'll have you know she also appeared as "Hooters Girl" in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. Somebody out there should be eating his or her words right about now.

Paul Rudd is going to give the role of "the leading man" a shot again in a new movie by John Hamburg's I Love You, Man, after mainly playing "the hilarious friend" in Apatow films for the past few years. In an effort to disguise this non-Apatow film as an Apatow film, the decidedly un-Apatow Hamburg is also trying to recruit another Apatow regular player by the name of Jason Segel. I can see the TV spots now, "From two of the guys who had secondary roles in Knocked Up."

No Country for Old Men was named best picture by the New York Film Critics Circle, further building its reputation as "the film to beat" this awards season.  And indeed, so far there's nothing that matches it. Though I think we know what'll be taking the big prize in February of 2010…

…Bio-Dome 2! That's right, Stephen Baldwin is "in talks" to do a sequel to his Razzie-award winning* classic Bio-Dome. Granted, it's unclear who Baldwin was "talking" to about this but at least we know he's open to reliving the worst mistake of his career. Well, okay. First worst mistake of his career.

The trailers for today are an interesting pair. On the one hand there's a decent trailer for a movie that can't be good, and a weak trailer for a movie that should be good. 

The first trailer is for Uwe Boll's In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale. It's astonishing how good of a cast Dr. Boll's films still boast, he must pay remarkably well. And the trailer itself doesn't look overtly abominable, like his reputation would suggest. It just looks like a mindless fantasy thriller starring the ever-entertaining Jason Statham. I'm sure once the film is released audiences will see the dark side we've all come to expect from Dr. Boll, but the trailer itself isn't so bad.
Release Date: January 11, 2008.

Which leads us to the second trailer, which is for John Sayles' Honeydripper. I saw Sayles speak in person about this film a few months ago and it sounded like a really interesting project. But this trailer just doesn't have any life to it. It's boring and looks like it was thrown together by some amateurs. Again, Sayles' track record suggests that this should be well-worth seeing, so today is going to have to be a day of books, their covers, and mutual exclusivity.
Release Date: December 28, 2007.

-David Morgan 

*Worst Actor: Pauly Shore