Todd Terwilliger » movies

That Long and Long-Winded Road

Todd — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:46:41 +0000

I’m sitting here, drinking a cup of Gold Kili instant Chocolate Latte which, frankly, tastes in the neighborhood of chocolate but nothing near a latte, and I’m wondering about this impromptu seven month hiatus I’ve found myself on. There must be a reason, right? Some deep movement in my emotional, sub-conscious tectonic core? No… At least, I don’t think so. That’s the short answer. I have longer answers, of course.

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Post tags: 2wkfilms, film, galactus, tumblr, twitter, welcome back kotter

Terminal Illness

Todd — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:17:32 +0000

Bless me, readers, for I have sinned. It’s been a month since my last confession. Over a month, actually, but what a busy, busy month it’s been. I’m still chewing over my Cannes 2009 experience- the meat of it still churning slowly through my digestive tract. In the meantime, over the long weekend, I watched Terminator: Salvation and could only conclude my viewing with a single thought: when did John Connor become a complete and monstrous prick?

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Post tags: great man theory, helena bonham carter, lord humongous, master blaster, mcgyver, michael biehn, michael ironsides, richard dean anderson, salvation, save the cat, star trek, tango & cash, terminator

A Whisper from the Dark

Todd — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:28:31 +0000

Things have been quiet lately around here, the sort of eerie quiet that inspires tales of death or, in my case, extreme apathy. However, in this particular case, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, things are slogging steadily ahead here at Terwilliger HQ. Like Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory after Slugworth’s betrayal, the gates are closed but the chimneys, productively and, perhaps, ominously, are still billowing with a hidden feverish activity.

First things first. I haven’t talked about it in a long while but the short film I wrote and my sister directed, The Power of Freedom, will be heading to the Cannes Film Festival. We’ll both be tagging along with it, more or less- her more, me less. Last week she cut the trailer for it:

Feel free to watch it (and rate it!) directly on Vimeo and YouTube.

As part of this Sherman’s march to Cannes, I’m trying to put together a little podcast roundtable about the fest. My sister has been once already. This will be my first of hopefully many trips.

To that end, I have been busy as a beaver trying to write a full-length script to take with me. As I hope to sell this little gem, I can’t share too much about it now save that I think I’ve got a pretty good premise (I really like it anyway) but I’ve got a LOT of work to do between now and the festival to whip it into shape.

In totally unrelated news, I just saw a trailer for Valhalla Rising, a Mads Mikkelsen powered Viking movie. It looks good. Then again, Severed Ways looked good and we all know how that turned out. Hope springs eternal.

Technorati Tags: cannes 2009, mads mikkelsen, severed ways, the power of freedom, vikings, willy wonka

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Post tags: cannes 2009, mads mikkelsen, severed ways, the power of freedom, vikings, willy wonka

A Pitch With Teeth (Mandibles Actually)

Todd — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:31:25 +0000

I’d like to pitch my idea for the next film in the Predator franchise. No, it’s not another Predator vs. Alien or even Predator vs. Danny Glover. No, this will be a new direction, a bold new direction, from north to north-northeast into a virgin untamed movie landscape. Allow me to set the scene.

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Post tags: alien, annie lennox, danny glover, enemy mine, gleaming the cube, justin timberlake, last starfighter, liev schreiber, michael j fox, predator, return of the king, secret of my success, she's got to have it, soul man, yello

Who is That Masked Man?

Todd — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 02:31:23 +0000

One of the things I picked up from this past New York Comic Con was an old luchador movie, Blue Demon vs. Podor Satanico (Blue Demon vs. the Satanic Power). Just this week I got around to watching it, in fabulous black and white with a total lack of subtitles. Let it be known: I do not speak Spanish. Not a word. This very fact thrilled me. I would experience the film entirely visually, unsullied by dialog or exposition. This was to be a pure experience, in the purest sense of the word.

To fully document this momentous achievement, I decided to log my viewing (split over two nights) of the film. I do this not for myself but for the cultural enrichment of future generations… Let’s get ready to rumble!

