I know I’m not the only person out there who’s ever said this but doing you think “Training Day” would be so much better if Denzel Washington’s role was played by John Travolta?  Sure, every line that Washington says is bad-ass and every line Travolta says he thinks is bad-ass in the same way a teenager who’s really good at “Halo” thinks he’s bad ass.

Looking at this trailer for “From Paris with Love”, I think David Ayer needs to call his lawyer and sue the hell out of Luc Besson and Adi Hasak.  Yes, “Taken” wonderboy Pierre Morel is at the helm but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m pretty sure Travolta-whose character name is “Wax” so enjoy that cringe-is about to hand Myers a joint laced with PCP.  Also, folks walked away from “Taken” not awed by the the direction but wondering why Liam Neeson isn’t in more action movies.  I’m walking away from this trailer wondering why John Travolta is still in action movies.  Hit the jump to watch the trailer and try to figure that one out with me.  “From Paris with Love” comes out February 5^th, 2010.

I didn’t have much hope for Tony Scott’s remake* of the brilliant 1974 film “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” (we don’t spell out words anymore because words are for queers) but I hoped that it would at least acknowledge the greatness of that movie and if it wanted to update the story (and I’ll admit there’s room for an update although the original still works perfectly), it would show a little love towards Joseph Sargent’s film.  Maybe they would remix David Shire’s unforgettable theme from the flick and use that to open the movie.

And then they open with Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” and you realize that this isn’t a remake you tolerate as much as you endure it.

Opening this Friday is director Tony Scott’s “The Taking of Pelham 123″. The film stars Denzel Washington and John Travolta and it’s a remake of the 1974 film that starred Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw. Here’s the synopsis:

Denzel Washington stars as New York City subway dispatcher Walter Garber, whose ordinary day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train.  John Travolta stars as Ryder, the criminal mastermind who, as leader of a highly-armed gang of four, threatens to execute the train’s passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour. As the tension mounts beneath his feet, Garber employs his vast knowledge of the subway system in a battle to outwit Ryder and save the hostages.  But there’s one riddle Garber can’t solve: even if the thieves get the money, how can they possibly escape?

To help promote the film, I recently attended a press conference with director Tony Scott and Denzel Washington. They talked about all the usual subjects like what was it like to make the movie, filming in New York, how did Denzel create his character, what they have coming up, and a lot more.

If you’d like to read the transcript, it’s after the jump. But if you’d rather listen to the press conference, you can click here to download/listen to the audio. If you have the time, I’d recommend listening. Press conferences are always better that way.

Finally, here’s a link to some movie clips from “Taking of Pelham 123″.

Opening on June 12th is director Tony Scott’s “The Taking of Pelham 123″. The film stars Denzel Washington and John Travolta and it’s a remake of the 1974 film that starred Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw. Here’s the synopsis:

Denzel Washington stars as New York City subway dispatcher Walter Garber, whose ordinary day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train.  John Travolta stars as Ryder, the criminal mastermind who, as leader of a highly-armed gang of four, threatens to execute the train’s passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour. As the tension mounts beneath his feet, Garber employs his vast knowledge of the subway system in a battle to outwit Ryder and save the hostages.  But there’s one riddle Garber can’t solve: even if the thieves get the money, how can they possibly escape?

To help promote the film, we’ve been provided with 6 clips and a featurette. They’re all after the jump so take a look:

I go out dancing all the time. This is something that came to me later in life, though I spent a lot of time out of college dancing. But even more so now. You get the jogger’s high if you do it long enough. And it’s like going to the gym, except with more chances for flirting. And most women will tell you, a man who can dance is probably not a bad lay. That’s not why I dance, though.

I don’t relate to Tony Manero (John Travolta), but I get it. For him, there’s his life, and then there’s the 2001 dance club. Sure it may cost $20 to get in, but when he’s there he’s the king. One patron wants to bead his forehead to remove the sweat. His friends joke that getting a girl to do something like that is harder than getting a blowjob. Tony meets Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney) and knows that she’s on to something. When they dance he can tell she’s good. They hang out, and she can’t shut up about being classy, he wants to be with her, but she also knows that he might be a step back in getting on in the world. He’s a man frustrated with how his life is.