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Post tags: blue demon vs podor satanico, cher, gimp, luchador, movielog, pulp fiction, sonny bono, vincent price, wrestling

Toddspell #2: This WMD Sponsored By Nabisco

Todd — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:46:59 +0000

Finally, podcast #2 is in the can and ready (or at least prepared) for general consumption. Friend Paul is back to discuss Monday’s episode of 24. We discuss some directions the show might go from here and Paul’s wife chimes in on Jack Bauer versus Jason Bourne. I also rant heavily on Severed Ways (spoilers ahoy!). Some other meanderings included, free of charge!

Download it: toddspell_0001.mp3
Feed: http://www.toddterwilliger.com/?feed=podcast (iTunes)

Technorati Tags: 24, jack bauer, jason bourne, miami vice, severed ways

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Post tags: 24, jack bauer, jason bourne, miami vice, severed ways

The Immigrant Movie

Todd — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:23:47 +0000

If a Viking takes a dump in the woods, does he make sound? Yes, yes he does. How do I know this? Because I made the mistake of seeing Severed Ways at the Angelika Film Center on Saturday.

The premise of the film reads like a teenage boy’s wet dream:

Abandoned by a Western exploration party and stranded in the New World, two lone Vikings wade through a grand primeval landscape, struggling for survival while still in the grip of their Norse ways. An impressive DIY epic, SEVERED WAYS features a frosty black metal soundtrack, including Burzum, Morbid Angel, Judas Priest and Dimmu Borgir.

How could something that sounds so good turn out so horribly, awfully wrong? Where should I begin?

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Post tags: angelika, beowulf, brokeback mountain, john cleese, mary magdalene, monty python & the holy grail, severed ways, sir lancelot, society for creative anachronism, thirteenth warrior

Say, Say, Say

Todd — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 05:28:24 +0000

I just finished lightly and gently editing the first of many (I hope) audio endeavors. This premier episode has very rustic production values (read: none). In it, I call my friend Paul via Skype to talk about 24, the Watchmen, and a bit about Octomom. There’s spoilers galore, a touch of explicit language, and more than a little bad taste. Enjoy!

Download it: toddspell_0001.mp3
Feed: http://www.toddterwilliger.com/?feed=podcast (iTunes)

Technorati Tags: 24, octomom, the watchmen

The Dark of Heartness

Todd — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:57:47 +0000

I saw Coraline in 3-D last night at Union Square. Dark, fantastical, fanciful, animated- right up my alley and as good a coming-of-age film as I’ve seen in a long time, not that I make these sorts of films a habit but when they’re dark, fantastical, fanciful, I’ll give them a shot (being animated doesn’t hurt either).

I hadn’t read much about the film. I knew only that it shared lineage with The Nightmare Before Christmas. The movie posters present an exaggerated version of a 50s TV couple with black buttons for eyes. Those two things were enough to get me intrigued. The 3-D part was no small hook either.

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Post tags: beowulf, bridge to terabithia, coraline, keith david, nightmare before xmas, pixar, review, up

Taken for a Ride

Todd — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:52:15 +0000

Friday night I met up at midtown with ex-coworker Chris and his girlfriend to go see the Liam Neeson flick, Taken. It was Man on Fire “light”, the diet version of that darker, more extreme film.

Getting to the movie was a bit extreme in its own right. We went to the Regal on 42nd street. Had I known this fully in advance, I could have planned it better if only because I had to go to midtown after work. In fact, I went to midtown, after work, and then back home, as we had decided beforehand (or so I’d thought) to go see the film at a local theater. It was only when I got home and made contact with Chris that I found out the movie location had changed… to midtown. I picked up my jacket and hat which I had just taken off, grabbed my wallet and keys which I had just deposited on the kitchen counter, turned off the lights I had just turned on, and hoofed it back to into the city.

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Post tags: batman, boerum hill, james bond, jason bourne, joya, liam neeson, man on fire, regal, subway, taken, thai 101